Interview: Kay Davault on MISFIT MANSION’s collision of cute and monsterous

In Misfit Mansion by Kay Davault, readers will be introduced to Iris, Agnes, Kel, and a whole cast of irresistibly adorable monsters!

The Beat caught up with Davault over email to ask more about the genesis of Misfit Mansion, to find out about the process of developing the characters, and to ask about the origins of our favorite character. Are you going to be checking out Misfit Mansion, which is available at your local bookstore and/or public library now? Be sure and let The Beat know in the comment section!

AVERY KAPLAN: What was the genesis of Misfit Mansion?

KAY DAVAULT: Misfit Mansion started with the design of Iris, the main character!  I wasn’t quite sure what her story was, it ranged from a camping story to one about a human getting trapped in a world of monster characters.  Eventually, I felt it’d be more interesting to have Iris explore a human world, which also worked better with the found family theme I wanted to write about.

KAPLAN: Where did you turn for research regarding the various cryptids and creatures featured in the graphic novel?

DAVAULT: I’ve always been interested in creepy folklore. I used to binge videos about different monsters and scary stories… which all ended up influencing this book. Of course, the monsters in Misfit Mansion aren’t nearly as scary as those stories are! 

KAPLAN: What was the character design process like for Misfit Mansion? 

DAVAULT: I wanted the world of Misfit Mansion to feel colorful and a little more eccentric than the real world.  The monster characters were a lot of fun because they could be both a little creepy and a little cute.  Some are huge, some are tiny, but they all make living together work somehow.

For the human characters, for some reason, I kept thinking of these wacky multicolored doll figurines I saw at the store.  I kind of liked the idea that both the monsters and humans had similar bright color palettes, so the humans were designed with that in mind. I guess the characters of Misfit Mansion are all strange in their own way… and also similar in that matter! 

KAPLAN: To borrow a phrase from your bio, Misfit Mansion is a story “about cute characters in vibrant worlds, which may or may not contain a monster or five.” To what do you attribute your affinity for the apparently contradictory pairing of cute and monstrous?

DAVAULT: I’ve just always loved the contrast of it. You never really expect something scary to show up within a world that’s so cute.  It’s kind of how I see growing up-  going from a world that’s safe and secure to suddenly realizing there are darker parts lurking around… and learning how to overcome them. 

KAPLAN: I am fairly confident that I detect some serious video game influence on Misfit Mansion, particularly in terms of world-building! Can you tell us about how video games inspired Misfit Mansion?

DAVAULT: I’m sure Pokémon had some influence on the monster characters haha.  And perhaps some farm sim games.  I like the idea of small towns with mystery.  It reminds me a lot of the countryside near where I grew up.

KAPLAN: Would you like to tell our readers a little bit about how “growing up as an only child in a single-parent household” informed Misfit Mansion?

DAVAULT: There’s this sense of missing out that I felt a lot as a kid.  What was it like to have a two-parent household?  I’d be with my best friend in grade school, see them within their “completed” two-parent family,  and I’d want to join them.  But there’s a feeling you get, like you know no matter what you’re the outsider.  It’s a very lonely feeling.  But as I got older, I realized I still had people in my life that filled that gap, and became my “family.”  With Misfit Mansion, I wanted to write for kids who may be feeling the same.

KAPLAN: As a big fan of Dahlia in particular, I am curious if there was any particular inspiration for the character?

DAVAULT: Dahlia was a character that existed early in development that was more of a pampered princess character Iris had to learn to get along with.  But I realized she was actually very similar to Iris.  They both want to escape the house because they feel like outsiders.  Iris originally misjudges Dahlia, thinking she’s creepy and weird, but eventually finds they’re more alike than she thinks.  Design-wise, Dahlia is inspired by those old creepy porcelain dolls your grandmother has. Except she moves and throws sewing needles at you.

KAPLAN: Is there anything else you’d like me to include?

DAVAULT: If you’re looking for a spooky but sweet story this fall, please check out Misfit Mansion!

Misfit Mansion is available at your local bookstore and/or public library now!