Interview: Horror author Stephen Graham Jones: “The slasher is my one true love.”

February 19, 2024 Chris Well

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io9 chats with the author about his novels, horror films, and book recommendations.

“It’s not about whether the world acknowledges you, it’s about whether you do what you think is right.”—Stephen Graham Jones

Stephen Graham Jones is a Blackfoot Native American author of horror fiction, crime fiction, science fiction, and experimental fiction. He has published more than a couple dozen books, including The Only Good Indians, Mongrels, Mapping the Interior, The Last Final Girl, and the apocalypse comic book series Earth Divers.

Jones has been an NEA fellowship recipient. In fact, he has received several awards, including the Ray Bradbury Award from the Los Angeles Times, the Bram Stoker Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, the Jesse Jones Award for Best Work of Fiction from the Texas Institute of Letters, the Independent Publishers Award for Multicultural Fiction, and the Alex Award from American Library Association.

In 2021, author Jones published My Heart is a Chainsaw, offering horror fans a memorable heroine in Jade Daniels. The page-turning sequel is Don’t Fear the Reaper…

December 12th, 2019, Jade returns to the rural lake town of Proofrock the same day as convicted Indigenous serial killer Dark Mill South escapes into town to complete his revenge killings, in this riveting sequel to My Heart Is a Chainsaw from New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones.

Four years after her tumultuous senior year, Jade Daniels is released from prison right before Christmas when her conviction is overturned. But life beyond bars takes a dangerous turn as soon as she returns to Proofrock. Convicted Serial Killer, Dark Mill South, seeking revenge for thirty-eight Dakota men hanged in 1862, escapes from his prison transfer due to a blizzard, just outside of Proofrock, Idaho.

Dark Mill South’s Reunion Tour began on December 12th, 2019, a Thursday.

Thirty-six hours and twenty bodies later, on Friday the 13th, it would be over.

Both books are infused with Jones’ love of—and deep knowledge of—horror films, plus themes that reflect his Native American background. The folks at i09 talked with the author about his work.

More about Stephen Graham Jones online:

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