We are SO back with another round of Indie Author Summer. Take a small break from huge blockbusters coming to theaters during the last sweltering weeks of hot weather. Indie Author Summer is still here and it is all about introducing new-to-you authors, fresh voices and daring books you might not see in a big-box store’s window display. I had the absolute pleasure to talk with R.J. Joseph for this weeks interview. So, let’s talk about it!
Rhonda Jackson Garcia, also known as R.J. Joseph, is a Bram Stoker Award nominated, Texas based academic and creative writer and professor. Her writing regularly focuses on the intersections of gender and race in the horror, in romance genres and popular culture. She has had works published in various esteemed venues, including the 2020 Halloween issue of Southwest Review and The Streaming of Hill House: Essays on the Haunting Netflix Series. R.J. has contributed to several anthologies and is author to Hell Hath No Sorrow Like A Woman Haunted and Monstrous Domesticity. R.J. also has as a blog named Birthing the Essence of Horror. I am currently in the middle of Hell Hath No Fury Like A Woman Haunted and it is some of the most impactful and well written horror I have read.
Abby Wolf: Tell me about the first glimpses you had in your earlier life that felt like “yes, I want to write stories and pursue publication”.
R.J. Joseph: I learned as a young child that the thing I did best was tell stories and work with words. Even outside of fiction, I preferred to write my thoughts rather than speak them out loud. Thankfully, I was raised in a reading household where I also understood being a writer was a real thing I could do and if I worked really hard, people might pay me for my words and publish them so others could engage with my ideas.
A.W.: How has your writing evolved since you began publishing?
R.J.: The biggest evolution in my writing since publishing has been in embracing my unique writing voice and truly leaning in to it. When I first started writing, I had the challenge of finding my own voice, just as many writers do. Once I found it, I often tried to camouflage it to make it more palatable or publishable to a wider audience. The voice wasn’t having any of that! The harder I tried to mask it, the harder it worked to be heard. Now, I think my writing voice is my most valuable asset.
A.W.: What is your biggest writing fear?
R.J.: Ah. I have many. Two stand out in this moment. One is that I will have to, at any point, dilute or diminish my perspectives in my work in pursuit of a wider audience or to become more commercial (that elusive barometer many published writers face at one time or another). The next biggest is probably that I won’t have time to write all the things I want to write. Life is full of so much inspiration, and I have pages of ideas I want to engage with. I hope I have time to visit with most of them.
A.W.: Describe a memorable interaction you had with a reader over one of your books or stories.
R.J.: When my horror story collection first came out, I had so many Black women tell me my characters made them feel at home because they recognized them as themselves or other women in their lives. Stories centering Black feminine perspectives aren’t widely available, especially in the horror genre, so this visibility is important—not just to me and other Black women, but to the genre. Horror comes in so many flavors and I felt honored that readers were touched by the ones I brought to the party.
A.W.: What is your all time favorite book and your favorite quote from it?
R.J.: My favorite book is Beloved by Toni Morrison. Though it’s full of memorable quotes, the most profound one is a guiding foundation for how I try to live my life: Freeing yourself is one thing, claiming ownership of that freed self is another.
A.W.: Aside from writing, do you have any other artistic endeavors or hobbies?
R.J.: I often joke that I can only work with words and nothing else artistically. It’s not a joke. I really can’t sing, or paint, or anything else creative. I do like to make wreaths, and I guess I’m pretty good at it—as long as no one looks on the back side of my creations. My artistic struggles are very clear on the underside.
A.W.: How do you connect with readers and build your community in the indie publishing world?
R.J.: My biggest point of connection with readers in the indie horror community is through being a huge reader, myself. Anyone who has ever met me at an event has probably been asked, “What are you reading?” or “What books did/will you buy?” I don’t ask those questions to work my way into a sale. I genuinely want to know what other horror fans are reading so I can read those works, too. Yes, I want to sell my work, but I come to horror as a fan first and a writer after that. Since I read widely in the genre, I can usually give recommendations for other writers’ works if I know what someone enjoys reading. My authenticity in that positioning gives me the opportunity to discuss my own work sometimes. And even if it doesn’t, I still give stellar recommendations and I get wonderful additions to my own to-be-read pile.
A.W.: What is one aspect, beyond sales, that marks “success” to you?
R.J.: Success as a writer for me is having a positive impact on readers and other writers. I feel I’m doing what I’m destined to do when another writer tells me they’ve been inspired on their own writing journey through my work or presence. When readers talk about my work to other readers and use my work in classrooms or library/bookstore presentations, I feel successful.
A.W.: What was the first book that moved you emotionally and left it’s mark?
R.J.: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou was the first time I truly understood how important agency is, even regarding something as basic as our words and what we choose to do with them. I related painfully to the young Maya, and I felt empowered toward my own agency when I learned I could choose how much of myself I wanted to make public and how much I wanted to keep for myself.
A.W.: Favorite thing to drink while writing?
R.J.: I’m very Texan in my tastes. Sweet iced tea mixed with just the right amount of lemonade–and maybe a dash of honey flavored whiskey–or a nice margarita are my favorite writing drinks.
A.W.: Is there anything else you’d like to share?
R.J.: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today! I have a couple of things coming out soon. The first is a novella in the November book box from Pandi Press, curated by Brian Keene. I’m really excited to read the two books in this box because the first will be from Keene and the second is a set of novellas by me, Hailey Piper, Laurel Hightower, and Gemma Amor. The next are a short story and personal essay which are included in Poisoned Soup for the Macabre, Depraved and Insane: Nostalgic Terrors, releasing in December from Brigid’s Gate Press. I just know the editors, Wendy Dalrymple and Grace R. Reynolds have put together a fun time.
As always, I am so grateful for the opportunity to pry inside the minds of indie and small press authors. Stay tuned for next weeks episode of #indieauthorsummer!
Have strong thoughts about this piece you need to share? Or maybe there’s something else on your mind you’re wanting to talk about with fellow Fandomentals? Head on over to our Community server to join in the conversation!