Q&A: Writer Kristen Kiesling Discusses Teaming Up with Artist Rye Hickman for New Graphic Novel THE HARROWING

After being kidnapped and sent to an enigmatic facility known as Rosewood, 17-year-old Rowan Sterling discovers that she has the ability to prevent horrific tragedies through deadly premonitions in the new graphic novel The Harrowing. Illustrated by Rye Hickman and written by Kristen Kiesling in her graphic novel writing debut, The Harrowing is now available from Abrams under their Amulet imprint, and we caught up with Kristen in a new Q&A feature to discuss the moral dilemmas, mysterious training facility, and compelling characters of her new graphic novel!

Thank you for taking the time to answer questions for us, Kristen, and congratulations on your new graphic novel The Harrowing, illustrated by Rye Hickman! How did the idea for this graphic novel originally come about?

Kristen Kiesling: Thank you!!! I wrote The Harrowing during a time in my life when I felt surrounded by hypocrisy. It seemed like everyone felt entitled to voice their opinions, persuade others of their correctness, and dismiss alternative perspectives. I probably should have gone into law instead of creative writing as I love a good ethical debate. I’m a big fan of Watchmen, Batman, Prisoners, and other stories that put readers in the position of asking themselves what they would do when the answer is not always clear. I knew I wanted to craft a character who drank the Kool-Aid, embraced a certain belief system, and felt confident in her choices, perhaps a bit superior, and then rip it all away to reveal the fragility of her convictions.

Rye Hickman’s stunning art style pairs wonderfully with your prose. What was it like to work with Rye to bring The Harrowing to life?

Kristen Kiesling: What Rye brings to the page is amazing!!! I have been a big fan of their work on Moth & Whisper and their other comics. I love their grasp of character and the edginess they bring to each page. We worked closely, panel by panel, to determine the best way to tell the story. I loved Rye’s deliberate use of a muted color palette. It added depth and significance to each use of color, which I believe enhanced the narrative in a profound manner by visually emphasizing important scenes in the story.

The Harrowing centers on Rowan Sterling, a “Harrow” who has premonitions of deadly crimes before they occur. How much fun did you have creating Rowan and coming up with this unique world that she lives in?

Kristen Kiesling: Building both the rural scenes and the scenes at Rosewood was so much fun. Growing up, my father ran commercial greenhouses in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. So, the idea of putting a character on a worm farm and thinking about all the creepy things I could do with composting beds was exciting! I’m also a fan of books and movies where characters are in boarding schools or weird training facilities where everything is not what it seems and there is this increasing dread as the audience tries to figure out what is really going on. I also loved the idea of creating a training facility that was less dystopic and offered a more utopia to balance the horrors they put the Harrows through. Try to say that three times! Yes, you as a Harrow need to experience terrifying violent visions all day…but hey, look at the spread of food and the amenities LOL.

The Harrowing raises some intriguing ethical questions through the treatment of Harrows and potential future killers at the Rosewood facility. How important was it for you to intertwine these ethical elements throughout this story?

Kristen Kiesling: Very important! I was inspired by The Trolley Problem which was a thought experiment created by British philosopher Philippa Foot in 1967. It’s a moral dilemma where someone must decide whether to steer a runaway trolley onto a track with one person or onto a track with five people. It makes people face a moral decision between harming one person or protecting the majority. As I mentioned earlier, I want to challenge what people perceive they would do in a given situation by making that situation more personal. How far would go to protect the ones you love?

You have extensive experience writing books, but The Harrowing marks your comic book debut. How did writing in the comic book script format compare to penning traditional prose?

Kristen Kiesling: That’s a great question! I actually wrote this graphic as a prose novel first and then adapted it while I waited for my agent to read the prose version. It was challenging to condense the story into a format where only the most visual scenes would shine. You have so much more room to explore relationships and character depth in a prose novel. Writing a film script or graphic script requires you to choose what scenes will make the most impact and be the most visually appealing. Graphic novels are expensive to make. It’s tough to have so much story you want to tell but you must make it fit in the number of contracted pages. I would have loved to dive more into the love story or share more about how the organization formed, so maybe there will be more to come in the form of a prequel or sequel.

What has it been like to team up with Abrams Fanfare as you prepare to release The Harrowing into the world?

Kristen Kiesling: We pitched the book to several editors at different imprints, but Charlotte Greenbaum at Fanfare had the most enthusiastic response and best vision for the project. She really understood the story, how it is about a teen who is struggling with some very real moral issues that challenge her character and desire to ‘do the right thing.’ Amulet was the perfect publisher for The Harrowing because they understood the essence of the story I was trying to tell and the many shades of gray required to really capture the nuance behind Rowan’s character and her choices.

Ultimately, what do you hope readers take away from The Harrowing?

Kristen Kiesling: I hope readers leave the story with an open mind. There isn’t always a clear right or wrong answer to difficult questions. I also hope they learn to question everything! It’s important in today’s culture to do your own research and listen to what your heart tells you versus what the media projects.

Do you have plans to continue the story of The Harrowing if given the opportunity?

Kristen Kiesling: Yes! I hope so! It is currently being shopped by UTA for film/TV where more of the story would unfold. My agent will also be sending out the prose version soon to publishers. The prose version has a lot more twists and digs into the organization more. I am always open to doing a prequel or sequel!

What advice would you give to aspiring writers who are just getting started?

Kristen Kiesling: Don’t give up. Never underestimate the power of perseverance and resilience. Writing is a beautiful yet demanding art form. There will be moments of self-doubt, rejection, and daunting challenges.

Embrace the fear and uncertainty that comes with putting your work out there. Remember, success rarely comes overnight. Achieving your writing goals takes time, effort, and unwavering determination. Keep writing, even when it feels difficult or when life tries to pull you away from your passion. Set small, achievable milestones for yourself and celebrate each accomplishment.

Stay curious and explore diverse genres and styles. Read voraciously and expose yourself to different perspectives and storytelling techniques. This will broaden your horizons, inspire creativity, and enhance your writing.

Above all, don’t give up. Rejection is an inevitable part of the writing journey, but it doesn’t define your worth as a writer. Keep pushing forward. Believe in yourself and your unique voice, and remember every successful writer started as an aspiring one.

The world is waiting for your stories.

With The Harrowing out now from Abrams, do you have any other upcoming projects that you can tease for our readers?

Kristen Kiesling: I am thrilled to share that Rye and I are working on another TOP SECRET project for adult horror fans! This one is perfect for fans of tragic empathetic anti-heroes, and those who enjoy dark, beautiful, and disturbing stories that explore love, loss, and TERROR. For readers who enjoyed The Night Eaters by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Abrams, 2022), and creators like Scott Snyder, Victor LaValle, and James Tynion IV. It's got the puppet weirdness of Being John Malkovich with the skin and science of The Silence of the Lambs. Or as if Michael C. Hall somehow combined his role from Dexter with Six Feet Under. I can’t wait to share more!!!

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Below, you can check out preview pages, a trailer, and the official press release with more details on The Harrowing, and be sure to check out our exclusive excerpt and visit ABRAMS' official website!

Press Release: This spring, Abrams Fanfare will publish the genre-bending graphic novel thriller THE HARROWING by illustrator Rye Hickman and writer Kristen Kiesling, who is making her comics writing debut. Stylish, surprising, suspenseful, and unsettling, the book follows a psychic teen who hunts potential killers… until she discovers the boy she loves is her next target. THE HARROWING will be published on April 16, 2024.

On the very day that 17 year-old Rowan Sterling almost, nearly, finally, kisses her longtime best friend and secret crush Lucas, she makes a surprising (and quite unwelcome) discovery. Rowan should be worrying about normal teenage things like attending college and whether Lucas is maybe more than a friend after all. But Rowan Sterling is gifted and she’s having terrifying visions of blood and violence. As her premonitions increase in number and intensity, Rowan seeks her father’s help, but instead finds herself drugged, kidnapped, and sent to a mysterious facility called Rosewood. And it isn’t long before Rowan discovers that it isn’t a boarding school or an asylum: it’s a training center for teens with special abilities who are known as Harrows. Rowan is a Harrow, a seer of death, and her world has forever changed.

“Harrows can view the actions of would-be murderers before they commit crimes, and the scientists at Rosewood believe it is their duty to use the Harrows’ powers to make the world a safer place,” said Kiesling. “Rowan is immediately drawn to Rosewood’s mission. After all, she lost her mother to a random act of violence two years prior. However, some of the other Harrows question the treatment of imcrims. How can it be ethical to imprison people who haven’t actually done anything yet?”

Empowered by the skills she’s acquired and ready to change the world, Rowan returns home, but when she reunites with Lucas, she has a vision of him shooting a man in cold blood. Now Rowan is questioning everything she learned at Rosewood—she refuses to believe Lucas is capable of murder—and sets out to protect him from the Harrows.

"Whether or not the ends justify the means is the fraught question at the heart of Rosewood,” said Rye Hickman. “Rowan is a good-hearted and passionate teen whose desire to help make the world a better place leaves her open to manipulation, and whose horrifying psychic powers mean she really can change the world for the better. "

Here’s what people are saying about THE HARROWING

"THE HARROWING will give you death, destiny, defiance and most of all love. You will shiver in fear and delight. You will want to be held and to hold."

—Kieron Gillen, The Wicked + the Divine, Young Avengers

“Ominous… [and] visceral.”

—Publishers Weekly

"Minority Report reframed as if through the eyes of Stephen King, Kiesling and Hickman have created a real page-turner that asks tough questions of fate and morality. A complex and pulse-pounding debut that should be read widely."—Samuel Sattin, author of Buzzing

"An original, genre-blending graphic novel."

—Kirkus Reviews

"I read The Harrowing in one sitting — it's that good. It kept me up long after I turned the final page, pondering big questions -- namely, how far would I go to protect the ones I love."

—Max Brallier, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Kids on Earth

"Kiesling makes excellent use of smooth, engaging, and natural-feeling dialogue to provide...world-building, and the heavy, shadowy illustrations do much of the rest."

—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"A wonderful mix of creepy crawly paranoia with a pinch of horror, Kiesling and Hickman have created something special that will keep you looking over your shoulder for days after reading."

—Marco Finnegan, illustrator of The Keeper

"The Harrowing is a story for fans of the morbidly supernatural. Kristen Kiesling's story is brought to life by Rye Hickman's stylish art in a world of grey and red that will feed your inner goth."

—Daniel McCloskey, creator of Cloud Town

Abrams Fanfare will publish THE HARROWING on April 16, 2024.

About the creators

Kristen Kiesling is extremely good at one thing. Scaring herself. She grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma where every forest held a mystery, every mound of dirt contained a body, and all roads lead to uncovering fictional truth. She writes graphic novels, young adult fiction and picture books. She enjoys creating new twists that challenge readers’ beliefs, interpretations, and assumptions–questions she hopes linger long after her words have ended.

Rye Hickman is an illustrator/comic artist, and co-creator of Lonely Receiver, Moth & Whisper, The Dead, Test, artist on SFSX and colourist on The House, Feathers, Kingdom Bum. They are a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design's Sequential Art program.

About ABRAMS

Founded in 1949, ABRAMS was the first company in the United States to specialize in publishing art and illustrated books. The company continues to publish critically acclaimed and bestselling works in the areas of art, photography, cooking, craft, comics, interior and garden design, entertainment, fashion, and popular culture as well as narrative nonfiction and new works of fiction for adults; children’s books ranging from middle grade to young adult fiction to picture books to board books. ABRAMS creates and distributes brilliantly designed books with the highest production values under the following imprints: Abrams; Abrams ComicArts; Megascope; Surely Books; Abrams Image; Abrams Press; The Overlook Press; Cernunnos; Cameron + Company; Abrams Books for Young Readers; Amulet Books; Abrams Appleseed; and Magic Cat. ABRAMS also distributes books for Booth-Clibborn Editions, Bungie, Alain Ducasse Édition, Èditions de La Martiniére, Editions BPI, Global Golf Group, Lucky Spool, Milky Way Picture Books, The Museum of Modern Art, SelfMadeHero, Tate Publishing, V&A Publishing, and The Vendome Press.