Assaph Mehr's Blog, page 55

October 19, 2017

Angelica Cross (of The Paranormal Detectives Series by Lily Luchesi)

Dear readers, tonight with me on the interview couch is an unusual woman. A half-vampire, she is employed by law enforcement agencies to hunt down other creatures of the night.

She is here to tell us about 

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

I was born in Leicester, England in 1814. I grew up the daughter of a human Lord, Vincent, and a vampiric Lady, Veronica. My childhood was spent learning how to control my appetite as a half-vampire and learn to be  a ”pro...

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Published on October 19, 2017 17:00

October 17, 2017

Virtual FantasyCon 2017 – Now On!

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As most of you probably already know, Virtual FantasyCon is now live and active on Facebook. I just wanted to draw your attention to a few cool things

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Published on October 17, 2017 15:00

October 12, 2017

Lawrence Choyce Bartholomew (of Tompkin’s School: For The Dearly Departed by Tabi Slick)

Dear readers, tonight with me is a young man who has been forced to go back to school – a century after he originally graduated. It’s not too bad, as he is a creature of the night, and is able to manipulate time.

He is here to tell us about his extraordinary powers, his time travels, and his continuing quest to be reunited with his younger brother.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

I was born in Missouri in 1893 so you can imagine it was definitel...

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Published on October 12, 2017 17:00

October 11, 2017

State of the publishing industry

[image error]Rather than an article, I include below links to two others, with my thoughts on them. I think they show pretty well the current turmoil that the publishing industry is in.

The first is titled “Cover Story: The Quiet Catastrophe, Then Reinvention Of Book Publishing”, by John Birmingham on which-50.

Here’s a notable excerpt:

The last ten years have thrown up such a perfect storm for publishers that it can be difficult to tease out whether the collapse of a chain like Borders has more to do w...

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Published on October 11, 2017 02:09

October 5, 2017

Fitzsimmons Noakes (of Amster Damned, by Nils Nisse Visser)

Dear readers, tonight with me is Fitzsimmons Noakes, the modest captain of the airship ‘The Centennial Kestrel’, the fastest Channel-Runner in business I am told. 

We were actually hoping to interview Miss Alice Kittyhawk about her adventures, but she  had pressing obligations in London and sent Captain Noakes in her stead.

Captain Noakes has a peculiar way of speaking which might sound a bit odd to modern ears, and we suspect that this particular interview is NSFW. You have bee...

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Published on October 05, 2017 17:00

October 3, 2017

Tynan Selvantyr (of Into the Darkness, by A. M. Rycroft)

Dear readers, tonight with me is a man long departed, contacting us from the other side.

Once the realm’s greatest sell-sword and adventurer, he sealed his sword in a dark cave, and placed a curse upon it. He spent a century in the caves as a ghost, until someone found a way to accesses the deepest reaches of the caverns and trigger the curse.

He’s here to tell us about his adventures as a ghost, mentoring the young woman who retrieved his sword and triggered the curse.

Tell us...
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Published on October 03, 2017 17:00

A new Felix mystery? Quirky stuff…

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First, Felix gave an interview – or so he thought. He was invited to Tabi Slick’s ‘Interview with the Stars’ series. But it wasn’t a simple interview. Oh, no! Instead, Tabi dropped him into a murder mystery, and he had to resolve it on the spot…

Tabi: You might be wondering what all this is for. I figured that since you’re a private investigator you could solve a little mystery for us while telling us about yourself.


Felix: But of course, I wouldn’t expect anything else but an unpaid commi...

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Published on October 03, 2017 16:00

October 2, 2017

Kaiya (of The Last Faoii, by Tahani Nelson)

Dear readers, tonight with me is the last disciple of a militaristic order, that for generations have protected the empire.

Her monastery was destroyed and all her sisters slain.  She now travels the country on a mission to avenge her sisters and preserve what is left of her heritage.

She is here to tell us about a war-ravaged empire, of betrayal and freedom, and of family secrets she has uncovered.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

I grew up in the Monastery...

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Published on October 02, 2017 21:00

September 27, 2017

Griffins, Gryphons, and other monsters

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Found this review of griffins across several cultures on Mr. P’s Mythopedia page.

I find it interesting, as Murder in Absentia includes a griffin (or gryphon, in the more Greek-like spelling used in the book). It’s based on the classic type below, with the front half including the forelegs as that of an eagle.

Not a central part of the plot, it was still one of the more memorable scenes. I chose it to represent the fantasy aspects of the novel on the cover.

Coincidentally, the cover artist f...

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Published on September 27, 2017 02:00

September 19, 2017

Interview Roundup – these were fun ones :)

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David Ellis of TooFullToWrite was kind enough to interview me on his blog. He had some unusual questions…

What would you choose as your own personal mascot or spirit animal when it comes to you and your style of writing?

Felix is called “the fox” for a reason. He is cunning, relying on quick wits rather than brute force or powerful magic to solve his clients’ troubles. I like to pose to him impossible situations, and like to see him weasel his way out of them. Or dump him – literally – in th...

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Published on September 19, 2017 08:00