Indie Author Spotlight, Episode 10

Hello! It's me (again). S.E. Reed, your favorite multi-genre Indie Author and volunteer at The Writer's Workout. Okay, so maybe I'm not your favorite, but I am an Indie Author who has made it her mission to help you find out more about others like me. Each of these episodes features a Q&A-style interview with an Indie Author so you can get to know more about them and their writing. In addition, some of the authors have chosen to participate in a 2nd interview on my website, Writing With Reed, which I'll link at the end.

I was super excited for today's interview, because it's with an author I didn't know much about before today. Former victim's rights lawyer, turned full-time writer, Brittany Micka-Foos. She's award-winning and prolific, with dozens of publishing credits to her name. (My kinda gal!) Anyway, it was an honor to learn more about Brittany and I'm super excited for all of you to meet her today.

author Brittany Micka-Foos

Hey Brittany! So great to meet you. Can you share a little about yourself?

I’m an author of short stories, poetry, plays, and nonfiction living in the Pacific Northwest.  My work appears in a variety of literary journals, including Epiphany, Witness, Identity Theory, Ninth Letter, Literary Mama, and CALYX. 

Even though I’ve been writing since I was very young, I didn’t start taking myself seriously as a writer until after the birth of my first child when I was in my 30s. I had a traumatic birth experience, and in the aftermath I found myself dissatisfied with this overly sanitized, glossy image of motherhood that I’d been sold. When I started writing, it was in response to that prevailing narrative about how motherhood should be. It felt important to me to give voice to the gray and silent areas as well.  Even today, that’s what I aim to do with my writing: locate areas of discomfort and shine a light on them. 

Can you tell us about your writing style.

I write dark literary fiction. I like to call my writing “domestic horror,” or maybe “suburban horror.” I’ve also heard it called “uncanny fiction.” It’s not so much a specific sub-genre as it is a reflection of the uncomfortable, inhospitable spaces that women-identifying individuals inhabit in everyday life. To me, it’s scarier than anything supernatural. 

Tell us about a project you’re proud of and link it. 

My debut short story collection, “It’s No Fun Anymore,” will be released by Apprentice House Press on June 17, 2025. These “horror-adjacent” short stories channel the spirit of Sylvia Plath and Shirley Jackson into the modern era of #MeToo, Instagram mothering, and MLM pyramid schemes. These stories dissect the quiet, everyday trauma in women’s lives and the implicit violence at the underbelly of power dynamics and societal structures. 

Spill the tea, what are you currently working on? 

After finishing my short story collection, I think I’m ready to write a novel. It’s still in the infancy stage, but it will center on the experiences of a high-masking autistic woman navigating the maze of the medical bureaucracy. 

I was diagnosed with autism at age 38. I think about how my identity has shifted over the years in response to sea changes in how the psycho-medical community understands and diagnoses individuals. Ultimately, I am whatever I am, but those labels impact how I am treated by others, and they shift how I understand myself. I’m not trying to give a diagnosis undue power, but it is a form of meaning-making. It’s how society organizes and categorizes people. We need to be very cognizant of the institutions that label and define us. And what better way to explore that sort of meaning-making than through fiction? 

What is your biggest/best piece of advice for other Indie Authors?

Reach out to authors you admire and make those connections early. If you read a piece of writing that you enjoy, that’s reason enough to send a quick message. I wish I had put myself out there more, because not only is it nourishing to support other writers and their work, but I have also come to realize the importance of these little connections within the literary community. For indie authors in particular, it’s important to build these networks in organic and authentic ways. Even though it can feel awkward, it’s so worth it. 

Who is your favorite Indie Author? 

There are so many indie authors I admire so much, it would be impossible to list them all! And then there are the many small presses that promote them tirelessly. These venues make it possible for authors to experiment and publish work that might not find a mainstream audience. My writing career would not exist without those small presses, and I am so grateful to all the editors and readers who are champions of indie authors. 

Where can someone find your work, social presence, etc. drop some links. 

Website: www.brittanymickafoos.com

Instagram: @brittanymickafoos

If you want to know more about Brittany, check out her 2nd interview over on my website - https://www.writingwithreed.com/post/bonus-episode-with-brittany-micka-foos