From Graphic Novels To Cookbooks, Tim Mulligan Blends Passion With Storytelling
Tim Mulligan discusses his diverse body of work, blending personal experiences with supernatural elements, and offers insights into his creative process.
Tim Mulligan is an award-winning author whose diverse body of work spans graphic novels, cookbooks, leadership books, and plays. Known for his captivating storytelling, he is the creative mind behind the World of Witchland Trilogy, which includes the graphic novels Witchland, Snitchland, and the upcoming Twitchland. Mulligan has also authored best-selling cookbooks, A Perfect Ten and A Perfect Ten Party Edition, as well as the popular leadership book, Roar: How To Build a Resilient Organization the World Famous San Diego Zoo Way. His passion for animals, food, and history weaves seamlessly into his writing, creating multifaceted narratives that engage readers on multiple levels. A playwright at heart, Mulligan’s stage production of Witchland has been met with critical acclaim in various cities, including New York, and his upcoming play, Point Loma, is set to debut in May 2025.
In this interview, Mulligan reflects on his journey as an author and shares the inspirations behind his varied works, from the eerie influences of his childhood in Richland, Washington, to his unique blend of horror and humour in the Witchland series. He discusses his transition from playwriting to graphic novels, the real-life events that shaped his storytelling, and his dedication to both the written word and the culinary arts. Whether delving into the dangers of nuclear waste or the thrills of a haunted house, Mulligan brings a unique perspective to every project, seamlessly merging personal experience with captivating fiction.
Tim Mulligan’s work captivates readers with his unique blend of horror, humour, and heartfelt storytelling across genres
How did your upbringing in Richland, Washington, inspire the Witchland Trilogy, blending personal experiences with supernatural elements?
I always thought that my home town of Richland, Washington, would be a great setting for a scary story. Not only is it the location of the Hanford Nuclear Reactor, with it’s long troubled history of radiation-related sicknesses and deaths, and the fact that there are literally 52 million + gallons of highly hazardous nuclear waste buried in the ground there in tanks, and many of these tanks leaking into the dirt there… but also because when I was growing up, among other oddities, there was a “haunted house” that was rumored to be inhabited by a witch – and this really haunted my small group of friends all through high school. So combining these two tracks I thought would be a great story – tell the story of Hanford, and its history, and add a creepy and supernatural twist to the story. And of course throw my real life family (my partner and daughter) into the fray…
What motivated you to adapt the Witchland Trilogy from plays into graphic novels, and how did this transition influence the storytelling? The first play, Witchland, has now been staged in several cities, and to much acclaim. But being a true fan of the graphic novel genre, I really felt I could share this story with a much wider audience by adapting it to graphic novel format – and that darkness of the story really lends itself well to a graphic novel. So now it’s a series of graphic novels – Witchland, Snitchland, and the third book, Twitchland, releasing this spring.
Can you discuss the real-life events that influenced Snitchland, particularly the nuclear accident, and how you balanced fact with fiction?
In 2017, a tunnel collapsed at Hanford, uncovering some hidden train cars buried in the dirt, and also exposing some of the employees in the area, causing them to experience various levels of sickness. This is the impetus in the first story Witchland for the radiation drama to occur – one of the main characters is working there at the time, and gets exposed. In the sequel, Snitchland, I wanted to tell a story that would be representative of the hundreds of whistleblowers at Hanford, who over the past 7 decades have come forth with safety concerns, and faced various extremes of retaliation and response. So Snitchland is a continuation of Witchland – though the supernatural element is a ghost story, with the ghosts of those who have perished in this community helping to uncover what really caused this workplace accident – and how it could have been avoided if the “snitch” had been listened to in the first place.
“I wanted to tell a story that would be representative of the hundreds of whistleblowers at Hanford.” – Tim Mulligan
How does your upcoming play, Point Loma, differ in theme and tone from the Witchland Trilogy, and what inspired its creation?
After writing the Witchland Trilogy, I wanted to change gears and tell a different story altogether – although still in the horror genre – and create the quintessential haunted house story, in a live theater/play format. It’s based on a real home in San Diego that I’m very familiar with, that is inhabited by some form of supernatural presence. And San Diego is so steeped in history, with allegedly “haunted” locations throughout the town, I created my own backstory, tied to the history of San Diego.
What challenges did you face when integrating humour into horror narratives within the Witchland Trilogy?
I love the horror genre – and to me, the most effective horror movies/books/shows/plays need to have a great story at the core, and also have laughs to accompany the jumps and gasps. So that is what I set out to do – write a really funny story, that you cover your eyes while laughing.
How did your collaboration with illustrator Pyrink shape the visual storytelling of the Witchland graphic novels?
I found Pyrink online – he’s a Mexico- based graphic artist. And after interviewing many potential artists, Pyrink just really got my vision. His renderings of what is on the page are just awesome – and beautiful – and he does not balk as the stories get a bit crazier and crazier. It’s been a truly amazing collaboration.
Can you share insights into your writing process for the Perfect 10 cookbooks and how they reflect your passion for home cooking?
I had not done any creative writing at all until the COVID pandemic hit. When I found myself isolating and quarantining like everyone else, I decided to finally tap into my creative side – and it took the pandemic and turning 55 to do so. The first thing was to write a play – of which was born Witchland – and then I spent the next year toiling away at a cookbook. I love cooking, and have been curating and perfecting recipes since I was a kid. I wanted to put out a cookbook that catered to those like me – busy, not a lot of time, and not professionally trained cooks. The first book, A Perfect 10, did so well and had such loyal followers and fans, I then put out a follow up, The Perfect 10 Party Edition. I can’t help it, I love eating, cooking, and throwing parties.
What advice would you offer aspiring authors aiming to blend personal experiences with fictional storytelling?
My advice is that it’s never going to happen unless you will it to happen – if you have a story to tell, or an urge to write a creative piece, you have to just make the time, and do it. It took me waiting until age 55 to start, and now I can’t stop – in 4 years I’ve now written 5 plays, 4 graphic novels, and 2 cookbooks. Now I can’t stop. So, just manifest that you can do it, and finish it – and if anyone reads it afterwards, great. But focus on the task at hand.
