Interview with fantasy author Caiseal Mor

Author Caiseal Mor is here to chat with me about his new historical fantasy, King of the Blind.

During his virtual book tour, Caiseal will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit his other tour stops and enter there, too.

Bio:
Caiseal Mor is an Australian sci-fi and fantasy novelist, artist and musician. Ancient Celtic Folklore has been a major inspiration for his thirteen published Fantasy novels. Mór also composes and records music, having produced seventeen albums since 1995. He is well known for his self-designed book and album covers and his intricate artworks in both traditional and digital mediums. Since 2013 he has been developing a distinctive graphic art style and creating digital sculptures in 3D.

Please share a little bit about your current release.

In 1688 a plague of smallpox swept through Ireland. Like many others, eighteen year old Turlough O’Carolan was struck down. He was one of the lucky ones to survive. However, the sickness cost him his eyesight. Within two years of being blinded he’d learned to play the harp and taken to the road as a travelling musician. In time he’d be considered the greatest of all the Irish harpers. His music is still played all around the world today.

To the end of his days he always maintained that Otherworldly beings, known in Ireland as the Shee, had granted him the gift of music and were responsible for at least some of his compositions. This is a story from a time when the veil between the worlds was thinner and belief in the mystical “Good People”, was still strong.

What inspired you to write this book?

I’ve been a huge fan of the music of Turlough O’Carolan since I was a boy. My mother had an old 78 record of some of Carolan’s music played on the Irish harp and it fascinated me. In my twenties I was travelling through Ireland listening to stories from traditional storytellers. I heard a few tales about O’Carolan and just started collecting them. I never really intended to write a novel about him. I was just interested in his music, his life and that period of Irish history.

Excerpt from King of the Blind

From long experience of travelling the roads Turlough had learned the trick of sleeping soundly in the saddle. It was late afternoon about an hour before sunset when he suddenly awoke from a deep and restful slumber. He shuddered so violently he almost lost his balance and slipped off the horse.

‘Hugh!’ he called. ‘There’s trouble up ahead.’

‘Is there?’

‘Can’t you hear it?

‘No.’

‘Listen. I hear voices raised and threats of harm.’

Hugh stepped in front of the mare to stop her. He cocked his head but he couldn’t hear anything.

‘Are you sure?’

‘What’s the road like ahead?’

‘There’s a sharp bend just there.’

‘Get the pistols,’ Carolan advised. ‘I have a terrible feeling about this.’

‘I’m sure it’s nothing.’

‘Do as I say!’

Hugh rolled his eyes, sure his master was letting his imagination get the better of him. But to make him happy he went to the saddlebag, rummaged about and pulled out the pistols Squire Jones had loaned him. Quickly, he primed the pans from the little powder flask, closed the frizzens and stuck weapons in his belt. Then with shaking hands he carefully concealed the pistols under his coat.

‘Try not to tremble so much,’ Carolan told him. ‘They’ll think you’re frightened.’

‘There’s nobody on the road ahead, master.’

‘Then why are you shaking so much?’

‘We haven’t had a drink for three days,’ Hugh countered. ‘It’s not fear that’s got me shaking. It’s the Dee-Tees. I need a whiskey to steady my nerves.’

‘What are you talking about? What’s the Dee-Tees anyway?’

‘Doctor Delany explained it to me,’ Hugh explained, as he led the mare on. ‘If a man drinks every day his body gets used to the stuff, so much so that when he’s forced to stop for a few days he’ll get desperately ill yearning for the companionship of the spirit, as the good doctor called it.’

‘I know that feeling well enough,’ Carolan replied.

‘The Dee-Tees is short for delirium tremens,’ Hugh continued. ‘It’ll make your heart beat wildly. A man’s hands will start to shake. Fevers and sweats follow. He’ll act out of character and may take foolish risks. Such a man can become easily distracted.’

‘As I believe you are now,’ Turlough pointed out beginning to lose patience with the discussion. ‘We’ve all been there. I didn’t know there was a word for it. Stop it now. You’re making me thirsty and you need to ready yourself for the danger ahead.’

‘But there’s more,’ Hugh went on. ‘A man suffering this malady will see and hear things that others cannot.’

Carolan was silent but the servant could tell by the way the harper frowned that he was considering the information carefully.

‘Some men go completely mad. Some men die. And there’s no cure for it.’

‘Except a drink,’ Turlough pointed out.

‘I suppose so,’ Hugh agreed. ‘I hadn’t thought of it that way.’

‘Keep your mind on the job at hand,’ the harper snapped, ‘Enough of this talk. You’ve got me worried my life is at risk whenever I go through a bout of sobriety. If you can’t stop shaking at least try to control yourself. There’s trouble on the road ahead and we have to keep our wits about us.’

What exciting story are you working on next?
Right now, I’m working on writing and illustrating a Sci-Fi graphic novel called “Veil of the Gods”. Chapter One is already out on Kindle and Chapter Two is about to be published.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I didn’t really consider myself a writer until my fourth novel was published and nominated for an award at the WorldCon in 1999. There I met Terry Pratchett ( we shared a publicist ) and it sort of hit home that I was an author. I’d never actually planned to be a writer. It just happened by accident. Random House and Simon and Schuster published my novels originally, but now the rights have reverted to me.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I write full time. At the moment I’m working on a graphic novel series that I’m illustrating as well as writing. It’s called “Veil of the Gods”. Chapter One is already in Kindle. I’m just finishing Chapter Two. So yes, writing is my FULL time job. I love my work. It’s easy for me to get lost in it. I’m very lucky to have a couple of people who drag me out into the sunshine now and then so I don’t die of vitamin D deficiency.

I originally wrote King of the Blind in 1997. It took three months. I worked 12 hours a day with one hour for lunch, one hour for siesta and one hour for walking by the ocean near where I lived at the time in Sydney, Australia. Each week I’d take a day off, though if inspired I prefer to keep working. Sometimes ten or twelve days would go by without a break. I was living alone so it wasn’t so difficult to finish the novel quite quickly. I don’t plan very much. I tend to just look over my notes and start writing a novel. I rarely ever start at the beginning of the story. The ending is much more important, in my opinion.

King of the Blind was originally called Carolan’s Concerto and it was a much shorter novel. Recently I restored all the parts my editor at the time didn’t approve of. Now it’s a kind of extended “Director’s Cut” of the original.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I have a very obsessive routine I follow before I start work. My desk has to be just right and if I’m writing on the laptop rather than a desktop computer I have to be surrounded by a few lucky charms. I’ve often got two projects on at once and I shift between two computers. One will be rendering scenes for the graphic novel and the other is where I do the writing.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Normal. I was diagnosed as autistic when I was 7 years old. In those days the rate was 1 in 100 000 people with autism. Now, it’s 1 in 100. So, I was considered very unusual. I wasn’t allowed to do the things other kids could do, like sport, swimming or field trips. I was stuck indoors a lot. The only thing I really aspired to was climbing the mango tree in our front garden. I did this whenever I could slip away undetected. That was my only real ambition, especially in mango season. I still love the mangoes from the very top branches. They’re the sweetest.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

This novel is really about the awesome power of gratitude. It’s about focusing on the opportunities in life rather than the setbacks. Indeed, I personally don’t believe in setbacks. As far as I’m concerned there are only opportunities. My work is quite unique I think because it’s based on a mixture of history and myth. For example, a great deal is known about Turlough O’Carolan but there’s a lot more said about him in traditional stories. Unravelling fact from fiction was a challenge when I was researching him. In the end King of the Blind became a story about storytelling.

Links:

Facebook Fan page | Goodreads | Amazon

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Interview with novelist Courtney Williamson Milford

Novelist Courtney Williamson Milford joins me today to chat about her new historical WWII fantasy, Graced 1943. The history is meant to be accurate, but the characters have special powers called “Graces.”

Bio:

Courtney Williamson Milford lives in Windermere, Florida with her husband and three children. She writes two series: The Grace Family Chronicles for adults, and Tales of Bark Story Land for children, and she currently has four free-standing books. She graduated from the University of Florida, and has owned and operated a wholesale automotive fleet leasing business called Courtney Leasing, Inc. since 1991.

Welcome, Courtney. Please tell us about your current release.

Based out of WWII-era Miami, Graced 1943 begins the story of the Grace family members and their friends. Most of them are Graced in at least one way, meaning they have special abilities that help them meet challenges. While WWII figures into the multiple plotlines, the story is mostly about the characters. It is the first book in a series, and has a cliffhanger ending.

What inspired you to write this book?

Initially, I meant for this to be a children’s story featuring the young mother we meet in the first chapter, Annelisa, her twin boys, and their dog. After I got to know Annelisa, I realized her story, and those of her family members and friends, were for adults. I based the story in Miami because I like to write about my home state of Florida, and Miami was a prominent base for training and manufacturing during WWII, largely because of its location. I chose the 1940’s because it turned out that Annelisa’s husband, Humboldt, is an astrophysicist, and I knew he had to work on the Manhattan Project.

Excerpt from Graced 1943:

I chose this short passage because it demonstrates the characters using their Graces. Annelisa is a Locator, and can find people by listening for their heartbeats. Mia is a Navigator, meaning she never needs a map, and never gets lost. Humboldt is a Knower, and can Focus on any topic and, immediately, Know all there is to know about it. The story is meant to be like an old-fashioned radio soap opera. For example, you’ll see that Annelisa can’t remember giving birth to one of her children.

Back at the marina, Humboldt, Mia, and Annelisa piled into Aunt Sam’s old car. Annelisa opened her mouth to tell Humboldt that her aunt was gone, but then she stopped. She could tell him later, if he did not already Know. It was much more important for Annelisa to focus on her son’s and sister’s heartbeats.

“Can you hear them? Can you give me any direction at all?” This was from Mia, who was in the driver’s seat.

Annelisa nodded. “I can hear them, and I know they are together south of here. They are not moving.” She meant they were no longer traveling by car, not that they were not moving at all. Neither of the others asked for clarification. They both knew there was no question of the pair being dead, or Annelisa could not have heard their hearts beating.

“I know where they are,” Humboldt announced. Annelisa sighed with relief. Sometimes she got annoyed because her skill as a Locator was often overshadowed by her husband’s ability to pick up knowledge by Focusing on an issue or situation but, in this case, she just wanted to hold her little boy as quickly as possible.

“Tell me.” Mia swung left into light traffic.

“Big Cypress.”

“On the Indian reservation?“

“Just outside. Eleanor can’t get in. Irene used a charm that keeps her off the tribe’s property.” Humboldt glanced at his watch. “The cab driver must have hustled to get there so quickly.” He Knew Eleanor had probably Multiplied the distance the car traveled per wheel rotation, but he did not feel like explaining this to Mia. Although she seemed pleasant and helpful, he felt that she was hiding something important, and he did not fully trust her.

“She’s not meeting Irene there?” Annelisa narrowed her eyes. “Why would Irene want to keep Eleanor away?” Irene, Eleanor’s mother-in-law, was three-quarters Seminole Indian.

“Irene has Eleanor’s daughter.” Mia did not turn her head. She did not know how Annelisa would react to what she was going to hear, but Irene did not want to be distracted. Like any Navigator, Mia prided herself on being a safe driver.

Annelisa just stared ahead, pressing her lips together.

“Annelisa, you don’t remember Tatum?” This was from Humboldt. He had been deployed when Tatum was born, about a month before Annelisa gave birth. “You must have been awfully sick.”

“No, I do not remember any Tatum.” Annelisa was embarrassed that she, during her extended illness, had forgotten not only her own son, Michelangelo, but also Eleanor’s daughter, Tatum. It frightened her that she could not remember having given birth to a second baby. These feelings, and her concern about Xavier, combined, prompting her to lash out at Humboldt. “Why don’t you enlighten me, since you Know everything?”

Humboldt opened his mouth to respond, but Mia broke in. “Eleanor told me about this. Tatum disappeared from her crib at Gracestone, not long after Xavier was taken. Eleanor blames your father because he was so focused on protecting Michelangelo.”

Annelisa began to cry. Their father, Henri, was one of the most caring, responsible people that Annelisa could imagine. She was sure that whatever had happened to Tatum, it had not been because Henri had allowed his granddaughter to be neglected.

           

What exciting story are you working on next?

Aside from revising the third book in The Grace Family Chronicles, which is called The Train of Thought, I am finishing a stand-alone adult fiction novel called Shackledown. It tells the story of a 15-year-old girl who died in 1917, and haunts the third floor of her old home, a former citrus and cotton plantation known as “Shackledown.” I wrote it from the points of view of the ghost girl’s mother, and the woman who currently lives in the house, who has her own 15-year old daughter. The chapters rotate between the present and the early 1900’s.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I started writing in January of 2016 and considered myself a writer as soon as I had finished my first three books: Graced 1943, Fluffy and Dot (Book 1 in Tales of Bark Story Land), and Shell’s Amazing App, a middle grade novel.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

Technically, I run Courtney Leasing, Inc., a wholesale automotive leasing company that I sacrificed my 20’s, 30’s, and part of my 40’s to build, but now I don’t have many duties, although I go into the office daily. Usually, I spend a good four hours a day writing or working on writing-related tasks. I usually do about two hours of cardio, and use my laptop when I’m on the stationary bike (I read on the elliptical and the treadmill). I also try to wake up for a couple of hours at night when it’s peaceful to write, market my books, etc.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I don’t write straight fiction. I always have to include an element of fantasy, or the supernatural.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

An “authoress” (I got that term from Jo March in Little Women).

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I want my books to be accessible to everyone, which is why I put them on Kindle Unlimited. I also send the e-books to the local library system. If anyone ever wants to read one of my books, I’ll send it to them.

Thanks so much for being here today, Courtney.

Interview with award-winning author Miriam Newman

Award-winning author Miriam Newman is in the hot seat today to chat with me about her new historical fantasy series, available as an e-book bundle, The Chronicles of Alcinia.

During her virtual book tour, Miriam will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:

Beginning a prize-winning career in poetry, Miriam carried her love of the written word into seventeen novels to date. Her offerings range from contemporary and historical fantasy to science fiction and historical fiction, always with a romantic flavoring. Her original novel The King’s Daughter—now part of The Chronicles of Alcinia—was written in Ireland, her second home. When in the U.S., she resides on a small horse farm in Pennsylvania with a collection of rescue animals.

Welcome, Miriam. Please share a little bit about your current release.

Available for the first time as an e-book bundle, the award-winning historical fantasy series The Chronicles of Alcinia weaves a tale of war, history, passion and romance. In Book I, The King’s Daughter, Tarabenthia of Alcinia should grow to inherit her father’s throne by the rocky cliffs of the sea. When invaders seize her land, what will she sacrifice in the name of love? In Book II, Heart of the Earth, the Northern Prince who has always wanted Tia saves her life. But will the price of his protection be too high? And finally, in Book III, Ice Maiden, readers who wondered about the fate of Tia’s oldest son have their answer. Sometimes heart-wrenching, always powerful, this is a tale of heroes and the women who loved them.

 
What inspired you to write this book?

I had always meant to write a book after years of publishing poetry because I didn’t have time to produce a novel. But life always points us where it wants us to go, and after my husband’s untimely death when I was only 41, at last—sadly—I had the time. That first book, The King’s Daughter, is my tribute to him. The sequels, Heart of the Earth and Ice Maiden, conclude the series—at least so far. One never knows.


Excerpt from The King’s Daughter:

I was the King's daughter once, so many years ago that sometimes now it is hard to remember. Before the tide of time carried away so many things, so many people, it was worth something to be the daughter of a King.

Our little island nation of Alcinia was not rich, except for tin mines honeycombing the south. It wasn't even hospitable. Summer was a brief affair and fall was only a short time of muted colors on the northernmost coast where my father sat his throne at the ancient Keep of Landsfel. Winter was the killing time and spring was hardly better, with frosts that could last into Fifth-Month. But from the south, where men cut thatch in a pattern like the bones of fish, to the north where rock roses spilled down cliffs to the sea, it was my own.

One thinks such things will never change, yet all things do.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I am currently releasing Dark Child, a novella retelling the classic Irish tale, Deirdre of the Sorrows. This is the version told in my family over the years. It’s a classic tale of love, magic, betrayal, and triumph. Very Irish, meaning there are dark moments—hence the title, Dark Child. But love conquers all.

Writing life related: I am a retired psychiatric social services worker currently working part-time in municipal government and rescuing dogs. Still trying to save the world.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Since I could write.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

No, I still have other commitments to the world, so books are created on my days off, weekends and when I should be sleeping. Right now, I do both paid and volunteer work in municipal government with a particular focus on land conservation. Living in the last of a rural area where I still wake up to the sounds of fox hunts and coon hunts, I also hear my own non-hunting hounds baying in the yard. Over the years I have fostered and adopted out numerous rescue dogs and cats. Right now, I have two hounds, a Border Collie mix, a shepherd mix and a pit bull, as well as a then-pregnant cat who dropped in during the middle of winter! My last horse recently passed on at the ripe old age of thirty-three; he was also a rescue.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

The threat of planting poison ivy in front of my door until the book is finished. I have already strangled my telephone with its own cord and the cell phone is OFF.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A writer!

Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Thank you for being a guest on my blog!
Thanks for inviting me!

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Interview with fantasy author Gabrielle Mathieu

Author Gabrielle Mathieu is with me today. We’re kicking off a new month and a new week talking about her fantasy thriller, The Falcon Flies Alone (Falcon Trilogy) (Vol.1).

During her virtual book tour, Gabrielle will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:

Gabrielle Mathieu lived on three continents by the age of eight. She’d experienced the bustling bazaars of Pakistan, the serenity of Swiss mountain lakes, and the chaos of the immigration desk at the JFK airport. Perhaps that’s why she developed an appetite for the unusual and disorienting. Her fantasy books are grounded in her experience of different cultures and interest in altered states of consciousness (mostly white wine and yoga these days). The Falcon Flies Alone is her debut novel.

Welcome, Gabrielle. Please share a little bit about your current release.

HIS EXPERIMENT. HER LIFE

As the sun rises on a quiet Swiss mountain village in 1957, runaway Peppa Mueller wakes up naked and stranded on the roof of her employer’s manor, with no idea how she got there. As she waits for help, she struggles to piece together fragmented memories of the previous night. Did she really witness the brutal massacre of a local family? Did she kill them? Her fear of sinister house guest Dr. Unruh fuels her panic—as do electrifying flashes of a furious falcon, trapped inside her.

​

Wanted for murder, Peppa flees the police, intent on finding out if there’s a scientific explanation or if she’s just going mad. Her godfather, world-renowned chemist Dr. Kaufmann, risks his career to help her. In the meantime, Peppa fights her attraction to the handsome priest from India who offers her shelter. With their help, she not only finds Dr. Unruh but places herself at his mercy. His experiments may hold the answer to Peppa’s questions, but the revenge she plans could kill them both.

What inspired you to write this book?

I had a vivid nightmare when I was in my twenties. The horror of the poisoning and the resultant madness, during which people tore each other apart, was balanced by the sweet thrill of turning into a spirit falcon and flying behind the world, into a place I couldn’t describe.

Excerpt from The Falcon Flies Alone:
I thought talking would be a relief, but it wasn’t. When I finally stopped, exhausted by the effort of reliving that dreadful night, I had a knot in the pit of my stomach.

Da and I wanted to help troubled people with Paxarbital. Now I’d become one of them, a murderer suffering under hallucinations.

I raised my face to meet Stefan’s clear blue eyes. I saw no condemnation. “I told you I killed Hans Wäspi. Isn’t confession supposed to be good for the soul? I don’t feel any better.”

“Only God can forgive your sins. I can’t.”

Three dead. At least. “What about the woman who brought us our drinks?”

“Anita Eugster? No one’s seen her. They’re looking through the ruins of the kitchen for her bones.”

Despair descended over me, and I had to fight an urge to scream. I splashed my face with cold water, biting my lip to fight the pain inside.

“They found me on the roof this morning.” My voice sounded hollow. “Did you hear?”

Stefan moved away from me a bit, rubbing his hands as if he was cold. I understood. I’d like to get away from myself too, if I only could.

I dug my nails in my palm. I would not be weak. “We really were poisoned. I could prove it.”

“I saw your wings, Patrizia.”


“My name is Peppa.”


“You turned into an angel.”


I rubbed my eyes. What I needed was a lab.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I’ve essentially finished the trilogy. The next book will be released this July, so you won’t have to wait long to see what trouble Peppa gets into next. I’m revisiting an epic fantasy series I wrote a while ago, streamlining it. It concerns a brave young woman and her enemy, the oldest living creature in her world, who is called the Water Dragon.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

True confession. When I was a young teen, I had a crush on our snazzy art teacher, who looked like a young Sean Connery and played the Rolling Stones in art class. I wrote lots of poems about this chaste, but overwhelmingly emotional experience, and my English teacher took them to the copy shop, bound them up, and put them in the library. Thank you, Mrs. Liberty. That was really her name.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I write in spurts and bursts. By the time, I’ve experienced a routine day at my paying job, (aka: mental prison) I can’t wait to get out and visit an alternate world. As I’m walking home, my mind starts considering possibilities. Then I settle in with a glass of Prosecco. I really do work in an attic garret of an old mansion, so the atmosphere fits.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I’m particular about the music. It serves as a prompt to my brain that we can now lay mundane matters aside and create. I even put up a play list. You can hear it on http://gabriellemathieu.com/inspirational-music/

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to take a galleon and sail the seven seas, discover new continents. Obviously, I was historically confused when I was five, and I didn’t know about scurvy.

Anything else you’d like to share with the readers?

I invite you to look at the first chapter at http://gabriellemathieu.com/falcon-flies-alone/.

My Twitter page is https://twitter.com/GabrielleAuthor, and you can find me on Facebook. I’ll also be running a podcast for the New Books Network, so come check out my first interview April 7^th with Aliette de Bodard on NBN’s fantasy channel.

Website | Blog | Buy link 

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Interview with historical fantasy author S.A. Bolich

Today’s special guest is historical fantasy author S. A. Bolich. She’s touring her new novel, In Heaven’s Shadow through Goddess Fish Promotions.

During her virtual book tour, S.A. will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a randomly drawn lucky winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:

S. A. Bolich's books often open quietly—but don’t be fooled. By page 10 you may be hooked so thoroughly you’ll forget to get off at your bus stop. Her worlds are lived-in, magical, sometimes mind-bendingly exotic, always historically accurate, and inhabited by people who reach out and grab us by the throat and make us care about their problems. An historian, former military intelligence officer, and lifelong horsewoman, she brings a deep love of wild places and a degree in history to her work, creating enchanting and believable worlds with a sideways slant on reality. She writes everything from “straight” and alternate history to fantasy and science fiction, filled with characters who remain in your heart long after the book is closed. She is also an accomplished rider who helps aspiring writers get their fictional equines right through her “Horses in Fiction” series on her blog. Learn more and find the complete list of her works at www.sabolichbooks.com.

Welcome, S. A. Please tell us about your current release.
In Heaven’s Shadow is a love story entwined in a ghost story, all wrapped up in magic for good measure. Lilith Stark inherited her way of making rainbows when she laughs from her strange and perhaps saintly Pa, and dead folk just naturally come by to say howdy to her. So when her husband, Joab, comes home from Gettysburg a ghost, she is gamely willing to make whatever life she can from what the Civil War has left to them. Unfortunately, the neighbors aren’t quite as enlightened. From them thinking she’s crazy, their reaction to her unintentional announcement that Joab has come home devolves into an outright battle to force her to set aside her Pa’s gentle magic and become “respectable.” To the Reverend Fisk, that would mean her renouncing Joab and her insistence that Joab and the neighbor boy, Luke Martin, have chosen to come home over sensibly going on to Heaven.

This book stemmed from a long-running conversation I had with a member of my writers’ workshop over conventions and who gets to decide when someone is “crazy” and why. It also was, I think, a gentle gift from my subconscious after my father died, a way of helping me think more objectively about death. The only thing I absolutely wanted from it was that it wouldn’t be some retelling of “Ghost.” I got a lot more than I expected! Readers tell me they did, too.

What inspired you to write this book?

I was really down for a year after my dad died, unable to get words to flow onto the page. Finally, in desperation, I took up the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) challenge that November. To “succeed” you must write at least 50,000 words on a new novel. So on November 1st, I started to write, and who should walk onto page one but Joab, coming home to Lilith at sunset on a beautiful summer day in the Shenandoah Valley. Ghosts? Death? Civil War? Oh, yeah, I knew what my subconscious was telling me! In some ways it was a hard book to write, but I’m glad I did. It remains one of my favorites.


Excerpt from In Heaven’s Shadow:

“Lilith!” Joab roared on top of Bert’s, “Miz Stark!”

Bert disappeared from the doorway. Joab stepped toward her; she tried to hush herself up but couldn’t manage it. Her ribs hurt and she couldn’t breathe, and still the giggles just kept bubbling up out of her. Pretty soon she caught a wispy movement in the corner of her eye and saw the giggles turning to little floaty sparks bouncing around her like soap bubbles. The nearside mule snorted at one and bounced it back toward her. It splatted into another one, and they rained light all over the dirt in the barnyard and laid there, glowing sort of silvery gold.

“What in hell…?”

That was Bert, arrived in the yard still clutching his pistol and staring like an owl. Lilith knew she couldn’t explain if she tried all year. She gave up on the notion and just let the giggles take her.

“Lil!”

Joab squatted down in the dirt beside her. “Come on now, pull yourself together. Bert thinks you’re loonier than Abe Lincoln. What’s the matter with you?”

Lilith tried to stop but discovered she couldn’t. She fought to take a deep breath and get control of herself. Her lungs seemed locked up somehow, and she just couldn’t stop laughing. “Hysterical,” Joab muttered, sounding so disgusted that Lilith wanted to slap him but couldn’t manage that, either.

She floundered around, trying to get to her feet, and found Bert Cummings waving a hand down in her face. She reached up to take it.

“Lilith Stark! What in the name of God are you doing?”

Even the mules shied from the outrage in the Reverend Fisk’s voice.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I am writing a dark fantasy that got sidetracked three or four years ago when publishers suddenly started asking for series from me. The series are done now and I can go back to this one, which explores the sudden and inexplicable conflict between a people who have never known war and their mute enemies, a race they did not even know existed in their world, and who have no way to tell them why they have risen up to fight. Somehow it all centers around the Reaper magic of knowing the essence of a thing and what lies along its life/deathlines. I’m enjoying exploring this world, which is pure fantasy instead of historical fantasy like In Heaven’s Shadow.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I don’t remember a time when I didn’t have words running through my head, describing what I saw around me. I grew up scribbling and have never stopped. For me, visual experiences tend to conjure up sentences and paragraphs that demand to be written down on the nearest handy writing surface—envelopes, paper plates, the notebook I finally learned to carry in my pocket... Although I do draw and paint a bit, when I see a gorgeous sunset I don’t rush for the paints; I want to describe it in words that capture the glow and the colors for the reader. If I can put a reader into my world so thoroughly it comes alive, I consider that I’ve done my job as a writer.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I am a full-time writer, but my day is not always full of writing. Lately I have been revising a lot of old stuff in my drawer left over from the days when I was far less interested in selling my work than in simply writing. That was good, in a way, for it gave me time to really learn my craft without the pressure of having to be a commercial success as well. A big part of the last year has gone to revision rather than new writing, but I’m pretty much to the end of that for a while and I can finally focus on new work.

I will typically write for several hours until the words start to sputter a bit. Then I will leave it for the day, knowing what the next sentence will be. That way I can pick it up again the next day without having to stop and think where I was going with it. I’ve had stories go sideways in the middle because I was interrupted for some reason and couldn’t get back to where I was. These days the words come more slowly than they used to, when 6-10k words a day was not unusual. Getting in 5000 is a good day now, but on the other hand, my days are typically split between writing, promoting my work, and maintaining my 20 acres and horses. And research. There’s always a fair amount of research even with the straight-up fantasy stuff. Fortunately, being a geek, I love stalking facts across the internet!

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

The ability to turn it on and off, which fascinates some of my friends. Even when I don’t feel at all like writing, if someone puts a blank page in front of me and says “Write,” I can. Partly this is native and partly honed by my days as a technical and marketing writer with so many deadlines that there was no option but to make it happen, and right now. It is very rare for me to be totally blocked on fiction to the point where I can’t churn out a decent first sentence and continue from there. Challenges are good for me in that regard, as I am highly competitive, even when it’s just with myself.

I do have much more trouble turning it off than turning it on. Like a lot of writers, I sleep with pen and paper beside my bed, and lately, with an old laptop that is so much faster than scribbling stuff by hand.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Hmm. After my mountain man phase, and my space explorer phase, and my time traveler phase (are we detecting a theme here?) I wanted to write, and specifically historical novels. I devoured historicals as a child, waltzing through every era of history and soaking up such background that I seldom had to study for lower-level college courses. I even got a degree in history to facilitate my goal, but then I got sidetracked into the army and then into writing fantasy, and somehow the straight historicals never materialized. But I have written historical fantasy, gaslight fantasy, steampunk, and alternate history, so I guess that degree got used after all!

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
In Heaven’s Shadow is such a blend of history and magic and paranormal that it’s hard to stuff into any one category, but I hope readers will give it a try anyway. I seem unable to write in a box, which is why I am so grateful for my publisher. She fell in love with the book and published it even knowing it was hard to classify and therefore to sell. Lilith’s innocence of the wicked ways of respectability and Joab’s determination to protect her and preserve her magic really caught me up in their love story...but wow, it is sometimes hard to describe for people what this book is about. Love, in the end, and the right to find it in our own way.

Links:

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon author page | Barnes and Noble author page

Buy links specific to In Heaven’s Shadow:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Smashwords

Thank you, S.A.!

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Interview with historical fiction author Lane Heymont

Today’s guest is stopping by as he makes his way along a virtual book tour. Lane Heymont tells us a little bit about himself and his historical novel, The Freedman and the Pharaoh's Staff.

Lane will be giving away 2 specially signed paperback copies of his novel to lucky winners during his tour. You can enter using the form below the interview.

Bio:

Lane Heymont was born in Pennsylvania. He has been a lifelong reader and writer.

He earned a BA in Liberal Arts with a focus on literature and history. He also holds a double minor in psychology and business. After college, Lane turned his focus back to writing. He has several short stories published and his debut novel, The Freedman and the Pharaoh’s staff from Sunbury Press is available at all major retailers.

Welcome, Lane. Please tell us about your current release.

The Freedman and the Pharaoh’s Staff is a historical novel set in Reconstruction-era Louisiana that bends the boundaries between science-fiction, fantasy, and American history.

Jeb, a former slave, rescues his brother-in-law Crispus from the Ku Klux Klan, pulling him into a world of Creole Voodoo, hatred, time travel, and redemption. The two brothers-in-law set out to stop Verdiss and his Klan followers from using the Pharaoh’s Staff, a magical artifact from ancient Egypt. Soon, Jeb and Crispus learn Verdiss’ diabolical plan and discover that he serves an evil far more insidious than himself. In the end, Jeb and Crispus must stop an entire people from eradication and each find redemption for his own past sins.

What inspired you to write this book?

An African-American literature class I took in undergrad.

Excerpt:

Allenville flashed in Jeb’s head. Bodies burning, people tortured and brutalized in the streets. Somehow he felt the same thoughts in Fallon. The way his slender hand tightened around his when he’d said the word. He imagined hatred blistering inside the boy. Maybe the need for a father blinded him. Thank the Lawd–that ain’t the case no more…I hope.

“Jeb. Fallon. This way. I found a mambo a few blocks away on Laurel Street.” Crispus’s voice broke through the crowd.

“Come on!” Fallon pulled Jeb through the throng of people. Crispus’s voice always sounded just beyond them, amidst the night madness of Baton Rouge. “Wait!”

“Where’d he go?” Jeb tugged on Fallon’s hand, pushing aside a doughy man.

“He took a right down Nacadian Road. Wait, Crispus!” The hideous ensemble of vendors, farriers, knackers, and other merchants crying out their goods seemed to drown out the boy’s call.

One moment, mayhem wracked the market, the next it fell silent. Fallon stopped, so Jeb did. He couldn’t move, the herd seemed to stop stampeding. Footfalls echoed in the street. The crowd spread. Then came the heavy clacks of soldier’s boots on the flagstones. A band of men, too many to tell. But Jeb knew them by the procession’s cadence–Confederate soldiers. Men clad in gray uniforms marching through Baton Rouge. No doubt, they’d be Klansmen too. Shouts of jubilation spread like wildfire among the townspeople.

“Kill them carpetbaggers!” came a woman’s elegant voice.

“Long live the general!”

“The South shall rise again!” shouted a boy.

Jeb felt the panic in Fallon’s hand, his heartbeat racing as he pulled him away. “What general? I know that cadence like I know my field.” Jeb focused on dodging whatever lay in his way, stumbling over garbage and bumping into people.

Fallon stammered over his words, “Not–not–nothing. Nathan Bedford Forrest?” He gasped, tightening his grip on Jeb.

Somehow Jeb overcame his instincts, keeping his head bowed. Not daring to look up in fear that monster of a man would see him. Though blind, Jeb saw Forrest clad in the gray Confederate officer’s uniform, adorned with medals. He’d seen photos of him. Tall, in his fifties, a receding hairline and a curly mane of black hair. A well-kept goatee tinged gray like his uniform.

I can end it all. Fight through the crowd. A single shot to the head. To hell with being blind, I can do it. For a moment Jeb meant it, caressing his pistol. It’d be easy. Instead, he listened to the Ku Klux Klan founder, savior of the white race, and ender of Reconstruction, parade along the street. Celebrated by a throng of who knew how many people. They were closer now, close enough for Jeb to count them. Four guards following him. Plus Forrest, that’s five. Six shot pistol. Just enough for one miss. He gripped his pistol. It didn’t matter that the crowd loved Forrest, even cheered him on. Six rounds is enough. Jeb edged his pistol free from its holster.

What exciting story are you working on next?

Right now, I'm working on a literary novel called Scattering Stars, in which a convicted killer returns home to try to mend his relationship with his sister and nephew, while trying to deal with the guilt of what he may or may not have done.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I was always a writer, but a published writer when my short story “The Lost Continent” was published in Innsmouth Magazine.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like?  If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I do write full-time, though I do some extra work on the side.

My day usually consists of writing! I'm up early, relax for a little to let the creative juices gear up and then hit the laptop.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I slouch in my chair. I don't know if anyone else does it, but it's so comfortable!

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

An author. Cliché, I know.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

Before trying to enter the business, do your research. It's as complicated as any other business. Unless you're already "famous" no one is going to hand you a book deal (usually). Research how publishing works, how agents work, the difference between a wholesaler and distributor. You'd be surprised how people couldn't tell you!

Also, I'd like to thank Lisa for letting come on answer these great questions. Thanks so much!

My pleasure, Lane. It’s been nice to meet you. Happy touring!

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