Jade Griffin, author of "The Journals of Lacy Anderson Moore"

Jade Griffin is the author of the two-book series The Journals of Lacy Anderson Moore, 19th-century tomboy driven by an insatiable need to hunt and kill the evils of the world, including vampires and the undead. (A third book is on the way.)

Jade was first inspired to write after reading her first Anne McCaffrey book at the age of 15, and her continuing inspirations include children, cats, dinosaurs, Cub Scouts, and other authors and illustrators.

She is the Illustrator Coordinator for SCBWI Nevada; author/illustrator for the long-running fairytale-superhero webcomic 56 SHARDS; and author/illustrator of “Author Ity” in the Nevada SCBWI’s WriteRiders newsletter. She’s also completing the design work, art, and written material for the National Automobile Museum’s Lego Build-It Display.

The tabletop roleplaying game Call of Cthulhu© Chaosium inspired her to explore the world of Lovecraftian horror. The first in a series of ttrpgs, Taken For Granite, is on drivethrurpg.com. The Lacy Moore journals not only marks her debut into horror, it is a companion to her ttrpg series and therefore both a player handout and a minor mythos tome.

Jade recently sat down with The Open Book to discuss her writing, and her latest work.

The author

• Jade can be found on her website, jadegriffinauthor.com.

• She’s active on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JadeGriffinAuthor/.

• You can find her on Twitter at @JGAuthorIty

Who are you? Jade Griffin, 47, Medical Records coordinator

Where and with whom do you live? I live in Sparks, NV with my husband, two kids, and an array of phylum Animalia.

If you could co-write a book with any author, living or dead, whom would you choose? Cat Bowser, my internet sister, my bycan sisco. Been round robin-writing with her collaborating on various fanfictions for years now.

Why do you write? The ideas and people and places are there and I want to share them.

Where do you write? Wherever and whenever I can. The fastest writing is usually done at night on my computer

Are you a planner or a “pantser”? Planner, for the most part. I love lists.

What imaginary land would you choose as your home, and why? I already live in paradise and several stories have the semi-desert landscape similar to northern Nevada as their setting. If I were to pick, it would have to be one of my own stories.

What animal, real or imaginary, would you choose as your constant companion? Oviraptor. Loves me the dinosaurs.

What fairy tale describes your life, and why? Ha ha! My mom asked once if a story I wrote was autobiographical. It’s called The People Of Masks. Vaguely Alice-In-Wonderlandish. That… is not my favorite fairy tale, but it describes the girl-goes-to-an-alien-world in my story pretty accurately. Is my life like Sara’s in The People Of Masks? No. Mine are more like the Jade Griffin Journals: magical and mundane mixed with plenty of life with kids. I’ll be working on publishing those this year, or a version of them.

Your superhero alter-ego: Jade Griffin, the gargon. She’s a mix between a gargoyle and a gorgon.

Historical period you’d like to visit: Any of them :)

Favorite games: Call of Cthulhu tabletop roleplaying game. Written 4 of them so far and more on the way. Second favorite would be a tie between the boardgames Catan, Dinosaur Island, Wingspan, Betrayal: Legacy, and Azul and the old video game Culdcept Saga. We… own a LOT of games.

Famous person you’ve met: Greg Weisman might be the closest I can claim to actually meeting.

Famous person you’d like to meet: Robert Culp, but he is deceased. So… Patrick Stewart?

Complete this sentence: People are most surprised to learn that I… curse, and can have a bawdy sense of humor at times. Only in the right company, though.

The BOOK

Title: The Journals of Lacy Anderson Moore: Monster Hunter of the 1800s, Book 1

Genre: Horror short story/novelette

Length: 60 pages

When and where does it take place? 1840s to 1860s, and all over the world

Would you live there and why/why not? It is fun to visit her life but I don’t think I’d like living it. I’m not the monster-hunting type.

How did you come up with the title? I debated something shorter but, really, the title describes the book perfectly so I left it as-is.

What inspired you to write it? When I started running my group of ttrpg players through custom campaigns, I was encouraged to write them as marketable adventures and sell them. One of the things I did for the players is buy an old-looking journal and hand-write a player handout full of notes and journal entries from one of the player character’s relatives. I was invited to a book signing but had no book, so I brushed off the journal, filled in the gaps, and published it.

Is there a sequel in the works? Done, and out! The Journals of Lacy Moore: Monster Hunter of the 1800s, Book 2. Yes, another long title and very similar to the first one, but I took out her maiden name, because she is married. Still going strong on the monster-hunting though. The third and final volume will be out later in 2023 – The Death of Lacy Moore: Monster Hunter of the 1900s, Book 3. Gonna be good! I have other books I am working on in the short story Horror genre so look for them as well.

Where, how can you get it? Amazon Kindle, available in digital, paperback, and hardback:

• https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09X5CFZ6Q/ (Book 1)

• https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQVXCVKY/ (Book 2)

Describe your book in one word that most people don’t normally use. Bull-headed

What would you select as your book’s theme song? Who would you choose to write the musical score? The main themes from Pirates of the Caribbean work really well to get me in the mood. James Horner or John Williams!

What’s your most interesting story or chapter title? I get a lot of grins from the punny titles of my ttrpgs: Taken For Granite, Deep-Seeded Secrets, and Mail-Order Bribe.

Who would want to ban it? Religious folks, as it deals with horrors that may or may not control the world and that tends to go against the grain. And, honestly, I think my main character may actually be Asexual, so anyone anti-LGBTQAI would also ban my book, or because I have a strong female who needs no man in her life whatsoever.

To whom did you dedicate it and why? I dedicated the first book to my Girl’s Night group, whom I run all my rpgs through. Literally, they have to play through my crazy world. The second is dedicated to my amazing father, who passed away in August 2022. I read it to him, and every part I managed to write. Sadly, he did not hear the end of Book 2.

How long did it take you to write it? The first one took approximately a year of on and off writing and not being too serious until the last 2 months before publication. The second one took about 5 to 6 months of on and off serious work.

What was your biggest challenge in writing it? Looking back, I wish I had not dragged my feet and finished it before my dad died. After he passed away, I left it be for about a month, picked it up, and finished the thing. I wanted it done. I wanted it published the year he died. So that’s what I did. I am struggling with the end and am debating rewriting part of it. Nothing major. I just don’t like what happened at the very end for the head nun, Suora Superiora. And if I don’t like it, why should anyone else?

The MAIN CHARACTER

Name, age, and occupation: Lacy Moore, age ranges from 15 to 40s in the first two books, and she is a wife, a mother, but mostly a globe-trotting monster hunter.

Where and with whom does he/she live? She is often a lone wolf but, when home, she is either in Leicester, England or Graniteville, Vermont with her husband, Richard and son, Randall.

Who would play this character in a movie? Clea DuVall mixed with Kristen Stewart and Milla Jovovich but no innocence or femininity. Lacy does not have much of a soft side. She is ruthless. Scarlet Johansson doesn’t cut it either, so maybe a mix of the top three.

What real-life person would be this character’s hero, mentor, or role model? My dad. He was a hunter, too.

What’s his or her celebrity crush? None. She doesn’t do that. But she would get along hella well with Dean Winchester.

What’s her biggest fear/phobia? Losing her son, Randall, to the things that she hunts; or becoming such a ruthless monster herself that she should never return home

On what TV show would he/she appear as a special guest? Supernatural

What’s her favorite quote or motto? Can’t go home till the monsters’re gone.

Weapon of choice (gun, knife, intellect, magic, manipulation, etc.): She fancies a pair of blades she enchanted herself with a simple magic spell. Magical blades do more damage than normal weaponry.

At the beginning of the story, this character is … a fiery teenager escaping the confines of her family’s rigid and drab plans for her future.

Worst habit? She isn’t sure if she can stop killing.

Best feature? Relentless, skilled dispatcher of evil things.

Stephen Mark Rainey, author of "West Virginia: Lair of the Mothman"

Stephen Mark Rainey, 61, is the author of numerous books, including West Virginia: Lair of the Mothman in Elizabeth Massie’s Ameri-Scares series. He’s also the former editor of Deathrealm magazine and the author of more than 100 published works of short fiction. By day, he does graphic production for a major educational publisher. By night (and whenever else he can squeeze in the time), he writes the scary stuff.

THE AUTHOR

Where and with whom do you live? I live in Greensboro, N.C., with a pair of precocious house cats, one of whom runs his own home (re-)decorating business (Designs by Droolie®). I’ve been in a committed relationship with my almost-wife, Kimberly, for the past eleven years, though we each live in our separate homes because… well… she’s a little weird.

If you could co-write a book with any author, living or dead, whom would you choose? I’ve collaborated on a couple of books with Elizabeth Massie, and on stories with David Niall Wilson, Durant Haire, and John Pelan. In general, these have been agreeable experiences. However, I tend to be less-than-comfortable divvying up authorial duties, and I have a very individualistic approach to writing (not to mention life in general). At one time, three decades or so ago, I approached Fred Chappell about a possible collaboration, but he expressed feelings similar to mine. So, really, I’d be hard-pressed to think of anyone with whom I’d care to collaborate that I haven’t already. If hard-pressed, I’d probably say T.E.D. Klein, as his work — particularly Dark Gods — has resonated strongly with me since the day I first read it. I’m sure I’d be much obliged to co-create some fictional universe with him.

Why do you write? It’s the proverbial calling. In my exuberant youth, I was most interested in producing visual art — primarily pen & ink, watercolor, and acrylic. In college, I earned a Bachelor of Fine Art degree, which led me, at least indirectly, into my graphics-oriented day job. In my twenties, I was keen on producing something akin to graphic novels — writing and illustrating my own stories. Over time, that interest gravitated more and more to the writing side. Eventually, storytelling became my true creative passion.

Where do you write? Way back when, I scribbled first drafts in spiral notebooks at whatever location was handy at the time. But I always sat at my desk in my home office to type the final manuscript. This became something of a ritual. Once home computers sent the old typewriter packing, I continued to use the desktop machine in my office. It felt “right.” I never cared much for using a laptop, as the smaller keyboard annoyed my temperamental fingers. However, over the past few years, for whatever reason, they’ve taken more kindly to the laptop, and now I write wherever I feel most comfortable plopping down. A couple of years back, when Kimberly and I were visiting her parents in Michigan, I discovered her dad’s old easy chair and ottoman in their basement family room. It’s the most comfortable place in the world to write, so now our plan is to force her parents to move out so I can take over their family room.

What imaginary land would you choose as your home, and why? The world of Amber, from Roger Zelazny’s Chronicles of Amber. In that realm, our world is a reflection, or “shadow,” of Amber, the ultimate reality. The universe consists of infinite shadows, and individuals of Amber’s royal lineage have the ability to pass from shadow to shadow at will. As such, if I were displeased with one version of reality, I could essentially move a few shadows over to one that suited me better. I can think of a few shadows right now that would do the trick; for example, one free of pandemics and Donald Trump.

What animal, real or imaginary, would you choose as your constant companion? Godzilla, but we probably wouldn’t do a lot of snuggling.

What do you collect? These days, nothing — well, except maybe the occasional movie on Blu-ray or DVD. But for many years, I was an avid collector of Japanese monster movie memorabilia. I still have a pretty extensive collection of books, movie stills, lobby cards, press books, posters, and other items from the classic daikaiju films. Now and again, I break into the stuff, just to revisit the old glory days.

Favorite recreational activity: Geocaching. For those unfamiliar with it, geocaching is a kind of scavenger hunt that uses GPS technology. A person hides a container (geocache), records its geographic coordinates, and submits the cache information to the geocaching website. Then other geocachers can download the coordinates, go into the wild, and try to find the container. There are several million active caches worldwide. I got hooked on the activity back in 2008, and since then, I’ve found almost 12,000 geocaches. I love the variety of places the hunts take me. My favorite caches are those hidden in the deep woods, but they can be found almost anywhere. I particularly enjoy certain “extreme” hides, which often involve rigorous physical challenges, such as climbing huge trees; exploring labyrinthine storm drain systems; taking kayak trips; and going on night hunts, where one must follow trails of reflectors through the woods to reach the final destination. Many of the locations where caches are hidden — graveyards, places of historical interest, remote forests, and such — have inspired the settings and events in my fiction. Geocaching and writing go beautifully hand in hand. And since lots of young people enjoy geocaching, I felt compelled to include it as a major plot element in West Virginia: Lair of the Mothman.

THE BOOK

Title, genre and length? West Virginia: Lair of the Mothman (part of Elizabeth Massie’s Ameri-Scares series for young readers, published by Crossroad Press). The Ameri-Scares franchise is currently in development for television by Warner Brothers/Margo Robbie’s Lucky Chap & Assemble Media.

When and where does it take place? The present day, in the fictional community of Broad Run, West Virginia, which I situated near Point Pleasant, the location of the original Mothman sightings.

How did you come up with the title? Each entry in the Ameri-Scares series is set in a different state — in this case, West Virginia. Since the Mothman is the focus of the story, I wanted the title to sound mysterious and alluring. I hope it is.

What inspired you to write it? Ever since I saw The Mothman Prophecies in 2002, the legend has intrigued me. And for a book set in West Virginia, the Mothman struck me as the most compelling subject. I paid a visit to Point Pleasant prior to writing the novel, and it really gave me a good feel for the location and the pervasiveness of Mothman lore in the area.

Is there a sequel in the works? Not as such, since each book in the Ameri-Scares series is a standalone entry. I have since written Michigan: The Dragon of Lake Superior (published) and Ohio: Fear the Grassman (coming soon). I’m now writing the New Hampshire book, which takes place in Exeter, the scene of numerous UFO sightings in the mid-1960s. It will be titled New Hampshire: Ghosts from the Skies.

Where and how can you get it? Amazon.com is the easiest way (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MFX7M5H)

What would you select as your book’s theme song? Who would you choose to write the musical score? “The Hills of West Virginia” by Phil Ochs would be a neat option. For the score, Ingram Marshall. Minimalist, eerie. Something like his piece “Hidden Voices” would probably scare the shit out of the kids. The song and score might seem incongruous, yet sometimes such a mix can be highly effective.

To whom did you dedicate it and why? A number of local geocachers. Since geocaching plays a major role in the story, it seemed most apt.

THE HERO

Name, age and occupation: Vance Archer, 13. He’s a 7th-grade student at Broad Run Middle School.

Where and with whom does he/she live? With his parents and older brother just outside of the community of Broad Run — near the “TNT Area,” which is the real-life location of the original Mothman sightings.

Who would play your protagonist in a movie? I know very few current youthful actors, but I can envision a young Kurt Russell, from his days in the Walt Disney movies of the 1960s, being perfect for the part.

What real-life person would be your protagonist’s hero, mentor or role model? Vance is a bicycle-riding enthusiast, particularly off-road, and really wants to graduate to motorcycles. Rather than any specific individual, he is most enamored of motocross racers and hopes to become one when he gets a little older.

What’s his or her celebrity crush? As a thirteen-year-old, Vance’s hormones have begun to rage, and he is attracted to older women. He’s currently taken with Selena Gomez, but that will probably change tomorrow.

What’s her biggest fear/phobia? Spiders. This comes into play during Vance’s geocaching adventures in the novel.

What’s his/her favorite quote or motto? “No bloodshed, no fun,” referring to his knack for lacerating himself during his more extreme and most exciting geocaching outings.

At the beginning of the book, our hero is…  Geocaching on a bike trail.