In 2019, Rory Power premiered her first novel Wilder Girls. Since then, fans have been intrigued by the worlds and characters she is able to create through her words. Now, she’s introducing us to the world of Kill Creatures, a psychological suspense that explores identity, desire, and the darkness within its characters.
The narrator of the story, and undoubtedly the most important character, is Nan. However, as a narrator, Nan is completely unreliable as she tells the story of what happened to her friends the summer they died.
Power spoke to us about her upcoming book and what motivated her to create a character like Nan.
Eulalie Magazine: What motivated you to create a “Me” character who was hard for the audience to identify with?
Rory Power: Honestly, I find that relatability isn’t something I really consider much as I work (so far, anyway). Maybe some of that is the genre I write, and what it requires; I think it’s typically less necessary to root for the main character in a thriller than it is in a romance, for example. But I think it’s also as simple as writing about what I’m interested in and trusting that if I’m interested, readers can be too.
Eulalie Magazine: What pushed you to write a book from the killer’s perspective? And why tell the readers from the beginning that it was Nan instead of letting them figure it out?
RP: I began Kill Creatures after some false starts on a different project and a year-long break from writing YA, so as I worked on the first draft my focus was really on finding fun in writing again. A lot of that fun came from setting challenges for myself, and one of those was, “Can I write a mystery if I tell you half the answer as soon as possible?” It felt like a new kind puzzle to solve, which was really intriguing to me.
Eulalie Magazine: Do you think that leaving the story as an unfulfilled cliffhanger will ever tempt you to revisit it and its characters?
RP: I don’t think so! For me, Nan’s arc hits a natural ending point at the close of Kill Creatures, and while the epilogue definitely leaves some teasers, for me it’s more of a nod to classic horror movie endings, where the monster we thought was dead opens its eyes again right before the credits roll. Of course, a lot of those movie endings do lead to sequels, and you never know what the future holds, but I think Kill Creatures will stay a standalone.
Eulalie Magazine: What do you think people will love the most about Nan?
I hope readers enjoy that Nan doesn’t always take things as seriously as we might expect her to. When we meet her, she’s already committed this horrible crime, so there’s a sort of “this might as well happen” tone to her narration that I had a lot of fun writing.
Eulalie Magazine: How important do you think it is to write queer stories in today’s time?
RP: Queer stories are so, so important, especially now, when marginalized communities are under such threat. Sharing them is a hugely powerful tool for fostering connection and curiosity, but the act of creative expression itself is just as vital—existence, full and deserving whether or not there’s an audience there to witness it.
Kill Creatures is out June 3.
Follow us on X and on Instagram!
Like us on Facebook!
Lara Rosales
By day, Lara Rosales (she/her) is a solo mom by choice and a bilingual writer with a BA in Latin-American Literature who works in PR. By night, she is a TV enjoyer who used to host a podcast (Cats, Milfs & Lesbian Things). You can find her work published on Tell-Tale TV, Geek Girl Authority, Collider, USA Wire, Mentors Collective, Instelite, Noodle, Dear Movies, Nicki Swift, and Flip Screened.
