Thanks, Kaylee. I don't know that there's any best place to start with Lovecraft, but any of the works in his Dream Cycle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Cycle) series might do. Lovecraft was one weird dude who harbored some repugnant viewpoints, but he did create a distinctive oeuvre. As for the Watcher being female, why not? After all, at least 3 of Tolkien's villains were female: Ungoliant, Thuringwethil, and Shelob. On the other hand, the Watcher (with Lovecraftian allusions here) could be something else entirely and "she" or "mother" just become words of convenience.