Ef Deal's Blog, page 3

A Splendid Interview

The amazing Paul Semel conducted one of the in-depth interviews I've ever had. I hope you enjoy it!

File Under "Things You Didn't Know About Me."

 It's been a month for thoughtfulness, mainly because I've been sick and tired (literally and metaphorically) throughout a lot of it. 

I no sooner got over a lower respiratory infection when I went into a sleep study to adjust my CPAP settings, where it was determined I need BiPAP. This presents a few problems for me personally. 

Back when I was in France, it was routine to hitchhike to classes rather than take the bus. Usually I was in groups with other French students, and the drivers enjoyed conversations with the American. It was a good time. Sometimes we got a driver who hated Americans, and those would let me off right away. Other times, the driver wanted to date the American. Pfft. 

However, there was a major incident that left me more than rattled. I was with a group of art students, who were getting dropped off at the main building in town, which left me alone with the driver for the next two miles. He headed up the main boulevard of Tours toward the Fac des Lettres, but then turned off just past the train station in the center of town. I protested when he said he knew a shortcut, since the Fac was right off the boulevard, a direct line. At that point, I saw we were headed for the outlying trainyard, and I noticed the driver was wearing leather gloves. All I could think of was that he'd leave no fingerprints behind. 

I shouted at him to stop the car, stop the car, and finally he pulled into an empty building and stopped. He then put his hand over my mouth and pressed me against the door, closing off my nose as well. I thought he would kill me. We glared at each other for what felt like minutes, but of course I can't hold my breath that long so it couldn't have been that long. Still, I was more angry than scared because I had a test that day and I couldn't be late to class. 

The stupid things that go through your head when you're facing down a kidnapper and possible murderer.

So I matched his threatening eyes with my own fierce glare (which my sons tell me is pretty formidable). Then he released me with a shove and said, "Bon. On y va." (Fine. We'll go.) And as if nothing had happened, he drove me directly to the door of the Fac des Lettres. It's funny in hindsight that when I got out, I reflexively said, "Merci" for the ride.

Getting back to the BiPAP... 

This mask covers my mouth and shoves up against my nose. It's not an issue when I first put it on because I can breathe. Then I turn it on, and I can breathe even better. So far, so good.

It's when I wake up in the dark with this thing over my mouth like the leather-gloved hand that occasionally flashbacks hit me. I scramble to sit up and turn the thing off, but that's momentarily worse because then I really can't breathe. I unclip the mask as fast as I can and strip it off, but I'm left panting and my heart racing in a panic.

My pulmonologist says this new mask will help me sleep better, leave me less fatigued during the day, and overall improve my health. 

He has no clue.

What a Month!

 Not one, not two, but FOUR anthologies with my work featured, and it's pretty exciting for me. I know I've talked about these before, but they are now coming into being. I may have to plan a book fair all of my own!

Of course, Esprit de Corpse takes all precedence. More and more pre-release readers are getting back to me about how much they like it, and are glad it's first in a series. They want to see these twins again, and I have so many more adventures for them!

Dangerous Waters: Deadly Women of the Sea from Brigid's Gate was released, featuring my short piece From the Bridge. I've already written about that in a previous blog. The book is a thoroughly chock-full of beauty and horror anthology, and I hope you'll take a look at it.

Conspiracies and Cryptids: Everything Is True is finally released, and it is everything I hoped it would be. My short piece Passing Thoughts is included, but there are so many wonderful stories in this collection it would be a shame for you to miss them!

I've already burbled joyfully about Incubate: a horror collection of feminine power that includes a foreword by me, and if you haven't read this yet, do it. It's just an amazing and powerful collection

A Cast of Crows is going to be a fun anthology! 
The Tell-Tale Steampunk Festival April 1-2 will feature a scavenger hunt, the clues of which are related to some of the stories in this anthology, one of which is my own Rhymes with Lenore. (Click on the title above for a preview) I love this story because I had been thinking for many years, every time I teach Poe, about how this poem came to be, with its awkward archaic language, its jumble of mythological references, and words that were just stuck in there because they sounded good, whether or not they made sense. Then along come this opportunity to write those ideas as a steampunk story!
This anthology is part of a collection of three anthologies being funded by Kickstarter in a campaign we call Full Steam Ahead! There's also Grimm Machinations, steampunk fairytales, and Grease Monkeys, a dieselpunk collection. 
This campaign features the best of the eSpec authors (I humble say, since I'm one of them) and if we make it to the top stretch goal, our backers get TONS, SCADS, and BUTTLOADS of bonuses. 
Seriously, check it out!!


Even better, come to the festival! Sit down and chat awhile at our Author Roundtables or at the bar-con with me and plenty of other steampunk authors like David Lee Summers, Michelle D. Sonnier, Judi Fleming, Aaron Rosenberg, Dana Fraedrich, Jessica Lucci, Doc Coleman, and Danielle Ackley-McPhail.




And finally, be on the lookout for the Soul Scream Antholozine which will feature my very first sword-and-sorcery heroine Gwynna Lionshadow in a chilling tale called One More Ghost Story.

Esprit de Corpse Goes Live!

Cover Reveal!

 Writers are occasionally apprehensive about cover art, especially when the cover tries to depict a scene from the book, and it gets all the details wrong wrong wrong.

I am over the moon for this official cover of Esprit de Corpse by Mike McPhail (McP Digital Graphics).

We decided the cover wouldn't be a specific scene from the story, but a scene that evokes the whole of the novel. Mike went so far as to build models for the Catacombs wall and the Muessler lamp. 

The details floor me. Jacqueline is holding a kilij, at a vital moment in the climax. She's got her modified spectacles (gogglers, she calls them, because they make her look goggle-eyed -- goggles hadn't been invented yet!) Her face is exactly what I pictured for her: nothing overly feminine, with strength and defiance in her whole mien. Angélique in her wolf form is perfectly colored, and what a gorgeous face!

I could not have asked for a more beautiful cover. I hope it makes you want to read the story! We're on pre-order from Amazon or eSpec Books!

Time for Another Tease

 

Book 2 in the Twins of Bellesfées series has gone to the publisher. What can you expect? Well, it's called Femmes Fatales for a good reason! Have a little peek:

 

Mr. Smith cleared his throat. He seemed ill at ease. “I don’t wish to alarm you overmuch. Only, what you say about the dead child… In my youth—that is, my sister—” 

He paused, and they waited anxiously as he organized his thoughts. Finally, he drew a deep breath and released it in a sigh, his eyes no longer lit.  

“I have a sister. Dear to me. Very dear. When she was about your age, Madame Duval, she went to reside with our aunt, and together they moved to Bratislava, on the border of Austria and Hungary. Our aunt was a devout woman, and they made many visits to the local convents, doing works of charity with the good sisters there for a few years. The sisters told a tale, one repeated throughout the region, of someone who stalked women during the night. Young women, young girls of the villages, would fall ill, weak and listless. Then they were found dead, and deathly white rather than blue or mottled, as if they had been drained of their blood. They said—and I am only repeating my sister’s story—they said it was a vampire.”

Jacqueline wrinkled her nose. Ghosts. Revenants. Sorcerers. Now a vampire. More dire myths and legends come to life, invading Jacqueline’s ordered world of science and logic. She sighed and rubbed her brow. De Guise gave a quiet grunt of agreement.

Mr. Smith glanced from one to the other, confused by their lack of horror. “Perhaps you have already heard this tale. I counted it as peasant superstition, as did my sister. But superstition aside, something has killed a child and attacked two women here in Forge-à-Bellesfées.”

“Only women.” Jacqueline glowered. “I’m sick of attacks on women!”

Rage with Me

 

The book is called INCUBATE: a horror collection of feminine power , published by Speculation Publication.
When I was asked to write the foreword for this anthology, I had mixed emotions. I absolutely love the editors of Speculation Publications. They're brilliant authors and fine editors. I was honored to be asked, but the topic was a PTSD trigger for me. After the SCOTUS decision to deny reproductive health care rights to half the population, I was enraged , having spent a portion of my young life campaigning for the ERA. It brought up in me all the sordid and shameful indignities I had experienced growing up, which I won't detail here. I doubt it's anything other women haven't suffered.
Then I read the anthology. I kid you not, every single story is a gem. Sharp insights, poetic wordplay, deeply moving character portrayals. I'm not going to discuss them in any detail because they have to be experienced. Just know that if you also feel the rage I feel at being denied full human rights to exist, you need to read this.

This isn't a "I hate men" collection; it's a beautiful paean to the power of women to endure, in all senses of the word. Imaginative writing, from every angle of oppression our societal systems have wielded, clearly depicts the everyday slams against women, girls, even infants, and raises those victims up--not as heroes, but as morality lessons. While this is a horror anthology, I found myself mostly cheering. I found inspiration. I was deeply moved by these authors' ability to find hope in situations I myself found hopeless as a child and teen, before I heard Alice Paul speak at Douglass College, before a wise professor enlightened me about the relationship between "nice, polite behavior" and "victim behavior"; before I found my voice, my inner strength, and my courage to endure.

Read this book. It's great horror, but it's also an important book. Buy it for your daughters' sake, your granddaughters' sake, and your own.

Chessiecon!

 I just had the most exhausting and wonderful weekend at Chessiecon. Sold books, signed books, personalized books, met new people and made new friends, sat on eleven panels (yes, ELEVEN) and had some insightful conversations with the few other authors who were there.

First, let me say that my publisher Danielle Ackley-McPhail is truly a force of nature, so her place as Guest of Honor was appropriate. Take a look:

At the far left where you can't really see it is GingerKICK! Danielle makes candied ginger in dozens of flavors, and has the Ginger KICK Cookbook to boot. 

The publications display begins with the Systema Paradoxa cryptid series (the orange covers), sweet little novellas featuring classic cryptids in a series. Then come the anthologies, new releases (like Esprit de Corpse!), military science fiction, and Danielle's own collections. 

Past the books you'll find the display that first drew my attention to Danielle so many years ago: "The Hornie Lady" makes an assortment of horns and adornments that range in size from "nubs" to unicorn. Many long years ago, I bought red devil horns, but my supervisor at school made me take them off. Spoilsport.

Seriously, visit the eSpec Books website for a peek at how much this woman produces. Remember too that she edits those books she publishes! 

Our panels discussed an array of topics including alien cultures, dystopian literature, the blending of genres, the effect of feminism on genre, writers block, and the decision to make a novel versus a short story or novella, or a stand-alone novel versus a series.

Michelle D. Sonnier and I seemed to hold down the fort together for many panels, and since we were also roommates we got to bond a lot. What a wonderful and prolific author. Michelle and I both do steampunk, although her Clockwork Magic series is set in an alternate history where magic rules. She's incredibly knowledgeable as well as open and welcoming.

We were happily overwhelmed at the eSpec Launch party when 47 people showed up for the swag, the celebration, and the readings. And I'm pretty sure EVERYONE bought books. One woman bought Esprit de Corpse after Michelle and my panels Friday night, and at the launch party told me she was already halfway through! It's gratifying to know people enjoy what I give them. I signed MANY books; I lost count.

One thing I learned attending two cons back to back: I am physically useless. Philcon involved running back and forth to the elevator to make it to panels. Chessiecon's elevators were at the far end of the lower level, and the con rooms were all the way at the other end. There was only one set of restrooms, far from the dealer's room and even farther from the con suite. I really wanted to help Danielle with set-up for both cons, but other than packing 100 swag bags, I wasn't able to do much. Between long Covid giving me breathing problems and the piriformis giving me debilitating sciatica, I could barely get myself from point A to point B. My doctors insist PT will fix them both, but it hasn't worked so far. When I got home from Chessiecon, I went to bed at 5:30pm and slept through to 7:30am, had breakfast, and went back to sleep from 9 to 11:30am! 

So, I think for the next month, I'll be working harder at losing weight and getting all my PT in each day, because when the book is released in April, I want to be there!

Don't forget to pre-order Esprit de Corpse so you'll have your copy April 1!

Meanwhile, look for my work in Conspiracies and Cryptids Vol. 1 coming soon from Charles Barouch, Dangerous Waters coming in January from Brigid's Gate, and Incubate coming from Speculations Publications December 6.

Philcon 2022

 Philcon is a fantastic con. The first, oldest SF con boasts some of the best writers, editors, and publishers in the field. 

I sat on two panels, both of which discussed the nature of horror. I found myself at odds with my distinguished panelists ~ Teel James Glenn, Hildy Silverman, Gordon Linzner, Barna Donovan, Gary Frank, to name a few ~ in that they all agreed that horror was a mood, a feeling, a flavor, a seasoning that could be an element of any genre. I disagreed.

I see horror as a genre that evokes a feeling of unredeemed dread. It may be set in outer space, in a 17th century castle, a fairy wonderland, or a NY apartment, but if at the end the unexplainable horror is left unresolved, the genre is horror, not SF, historical drama, fantasy, or urban.

Nor does "grisly" define horror, something Guillermo del Toro doesn't quite understand. His Cabinet of Curiosities may as well be a Quentin Tarantino flick.

We discussed the nature of the horrific. A werewolf isn't a horror element if it's just all about the werewolf doing what werewolves do, and you can kill them with silver bullets if you avoid their predation. A swarm of insects, giant bugs without purpose or tiny mites carrying disease, impervious to understanding, is horror because you don't know what they want or what they can do, and there's no way to overcome them.

Anyway, it was great discussion both times.

It was (I humbly say) a weekend for me to shine as well. I had an official reading spot, where I presented my horror conspiracy piece Passing Thoughts coming out soon in Conspiracy and Cryptids Volume I. The audience loved it, and some went down to buy Esprit de Corpse on the strength of the writing. That afternoon I presented the Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading to great success, with Roberta Rogow, Sally Wiener Grotta, Randee Dawn, Carol Gyzander, Roxanne Bland, and Kathryn Sullivan reading for us.

That night from 8-10 was the eSpec Book launch, my first official reading from Esprit de Corpse to a very crowded and appreciative house. We sold out of books set aside for the weekend!

Needless to say, without my 3 daily naps, I was exhausted and in a lot of pain all weekend, but it was heartening to hear people tell me they enjoyed or are enjoying the book. That's the main reason I wrote it!

And Book 2 is now in the hands of the publisher.

And just for fun, here's a little video moodboard to tease the novel for you!

It's Alive! Esprit de Corpse

 

I've written a total of eight novels, but today I see my first published novel come to life, and I can't begin to say how thrilled I am. I want to run shouting in the streets and pull everyone out of their houses to see it, read it, and dance with me. Sadly, I can't because I'm currently sick with my usual every-six-weeks bronchitis.

The publication process is fascinating, and I wish I had taken time in my younger years to learn it better. Danielle Ackley-McPhail literally wrote the book on getting a book into print, but as a passenger on the journey, I've been amazed by the step-by-step path to publication.

Most readers probably assume an author sends a manuscript to a publisher, someone on that end reads it and decides whether to buy it, someone else checks it for mistakes, it gets dumped into a printer, and voilà. Out pops a book.

This is not the case. The finished, final edit of a book will first go through a period of introduction with the printing of Advanced Readers Copy (ARC). That's where I am now. From here, the ARC will go out to our Kickstarter backers and to various review publications before printing a final edition. 

In my case, for example, the ARC has a temporary cover, and as lovely as it is, it doesn't reflect my publisher's desire to have consistent portraits of the characters across the series. I can't wait to see what's in store! There are a few errors we found in the digital e-books that will be corrected for the print version. Once reviews are in, the back cover or an inside page may feature the best of them. In the meantime, pre-orders will be set up so we have a good idea of how many to run.

Unlike giant publishing houses, independent presses do not have the budget to gull the public into thinking a book is a best-seller because it's on a best-seller's list. Some books are bartered onto the list by major publishers who say, "For every *major author's name here* book you buy, we will send you a free copy of *book by a new author we hope you'll like.* The New York Times doesn't look at actual sales numbers, only shipment numbers, so there's an instant best-seller that may not sell at all.

I'm almost 68 years old. I don't have time for marketing silly-gamesmanship. I write really good stories, and I have three more books in this steampunk series completed, but I have to depend on the success of the first book to see the others get to print. 

So, if you're one of my Kickstarter backers, I hope you enjoy your digital copy and please send me your reactions and comments! 

Watch this space for your opportunity to order the book.

Meanwhile, dance with me!