One of the first things I do before I start writing a book is build a playlist. And, as a huge Taylor Swift fan, that playlist typically consists of mostly her songs. I can’t help it—she nails romantic (and haunting) vibes so well. These five songs were played on loop while writing my debut Gothic Horror-Romance set in Croatia, THE HAUNTING OF LAVENDER HOUSE.
Lavender Haze – Taylor Swift
It should come as no surprise that a book with “lavender” in its title would have this song on the playlist. It’s all about being in a relationship under scrutiny, yet wanting to stay in that safe, lovestruck “lavender haze”. I wanted to express that same desire in my historical timeline; so much so that during a key moment between Magdalena and the man she’s falling in love with, I included a nod to this song: “It all felt like a dream, some alternate reality tinted by a lavender haze, and I wanted to linger in it a little longer. Forever, if I could.”
Cruel Summer – Taylor Swift
To me, this song captures the journey of my protagonist in the contemporary storyline (Petra) so well. She’s being haunted at night by a spooky spirit, she finds out her family is cursed, and she’s falling in love with someone despite her rule to not get close to anyone—talk about a “cruel summer.” There’s a specific sultry moment where Petra is on the boat with the guy she’s into (Luka) that was very specifically inspired by these lines in the song’s chorus: “It's new, the shape of your body. It's blue, the feeling I've got…” Infer from that what you will.
Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve – Taylor Swift
If I had to pick a song that best expresses the source of female rage in THE HAUNTING OF LAVENDER HOUSE, it would be this one. I love the anger and resentment in the lyrics. It’s all about the damage a relationship can do, and it also highlights the role the other person plays in wooing you—“If you’d never looked my way, I would’ve stayed on my knees.” There’s a scene towards the end of THE HAUNTING OF LAVENDER HOUSE where I literally played this song on repeat as I wrote it because I wanted to channel all that same resentment and tortured melancholy. The line about the devil—“And I damn sure never would’ve danced with the devil”—is also very relevant.
Style – Taylor Swift
This song is such a vibe. It pulses with yearning and danger, and I specifically thought of it when crafting a scene between Petra and Luka in his restaurant at night. Like the beginning of the song, they haven’t heard from each other in a while, yet the moment they see each other, tension crackles between them. If you really want to know just how much this bop inspired me, it’s the reason Luka is wearing a white T-shirt in that scene because, as the song goes: “You got that long hair, slicked back, white t-shirt.” (And yes, also like the song, they go crashing down).
Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?
In THE HAUNTING OF LAVENDER HOUSE, the house is haunted by a sinister female spirit called a mora. This song is essentially her theme song. It has a conniving and almost sadistic edge that captures all her vengeful energy. Instead of leaping down from the gallows, per the song, the mora leaps from house to house, haunting people with nightmares. But there are also hints of sadness in the lyrics - “I was tame, I was gentle, till the circus life made me mean”—that really resonate with the mora’s story as well.
Narrator: Carlotta Brentan, David DeSantos, Natasha Soudek
A crumbling home surrounded by lavender fields. A decades-long curse. A nightmare from Croatian folklore with a thirst for blood. The Lost Apothecary meets The Hacienda in this multigenerational, haunting gothic saga set on the Adriatic Sea.
2026. All Petra have inherited are tales of loss. Which is why, after her mother's passing, she is shocked to learn that her grandmother is not dead like she's always believed, but alive and living on Tolba, a small island in Croatia. Desperate to find her last surviving family member, Petra ventures to her ancestral home, famed for its sprawling lavender fields. While she's happy to be reunited with her grandmother, rarely does a night go by that Petra doesn't lose herself to vivid nightmares and the dizzying sense that something—or someone—is always watching in Lavender House.
1895. Whore. Sinner. Witch. No matter how many people Magdalena heals, the rumors persist. So, when she's asked to help the matriarch of Lavender House, she seizes the opportunity to rehabilitate her reputation. As Magdalena races against time to heal the ailing woman, she finds herself unexpectedly falling for the son of her greatest enemy, the man responsible for her ostracization. But are true love and acceptance possible for a woman who has always lived on the margins?
Back in the present, Petra finds it increasingly difficult to ignore the rumors plaguing her family: that a mora, a spirit from Croatian folklore, haunts Lavender House for revenge. Her grandmother says it's nothing more than gossip made up by jealous townsfolk. But as her nightmares turn darker, invading her waking hours and threatening her newfound romance, she suspects there's something more sinister lurking beneath the island's surface. As the sole heir to Lavender House, Petra must discover the truth of her inheritance, or else fall prey to the same curse that claimed her family.
Through the intersecting stories of Petra and Magdalena, Natalie Kikic's gorgeous debut asks us to consider the lengths to which we go to belong, the cost of choosing love, and what it really means to be a monster.
Women's Fiction | Fantasy Magical Realism | Suspense Gothic [ Park Row, On Sale: October 20, 2026, Hardcover / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9780778307198 / eISBN: 9780369785237 ]
Natalie Kikic is a Croatian American who grew up on stories of her parents’ lives in the former Yugoslavia. She holds a Bachelor’s in Slavic Languages & Literatures from the University of California, Berkeley and her work explores Balkan folklore, belonging, and hauntings, both ghostly and romantic. Originally from California, she currently resides in Massachusetts with her husband and two polydactyl cats.
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