Today’s 3Q’s guest is an anomaly. I’ve only had the pleasure of meeting a few of the dark fiction community in person and they are one of them! I connected with J.A. a number of years back. Then they joined the Kendall Reviews team and I was fortunate to be able to have breakfast with J.A., their husband (Hey, Jeff!) and my friend Walter when we all happened to be in Canmore a few years ago! J.A. even gifted me with an Andrew Pyper gift which I still proudly display!

Beyond that – J.A. is an immensely talented writer and supportive of so many.

Please, do welcome my friend, J.A.!

Steve: What does your writing time look like? Do you try and write at the same time each day? Do you have a word count you attempt to hit?

J.A.: Although I write dark things, I’m a morning person and find my creativity is at its best before noon. Typically, I’m in my home office around 8 AM with lots of coffee and a stick of incense burning in the background, then I transport myself into my fiction for 2 to 3 hours. If a story is really burning in my imagination, I’ll work on the weekends too, but usually I only write Monday through Friday. My “writing time” includes things like reading specific works for research, staring into space while thinking of character names, and doodling timelines on a whiteboard, so I tend to set my writing goals in terms of time spent in the story rather than a specific word count. I’m also quite a slow writer and can spend an hour on a single paragraph, so setting a word count could be discouraging for me.

BUT, when November hits, something magical comes over me. Every year since 2012 I’ve attempted National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), where the goal is to write 50,000 words in the month of November. Surprisingly, I’ve managed to smash that goal 3 times, and even in the years where I didn’t reach the finish line, I’ve made far more progress on a story than I would have otherwise. To meet my NaNoWriMo goal I aim to hit between 1,500 to 2,000 words a day, every day for the entire month. I love the way it challenges me to push myself, and I’ve already started planning my project for this year.

{Isolation Tales} The Crate By J.A. Sullivan

Steve: You decide to host a writer’s retreat. One weekend in a luxury house on an island. What other author do you invite to come along so you can co-write something with?

J.A.: Without a doubt, I would choose Lisel Jones. Last year we cowrote a serialised story in 9 parts called “The House that Death Built” and it was an amazing experience! (All 9 parts of “The House that Death Built” are available to read for free on my blog.) Our styles are very complimentary, so I know she’d be able to pick up anything where I left off and carry it forward without any visible seams. Plus, Lisel is an amazing writer and would make the story far better than I would have on my own. Several of her stories have appeared on The NoSleep Podcast, and if you enjoy having ambient sounds/music on in the background while you read or create, please check out Lisel’s YouTube channel (4059) Lisel’s Cozy Corner – YouTube.

{Halloween Exclusive Fiction} Gourd-Man By J.A. Sullivan

Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!

J.A.: Since there have been snails that write faster than I do, my last published work was a short story included in the anthology A Silent Dystopia, released in November 2021 by Demain Publishing. It’s an amazing collection and I still can’t believe I’m sharing a table of contents with fabulous writers such as Stephanie Ellis, Kev Harrison, and the phenomenal Steve Stred! The collection is set within the world created by Dave Jeffery in his A Quiet Apocalypse series, which I also highly recommend.

My story “Wolf Pit” follows Yvette through one night of disturbing memories and actions she’s taken to survive in the Canadian wilderness after society crumbles. Most post-apocalyptic fiction centres on characters much younger than Yvette, so I wanted to explore what extra challenges age might present and dig into the heart of self-preservation. She’s also queer and in her memories reflects on the 2 major loves of her life, both the good times and the bad. I hope it draws readers close to the safety of her campfire, empathizes them with her plight, and makes them a little more weary of women in their seventies.

Steve: Bonus Question! They make a movie about your life – who is cast to play you?

J.A.: If I could suggest anyone to play me, I’d say Bex Taylor-Klaus. When I saw them perform as Audrey in the TV series Scream, I saw someone like me and they were awesome. Their general vibe and range of roles in drama, comedy, and horror, would represent me well. But, the only thing I’d really push for is that my role be played by a nonbinary person. I’d want someone who knows what it’s like to not strictly fit in to either a male or female gender role, as my entire life has been played out in the spaces in between.

Excellent choice!

Thank you so much for doing this!

To find more of J.A.’s work, check the links!

Blog: https://writingscaredblog.wordpress.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ScaryJASullivan

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/j.a_sullivan

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/20319805-j-a-sullivan