Krissie K. Williams is the author of several novellas. She earned her B.A. in History/Secondary Education from Providence College and M.A. in Learning and Thinking from The Graduate Institute. She is a high school history teacher and founder of The Barnstable Ally Group, a local civil rights and social justice organization. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She has been awarded the Highlight in Education Award from her school district for creating a Black Studies curriculum at her school and The Unsung Heroes Award from the Barnstable County Human Rights Advisory Commission for her work in supporting marginalized people and antiracism. When she is not teaching or writing you can find her doing retail therapy, soaking up a historical tour (in which ghosts may or may not be involved) and traveling. She also spends as much time as possible with her merry band of misfit friends and laughing with her mom, dad, and sister. She lives in Cape Cod, MA with her mischievous black cat Luna
NL: The Stitch Witches releases October 8th. What was the timeline of conceiving the idea to publication?
KW: I actually conceived the idea of the book around 2022 or 2023. I began to write it around then. The book was still in its infant stage when I signed the contract for it to be published, which was around Spring of 2025. It took about a little less than a year to write, and then I went into edits, which lasted through this previous summer.
NL: What was your publishing journey like for There Ought to be Shadows (2024) vs The Stitch Witches (2026)? Did you find one experience more challenging than the other?
KW: First, I believe that every publishing journey is difficult. I stumbled upon Quill and Crow Publishing House for There Ought to be Shadows. They are a great indie house and wonderful. The Stitch Witches sort of fell into their hands. I had barely written a third of it and I had a book deal.
NL: Can you speak to your pre-publication experience? For example, did you have years of slogging through submissions to agents for the traditional publishing route, or did you decide from the beginning that you wanted to work with an independent publisher?
KW: I didn’t decide anything. One didn’t drive the other. I just knew I had stories and I wanted to get them out. I believe in divine timing, trusting the universe and that there are no coincidences. Quill and Crow and I are a good fit. When we released There Ought to be Shadows, it became an immediate bestseller and #1 on Amazon for Hot New Releases (African American Horror). They put out haunting novels and kick ass. I don’t know, we just cook.
NL: Your cover art for The Stitch Witches is gorgeous! How did that design and art come about? Did you get to be involved in this process?
KW: Thank you. Our in-house cover artist is Fay Lane. She had also done the cover art for There Ought to be Shadows, and my readers loved it. I was involved in terms of letting her know what I was thinking. I think for The Stitch Witches I told her something like the woods, three witches, creepy and dark. But I have no idea what she is going to come up with until I get the first proof. I fell in love with it. It’s not even what I imagined but so much better. Fay and Quill and Crow are very receptive to ideas and changes, which I appreciate. But there weren’t any with the cover- the first proof was it for me.
NL: What drew you to the subject matter of The Stitch Witches? Were there certain historical facts that wouldn’t leave you alone, or was it more of the psychological and sociological aspects that ignited your creativity to tell this story?
KW: Aah. Great question. I live in Cape Cod, MA, where the Puritans landed. I was always curious about the true story of them, especially when it came to their relations with Indigenous people. I would say it was a combination of all of the aforementioned in your question. I have watched several documentaries on The First Thanksgiving, as well as the Salem Witch Trials. Salem is about an hour and a half from me. I have been there a couple of times. So, it was a blend of local history, as well as the psychological effects and sociological pressures of the time. I had always told myself that I wanted to write a serious gothic historical horror novel, and I did it.
NL: What was your research process like for TSW? Did you take any interesting research “field trips”?
KW: I took my knowledge from being a history teacher first. I knew some of the scenes that I wanted to happen in the novel, so that sort of drove my research. It was the most difficult novel I have written in the sense of historical research. The Puritans were a very odd people, and every fact led me down a fascinating rabbit hole.
NL: What is your “day job” and how does it inform your writing, if at all, and/or how do you stay disciplined to balance writing with said “day job”?
KW: By day, I am a public high school history teacher. My novels have an incredible amount of history in them, specifically Black history. I don’t really have a balance. Writing sort of hits me in waves. There are times when I can shut down for days, especially in the summer when I am off, and just write. Because I live alone (I have a cat), it’s fairly easy to do.
NL: What would you like people to keep in mind while reading TSW, and/or what would you like them to take away from it?
KW: I would like for them to understand the true nature of our nation’s history. So much of it has been left out or rewritten.
NL: And now for a fun question…If a director were to make a film of TSW, who would you pick? Would you want to adapt the story into a screenplay yourself? Or would you not want to be involved at all?
KW: I would love for Ryan Coogler or Mike Flanagan to take a stab at it. And yes, I would want to be involved in it.
NL: What already published book do you wish you’d written?
KW: I don’t particularly have a book that I wished I’d written, but there are a lot of YA books out there right now, specifically African American YA horror novels that are FIRE.. I wish I’d have written a YA book. It’s on my radar.
NL: Do you have any events or upcoming publications you’d like to promote (that you can talk about)? Or, what are you working on next (if you are at liberty to say)? Or, would you like to shout out an organization or cause people should know about?
KW: I have many events, podcast interviews, etc. happening this year and next. The best way to keep up with my shenanigans is to check out my website, krissiekwilliams.com, for press, events, and merch. You can also follow me on insta @krissiekwilliamswrites.
I also have a Substack, which I occasionally drop free short stories at horrorbites.substack.com
I’m taking a little break from writing this fall- going to hop back into it this winter. I will be writing the next dark and sinister tale till next spring.
Till then, stay dreadful my friends.
Happy Halloween!
Thank you!
