We were lucky to catch up with Francheska Robles Diaz recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Francheska, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?
The idea came to me while listening to many people talk about humanity’s dark side. Murderers and foul souls stained with darkness most of us don’t have… or do we? Are we just as evil as the real-world monsters lurking in the shadows of our willfully blind society? And that’s where the ideas for my novels come from. In my first novel, The Effects Of Her Nerium, I bring forth crucial information on our deep ongoing crisis of Missing and Unidentified People in the U.S. and worldwide. In my second novel, On The Other Side, Lies The Truth, I shed light on an infamous unsolved case, The NewBedford, Massachuttes Highway Killer. And in my third upcoming novel, Rabid, I speak up about Human Trafficking. So, how do I get you to question your morality? I place you in a situation that half a million families have actually gone through; having a close family member ripped away from your arms too soon. I put you in their shoes, I submerge you into their world of pain and suffering and then I install their rage, their loss… So, what would YOU do in their shoes, if all that stood between you and your thought of justice was the law? Who do you think you would become? Each idea is created into stories invoking a message, in attempts to give the voiceless a voice.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My Name is Francheska, But I go by F.R. Diaz. I am an Author and Artist. Lover of the strange and abstract. Writer of horror, crime fiction, and psychological thriller novels, such as The Effects Of Her Nerium and On The Other Side, Lies The Truth. A paranormal/crime fiction. I’m currently writing Rabid. In Rabid, I bring back one of my reader’s favorite characters, Lilith from The Effects Of Her Nerium.
I’m also a digital artist and creator. I design anything from t-shirts, stickers, magnets, banners, flyers, logos, and even websites. Find my creative content on Instagram @ToxicMentality_by_frdiaz And don’t forget to check out my online pop-up store on RedBubble. www.redbubble.com/people/ToxicMentality
-Born in Carolina, Puerto Rico. LGBTQ+ Author and Army Veteran, F.R. Diaz’s main focus is to give her readers and viewers, horror-filled, exciting, jaw-dropping stories, with a message.-
I become a horror crime/fiction writer to tell the readers a different kind of story. Stories with amazing, strong, LGBTQ women as lead characters, taking back what the world has so cruelly taken from us, time and time again. Our dignity, our womanhood, our voice. My journey began in 2020, the year the world stood still. I listened to many podcasts, mostly true crime, paying close attention to how the system has failed us and our children and then forced us to seal our lips and turn the other cheek. Thousands of people, missing. Others were found and unable to be identified. Their bodies are defiled and/or mutilated. And their abductor/killer running free. So I decided to write my first novel, with a strong female lead. A morally grey character who takes matters into her own hands as the system failed to protect her and her loved ones. Leading law enforcement into her own unique, malevolent design of horror. I found my purpose, giving the readers an amazing story we all secretly wish would come to life, then jolt them at the end with crucial, information about real crises our country hides away in the dark; Missing and Unidentified People, cold cases hushed away, and Human Trafficking.
With my skills and talent as a writer and artist, I wish to give the voiceless a voice with every project I work on.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Social media can be tricky for some. Unless you’re acting a fool to make people laugh or showing some skin, or just being plain weird, it’s hard to grab people’s attention when it takes less than .2 seconds to decide if you want to view the rest of the post or not. Definitely not an easy task but, if you have the drive, you find ways to grow, organically. My best advice, begin building up your social media by connecting with others. Connect and learn from other authors and artists. Grow slow. Be patient. A tree doesn’t grow in a day nor does it labor any fruit in a year. Expand your imagination. Explore different ways of creating new content for your art or book. We learn with ourselves every day, if we push through the fear of failure or embarrassment. Just do it, as Shia Labeouf once said. DON’T LET YOUR DREAMS BE DREAMS! JUST DO IT!
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
To illustrate my resilience is to tell you how I started writing my first book, with zero knowledge on how to even start. I have no literature educational background. My highest level of education is high school. And being bilingual is definitely a challenge. Grammarly and Word Doc have guided me gently, but of course, I still hired an Editor, the wonderful H.D. Scarberry. Independent author and artist herself.
When I began my journey, I simply began by getting a laptop downloaded Word and started writing the story that was stuck in my head. I was a very rocky start. I struggled for over a year, only to release it in October 2021, with tons of grammatical errors and no page numbers. I felt as though I wasted my whole year in creating something not worth reading. but still, I kept it published. Still, I felt no shame. Still, I keep going forward with it. So, I shared it first with my mother, and then with a few close friends and co-workers. Then, I reached into social media and connected with other independent authors. From there it took off. The horror/writer community within the web is huge, welcoming, and encouraging. People began to love my first novel for the storyline, and they all overlooked the errors, giving me great feedback and advice. I was able to fix my novel and create more amazing books. Thanks to everyone who helped me along the way. From those authors and creatives, I learned and grew more. They helped me become a better writer and storyteller. There are some pretty amazing indie authors out there the world is definitely missing out on by remaining in the mainstream. And this is the definition of illustrating not only my resilience but the resilience of other creatives like myself. We just keep going. We keep creating. What one person doesn’t like, many others will. Overlook the haters and love those who love you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.frdiazdarkcreations.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/f.r.diaz_/
- Facebook: Francheska Robles-Diaz
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francheska-robles-diaz-bb092a2b5?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Twitter: @FRDiazAuthor
- Youtube: @frdiazdarkcreations
