Local writer Joani Lacy’s second novel, Hollister House, is one spooky trip to the exotic, crumbling Southern home of the title. The book’s protagonist, Eve Hollister, is determined to start over by looking to her past when she moves into the Gothic-tinged, long-vacant Victorian homestead that belongs to her father’s family in Juniper, Miss. Mysterious things begin to happen almost immediately as the home’s rich history invades Eve’s every thought.
Lacy knows a thing or two about Southern traditions: She has performed in her husband’s band — the New Orleans-influenced, Creole-flavored Robin Lacy & DeZydeco — for decades, and it’s a musicality that seems to have influenced her immersive, atmosphere-drenched prose style.
Q: What’s the coolest thing about you?
Lacy: I’m a veteran.
Q: What’s cool about reading and/or writing?
Lacy: Reading lets you open your mind to limitless possibilities. Writing is fun. It’s the only time I am really focused, and I can let my imagination fly!
Q: Who is the coolest person you know?
Lacy: This one was easy: Katie Laur.
