A guest on a previous Women in Horror Month spotlight, I'm pleased to welcome back Selah Janel to discuss some of her latest projects and writings since then.
Me: Hello and thank you for returning to this! Since last we spoke, you've seen an increase of published short studies in various collections and anthologies. Among the first was the Christmas horror story "Candles," how did you come up with this story?
Selah Janel: Thank you so much for having me back! I’d carried the idea for ‘Candles’ in the back of my head for a while before I wrote it. I knew the basic idea and setting, but I had it in my head that it should be a flash fiction piece, and I was a little hesitant given some of the places it goes. At the time, I was working with my friend and coauthor S.H. Roddey on a short story collection Lost in the Shadows. We were looking for some pieces to fill in the blanks, and the idea kept pushing itself to the front of my brain. The actual writing was very fast, and we included it in the collection. The collection itself was a hodgepodge of different genre ideas and was a great learning experience in terms of writing short stories. I noticed that readers kept mentioning ‘Candles,’ so when we eventually pulled the collection, I decided to put the piece out as a single title on Kindle. I went back and rewrote sections, which gave me a chance to really focus on ambiance and characters. I really like focused stories where a horrific setting or idea gives you room to dig in and explore motivations and emotional responses. The idea of this makeshift family trying to celebrate Christmas during the zombie apocalypse and find anything good in their situation fascinated me, and it gave me a chance to use some of the traditions I grew up with to connect them a deeper symbolism and maybe a different spin on their meaning. It’s a dark piece, and the mom in the story goes to some heavy places in the name of family and love. I definitely had to take a breath and give myself permission to write it, and then to craft it further when I released it on its own. I’m really proud of that piece and how it turned out in its final incarnation.
Me: Was working with a seasonal theme like the rest of the collection a unique experience for you?
SJ: The idea for ‘Candles’ was so strong, I feel like that propelled me through any hesitations I had. I think it’s important to give a place to the realization that the holidays aren’t happy for everyone, and that even in the midst of an atrocity people will try to live their lives. Christmas/holiday horror can be a hard sell because it’s easy to present it as goofy, and a lot of people don’t want what’s seen as a totally positive season portrayed in anything resembling a negative light. I personally love that traditionally, there is a darker side to the holiday season, especially if we’re looking at a lot of European monster traditions, so it felt natural to give into that duality. On the one hand, it’s a good idea on its own, whether it was set during Christmas or during something like a birthday party or another holiday. On the other hand, I think the seasonal theme really adds a poignancy to the themes of family, the fragility of life, and self-sacrifice. I definitely snuck little nods to ‘Gift of the Magi’ in there, and for me, the traditions of Advent added an intimacy for the family beyond just opening presents or recognizing that it was a holiday. The ritual of things adds to the reflection, and the familiarity with the characters, and makes the eventual tragedy and resolution hit harder.
Me: In addition to that, you've also had work published in some anthologies, magazines, and e-zines including The Dread Machine, Underland Arcana, Electric Spec, ParAbnormal, Siren’s Call, and 34 Orchard. How did you come to be involved in these projects?
SJ: I’ve written short stories for years and went through periods of submitting them off and on. It’s something I’ve started to focus on again, in an attempt to tighten my process and hone my skills as I get back into things and find a rhythm. Submitting short stories is a process, and it’s as much about finding the right markets as it is about anything else. It’s a lot like dating, where just because you get a rejection doesn’t mean you’re a bad writer or it’s a bad story; it just isn’t the right fit for that particular market.
I’ve gotten better at finding different mailing lists, Facebook groups, and websites that provide listings over the years, and I try to spend an hour off and on seeing what’s out there and making notes on my calendar if there’s something I’m interested in. I find that I’m either writing to calls (usually for anthologies) or looking for places to submit things I’ve been writing on my own. Each of these came about because I submitted during their open submissions period and just decided to take a shot. I’ve had fantastic experiences with all the publications mentioned. Each taught me something through the editing process and has continued to make me a better author. They’re all unique publications with their own approaches, and that’s given me not only a fantastic set of learning experiences but a great range of places to show my work to broader audiences.
Me: Does working with a freer set of guidelines with these publications suit you more than working with a set theme or topic?
SJ: It depends. Each has its pros and cons. If I’m working with a set theme, I generally have an idea of what I’m playing to, but a lot of anthology calls have tight word counts, so I have to plan each scene out carefully. With general submissions, I have a bit more freedom to write a story the way I want, but then it’s up to me to find markets that match up, which can lead to a lot of editing or sometimes years of shopping stories around. That’s fine, it’s what I signed up for, but I don’t know that there’s one that’s better for me over another. I think both bring out different aspects of my work and present different challenges for me that keep me fresh in different ways.
Me: Has working with this kind of format as rapidly as you have improved your skillset since you've first became a writer?
SJ: Oh, definitely! While I may not be writing to specific themes as with anthologies, I still have to take guidelines into consideration. If something is continually being rejected, I have to make a decision as to whether I just haven’t found the right market, or if a piece needs more editing. Sometimes I think of improvements down the line, sometimes it just needs to find the right home. Either way, it’s taught me perseverance. Usually, short stories have somewhat tight word counts, so it’s also helped me craft stories that are tighter than what I would do for a novel or a novella. I’ve had to embrace a sense of economy and focus on actual technique as well as plot and character. It takes a balance to make tension and horror effective. I’ve also noticed that my willingness to work with editors has served me well. There has to be a sense of communication and a willingness to listen to ideas to improve things. Every editor I’ve had the privilege of working with within the past few years has been open to me asking questions or communicating versus me just accepting or shooting down their ideas, and I’ve learned so much about how a slight change of wording can make a story more powerful.
Me: In addition, you also provided nonfiction horror essays in two anthologies, The Horror Addict’s Guide to Life Vol. 2 and Vampire Musings. How did your involvement in these come about?
SJ: I’ve collaborated off and on with HorrorAddicts.net over the years by doing blog takeovers or having my work featured on their podcast. I was invited to have a previous piece of mine about my past experience sewing strange things and designing for haunted events reprinted in the anthology, so I jumped at the chance to edit the essay and share that odd slice of my life.
I was invited to have a piece included in Vampire Musings by the editor, who I’d met at a convention and become friends with. She knew how into vampire lore I am and offered me free reign with the subject matter. She basically wanted a book that explored varying aspects of vampires in lore and popular culture, as well as included fiction. I decided to write about writing vampires, specifically about whether the choice to have vampires be evil as default is obsolete. I feel like it is, especially because at this point the archetype is so versatile that it’s frustrating for media to box themselves in by automatically assuming vampires have to be evil instead of exploring things in other ways or using vampiric characters in other capacities. It was fun to be able to dive into the topic.
Me: As well, you also had a story published in Eerie River’s folk horror collection The Old Ways. What can you tell us about this story and your collaboration with the publishers?
SJ: This was one of the stories that I shopped for a while before finding the right home for it. I’ve really gotten into folk horror in recent years. There’s something about playing with rural settings that combine the familiar and mysterious in ways that I love. My story, Watching, is about a typical small-town farmer in a typical small town who holds a horrible secret about a terrible tradition. I play a little bit with some cosmic horror tropes along with the folk horror and center it around a very atypical tree. It combines a lot of things that I love: atmosphere, small-town settings, nondescript characters roped into the fantastic or terrible, and unexpected twists. I also never really realized until later, but I’ve developed a thing about dark or magical forests or trees over the years. They show up off and on in my work and this story continues that theme.
Me: What else are you working on you’d like to share with our readers?
SJ: I’m in a period of regrouping, so there’s a lot going on behind the scenes, even if It doesn’t seem like it at the moment. I’m working on getting some more titles out on Kindle, as well as expanding some old stuff to get in front of a new audience. A goal for this year is to finish a new novel to start shopping around, and just keep submitting. I’ve been doing online panels with the Con-Tinual online convention group. There are some great discussions that happen in that space, and they’re aired on Facebook and YouTube. And, as always, people can check out my work and what I’m up to at www.selahjanel.com, www.facebook.com/authorSJ, @SelahJanel on Twitter, and @selahjanel99 on Instagram.
Me: Lastly, being that this is our Women in Horror Movement, what special message do you have for any women out there looking to join in the industry in any capacity as you are one yourself? Thank you again for your time!
SJ: Thanks again for having me! Don’t be afraid to harness the big emotions. Women have a particular gift to the horror world because we deal with so many big feelings, and so much of our daily lives involve possible danger. Use that, don’t be afraid to put a voice to the things that unnerve you and use it for your work. We belong in the genre and deserve a place at the table. It’s okay to be bold and messy, to experiment and shake things up.
Beyond that, I think my message is just to keep going. Hands down, one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever gotten was to just keep working. At the time it felt simplistic, but once I got over myself I realized that it’s really incredibly deep. You can’t improve if you don’t keep at it, you don’t get to see what happens in your journey if you just stop. You can’t network if you’re not putting yourself out there. You have to be stubborn, because it’s not easy, and there’s a certain point where you have to be focused on the actual writing and creating at not the idea of the final product or what results it may bring. Basically, just keep going, even if you have to stop to take a breath, even if things change. I’ve had to reassess and reinvent so many times now, but I do it because it’s what I know how to do and I have to believe that it’s going to be worthwhile.
This interview ran as part of our 2023 Women in Horror Month celebrations. Click the banner below to check out the rest of our month-long celebrations including various reviews and interviews:
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