Zilla Novikov's Blog, page 21

Guaranteed Bestseller Cover Reveal

Yes that is a demon with a face on its butt.

We are delighted (and a wee bit terrified) to reveal the cover of Guaranteed Bestseller to the innocent masses. Welcome to our darkly funny anthology about the perils of writing, not-writing, and signing contracts with the devil (other publishing houses are available).

If you want a copy for the low, low price of free, you can sign up for a review copy here. If you prefer to exchange money for goods and services, a pre-order link will be available as soon as we defeat the final boss and get Amazon’s sign-off, likely within 72 hours.

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: Looking for a queer fantasy adventure? Look no further! We’re talking to Vanessa Ricci-Thode about her novel, Fireborn . Vanessa, can you introduce us to your book?

Vanessa: Fireborn is a fantasy novel about a queer teen rebuilding her life and fighting to reshape the future after she loses everything. Like her mother and grandmother before her, Spark is a uniquely skilled pyromancer born immune to fire, with a deep family connection to the local dragon population. But her power draws the attention of a dangerous faction. Spark needs to learn finesse and to conquer old fears if she and everyone she cares for are going to survive.

Sabitha : What inspired you to write this book?

Vanessa: Fireborn was heavily influenced by the How to Train Your Dragon films and TV show, but with queer teens and a female lead.

Sabitha : Do you have a playlist for your book?

Vanessa: I listened to a lot of the How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack while writing it, to keep me in the spirit of the original inspiration for the book. And the Mad Max: Fury Road soundtrack came in handy when it was time for me to write this book’s climax. The climax includes a high-speed dragon chase through the desert, so Fury Road really set the mood.

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

Vanessa: I would probably apologize. A lot. Especially to the main character Spark.

Sabitha : What book do you tell all your friends to read? Besides yours of course!

Vanessa: I’m obsessed with the Murderbot Diaries and recommend that everywhere. A less known book I also really love is World Running Down by Al Hess.

Sabitha :  How much research did you need to do for your book?

Vanessa: Spark is a blacksmith and I am very not, so I had to do a lot of research into how certain things are made and then figure out how and where Spark’s fire magic would fit into the process. I also did some research on aerial combat. Dragons are magic and don’t move quite like fighter planes, but having the basics and some terminology helped in describing some of the aerial fight scenes.

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

Vanessa: Join a critique group, but make sure it’s the right fit!

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?

Vanessa: You can buy Fireborn here. You can keep up with me at my website or my newsletter—subscribers get a free short story from the dragon’s POV. I use the handle vriccithode on all the social media platforms I use (currently mostly Discord and Bluesky),

Cold Beans and Herbs on Bread with The Books of Earthsea by Ursala K Le Guin

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

There is a lot of food talked about in the world of Earthsea but this drew my attention as it was something that I hadn’t made or eaten previously. While it might not sound appealing at first this meal is delicious, vegan, and can be prepared in about 90 seconds. What’s not to love?

Perfect for a snack or starter.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp of olive oil1 can of mixed beans, drainedHerbs, choppedSlices of sourdough breadCracked pepper and sea salt

Directions:

You can use any mix of herbs for this—even dried mixed herbs. I used fresh tarragon and chives.

Mix the beans with the herbs, salt, and pepper.Drizzle some olive olive oil over the mix.Slice the bread and toast it.Pour the beans on top. Simple as that!

Then you have plenty of time to sit down with the big book and a nice cold ale, and enjoy.

Book Report Corner

by Zilla N.

The first thing you have to understand is that Vita Nostra is perfect. When something is its own ideal, fully encapsulated, how can there be a sequel?

The answer is Assassin of Reality.

Sasha is older now, more aware. They are all. They know what is being done to them, and they know why. They cannot become a concept without deconstructing their humanity; they cannot grow without retaining it, at least a little. Without love, and therefore fear, to trap them. They will trade freedom for harmony. They will become the trap.

Except there are always possibilities. A world where the ice fell on neither mother nor baby carriage, where you bought the fire extinguisher, where you swerved away from the bus. A world where love exists without fear.

Be brave, Sasha tells us.

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 have one of our Night Beats family here, Rohan O’Duill. Full disclosure—I’ve read Cold Rush and I absolutely love it. So of course we have him on the blog to tell us about his science fiction novella! 

Rohan: Cold Rising is told from the point of view of two characters. The first, Olgo, is a special agent tasked with improving the working conditions in the Martian underground metropolis. Olgo sees this mission as a stepping stone in their career and has little interest in the plight of the Martian people. The second main character, Suong, is a 12-year-old girl who works in a clothing company on Mars. After the two end up on the wrong side of the local cartel, they must work as a team to escape the caverns and what lurks there. 

Sabitha : As I understand it, the Cold Rush Novellas are not a traditional series—they’re a collection of stories set in the same time and place. How does Cold Rising relate to your larger universe and will we meet these characters again?

Rohan: Some of my friends would suggest that I never make life easy for myself, and the Cold Rush Novellas may be proof of that. I initially tried to put all of Cold Rush in one book, but that many POVs and storylines didn’t fit properly. I spent a long time playing around with the format and eventually landed on the idea of telling the story through interconnecting standalone novellas. I was careful not to fall into the Marvel trap where you have to have read 30 other books to get what’s going on in each one. Hopefully, I have created something that stands on its own feet while adding depth if you have read the other stories.

The next two novellas are complete and will not feature the main characters from Cold Rising, but Olgo and Suong will appear again in later novellas.

Sabitha : Having read several works in your universe, Olgo is by far my favourite of your characters. How did you conceive of them, and what was your process to make them such a compelling personality?

Rohan: I really enjoyed writing Olgo’s character even though Olgo’s backstory is not a happy one. They use an emotional control device to block the mysterious trauma they experienced as a child. The upside of the device is that it makes them an extremely effective and driven special agent. But they have limited battery life on the device, and when shit hits the fan on Mars they have to deal with the most trying conditions of their life. Olgo is forced to go through a major transformation to survive the pits of Mars. 

I think what makes Olgo stand out as a character is their uncomplicated, straight-talking view of their surroundings. They constantly make droll observations about human shortcomings while still being aware of how they are a pawn in a bigger game.

Sabitha : Hard sci-fi and Golden Age science fiction is a clear influence on your writing. These genres often star characters who are important explorers, scientists, and military and political leaders. In Cold Rush , you focused instead on the labour conditions of ordinary workers. Why do you think these stories are so important to tell?

Rohan: I think Golden Age sci-fi had a big influence on my life, never mind my writing. I grew up in a very conservative Catholic Ireland where I felt like an outsider. Finding the science fiction section in my library opened up a whole new world to me. I had no one to discuss these books with. Nobody I knew liked anything like this. So the books themselves were my companions. My first glimpse of a bigger, more diverse world came through these novels. And while these books didn’t talk directly about real world topics, they made comparisons and used fictional scenarios to examine genuine issues.

This is what I tried to do in Cold Rising—calling out our own hypocrisy in consuming products from countries with terrible working conditions and human rights abuses. As long as we can buy a steady stream of cheap goods, we turn a blind eye. Fiction can play a powerful role in reminding people about the woes of our world. I also think that pointing out these issues while telling an entertaining story can be more effective than slapping someone in the face with the facts.

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?

Rohan: You can find my book here. You can find me through Night Beats and through Lower Decks Press. For now I’m still on Twitter, but I’ve also joined Blue Sky. And I’m on Instagram.

Get the free chapbook accompanyment to Melancholic Parables!!

Bellatrix Sakakino has lived many lives. She dampens electricity. She’s radioactive. She longs for a fruit that went extinct before she was born. She’s not above committing a massacre for the sake of a perfect omelet.

Are we the same person we were last year? Or last week? Or last story? Whimsical and dolorous, ironic and absurd, this slippery assortment of stories dances around these questions with ambiguous aplomb.

Melancholic Parables costs money, but Dale’s made his follow-up chapbook, The Galoofus, free here. Enhance your summer confusion with this delightful read.

Announcing: Guaranteed Bestseller (That No One Will Read)

Guaranteed Bestseller offers nine sardonic tales holding a carnival mirror to writers and stories. From a deal with the Devil to the ultimate AI vs human showdown, witness the terrifying spectacle of artists who’ll do anything to clamber out of the creative trenches alive.

Sign up for an exclusive cover reveal, be part of our ARC team, and read the book before everyone else!

https://forms.gle/Rvh48t7EoLaK4wNS9

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.

Two-book Tuesday! We’ll hear about the first two of Shana Stephen’s post-apocalyptic dark fantasy novels. Shana, tell us about your books!

Shana: This series is dark fantasy meets supernatural meets post-apocalyptic. Set in the United States in the present day, our story begins with our MC being abducted by an inhuman creature. Natural disaster follows. Alongside us for centuries were the Shadow Walkers, a species living in secret, bound by a magic pact. With the world turned upside down, and the Shadow Walkers revealed, what will happen? 

Both books are written in the first person. The blurb for the The Shadows Between is, “If you had told me last week that I would have been hiking through the woods with some weird, demonic, creature I would have said you were dreaming. Yet here I am, trekking through the mud, sleeping on the rock hard earth, and peeing in a hole in the ground. I don’t know what he wants, or why he took me. All I know is I need to survive. And I have a feeling that something bad is coming. For all of us.”

The blurb for Out of the Shadows is, “It’s crazy to think that just a month ago a supervolcano erupting was my biggest concern. Little did I know what was in store for me in the aftermath. Actions have consequences, I suppose. Breaking the pact freed the Shadow Walkers, but made me enemy number one. In the ash-filled remains of the world outside, I’m on a mission to bring peace. Too bad the world has other plans for me.”

Sabitha : What inspired you to write this book?

Shana: This series actually started as freethought writing, oddly enough. The first paragraph of Book 1 was born during journaling. When the freethought ended, the main male character, dubbed Death, materialized in my mind. The story just kind of took off from there. After the characters were formed, my inspiration for the plot was basically to focus on moral greys since that’s what I love to read and watch. 

Sabitha : We have a lot of writers in our community. What’s your writing process?

Shana: My writing process is a little chaotic. I will write when inspiration strikes, which is not regularly. Sometimes if I have an idea for a later scene, I will force myself to write to get to that scene, but when I do this a lot of editing has to occur later. If I’m feeling writer’s block I will usually switch to reading to get back into the right headspace. Then, as I go, I try to outline the plot or make character sheets, but I find it’s more so just what the characters would do in that given situation. In that sense, it almost feels like my choices are limited in where I take the story, haha. 

Sabitha : Do you have a “fan-cast” – do you have actors you’d cast as your main characters?

Shana: I haven’t given much thought to it but a friend of mine said Adam Driver, who plays Kylo Ren in Star Wars, would be good in the role of Death. I think the actor who played Dream, Tom Sturridge, in Sandman would also be a good Death. 

Sabitha : What book do you tell all your friends to read? 

Shana:  I have recommended the Hollows series by Kim Harrison to many friends because it is an awesome series, in my opinion, and is still going. If you like book one of that series, you are in for a treat because the books just keep coming. Another new favorite of mine is Can’t Wait to be Dead by Samantha Verba. I really enjoyed it so I recommended it to my friends and family. It has action, romance, vampires, and humor. What’s not to like?

Sabitha :  If you could pick any author to read your book, who would you want to read it? Why them?

Shana: I would love Neil Gaiman to read my book because I think that would just be so cool. And I believe any feedback he’d give would really help in my growth as a writer. 

Sabitha : Does the location the story takes place mean something to you or to the work?

Shana: The location for this series was basically a ‘write what you know’ situation for me. I live on the east coast of the U.S so that is where the story takes place. Any places I haven’t physically been I visited on Google Earth. Since this series is modern fantasy and not full-blown fantasy, I felt it was important to have a good mental visual of the location and scenery to best describe it to the reader. 

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?

Shana: You can find me and my series on my Amazon author page.

Get a free Advance Reader Copy of Cold Rising, a Cold Rush Novella

After a job gone wrong, Special Agent Olgo is trapped within the bowels of Mars with no means of escape. The device that imprisons the trauma within them is about to fail, and the past terrors kept hidden by it must be contained for Olgo’s sanity and everyone’s safety.

From the darkness comes a tiny voice, and a tinier hope: “Hello?”

Looking for a novella with all the grit of Golden Age Sci Fi and all the heart of The Expanse? Rohan is looking for readers. Get a free copy in exchange for an honest review by signing up 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 : Are you in the mood for a sword-and-sorcery fantasy? If so, you’re in luck—Erica Sebree is here to tell us about her novel, Wild Heart of the Storm ! 

Erica: Wild Heart of the Storm begins with Ffion Ainsley, who leads a quiet life hidden away in the mortal realm. But when her dormant magic begins to manifest, her touch awakens a dead wolf. Drawing the attention of assassins, she narrowly escapes with the mysterious metalsmith who knows her true identity.

Wild Heart of the Storm is a celtic fantasy with a reluctant heroine, animal guardians, premonitory dreams, magic, and a bound protector. While it can be read as a standalone, it’s also the first volume of a five-book series. Book two, Wild Heart of the Crown, is also available.

Sabitha : It sounds dramatic! What sort of music that inspired you while you were writing it?

Erica: Soundtracks to epic big-screen fantasies, like Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings.

Sabitha : We have a lot of writers in our community. What’s your writing process?

Erica: I used the Snowflake Method to plan my book. The process involves writing a single sentence about your story, expanding it to a paragraph, then a page, and finally to four pages. After that, you move on to each of your characters, outlining their motivations, goals, conflicts, and epiphanies, before repeating the same process of expanding each of their story lines from one sentence to a full page. Finally, you outline every single scene of the book in a spreadsheet. It’s a long process, but I highly recommend it for anyone who likes to organize their thoughts.

Sabitha : How did you choose the title?

Erica: My mom took me to see Wild Hearts Can’t be Broken when I was young, and it stuck with me. The movie is about a woman who rides horses off of high-dives, until she’s blinded during one of her jumps. I love a character who doesn’t give up, even when (or especially when) people tell her something isn’t possible or can’t be done. Ffion is like that in many ways, and becomes even more determined in book two as she takes on her new role.

The title also represents Ffion’s magic:

Wild = earth magic

Heart = life magic

Storm = storm magic

Wild Heart = independence

Heart of the Storm = the final battle

Sabitha : Does the location the story takes place mean something to you or to the work?

Erica: I wanted the mortal realm to have defined seasons, so I designed it with the midwest in mind. She grows her own food and tends an apple orchard. As someone who grew up in Wisconsin, I can still remember how fresh-from-the-tree apples were so ripe they smelled of cider before you even took a bite.

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?

Erica: You can get Wild Heart of the Storm and Wild Heart of the Crown on Amazon. I’m on Bookbub, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can also find me on my website or subscribe to my newsletter.