PopHorror Let's Get Scared
In recent weeks, I was watching the amazing collection of horror movies and documentaries that Tubi TV has, and I came across this gem called Celluloid Bloodbath: More Prevues from Hell. It was there that I watched an interview done with Miss Misery. She was intelligent, witty, and a ton of fun!
Miss Misery—aka Reyna Young—is also an accomplished actress, director, comic book writer, and horror writer. Her latest book, Welcome Home Natalie (which I picked up), tells a very haunting story.
According to the description:
Natalie did the one thing she never wanted to do; go back home. She didn’t have a very good childhood, and her mother was the worst person to walk the face of the earth. But now that Mother is dead, she must go back home and face the demons she ran away from all those years ago.
That includes not only the house she grew up in but also her malicious stepbrother, the boy she left behind, and finding out exactly why her father left without taking her with him.
With each day passing and something lurking within the shadows of the house, she learns more then she bargained for as every time night falls, someone is trying to tell her something.
Reyna was kind enough to talk with us about her book, as well the comic books she has written for Scattered Comics. In fact, artist Jason Dube, publisher of Scattered Comics and author of Lylith and Mara: Sisters Of The Dark, had this to say about her via Messenger:
“Working with Miss Misery was so much fun. She always gave me room to run with her ideas and let me run wild. I always look forward to working with her.”
Reyna also said she loved working with Jason. Check it out!
PopHorror: You publish comic books with Scattered Comics. Hands down, the guys at Scattered—especially Jason Dube—are great guys! Can you talk about what you have published with them?
Reyna Young: I have been with Scattered and Jason for a very long time, and I would not have it any other way; I love them. I started off publishing some one off comics back in the day, and then I did a mini graphic novel comic for a film I wrote and directed called Forgotten Tales. From there, I have been publishing Movie Massacre Miss Misery’s Horror Comic Magazine through them for a few years now which you can find on my website. The comic/magazine consists of a comic, some interviews, and much more.
PopHorror: I would think the upside of being a Jack of All Trades in horror—going from comic to novella to Miss Misery—is that you have a new project to keep you busy and keep interest. Do you find if that if you lose focus, you can switch to another genre?
Reyna Young: I have this motto that I have always lived by where I believe since you only live once, do everything you want now because you’ll never get another chance to. I do so much because I have dreams and passions, and I want to pursue them all. I have so many projects because there’s so much I want to accomplish. One thing I want is to write a true crime book. That’s on my list as well as many other things. I do tend to overload myself and do have to remember I can only do so much in a day. Sometimes, the only focus I lose is having so much on my plate. If I get overwhelmed, I can kind of stay still for a moment where I need a day’s break to recollect myself. I honestly have been toying with the idea of doing a non-horror film. I’ve been working on one.
PopHorror: Obviously, we can talk about Miss Misery, and we will in the future—I promise and everyone can hold me to that!—but let’s talk about Welcome Home Natalie. Without going too far into the weeds, was this personal?
Reyna Young: Welcome Home Natalie was an idea I had for months before I began writing it. I have never had a relationship with my mother so when you see any of my future films or read any of my books, you’ll start to discover the mother is always the… well, bad person in my stories. It’s something I never talk about and in Welcome Home Natalie, the mother in the story is a not a good person. Some of the things she says to her daughter are things I experienced when I was a little girl with my mother. It’s a story about going home and finding yourself, mixed in with some supernatural.
PopHorror: How long did it take to write it? Do you have a set schedule, or do you write when you can? Being a wife, mom, and owner of Last Door Way Productions, you are busy!
Reyna Young: I need to always remind myself I need sleep. I am constantly—from day to day—doing my best to make sure my son is taken care of, my husband is fed, the house is in order, and that what I need to get done gets done. It can be a bit frustrating at times, but I manage. I have a planner, so every Saturday night or Sunday night, I take the time to write down everything I need to get done during the week. Also I am a neat freak, so I don’t really worry much about household stuff. My place is clean, and honestly I love cleaning and organizing so for me, it’s fun. I know… I’m weird. One thing I do lack, though, is sleep. I have insomnia issues, so I am up late writing and coming up with new ideas all the time. I don’t think it’s healthy. Sleep is very important, but I have had insomnia issues since I was little, so I am used to it but still not good. When I go on any type of vacations, I always feel guilty like I should be working, and I force myself to have a break.
PopHorror: With most people in the independent horror scene, I would think that the genre has to come second due to real life and paying bills. Do you ever have a mantra to forgive yourself for not writing horror because real life concerns take precedence? Honestly, this is something I can use for myself.
Reyna Young: Let me tell you something… when I was working my 9 to 5 job, we only had one car at the time so I had to take a bus to Bart [local San Francisco train] and a bus again to get there and back home, and this was after sometimes a ten hour shift as a café manager. And through that, I was constantly on the phone setting up meetings and actors for projects, constantly writing, and I never stopped. As tired as hell that I was, I kept going because my passion for film and everything that I do never felt second to me. It felt like it was part of my everyday job. On Sundays, I filmed my television show, and through the week, I edited while doing all my other stuff. I filmed, starred in, and edited with my husband not one, not two but three films that are all out in distribution. All while we both held down manager jobs. In fact, he’s still a manager and nowadays, I’m a stay at home mom while running our company. But if I had to go out and work today, I know I can do it, because it’s my passion and love for all that I do that keeps me going.
PopHorror: Wow! Do you ever get time to do any reading?
Reyna Young: I enjoy reading an array of authors: Stephen King, Caroline Kepnes, Neil Gaiman. I still love buying young adult horror books, kid’s horror books. I love them! Nowadays, I have been reading a lot of YA horror like the Riverdale books, Frightville, and of course, the new R. L Stine’s Fear Books. I also have been getting into the VC Andrews books as well. I do sometimes enjoy a romance novel as well to be honest.
PopHorror: Is there a story or style you would like to write that you have not had a chance to yet, like a vampire story or a demon possession story or zombie story?
Reyna Young: Honestly, I have been working on a romance novel, young adult love story set in the 1950s. Not sure when it’ll be done, but I have been working on it for the last year or so. I am trying my hand at it, and we shall see what happens. I still want to do a true crime book as well; it’s something that’s been on my list for a while now.
PopHorror: Thanks to the internet, Facebook, smart phones, and the like, there has been a renaissance of horror writing. Do you think this will help the horror writing genre in the long run?
Reyna Young: I think it’s great that these tools are out there for those who love to write. Those who self-publish are given a chance to share their voice and writing skills. I think that those who love to read horror should be excited about all the new books they can get their hands on. I’m not sure if it’ll help the horror writing genre, but it definitely gives a voice to those who want to tell stories.
PopHorror: What has been the best thing a fan of your work has said to you about what you have done so far?
Reyna Young: One time at a convention, a young girl was standing across from my table crying because she was so nervous to meet me. Her father and friend helped her walk over. I gave her a hug and she told me how she wanted to grow up to be like me. I honestly couldn’t believe what I was hearing. She loved my films and show and books. I thought I was going to start crying. Little things like that show me I am on the right path at what I’m doing. She loved to write so I was giving her advice. It was a changing moment for me, and it really showed me that what I do isn’t at a loss. Sometimes I feel like, “What am I’m doing? Does anyone care? Should I care if anyone cares?” It can be a struggle for me at times.
PopHorror: Finally, literary or other medium-wise, what’s next for you?
Reyna Young: What’s next? Season 8 of my television show. I am in post on my fifth feature, and I have more books coming out through Black Bedsheet Publishing. I also have some of my short stories coming out through anthologies throughout the year, and I am working on two scripts for my next feature films.
PopHorror: Thanks so much! We look forward to seeing more from you in the future!
Reyna Young: Thank you!
Check out Reyna Young at MissMisery.net.
