Broken Hearts & Other Horrors is an anthology of horror stories focused on broken hearts and showing that sometimes a lost love is the least of your worries. What was the inspiration for this collection?

The inspiration came organically. Originally, there were only 10 stories but when my editor, Kayla Randolph, suggested the title Broken Hearts & Other Horrors I realized there was this connection of unrequited love running through the stories. Which inspired me to write “Past is Prologue” and “The Conversation” as bookends to the collection, creating a meta narrative throughline.

I read an article about how Victorian era novels and anthologies had illustrations and sometimes the author would have their illustrator sneak in details that were not in the text.  This inspired me to start bringing back the illustrated book for grown-ups. I contacted Corey Galal and spoke to him about the project and what I wanted to do and he eagerly joined my production team! I’m looking forward to audience feedback to see if this works!

Are you a fan of the Gothic Fiction genre? What books do you think most influenced your work?

Yes. In terms of the influences on this collection, there are many: Shirley Jackson, Joyce Carol Oates, Frank R. Stockton, and Bram Stoker. Other inspirations come from random places. “Dokkaebi” is a retelling of a traditional Korean folk tales that I found in a collection when I was stationed in South Korea. Finally, the final story and narrative capstone “The Conversation” is inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion”.

The artwork that is incorporated adds an extra layer to the horror and really brings the reader into the stories. What was the collaboration process like working with the illustrator Corey Galal?

I would highly recommend other indie or hybrid authors work with illustrators. Not only does it add a unique visual appeal, but it is just incredible seeing another artist bring your creation to life. There were a few stories that I had something specific in mind, but for the most part I was excited to see what parts of the stories he would pull from. I was never disappointed.

We’re continuing his illustrations in my next novel, A Mother’s Torment (release date: September 1, 2023), and I don’t think our fans are going to be disappointed.

Do you have more horror story collections planned? If so, when can your fans expect your next book?

I have two in mind, but they’re only in the conception phase. My ideas are either a collection of creative nonfiction stories that explore the history of UFOs in America or really digging into my influences in a collection I’d title Echoes.

But right now I’m finishing production on my first novel A Mother’s Torment and writing the first draft of Pea Ridge. I’m writing a novel based on a story in Broken Hearts & Other Horrors that became a 3-part story on the “Fear From The Heartland” creepypasta podcast.

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