An accomplished author with work in a multitude of genres and styles, Janelle Filteau has crafted a solid series of work to her name in both full-length novels and short stories over the years. Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month, I talk with her about her early interest in writing, her book "The Egyptian Heir," and other projects.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, when did you get into horror in general? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
Janelle Filteau: My first introduction to horror movies was Hollow Man. I think I was about ten or eleven when I watched it. It was terrifying that someone could be lurking in plain sight without anyone’s knowledge. I became enthralled by horror and thrillers.
Since then, horror or thrillers have been my go-to for movies, books, and TV shows. Stories like Insidious, Alice in Borderlands (a Japanese TV show), and American Horror Story have been shows and movies that I gravitate to.
My favourite horror has to be Rose Red. I have watched it yearly since I was fifteen. I’ve always been drawn to ghosts and supernatural thrillers, and this one checked off all of my boxes.
Me: Who were some of your favorite writers growing up? Do you try to take influences from their style with your own voice in your work?
JF: The writer who influenced me the most to write was Christopher Paolini. He started writing as a teenager and self-published by the time he was nineteen. I love his world-building and the intensity of his writing.
Other writers who helped shape my writing style were R.L. Stine. His Terror at the Zoo was my first introduction to thrillers in books. From there, I read Kay Hooper with A Sense of Evil. I was probably too young for this book, but I became enthralled with psychological thrillers. I love reading about how traumatic situations can shape a character.
Me: What was the starting point of becoming a writer? Were you always into writing growing up?
JF: To answer this question, I have to set the stage for you.
Imagine an elementary school, where your lucid nightmare begins. You sit against a wall, surrounded by your peers; everyone is forced to partner up with a younger student to read them a book. As you read, your heart thud-thuds louder and louder. Each word is foreign. You try to sound it out. The little kid to whom you've been partnered stares up at you and, with mockery, begins to read to you.
You feel your face blossom into an illuminating red, and your hands shake, becoming clammy. Even when your heart stops, and you feel like you're falling into a void, this dream will not end.
This was me until I was thirteen. I had fallen between the cracks in the school system and struggled daily. My mind was a labyrinth of stories that sought a land to be sown. So, one day, I picked up a pen, placed it upon the paper, and wrote.
It was not a masterpiece, and it was riddled with mistakes, but the seeds had taken root, and a spark lit into brilliant flames. It took years of blood, sweat, and tears; of looking up rules and words I didn't know. It took me picking up the intimidating books and forcing myself to read them. It took me wanting to break through the nightmare and embarrassment for me to get where I am now with my writing.
Me: Is there any specific genre you prefer to write? Is there a style or format that you find easier to get into, even if you don't have a preference?
JF: I enjoy writing young adult and write pretty much any genre, but I tend to write fantasy thrillers. For novels, I write in third person with multiple points of view so that I can flesh out all of the characters’ flaws and watch them grow. I want the reader to feel something, even for the character who doesn’t deserve empathy.
For horror short stories, I tend to write in first-person point of view because it seems I can draw out my horrifying side when I’m writing in first person for shorter works.
Me: Having contributed to various anthologies early in your career, what tools and skills do you acquire working on those that transferred to future projects?
JF: I gained valuable soul-searching when I was asked to write for Saskatchewan Screams. I learned that I enjoy writing horror, which, when I was first asked to write something for it, I thought, “I’m not a horror writer.”
Well, turns out, it’s fun to visit the dark side once in a while.
I also found myself gaining a much-needed confidence boost when people who attended the live reading event said they loved my story, The Animal Alignment.
I had been doubting my writing a lot. It encouraged me to write more.
I find anthologies a good practice for writing. Not only is it harder to write short stories compared to novels, but it also teaches you to eliminate unnecessary information or words so that the story flows. I challenge myself now to write a short story a month. I set myself up with word count restrictions or a theme and just write. The stories that have come out of this have worked my creative side and translated into two WIP books being written in two months.
Me: What is the general process for getting involved in these projects?
JF: I am fortunate to have an amazing editor, who encouraged me to write for Saskatchewan Screams. Now I seek them out. I find an interesting theme or anthology that intrigues my mind labyrinth, and just let the words flow. Whether it is accepted or not, I truly enjoy just getting words onto paper, which is always the first step.
I would recommend to anyone wanting to get into writing for anthologies to go out and network with other writers. When you meet the right group, opportunities will blossom, or, just like my editor did, you create them.
Me: How do you settle on the plots for the stories? Is there any special significance to the variety of stories infused with fantasy and romance elements?
JF: For The Animal Alignment, I was challenged to write about something based in Saskatchewan. I have always dreamed of being a zookeeper, and the day the idea basically walked into my mind, the planetary alignment was happening. I thought, “How cool would it be if this were the reason for animals in zoos staying alive for so long?”
It tumble weeded from there.
I’ve been learning to write with layers. A good story must have some form of fantastical idea to spark imagination, and then there’s always a little romance in every story. It doesn’t have to be physical, but even a friendship that strengthens a character is so important. Or maybe the romance is what destroys another character’s trust forever.
Me: Is there anything while writing the characters that you were surprised by in telling their stories?
JF: A character is like meeting a new person. There’s so much to explore. Why does the criminal behave like they do? What made them so heartless and cold? Or why did that character start drinking from their grief, but a character in the same situation became more determined to be strong?
I think what surprises me the most about characters is that they start to take control and tend to write their own stories. I can have the full intent of writing a stoic leader of a secret organization who’s supposed to help the main character, but as I write, he turns into an introverted, awkward man who stutters when he gets nervous and frequently drops things. The characters tell their story as they need, and I’m there to put pen to paper.
Me: What is your writing process? How do you stay focused on writing?
JF: Writing is my escape. It’s my escape from the daily struggles of being a stay-at-home mom, and it’s also how I can find magical worlds that seem better than the drawl of our own.
If I don’t write, for even an hour a day, I don’t feel like I was able to suppress the itch. I need to be able to sit at my desk and either edit or write something down. I write for myself. I want to write stories that I love reading, and I always hope that someone else will like them too.
My process is essentially to get the idea down, and I can correct and fix it later. If I don’t get it written down, it disappears with the wind to never be found again. For my novels, I have a general idea of where I want the story to go, so I’ll just follow the journey and see where it takes me.
I don’t really have a specific process. Just get the ideas down.
Me: How did you settle on the plot for your novel, “The Egyptian Heir?”
JF: The Egyptian Heir comes from a love of Ancient Egyptian history and a paper route. Yes, you read that correctly.
As I was just getting into writing, I would be delivering papers, and all of these ideas would be swarming around in my head. I came up with names, like Cassandra Waters or Zack Exacil. I loved the name Cassandra, and as I delivered papers, I walked past this beautiful fountain. The water was a geyser that shot up, and I have always been a fish out of water. So, Cassandra became Cassandra Waters.
Zackary Exacil is a homage to the bully that tormented me in elementary school. I took matters into my own hands and defended myself one day. Even though I never gained an apology, the bullying stopped. I wrote Zack like he was my bully who learned from his ways. He becomes the white knight in The Egyptian Heir series, and his last name reflects that. Exacil is from the sword, Excalibur. He’s the protector of justice.
I have always been fascinated with curses, history, and undercover agencies. The idea for Obeko’s diamonds came from a teenager’s wish to have the power to do whatever I wanted. Though the diamonds aren’t true diamonds, they are dazzling, rare, and beautiful. Seven is one of my lucky numbers, and when I learned that it is significant in Ancient Egyptian mythology, I was so excited to incorporate it into the story.
The Egyptian Heir series has blossomed a lot over the years, but at its core, it is a story of criminals seeking their deepest desires, a story of a secret organization, and teenagers finding their strength as they crumble under the responsibility of a curse.
Me: Was there any special significance to making the thriller scenario involve cross-generation curses and shadowy agencies alongside Egyptian folklore?
JF: Honestly, it kind of just happened. The adventure kept taking turns, and the curse started to become darker as more was explored about the past of the diamonds. Power and greed took over, causing the weak to become more desperate to control the power of the diamonds. In turn, the ones who seek justice started to find their strength to overcome the darkness.
I find that curses and secret agencies just tie in with the thriller genre.
Me: Once it was finally written, what was the process for having it published?
JF: Years and years of convincing myself that it was worth publishing. I wrote the original Egyptian Heir when I was thirteen, and have rewritten it more than seventeen times. It became a vicious cycle where no matter how much I changed, it was never good enough. I finally found my courage after COVID settled down, and I finally had the money, so I decided that I would publish it.
I went through a self-publishing companion because I didn’t have time to do everything myself. I learned a lot from my first publishing journey. My biggest misstep in publishing was not having a good editor who would be honest and blunt without tearing apart my art. I have fortunately found two editors who have elevated my writing style and my stories.
Another misstep was that I started the publishing journey a week before I found out I was pregnant with my first child. By the time editing and marketing happened, I had a newborn. I struggled with sleep deprivation and finding a balance. It was poor timing.
Now, two kids and five years later, I’ve finally returned to the writing community. Timing is so important for stories, and for self-published authors, they need time to market and get out to meet readers.
For the second book, Ensnared, I’ve corrected my mistakes, and the story continues with better writing and more twists and turns.
Me: What do you do to keep your creative energy flowing?
JF: I write daily. When I don’t write, I feel off and have an itch that bothers me all night. Whether I’m getting ten words down or a thousand, I need to do something with my books. Even rereading a story I haven’t touched in a while can blossom into a writing session that burns the midnight oil.
The short story sessions have also helped a lot. Sometimes those short stories work perfectly in another story as a scene. You never know what will come out with just writing words down.
Me: What else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers?
JF: I’m working on the final stages of publishing book 2 of The Egyptian Heir series, Ensnared. It comes out in 2026, and I can’t wait for everyone to join the adventure as Cassy and Zack learn about the diamonds and are ensnared once more by the threat lurking in the shadows.
Book 3 of the series is in the middle of edits, and I am also working on a faery fantasy that is connected to The Egyptian Heir universe. I can’t wait for these to be published.
I am also writing a new story for Saskatchewan Screams Again. I’m excited to be a part of that once more and to meet more Saskatchewan writers who have embraced their dark side.
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?
JF: I’m a believer that if even one person loves your story, then that story is a success. Do not hesitate to write or put yourself out there. You’ll find your readers.
Have fun writing and write the story that you would want to read (because as a writer, you’ll reread that story a million times).
Thank you for joining me on this bookish adventure.
Thank you again for your time!
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