Know a Nominee, Part 24: Jake Bible
Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s latest update features Jake Bible, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel, for Intentional Haunting. 
DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each.
JB: I wanted to dive into my own teen years and the anxiety of growing up in an abusive household. At first I was going to use the ghosts in Intentional Haunting as the antagonists, but in planning the novel I quickly realized they should be Cotton’s friends and salvation. Once I figured out that part the novel wrote itself (with lots of hours of hard work).
DM: What was the most challenging part of bringing the concept(s) to fruition? The most rewarding aspect of the process?
JB: The challenging part was to remember that Cotton wasn’t me. I was drawing a lot from my own experiences, but in order for the story to sound authentic, Cotton needed to have his own voice. It was hard, but worked out in the end. The most rewarding part was exploring the friendship between Cotton and the ghosts. There are some tender moments in Intentional Haunting that I didn’t exactly plan to have.
DM: What do you think good horror/dark literature should achieve? How do you feel the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated work fits into (or help give shape to) that ideal?
JB: Good horror and dark lit should make the reader feel. Whether terror or anxiety or even empathy, a good story is one that draws in the reader and allows them to relate a part of themselves to what is happening. There is a lot of emotion in Intentional Haunting that i think resonates with readers of all ages.
DM: I’m curious about your writing and/or editing process. Is there a certain setting or set of circumstances that help to move things along? If you find yourself getting stuck, where and why?
JB: I really don’t need any certain setting to get my work done. I sit down and go for it. Some days are slower than others, but writing is my job, so I approach it that way. I also feel a certain duty to my readers to get my novels finished quickly so I can get them out there and move on to the next one.
DM: As you probably know, many of our readers are writers and/or editors. What is the most valuable piece of advice you can share?
JB: The most valuable piece of advice is one that is said a billion times: sit your butt down and write. that is the only way you’ll ever get anything done. You have to just write. Write, write, write.
DM: If you’re attending WHC this year, what are you most looking forward to at this year’s event? If not attending, what do you think is the significance of recognitions like the Bram Stoker Awards?
JB: I am very excited to to attend the convention this year. I am looking forward to finally meeting some amazing fellow authors face to face. Social media is great as far as introductions go, but it will be great to actually shake hands and sit down with some colleagues and talk the craft and life and stuff.
DM: What scares you most? Why? How (if at all) does that figure into your work or the projects you’re attracted to?
JB: Losing my family scares me the most. I think that’s why there are a lot of family and love themes within all of my novels, whether horror or scifi or adventure. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have my family.
DM: What are you reading for pleasure lately? Can you point us to new authors or works we ought to know about?
JB: I am just finishing the Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff Vandeermeer. Amazing stuff. I have also been diving into graphic novels. Kelly Sue Deconnick’s Pretty Deadly is one of the best things out there. Check it out if you can.
About Jake Bible
Jake Bible, Bram Stoker Award nominated-novelist, short story writer, independent screenwriter, podcaster, and inventor of the Drabble Novel, has entertained thousands with his horror and sci/fi tales. He reaches audiences of all ages with his uncanny ability to write a wide range of characters and genres.
Jake is the author of the bestselling Z-Burbia series set in Asheville, NC, the Apex Trilogy (DEAD MECH, The Americans, Metal and Ash) and the Mega series for Severed Press, as well as the YA zombie novel, Little Dead Man, the Bram Stoker Award nominated Teen horror novel, Intentional Haunting, the ScareScapes series, and the Reign of Four series for Permuted Press.
Find Jake at jakebible.com. Join him on Twitter @jakebible and find him on Facebook.
