Ruthann Jagge's Blog, page 5
January 13, 2023
The Making of Delevan House #21
Access the playlist Ruthann and Natasha created the first Brazen Folk Horror novel to on Amazon Music or Spotify. Just click!
January 7, 2023
December 30, 2022
The Making of Delevan House #19
The release of Delevan House is only a month away! And trust us when we say there will be far deeper articles shared on Brazen Folk Horror about the lore within those pages. Delevan House’s influences are ancient, and the execution of her story is brazenly modern.
Until she’s out, we’ve been careful not to give anything away that could spoil the journey for our readers. We are grateful to everyone who has followed, shared, and messaged support for this debut #Brazen release. And to anyone who finds these updates after release, we, too, offer you our thanks and gratitude for sharing your most valuable commodity with us – time.
Writing a novel is hard work, one that Ruthann and Natasha have yet to do as a solo endeavour (watch out, 2023). Suffice it to say, collaborating and blending styles adds more challenge than working with a sole voice. It’s as intimate as artists can be—artists like us, who are fiercely private when in creative mode. We’d never dream of sharing half-baked work. That would surely spoil the cake! But in collaborating, we each add our ingredients and negotiate how these may be combined. And what to leave out to help the batter rise into something enticing, memorable and deep-flavoured.
We hope our appetisers here at Brazen Folk Horror have enhanced your appetite. We promise you will want to sink your teeth into the main event.
From our houses to yours
Happy Hogmanay & best wishes for 2023
December 23, 2022
The Making of Delevan House #Interlude
Slow seduction is always the best kind. Natasha and Ruthann wish all your holiday dreams come true, we’ll be sharing ours with you all through the new year!
#BeBrazen
December 21, 2022
Brazen Solstice 2022
December 21, 2022, is the Winter Solstice. It’s the shortest day and the longest night of the year. In Celtic Traditions, Winter Solstice sees the conquering of the Oak King over the Holly King. The stories and associated traditions are abundant and are not only resigned to pasts.
The Solstice is celebrated by cultures worldwide by lighting lanterns, eating dumplings, fire dancing, or sharing gifts and a meal. There are many unique ways to honor the diminishing light as we await the sun’s return on the Spring Vernal Equinox.
We all need this time of rest, renewal, and letting go, so we’re ready for the fresh opportunities ahead. Nourishing food, storytelling, and cozy fires add to the season’s peace.
It’s also a great time to remember our past year’s accomplishments as we begin planning for the exciting things to come.
We’re restless spirits, however, and are seldom content with everyday life or our achievements in the craft of writing we immerse in passionately. Natasha and Ruthann both crave the seduction of dark fiction and its’ endless potential to seduce and delight.
The upcoming release of Delevan House has us giddy with anticipation, but we’re choosing this particular day to share with you the next installment of our intended trilogy.
We’ll soon introduce our readers to the House, the village of Badb, and memorable characters inspired by Scottish folklore in Book I, and we hope you’ll love it as much as we do.
But there’s much more of the story to tell, and we must appease the muse who so relentlessly keeps us from slumber.
2023 will see the release of Book II, The Delevan Diaries.
Original cover art by Don Nobel of Rooster Republic Press
We wish you and yours all the light and peace of the season if you choose to celebrate. Our lives are much richer for our readers, friends, and family. We’re grateful to everyone who takes the time to read our work and to connect, chat, and support us in our crazy and fabulous endeavors.
Here’s to the best yet to come. We’ll be here waiting in the shadows, inviting you for a cup of tea and a sweet dose of terror.
#BeBrazen
December 16, 2022
The Making of Delevan House #18
Brazen Folk Horror presents the print cover wrap for Delevan House. Isn’t it a beauty! The cover image was created by the immensely talented Don Nobel of Rooster Republic Press. We are both huge fans of his outstanding work.
Synospis:
Delevan House is a brazenly executed contemporary story that brings fresh blood to the genres and timelines it crosses; breathing life into folklore and horror fantasy.
Set in the village of Badb, the hulking majesty of Delevan House has eyes everywhere, reflecting secrets of the old ways that are a necessary evil for survival.
This seductive and sophisticated gothic tale is rooted in Scottish folklore, dark history, and what we all desire – freedom.
Delevan House is where literal worlds collide.
Lady Lenore Delevan is waiting.
Do you dare enter under the eyes of her menacing stone beast and obsidian flock?
December 9, 2022
The Making of Delevan House #17
Cold Moon, Texas, U.S.AThe last full moon of 2022 hit the sky in all its brazen glory this week; The Cold Moon.
Some say it’s the time to reflect, be still, and prepare for the rest Winter brings. Others believe the name connects to the Solstice later in December, bringing us the shortest day and longest night of the year.
The year’s final month is also a time of spiritual and emotional ‘cleansing’ to make room for the gifts and experiences of a new year. To make one stronger and prepared to face any harsh conditions ahead.
The name also reflects a temperature drop, and it can be a time to welcome others into your home to share in the warmth of the season and fire. The moon, its effects, and all of the mysteries surrounding it also have a notable presence in our little village of Badb.
We’re stoking the last embers of our story, often writing by the light of our moons while on opposite sides of an ocean, hoping that the pull of Delevan House that we’re experiencing will also affect our readers magically and memorably.
Cold Moon, Scotland, U.KA quote says, “Nothing good happens after midnight,” but we disagree.
It’s when those dark things that we connect to have their say and their way with us.
The imposing structure of Delevan House may look her most beautiful when the skies shift, and nature’s lights reflect over the stones but make no mistake; it will also have its’ way with all who experience it, but the chill will never leave your bones once you visit.
