Jay Rice has built a reputation as a storyteller who walks the line between the real and the unexplained. From haunted hillsides to mysterious encounters, his tales capture the eerie charm of Appalachian folklore and personal experience. In this interview, Jay shares the inspirations behind his books, including Ghosts of Scott’s Mountain and True Short Stories of the Paranormal, and offers a glimpse into the mind of an author who finds truth in the strange.
Interview
ZM: What first inspired you to write these books (The Ghosts of Scott's Mountain, True Short Stories of the Paranormal, and The Adventures of Pete Johnson and the Hairy Ones), and what kept you motivated through the process?
JR: My inspiration for writing my books was really an idea I had in the back of my mind until my Dad passed away, and there were a few paranormal events that happened and inspired me to write "True Short Stories of the Paranormal". Most of the stories are my own experiences, with a few from friends thrown in. The ideas for the other two books came from my love of Cryptids and the Paranormal, along with working in the county school system and seeing how much the middle school kids loved to read about ghosts and Bigfoot. "The Adventures of Pete Johnson and the Hairy Ones" and "The Adventures of Pete Johnson and the Ghosts of Scott's Mountain" are in the county middle school libraries. I am truly proud of that.
JR: Real events influenced me to write "True Short Stories of the Paranormal". The other two books came from my love of investigating the paranormal and cryptids, as well as wanting to give something to the young kids to get them to read more. I once gave a talk to a bunch of middle school-aged kids on the subject of Bigfoot and the paranormal. I gave each of them a brand-new no. 2 pencil and a small composition book. I told them that there were many stories inside that pencil just waiting to come out. The librarian and assistant principal held a contest to see who could come up with the best stories, and the winner would receive a copy of my books. That was a lot of fun.
ZM: How do you balance real folklore, personal experience, and imagination in your work?
JR: My balance of personal experience, folklore, and imagination is like this. I write from personal experience and my investigations, use characters from real life, but with different names, real places with different names, and glue it all together with imagination. I call it faction...Fact with a twist of fiction.
JR: I was writing every day for a while because the ideas just kept coming. I started two more books in 2021 when I came down with a severe case of Covid. Since that time, I have had a lot of trouble concentrating on my work and have just put it to the side for a while. The brain fog has been terrible, and I did not want to try to finish those books and not be able to think clearly. Five years later, I am slowly trying to get back into my writing to finish those two books, plus some ideas for other books.
JR: When a reader finishes one of my books, I want them to feel as if they have actually been there. I want them to be able to see everything that's going on in their mind's eye as the story unfolds. I would hope that when a reader finishes one of my books, they will want to reach for another one. I hope they will remember my name and look out for new material of mine.
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Whether you’re drawn to true paranormal encounters or the eerie mysteries of Appalachian folklore, Jay Rice’s stories offer a glimpse into a world where the strange feels startlingly real. His books are available now on Amazon for readers who want to explore his work further.
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