Shifting gears from one genre to another might seem like a challenge, but for Kayla Cottingham, author of horror novels like My Dearest Darkest and cozy fantasy like Practical Rules for Cursed Witches, switching genres comes naturally. We asked Kayla to take us behind the scenes and share how she tackled writing her newest book, Practical Rules for Cursed Witches. Read on to see what she said!
Readers familiar with your previous novels, My Dearest Darkest and This Delicious Death, may have been surprised to learn your third book, Practical Rules for Cursed Witches, is a cozy fantasy. Do you define yourself as a horror author, a fantasy author, or neither?
I’d argue neither. While my first two books were horror, I never had any interest in exclusively writing horror or being defined as a horror writer. Same goes for fantasy—I love writing it, but there are tons of other genres I’d like to explore. The big throughline of all my books is romance, so if anything, I suppose I’d call myself a romance author.
Was it difficult to shift between the two genres?
I get asked this a lot, and really, the answer is no. Tone was really the big difference when it comes down to it. In my horror novels, the tone was a lot darker because I wanted to scare readers. A lot of horror is building tension around a threat that could impact a character’s physical or mental well-being. With cozy fantasy, there are still stakes, obviously, but the threat itself is built to create tension and suspense as opposed to scares. The only time I really had to check myself was when I was writing action scenes—I have a natural inclination to include a lot of gore, but tonally, that didn’t fit in this story, so I had to reel it in a bit. Other than that, though, it came naturally.
Would you say there are similarities between your first two books and Practical Rules for Cursed Witches?
I think they have a lot in common. They all center around queer characters, include common romance tropes from a LGBTQ+ perspective, have found-family elements, and culminate in a happy ending. In my agent’s words, if My Dearest Darkest and This Delicious Death are sisters, Practical Rules is their kinder, gentler cousin.
Do you think readers who enjoyed My Dearest Darkest and This Delicious Death will enjoy Practical Rules for Cursed Witches?
If people enjoyed the romance, humor, and characters in my first two books, I suspect they’ll love Practical Rules, too. If you’re looking for scares, though, it might not be the right fit.
Do you see yourself writing horror again in the future?
Of course! I have a ton of horror ideas on the backburner—it’s just a matter of time, really. Horror is so fun to write that I doubt I’ll ever stop writing it completely.
Are there any other genres you can see yourself trying?
I want to give adult romance a shot—outside of YA, I’m a huge romance reader, and as I approach the end of my twenties, I think it would be fun to write protagonists closer to my own age. I love YA and have no plans to stop writing it, but it’s fun to branch out as my career continues to develop. I also have a few sci-fi ideas kicking around, so maybe that as well.
What’s next for you?
I’ve been working on the companion novel to Practical Rules, Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches, which focuses on Kieran’s story and is set six months after the first book. It’s been SO fun to write, and I’m stoked to share it. That’ll be hitting shelves in fall 2025!
