Mathilde “Tilly” Crewson, a thirty-nine-year-old mother and art conservator, is tasked with restoring The Mother. The painting, believed to be the work of a female surgeon-turned-artist after a personal tragedy, is the rumored fourth piece in a collection of only three known works. But this newly discovered painting, scarred by fire, holds more than meets the eye.
Soon after receiving the painting, Tilly discovers she’s unexpectedly pregnant. But almost immediately, strange, inexplicable things begin to terrifying insect swarms, eerie visits from her long-deceased mother, and sinister whispers that invade her mind. As these malevolent forces intensify, Tilly comes to a harrowing the only way to sever the perilous bond she shares with the painting is to destroy it. But The Mother has plans of her own—and they’re darker than Tilly could ever imagine…
Set in near-future Georgia, Mother is Watching is compulsive, deeply atmospheric, and is as sinister as it is smart. Brown's horror debut delves into themes of bodily autonomy, female agency, and fractured identity. With its canvas of horror, feminist fiction, and dystopia, this is a masterpiece!
KARMA BROWN is an award-winning journalist and author of the bestsellers Come Away With Me, The Choices We Make, In This Moment, The Life Lucy Knew, and Recipe for a Perfect Wife. Her first non-fiction book, The 4% Fix, published in 2020. Karma's writing has appeared in publications such as Redbook, SELF, and Chatelaine. She’s also one half of the writing duo behind The Holiday Swap and All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox and writes under the pen name Kristine Winters (The Christmas Cure).
Brown lives just outside Toronto, Canada with her husband, daughter, and their adorably handsome labradoodle, Fred.
Q & A with Karma Brown*
GWR: Being a seasoned author, what is your favourite part of the publishing process? Is there anything that you still find difficult?
KB: I have two favourite parts, and two least favourite parts—balance! The hardest and most challenging aspects are the first draft, because I love editing and won’t let myself edit at that stage, and promotion. Meeting readers and having great conversations about the book are highlights, but as an 85/15 introvert/extrovert, I’m more comfortable behind my desk and laptop. The best stages are brainstorming the idea and gathering research, followed by editing, which is hands-down the phase I love the most.
GWR: This is your first foray into horror. What attracted you to the genre?
KB: I’m a lifelong horror fan—ghost stories by the cottage campfire, devouring Stephen King’s Pet Sematary when I was about 10, and watching iconic ‘80s movies like Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween and Poltergeist at sleepovers. Looking back, I realize the sensation of controlled fear—knowing it lived on the page or on the screen, but not in my real life—was as cathartic as it was entertaining. As an adult, horror is the genre I lean into when I need that catharsis, as well as escape, and it never fails me. It’s a safe way to work through fear. And creatively, I love the world-building in the horror genre. It pushes the boundaries of what you’re willing to accept and believe.
GWR: What’s are some of the key elements that are a must in a horror novel?
KB: I’m not sure there’s a right answer, so I’ll offer my personal ‘musts.’ First, a truly scary “monster in the house” (as Jamie Nash describes in Save the Cat! Writes Horror), though I’m flexible about what constitutes a “house.” As long as the premise fills me with dread, I’m in. Second, a protagonist I’m deeply invested in and am rooting for. Horror is full of emotional depth, which can be overlooked by readers who dismiss the genre as simply “scary.” Finally, I love an ambiguous ending. Our imaginations can be far scarier than anything resolved neatly on the page.
GWR: The conservation of a painting is a unique take on the “spooky painting” horror trope. Can you talk about the research that you did?
KB: I was incredibly lucky to connect with a conservator at the Art Gallery of Ontario who specializes in paintings and was willing to talk with me. She prefers to stay backstage, so I won’t name her here, but she generously answered endless questions and emails, and even read an early draft of the book. She also took me behind the scenes on several occasions, giving me a first-hand look at how the work is done, and the scope of the job. We had many conversations over coffee about art, conservation, and being a young woman in the field. It was an unprecedented level of access, and I truly couldn’t have written this book without her. She helped me bring Tilly—and The Mother—to life, and it’s the most fascinating research I’ve ever done for a book.
GWR: How do you balance genuine fear with plot?
KB: For me, fear has to serve the story. If something is scary but doesn’t move the plot forward or deepen the characters, it loses its impact. A well-placed scare can absolutely ratchet up the tension, but it has to feel earned, otherwise it risks pulling the reader out of the story.
GWR: Mother is Watching straddles the line between sci-fi and horror, with a utopian/dystopian overlay—how did this come about?
KB: Initially I felt like a kid in a candy store. It was my first foray into writing horror, and I had so many beloved horror tropes and world-building ideas that it took time to whittle them down into a cohesive vision. I wanted the world to feel both utopian and dystopian, with feminist themes threading through the story, a protagonist with a fascinating job, and a unique “monster.” I also wanted to explore horror that feels plausible—where the terror comes not just from something supernatural, but from systems, technology, and ideas we already live with. I’m endlessly curious about what the future holds, and I have a healthy dose of fear about the unknown. This novel gave me space to explore all of that.
GWR: Did you use any real-life fears as inspiration?
KB: Absolutely. The idea of possession has always terrified me. What would you do if someone was trying to take over your body and life, but no one else noticed? Losing my mind is right up there as well. And metaphorically, when I first became a mother I feared losing myself—and my ambition—to the label. Society places enormous pressure on women through the concept of the “good mother,” and some of those fears found their way into the story.
GWR: What questions did you ask yourself in the work?
KB: One question I kept returning to was a simple one: Does this scare me?
GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be?
KB: A Long Black. It’s made by pouring a double shot of espresso over hot water—unlike an Americano, where hot water is added to the espresso. The crema stays intact on top, but beneath that creamy, silky layer is something strong and dark.
GWR: What are you working on now?
