'When I Was Death' with Alexis Henderson

I am joined by a fabulous author who I have been following for a while, Alexis Henderson. Alexis, how are you? I'm doing well. Thank you so much for having me. Of course. So it's never too early to talk about anything spooky, which a lot of people know about me because any Halloween is year round when it comes to me or anything that's like kind of tense. And so before we dive deep into your mysterious book, tell us a little bit about, you know, you, where you're from, and what really sparked your interest in becoming a writer? Yeah, so I was born in Lansing, Michigan, so I'm a Michigander. But I actually grew up in Savannah, Georgia, which if anyone knows anything about Savannah, it's one of the most haunted cities in the United States. So I really think that my way into writing about, like, ghostic stories and horror was Savannah, like the city. Every story that I write, every book that I write, in some way is a love letter to that city. But also, I'm like, I very much feel like the woods in Michigan and the wilderness is very scary. So that's a huge influence on my writing, too. There's almost always like a spooky woodland environment in any book that I write. And I attribute that to Michigan for sure. Yeah. And I feel like Michigan woods is kind of like creepy because it's like, there's no light. You don't know what's in there. It's like, is it Bigfoot? Is it like something a little bit more sinister? And then like in Savannah, it's kind of tied with like New Orleans a little bit because it's like all like vampires and the history behind it. And you're just kind of like, I need holy water when I go visit these places. Absolutely. One of the books that I really love that I stumbled upon of yours was House of Hunger, which I came upon after like the whole sinners world kind of blew up because everything on BookTok and like Bookstagram was like anything related to sinners, these are the books you want to read. But now you have a new book, your latest read that's out is When I Was Death, which follows a young girl. She takes the caravan and she is following grief. It's a lot of different things in this book. So tell us a little bit about it. And what was your motivation with this one? Yeah, so When I Was Death is my first time writing for an audience of like, you know, underage people. I was just super excited to kind of tell that story. I knew that I wanted to write a story about grief, but that story didn't really lock in like the meaning until my mom passed away. So like when I was able to kind of experience my own grief, which was really profound grief for the first time, I kind of was able to tap into the character of Roslyn, who's lost her sister in the story. And she kind of experienced the death of other people through death incarnate and working with the schoolgirls of Hills on his behalf. So it was a really interesting experience to sort of be grieving alongside a character that was also experiencing grief. I learned so much about myself and I feel like that book really held my hand through the darker time in my life. So yeah, it was just it was like a really cathartic writing experience, honestly. Yeah, and I had I talked to one other fellow book lover earlier today. And she also talked about, you know, how like reading when she got into reading, it was through grief because she had lost, you know, like her, her grandmother and her sibling, like not too far apart. So it's just amazing how reading is kind of able to walk people through some of the darkest times in their lives. And you were able to take that and turn it into a masterpiece that many other people can read. And hopefully it will help them and speak to them while they're in their time of need. So throughout your stories, have you ever written something that was like so good that you kind of creeped yourself out a little bit? I always think that when I'm writing, like what I'm writing is terrible until I've had some hindsight. So that almost never happened to me. But what has happened to me is that I've written something like as I've been writing my whole life, right? So I'll write something and then I will look back 20 years in the past and find like almost the exact same concept or sentence in like a childhood diary that I had. So that's really, I have no memory. I'm like, oh my gosh, we just published this idea. And I'll be reading through my old diaries or combing through my, my inbox, which I've had since I was a child as well. So I can like look back and I'm like, I've already walked this path and I just forgotten. Like it's crazy. Yeah, that that's kind of a fun experience, like holding all these different versions of myself at once. Yeah. And then like it comes back full circle, which are kind of just like, okay, that's a little weird. Yeah, yeah. That's true. But then like I take it because like I have a lot of deja vu moments. So like in my brain, I'm like, okay, well, I just take that as I'm where I need to be in that moment. So like back around to what you've written before, that just shows that like, it was kind of preparing you for like the mainstream nowadays, pretty much. So it's not too, too spooky, but I could see how that's like a little eerie. Yeah. And so what's your writing process like? Like, can you be in like a crowded cafe and kind of write and like kind of people watch or do you prefer to kind of be isolated in your little area and just hash it out? I love being isolated in like my specific place, which I'm at my writing desk right now. I'm a couch writer all the way. I love to write on the couch in my blanket and just be cozy. So I think that that's kind of like my environment. I feel like the writing process, I tend to kind of have like a really good run with the book and I get about 30,000 words, a couple hundred pages and maybe and then I'm like I hit a wall and I just need to break and step back, collect myself and then figure out how to proceed with the story. I think that there's always that moment where, you know, you begin to self doubt. This is a normal part of the writing experience, but every time I panic and think, oh, no, I'm not going to figure it out. And then I do eventually. It's nice to just shut your brain off for a second, do something else, go touch grass and then come back and you're like, OK, I got the next part, so we're good. So what's next for you, Alexis, on this literary world? Like, I know you just came out when I was deaf. Is there more books planned for you? Yes. Next year, my upcoming novel is coming out. It's coming out in May, May 17th is the date. It's called The Godfrey Home for Demonic Children, and it's about a young exorcist who inherits a home for children whose demons cannot be exorcised safely. And she's not a kid person. Like, she's kind of like not enthusiastic about this, especially because two other people who inherit the home are her ex-best friend and her ex-boyfriend, and they all have to figure out how to come together and form a family to sort of take care of these kids while also finding one of the children who's mysteriously gone missing. So, yeah, that's my upcoming book. Well, that'll be like a nice little birthday present for myself. So I will keep an eye out for that one to add to my collection because that just sounds so interesting. So, Alexis, before I let you go, is there anything else that you would like to say to fellow book lovers out there? Just take a chance on reading. Like, I think that reading and also writing is one of the most profound experiences of my life and it's given so much to me, and I really wish that for everyone else. And if you need a book recommendation, I want to like shout out A Dark and Wild Blood by Sarah Nicole Lemon. I've just started this one. It's absolutely fantastic. So if you're looking for like a book to kind of get you back into reading, I would recommend this one. It's very spooky and it's very, very good. I'm going to have to add that one to my TBR. So I thank you for that recommendation. So, Alexis, thank you so much for taking the time to come and chat with us. I greatly appreciate it. Thank you so much for having me. It was great.