“Strange magic, mad creatures and cruel curses abound in this eerie tale of becoming. This book calls to you sure as the dark forest calls to Douglas – and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll answer that call.” –Chuck Wendig, New York Times bestselling author of Aftermath
From the Publisher: “Lambda Literary Award Finalist and acclaimed author, Kosoko Jackson, explodes onto the horror scene with The Forest Demands Its Due (Quill Tree Books, October 3rd, 2023), a chilling examination of how society perpetuates violence against marginalized teens. Jackson is a literary powerhouse whose holistic representation of Black, queer youth spans across genres. Sink into this haunting, heart-pounding dark academia that critiques racism in education and combats the ‘bury your gays’ trope. The Forest Demands Its Due aims to encourage young people to push back against the manipulative world of the elite and to step into their power.
Seventeen-year-old Douglas Jones wants nothing to do with Regent Academy’s king-making or nefarious history; he’s just trying to survive. Until a student is murdered and the next day no one remembers he ever existed, except for Douglas and the groundskeeper’s son, Everett Everley. In his determination to uncover the truth, Douglas awakens a horror hidden within the forest surrounding Regent, unearthing secrets that have been buried for centuries. A vengeful creature wants blood as payment for a debt more than 300 years in the making—or it will swallow all of Winslow in darkness. For the first time in his life, Douglas might have a chance to grasp the one thing he’s always felt was missing: power.
But if he’s not careful, he will find out that power has a tendency to corrupt absolutely everything.”
More info About the Author: Kosoko Jackson is a digital media specialist, focusing on digital storytelling, and a Masters of Fine Arts professor at Seton Hill University. Occasionally, his personal essays and short stories have been featured on Medium, Thought Catalog, The Advocate, and some literary magazines. When not writing novels that champion holistic representation of Black queer men across genres, he can be found obsessing over movies, drinking his (umpteenth) London Fog, or spending far too much time on Twitter. He is a Lambda Literary Finalist, and an avid Taylor Swift fan. THE FOREST DEMANDS ITS DUE is his 3rd young adult novel, but his first foray into horror. Find out more about Kosoko Jackson on his website.
Author Site “The Forest Demands Its Due is an atmospheric horror mystery about refusing to be prey to the powerful monsters that are determined to swallow you whole. Kosoko Jackson deftly explores what it means to truly end cycles of suffering, and how the cruelest monsters are often not monsters at all.” –Aiden Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of Cemetery Boys and The Sunbearer Trials
“Enter at your own risk, for these woods are ravenous. The Forest Demands Its Due is Kosoko Jackson doing what he does best: delivering a compelling, raw, and delightfully horrific tale that howls with all the haunted depths of a truly cursed forest.” –Ryan La Sala, bestselling author of The Honeys
“A non-stop roller coaster of suspense and intrigue, Jackson has crafted a tale rife with terrifying thrills, a perfectly ominous setting, and a healthy dose of heart.” –Kalynn Bayron, New York Times bestselling author of Cinderella is Dead
What’s your favorite thing about Pittsburgh?
Pittsburgh is such a cool artsy city! I love the art scene and the personal vibe I get from it. I’ve only been a few times and I hope to spend more time there but I love to walk the bridges when I need to think. I’d love to spend more time getting to know the writing scene and the creative scene here too when I come back!
Can you talk about the inspiration of other media that inspired the book? (Disney movies, Brothers Grimm, gothic fairy tales, etc.)
I’m a huge fan of fairy tales. Not to spoil anything in the book, but a big part of this is the gothic tale you learn about in the story, who gets to write history, and how history is twisted to suit the writers. I’m also a big fan of historical documents, and how history and time twists these documents, depending on your knowledge base and culture, to tell a different tale. Think about quotes–such as blood is thicker than water–which mean completely different things if you know the full expression. Or let them eat cake, something Antoinette never said. That’s a big theme in this novel.
What do you hope this book will accomplish and inspire especially in the midst of rising legislative hatred towards LGBTQ+ people?
Queer books are here to stay, let me be clear. There is no such thing as clean or dirty YA books. Books are books, they inherently are not morally bad or good. But I do hope this novel expands some readers’ knowledge on what books with queer characters can have, and how integral queerness is, not only to history, but to storytelling. This book wouldn’t be the same book if written straight; but that doesn’t mean it’s a book you shouldn’t read. In fact, I’d argue if it’s your first queer novel, it’s a perfect introduction into such a fabulous group of books.
You are widely known for your successful romance novels, what inspired you to dive into paranormal horror?
I’ve also loved horror, and something I’ve wanted to explore for years. Hereditary, The Exorcist, Midsommar, Panic Room. . . just to name a few are some of my favorite horror movies. I think horror is such a reflection of society and a representation of social justice in an accessible way. Horror is all about taking a concept people fear and making it into a big bad worth conquering. Queer kids, and Black kids, deserve the same too, which, at its core, is what the big bads in this novel are: threats against queerness and Blackness.
What’s next for you?
I have my next YA novel coming out in 2024! I can’t give away much, but it’s about exorcisms, who gets exercised and the power of darkness.
Previously:
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