What is the title of your latest release?
THERE USED TO BE PEOPLE HERE
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
In 1970s Mississippi, a Black detective and his temporary partner are assigned to a case that shifts from murder to paranormal conspiracy with life-altering repercussions.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
My novel originally took place in Kansas, but after realizing how much the southern setting and themes impacted the plot, I decided to center the story around what I believe is a robust locale for southern culture: Mississippi.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
I would, but probably not as regularly as some of my girlfriends. Samuel is a thirty-year-old police officer with extensive scars even I don’t know the entire depths of. If we were to meet in real life, I know it’d be difficult to break through the shell he likes to put on. Ultimately, though, I know we’d understand each other.
What are three words that describe your hero?
Rugged, resilient, and enough.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned how quickly I can write. Before THERE USED TO BE PEOPLE HERE, I spent years working on new drafts. This time around, it only took me three and half months.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Waiting to edit a draft until I’m totally done is the only way I’ll be able to finish it!
Describe your writing space/office!
No office for me – I’m a library/coffee shop hopper! Typically, I go for a swivel couch chair or tucked-in-the-corner seat I can disappear into. Occasionally, I’ll post up at a table, so long as it’s cozy. Whenever I’m in need of a word haul on a draft, I’ll pick two or three writing locations and set a word count goal for each. It’s my tip for writing a lot in one day.
Who is an author you admire?
Maja Angelou will always be my answer to this question.
Is there a book that changed your life?
PIRANESI by Susanna Clarke. A book so good, I cried during my book club while talking about its ending – and it was my second time reading it. This story 100% changed my life, no joke. It’s an absolute must read.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
Oh boy. Well, I was in the driver’s seat of my Kia Soul with my now fiance on the passenger’s side. My agent called me one week after we had our initial meeting with Candice Coote, my editor with Berkley. When she told me how large the size of my deal was, I immediately broke down into tears. My fiance’s jaw dropped; we were both FLOORED. It was November, one month before my college graduation, and up until this point, we’d been dating for four months. We knew we loved each other, but we were both afraid of where we’d end up after I received my diploma and whether or not our relationship would work long distance. I didn’t have enough money to financially support myself at the time; without my book deal, I likely would’ve needed to move four and a half hours away to live with my family. To put it plainly, getting the news about my book deal changed our lives forever. With it, I’ve been able to build a life with my partner. We’re both engaged and living happily in my college’s town, and I couldn’t be more thankful.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Honestly, as long as a book has queer themes, I’m sure I’ll enjoy it. Whether that’s romance, horror, fantasy, or anything else. I do tend to gravitate more toward stories with a good sense of mystery/suspense.
What’s your favorite movie?
Chronicle, directed by Josh Trank. It’s a found footage sci-fi film about three teenagers obtaining telekinetic powers from a strange asteroid. It has the perfect blend of thrill, nuance, and horror that I love to read and write myself.
What is your favorite season?
Fall is the BEST. Best weather, best atmosphere, best music, best time of year.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
With my loved ones. Lately, that’s been me and my fiance. For my 22nd birthday, we took a trip to the NC Asheboro Zoo and stayed in a cabin in the woods with an enormous glass wall that allowed us to look out into the trees. It rained the night before my birthday, and in the morning, dew dripped from the leaves and filled the forest with a lush, earthy smell; it was perfect. We spent my 23rd birthday at Chili’s for lunch and Texas Roadhouse for dessert, mainly because he proposed to me two days before; our budget was spent.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I’ve seen every season of The Traitors, and am nearly finished binging The Traitors UK. Traitors Canada, Australia, and whatever other country chooses to board the train out to the Scottish Highlands: you’re next.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Anything Asian. I’m a huge sucker for sushi. I could survive on rice and chicken for the rest of my life.
What do you do when you have free time?
I’m a gamer, so definitely playing video games with my friends or my fiance. As I’m writing, I’m knee deep in my fourth complete run of Stardew Valley. Baulder’s Gate 3 is one of my all-time favorites; I also highly, highly recommend Red Dead Redemption 2 and 1- to be played in that order.
What can readers expect from you next?
More intrigue. I love to explore the unknown, whatever genre that may be. Up next, I have another uncanny, slow burn horror novel with a story I’m hoping readers will be able to relate to. I’m praying I get to publish a western at some point, too.
THERE USED TO BE PEOPLE HERE by Kennedy Cole
In 1970s Mississippi, a Black detective and his temporary partner are assigned to a case that shifts from murder to paranormal conspiracy with life-altering repercussions.
Wenton, Mississippi: A man enters the bathroom of a local gay bar and doesn’t come back out. Instead he’s found cold, on the floor, and facing the wall. And no one seems to know how this happened.
Samuel Barkley is Wenton’s only Black detective. Assigned to the case, Samuel’s one goal is to keep his head down with eyes on moving up in the police ranks. But it’s not easy with Harvey, a new, temporary partner who Samuel can’t seem to like…or hate. Nor with the cold, questioning eyes and fake smiles from those in town. Persistent. Judging. Wrong. Samuel is reaching his breaking point.
As his investigation leads him to a curious plane crash cover-up, Samuel’s placid existence is turned on its head. Because what crashed in Wenton isn’t a plane. There are others here. They like it here. And if Samuel can’t stop them, they will find a way to stay.
With shades of The X-Files and S. A. Cosby, There Used to Be People Here deftly explores race, queerness, and existing as other in a society that demonizes everything different.
Mystery Police Procedural [ Berkley, On Sale: November 3, 2026, Hardcover / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9798217187119 / eISBN: 9798217187133 ]
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About Kennedy Cole
Kennedy Cole is a speculative author born and raised in North Carolina. Her creative portfolio includes internships with Blair Publisher, ONLY POEMS, Lookout Books, and History Through Fiction, as well as an array of published poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Her debut horror novel, THERE USED TO BE PEOPLE HERE, will be published with Berkley at Penguin Random House in November 2026.
A graduate of UNC Wilmington, Kennedy lives by the beach with her partner and enjoys playing games, puzzling, sipping matcha, and collecting tattoos. Ask her about her favorite movies, recent meals she’s cheffed up, or whatever video game she’s fixated on. She’ll have plenty to say.
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