In this post, we’ll be hearing from writer, editor, and publisher Alanna Rusnak. She updates us on her writing and publishing projects, while also offering us a glimpse into her inspirations as well as challenges. If you missed our original interview, take a look here: Interview with Alanna Rusnak
Check out Alanna’s author bio:
Alanna was born in the wrong decade and dreams of abandoning everything to live in a van and travel across Canada. She’ll call it “a book tour,” but it’s really an excuse to unleash her inner hippie.
A collector of typewriters and John Travolta VHS movies, she believes life is too short to not indulge in the things that bring you joy and in keeping with that philosophy, she left a stuffy office job of 18 years to launch a full-time indie press out of a chicken coop on her childhood property.
An author of literary and speculative fiction, Alanna likes to play in dark spaces, but always leaves room for redemption. Her latest novel is about burning down the world in order to set things right.
Settled in West Grey as a four-year-old, it has always been her home and source of inspiration and she’s working hard to build bridges between the various arts communities. With no immediate plans to abandon this, she will certainly leave it all behind the moment her husband gets on board with the van-life idea.
Alanna it’s been two years since our last interview. What did 2025 look like for you in your multiple roles as a writer, editor, and publisher? What’s on the horizon for 2026?
It’s actually hard to look back and articulate everything that happened in 2025 because the publishing world requires eyes forward at all times. As a solopreneur, I am keeping many balls in the air and though I’m always tired. I’m also always invigorated by the exciting projects that are constantly on the go.
I made a big decision in 2024 to keep my submissions closed in order to nurture my existing roster, roll out the titles already in my queue, and focus on follow up titles from writers already in my catalogue. This has been a game-changer in terms of workload and time management. I was working on an unsustainable (but totally exciting) publishing calendar that demanded a title was released every month. From a financial standpoint, this makes sense; from a human perspective, something had to give. The de-escalation has given me space to more fully invest in myself as a writer, and I learned that I have to treat myself like a client in order to find a good balance.
Now that we’re in 2026, I’m just beginning to see the effects of that 2024 decision. And as things are feeling more manageable, I’m able to push out titles with more care and discernment.
Who are your mentors or role models in the business? Tell us about one person who has inspired or supported you in your journey as a publisher.
I love following other scrappy little indie outfits who, like me, have a heart for writers and a desire to see them succeed. I’ve built a nice relationship with the owner of Byzantium Sky Press out of Delaware and we are often trading tips and tricks back and forth, commiserating over AI, and celebrating one another’s accomplishments through emails, Instagram DMs, and Zoom chats. It’s refreshing to find people who don’t look at you as competition, but as comrades in the same battle for creativity.
Chicken House Press is a flurry of activity! Alanna, tell us about your authors’ forthcoming appearances and readings. How can interested readers support their work?
Continue reading “Check-in with Alanna Rusnak”
Pauline Shen 