Interview with Lyndall Clipstone, Author of Tenderly, I am Devoured
Welcome to YAOTL, Lyndall! Please tell us a bit about Tenderly I Am Devoured.
Hello, and thank you for having me! Tenderly, I am Devoured is a standalone romantic folk horror, where–to save her family from ruin– a girl marries the swan god worshipped by her isolated coastal hometown. But when her betrothal goes horribly wrong and she begins to vanish from the moral world, the only ones who can help her are the boy who broke her heart, and his alluring older sister… I like to pitch it as Saltburn meets The Secret History, with a dash of A Study in Drowning!
You write “flower-threaded horror.” Can you define this unique term for us?
It’s such a fun term, isn’t it? You could also call it “horrormance” or “dark cottagecore”. When I think of flower-threaded horror, particularly in Tenderly, I am Devoured, I am picturing a genre-blend of the soft, earthy and botanical elements which are often prevalent in folk horror, combined with a strong romantic element which is a main feature of the plot.
This book is so beautifully written. I have so many highlights throughout simply picking up on lush language: “The pallid swans spear through the settling dusk, across a sky the color of bruised plums.” How do you approach the use of such language as a worldbuilding tool, especially having come from the worlds of romantasy and horrormance?
Oh, thank you. Beautiful prose is one of my favourite things as both a reader and a writer. I love the way language can become a tool to immerse the reader into the world of the book. Because Tenderly, I am Devoured is such an intimate, character-driven story, I think having Lark’s voice be so evocative and poetic helps to create a richness and sense of depth. It also says a lot about her character: she loves art so it makes sense that her narrative voice would have a very lush, aesthetic tone.
I also got serious dark academia vibes with this one, right from the start. How did dark academia literary tradition influence this work?
There is definitely a lot of inspiration from dark academia, particularly Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, which is a hugely formative book for me. I wanted to capture the elements of dark academia–the sense of a closed-off, research-infused world–but in a way that set it apart from, say, a campus novel. A major element of Lark’s character journey is how she must find a new path in life after her expulsion from school. So taking elements of dark academia and transferring them to her isolated coastal hometown was the perfect way to explore this theme.
I am fascinated by the Persephone story, and the fact that it is such an often retold myth (maybe the most retold)? Why did you find yourself drawn to it, and how do themes of empowerment find its way into your interpretation?
I have been a Persephone girlie (™) ever since a librarian told my class the myth of Hades and Persephone when I was in grade school! A large part of the appeal for me is the way it symbolises liminal spaces and transformation. Tenderly, I am Devoured is set during the “in-between” time of life after high school and before college. Lark’s occupation of two worlds–the mortal realm, and the realm of her swan god husband–is a further reinforcement of this. As for empowerment, I love the idea of confronting something dangerous or frightening (such as your fate being bound to a god!) and not only facing that fear but making it your own.
We’ve all had our moments of doubt as artists and writers and creators. I understand you wrote Tenderly after a period of burnout when you thought that you might not write again. This surprised me because your writing is so confident and luxurious. I can’t imagine it coming from a person who ever had a doubt in their head. How did you overcome such burnout?
That is so lovely to hear, and it’s been so touching to see the way readers have connected with Tenderly, I am Devoured. I think something that isn’t talked about enough is the immense resilience needed to be an author. It is very much a marathon, and it’s so easy to burn out. Particularly now that authors are encouraged to be more and more present on social media. For me, I had to take a big step back and reevaluate the balance of my work and my life. I went to therapy, which was an amazing help! I also thought deeply about the stories I wanted to tell, and the parts of writing that I loved the most. Which is how I decided to make a shift away from fantasy toward a smaller-stakes, more intimate story like Tenderly.
You feature both a poly romance and LGBTQ+ cast. While LGBTQ representation is important in any genre, do you think there are aspects of horror that make it especially important to include LGBTQ characters?
As a genre that disrupts the boundaries of the real world, I’ve always felt that horror is a perfect place to explore queerness because it creates a world where all boundaries are disrupted—through hauntings, violence, bloodshed, or the supernatural. A world where societal norms are broken down and remade, and where anything is possible. On a more personal level, queer horror is one of the genres which helped me navigate my own queer identity, so it has a special place in my heart.
I’m an artist / illustrator in addition to being a writer–art was an old passion I just got back into within the last few years. How does your art influence your writing? Vice versa?
I was very lucky to be able to illustrate the chapter headers for Tenderly, I am Devoured, and I adore how both my art and my words will be in this book! I’m a very visually-inspired writer, and a lot of my influences come from art, cinema, and photography. A moodboard is the very first thing I will make when I’m starting a new writing project, and I will go back to it whenever I need to immerse myself in the world of my story. But I’ve also tried to keep my art as a fun hobby, because I think when you have a creative career it’s important to have a way to be creative which is no pressure. I love to draw when the mood takes me, and it brings me a lot of relaxation and joy.
What’s next?
I’m currently hard at work on what I hope will be my adult debut. It’s a beautiful, ambitious story which is really challenging me as an author–which I am loving, because I always try to push myself further from my comfort zone with each book I write.
Where can we find you?
You can find me at http://lyndallclipstone.com or on socials as @lkclipstone
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