Over the last two years I’ve gotten really into reading horror, indie especially, and one of the authors that consistently puts out amazing books is the talented Ruth Anna Evans. Author, editor, and cover artist – Ruth Anna is a MAVERICK! She writes horror stories that are emotional rollercoasters and I frequently find myself thinking about these stories months after finishing them. She has become one of my go-to authors when I’m looking for something new to read.
…And today I am so pleased to share an interview that I conducted with Ruth Anna about her work and her newest short story anthology that dropped yesterday, NEED: Horror Stories You Can’t Live Without.
Jamie: What is your favorite horror subgenre to write? Any favorite subgenres that you enjoy reading?
Ruth Anna: I love writing medical horror, body horror, and grief horror. I also like writing straightforward spooky stuff, but I may have gotten that out of my system with my two ghosty novellas. For reading, I love horror with a really unique premise and beautiful prose. The subgenre could really be anything!
Jamie: You’ve edited quite a few short story anthologies, what led you to start editing?
Ruth Anna: My first anthology was OOZE: Little Bursts of Body Horror, and the idea just struck me! I jumped in and just went with it. I have my B.A. in English Writing and am a high school English teacher, along with being a lifelong voracious reader, so editing is natural for me. I always have opinions ; ). I also think I have a good picker, so most of the time the stories I choose don’t need a ton of work. I do hire an outside proofreader to make sure all of the T’s are crossed.
Jamie: Speaking of anthologies, your next anthology NEED has an interesting theme. What inspired the theme for this anthology?
Ruth Anna: I just felt an idea coming on and waited for it! At first the thought was to do something with addiction, but then it evolved to “need,” and that just felt right. We all know that feeling of really really needing something, and how all-consuming that is. What’s interesting to me is how in the reviews, many people have written their thoughts about need before they jump into their thoughts on the book, and I really like that. It’s a topic that people have something to say about.
Jamie: Any new projects on the horizon after NEED?
Ruth Anna: Yes! It’s a secret right now, though, stay tuned!!
Jamie: Besides writing and editing, you’ve become a popular cover artist in the indie space. How did that come about?
Ruth Anna: When I started out, I began making covers for myself, then just playing with covers for fun and posting them for like eight bucks or something ridiculous. From the very beginning, they sold. Art plus money is absolutely addictive. I’ve also always been a person who just FELT like a visual artist, but I didn’t have any skill or talent at the more traditional visual arts. When I discovered what I could do with Photoshop, I was hooked. I felt like I had found myself, if I can say that without being cheesy. I became determined to get as good as I possibly can.
Samples of Ruth Anna Evans’ cover work.Jamie: Continuing with cover design, what has been your greatest joy with designing book covers? And what are your biggest pet peeves?
Ruth Anna: I love when an author loves their cover. When you totally nail it and do something better than they imagined. It’s the best feeling. I also love love love inspiring books with my premades. You’ll claw my premade practice from my cold dead hands. It’s the best.
For pet peeves, I’d have to say watching good authors use AI on their covers. You put so much work into your book, and there are so many affordable, capable cover designers in the community. I feel like going that route is just really letting your creativity and hard work go to waste.
Jamie: What are some of your favorite covers that you’ve designed?
Ruth Anna: Oh gosh. That’s a really hard question! I’m really fond of Perhaps She’ll Die, by Joe Scipione. Ann Heyward’s No One Heard Her Scream is a personal favorite. I love an unreleased one called The Catacombs by Andrew Nicolle. Honestly, I love most of my covers because of the amount of work I put into them. There are a few duds here and there, but if I’m posting it or taking money for it, I put my back into it!
Jamie: Have you had any fangirl moments with editing or cover design where you thought, “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe X is submitting!”
Ruth Anna: I was pretty freaking stoked that Clay McLeod Chapman said yes to being in NEED, and recently Simon and Schuster used an audiobook cover that I sold as a premade ages ago. I jumped up and down and squealed : ).
Jamie: Of the books that you published, which one do you wish more people would read?
Ruth Anna: At this moment, I am just really really hoping that NEED takes off. I think it’s my best anthology yet and I want the authors to have their moment. For my previous books, I think OH FUCK OH FUCK IT HURTS has my strongest writing. It’s so painful.
Jamie: Lastly, what’s the last book that you read that you enjoyed?
Ruth Anna: The Reformatory by Tananarive Due blew my mind. What an epic, epic book.
And that concludes this interview! I want to extend a huge thank you to Ruth Anna for agreeing to the interview and answering some of my burning questions!
You can check out all of the reviews I have written about Ruth Anna’s books by clicking here. All of her books are fantastic and I hope you check out her work!
Find it on Amazon
About Ruth Anna Evans
Ruth Anna Evans is a writer of short horror fiction who lives in the heart of all that is sinister: the American Midwest. She has been composing prose of all types since childhood but finds something truly delightful in putting her nightmares on the page. Her stories are full of twists and turns with relatable protagonists and startling endings. She has published several novellas, a collection of short stories, and her work can be found in horror anthologies from Hungry Shadow Press, D&T Publishing, and Gloom House Publishing.
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