GREETINGS, BOOKWORMS! I’m Aisha Kandisha, Head Librarian at Kandisha Press. Join me in the dusty stacks of the library I will never leave again as I chat with some of my favorite Women in Horror. Today we feature author Jenna Dietzer!
Jenna Dietzer is a technology process geek by day and writer by night. She resides in Tampa, Florida with her husband and their fur-kids. Her gothic and horror short stories have been featured on The NoSleep Podcast, Scare Street’s Night Terrors, Coffin Bell, and other anthologies. Look for her pink horror short story collection, Fear Her, and her horror novella, Dark Offerings, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can find her on Instagram @jenna.dietzer, and Facebook @JennaDietzerAuthor.
What made you want to become an author? Did you have an “Aha!” moment when you knew you were born to write? Or perhaps a beloved book inspired you?
I think the first “aha!” moment arrived well before I even had words for it. My mother always says I’d steal paper from her when I was a toddler—sticky notes, scraps, anything I could get my hands on — and pretend to write stories on them, even though I hadn’t even learned to write the alphabet yet. I’d read the scribbles back to her as if they were full-fleshed stories. I guess I’ve always had a love for words.
The second “aha!” came during the pandemic and about 10 years into a writing hiatus. I graduated from an M.F.A. program but didn’t make many strides with publishing my work because no publishers wanted to invest in short story collections. So, over the years, I got lost in teaching then copywriting then a corporate job that didn’t have anything to do with writing. But the pandemic forced me to reassess what I did in my spare time. I realized I was happier when I wrote.
Some might think it’s nuts to start writing horror fiction during a pandemic. As if real life wasn’t already horrific enough! But that was exactly why I’d always loved horror. A movie or book provides a safe psychological space to explore my own fears. That’s not to say I wrote pandemic horror. Still haven’t. But writing through difficult women’s issues—aging, beauty, toxic domestic relationships, mental health—with a horror slant helped me focus on the things I could control and process a lot of complex emotions during the pandemic.
What do you believe are your strengths in writing? And when you feel you need to improve on a particular writing skill, how do you go about it?
I’ve been told I write really good dialogue between my characters. That it sounds natural, even in emotionally-charged moments. But one of my strengths is also knowing my limitations. For instance, I’ve never been particularly good at writing poetry, and I probably never will be. No horror or gothic poem I write will hold a candle to, say, Grace Reynolds’s Lady of the House—and I’m okay with that!
Oddly enough, I believe the biggest writing skill I need to improve on is giving up the perfectionist mindset. It held me back for so long, even after graduating from an M.F.A. program. We all have demons in our heads, and mine regularly tells me my pages can’t see the light of day until they’re publish-worthy, which is rubbish. Self-doubt can be crippling, so I have to practice being my own cheerleader.
What are your thoughts on the book industry today, or more importantly, about the book community? Do you feel it is getting harder or easier to make it as an independent author these days?
It feels easier than ever to publish on your own or with a small press, and in many ways it is. If I had to give one piece of advice to newcomers, though, I’d say make connections with other indie authors who already know the ropes of self-publishing or are familiar with the indie-sphere. My long-time friend and writer friend, Wendy Dalrymple, was self-publishing well before I decided to give it a try. She passed along all the tips and tricks I needed to make that first experience easy, and ever since, we’ve been texting each other info on open calls for anthologies, contests, and Florida-based horror conventions. It helps to have a Louise (or Thelma) along for the ride!
Tell us about your work. What story are you most proud of?
I self-published a short story collection that I’m really proud of titled Fear Her. That being said, my favorites in the collection are “Drawing Flies” and “X”. I loved the creation process of “Drawing Flies” because the idea appeared and poured out of me so quickly. I never write stories in second person either, but this one felt effortless. The plot and protagonist were so vivid that I wrote the entire thing in one sitting.
“X” was just fun to write, and after it appeared on The NoSleep Podcast’s Season 20 Episode 19, I had a new appreciation for it, hearing it through someone else’s performance. The voice actresses nailed every single character.
What are your upcoming works and plans for the future?
The full plot for my next novella already lives in my head, and I want to do it justice quickly. So look for my next title, Weary, this fall in either August or September. Femme-focused dream horror, but it’s also a bit of a monster origination story.
KANDISHA PRESS 
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