Mimi Matthews Interview Samantha: Your characters are always so loveable! I know it’s hard to pick a favorite, but do you have one in this book? Mimi: It’s really hard to choose! I love Julia and Jasper, of course, but I also have a soft spot for Daisy Blunt. Samantha: I adored Goldfinch Hall as a setting in Yorkshire. It’s damp, creepy, and deliciously gothic! What was your inspiration for it? Mimi: I’m a huge fan of gothic fiction and Victorian sensation novels. Remote, creepy houses often play a part in those stories. It’s always fun to include one of them in mine. Samantha: Julia’s invalid parents remind me of Mr. Woodhouse in Jane Austen’s EMMA. How did you make them both comical and sinister? Mimi: Their hypochondriacal quirks make them comical, a bit in the vein of Austen characters like Mrs. Bennet or Mr. Woodhouse. However, the power they hold over Julia makes them sinister. They’re capable of controlling her future and taking away her bodily autonomy. Truly scar