Veterans in Horror: Interview with Verona Jones
V.L. Jones is a paranormal enthusiast and a horror writer. She grew up in a haunted house in Washington state, which fueled her passion for the supernatural and monsters. Verona now lives in Casa Grande, Arizona, which she uses as her home base to explore haunted sites with a history.
Verona enlisted in the Navy out of high school, and her first duty station was in the highlands of Scotland. Talk about hitting paydirt. Scotland and England abound with urban legends and ghostly hauntings. Fascinated by the history of these places, she often writes about her spooky findings.
Her explorations fuel her imagination, and she writes horror stories with elements of urban legends, cryptids, and folklore blended in. Verona loves anything about cryptids such as Bigfoot, the Ozark Howler, The black dog, and the Mothman, to name a few. Verona also loves the paranormal and the supernatural worlds. As her schedule permits, you will find her plotting the next trip to a paranormal hotspot.
Verona has two short stories published; Devil’s Highway, published in Elements of Horror: Fire by Red Cape Publishing, and Evil Rides Storms, published in Twisted Nightmares. Verona is a proud member of the Horror Writers Association (HWA) and the Horror Authors Guild (HAG).
Tell us a bit about your military service.
I was in for 7 years, Navy, The formal title is Cryptological Technical Technician – Communications Technology
What role, if any, did reading and writing play during your military service?
I wrote numerous technical reports, daily reports, and status reports.
What inspired you to start writing?
Edgar Allen Poe and Stephen King – I loved their stories and I wanted to write stories like them.
What was it about the horror genre that drew you to it?
The unknown element. The idea you wake up every day, have a cup of coffee maybe breakfast. You drive to work like you normally do, then you are thrust into an unexpected situation that you have to survive.
What role, if any, does your military experience play in your writing?
Maybe too much as my writing is short, direct, and to the point.
What is your favorite depiction of military service in all of literature? Why?
Tom Clancy’s books, because he describes both the military and government services pretty accurately.
How do you feel military veterans and the broader military experience has thus far been represented in the horror genre?
I don’t think there is enough military experience in the horror genre. I have a friend who is retired Army and he writes about Zombies and Cryptids. We need more writers like him.
Who are some military veteran horror authors you recommend our audience check out?
D.A. Roberts
What’s something about veterans most people don’t know?
I think what many people don’t know about veterans, is how difficult it is to adjust civilian life or use their military experience to find a civilian job. It’s hard and most of the time we take jobs not even related to our military experience.
