Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage in Horror Month: An Interview with Barb Jones

What inspired you to start writing?

Growing up in Hawaii as both a Hawaiian and Filipino, storytelling was a part of my life on my father’s side. Because I loved to tell stories that would scare my classmates, my teacher challenged me to put my stories on paper and to keep up with that challenge, she would submit my stories to different contests that the newspapers and other outlets would have. I haven’t stopped writing since.

What draws you to the horror genre?

I love horror. I am drawn to the scary stories and with the Hawaiian legends, there’s an abundance of horror stories!

Do you include Asian and/or Pacific Islander characters and themes in your writing with purpose, and if so, what do you want to portray?

Sometimes I do, like in one of my latest novels, I use my family history to bring some of the characters alive in the pages. For example, I include Ancient Hawaii and some of my ancestors that go back to King Kamehameha. The way I portray them is beautiful, in my opinion. I bring out their sense of loyalty, family, and respect for the Hawaiian Gods. I want to show readers that Hawaiians and Filipinos are not lazy, uneducated, disrespectful, or anything like that.

What has writing horror taught you about the world and yourself?

It’s taught me many things. Honestly, writing horror has taught me that there are things in the world that can’t be explained, and maybe shouldn’t be. It has shown me to look at things with open eyes and an open mind. The other lesson that I learned about the world is that demons are not monsters, we are. We are monsters in the way we treat other people, how we judge them because they may be different than we are, etc.

How have you seen the horror genre change over the years? How do you think it will continue to evolve?

I’ve seen the genre grow from dark, supernatural concepts like demons, ghosts, etc to more psychological horror. At one point in time, it was focused on things that would cause “jump scares” and now, it’s moved into psychological, sociological/economic struggles and other types. I think it will continue to evolve the way society is evolving, but personally, I would like to see the classic horror come back.

How do you feel the Asian and/or Pacific Islander communities have been represented thus far in the genre and what hopes do you have for representation in the genre going forward?

My family heritage is important to me. People like to use our Hawaiian culture, for example, to portray our legends and our history but it’s never from a Hawaiian perspective. It will always be from a non-native experiencing our culture but never from our point of view.

Who are some of your favorite Asian and/or Pacific Islander characters in horror?

I love the legend of the Night Marchers, The God Ku, Goddess Pele, and even Kaulu – he was a trickster god and could shapeshift.

Can you recommend some Asian and/or Pacific Islander horror authors for our readers to check out?

Koji Suzuki – you might know his work from novels (and movies) like The Ring, Dark Water, and others.

What is your best advice for horror authors today?

I look at writing horror as part of a spiritual journey. It doesn’t matter if it’s about vampires, demons, psychological – regardless of the plot, it’s the spiritual journey that you go through when writing horror.

And to the Asian and/or Pacific Islander writers out there who are just getting started, what advice would you give them?

From my experience, listen to your ancestors. Stay true to your roots when writing. I find this more and more true from my Hawaiian/Filipino side rather than my German side. My father used to tell me that one day, I would know why his family told me all the stories they could growing up, because as I began writing and telling stories, I was listening (and still am) to my ancestors.

Barb Jones is the best-selling and award-winning author of The Blood Prophecy Series, The Heaven and Hell Series, and many other standalone novels. She includes her Hawaiian heritage as part of her writing and loves to share how she was born and raised in Hawaii with her readers. Now living in Florida, she still has the beaches but misses the islands. Barb returns home to Hawaii to visit her o’hana every year and enjoys performing the hula when she can.