Called to the Deep: Interview with Desirée Niccoli
I chat with author Desirée Niccoli about the niche genre of romance horror and how to get published.
For this month’s installment of Rejected Pitches, I chatted with Desirée Niccoli, romance horror writer and my former college classmate! In 2022, she published her debut novel Called to the Deep, the first book in an adult duology about a flesh-eating mermaid and her sea captain beau. We talked about how romance is perceived as a genre, monster girls, and the arduous process of getting published for the first time. Read on for tips and tricks about landing your first book deal.
What drew you to the intersection of horror and romance?
So I've always enjoyed both. I grew up watching movies like Jurassic Park and Jaws with my dad. I just couldn't get my hands on enough spooky books about witches and ghosts. Like I don't know if you remember Bunnicula, but I was obsessed with that series.
Wow, that's a throwback.
I know. Right? It's a cute book, but it also has a spooky vibe. So that is my thing. I also was incredibly obsessed with stories that feature strong romantic subplots. And I think that putting horror and romance together, making these two genres kiss so to speak, has been my favorite to write and read. Some thrills and chills but also the promise of a happy ending.
When you're watching a scary movie with a significant other, there are these moments where you might grab the other person's hand during a jump scare or sit just a little bit closer — we often seek comfort when we're scared. Putting a romantic couple in a scary situation is a little catalyst.
What are some of your favorite other spooky romantic reads?
Hyacinth by Elle Porter. I also really like Sing Me to Sleep by R. M. Virtues and anything by Freydís Moon.
Can you tell me a little bit about what inspired Called to the Deep? I know you lived in coastal Maine, which features heavily in the novel, but where did you get the idea to create this world?
Setting definitely inspired it. I mean, come on, we're talking about the land of Stephen King. Called to the Deep also opens with a search and rescue mission and my husband is Coast Guard. I heard lots of stories from him about going out and recovering people. I also drew inspiration from Santa Clarita Diet with Drew Barrymore — I don’t know if you’ve seen it — it's that zombie show. [Drew Barrymore’s] character transforming into a zombie and seeing how supportive her husband is throughout that process was definitely a big inspiration for Lorelei, who's a mermaid in Called to the Deep, and her love interest Killian. The Shape of Water was another big one.
Hmm, yeah, there aren’t a ton of depictions of a woman in a relationship who is also a monster in kind of a gruesome way. Of course the vampire genre is really well built out at this point. But I don't think that women are often allowed to be truly terrifying. They’re always “sexy” terrifying.
Absolutely. I definitely agree with that. Lorelei's got her bioluminescent sparkle, but she's also got these sharp claws, this ravenous hunger, and a craving for human flesh. So she's kind of like an embodiment of the ocean: beautiful but also incredibly terrifying. We do see characters in folklore and fairy tales that have this duality, but it ends tragically. So it's really nice to get to write a monster lady. But she still gets the guy at the end of the day. She doesn't have to give up being her scary, powerful mermaid self to have him. She gets to get to have it all.
This is also making me think about how for so long romance as a genre has been sidelined. Obviously, it's dominated by women, and I think that has a lot to do with why it's been dismissed. And I just wonder, how do you feel about being a romance writer now that people are starting to understand that this is really a genre worthy of exploration and also criticism in a literary way?
On a personal level, I want to try and normalize that we don't need to be shy about the fact that we read romance or read sex in books. When I give recommendations for books, I'll say, “This is a romance. And this is what it's about.” But I don't put qualifiers on it, like, oh, well, there's sex in it. [laughs] I just say, “Here's a book I really enjoyed.” Or “Here's a book I'm really proud of writing.” I'm not trying to make it weird or awkward by saying, “Maybe skip chapter X.” Sex and romance are very natural parts of many people's lives. So, I think all of the trepidation around reading it… It's just something that I'm hoping — one by one, reader by reader — I can kind of stealthily shift people away from that kind of thinking by introducing them to things I think they will genuinely like and enjoy.
So can readers expect you to continue the series, or does Called to the Deep end with book two?
Yeah, it's a two-parter. Down the line, if the readership calls for it, I have an idea of something I could write.
To shift gears a little bit, what was the process of becoming a published author? Where did you start?
After I wrote the book, the first thing I did was seek out the trusted readers in my life, people that I talked to at length about books before, people that I could trust to give me constructive feedback, but also kind feedback. But for somebody who's doing this, I would recommend seeking readers who are familiar with whatever genre you’re writing. Then after that, you get [your manuscript] as polished as you can.
There are different types of publishing routes you can take: traditional and self-publishing. If you want to traditionally publish either with one of the big houses or the medium-sized presses, you'll need to have a literary agent. And if you want to get a literary agent, it starts with pitching your book to them. For that, you need to write a query letter, which is essentially a cover letter, and a synopsis. And there are a ton of resources online. A resource that I found really helpful is manuscriptwishlist.com. It's a free database of agent and editor profiles that have all of the details of what they're looking for: genres they're looking to represent, what categories they're considering. It also includes information on how to query them and what materials to send in.
For anyone who's not targeting a big publishing house, or even a medium-sized house, but rather a small independent press, you don't have to have a literary agent. I mean, it's helpful, especially when it comes time to like taking a look at the contract and negotiating some of the terms to be more favorable to the author. But it's absolutely not required.
Self-publishing is also an option. And it's a very valid option. Some of the books that I mentioned earlier in this interview are self-published. I will say though, that it can be expensive because you're paying everything out of pocket. But everything is in your control.
You touched on some of your favorite books already, but what else are you reading and watching right now that you're loving?
Um, well, I recently listened on audiobook to Aliens: Vasquez by V. Castro. I also watched 65, the Adam Driver dino planet movie.
How was it?
I enjoyed it. It’s a very simple, straightforward story. [laughs] Lots of CGI dinosaurs and running from them. Was I thoroughly entertained? Yes.
This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.