This month - J.P. Barnett
Interviewer : Aigner Loren Wilson (she/her) is a 2023 double Ignyte Finalist for best novelette and best critic. She is a senior fiction editor for Strange Horizons, and her writing has appeared in F&SF, Lightspeed Magazine, Monstrous Futures, and more. You can follow her on her website, newsletter, or on Facebook.
Horror Author: J.P. Barnett is the author of the award-winning Lorestalker series, a collection of horror adventures about two college-aged women who hunt cryptids instead of going to class. The six-book series has won multiple awards, including the 2022 Kindle Book Award for best Horror novel. When he’s not writing, he’s reading books, playing guitar, or spending too much time on Xbox. J.P. currently resides in Redmond with his partner and hellion of a cat, both of whom look at him dubiously with some frequency.
This interview is a part of the HWA Seattle Member Blog Interview Series. HWA Seattle members who would like to be interviewed for the blog, reach out here.
Aigner Loren Wilson: Your work has gone on to win awards. Congrats! What do you think Lorestalker does so well that keeps readers coming back for more?
J.P. Barnett: Thank you. Oh gosh. That’s a hard question. One thing I really value about the Lorestalker series is its strength of character. The characters dictate the story, and it’s important to me that they experience growth and trauma in a realistic, relatable way. Sure, there are giant monsters and sometimes gruesome fights to the death, but I think at the end of the day, fiction works best when people can relate to the characters.
ALW: Can you provide us with a glimpse into the world of Lorestalker? What’s the journey you take readers on with these books?
JPB: My quick description of the series is: Two college girls hunting cryptids instead of going to class. Like any “elevator pitch,” that leaves out a lot of meaty information though. One of the girls, Miriam, is a neurodivergent daughter of a famous cryptozoologist. Hunting down cryptids is everything to her. She’d rather be muddy than clean. Macy, on the other hand, prefers to remain in the air conditioning far away from danger.
The unlikely pairing of the two creates a lot of fun as each book takes them on a new adventure, experiencing growth and trauma along the way that they have to then carry throughout the series, culminating in the final book where they’ve both found their way and have to deal with what that means for them as a team. Of course, that journey pits them against potential death at every turn and head-to-head matchups with fantastical creatures ripped out of lore—Bigfoot, Kraken, Skinwalker, Hogzilla—all sorts of fun monsters.
ALW: Many readers enjoy getting to know the person behind the book. Can you share a little-known fact about yourself or a hobby/interest that might surprise your readers and provide them with a deeper connection to you as an author?
JPB: Considering I’m not that famous (yet), I suppose any fact about myself would be little-known! One thing that might surprise people is that I am, myself, neurodivergent. I was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of 41, halfway through the writing of the Lorestalker series. My main character, Miriam, was a key part of me realizing that, so writing literally helped me to find myself. As one can imagine, such a diagnosis can have a huge impact on one’s life, as it has for me, but I’m grateful that I know and that writing provided that therapeutic insight that I might have otherwise missed out on.
ALW: In your career as a celebrated author, what’s been your greatest joy along the way?
JPB: I do a lot of in-person events and the thing that brings me the most joy is when someone comes to my table to buy more of my books after having read others in the series. I realize people do that all the time online, but being able to see the excitement in peoples’ faces when they see that I’ve got the next in the series provides me tons of motivation to keep on writing.
ALW: If a reader was unfamiliar with your work, what’s the story you’d suggest they start with?
JPB: I usually recommend people start with the second book in the Lorestalker series, The Kraken of Cape Madre. Why the second? It’s the first book that centers around Miriam and Macy as the protagonists. In The Beast of Rose Valley, the two are side characters, so I usually recommend the first book be treated as more of a prequel.
ALW: Do you have any upcoming releases or projects you’re working on that you’d like to talk about?
JPB: The last book in the Lorestalker series, The Legacy of Rose Valley, was released on September 12, 2023, so it’s still new and fresh. Most of my time has been dedicated to marketing and selling that book, but I’ve got my eye turned toward the future, as well. My next series ventures into demonology. I hope to bring the same mix of adventure and horror together to write about a road trip between a woman and the demon that’s possessing her.
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Thanks for reading. I hope you’ve found a new author or a deeper love for an author you already know.
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