Known as the \u201cQueen of Twists,\u201d best-selling author Jeneva Rose is stepping into pure horror for the first time with her new release, Sometimes I Scare Myself (<\/em>$21), out today. Rose built her name on twisty, addictive thrillers like The Perfect Marriage<\/em> and The Perfect Divorce,<\/em> with work translated into 28 languages and optioned for film and TV. This time, she\u2019s channeling that same instinct for the unexpected into three interconnected horror stories\u2014a s\u00e9ance gone wrong, a house with a deadly history and a cursed roadside stop\u2014proving she\u2019s just as chilling outside the thriller genre.<\/p>\n Ahead, Jeneva Rose talks postpartum self-care, her pivot to horror and the beauty spots keeping her sane in her new Wisconsin home.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI wrote these while I was postpartum, and that really changed my feelings about what beauty is and how to take care of myself. Going into motherhood, I was afraid of losing myself, so I\u2019ve always wanted to prioritize that. Getting ready for the day feels like a ritual now, because it might be the only thing I do that day that\u2019s entirely for myself. Taking 20 or 30 minutes to do something that makes you feel like yourself again; I think that\u2019s important.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes, it does feel like work\u2026there\u2019s this pressure to keep up appearances and make sure I look presentable, especially being in the public eye. I\u2019ll go out and get recognized and think, \u2018Oh my God, I didn\u2019t do my hair\u2019 or \u2018I\u2019m not wearing makeup.\u2019 But it\u2019s also made me embrace who I am. Sometimes you\u2019ll get me with a full face of makeup, and other times you\u2019ll get me with just tinted sunscreen on, or recovering from a beauty treatment.<\/p>\n It\u2019s made me a little self-conscious, but at the end of the day, this is who I am, and you\u2019re going to get different versions of me. I had a very public pregnancy; I toured a 10-city route over two weeks while seven months pregnant. Being in front of people when I wasn\u2019t feeling my best actually made me more comfortable with all of it. People have seen me at my heaviest; I went on Good Morning America <\/em>eight weeks postpartum, not feeling great about myself. They\u2019ve seen so many versions of me\u2014before motherhood, pregnant, postpartum. I\u2019m just trying to get comfortable in my own skin, and that\u2019s all I can do if I\u2019m putting myself out there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt felt like a very natural pivot from thrillers. I\u2019ve loved horror since I was young, and horror and thriller are closely linked genres. But with thrillers, everything has to be realistic\u2014the twist has to make sense and stay grounded in reality. Horror let me take off those guardrails and bring in a supernatural element to explore a different kind of fear.<\/p>\n I was also dealing with postpartum anxiety while writing these stories, and it gave me somewhere to put all those anxious thoughts. Instead of carrying them around all day\u2014worrying about everything that could go wrong every minute, like a staircase suddenly feeling dangerous, or being near water feeling scary because I have this tiny person to protect\u2014I could hand them off to different characters on the page.<\/p>\n \u201cI love going for walks\u2014it helps my mental health, and it helps me work through stories when I\u2019m stuck. I also love beauty treatments that make me feel more like myself, not like a different person. I love microneedling. I just had my third session last week, so I\u2019ve been shedding like a snake for the past seven days. I love a massage here and there, and getting my hair done. Anything that gets my brain thinking about something else.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just moved to this area in November, so I\u2019m still exploring, but I like Luna Med Spa. I also love Glow\u2014that\u2019s where I\u2019ve been going for my microneedling. Both spots do really great facials and other services.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWith the baby now, their role is a little different. It\u2019s less about them sitting with me and more about keeping the peace, making sure the dog stays calm while she\u2019s trying to walk. It\u2019s constantly watching the dog and the baby, the dog and the baby.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\nCongrats on release day. Writing horror seems like such a different undertaking for you, and that probably comes with its own stress. When you were working on this, how did you step away and make time for self-care?<\/h2>\n
I love that answer. You have a lot of followers watching you online. Does that ever feel like work, or does it just come naturally?<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.sanity.io\/images\/0vv8moc6\/newbeauty\/4a58ab22c7366ada67eaee7080939d3cf47a204d-2400x1400.png?w=1200&auto=format&q=70\")
I love that, too. Since this is your first pure horror project, was there a specific moment that pushed you to write it? An official pivot?<\/h2>\n
Now that the book\u2019s out, do you have a moment in your day where you clear your head\u2014time with the kids, a walk, a bath, something just for you?<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.sanity.io\/images\/0vv8moc6\/newbeauty\/5bb0779e6e274edd6fa7807a67b2004c7957cc86-1400x2400.jpg?w=1200&auto=format&q=70\")
You live in Wisconsin. Is there a local spot near you that you love for beauty treatments or shopping?<\/h2>\n
Amazing. Your dogs are part of your bio and intro. Do they still play a big role in your writing life, sitting with you while you type?<\/h2>\n