Let’s Brawl! with Asia Brito Guerrero

Arizona native Asia Brito Guerrero released her first novella last year, Unforgiving, and is quickly rising through the ranks of indie horror for her unputdownable stories, surprising twists, and entertaining TikTok feuds with some guys named Ben Young and Mike Salt (whoever they are….anyone have an idea? I mean, really, bullying a nice, young woman just minding her own business…you can’t take anyone anywhere these days!).

In all seriousness, Asia is such a fan person to interact with, and I’m happy to have the opportunity to talk with her about her career and what her plans are for more releases!

Q: Who has been your biggest supporter(s) throughout your writing career?

A: My husband has loved and supported me since the very beginning. I remember a time when I would constantly talk about wanting to finish one of my stories and publish it, but I held back out of fear of the unknown. When I finally worked up the courage and self-belief to do so a little over a year ago now, he would help clean the house, take care of the kids, etc. on top of having his physical therapy job just so I could escape into the room and write and get it done. And here I am now, finishing up the draft for my third book already!

One of my best friends (Kristen) also deserves to be mentioned. She has encouraged me every step of the way. She has read every single messy draft I’ve ever written. She hypes me up any chance she gets. She is such a safe, inspiring, uplifting person in the indie author community, and I honestly don’t think I could have truly done anything I’ve accomplished without her being in my corner.

With my current work-in-progress, I’m creating a fictional story from the experiences I had in an abusive relationship 12 years ago. It’s been very therapeutic to create these stories from these situations that devastated me. It gives me a sense of control now that I didn’t have then.

Q: What does it mean to you to be an author?

A: Being an author, to me, means writing from a place that is good for me. I used to think I needed to write to please my readers, even if that hurt me. I have grown to realize that the readers meant to be my audience will appreciate me being completely authentic, and so will I.

Q: What is our writing process like? Do you listen to certain music, snack, make loads of phone notes when inspiration randomly strikes, etc.?

A: I always have a music playlist that contains songs with vibes for the story I’m writing. I don’t always listen to music, but I love having those songs ready whenever I feel like listening to them. When I’m not listening to music, I enjoy putting on a familiar movie for background noise. I don’t usually snack just because removing my hands from the keyboard to eat something tends to throw off my groove. I have a notes app on my phone and use it anytime I am away from my laptop. It is always FULL of story and chapter ideas.

Q: Is there a genre or subgenre that you want to explore that you haven’t yet? Conversely, are there any that you’ll never write?

A: I recently wrote a short story for a Quiet Horror themed anthology. While it didn’t get accepted for this one (it will be in the next one they have planned), I enjoyed being pushed out of my comfort zone. I typically write on the bold, extreme side and this made me want to write a lot more Quiet Horror in the future.

As of right now, I think the only thing I can’t see myself writing is YA romance haha.

Q: What has been the hardest part of your career as an author so far?

A: Marketing and social media presence, for sure! I used to think that writing was the hardest part, and it has proven to be the easiest part compared to everything that comes after.

Q: What do you consider to be your greatest strength and weakness as an author?

A: My greatest strength is being able to submerge myself into the story as I’m writing it. I can visualize and write in a way that helps my readers easily do the same. My greatest weakness would be imposter syndrome. It is something I am constantly battling and working through.

Q: Who is on your radar as someone you’d love to work with?

A: That is such a hard question! I have so many amazing author friends that I would love to collaborate with. I would be honored to work with any of them. Considering it is Women in Horror Month, I will say the top three I have in mind right now are Jennifer Osborn, Judith Sonnet, and Wendy Dalrymple.

Q: At some point in our lives, we’ve all heard the negative comments: “You’re not good enough.” “You’ll never make it.” “This is the worst thing I’ve ever seen.” “You don’t belong.” How do you move forward when faced with negativity?

A: There is a Dita Von Teese quote that says: “You can be the ripest peach in the world, but there will always be someone out there that hates peaches.” It reminds me that I will never be liked by everyone and neither will the stories I write. And that’s okay because there will ALWAYS be plenty of people who love me and what I create.

I also never, ever read reviews when I am experiencing a low mood day.

Q: What advice would you give to women who are wanting to write, especially if it’s something others might perceive as “outside of the norm”?

A: If it’s something that is constantly pulling you, do it. We are all specks of dust in a vast universe for only a short time. We shouldn’t waste time or energy on anything that doesn’t work towards fulfilling us. I know we all have responsibilities, but that doesn’t mean we should keep ourselves stuck in places that drain or bury us.

Asia’s latest novella, Butterscotch, is in contention to make it into the Books of Horror Indie Brawl this year. It follows a woman named Xia who wakes up at the edge of a lake, badly beaten, with no memory of what happened or how she got there. She uses the last of her strength to make it to a cabin behind the tree line, but will whoever lives there help her? Or are they the ones who hurt her?

Her next release will be a novelette called Ditto this summer and is an erotic/extreme horror that Asia believes is her favourite thing that she’s written at this stage of her career. She’s most looking forward to the release of Jennifer Osborn’s MORIBUND in June; Asia recently beta read for Jenn and wishes “that I could read it over and over again for the first time.”

Don’t forget to follow Asia on Facebook and Instagram so you can support her amongst all the bullying from that Mike Salt guy and some other dude (Ben Young, maybe?)!