An Interview with Joyce Serrano

Originally from West Virginia, Joyce Serrano now lives in Ladson, South Carolina, where summers are too hot for her taste, and she misses the uniqueness of changing seasons. Well-traveled and tragically widowed, Joyce was inspired to write her first novel after binge-watching superhero movies and supernatural creature television shows during a hurricane lockdown. Original Grace started as a series of recurring dreams, which turned into a short story, then a full-length novel. Immortals In The Everything is the sequel to Original Grace and she has written two side-character novellas, with more on the way.

When she isn’t chronicling the exploits of Grace and her otherworldly acquaintances, Joyce can be found managing an office, tackling home improvement projects, or enjoying time in her garden. She currently shares her home with her youngest daughter, who is afraid Joyce will turn into a hermit if she moves out.

What inspired you to start writing this book?

I started writing after my husband died. I was bored during several days of hurricane lockdown, binging superhero movies and several of my favorite vampire / supernatural series. For weeks I kept having very weird recurring dreams that refused to leave me alone until I began to write them down. It started as a log, then grew to a short story. A few weeks and twenty chapters later, it was a novel. Not a very good one, I might add, but it was mine. After getting up enough nerve to show someone a few chapters, he had the insight to tell me I should write that s*** down. Pointing to the chapters in his hand, I said “Yup.” A few months and a lot of money later, I self-published it. Two years later I had three more books under my belt and realized that first one needed some freshening up. A new cover and a lot of mistakes later, here I am.

Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

The individual book titles aren’t too difficult to figure out, but the series title took a long time to get right. I had written two books of the main series and a character companion before I found something that actually fit. I guess it took me a long time to believe I had actually written a series and needed a name for it.

Describe your dream book cover.

I love a dark cover. For me, black is a neutral base that magnifies pops of color and light. Shades of black incorporate movement and texture in the background of whatever images you lay on top of it. I like my covers to incorporate the feeling of motion, accompanied by foreboding and hope.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

These would definitely be part of the soundtrack for different scenes across the series.

Small Town Titans – “Finish The Story”

grandson – “Blood // Water”

Tribe Society – “Kings”

Danielle Nicole – “Save Me”

Carolyn Wonderland – “Moon Goes Missing”

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

My background is quite varied. I have been in the military. I’ve worked for a commercial roofing company and an underground utility contractor. My first official job was as a concession stand attendee at a public pool. Some other jobs I’ve held were as a bookkeeper, front desk manager for a hotel, and an office manager at a law firm. I also ran my own cleaning company for a few years.

I’ve always been of the mind that if it needs done, I can do it.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

The answer is a little bleak, but I think I started writing out of grief. I needed to express my loneliness in a productive way. Once it began to spill out, it never stopped. Grace, my protagonist, begins in a place where she doesn’t really think she belongs, which is where I was at, at the time. She’s comfortable – all her immediate needs are met, but there’s something that isn’t right about her world and she’s never stopped trying to find out what that is. Something’s missing and when she goes looking for it, she finds more than she bargained for.

Writing her story, even though it is clearly fantasy, has been my self-therapy. It certainly costs as much as a therapist to self-publish, but if that’s the trade-off, I think it’s worth it for my situation.

Look, I’m not saying I probably couldn’t have used a good therapist at the time. With my writing, I felt free to express things in ways I wouldn’t have ever shared with another person. Now anyone can read into some of the situations and see just how messy my mind is.

Where is your favorite place to write?

It depends on the weather. I love to write outside on my screened porch, but I haven’t done that for a while.

Currently, my favorite place to write is in my bed with a rollover desk and some true crime show playing low in the background. I’m not sure what it is about that type of program that puts me in a writing mood. Maybe it’s the way the narrator always has a smooth, monotone, calming voice without sharp edges, which displays a complete contrast to the subject matter of the script. I don’t know. It’s just always been the perfect background for me.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

Everyone is the champion of their own story. Most people aren’t built to believe they’re the villain even if others see them that way. We all want to think we’re doing the right thing.

My perfect reader is someone open and empathetic. They’re someone who has the imagination to suspend their own beliefs by diving into a world of fantasy and adventure. I think my perfect reader is just a regular person who can appreciate a small escape from their own life for a short time and just enjoy the ride.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.