Author Interview: Rebecca Jose
- fridaynightwritesi
- Aug 1
- 9 min read
Hello, everyone! Welcome back to Friday Night Writes! As always, our goal is to shine a spotlight on members of the book community and introduce readers to awesome authors, narrators, event hosts, influencers, and more.
This week, we'd like to introduce our featured guest, author Rebecca Jose. Sam will be leading the interview.
Rebecca, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself. Who are you?
I grew up in a small town in Southeastern Kentucky in the days of playing outside all day, drinking from the hose, and not coming back in until the street lights came on. We lived in a rural area, so I spent a lot of time in the woods and playing in creeks and streams in the mountains. I moved to the city of Danville in 1997 and have lived in that area since. I've raised three wonderful children and a hoard of “adopted” children (kids that hung around my kids and called me “mom”), and now have nine grandkids. When I’m not at work, I’m either writing, spending time with my family, or going to book signings all over the US.
That sounds like an amazing life you've built. Most of my mom's family comes from Kentucky, the Campton area. It's really a beautiful state. Did you always know you wanted to be an author?
I always loved telling stories, but I never thought about being an author until later in my teens. In high school, we had an assignment to write a short story, and I loved writing it. I knew then that this what I wanted to do as an adult. Life got in the way, so I didn’t get to start that dream until 2020 when I was homebound during COVID.
It seems like many of our author guests found their passion during the pandemic. I'm glad you had that chance. Before you knew you wanted to be an author, what did you think you would wind up doing someday?
When I was little, I wanted to be an actress.
Always something in the creative field, then. That's pretty cool. My daughter wants to be an actress, too. It's adorable. Is there anything you love besides books? Maybe some things you can't stand?
I love butterflies, roses, oak trees, owls. I don’t like judgmental people or fake people.
Me either. Nobody needs those people around. Do you have any hobbies?
I love to crochet, but never have time for it. I also love bartending and coming up with new cocktail ideas.
That sounds really fun! Do your characters share any of your interests?
One of my characters is a regular at a bar, and her best friend is the bartender.
It's neat how real life sneaks into our works. That's a good segue into talking about your books, too! So, how long have you been publishing?
I have only been published since 2020.
You dove right in at the beginning of the COVID era. I'm sure that helped keep your mind on better things. How many books have you released since then?
I currently have nine books published. My favorite and bestsellers are the two books in my Fallen Angels and Inner Demons standalone series.
The first book is Shadow Mirror, a dark horror romance with a not-so-mentally-stable FMC. [There are] two MMCs [in that one] who will keep you drooling and guessing which one will win the FMCs heart, plus massive plot twists that will keep you guessing which one of them has not-so-pure intentions.
The second book is Amidst Fallen Angels, a love at first sight romance with a FMC that is related to the FMC in the first book and a MMC that is not quite human.
Those sound awesome. What genres do you write in?
I write mostly fantasy romance with different sub-genres, such as dark, horror, mystery, shifters, etc.
You know I love the dark stuff! Horror authors have to stick together! Did you go the indie route or the traditionally published route?
I am independently published. I like having the freedom to create my own covers, having control over my editing process, and making any other decisions involving my books.
Indie was definitely the right move then. That's part of why I made the choice, too. Do you plan your books out in advance?
I am a combination of both pantser and plotter. I call it a being a "plantser" (LOL). I just sit down and write the story without outlining anything. However, I do take notes along the way and plan out characters to a certain extent, then let the story give them their personality as it plays out. My characters usually take over at this point, so I never know how my stories will end until I get there.
Hey, me too! Do you follow any routines when you write?
I am better writing at night when I get home from work. It helps me to unwind and relax after a hard day.
That makes sense. I'm sure it helps process stress and trauma, too. It does for me! Do you ever find yourself struggling with writer's block, though? I know I do, especially when I'm overtired or life has decided to be a pain.
Usually, I just step away for a while and start dream journaling [when that happens], and I find that I get inspiration in my dreams... Or I’ll take a mini-vacation and spend time with family.
That's a great way to recharge. Speaking of recharging, what do you do to make sure you maintain your creativity? Taking care of our mental health is so important.
Spending time with my grandbabies is fun. I love to go swimming in our pool out back with the babies or spend the day with them at the park.
Aw, that's so sweet. Family is everything. Okay, humor me. How many WIPs do you have going right now?
I am currently taking a break, but I do have a couple of WIPs that I can work on when I get back to writing.
Breaks are important. What do you most enjoy about being an author?
I enjoy the signings, connecting with other authors, writing in general and coming up with ideas for new books, and the overall creation of the characters. I DO NOT LIKE editing, and I am absolutely horrible at marketing because I don’t care much for social media other than it is a way to keep up with all my friends.
I'm right there with you on marketing. It's the WORST! Where do you get the inspiration for your books?
I get inspiration [from] everywhere. I’ll be walking down the street and see something interesting, and my brain will start to tell a story about it, and then I think, “Hmm, this would make a good book,” and then I write it. I do put pieces of myself and others into my books, but I always ask for permission 😊
That's important, especially if the aspects you include are personal. You have nine books published now, but do you prefer standalones or series?
I like both. I am especially loving writing a combo (my standalone series). It's challenging and rewarding to see so many people talk about how they love to see some of the characters return and make appearances in the other stories, but they fall in love with the main characters of the new story, too.
Reader feedback rocks! Do you have a favorite or least favorite character?
My favorite character would probably be Sophia in Shadow Mirror because she went through so much and yet faced her trauma and came out stronger in the end.
A strong FMC is amazing. We need more of them! Sophia comes from one of your most popular books. Is there a book you wish would get a little more love than it does?
Witchball. This book was based off the first book I ever wrote in school. It has werewolves, witches, demons, and goddesses, and it's set in this spooky old house. I loved re-writing the story into a novel, and I fell in love with the characters. They still play in my mind, and I may even write a part two someday.
Some of them just really stick with us. I know the feeling. Are there any other authors who have inspired you?
There are MANY authors who have inspired me! I have so many author friends, and they have all given me ideas, helped me, or otherwise just been super awesome, and that alone inspires me, too. I love promoting my friends and helping others achieve success. I always say that I want to be successful and drag as many with me as I can along the way!
I love this! This is a community, not a competition. We say that all the time. Do you have any advice for authors who are just beginning?
I say just go for it. It is so rewarding and fun after you get past all the hard and boring parts. Just put your head down and go for it!!
Absolutely! I agree. That doesn't make this author journey easy, though. How do you handle the work/life balance of it all?
I don’t (LOL). I stay so busy all the time, but I do love it. When I find myself getting stressed, I just take a little break.
That makes sense. Being an author is great, but it can't be our entire life. One thing we love to asks our guests is what's something you're passionate about outside of writing?
I do have a passion for nature, homeopathic cures, helping others through the sharing of my knowledge, and learning new things about plants, animals, or anything having to do with nature.
Nature is incredibly powerful. I love this! Okay, let's switch gears now and do some rapid-fire fun questions. We'll start with Evie's favorite: What's your favorite dinosaur?
The T-Rex because my arms are short like theirs are! (LOL)
Nice! And what's the best gift you ever been given?
My family!
Aw! That's adorable. Hmm, how many pairs of shoes do you own?
Too many to count, but I only wear three specific pairs a lot. The others kind of collect dust on the shelf.
That's pretty common. What's the most daring thing you've ever done?
Raced cars when I was younger in the Powder Puff Derby.
I never would have guessed that about you! Are you a clean or messy person?
I am both… At work, I am so clean. I can’t stand cooking in a messy kitchen or bartending at a messy bar; however, my desk is super cluttered and my bedroom is a disaster.
Mine is, too. Do you collect anything besides books?
Magic the Gathering cards, dice, and blankets.
I collect most of those things, too! Do you believe in aliens or ghosts?
Yes… You mean there are people out there who don't? LOL
Unfortunately! What's your favorite ice cream flavor?
Chocolate and Rocky Road.
Classics! :) If you could be a shifter, what would your alternate form be?
A panther (and not the insane ones from True Blood). LOL
They are a little kooky, aren't they? Almost done! What inanimate object would be the most annoying if it played incredibly loud, upbeat music when being used?
A hairbrush.
I could see that, especially since it's so close to your ears. As a child, what's something you thought would be fun as an adult but actually isn't all that great?
Doing what I wanted and not being told what to do. I found out that there is no such thing. LOL
There's always someone bossing us around! If there isn't, I don't know what to do with myself. Haha Last one: what would you use to survive the zombie apocalypse?
A slingshot and a bicycle. You'd never run out of ammo or gas!
Not if there are enough rocks around! I like it. Well, we're wrapping up the interview. Would you mind telling our readers where to find you online?
Sure!
And I heard you have something special planned for our readers, right?
Yes, I am offering a chance to win a signed copy of Shadow Mirror and a signed copy of Amidst Fallen Angels with accompanying swag to a lucky reader who visits my website and signs up for my newsletter during the Facebook group takeover today (Aug 1st, 2025)! Unfortunately, I can only send books within the U.S. due to high shipping rates. If you win, you can expect to hear from me through email!
Awesome! Thank you so much for joining us, Rebecca. It's been a pleasure chatting with you! I'd also like to extend a special thank you for sponsoring our program. We wouldn't have www.fridaynightwrites.com without you!
To all of our readers, thanks for spending some time with our guest author this week! We hope you've enjoyed this interview! In the meantime, be sure to follow Rebecca on her social media platforms so you can keep up to date with her journey. Building a better, stronger community is what Friday Night Writes is all about!
Check back next week for another interview. Next time, we'll be chatting with author Brea Viragh!
See you soon!
The Friday Night Writes Crew
Evie Black & Samantha Moran
Friday Night Writes would like to thank our amazing sponsors: Bobbie Isabel, Rebecca Jose, Eden Knox, Kris Mitchell, and Sammantha Selwood. Through their contributions, we are able to host interviews on a dedicated site and reach new audiences through our newsletter. Thank you!
Comments