Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Zilla: Sometimes we want to cuddle up with a cozy book in the dark of winter, and E. M. Anderson has just the thing! They’re here to tell us about their paranormal mystery, The Keeper of Lonely Spirits.

E.M.: The Keeper of Lonely Spirits is a queer cozy fantasy in which an old man cursed with immortality hunts ghosts rather than making mortal friends who will die one day. When the residents of an Ohio town beset by a vengeful spirit adopt him as their own, he must decide: leave to protect his heart, or stay to save their lives?

Zilla: What inspired you to write this book?

E.M.: There’s a soft old man character in my debut, The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher. While he’s a more minor character, he’s also one of my favorites. I really wanted to write a book about a soft old man, and then when my nesting partner drove us past a cemetery one day, I had a vision of a soft old man working the grounds. That was the initial inspiration for The Keeper of Lonely Spirits, although the main character is also inspired by my maternal grandfather in many ways.

Zilla: That’s very sweet—and shows that you’re a character-centered writer. If your characters met you, what would they say to you?

E.M.: I’m pretty sure my characters would mostly go, “DEAR GOD WHY” if they met me! Peter, the main character of The Keeper of Lonely Spirits, has even more reason to react to me that way than most of them do, between the immortality, the unsettling relationship with ghosts, and the sheer number of people he’s lost, but maybe he’d refuse to speak to me at all. Which is too bad, because I’d really like him to be my grandpa.

Zilla: Oh dear! Who is your favourite character you’ve written, and why?

E.M.: I love all my characters, but Edna Fisher—the titular character from The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher—is a massive comfort character. She’s the quintessential grandma, she’s cheerful, she’s always there for anyone who needs her, and she aggressively adopts every young person who walks into her life. No problem is too much for her, even if she has to sit and feel things about it for a while before tackling it. And even though she isn’t cursed with immortality, in my head she’ll live forever.

Zilla: What’s your next writing project?

E.M.: Currently, I’m partway through a second draft of a queer cozy mystery starring a grumpy old lightkeeper. I’m also revising another queer cozy fantasy for my publisher, MIRA; hopefully it’ll be cozy, anyway—it’s getting a tad dark. But the main character adores romance novels, so the book has sort of turned into a 1980s bodice-ripper thinly disguised as a fantasy novel.

Zilla: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

E.M.: My website is elizmanderson.com, and I’m also elizmanderson on Instagram, BlueSky, and Facebook (as well as a couple other platforms where I’m less active). Here are BookShop links to The Keeper of Lonely Spirits and The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher, but a more complete list of retailers is available at my linktree (linktr.ee/elizmanderson).