An Interview with "Chains"-Author M. Todd On His Folk Horror Debut

To read my full review of Chains please click here (or just take a look at previous post...)

Inci: Hello M.! Let me start by congratulating to what I understand is your debut novel, I really enjoyed reading it! Are there any other writing projects you have been involved in and where can we find them?

M. Todd: First of all, thank you so much your review of my first and only novel Chains. Your review is dead-on with my own feelings. I am glad you enjoyed the story and found the characters – especially the Kludde/Kledde – engaging. This is my only published project, although I am a lifelong reader, and have enjoyed writing, mostly poetry, my entire life.

 I: Where does your interest/knowledge of Dutch mythology stem from? Reading "Chains", I had the impression that there is a Dutch community in Canada (where you reside) that you are possibly part of.

MT: I find myself very lucky to have been born in Canada, which is one of the most diverse countries in the world when it comes to multiculturalism. I have many friends, some are Dutch, some German, some Polish, some Indigenous, First Nations, some Asian, some English and my wife is Italian and I am French Canadian. I know that there are many Dutch communities in Canada, but that is not how I discovered the mythological horrific creature for Chains. I will say that my interest was inspired through reading, research, and stimulating conversations with friends as we sit around a fire at night.

I: Where did you learn the hilarious German you use in the book? I think that from now on I will call myself a proud “Blockflötengesicht”!

MT: One of my good friends is German and he often makes use of unique German words to comedic effect. My understanding of the translation of Blockflötengesicht is ‘recorder face’ which implies that they don’t say anything original, are full of hot air and can be considered as a ‘dumbass’, which is something that I don’t believe fits you at all – but hey, if you want to be proud, all the power to you (ed. yeeaaah, I don't think so anymore). I really enjoyed playing with the different languages, especially German – which is such a rich, vivid and commanding language.
If you want a laugh, have a listen to this video - German Language Compared to other Languages - YouTube

I: Is there anything apart from folkloric elements that was important to you to include in this book?

MT: The idea for my novel was that I wanted to write about a demon who is chasing after a man, and the man doesn’t know why he is the target of the demon’s attacks. So I had to start off by finding a demon. I researched demons from all different cultures and mythologies until I found – from Dutch folklore – the Kludde or Kledde. A horrifying tormentor and trickster that likes to drown people. It’s cruel and relentless and was perfect for my story because there weren’t a lot of details and I could put my own spin on its motivations and add to the myth. When you search the web for Kludde, you find that there isn’t a lot of information – which is exactly what I wanted.

I: What is your inspiration while writing characters? Have you ever been inspired by a real-life person?

MT: Yes – I believe that all fiction is inspired by real life and as a creator of fiction I imbue pieces of people I have met and people I have read about or seen in movies and television into the characters I create. There are some real life people in the book – I briefly mention Albert Battel (I encourage you to read about his story) in my small section involving WWII Poland and a real event that took place. I wanted to juxtapose evil with good, and create a creature, a monster that has as its goal the making of the world into a more horrible place to live.

I: I understand by the way Chains ends that you purposefully left a door open for a possible sequel?

MT: Yes, that was my wife Sandra’s idea. She also encouraged me to leave a little nugget at the end of the novel that suggests something else with regards to Emily – I’m not sure how apparent it is, which is good with me.

I: Do you have any other writing projects for the future?

MT: Yes, I have started writing Emily’s story. It will be much different than Chains. Instead of going back and forth from the past to the present, this story will go back and forth between worlds. Somewhat inspired by Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi and the labyrinth of the Minotaur – don’t worry, it does include demons.

I had a great time reading Chains! My thanks go to M. Todd for writing it and for doing this interview.