The Tattered Page

They say writing is a solitary endeavor.

They’re right. It is. Wholeheartedly and without debate.

But it’s also a unique and rewarding circle to belong to, one that is supportive, understanding, and equal parts fun and maddening. (Mostly maddening.) Fortunately, I have some pretty cool writer friends and coworkers, and that’s why I’m delighted to talk with one of them.

Welcome current Milwaukean and former treasure hunter DJ Slater, who joined me for a little Q&A about his writing journey, gearing up for the release of his debut horror novel, Legend Has It, and his deep-rooted thoughts on former Chicago Bears quarterbacks.

Congratulations on your debut novel! What was the process like from querying to signing?

How much time do you have? Haha. In all seriousness, it has its moments. I was fortunate to gain valuable insight into the process from Lynn Wiese Sneyd, who runs a literary service. Her advice gave me a jumpstart on everything.

As far as the actual process, it’s a mix of highs and lows, with an abundance of patience. There’s a lot of research involved. You have to find agents – Manuscript Wishlist is a godsend – make sure they represent what you wrote and then have all of your materials – query letter, synopsis and pages – ready to go. But you have to make sure those materials are in the best shape possible. You only get one first impression and rarely have a chance to submit again with the same agent, unless you make some serious revisions. Then comes the waiting… and more waiting … after you submit to an agent. Sometimes you’ll wait a few weeks or (in some cases) a few months before you get a response. Sometimes you won’t even get a response. If you do get a response, most of the time it’s a rejection letter. I have a few dozen of those in my email. That part can be frustrating because most rejections don’t come with any feedback. It’s usually a boilerplate response (“This wasn’t for me”, “I didn’t connect with the characters”, or “I’m not the right fit”). I don’t fault agents for this. They get hundreds upon hundreds of submissions, so they don’t have the time to respond thoroughly to each one. But as a writer looking to get a novel published, it leaves you wondering on how to improve your work. It’s a mind game. But I learned that rejection isn’t personal; it’s just information. Fortunately, it only takes one person to believe in your vision and your work. I’m beyond thankful I found that with Rowan Prose Publishing.

How excited are you?

It varies, depending on the day. When I first saw the offer from Rowan Prose last June, my eyes teared up. It’s been a long journey with plenty of peaks and valleys. After I signed the contract, I’ve been mostly neutral, but I get flashes of excitement when I see other people mention their anticipation for the book. I think it will truly sink in when I hold the hardcover in my hands.

Give us the elevator pitch. What’s the book about?

Seth McCartney is a nostalgic college student who feels his love for haunted house attractions fading. He longs to recapture that feeling of excitement he had when he would visit haunted houses as a kid. His friends decide to give him one final hurrah at an extreme haunted house said to be unfinishable. It’s a legendary place that few can find. Once they get inside, however, they realize all the threats are real and must navigate 10 floors of increasing terror to reach the exit on the top floor.

Do you have the release date? What can readers expect as they dive in?

September 16. Readers can expect a whirlwind of emotions. From Seth’s struggle to reclaim the joys of his youth to the slow-burn tension of the early floors to the madness that ensures once blood starts to spill, it’s a roller coaster. Additionally, I’ve added some unique threats and twists throughout the book, so readers will also get a peek at things they likely haven’t experienced before. I won’t give these things away, but let’s just say they won’t look at those white drama masks the same way again. Oh, and smart characters too. They don’t make dumb decisions or fall at an inopportune time. They are resourceful college kids who are in way over their heads.

Legend Has It is a great title. It’s one of those sayings that is so common and yet still lends itself perfectly to title a book, like how did nobody use this before? In that regard, it’s like duct tape. How did that all come about?

I wish I had a great story behind the title, but it kind of just popped into my head when I was collaborating on title ideas with my sister. The haunted house at the center of the novel is the stuff of legends and we kind of took it from there.

How has the whole process been? What challenges or rewards have you experienced with drafting or revisions, or both?

There’s been a lot of learning. Before signing, I didn’t even have a Goodreads page, but to be fair, I’m not one to share much of my life and reading preferences on social media. Today, I’m on all of the major social media platforms with author profiles and finding creative ways to build hype before the release date. The biggest challenge is balancing my time between writing projects, social media content, marketing endeavors and any correspondence tied to book signings and author events. There’s never a shortage of things to do, which is fun and challenging. The reward, though, is sharing something I put so much time into with the world. Whenever I pitch it to someone new, it’s so cool to see their face light up with intrigue, even those who aren’t horror readers.

Your background is in PR/marketing, which is a completely different world than writing fiction. What has that kind of work taught you, if anything, about writing a book? How do you balance those two polar opposite styles?

They truly are different styles. Marketing copy tends to use lofty language to promote something, whereas book writing allows for complete creative freedom. The nice thing is I’m not at risk of burning myself out when switching between the two. It would be more difficult if they were similar. By the time I would sit down to write for fun, I’d likely be tapped out, so it’s nice that they aren’t too similar.

What’s next after Legend Has It? What are you working on now?

Do I break the news here? Haha. When I first wrote Legend Has It, I said it would work great as a stand-alone story, but there’s some larger lore at play and I want to explore it further. In other words, I’m working on the sequel with plans for a trilogy.

Any appearances, signings, conventions, etc. coming up?

The planning process has started in earnest on this. At the moment, I have one event on my calendar, which is an author/book signing event in Denver in July 2026. There will be more events this year, with Milwaukee as the focal point. I’m looking at independent bookstores for book signings, coffee shops for readings and even a few bars for a celebratory collaborations. I should have a better idea on all of those about midway through the summer months.

You’re a diehard Brewers fan who is seemingly surrounded with a lot of Cubs, Reds, Cardinals, White Sox, and Guardians fans. It’s like a revolving door of regional rivalries where you’re at. What’s that like for a competitive guy like yourself?

It makes for some fun banter, though it’s only the Cubs and Cardinals that I can’t stand. Thankfully most of the DeanHouston staff are Reds fans. I don’t have much, if any, bad blood towards the Reds. They are just there in the NL Central, but not much of a heated rival. The Cubs are a good rival because their fans tend to pack our stadium, which is a tad annoying. The Cardinals, though, boil my blood. They’ve denied the Brewers of that elusive World Series title mroe than once. (1982, 2011).

Rapid fire time. You know the drill here. Say the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the following:

Y-Wing or A-Wing?

A-Wing. It just looks better.

Bob Uecker:

I wish he could have called a World Series for the Brewers. He was a Milwaukee staple.

Rex Grossman:

The greatest QB to ever play under center for the Chicago Bears. How he’s not in the Hall of Fame is beyond me. Ha!

Favorite horror story (book, show, or film):

The Shining, but there’s so many great entries in this genre.

Favorite musical solo artist:

John Mayer (has the popstar fan base, but his guitar skills are on another level).

Dryer sheets or fabric softener?

Dryer sheets.

Where can people find you online?

www.djslaterauthor.com. That has everything you need, including all of my social platforms.

Thanks for joining us, DJ! Everyone, go check out DJ’s website and social and gear up for the September 16 release of Legend Has It!