Shelf Edition: RJ Joseph
Do you have any recent favorite LOHF books?
I absolutely do! I was so excited about Christine Morgan's splatter western, The Night Silver River Run Red, from Death's Head Press. I was supposed to be reading it for research but it sucked me in so completely with the characterization and vivid imagery, I forgot to "study" it. I also finally finished reading the other stories in the Kandisha Press anthology, Slash-Her, and I'm so glad I* submitted my story before I saw the others. The writing is sublime and I'm really humbled that my story sits alongside that artistry.
Which LOHF books do you currently have on your TBR?
I always have a ton of books on my TBR shelf--yes, I have a whole shelf--that I have to parse through and select from. The next books I'll indulge in are About Horror: The Study and Craft by L. Marie Wood and The Science of Women in Horror by Meg Hafdahl and Kelley Florence, both for possible inclusion in a course I teach on women in horror or a new one I'd like to develop as an internationalized creative writing course focusing on horror. I love all those three women's work, so reading their writing never feels like work.
And because a girl can't always "work", I can hardly wait to read Paula Ashe's We Are Here to Hurt Each Other and Below by Laurel Hightower. I also have Hummingbird by TC Parker, Seeds by Tabatha Wood, and The Witch is the Body by Farah Rose Smith on deck for next. Lucy Snyder is one of my all time fave writers and I purchased her collection, Halloween Season, way too long ago and still haven't started it, so it's in my immediate line-up. And I know Jade City by Fonda Lee is really considered fantasy, but it's still in the speculative fiction family and I'm excited to get to it, too.
Where do you find recommendations? Are there any LOHF books that have been recommended to you that you loved?
I find recommendations mostly from within the posts on horror Twitter. If my people aren't writing amazing books, they're reading them and talking about them. I usually love the books they recommend, because again, these are my people. They're usually pretty tapped into what I like to read. I recently purchased The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas, on recommendation from the LOHF book club and although I've only made it through the first chapter so far, I'm loving it.
I also have writers who I actively check up on and follow on Amazon, so I know when they come out with new work.
Where do you prefer to shop for books?
Typically, I purchase from Amazon or publisher/author websites. I also troll bookstores, large and small, to see if there are books I may have missed buzz about. I also like to purchase signed copies at in person events, when I can. But I'm an equal opportunity book buyer. I'll buy a book from the trunk of a writer's car if that's where they have them
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Are there any upcoming LOHF releases you're excited about?
For sure! I have multiple pages of pre-orders waiting to be delivered when they release! I'm super excited about Ashthorne by April Yates, which releases in August, and No Gods for Drowning by Hailey Piper, releasing in September. I have Moonflowers and Nightshade: An Anthology of Sapphic Horror also coming in September. And I hope these keep me pretty busy so I don't die of excitement before V. Castro's Aliens: Vasquez comes in October.
In regards to your own work, tell our readers a little bit about what’s new and/or coming up for you.
I have my first horror collection, Hell Hath No Sorrow like a Woman Haunted, coming out in August from The Seventh Terrace. I've been a predominantly short form writer my whole career and this is the first time I have a collection of only my work to offer. It's all at once exciting and terrifying. Pre-orders are now coming in and I hope readers will enjoy engaging with my work, these characters, and their experiences. The collection is important to me as a reflection of the lives and experiences of Black women that we rarely see in horror fiction.
I also have a short story in the upcoming Baba Yaga anthology, Into the Forest, from Black Spot Books. This is one anthology I'm really looking forward to reading because I love Baba Yaga and her different iterations. It releases in November.
In October, I'm rounding out my events calendar with the Multiverse Fandom Convention, in Atlanta (October 14-16), and the National Black Book Festival, in Houston (October 20-22).
Where can people find you on social media and/or find your work?
I literally haunt Twitter, where I spend a lot of time engaging in horror and Black Twitter conversations from behind @rjacksonjoseph. I also have a brand new website, www.rhondajacksonjoseph.com. An easily navigable listing of my work can be found on my Amazon author page at: Amazon.com: R. J. Joseph: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle Thank you so much for inviting me to chat!
Thank you for joining us, R.J.! Our TBR piles also thank you!
If you would like to be featured on a future Shelf Edition please leave a note in the comments. We’d love to see your shelves!
Thanks for sharing your shelves with us, R.J.! I'm excited to get to Jade City, too! Those Women's Weird stories are really great.
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