Skyler Rankin

The graveyard overlooking Jade Lazlow's hometown is visible from everywhere, like an ever-present reminder of mysterious forces beyond the veil. The town had been a station on the Underground Railroad, so it’s steeped in history and legend. It’s also not far downriver from Mothman country. It was against that backdrop that Jade discovered her love of writing and all things creepy. She garnered inspiration from local legends told in hushed whispers, creepy comic books, and thrillers and mysteries from the town’s library.\n\nJade typed her first novel on a broken manual typewriter that was missing a few keycaps. She had to keep moving the remaining caps around to type.\n\nDespite having a crooked path to publication, Jade was “born to be a writer,” and she is delighted to finally have the time to do it. She also independently narrates and produces audiobooks. “There’s nothing more exciting,” she says, “than creating great stories and finding that people enjoy them.”\n\n“Like most of my fellow indie writers,” she explained, “I work a day job while practicing my craft in my spare time. In that way, writers are like struggling actors working toward their big breaks. We would all love to get those breaks, but most of us would write whether they come or not. Writing is its own reward.”