The sun is shining in that undeniably Colorado way, making it hard to imagine clouds exist. I’ve snagged a little table near the grass outside Panera’s—the same location author Joy Jarrett and I used to meet in-person with our RMFW critique group, a lifetime ago. It is the perfect congenial setting for a discussion about her upcoming romance novel, Old Cravings, except it happens to also be a horror story. Cue some clouds.
RMFW: What inspired you to write a horror romance hybrid novel?
Joy: My family and I went on vacation to an elk ranch and stayed in a cabin that had once been a schoolhouse. The leathery old owner, not the kind of person I’d expect to joke about such things, told us it was haunted by a teacher who might appear in the rocking chair during our stay. But we shouldn’t be alarmed, the teacher was not unfriendly. That story, and the creepy sound of elks bugling all night, got me thinking about how terrifying it would be, trapped there by bad weather, in such a remote location.
RMFW: How did you go about weaving in the romance?
Joy: I wanted to write a book that made all of my chosen elements—horror, romance, and animals as key figures—integral to the plot. I once heard a romance author and writing instructor define the genre as a story in which the romantic relationship is the central plot driver, that the writer shouldn’t be able to remove the love story without destroying the whole thing. I’ve tried to accomplish that in my own stories, but it isn’t always easy to seamlessly weave in so many different tropes. One thing that helped me with Old Cravings was to frame it as a second-chance romance. The “enemies to lovers” journey is one of naturally escalating conflict.
RMFW: What kind of feedback have you received from readers, agents and editors?
Joy: Reader response has been really positive. I myself enjoy reading genre-blending stories, like Simone St. James’s paranormal historical fiction. Unfortunately, I had a few disappointing experiences with agents who said they loved my writing, but ultimately had to pass because they couldn’t figure out how to market my cross-genre book. I did find a home for it at a small press, and I think there are readers out there like me who are looking for this kind of page-turner romance, but I’m still learning how to reach them!
RMFW: Do you see your writing progressing in a similar direction in future books, or will you experiment with other forms?
Joy: I started drafting my second “Scary Good Romance” novel during NaNoWriMo back in November but paused when my mother came to live with us after a COVID outbreak at her assisted living facility. I’m getting back to it now. The story takes place at a Raptor Center in Oregon, so there’s the animal piece. I’m working out how to build tension without relying on the “enemies to lovers” backstory this time.
RMFW: How has debuting this year compared to your pre-pandemic expectations?
Joy: Part of the reason I decided to go with a small press over self-publishing was a fellow RMFW author always talked about how much “fun” it was, having book signings at the Tattered Cover, things like that. I imagined a launch party, too, and I know a lot of authors are doing them virtually, but that is so outside my comfort zone.
RMFW: What has been the scariest part of the whole debut process for you?
Joy: Definitely the necessity of virtual self-promotion. I know I should be more aggressive with my marketing strategy, but online criticism and negative feedback is harder to take right now because you are literally just with yourself all the time, stewing over reviews and star ratings. I feel like I’m walking around naked in this Zoom world where everyone can see me, but I can’t see them. It’s too much sometimes.
RMFW: What advice do you have for other authors who might be feeling this same anxiety?
Joy: A fellow writer once told me, “A review of a book often says more about the reader than the author.” I try to remember that, the way in which every reader comes to my work with his or her own baggage and bias. It also helps to remind myself that I am more than the book I wrote, which can be difficult because we live in such an achievement-centered culture. When I was at home with my young children, it was really important to cling to my writing as part of my identity, apart from being a mom. Now that my book is out in the world, I’m grateful for the other parts of my identity: mother, wife, daughter, friend. If you just define yourself by the work you do, at the expense of your relationships, that’s really unhealthy.
RMFW: What about the best part of the experience—which aspects have you fallen in love with?
Joy: Funny, the scariest part—total strangers reading and reacting to my book—is also the best part. I got this review from a woman who wrote that she read Old Cravings “in one sitting and went to work exhausted the next morning, but it was totally worth it.” That’s about the best compliment I can imagine, that someone couldn’t put my book down. For me, that was the whole point of publishing, after all, to entertain readers. I’ve adjusted my expectations throughout this process, and now, I think all those hours of work are worth it as long as someone enjoys my book enough that she’s willing to go to work with a reading hangover.
You can follow Joy at AuthorJoyJarrett on Facebook and Instagram, @scaryjarrett on Twitter, and on her website, www.joyjarrettbooks.com.
Please share your scariest and best debut experiences below in the comments!
It’s fun to hear the best is also the scariest… readers and their reactions… I agree.
Thank you for reading and responding, Karen. I loved Joy’s reflection on this point as well: so easy, in moments of self-doubt, to forget putting ourselves out there for interaction with readers was the whole point!