Rachel Kitch, Author of "The Forest Bleeds"

Rachel Kitch is an award-winning author of speculative horror novels. A graduate of West Virginia University and a Thai immigrant, Rachel loves to blend her heritage and incorporate Thai and Appalachian folklore into her projects. Her debut novel, THE FOREST BLEEDS, follows a team of WVU Ph.D. students as they're kidnapped by a pharmaceutical billionaire and trapped in his haunting mansion in the Appalachian mountains. She'll discuss the themes woven into her book, spanning from folkloric legends between Southeast Asia and Appalachia, the pharmaceutical industry, STEM representation in the dark academia genre, and more.