Jennifer’s story, After The Funeral, has one of my favorite lines in a story. “
“sometimes mysteries need to remain something to talk over, not something to be solved.”sometimes mysteries need to remain something to talk over, not something to be solved.”
It is the perfect line for a story such as this, which had me gripped from the first paragraph wondering exactly who, or what, they were burying. And if she, or it, were the true monster of the story or not? Her story is perfect for our anthology, and I hope you all enjoy it.
I learned early on to watch for danger and to respect the forces of nature, along with the other forces too. That there survival instinct is powerful in me, and that’s exactly why I didn’t want much to do with the funeral. No one else would do it, though, and I didn’t want to wake up in the night fretful with what might be coming my way.
–After The Funeral by Jennifer Nestojko
Q (Crone Girls Press): Author Interview Question 1: What drove your story for this anthology? Tell us the “story behind the story.”
A (Jennifer Nestojko): What drove this story was the voice and where that voice was taking me. The conflict between the presence in the woods and the town was a conflict involving social norms and barely kept secrets. We do that as humans; we avoid naming social taboos or toxic practices as a form of defense, but everyone still knows what is going on. This story embodies some of that dynamic.
Q: What does it mean to read and write horror when you’re competing with news headlines (for example, this anthology came about in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe V Wade)? How has it changed (or not!) your approach to the genre as a writer or as a fan?
A: Writing horror can be a way to respond to terrible things happening; it is also a way to process those reactions and to see the issues in a different perspective. The same holds true for reading, though journeying through something horrific is also a test run for whatever stresses we have in real life.
Q: There are a number of different flavors of horror. Where does your story fit, and what drew you to this particular category?
A: I lean towards dark fantasy and supernatural elements, as they give opportunities to play with reality and examine it in different ways.
Q: Why do you write horror? What about the genre appeals to you as an author?
A: The ideas come and I write the stories, and if some of them happen to be a bit dark, that works for what I am trying to say. I write in different styles as well, but I do seem to have a bent for dark fantasy and horror.
Q: What’s next in your writing journey?
A: I’m not sure. I have several stories I want to shop around, including a medieval Battle of Kosovo story with a trans character and a dragon story involving a high school teacher and a baker and puff pastry. I want to carve out time and work on a novella. I have poetry that demands to be written and then slips away when I actually get to the point of writing it. I am a teacher and the school year is going to be a tough one, but stories and poems demand their time too.
About The Author
Jennifer Nestojko is a teacher and a writer who lives with chaos in the form of a household full of boys and other animals. She teaches English and Ethnic Studies to high school students and Composition to college students, and has, perhaps, had thoughts of making off to the piney woods and becoming a terrifying and mysterious hermit, if only to get some quiet time. The current political and social situations (there are so many) don’t help in resisting that urge.
You can find her at her website JenniferNestojko.com
Be sure to check out their story in A Woman Unbecoming
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