“The Ghost in Apartment 5K” is a thrilling story with a truly crazy ending, and I loved it! What was the initial seed of this story for you?
I love a haunted house story. And I always think about how if I were in a haunted house I would be like “okay, we can cohabitate in this space, there’s no need to be hostile.” So, for example, say a door weirdly pops open in my apartment, I’m always “oh, hey,” just in case someone’s there. Sometimes I even chant “nice ghost, nice ghost, nice ghost” in the dark. As one of the horde of Ohioans who have moved to New York, I’m very aware that every place I’ve lived in has a long history that’s been painted over by some landlord and a couple rounds of moneyed people. I don’t think ignorance of the place I live excuses me from trying to be respectful of my environment and my neighborhood. The other thing that New York has taught me is how to live amid anything: barking dogs, howling teenagers in parking lots, mice and roaches, someone’s garden light as bright as the sun beaming directly in your bedroom window, a kid practicing their bassoon at odd hours. I can sleep through a fire alarm, so you know, what’s a ghost to me? Anyways, I knew I wanted to write a haunted house story, and I knew it would feel different for it to be in a small apartment versus a giant gothic mansion with long dark hallways and creaky stairs. The ghost is breathing down your neck. And if the person is like me, which all my characters kind of are, they’d try to live with it.
Poor Vanessa; it’s hard enough being queer in a poorly maintained apartment, let alone having a ghost to mess with you! Nena read to me almost like a possessive ex, which is a fun twist on “ghostly possession.” What drew you to writing Nena this way?
I think a lot of ghostly folklore centers around a ghost staying because they have unfinished business, or a grudge. But I think that assumes that a ghost is exactly like a person and would have the same motivations. But wouldn’t your motivations change once you were incorporeal? You’re already dead. And in Nena’s case, everyone she could’ve known is gone. She’s a ghost because she’s unacknowledged, and so when she can impact the world around her, that’s a kind of life.
Vanessa seems more open to Nena’s presence than the other characters, although that unfortunately ends in tragedy. Do you generally think it’s better to ignore, try to exorcise, or offer an olive branch when there’s a haunting?
Well, like I said before, I just think it’s better to be kind just in case. I feel like in a lot of haunted house stories some dude will antagonize the ghost. Like the boyfriend in Paranormal Activity, he just doesn’t take it seriously and look what happened to them! I mean obviously in the case of my story, it ended poorly anyway. But arguably, Vanessa is spared because the ghost likes her!
Along with being a talented writer, you’re also the editorial director of the New York Times Games team?!? That’s so incredibly cool! Since we’re here in Nightmare, I wonder if you feel your experience with games, puzzles, and crosswords may have impacted your writing style and process?
It’s a totally different muscle for me and a different kind of craft. In my role, I’m often thinking broadly about rules and how people interact with the puzzles. In my experience, puzzles are more rigid than fiction. But also, when I’m writing my weird li’l short stories it’s for my own amusement. Puzzles are my job, so I’m thinking about your amusement much more than my own.
Is there anything else about “The Ghost in Apartment 5K” that you’d like to make sure our readers know?
Befriend your ghosts!
What do you have coming out in the future for us to look forward to?
I’ve been working on a fantasy novel, which is going so poorly that I decided to learn how to DJ. So now I have part of a pretty sorry draft and I can also DJ my own parties.
