Ed Tech Mr. Jimmy Juliano recently published his second novel 13 Months Haunted, a horror novel about a haunting in a 2000’s middle school. He spoke with The Forest Scout about his love for horror, the challenges of finding time to write, and the writers who inspired him.
Tell us about your most recent novel.
“Sure. My most recent novel is entitled 13 Months Haunted. It is a supernatural thriller that largely takes place in the year 2000 and it’s about a young girl named Avery who moves to a new town. She’s in eighth grade, and there’s rumors about Avery that she used to live in a haunted house and something there killed her father and her sister. Also, Avery can never be alone. Her mom is always with her. Her mom goes to school with her, sits next to her in class, even goes to the bathroom with her. The kid is never alone. And the rumors start to spring up, what is going on with this girl? What’s her story? Then a young woman named Piper, who is also new in town, works at the library. She takes an interest in Avery and wants to help her, then things kind of spiral out of control. She realizes that she never should have gotten involved, because things get really bad in a supernatural way.”
What inspired you to write this novel?
“ Number one is being a dad. When my daughter was younger, crawling, just learning to walk, at that age, you realize that you can never take your eyes off of them, because something bad might happen. You’re always with them. So I thought, what if I literalized that concept? The other inspiration was the movie Halloween, the old original 1978 movie. There’s a scene where Jamie Lee Curtis is running down the street at night alone, trying to escape Michael Myers, and she’s banging on doors trying to get help, and she’s thinking, ‘if someone’s with me, I’ll be okay.’ So that’s the whole concept of, if I’m alone, I’m in danger, but if someone’s with me, then I’m going to be fine. So I thought I could make a book about that.”
Have you always been interested in horror?
“Yes, I’ve loved horror since I was very young. I remember checking out scary stories to tell in the dark in my elementary school library. I loved watching horror movies from a young age, and I still do, and spooky stories, folklore, urban legends, all that stuff I find wildly entertaining, and it’s just a fun genre to write in.”
In your opinion, what makes for a great horror novel?
“I think in a really good horror novel, you need to always connect with the characters. You have to connect with them on this human level that you’re invested in what’s going to happen to them. Obviously there are heroes and villains in all stories, but it always comes down to a character in any book, but then in horror, I think there’s always that concept of something is happening that I don’t understand, and you want to know why it’s going on, and it has those elements of maybe scaring you, like maybe just being fun, maybe having a thrill, but just something that kind of keeps you turning pages”
How do you balance work, family and writing?
“It is very hard. I budget out time, like four to five days a week. I have about two to three hour blocks where I know I’m going to write then. And I work on my schedule with my wife, because my daughter’s eight, so she goes to school, she’s in activities, she’s very busy, so it’s a lot of work on me and my wife’s end to make that all function properly. I think the key is when I have that time to write. I’m very focused, and I have a plan, I crank it out. I’m not just sitting there staring at a blank screen. I know what I’m going to do. I’m working off of an outline, and I just make really good use of my time.”
What advice would you give to a student who is an aspiring writer?
“I would say that keep writing. Just keep writing, keep reading. All writers should be reading lots of other books, whether it’s books in your genre that you’re interested in, especially, but just everything. If you’re writing something long form, like a novel, I think an outline is always a really good idea. Knowing where the story is going, having those different beats in the story will help stop writers’ block.”
Who are some writers you look up to and get inspiration from?
“Stephen King, for sure, he’s been my favorite author since I was a kid. I think he’s a very multifaceted author. He writes horror, but it’s very relatable, and all the characters are very human. I’m also a vague Shirley Jackson fan. I love her work.”
What are some of your favorite all-time horror novels and movies?
“I always go back to Stephen King books. I love Pet Cemetery, Misery and The Shining. Those are probably three of my favorite horror books of his. I also love The Ruins by Scott Smith. I really like movies also, the original Halloween from 1978, the original Alien and from 1979 and Scream from 1996. Most recently, I thought Weapons was incredible. I think if you’re into horror movies, definitely go see Weapons.”
