A. (Amanda) Rae Dunlap studied film and Victorian literature at Northwestern University and spends her days as a trailer editor at Disney, bringing to life the magic of the world’s most influential storytellers for audiences everywhere. Born and raised in Okemos, Michigan, she now lives with her husband in a small mountain town in Southern California. The Resurrectionist is her first novel, and she recently talked about it with Daryl Maxwell for the LAPL Blog.
What was your inspiration for The Resurrectionist?
I first learned about the body snatchers of Edinburgh while engaging in my favorite touristy pastime: Taking a ghost tour. The Greyfriars Cemetery, the location around which this book is centered, is a fascinating historical site filled with visible relics from the age of snatching intended to prevent the theft of the bodies interred there. I was instantly drawn in by the macabre genius of the body snatchers and their unique methodologies. As I toured the grounds, I noticed a row of flats overlooking the cemetery from behind a stone wall and thought to myself what a clever method of escape that would be for an industrious snatcher.
Are James, Nye, Charlie, Hamish, or any of the other characters in the novella inspired by or based on specific individuals?
I’m a huge Arthur Conan Doyle fan, so in my mind, James and Nye are abstract origin stories for Watson and Holmes. Charlie, Hamish, and the rest came to me unprovoked!
In your Author’s Note, you talk a bit about how Burke & Hare, Mary, Dr. Knox, and several other characters in the novel are based on actual historical figures. How familiar were you with the pursuit of medical knowledge in the early 19th Century prior to writing the novel? Did you have to do a bit of research? If so, how long did it take you to do the research and write The Resurrectionist?
I’m a True Crime junkie, so I was familiar with Burke and Hare’s story from the podcasts Tenfold More Wicked, My Favorite Murder, and Lore. But to dive into the gory details of body snatching, I relied heavily on historian Suzie Lennox’s work Bodysnatchers, which is the source of many of the horrifying (and hilarious) snatching anecdotes included in this work. Much of the research on medical education came straight from the Surgeons’ Hall Museum in Edinburgh, an invaluable resource during this period.
What was the most interesting or surprising thing that you learned during your research?
That Burke and Hare never robbed a single grave! They are often portrayed as body snatchers because their own crimes were so intertwined with the body trade, but in reality, they were just serial killers.
How did the novel evolve and change as you wrote and revised it? Are there any characters, scenes, or stories that were lost in the process that you wish had made it to the published version?
I love a well-rounded universe, so my initial drafts spent way too much time rounding out side characters at the expense of plot pacing. I know the overall product is better now, but I do miss sharing some of the traits these characters have in my mind!
The Resurrectionist has a wonderful cinematic quality and would make a marvelous film or television series! In your Author’s Note you describe an actor you saw in an episode of a television series that personified the character you were creating (and was named Aneurin). Who is that actor? If The Resurrectionist was going to be adapted into a movie or series, would he be part of your dream cast? If you could, whom else would you cast?
As a film fan, I mentally cast the book before I even started writing it. Aneurin is (physically) based on the Welsh actor Aneurin Barnard. I first saw him in the series Barkskins, and that was the moment Aneurin’s character clicked into place for me. I think he’s in his late 30s now, so we’d need a time machine to take him back to 22! The same goes for James; in my mind, he’s always been a young Joe Alwyn, but we’d need to de-age him back to 19.
In terms of their personalities, I was of course influenced by A.C. Doyle’s Sherlock and Watson, but even more so by the Benedict Cumberbatch/Martin Freeman BBC Sherlock adaptation.
Have you ever had the chance to visit Edinburgh? If so, do you have any favorite places? If not, what places are on your wish list?
I have, and (obviously) loved it! As I mentioned previously, the ghost tour was a real highlight for me. I also visited the William Burke Museum, the self-proclaimed "smallest museum in the world," which has only one artifact: a wallet made of William Burke’s skin (I’m nothing if not on-brand). And I’m an absolute sucker for anything touristy, so I enjoyed The Scotch Whisky Experience, which is purportedly a whisky-tasting room but also features an absolutely bananas ride through a whisky distillery in a barrel, like an alcohol-based Disneyland attraction. Next time I return, I’m making it a priority to visit the Surgeons’ Hall Museum; I can’t believe I still haven’t been!
Have you considered donating your body to science for scientific research?
Absolutely! Northern Michigan University has a cold-weather body farm in Marquette, and as a native Michigander, that sounds like a lovely resting place.
In some of the promotional materials for The Resurrectionist, you state that your Mother is responsible for your interest in the “strange & macabre.” Why is that?
My mother loved tombstones! One of our favorite activities together on trips was to go to the local cemetery and take tombstone rubbings of the more ornate stones. Tombstones have so much lore to them, and learning to recognize certain patterns and motifs, methods of carving, and common inscriptions can tell you so much about a person and the time they lived in. Cemetery tourism is, to me, often just as interesting and informative as visiting a museum.
Your biography says that your "day job" is working as a trailer editor for The Disney Studios. Can you tell us a bit about your work? Any trailers that you’ve worked on of which you are particularly proud?
I work on international trailers, which means I oversee the localization for our audiences around the world. We dub the voices, translate the graphics, and package the material so that no matter where you’re from, you get the same quality viewing experience as the domestic audience. I love that the colleagues I work with every day are from all over the world; it offers an amazing sense of connectivity and purpose.
My favorite thing about working at Disney is the incredible variety of brands that fall under our umbrella: Animation, Pixar, 20th Century, Searchlight, Marvel, Lucas… As an editor, I couldn’t ask for a more constantly stimulating lineup to keep me busy!
The Resurrectionist is your debut novel. What have you learned during the process of getting your novel published that you would like to share with other writers about this experience?
What took me by surprise about the publishing world are the fits and starts en route to publication. Sometimes it will feel like things are taking forever, and then everything happens all at once! Patience and persistence are key.
What’s currently on your nightstand?
To the surprise of no one, true crime (Postmortem: What Survives the John Wayne Gacy Murders—O’Neil), and historical fiction (Matrix—Groff.
Can you name your top five favorite or most influential authors?
Edgar Allen Poe, Jane Austen, Arthur Conan Doyle, Kate Chopin… and probably Michael Crichton, if I’m being honest.
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Avi.
Was there a book you felt you needed to hide from your parents?
My mother was a 7th-grade English teacher and was mortified by the fact that I was addicted to the Baby-Sitters Club series from the time I was nine until well into high school.
Is there a book you've faked reading?
The House of Seven Gables by Hawthorne. Everything about it feels like it should be right up my alley, but I’ve never made it past chapter four.
Can you name a book you've bought for the cover?
Is there a book that changed your life?
The Mists of Avalon—Marion Zimmer Bradley, opened up what historical fiction could be for me.
Can you name a book for which you are an evangelist (and you think everyone should read)?
A Gentleman in Moscow—Amor Towles. It’s just so pitch-perfect and enjoyable.
Is there a book you would most want to read again for the first time?
Harry Potter, start to finish.
What is the last piece of art (music, movies, TV, more traditional art forms) that you've experienced or that has impacted you?
The TV series Fleabag, on Amazon Prime.
What is your idea of THE perfect day (where you could go anywhere/meet with anyone)?
I’d start the day at a café in Paris eating pastries with my four best girlfriends, and then teleport to England to pass some time reading and writing in a proper Gothic library. Just after tea, I’d teleport again to my home in the mountain town of Idyllwild, California, where I’d go on a hike with my husband and our two dogs. Alternatively, I would love to take Poe on a bar crawl.
What is the question that you’re always hoping you’ll be asked but never have been?
What’s the best straight-to-streaming movie of all time?
What is your answer?
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga on Netflix.
What are you working on now?
Another true crime/historical fiction mash-up (or, as I like to call it, historical fanfiction), due December 2025!
