Author Profile: Ralynn Frost

Something Or Other Publishing is proud to introduce Ralynn Frost, winner of the Curator’s Choice Award in the Horror category of SOOP’s 1st Annual Short Story Contest.

Ralynn Frost, Chemical Engineer. (Ralynn Frost)

Ralynn Frost is an author, creator, chemical engineer, healthcare professional, and neurodivergent horror enthusiast. Her free time is shared with her two children and her writing in the Midwestern countryside. 

Her story, “Workaholic”, is part of SOOP’s upcoming anthology currently titled SOOP’s Finest: A compilation of Award-Winning Short Story. It follows an ambitious young man on his way up the corporate ladder, or so he thought. His outlook on success changes when stress, sleep deprivation, and an adverse reaction to anti-anxiety medications collide in a worst-case scenario. This nervous breakdown comes with deadly consequences. 

Jesus E. Bracho, SOOP’s Director of Marketing, sat down with Ralynn to engage in a fun Q&A session to learn more details about her writing journey:

J.B: What inspired you to write “Workaholic”? 

R.F: I read news articles about a bank employee that died from working too long without sleep. Afterward, I thought about how intense pressure to succeed often leads to needing prescription anxiety medicines, but sometimes the medicine causes a reverse effect when it doesn’t work correctly. Instead of helping, they can increase panic, cause violence, or see things that aren’t real. Then I imagined settings where somebody stressed, and overworked suffers from this. “Workaholic” was the resulting nervous breakdown. 

J.B: What was the most challenging part of writing your short story? 

Winner of the Curator’s Choice Awards in the Horror Category of SOOP’s Annual Short Story Contest. (SOOP)

R.F: The hardest part was finding a balance between the violent content. I wanted to distort reality, make a point about the extreme performance expectations of workers, and create a grim downfall for the main character as a warning. However, I didn’t want to break down into too much gore. That would have been distracting. Instead, I built more on mental fear versus relying on disgust. 

J.B: What genres do you personally like to read? 

R.F: I mostly read speculative fiction, but I also enjoy mystery thrillers, science fiction, and dark fantasy. 

J.B: Do you have any other writing projects in the works? 

R.F: I’m editing my first novel, gothic horror and supernatural-themed dark fantasy about life, death, and being careful what you wish for. Also, I will release more short stories soon and continue working on others. 

J.B: Who is your target audience? 

R.F: I always tend towards writing for underdogs. Anyone who’s worked in stressful, fast-paced settings with little to no payoff will identify with the themes in “Workaholic.” This story gives a taste of vengeance for the underappreciated and the blue-collar. 

J.B: What do you hope readers take away from your story? 

R.F: Our time in this world is short and precious. So our career choices or how much money we make can’t be our only measure of success. People employed by companies that treat them as expendable shouldn’t feel obligated to hand over their entire life. Everyone should find a work/life balance that leaves room for what’s gratifying as well as enjoyable, or else suffer the consequences. 

J.B: Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? 

R.F: Take a chance. Write the first draft. Whether you fall in love with it right away or not doesn’t matter because you won’t get the opportunity if words don’t appear on a page. Editing will always come later. Then, let people read what you’ve created. Not everyone likes a story as much as you do, but that’s okay because someone else might. You’ll never know without accepting the risk. 

Readers can pre-order SOOP’s Finest through Ralynn’s customized pre-order page right here. 

Lear more about Ralynn Frost through the links below: 

Facebook: ralynnfrostauthor

Instagram: @ralynnfrost

Twitter: @ralynnfrost

Tumblr: ralynnfrost

 

Speak Your Mind

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

MENU

Something or Other Publishing, LLC