Hannah Whitten turned Postpartum Depression into a NYT Bestseller

In this episode of Talking Horror, Rachel Redd sits down with New York Times bestselling author Hannah Whitten, known for the Wilderwood duology (For the Wolf, For the Throne), the Nightshade Crown trilogy (The Foxglove King), and her brand new adult horror debut, Reliquary. Hannah opens up about how she started writing For the Wolf in the grip of postpartum depression, rewrote it from the ground up at least four times, and spent five years getting it from a spell-checked first draft to a TikTok sensation.Grab your copy of Reliquary: https://amzn.to/3Q2bTbZWe dig into her childhood as a "spooky little kid" sneaking Goosebumps into her school desk, why Buffy the Vampire Slayer is "in the bedrock of her soul," the religious-trauma threads running through her work, and the Ready or Not-inspired spark behind Reliquary. Whether you're a fan of lush gothic atmosphere, slow-burn dread, a love triangle where everybody wins, or a theater kid who loves a dark twist, this conversation is for you.Timestamps:00:00 – Buffy in the Bedrock: Where the Whimsy Comes From00:37 – Welcome to Talking Horror & Meeting Hannah Whitten02:18 – A Spooky Evangelical Kid Sneaking Goosebumps Into Her Desk05:31 – Best House on the Block: Halloween & Vintage Goosebumps07:57 – Writing Since She Could Hold a Pen09:27 – Postpartum Depression & the Birth of For the Wolf12:44 – Meeting Erin Craig, Edit Letters & Rewriting the Book Four Times15:46 – From YA to Adult: The Five-Year Road to Publication18:56 – Advice for Writers: Finish It & Be Your Own Audience23:13 – Building the Wilderwood Duology25:01 – Becoming a TikTok Sensation (Without Being on TikTok)27:09 – Trolls, Doom Scrolling & the Spider-in-the-House Rule30:48 – Melting Fairy Tales & Balancing Whimsy With Horror35:09 – Monsters, Grief, Religious Trauma & Female Power39:01 – Going Darker: The Nightshade Crown & a Love Triangle Where Everyone Wins43:23 – Lore the Performer & the Theater Kid Confession46:13 – Soft Power vs. Hard Power in Romantasy48:14 – Writing Her First Horror: The Ready or Not Spark & a Secret 55K Draft52:43 – Meet Claire: Her Most Challenging Protagonist53:54 – "She's Drew Barrymore in Scream" & the Art of the Slow Burn57:10 – Anxiety, ADHD & OCD on the Page59:04 – A New Era? Second Horror & Hawthorne and Oak1:01:15 – Book Recs: The Starving Saints & Coffin Moon1:02:39 – Dark Fantasy This or That1:05:02 – Goodbyes & Reliquary Out August 11thConnect with Hannah Whitten:Website: https://hannahfwhitten.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hwhittenwrites/Follow Talking Horror Podcast:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelreddreads/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rachelreddIf you enjoyed this episode, please Like, Subscribe, and hit the notification bell to help us grow the horror community!