Zilla Novikov's Blog, page 28
March 16, 2023
Book Report Corner
by Zilla N.
The Things We Couldn’t Save by Nicole Bea is a book about me in high school. This is what it felt like to fall in love the first time, and then what it felt like to fall out of love again. This is what it felt like to have a best friend who was more precious to me than air but to know that time was pulling us apart, that we were going different directions and turning into different people, and that our friendship might not survive.
This is me, the good girl, trying to be cool by drinking – but puking in front of the people I was trying to impress. Trying to figure out who I was by making a lot of mistakes and only realizing afterwards that I wasn’t the kind of person who did *that*. If you, like me, tried in high school to be cooler than the dork you actually were (and still are!), this book might be about you too.
Nicole is a masterful writer. I’ve read it twice and I teared up both times. I want to give Clarke a hug. I want to give my teenage self – all our teenage selves – hugs too.
You can find it here.
March 15, 2023
Query Pre-Order Countdown: 0 day
an environmental activist / aspiring writer’s query letters get increasingly unhinged as the rejections pile up
City planner by day, tired climate activist by day off, aspiring writer Zilla Novikov’s query letters quickly devolve into a darkly funny exploration of her own psyche. As the rejections pile up, her novel blurbs and biographies grow increasingly unhinged, while Zilla discovers that the road to bestseller-dom is paved with neoliberal hellscapes.
The stunning cover of this satirical novella is finally revealed! Many thanks to the inimitable Rachel A. Rosen for this work of sheer art.
Want an e-book? Want a print book? Want a special edition palm-sized A6 paperback with an exclusive cover too risque for Amazon, delivered in a care package full of rejection-themed swag and other unexpected items? Get ’em all here.
March 14, 2023
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: Today we’ll talk to Iain C.M. Gray about his British zombie apocalypse novel, Zombies Wha Hae, and his short story collection, The Ruined Road. Iain, can you introduce us to your books?
Iain: I am the author of a collection of short stories, The Ruined Road, which is an eclectic mix of styles and genres, covering a variety of topics from anthropophagy to Mormons, prostitution to fratricide and all sorts in between. I have also written a zombie book, called Zombies Wha Hae.
Sabitha: Does the location the story takes place mean something to you or to the work?
Iain: Zombies Wha Hae is set in my original hometown of Greenock. The book follows the fate of a variety of random Greenockians who happen to find themselves in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. There are scenes of drug addiction, alcoholism, and domestic and sectarian violence; just another Friday night in Greenock (forgive me my flippancy, please, I do know these are serious issues, and I hope I deal with them with sensitivity and some humour).
Sabitha: What inspires you to write?
Iain: I have always been happier when I am involved in doing something creative. I used to be a musician, busking on London underground. But I had let my creative side be shelved by real life, work, family etc. I was inspired to rededicate some time to creative pursuits after reading Lonely Boy, the autobiography of Steve Jones (guitarist, founder member and joint songwriter from The Sex Pistols). There is a paragraph in the book where he talks about what motivates him to create, and he came to the conclusion that purely by being in a creative process, he is a happier person. This was a light bulb moment for me, and I have been writing ever since.
Sabitha: We have a lot of writers in our community. What’s your writing process?
Iain: Even though I do say so myself, I am very well read, and I have always had a love of books, and the written word. So my style, and choice of material is varied. I won’t be tied down to any particular genre or style. My influences are too many to mention. I squeeze in my writing in-between work and family duties, so I write wherever and whenever I can.
Sabitha: How did you choose the title?
Iain: I wrote Zombies Wha Hae first. My original idea was to write it in the style of a Russian classic. So it was originally titled, If Tolstoy Did Scottish Zombies. I still like this. But half-way through, the madness of this idea gradually dawned on me, and I realised that 500K words was probably beyond me. I was inspired to name it after Robert Burns poem/song Scots Wha Hae while I was listening to Canadian Celtic Punks sing a rousing version of it. I am equally as fond of this title as I was with the Tolstoy one.
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?
Iain: Here’s the UK link to Zombies Wha Hae on the UK Amazon Website, I am self-published, and Amazon is just by far the biggest market, forgive my blatant lack of ethics. If you are interested in my short story collection, here is the UK link for it. If you want to hear more about me or my influences, you can check out my website.
Query Pre-Order Countdown: 1 day
When a beggar reveals himself as a wishgranter, the novelist is taken by surprise. Should she ask to receive something? Or something else? Or should she request permission to reveal her boundary-breaking resistance-art to the world? Working in five genres and eighteen sacred modes of persistence, Zilla Novikov submits her third wish. Perfect for your list; instantly familiar; a triumph of optimism. We’ve all queried, but until now, only the angels of Chelm heard us. Novikov’s derring-do opens the gates. Now the world will know.
–Tucker Lieberman, Most Famous Short Film of All Time
March 13, 2023
Query Pre-Order Countdown: 2 days
If you’ve ever tried to publish anything, the impersonal form rejections and the unending grind of trying to get someone, anyone, to take a chance on you, will be familiar. If you’ve ever tried to make a genuine difference in your job, if you’ve ever felt small and hopeless in the face of late-stage capitalism, that aspect of the novel will feel familiar too. This book is a scathing satire with genuine passion and heart at its core. Come for the wit and the blackout poetry, stay for the actual inspiration to fight the good fight.
–Rachel A. Rosen, Cascade
March 12, 2023
Query Pre-Order Countdown: 3 days
HOT HOT CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION is a work of erotic fiction where I seduce you with my words until you rep me.
— Query by Zilla Novikov
March 11, 2023
Query Pre-Order Countdown: 4 days
A metafictional tale from the publishing trenches, packing poignant queer realism and a fragmented story of loss and climate change, told through wry asides. Don’t miss this witty, melancholy story.
–Michelle Browne, The Meaning Wars
March 10, 2023
Query Pre-Order Countdown: 5 days
The influences on my work are too many to be detailed on one sheet of A4. It takes a library to write a novel. But if I have to pick just one, I’ll take Pirkei Avot 2:16.
— Query by Zilla Novikov
March 9, 2023
Query Pre-Order Countdown: 6 days
an environmental activist / aspiring writer’s query letters get increasingly unhinged as the rejections pile up
the special-edition book box will contain rejection swag, among other unexpected items
March 8, 2023
Podcast Promo
If you like great podcasts to find new books, check out This Book I Read… a podcast from Beyond Cataclysm. Each episode explores the ups and downs of a particular book or author’s work, highlighting the great bits, and critiquing the bad stuff. Get inside the minds of other writers and the works that inspire them!
Our very own Rachel A Rosen is on to talk about Brown Girl In The Ring by Nalo Hopkinson.
Topics covered include:
Post-apocalyptic Toronto & Ontario.
‘White Flight’, inner city decline, ‘Donut cities’ and gentrification.
The Afro-Caribbean diaspora, The Jab Jab & Roti Shops.
The challenges of predicting the future back in the 1990s.
