Standout Authors Unbound amplifies the voices of underrepresented writers and indie authors to disrupt an industry that rewards conformity over authenticity.
What if becoming a writer isn’t about choosing a single lane, but about letting your interests collide and trusting what comes out on the page?
Jessica Phylicia Jackson is the author My Heart Is A Haunted House and The Garden Of Graves, and she has been writing for as long as she can remember. Long before publishing, long before labels, it was simply something that lived inside her. Over time, that love turned into paranormal fantasy, poetry, and stories shaped by horror, dark themes, and deeply human emotion.
In this conversation, Jessica opens up about what it really means to protect your creativity. Why self-publishing gave her the freedom she needed. How characters often take control of the story. And why comparison, burnout, and turning art into “work” can quietly drain the joy out of creating if you’re not careful.
She’s honest about the vulnerability required to write poetry, the discipline behind finishing projects, and the importance of community when the process gets heavy or isolating.
Highlights
The moment she stopped drawing for herself, she knew something had to change.
Jessica had built a real side art business. It was growing. It was working.
But somewhere in the middle of turning passion into income, the joy slipped out.
“When it went into full-time and now this is my income and I have to draw to make money, it ended up causing a lot of anxiety for me and making me just not want to draw anymore.”
She scaled back. She started reading again. And reading led her back to writing.
Sometimes losing one thing is how you find the thing that was always meant for you.
Her first book started as a poem nobody was supposed to read.
Before drafts and outlines, Jessica was writing poetry like a diary. Private. Unpolished. Just for herself.
But inside one of those poems was the seed of The Garden of Graves.
“The very seed of The Garden of Graves started as a poem, which is now published in My Heart is a Haunted House.”
We often think the work starts when we sit down to write the book. But sometimes it’s already been happening quietly for years.
Her mom’s stories from the Philippines shaped her writing more than she realized.
Jessica grew up hearing folklore and spooky stories from her mom’s childhood. She carried those stories with her for years without knowing what to do with them.
Then she started writing. And the puzzle pieces clicked into place.
“All the little folklore and spooky stories that she would tell me from her childhood in the Philippines, that has always stayed with me. And I just never thought that I would draw inspiration from that to write until I wanted to write.”
The things that shaped us earliest are often the richest material we have.
Publishing poetry feels like opening your diary to the world.
Fiction comes with armor, Jessica says. You can pour your heart into a character and still keep some distance.
Poetry is different.
“If you put poetry out in the world, you’re taking off the mask, you’re removing the armor. You’ve got no choice but to just be this soft, vulnerable person.”
She knew what every poem in My Heart is a Haunted House was really about. And that vulnerability, the fear that someone might unravel it, was the hardest part of letting it go.
She would rather be praised for being weird than compared for being similar.
Jessica’s main character hears voices. Her powers don’t fit neatly into any fantasy box. Her book blends genres in ways that might make a traditional publisher nervous.
She did it on purpose.
“I would much rather write a book that is just authentically weird and different and then find readers who love it for exactly what it is than to water it down and make it kind of a copy and paste of all of the other books that are already out there.”
Writing for everyone is how you end up resonating with no one.
Writing is a muscle. And 500 words a day was enough to build it.
When Jessica wrote The Garden of Graves, 500 words was her daily goal. Some days she barely hit 200 and called it a win.
The writing pros might laugh at that number. But she kept showing up.
“It’s like working out for the first time. It was very hard the first time because it’s like a muscle that you’re not used to use.”
Now she doubles or triples that count without thinking about it. The work built the capacity.
Closing reflection
Jessica’s story is a reminder that writing doesn’t have to be neat, linear, or easily categorized to matter. You’re allowed to blend genres. You’re allowed to change direction. You’re allowed to create work that feels true, even if it’s darker, messier, or more vulnerable than you planned.
If this conversation resonates, you’re exactly the kind of writer I created Standout Authors Unbound for. And if you’re ready to stop second-guessing your voice and start building momentum around your work, let’s talk. Your stories deserve to be out in the world.
If you enjoyed this conversation, check out our written interview!
Betting on Yourself: Jessica Phylicia Jackson's Raw Take on Self-Publishing and Manifestation
Jessica Phylicia Jackson is a writer, artist, and mother from Virginia, navigating life one intrusive thought at a time. Through her blog, Mad Girl Manifesting, she shares the raw and messy journey of manifesting her best life—while battling self-doubt, creative burnout, and the occasional existential crisis.
