1. To start off simply, what were some of your big influences when you began writing?
I’ve been writing in some capacity since I was in about third or fourth grade. At that time it would just be shorter stories, usually inspired by whatever we had to read for school at the time. That love of writing continued to grow throughout high school and college. A big turning point for me was when I took a James Joyce class in college. It opened my eyes to how a writer could really manipulate the words on the page and make them come to life. I’ve also always had a love of reading personal stories–ever since I was a pre-teen scouring the pages of Cosmo Girl magazine, I was drawn to accounts from women’s real lives. Post-college I got even more into reading essays and non-fiction. A book of essays called Fine, Fine Music by my friend Cassie J. Sneider made me realize that I could write about myself, too. It’s not about the events that happened; it’s about the feelings, emotions, and reactions behind them. 

2. What is your daily writing routine?

I wish I had one! At the time of answering these (week of August 15), I’m attempting to cultivate a routine. I’ve just enrolled in a Summer Writing Sanctuary online workshop that’s meant to help find that creative spark and begin a steady routine. This is something I struggle with the most, making time for myself to write, esp. if it’s personal writing without a deadline. I hope to be better at that someday, but it’s definitely still a work in progress.

3. What drew you to comics/graphic novels in particular?

Growing up, I had a huge Archie comic collection (with a few Barbie comics peppered in for good measure). After middle school, I didn’t read comics as much. I finally returned to them sometime in college, diving into notable works like Watchmen and Sandman. Those helped reignite the spark for comics, and the amazing stories that could be told through the medium. I wouldn’t say I was actively searching out working on comics, but I held that love of Archie with me as a child, and when I saw an internship opportunity there, I jumped on it. I really didn’t know if writing comics would be for me, and it was about seven years into working at Archie before I gave it a try, but being able to tell a full story while allowing the breathing room for someone else to come in and bring it to visual life, adding their own nuances and ideas as well, is always such an amazing process. 

4. You’ve done several punk band reviews for Razorcake. For those who have absolutely no idea about the world of music criticism/writing, what is your process for writing them (is it subjective, do you talk about music theory, the atmosphere etc.)?

For me, it’s totally subjective. I love music, but I’m by no means a scholar. I’m just appreciative of the form. I’d been a fan of Razorcake for some time when I pitched the idea to them of doing some live music reviews. I really didn’t think they’d go for it, but their editor Todd, liked my approach. Instead of going for a straightforward review, I centered the reviews based on my own life and what was going on with me at the time. I know that sounds weird, it was like I was reviewing a band from an egotistical point of view, but it was more about how the music radiated beyond just the performance and connected with the audience, on levels way deeper than just auditory enjoyment. It felt like such a shot in the dark to try that, but Todd loved it and let me continue for a while. Things kind of cooled off (mostly because I had a stretch of time when I didn’t go to as many concerts), but I hoped I’d still be able to do something for them. 

5. You’re still doing your bi-monthly column for Razorcake, “One
Punk’s Look at Social Anxiety, Neuroticism, and Other Fun Stuff,”
discussing personal matters like social anxiety. How did your column come about and how has it evolved?

When I reached out to Todd at Razorcake after a period of stagnancy from live music, he offered me a chance to look over some old interviews with bands and musicians and write up new, updated introductions for them for the website. I enjoyed that, and I was glad Todd still wanted me to write for them in some capacity. He then approached me to see if I was interested in and had any ideas for a possible bi-monthly column for their website. At that point, I had dabbled with doing personal essays on mental health in the past, but all for websites that had gone quiet or defunct. I tossed the idea to him, and he loved it, and I’ve been doing it ever since. Todd and the RZ team are also always so appreciative of my work, it’s a fantastic community they’ve built. I’m always impressed by the work they do for DIY culture, and try to spread the word about them as much as I can. I also gotta respect anyone else in the subscription game! 

Every now and then I worry that I’m going to run out of ideas (which in and of itself could probably sustain a column) but the fun thing about anxiety is that there’s always something new to worry about and fixate on! Just kidding (kinda), but I always find myself able to be dealing with something in life that I can reflect on r analyze when the time comes for my next article. I’ve also stopped worrying about having a perfect resolution for the end of them–if I had that, I wouldn’t have much to write about. It’s not always about teaching a lesson or capping it off with a happy ending, sometimes the reality of continuing to make mistakes or not knowing the answer makes it all the more impactful. 

6. Now to your current position as full-time writer and editor at Archie Comics, how did you get your start at the company?

I mentioned it a bit in passing before, but I saw that they had some internship opportunities open right after I graduated college. I was a literature major and, in a bit of a rut about my options. It didn’t help that I was in the graduating class walking into a job crisis and one of the worst periods of economic instability. Jobs were very limited, but even if they weren’t, I wasn’t sure what kind of job I wanted where I could bring my love of the literary arts to it in a meaningful way. I scoured listings for literary agencies, publishing houses, and any companies with editorial positions open–but nothing was available or appealing to me. And a lot of the places I got through to were less-than-welcoming to a fresh-faced 22-year-old trying to enter the marketplace. I knew no matter where I went, I’d be starting from the bottom–which was fine–but I didn’t want to intern or start working somewhere I’d be miserable or wouldn’t enjoy the product I was reading/working on. 

I discovered then that Archie Comics was actually pretty local to where I’m from and had open positions for interns. I applied, got the internship, and that was it! At the start I helped out with pretty much anything they needed, mostly scanning and going through fan art and fan letters. Then I was able to take on some proofreading, which turned into my first full-time position there. Proofreading led to assisting in editorial, which led to being an editor, all leading up to my current position. I’m forever grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given and the growth I’ve experienced since I started, now over a decade ago. 

7. You’ve primarily worked on Betty and Veronica issues (Senior Year; Vixens; The Bond of Friendship), how do you tap into these classic characters while keeping them fresh for new readers? Why are they (and their friendship) so enduring?

Great question! I always say this but it’s true: the Archie Comics character archetypes are so perfect because they’re easily flexible and can work in pretty much any setting. I also think my years of fandom combined with my years of proofreading (aka reading Archie comics all day) and seeing other talented writers’ scripts, really primed me for writing these characters. I spent a lot of time both personally and professionally getting to know their voices. I was really intimidated when I sat down to write my first script, but I found it came really naturally to me. And taking them out of the comfort zone of high school and into a biker game ended up being fun and a really easy transition to make. 

I think in general people just love a good story of opposites attracting. There’s nothing about Betty and Veronica that makes sense for them to be friends, and that’s why it works. They complement each other with their differences. Everyone is either a “Betty” or a “Veronica,” and the two characters exemplify both what you see in yourself, and what you want to see in yourself. And who doesn’t want to aspire to have a friendship that can last over 80 years??

8. B & V: Vixens reimagines the girls as part of a biker gang. It’s always fun to see these characters go on crazy parallel world adventures and this one had an important undercurrent about feminism and trafficking. How did you manage the more serious situation while still being family-friendly?

Vixens was always meant to be geared toward a slightly older audience, but its overall message of empowerment made it appealing to all ages. We actually toned down some of the language over time because we realized how much more universal of an audience it was attracting. With that in mind, navigating the more serious stuff did get a little tricky. I think the key to not letting it get too​​​ dark was by having a lot of what was going on be inferred and relying on subtlety. One thing we wanted to make sure of is that there would never be extreme violence shown toward the female characters. I took a playwriting class in college and my professor said something to the class that always stuck with me: you don’t need to always make your female characters victims. Once I had that in my mind, I started to really think more about how I wrote my female characters. The females can be heroes without being victims first. I didn’t want to labor over the harm that could be done, I wanted everything to come from the perspective of the women fighting in defense of others instead. Handling that way helped keep things accessible without compromising the importance of the underlying story. 

9. A recurring theme I’ve found in your works is encouraging girls to pursue STEM fields, why is this an important message to spread?

I think it’s just pretty reflective of the current world! A lot of young folks are getting more and more interested in STEM, and yet it’s still a field that could use more women and women-identifying folks in it! 

10. What I found interesting in Senior Year was the pairing of Betty and Reggie. Usually they’ve been paired up as a joke, but you made it a meaningful relationship/break up, what drew you to add it to the highs/lows of Senior Year?

There was one story, I want to say from the late 1980s/early 1990s, that saw the pairing of Betty and Reggie, but it was in secret and no one ever knew they were dating. That’s still one of my favorite Archie stories, and the idea of Reggie letting Betty see this softer side of him that no one else can see always stuck with me. 

11. What was the process in creating an all-new Archie character Stacy Banks?

The idea actually came from Archie’s Editor-in-Chief Mike Pellerito. He wanted there to be a female character who could rival Dilton in intelligence, without having to be classified as the token “geeky” character. I mentioned to him the idea of everyone getting really into a Wordle-style game, since it was super popular at the time, and we expanded it to be a game that this character created because of her coding experience. It was also cool to have a character who comes from a family of esteem that even Veronica envies but doesn’t use that to advance herself and stays humble despite it. Coming up with all the little nuances that make her unique is a really fun process, and I’m excited to see what other writers do with her in the future! 

12. Archie Comics is fun for being able to put them in any genre from horror to Twilight parody to straight drama, what new situations do you want to put them in the future?

Oh gosh, so many! I touched on roller derby in Vixens, but that’s something I always want to do. I’ve recently got big into wrestling, so I’d love the see the ladies of Riverdale start an all-female wrestling company. And as for horror–well, we’ve got plenty of ideas up our sleeves that fans will have to keep their eyes out for! The possibilities are truly endless. 

13. With all the work in your portfolio, and more to come, which experience has been your favorite to work on?

That’s so tough! A lot of my RZ articles are super-close to my heart. Bond of Friendship was amazing because it was a new opportunity for Archie. But I think Vixens will always hold a very special place in my heart: it was my first-ever Archie writing, and it was something so different and fun. I’ll cherish that time forever. 

14. Do you have any exciting titles or plans you can spill about for the coming year?

In terms of editorial, yes. We’re getting closer and closer to the Halloween season, and we’ve got a whole slew of horror one-shots to come. I’m incredibly excited for everyone to check those out! And that’s just the start of all the exciting stuff that’s to come! We’ve got a lot of new stuff in store for fans in the future, so now’s a great time to get into (or get back into) reading Archie!