dʒˈeɪmz wˈaɪət ɛksplˈeɪnd wʌt ˈɪnfluːənst hˌɪm ɪn ɹˈaɪɾɪŋ ðə bˈʊk: "ðˌoʊ aɪv bˌɪn ɐ bˈɪɡ ɹˈeɪvənlˌɔft ænd mˈæsk ʌvðə ɹˈɛd dˈɛθ fˈæn, aɪ tɹˈaɪd vˈɛɹi hˈɑːɹd tə stˈɪɹ ðɪs bˈʊk ɪn ɐ dˈɪfɹənt dᵻɹˈɛkʃən.
James Wyatt explained what influenced him in writing the book: "Though I've been a big Ravenloft (and Masque of the Red Death) fan, I tried very hard to steer this book in a different direction.