When a new black and bloody hand-printed Hunt A Killer box arrives on your doorstep, it’s the final result of a product that took weeks to conceptualize, create, write, and proof. Every season of Hunt A Killer brings new challenges, ciphers, puzzles and character arcs that are carefully pieced together by our team of eight writers. There’s a huge backstory and creative process that goes into every murder mystery, and we wanted to pull back the curtains on this by having a Q+A session with one of our lead writers, Stephanie McGowan!
Q: How did you start writing for Hunt A Killer?
A: In October 2017, I was looking for a creative job while preparing to teach English overseas when I stumbled across a job ad for Hunt A Killer. I was really surprised to find that a new gaming company was located just a few miles from my house! So, I ended up shelving my travel plans to pursue writing for Hunt A Killer. I’ve since led two seasons of Hunt A Killer, and I’m now currently leading a third.
Q: What is the process like to create a season of Hunt A Killer?
A: The overall process varies from season to season, but I can speak on my own methods as a writer. Developing a season takes a lot of serious brainstorming and research. For the Hunt A Killer brand, figuring out different ways to murder our characters is sometimes the most difficult part. A lot of thought goes into the investigation and how it will unfold from episode to episode. Before any writing occurs, I do the work of creating every main character, constructing the story timeline, recording relevant facts and fictional events, choosing documents and items to relay story points, and figuring out the game design and technology requirements of each episode. After this comes the writing of all relevant content, including what’s in the box and any digital elements.
Q: How many Hunt A Killer writers are on staff?
A: We currently have eight full-time writers working on several projects.
Q: Do you base cases off of real events?
A: I’ve been inspired by real situations and settings, but not any particular murder case. But to properly write a realistic murder, I do research that involves reading up on various real cases and forensic documents.
Q: Where do you get your inspiration?
A: I’m a huge fan of classic mysteries, so I draw a lot of inspiration from Agatha Christie. I enjoy the adventurous nature of her stories and the strange, multi-layered murders that unfold. Using Christie as an influence, I try to write uncommon scenarios that you might not hear about on the local news.
Q: Which was your favorite character to write in any Hunt A Killer season?
A: My favorite was Sylvia from Initiation, season three of Hunt A Killer. I have a lot of feelings for her because she was the first character I ever wrote for Hunt A Killer. She’s eccentric, adventurous, and has a plethora of hobbies. Puzzles are also really fun for me to write so I loved the chance to include one in every letter from her.
Q: Which piece of writing for Hunt A Killer are you most proud of?
A: There are several, but I was especially proud of the Blue House novel pages I wrote for The Woods, season one of Empty Faces. It’s a work of fiction within a work of fiction! Many people told me that Blue House made them sad, which was actually great news since it was my main goal.
Q: What’s the weirdest research rabbit hole you’ve gone down?
A: Once I ended up on the wiki page for “poena cullei” also known as the penalty of the sack. If you’re prone to morbid curiosity, look it up! Just don’t ask how I got there.
Q: What do you do with the bodies?
A: They mostly hang around the offices. We currently have a severed head in a jar and a mummy employed at one of our desks. They’re not on payroll yet.