Chloe Elisabeth Wilson shares the works that influenced her debut novel, Rytual

Where did the idea for the book come from?

I started writing Rytual in 2021 while working for an Australian cosmetics brand with a reputation for being a bit of a cult. I wanted to write something darkly funny that spoke to the absurdity of selling $50 soap like it was a religion, as well as the relationship between power and desire. 

I’ve also always really loved the erotic thriller genre, but most of the things I’d read or watched in that space made me feel depressed. My friend Amy gave me a copy of In The Cut by Susanna Moore last year, and I absolutely loved it until the final scene. I just don’t want to read or watch something where the main thrust of the story is men doing bad things. Men are always doing bad things! I want to see women in male-dominated fields. Although, perhaps I’m a hypocrite because – spoiler alert – men doing bad things does form part of the plot for Rytual . . . it’s just that the women’s bad behaviour eclipses it. At least, that’s how I see it.

Who was your favourite character to write?

I love each of my children equally, however, I will admit that some are more equal than others. I think the obvious answer is Luna, the founder and CEO of rytuał cosmetica, the fictional beauty brand in the book. She’s completely bonkers, but also, there is a chance I’d join her cult if we met in real life. I’m a sucker for a megalomaniac!

What kind of research did you do for the book?

There are parts of the book that I thankfully didn’t have to research, given I’d worked for a cosmetics brand, but there were other things I’d never personally experienced i.e. killing someone (I don’t think this is a spoiler, given the first page mentions a dead body). When I finished writing the first draft my Google search history was full of things that probably landed me on an FBI watch list.

Are there any books/authors/artworks that influenced your writing?

I read The Pisces by Melissa Broder for the first time just before I started writing Rytual, and I remember thinking, ‘Oh! A book can be that!’

The Pisces is a book about a woman with a sex and love addiction who falls in love with a merman on Venice Beach. It’s outrageously funny, but there was something about Melissa Broder’s tone that really captured my attention. Maybe her combination of poetry and internet speak?

I would read anything written by her. Severance by Ling Ma is another one of my all-time favourites because it’s both a high-octane zombie story and an intimate character study. Big Swiss by Jen Beagin also lit up my brain, but it’s not necessarily similar to Rytual.

In 2023 I also became completely obsessed with the Rachel Weisz Dead Ringers remake, which came out as my agent and I were getting the book ready to go on submission.

Dead Ringers is a 1988 David Cronenberg film about codependent twin (male) gynaecologists. One of the twins falls in love with a woman, and it sends the other one completely mental. Alice Birch (Succession, Normal People) reimagined the story as a series with Rachel Weisz playing both twins, and it’s an absolute ride. I would describe it as both twisted and thrilling. Not enough people watched it! I’d love to be responsible for more people finding out about it. 

What’s your #1 tip for aspiring authors?

Unfortunately, you will have to write the entire book. Devastating. But! I would recommend first convincing yourself that every single person on the planet has written a book except for you.

Then, when you finish the first draft, pivot to telling yourself that writing a book is an absurd thing to do and that you are probably a child prodigy.

A fact or tid-bit you think might help readers understand your book better?

My first agent, the sensational Benjamin Paz, worked with me editorially on the first draft, and I remember him not understanding two things due to being a man: the first was the word ‘polyester’, which is a synthetic fibre often used to make cheap clothing. The second was ‘oud’ which is a woody aroma you’ve likely smelt in expensive perfume and/or cologne. Everything else is pretty self-explanatory.

What surprised you most about the publishing process?

It’s far more collaborative than you’d think! Without my agent, publisher, and editor, the book would be exponentially worse. 

What advice would you give to someone who’s currently working on their own debut novel?

I just finished On Writing by Stephen King, which is essential reading for anyone with creative ambitions. In it, King advocates for writing your first draft with the office door closed and editing with the door open. I love that. My version of that is writing the first draft with my eyes closed – as quickly as possible – but I think the office door is more practical advice.