Editor’s Letter: The Stephen Graham Jones Editorial

Stephen Graham Jones sits down in the chair next to me. 

“No one is going to believe me if I tell this story,” I say to him.

He laughs, “I know, right?”

The Master of Horror texted me the most ludicrous story. I honestly thought he was making it up. There was no way this was true. Yet, this was the story he told me to get me to sit down with him.

Horror writers have told stories of how, as they were trying to decide where to go for dinner, Stephen would sit down and start typing away. Twenty minutes later, he had an entire story completed from beginning to end. Meanwhile, they still have no idea where they’re going for dinner.

So, Stephen Graham Jones telling me that he left his laptop in the backseat of the car that picked him up from the airport that morning seems like the most insane story he could have told me. Even more absurd – he had no idea he had left his laptop in the car until the driver called him hours later to inform him that he had his laptop.

He confessed this was the first time anything like this had ever happened to him. That just adds to how unbelievable this story was. He had no idea he had left his laptop in the car until hours later. The only way he knew he didn’t have it was because the driver called him. 

NO ONE IS GOING TO BELIEVE THAT STORY.

Thus, the reason why he was sitting next to me laughing at this mishap.

While we waited for his laptop, we mapped out this rather large 20+ assets editorial I am releasing over the next few months. He was fitted in the clothes for the fashion editorial. We went over the planned photography. Unfortunately, only one planned photograph survived. The rest, we had to do in less than 15 minutes. Leave it to Stephen Graham Jones to quickly strip off one jacket, put on another one, and then pose.

None of the elaborate photography we were going to do was completed. I was so looking forward to doing something different. But this is what happens when your publisher takes over your schedule and dismisses something you’ve independently planned days before as if it did not matter.

There were conversations I wanted to write about during this editorial that Stephen forbade me from writing or discussing, even though what we discussed was something that would have made his interview absolutely extraordinary. It remains a secret between us – that whole who Stephen Graham Jones really is and what he wants.

As we stood outside waiting for his laptop, we watched a sanitation truck loading industrial waste. Stephen commented he’d never seen a garbage truck like that before. I stood there watching his brain operate as he became completely fascinated by this truck. I kept thinking, hmm. This is going to end up in some horror story someday and I’m witnessing the author in his element.

This leads me to what this editorial entails. While planning what we would create, he insisted we talk about trucks. He was so excited we were going to talk about trucks. Yes, dear reader, he talked about trucks. Yes, I sat there rubbing my hands over my face going, what is my life?

But to see how excited he was to talk about trucks, you can’t say, “No, Stephen. We will not be talking about trucks.” You just let the dude do his thing.

So, for the truck portion, I’m letting Stephen take over that discussion. He will be providing the photographs. I’m letting him go wild and letting him be 100% authentically Stephen. Meanwhile, I’m going… what is my life? He wanted to talk about trucks. The Master of Horror wanted to talk about trucks. Not horror. TRUCKS.

God help me.

I am just thankful we didn’t go to that car show I found after he said he wanted to talk about trucks. New York Comic Con I can handle. A day with Stephen at a car show? Somebody save me. Smile and nod. Take cool car pictures. Oh, we get to photograph Stephen with comics? Oh, thank God.

He wanted to talk about his injuries. What he sent to me… I don’t think I’ve picked my jaw up from off the floor, yet.

I was also not prepared to be casually reading his answers to my questions and then finding myself walking right into a horror story and backing up going… nope. NOPE! Too late. Master of Horror has scared me to death in 1 paragraph. Didn’t even see it coming.

That is Stephen for you. And somewhere out there, he’s laughing.

He likes scaring people.

Not just in stories, but in real life. Oh, wait until you read what he’s actually done to scare people outside of the page.

Yet, he wants to discuss trucks. Funny how as I think about the interview he submitted back to me, a lot of his stories involved trucks.

Universe, please send help.

Over the next few months, you’ll see multiple SGJ assets across MKM (PerfectionistWannabe.com, social media, and the upcoming magazine launching early 2027). There will be a partial interview launched on PW. The full interview will appear in the magazine.

What better way to get ready for Halloween than to have the Master of Horror appear across MKM. 

Other stories currently in the pipeline: four assets from James Dolan (owner of Madison Square Garden, The Sphere, NY Knicks, and NY Rangers), a children’s book editorial, social justice stories, and the October Editorial Pick.

A Little Something About MKM’s New Direction

Over these next few months, you’ll discover what exactly an editorial looks like for MKM (Michelle Kenneth Media). This inaugural editorial is just a taste of the editor’s pick. It contains over 20 assets spread across this site, social media, and the upcoming magazine launching early 2027.

The Stephen Graham Jones Editorial is an editor’s pick. There is a difference between Independent Editorial Consideration and Sponsored Editorials & Partnerships. The first is complimentary and entirely selective. The second is paid for.

SGJ’s editorial is an Independent Editorial Consideration, not Sponsored. Stephen was one of the first people to congratulate me on MKM. It just made sense to ask him to do this rather elaborate inaugural editorial. He wore the clothes, easily shifted into a whole new photoshoot when we discovered we had 15 minutes to shoot it in, answered pages upon pages of questions, and just went along with everything I proposed we do, and he did not complain once.

I honestly don’t think I’ll get as lucky putting together another editorial where the subject just knows exactly what to do without being told. Just a look, nod, and pose.

Stephen’s editorial is an example of what I’m producing here at MKM. In 2027, there will be 12 independent editorials selected, as well as 12 sponsored editorials. You can learn more about considerations here.

Unlike the Influencer model where a post only lasts a short amount of time (i.e. trending), an MKM editorial incorporates the Influencer model with the media model. Social media is used as an ad. The publications and sites are used to host evergreen content with original photography, interviews, and canons. This allows readers to engage, learn more, and participate in the content being shared in a variety of ways.

This site will feature The Interview, but only an excerpt of the interview. The full interview will appear in the magazine. You’ll find a lot of fun content over the next few months spread across all of MKM’s platforms. Make sure to follow along on social media and this site.

The way this editorial was constructed was to cross-promote all of my different writing/photography. So that weird thing that Stephen likes to eat (it’s not just what he’s eating, it is how he’s eating it) may be connected to my Serial Killer substack series. But there may also be a recipe in there for fried zucchini or fish sticks… or… well, you’ll find out.

Also, don’t think Stephen hasn’t met Matthew (the Maine Coon). I blame this man for the reason why my Maine Coon likes to chew on my fingers. It is a habit I can’t break him of. Don’t read Stephen Graham Jones stories to your cat. Matthew took it as permission to prepare for that day he needs to consume my corpse.

In the coming days, I’ll also be announcing the Editor’s Pick. It is not a full editorial, but a recognition of someone’s work that has captured my attention and needs to be elevated.

Stay tuned. The SGJ drop begins soon.

Michelle