Dead Girl, The, Episode 3: The Man Who Carries the Water

Growing up, my mother had me reading Stephen King while all the other kids were reading R.L. Stine. Instead of Goosebumps, I was reading The Stand, It, The Shining, and Pet Sematary. So, naturally, I have always had a quiet desire to write horror/thriller stories. And until Chatterbox was born, I had never attempted this genre. As I was writing The Dead Girl, however, I discovered this wasn’t exactly a horror story, or a thriller, but rather sort of a theological noir story. Father Hugh is one of my favorite protagonists, and the character is named after my late grandfather: Hugh Brooks. Though Father Hugh is sort of an antihero, my grandfather was very much a hero to me, and a hell of a storyteller. He was a caring, charismatic, funny, and religious man. My efforts on this project are dedicated entirely to him.

And, for the record, I knew I had to cast many of my favorite artistic heroes from Memphis for this series — most of whom I have never had the opportunity to collaborate with. So my love goes out to them for sharing their talents, their time and their hearts.

Only Connect,

—Kyle Hatley