Zilla Novikov's Blog, page 14

Query: JoeAnn Hart’s “best environmental book” in 2023!

JoeAnn Hart at EcoLit Books chose Query for her “best environmental book of 2023”. I only realized now, so you’re finding out this fact in 2024, but I promise it’s still relevant.

Query, a Novel, is snack-sized, but it took me a while to read because I kept laughing coffee out of my nose and onto the page, the best recommendation I can give for a book.

Read the full review here!

Behind the Screens: Tuesday Author Interview

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: Full disclosure here—Nicole Northwood is a friend, and The Night Garden, her adult fantasy fairytale romance, is a book I deeply love. I suspect you’ll love it too! Nicole, can you tell our readers a bit about your book?

Nicole: The Night Garden is the first in the Fairytales of the Lochs duology and is best described as an adult, reverse Swan Princess retelling… but with cats. If you ever wondered what it would be like to read Jane Austen but with spicy scenes, magic, and hallucinogenic potions, this might be a novel you’d enjoy.

Ellie Blue Callaghan doesn’t want to give up her wild ways. Now that she’s nineteen, she’ll be sent to Blossom Preparatory Academy to train to be a proper sorceress, adult, and wife for Colonel Gallagher. Unfortunately, Ellie loves the wind-swept countryside of Loch Gàrraidh, her untamed and turbulent magic, and the hallucinogenic experience of a fantastical drug called Allure, and she can’t imagine giving them up for a life that would most definitely be dull in comparison.

Max O’Carroll failed out of Blossom Preparatory Academy and was cursed for eternity because of his refusal to follow society’s conservative rules. He can break his affliction if he finds true love, but nobody in recent history has ever fallen for a Bèist—a being that presents as a feral cat by day and takes their original human form by night. But when Ellie and Max meet during a twilight garden party and connect over wine and a moonlit swim, they soon realize their perception of love, freedom, and control are very different from what they’ve been taught to believe.

Getting tangled in Max’s terrible enchantment could mean disaster for Ellie’s future, but only if they are caught together…

Sabitha: Often in stories about a woman choosing between two men, there’s a love triangle and one of the men is a jerk and the other is perfect. You wrote something delightfully different—both men are perfect, though only one is perfect for Ellie, and no one’s jealous of anyone. Did you plan to show a different version of that trope?

Nicole: When I started writing the book, I honestly wasn’t 100% sure how it was going to turn out. I had a vague idea for the romance between Ellie and Max, but the other romances in the story actually came to light quite late in the writing process—mostly as I was drafting. I guess that means it wasn’t necessarily planned, but I think as the story went along, it became very clear that everyone in the story who functioned as a primary character needed to have a happily ever after, and I had to work out how to make that happen!

Sabitha: A major theme of this book is how harmful society’s rules and expectations can be—and how love can free us. Why is that theme so important to you?

Nicole: That’s a hard one! As someone who is high-anxiety, I’ve always been curious about what it would be like to feel freed from the expectations of society and from other people. Even as an adult, I find it difficult sometimes to understand and appreciate that some rules are meant to be broken, or that they exist as guidelines or best practices instead of unbreakable laws. I really wanted to explore those feelings with Ellie—where she feels like she has the capacity and ability to be herself if only this one thing would go away, and she decides to find a way to take her chances to be happy.

Sabitha: Cats! I will forever and ever love a book with cats. I happen to know that you have your own garden full of cats. First of all, cat tax. Show us pictures! And do any of your pets have anything in common with your cat-shifter Béists?

Nicole: I would have to say that Max the Cat is much smarter and much more clever than the cats I have living like fluffy potatoes in my house! I do have one cat who knows a few little party tricks, but nothing as impressive as how to turn into a human!

Sabitha : Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Nicole: You can grab a copy of The Night Garden here. And you can follow me Instagram / TikTok / Threads: @nicolebooks_

Wrong Genre Covers

The Obelisk Gate as a Harlequin novel was suggested by Eric Hortop. Rachel apologizes most sincerely to N.K. Jemisin. Have a funny idea for a Wrong Genre Cover? Email us at nightbeatseu@gmail.com, and if Rachel likes your suggestion, she’ll make it in a future issue. Or @ us on basically any of the socials.

Book Report Corner

by Tucker L.

Zilla Novikov’s eye-bulgingly original metafictional tale is told through her increasingly desperate permutations of the same query letter. Rejection upon rejection upon rejection is the conflict. Also, “Ian broke the coffeemaker and no one’s been able to fix it.”

The stakes? Look, we’re in climate apocalypse, and we’re trying to publish our novels before we die.

Read the whole review by Tucker Lieberman (author of Most Famous Short Film of All Time) here.

Behind the Screens: Tuesday Author Interview

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: Hockey, small-town Ontario, alien vampires … we love it all! Arlene F. Marks, can you tell us about yourself and your latest fantasy novel, The Bloodstone ?

Arlene: I’m a Canadian and the author of eleven published books of speculative fiction. Number 12 just came out on March 29, 2024, and that’s the one I’d like to talk about here. The Bloodstone is the second installment of The Nash’terel, an urban science fantasy series about a family of shapeshifting essence vampires who have fled to Earth from a genocide on their home world, only to find themselves dealing with a whole other set of problems.

Sixteen years after the events of the first book, the Nash’terel have resumed their quiet lives on Earth, hiding their true nature from the human population. Then…

“In small town Ontario, Travis Fiore lives with his adoptive grandpas, dividing his time between school and hockey practice. Everyone, including Travis, thinks he’s an ordinary Canadian teen, until a series of uncontrolled shapeshifts and a growing telekinetic talent reveal his Nash’terel heritage. Having “superpowers” sounds great, until he has to put his dream of NHL stardom on hold and move across the country to train them.

He may not like it, but he’s going to need control of those powers in order to survive. Someone has put a bounty on dashkra, the alien mineral that all Nash’terel carry inside them. While Travis struggles to adjust to his new existence, his grandpas and their contacts must work to find out who has turned their kind into prey—yet again.”

Sabitha : What inspired you to write this book?

Arlene: Actually, it was my own family history. My mother was a first-generation Canadian, and I grew up hearing stories about what it was like for her and her parents in the early days. I believe that all beings, regardless of their place of origin, will have things in common as they settle into a new home. So, I decided to explore the new immigrant experience from the viewpoint of aliens from another world. The first book was about the older generation resisting assimilation and the younger one embracing it. In The Bloodstone, old conflicts follow the Nash’terel to Earth, making life especially dangerous for the youngsters who were born here.

Sabitha : Do you have any suggestions to help people in our community become better writers?

Arlene: There are two things that I’ve always told my students. First, there’s no such thing as a minor character, just a minor role in some other protagonist’s story. Second, you should always read your work aloud when editing, since the ear will catch what the eye misses.

Sabitha : What’s your next writing project?

Arlene: I have two books coming out in 2024, The Bloodstone and The Stragori Deception, and I am currently working on a sequel to my paranormal mystery, Weekends Can Be Murder (Brain Lag, 2022).

Sabitha : Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Arlene: To learn more about me and my work, please visit my website (www.thewritersnest.ca) or find me on Facebook (Arlene Marks, Arlene F. Marks). The Bloodstone can be preordered from Amazon or Amazon.ca, or from the publisher, Brain Lag.

Crab Cake Sandwich with All hope of Becoming Human

Fiction To Sink Your Teeth Into, a feature from author and professional chef Rohan O’Duill!

Normally I put a little explainer here why I chose this meal with this book. But this time I am going to let a the book do the explaining.

“Do you want to talk?” Rebecca says softly.

Demzey scoffs, shaking his head. “About what? Where would we even start?” Demzey says, his eyes appearing to dampen. “Should we discuss the massacre at the compound? Or the scientists trying to escape in the SUV only to be overturned, dragged out into the desert and ripped to shreds? Or maybe the soldiers who are sitting in quarantine right now, the ones who saved my life, their bodies being turned inside out, while I sit at this restaurant waiting for a crab cake sandwich with steak fries and a cold draft? Yes, by all means let’s talk…”

Ingredients

1 tbsp of oil1 red onion, fine diced1 red pepper, fine diced1 clove of garlic, crushed100g crabmeat200g breadcrumbsDash of Louisiana hot saucePaprikaCracked pepper and sea saltA brioche bunAioli

Method

Saute the onion, garlic and pepper in the oil for about 5 minutes on a low heat. The veg should start to break down. Take off the heat and allow to cool.Add in the breadcrumbs, hot sauce and paprika. Season to your liking. Mix together and form patties with the mix.Fry off in a little oil until golden brown, then pop in the oven for ten minutes to cook through.Toast the brioche bun and serve with the aioli and any burger dressings that you fancy. I used coleslaw. but other options include lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle.Serve with fries and a cold draft, and sit back and get stuck into this absorbing and tension-filled read.

Book Report Corner

by Zilla N.

Remember when you were 14 years old and you sat on the edge of your bed and put a new CD in your Walkman and your headphones over your ears and as you listened to the music you thought, “This musician has been here, inside my bedroom, inside my skull. They must have been here. They understand.”

And then you got older and you weren’t 14 anymore and that sense of wonder from someone who understands a part of yourself you’d never been able to articulate doesn’t happen so often, and besides, most feelings are universal so what’s the magic in someone perfectly encapsulating a sensation, a feeling, that everyone has anyway. It’s not special. It’s not about you, alone in your bedroom, wondering what it would look like to find a connection.

This book hit me like a burning dump truck.

There’s a special kind of lonliness that’s not queer specifically, anyone can feel it, but it hits the part of myself that doesn’t know who I am and who anyone else is either, not in their entirety, not what it means to be an authentic self, to stop reaching for something perfect and bury white hands in the filth and squalor because it’s better to feel unclean than nothing. Anything’s better than being cold.

If you’re queer, or lonely, or burning, read this.

Behind the Screens: Tuesday Author Interview

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: Ready for a gritty fantasy? That’s why Bardlyre is here, to tell us about Darkhelm and a Knight which serves the realm … 

Bardlyre: “You are a brief candle in a long night. You pass through, and we are grateful, but the blackness will take you.”

Yet another village full of complaints. Daine listened, delivered all the justice she had power to give, and prepared to move on. 

All in a day’s work for a Knight of the Road.

Of course, some disliked her intrusion into their schemes, but they were of little concern. They had tried to stop her before and would doubtless try again.

Things change when Daine is charged with the protection of a simple stable boy. Shadows gather around those like Daine who seek to bring light, and their eyes are fixed on the boy.

Can Lady Darkhelm stand in their way? The realm needs heroes, and Daine Darkhelm may not be enough.

Sabitha : What inspired you to write this book?

Bardlyre: I recently became very engaged with literary role-playing-game-based fiction, but I found so many of the stories were about borderline psychotic young men. I felt, for balance, an older woman with her own mental baggage was appropriate. It’s been great to see people agree!

Sabitha : Do you have a playlist for your book? 

Bardlyre: I like to have Oasis on in the background when I write. ‘Live Forever’ is very apt for my main character. Likewise, The Verve’s ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ captured the vibe nicely!

Sabitha : If you could meet your characters, what would you say to them?

Bardlyre: I think someone needs to tell my villains that, no matter how foolproof they think their plan, Daine will find them. And she will kill them…

Sabitha: Do you have any suggestions to help people in our community become better writers?

Bardlyre: I think the best advice, really, is to not let perfect become the enemy of good. For so many people, they never get past writing those opening few chapters because they get stuck endlessly in an edit and rewrite cycle. I was the same with the first bit of Darkhelm – and even then, there were pages upon pages of edits from my publisher. I wasted so many weeks tweaking. Blank pages are the most intimidating thing. Makes people want to keep working on their early chapters.

Sabitha : What’s your next writing project?

Bardlyre: I’m currently polishing Book Two – Stonehand! It’salso published by Nef House Publishing and on audio from Tantor Media.

Sabitha : Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Bardlyre: You can order Darkheam here. I’m on Royal Road as Bardlyre, and also on TikTok and Facebook.

Book Report Corner

by Rohan O.

I received Corrupted Vessels as part of a book box I bought from tRaum books, so I had no idea what to expect when I started reading.

I don’t think I have ever come across a cover that gives me such similar vibes as what I felt while reading. It is inspired, even if I have to hide it away because it disturbs me, lol.

The writing in this book is fantastic and Briar’s ability to create such real and vivid characters is second to none. All the characters have aspects that I recognised from people I know in the real world, and I was immediately caught up in their world and their problems. The building tension through the story is masterfully done, and there were parts that distressed me more than any fiction I can remember. This is a beautifully sordid little book that whisks you away into its unsettling world.

There is also an excellent little bonus story.

This book is so good that even if it’s not your jam, you will thoroughly enjoy it.

Behind the Screens: Tuesday Author Interview

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: We love science fiction, we love queer stories—what better than the two together in one book? T.Q. Sims, could you tell us about your novel? 

T.Q.: Godspeed, Lovers (The Lovers Trilogy book 1) is about two psychics falling in love while fighting sentient storms and resisting an evil corporation that wants control. Typical gay romance stuff. 

Go deeper, and it’s about the chaos in our minds, the pain of trauma, and the love necessary to grow from a painful past.

There are also spaceships.

Sabitha: That sounds amazing as a premise. What’s the plot? 

T.Q.: Casey Isaac thinks love isn’t for him. Not since extraordinary events left him with supernatural powers and a great deal of trauma. But when Oscar Kenzari looks at him, he can’t help but change his mind.

As Divinators, Casey and Oscar have used their psychic powers to defend humanity from sentient, extradimensional storms for one hundred years.

MaalenKun, prince of the maelstrom, conqueror of countless realities, plans to turn the tables by infecting Casey’s mind.

But MaalenKun is not the only threat.

As Casey works to defeat threats around and within himself, he must open to love for his chosen family, for Oscar, and for himself to unlock a transformative power that could banish MaalenKun. And Oscar must make a difficult choice that could cost him the future he dreams of.

Sabitha : What inspired you to write this book?

T.Q.: I wanted to write a story about queer superheroes that weren’t incidentally queer. Some of the power that these characters draw from comes directly from their queer experiences. I wanted gay romance, found family, queer resilience and rage… but also superpowers. I wrote the story I wanted to read: fun, meaningful, exciting, and very queer.

Sabitha : Do you have a secret for writing clear characters?

T.Q.: While writing, I like to fan-cast certain characters. Thinking of an actor’s range or specific skill can help me see the character, hear their voice. From there, I know what they might do or say when they are fighting sentient storms or using their superpowers to get spicy. When I saw a reader’s fan-cast of the main character on Instagram, I squealed out loud. We both saw Jonathan Bailey as our lovable loner Casey Isaac. Jonathan Bailey is so sexy, and he could certainly pull off Casey’s arc of post-traumatic growth through opening to Oscar’s love. Speaking of Casey’s love interest, Oscar Kenzari—well, he’s named after two dreamy actors: Oscar Isaac and Marwan Kenzari. Who better to play a sexy, beardy space daddy with a super-powered sensual touch?

Sabitha : Have you ever killed off a character your readers loved?

T.Q.: It’s my wish for readers to see themselves represented in the characters, to embrace their stories, and to not get attached. There are a few character deaths. For me, when there is a large cast, the threat feels more real when I know all the characters might not make it. While there are deaths in the story, those same moments are of great heroism. And, for what it’s worth, this story is inspired by X-Men, and those characters die and come back, so who knows? (wink, wink)

Sabitha : What’s your next writing project?

T.Q.: I’m currently at work on The Lovers Trilogy book 2.

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

T.Q.: You can order a signed copy from TheLoversUniverse.com. Or purchase softback or digital versions through most major online booksellers. My Instagram is t.q.sims.