AudraKate Gonzalez started writing horror stories when she ran out of Goosebumps books to read as a child. Her love for horror grew and now she has a BA in Creative Writing and is working on her MFA. She lives in Ohio with her handsome husband, and her adorable furry bad boys, Zero and Scrappy Doo. When AudraKate isn't writing, you can find her reading, watching scary movies or sleeping. You can follow her on Instagram and TikTok @lets.get.lit.erature or check out her website www.authoraudrakategonzalez.com
Do you have anything published?
Tomato Juice is the first book of my This is Noir series. This is Noir is a YA/Horror series for lovers of books like Goosebumps, Fear Street, and Point Horror. Alligator Skin is the second book in the series, and it releases June 8th. I also have a short horror story that you can find in Tales From the Realm: Volume 1 (Aphotic Realm), and a flash fiction piece in Wither and Bloom (Twenty Hills Publishing). Upcoming publications include a short story in The House Built Between Branches (Nightshade Publishing), four flash fiction pieces in Darkness 101: Lessons Were Learned (Collective Tales Publishing), and a poem in the Freedom Anthology (Twenty Hills Publishing).
Can you briefly summarize what you have published?
Briefly: It’s mostly horror, but there are a few lighter pieces in there as well.
Tell us about Alligator Skin!
After an accident that left her in a coma, Jensen Swells finally wakes up after four years. Now fifteen, Jensen is having to learn life all over again. Starting high school seems like it’ll be a big deal, but then news of missing kids becomes an even bigger deal, especially when Jensen, due to her accident, is more connected to the missing kids than she could have ever imagined. It leads her, and her new friends on an investigative mystery deep in the bayou where the suspect is less human and more beast.
Is there any personal backstory to your publication(s) that you want to share about?
I wrote Alligator Skin for my siblings. There’s always some moral in my horror stories, and in Alligator Skin the moral is that even when you don’t get along with your siblings, you’re always there for each other in the end. Tomato Juice was written for my grandpa after my grandma had passed away. It’s just a reminder that even though she’s gone, we can still find her in the little things in life, such as the family that we still have here.
What first got you into writing?
My first English Comp class in college. The professor was tough but he loved my work. He gave great criticism, and encouraged me to pursue writing as a career even though, at the time, I was a Poli-Sci major. He suggested I try and publish some of my essays, and I just kind of ignored him at first. I appreciated his compliments, but I didn’t think writing was something for me. I ended up with the highest grade in the class, and that was what made me take it seriously. I switched majors the following semester.
What is your favorite genre to write?
Horror. It’s so much fun, and I love creeping myself out.
What is your favorite genre to read?
It’s between Horror or Fantasy.
What do you enjoy doing other than writing?
I love being a worship leader at church. It can get tough sometimes to juggle it with all the other things I have going on, but any time I can give back to God is a good time. I’m also interning at Twenty Hills Publishing which I love! And I’m working as the CCO for Nerdy Reads. Nerdy Reads is an ebook distribution platform that is currently in the making. We are hoping to be up and running in August of this year. You can follow Nerdy Reads on Instagram @nerdyreadsofficial
What upcoming projects do you have?
Right now I’m working on a YA/Fantasy/Romance novel for my MFA program. The novel should be finished Summer 2024. I’m also writing a couple short stories for fun, and I have a few other novels in the outlining stages. I’m taking a small break from the This is Noir series, but book 3 is already in planning and will hopefully be able to be released Fall of 2024.
What's your least favorite trope?
Miscommunication. Just talk to each other.
If you could be any plant, what would it be, and why?
A hosta because they require hardly any care. I like being independent.
If you could give any author or poet one tip, what would it be?
Read. Read everything. Even if it’s not a genre you write in, read it. It’ll only make you a better writer.
Anything else you want to share about yourself?
I used to do musical theater. My BA is in Creative Writing and English with a concentration in Screenwriting. Musical theater is the reason I chose screenwriting as my concentration. I’ve been in shows like Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins), The Little Mermaid (Andrina), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Marcy Park), Cabaret (Frenchie), Into the Woods (Cinderella, and The Step-Mother), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Miss Dorothy), and Godspell (Player). My favorite musical of all time is Godspell.
Where can people find out more information about you?
I’m on Instagram and TikTok @lets.get.lit.erature, and my website is www.authoraudrakategonzalez.com