Chantal Boudreau's Blog, page 42

I'm no expert, but...

I wish I was a master marketer, it would make this book business a lot easier, but I do know, based on my own personal reaction to things, what doesn’t work on me – “buy my book” spam. This topic was discussed on a rather extensive thread in one of the Facebook writer groups that I belong to, a group I participate in specifically because we’ve all agreed we don’t want to see that kind spam posted to the group. It means we actually see real discussions. People post questions, excerpts or opinions. I know if I check out the group I won’t be bombarded by one dry “here’s my link to my book, it’s only $ -.--” after another. In some of the other writer groups the spam posts are 80-90% of content. I don’t go there anymore, since I have better things to do with my time then scroll through the spam to find anything worthwhile.

Now don’t get me wrong – I buy books. I buy books from trad publishers and smaller presses, and I buy books from my writer friends when they’ve made a real connection with me and have captured my interest. In those cases there is usually a mutual effort to support each other’s work. I also know that promotion is important, as long as it is effective promotion. If your attempts at drawing attention to your book is causing people to tune out and shut off, you’re doing something wrong. They say you need to get a message to a potential buyer several times before they’ll commit to a purchase, but just because you blast that message at them doesn’t mean they’ll absorb it. In fact, if you bore them with vague and repetitive unoriginal posts, they’ll likely reject the message and ignore anything that follows, the way that I do. If you want me to pay attention you either have to *really* excite me or make a concerted effort to show me who you are and what you do.

As another friend in my preferred group pointed out – spamming writer groups is an even greater waste of time and energy. Writers may read, but they are very particular about what they read, because with the investment they put into their writing (and submissions, and edits, and promotional activities), they are left with little time for other distractions. Spamming reader groups might yield a little success, but many reader groups are now made up of writers looking for an opportunity to promote their books. He suggested focussing your marketing efforts on topic-associated groups. What I understood that to mean is that if one of the main themes of your book is something like surfing, then try posting your promotional material to surfer groups, of if your tale puts a negative spin on genetic manipulation, give it some exposure on an anti-GMO group (just as a couple of examples).

From the research I’ve done, my dislike of the “buy my book” posts is not unique. It’s considered to be one of the least effective marketing methods. The problem is, it’s simple, not requiring much thought or effort, and other than a small investment of time, it’s free. Some use it to supplement loftier efforts, and some use it because they lack training/experience or the willingness to be more creative and innovative.

Like I said, I’m no expert, but I know what annoys and bores me. If you want me to buy your book, try something other than the online barrage. Pique my interest, don’t drown it.

Unplugging

For a writer, the expectation is there in today’s day and age to have a constant presence in the major social networks. You have to have at minimum one blog. You have to be constantly on the lookout for exposure. You have to be as much of a salesperson as you are a story-teller – or perhaps even more so.


The problem is that creativity is a creature that thrives with isolation. Many of us who write like our solitude. When you are attempting to be extroverted, often a stretch for us, it is difficult to remain introspective, a very necessary component of our work. To make matters worse, some of us are clueless about how to connect with others. Many writers push their books by being spammy and repetitive, told that they will only capture certain people’s attention by putting their book in front of them several times, not recognizing that if the first method they use was unsuccessful, most folks will just tune out if they throw the same thing at them over and over again. I’m not doing that, but trying instead to find new and different ways to show people what I have to offer. It still isn’t easy.


I’ve decided to unplug for a little while, and get back to what motivates me and makes me happy. Part of that is for the sake of sanity in a real world that feels nasty crazy right now because of bus strikes and staffing issues at work, and part of that is to avoid some really disturbing peer-to-peer bashing over an incident with some of my fellow writers. I don’t want any part of it, and I’ve told people as much. The more time I spend online, the more people try to pull me into all of that, when I’ve already decided how to deal with it on my end in as professional a manner as I can muster. Try to prompt me about it, without being invited to share in the first place, and I will ignore you.


I’m still perusing my e-mail and occasionally dipping my toe into the Facebook /Twitter /Google+ ocean from time to time, but I’m not worrying about keeping up with my blog or reviews (this is just a fortunate impulse) and I’m mostly just focusing on working on my latest experiment, a paranormal thriller entitled Intangible. As I’ve told my regular networking buddies, if you need me, just shout – that way I’ll be able to hear you through all the social network white noise I’m in the process of disregarding. If you want to connect with me in a civil way, off of the grid, I welcome e-mails at chantellyb(at)hotmail_dot_com.

Why I Don't Respond to Reviews...

A review is an opinion, and everyone who has read something is entitled to their own personal viewpoint. Every writer should be willing to acknowledge that there will be people out there who won’t enjoy their work, or who will take issue with their style or approach to a certain topic. When someone writes a review, they aren’t speaking for everyone, just for themselves and they will base their decisions on their own tastes, experiences and interpretations. This is one reason why it is advised that writers should never respond to a review, especially a negative one. You and others may not agree with what is said, but you can’t tell the person that they are wrong. The review is based on their individual reaction and only they can say exactly how that work made them feel.

Being a reviewer as well as a writer really does give you the flip-side of the situation and a broader perspective. I would advise all writers to get a taste of what it is like to serve as reviewer. Some writers will take great offense if you don’t rate them 5 stars and tell them that they are perfect. They’ll see anything negative as a personal attack, even if you liked most of the book, and say so, but a couple of things rubbed you the wrong way. Some readers will also take you to task if you say something they don’t like about a particular book, series or writer that they happen to like. I tell them the same thing that I’m saying now. You have no right to tell me what I should think or feel about something I have read. If I like it, or even love it, I will say so, and I make an effort to point out exactly why I feel that way. If I didn’t like it, I will speak my mind there as well, but once again, I will explain my point of view to the best of my ability. I don’t just say “I love it” or “I dislike it” without foundation. You are welcome to disagree with me, and say you feel otherwise, but don’t tell me I’m wrong – that is my reaction even if it isn’t yours. You have your opinion, and I have mine, and they don’t have to coincide.

We all have our sore points as a writer too – those sensitive areas that, when they are targeted negatively in a review, really will put us into a funk. I pride myself on my characterization, so when a reviewer picks on that specifically, it hurts. I’ll be glum for days. Description, word choice, adverbs, dialogue tags, pacing, general style, none of that bothers me if that’s what’s being criticized, but not so with my characters. That being said, I can’t contest someone’s opinion if they didn’t like my characters. If they didn’t connect, they didn’t connect. That *was* their experience. They aren’t wrong, just because many other people feel otherwise.

If you choose to respond to a review, whether you are the writer or a reader, please keep all of this in mind. If you have strong feelings about a book, then as a reader, write your own review, rather than protesting what some other reviewer has said with comments objecting to their point of view. Critique of a review should not be based on the reviewer’s opinion but on how much thought and effort went into the review. If you want to judge a review, then that should be the deciding factor, not whether or not the reviewer feels the same way that you do.

But then again, that’s just my opinion…

Crossing Gender Lines

I’ve seen a lot of talk recently about inequality in the publishing industry, how male writers get more coverage, percentage-wise, in top review publications and how this is an unfair representation of writers in general. I’ve also read backlash where men counter this with the argument “women don’t write serious fiction” – i.e. women writers mostly write “chick-lit”.

Honestly, I’m not sure if any of this is something I should be concerned about. As far as I am aware, I haven’t been discriminated against for being a woman. Then again, I don’t know if any of the rejections I have received have been in part because of my gender. I don’t go out of my way to hide who I am. I don’t use a pseudonym when submitting (with one genre exception, and I use a feminine pseudonym), and I don’t hide my gender by presenting only my first initial. Some women writers have chosen to do that – there are examples throughout history – but I’ve never been inclined that way.

Where I have encountered discrimination is actually when I have chosen to use a male PoV character in my stories, and I have done that on many occasion. In fact, at the moment I am writing an alternate history zombie horror story set in the Southern US with an African-American, male PoV. I’m sure I’ll face criticism for this choice, but I don’t write things the way other people dictate. I write what the story calls for.

I’ve actually had a man approach me and berate me for having a male PoV in Fervor (criticism based on the back of the book blurb – he had never read the book.) I’ve also seen complaints from other women suggesting that it is a woman writer’s responsibility to write all of their stories with a strong female PoV. Is it? Really?

What you’ll find in my stories are a wide range of characters with a broad variety of strengths and flaws. Some of my heroes are men and others women. My villains come in all shapes and sizes too. Many of my characters walk a very blurred line in the grey, and sometimes you can’t tell if they are meant to be hero or villain. I have female characters who are a little dim and helpless, and some who have been soldiers for most of their lives, hardened veterans. I have male characters who are pacifists and some who are serial killers. As I mentioned, I write what the story needs. What gives someone else the right to tell me who I should cast in the role of PoV?

To sum up, what I want to say is that I would hope nobody judges my work as a writer from the perspective of my gender, be it refusing to take my work seriously or demanding a certain type of PoV character. I like to consider myself a person, not defined by my gender at all. I hope others will grant me the same respect.

Thracian Culture in “Sleep Escapes Us” – Beyond Mythology

When I decide to write "Sleep Escapes Us" as an alternate history of Thrace, I wanted to seed the tale with details that reflected the actual culture of ancient Thrace - other than the mythos of that location - to give it a truly Thracian flavour. During my research, I managed to dredge up a series of interesting tidbits that I felt I could thread into my story to make it seem more realistic, despite the magic and the zombies.

One great source for this was Tosho Spiridonov, Roumyana Georgieva and Maria Rejo’s “Ethnology of the Thracians”. It discussed their dwellings and lifestyle, and provided me with such details as predominant foods (the lentil and cabbage mash that Zelmis was fed at the Temple of Zalmoxis,) fabric and fashions (the tunics, leggings and zeira, the multi-coloured cloak commonly worn by the Thracian people, as well as their types of adornment,) and the use of tattoos (which I applied with the tally marks.)

In addition to common lifestyle, I also found information on religious rituals, including descriptions of animal sacrifices and the ritual pits where they occurred, performed in hewn rock niches. These details allowed me to present Zalmoxis’s Temple with the type of character it should have as a proper exhibit of the worship of death. There was also mention of the funerary feast Zelmis was hunting to provide for at the beginning of the book, part of the Thracian burial rituals. In fact, Roumyana Georgieva outlines the funeral rites in great detail:

“Burial rites occupy an extremely important if not foremost position in the Thracian system of customs, due to the fact that the dead ranked higher than the living in ancient Thrace. All rituals performed between the occurrence of death and the closing of the grave (the closing of the eyes and jaws of the deceased, bathing, preparation of the body which was left for three days to lie at stake, mourning, animal sacrifices and burial feast) were aimed mainly at facilitating the deceased individual to make his transition to the world beyond. The faith in his supernatural power, together, with the apprehension or hope that he is capable of influencing the fate of the living, were among the reasons for the exceptional care devoted to the dead in Thrace.”

Since funeral rites were an important part of the culture, it made sense for them to also play a strong role in the book, particularly since the story surrounded the mythology of the Thracian god of death.

Another cultural factor with a strong impact on the story was the fact the Thracians had no written language of their own. That was the reasoning behind Alina seeking out Kerza in the first place, and the repercussions of the situation had significant influence in the story. It also meant I had liberty to play around with some of the cultural aspects within the tale since historically, they are vague. Most of what is known about the Thracians comes from their “archaeological remains, and from the Greek writers who were their contemporaries” (per Moni, from the A Spell in Time group - she did not provide me with a last name - in “Background to Bulgarian Myth and Folklore.”) They are sketchy at best, allowing for extrapolation.

Overall, I think I was able to incorporate enough of what was known about the Thracian culture to give Sleep Escapes Us a distinct Thracian flavour. It was definitely one of the more interesting cultures I’ve ever researched.

Thracian Mythology as a Basis for “Sleep Escapes Us”

Sleep Escapes Us grew from an idea of zombie armies tied to some lesser known mythological figure, the latter to allow it to follow Elements of Genocide in my Darker Myths theme for NaNoWriMo. Despite the fact that it is an “alternate history” dark fantasy/ horror novel, I wanted to adhere to an existing pantheon to give it a sense of realism and a historical flavour. I needed an obscure god of death that lore reported as dying and being reborn, one to match the storyline I had in mind. I wanted the tale to be something set with an ancient civilization backdrop, so I could bring in elements of culture and tradition.

My research brought me to Zalmoxis, a Thracian god with whom I was not familiar and who had a very detailed legendary existence - that of a mortal who became a god, as outlined in Mircea Elidae’s “Zalmoxis, The Vanishing, God”. The myth fit very well with what I had planned and as I further researched the Thracian culture and the other gods they worshipped, everything seemed to fit together like carefully constructed puzzle pieces. It was easy to interweave Hecate into the tale, because of her influence over witchcraft and midwifery amongst many other things, and Bendis also proved to be a welcome find for the story, giving my characters cause to venture out into the wilderness for a fertility ritual and thereby encountering more wild zombies and avoiding the armies searching for them. Lastly came Zagreus, a god born of mortal womb for the finishing touch.

Here is a sample of what my research uncovered about each of these deities of the Thracian mythos and how they were essential to the story.

Zalmoxis: Zalmoxis was regarded as the sole god of the Getae people to which he would have taught the belief in immortality so that they considered dying merely as going to Zalmoxis. Legend had it that Zalmoxis was once a slave on Samos of Pythagoras, son of Mnesarchos. After being liberated, he gathered a huge wealth and once rich, went back to his homeland, a regular man before he became a god. Once home, he built himself a hall and those he received there he taught that none of his guests nor their descendants would ever die, but instead they would go to a place where they would live forever in a complete happiness.

Supposedly, Zalmoxis then dug an underground residence in Kagaion (also referred to as Kogainon and other variants) and, once finished, he disappeared from the Thracians going down to his underground residence. The Thracians missed him and feared him dead. Then he came back amongst them and upon his return, Thracians became in the immortality of the soul, which explained their reverence of the dead and the belief in their ascension to a better place where they would be gifted with god-like powers. Death was not to be feared, and past and present were not separate in time, but coexisted as one. Caves were considered by the Thracians as symbolic entrances to the womb of the earth. This is likely where the notion of Ialomicroaia (also referred to as Ialomicioara and other variants) Cave and Kagaion, Zalmoxis’s subterranean chamber in the Bucagi (also referred to as Bucegi) Mountains, came from.

Human sacrifice was sometimes practised by the Thracians. I based the lottery for the sacrifice to Zalmoxis on the writings Herodotus, in his “Historiae,” who spoke of sending a messenger to the god every few years (some references say four years, other say five) by means of a death ritual.

Zalmoxis was a fairly enigmatic god, so I was comfortable manipulating the myth slightly to work within my “alternate history” for ancient Thrace and Gatae. He was associated with bear skin so I incorporated into the ritual required for birthing his replacement and he was also linked to spears and the number three in his rituals, so I used that in his death scene. Because of the necessity of translation, there are variants of the name, Zalmoxis and the locations associated with his rebirth as a god.

Hecate: Goddess of the crossroads, this deity was one of multiple forms and faces, her personifications sometimes varying to a significant degree. She was the “Mysterious One”, not understood by those who did not worship her and often feared for that reason. She had both a negative persona, associated with magic, poisonous plants, witchcraft, the restless dead, necromancy, darkness, lunar lore, snakes and crossroads, and a positive persona associated with healing plants, childbirth, nurturing the young, gates and walls, doorways, torches and dogs.

Hecate had a number of depictions in art and religious iconography. Sometimes she was depicted as a singular maiden, virginal and demure, other times she was a three-faced crone or an angry, gigantic woman with snakes for feet and hair, wielding a torch and a sword, surrounded by thunder, shrieks, yells, and the barking of dogs. She was even presented as an invisible figure, appearing only as a glimpse of light. These depictions are referenced in Lewis Richard Farnell’s “The Cults of the Greek States” from Clarendon Press and “Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome: Hecate” from Anno Urbis - The Roman Empire Online.

Hecate’s mysterious nature allowed her seers in the story to be more intimidating and their hidden lairs in the catacombs beneath Lagina and her temple seemed like an appropriate home for her favoured followers in my tale. This followed with information also drawn from my research, from Strabo’s “Geography”, which stated regarding Hecate: “The place of origin of her following is uncertain, but it is thought that she had popular followings in Thrace. Her most important sanctuary was Lagina, a theocratic city-state in which the goddess was served by eunuchs. Lagina, where the famous temple of Hecate drew great festal assemblies every year ... where she was the city's patroness.”

In addition to witchcraft and midwifery, Hecate was closely associated with plant lore and the concoction of medicines and poisons. In particular she was thought to give instruction in these closely related arts. This association allowed Kerza to possess the skills she used to help Sur and Alina when they needed medical attention.

One of my sources, the Oxford Classic Dictionary, described her as: “Intrinsically ambivalent and polymorphous, she straddles conventional boundaries and eludes definition.” It was because of her varied forms and supposed assorted spheres of influence that when she made an appearance in the story, I described her as shifting and indefinable.

Bendis: The Thracians revered nature and believed in a “Great Mother”. She was goddess of wild nature. It is believed she encompassed influences from the strong fertility goddess cults which thrived in the Balkan lands during the earlier Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods (per A Spell in Time/Professor Ronald Hutton’s “Bulgarian Myth and Folklore”.)

As great mother she initiated creation, bringing forth from herself her son, who was both the sun in the daytime and the fire god at night. She united with him in divine marriage so that the cosmic cycle could be fulfilled and fertility renewed.

She supposedly had temples hidden away deep in the wilderness, a formidable location for a fertility ritual required for the conception of a new god. I felt this scene and setting were an appropriate bridge from the introduction of the story and the main characters into the centre of the action and the plot. It also allowed for a different kind of zombie battle.

Zagreus: Zagreus was the name used for Dionysus in Thrace. He was considered to be twice born, a dying and reborn god who was born of a mortal woman, one who met a premature death. He was tied to Zalmoxis in some instances and appeared to be a suitable “replacement” for the living god.


Just as with Elements of Genocide, the mythology integrated into Sleep Escapes Us blended fairly seamlessly with the story and I’m hoping that my plans for next year’s NaNo, Wearers of Skin, will combine as smoothly with Scandinavian mythology as well.

Name Selection in Sleep Escapes Us

I’m not one normally for choosing names for characters based on meaning. I usually just go with a gut feeling of what sounds like an appropriate name for the individual. With Sleep Escapes Us, however, I wanted legitimate Thracian names and my research also provided name meanings along with culturally-specific names. The majority of the names I used were sourced from Ivan Duridanov’s “The Language of the Thracians,” specifically from the section on Thracian onomastics - personal names, with a couple of exceptions. Since I had the definitions before me while I was making my selection, they did influence my choice. Here are the characters in order of appearance and the meanings for the names:

Zelmis – Diminutive form of Diazelmis, “god’s descendant”. I thought it ironic since he would actually be a god’s ancestor.

Hecate, & Zalmoxis – along with Bendis and Zagreus, these were deities of the Thracian mythos. Zagreus was actually the Thracian name for Dionysus, who was reportedly born of a mortal mother.

Iulia – "Young". Considering she died young and there is not much known about her other than a fleeting glimpse during Zelmis’s memories, I thought it appropriate.

Alina – I found this listed as both “light” and “noble”. I thought this defined her well.

Dentysyskos - "Daughter of the clan"

Mukaburis - "Man (son) of the clan." I felt he and his wife were good examples of the standard Gataen settlement members, so the names suited them.

King Rhemoxos – I went with history on this one, even though this was fantasy. This was an actual Thracian king.

Cezula – “Black and white”, the colours of her hair and skin

Kerza - from the Thracian adjective kerasa, “black”, an offshoot from her mother

Suratralis – “Strong, brave”, an apt description. I also wanted a name that distinguished him from the rest of his family.

Brinkazis – “fat, stout, a boor”, an understatement, but still appropriate

Pytros – “bawler, squaller, babbler”. I wanted derogatory names for the generals, since they were the villains.

Dentupes – “a boy, a son of the clan”. Fitting the theme of the family.

Mukakenthos – “child, descendant of the clan”. Also fitting the theme of the family.

Prince Tarutinos (Tinos) – “holding a spear, lancer”. Considering his role in the story, I couldn’t resist this one...

Skaris – “quick”, although apparently not quick enough.

Sleep Escapes Us is posted on Scribd.com can be read in its entirety in first draft format until December 31, 2011. You can find the first chapter at:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/71346987/Sl...

A Sample of My Research

Despite the fact that I write dark fantasy and horror, I do a fair amount of research for my NaNoWriNo novels. Since I’m using a mythological backdrop, I search for as much relevant information on the mythologies I’m using and the area where the myths originated. In the case of Sleep Escapes Us, I actually wanted to set the story in Ancient Thrace and the surrounding regions, so I felt some elements should be historically accurate, despite the fantasy and supernatural nature of the tale.

I also like to include a certain amount of realism in my fantasy and horror tales, even if the events never did, or never would, happen. In this instance, I wanted some validity to my herbalist character, Kerza’s skill-base. This is what I came up with...

The Flora of Sleep Escapes Us

When I started my research into Ancient Thrace for Sleep Escapes Us, I was pleased to stumble across information from Dioscorides' De Materia Medica and Pseudo-Apuleius' Herbarius , sources that discussed the Dacian names for plants along with their English and Latin names and the uses for some of the specimens mentioned. I planned on having Kerza knowledgeable in herbalism, so I knew it would be a great resource for my story. It turned out there were several places I could make use of the information beyond the witch’s remedies and incenses. Here are the various points in the story where the Dacian flora came into play:

In chapter 3, Zalmoxis prepares to sacrifice Zelmis using a zuuster club, which is the Dacian term for wormwood (Artemisia arborescens or Tree Wormwood). This is shrub with a woody base, and a club would have to be made from securing a bundle of the woody stems into a solid bunch with some heft. It may have been supplemented with a more solid core, of wood or stone in order to issue a lethal blow. The plant was believed to be linked to things psychic and death/afterlife.

In chapter 5, Alina asks her father, afflicted by infection, where she can find the diesema (mullein or verbascum) to purge his blood. It is used again later in Kerza’s treatments for Sur. Mullein has been used historically to treat everything from colds to colics, although mullein remedies meant to be drunk have to be finely filtered to eliminate the irritating hairs. Mullein contains glycyrrhizin compounds with bactericide, concentrated in the flowers. Different extracts have varying levels of efficiency against bacteria.

In chapter 9, Kerza prepares an herbal remedy in the form of a tea. In addition to diesema, she also mentions using diassathel (wavyleaf mullein or verbascum sinuatum – sathel signifies “sieve”), which has similar properties to diesema, and lax (purslane or portulaca oleracea, supposedly used as a laxative), which was historically used to treat infections or bleeding of the genito-urinary tract as well as dysentery.

In chapter 11, Kerza tries to escape Sur’s company by excusing herself to gather kinouboila (wild pumpkin or cucurbita foetidissima), but Sur follows. Supposed medicinal benefits include using pulverized root in tea to speed protracted labor in childbirth, tea made from boiled peeled roots is used to induce vomiting, powdered seeds and flowers mixed with saliva reduce swellings and dried root ground to a powder, mixed with cold water, can be drunk for laxative.

In chapter 14, Kerza makes a stomach soothing tea from salia (anise or pimpinella tragium – having a carminative effect to settle the stomach), tuedila (peppermint or menthe x piperita – reduces abdominal pain and stomach irritation) and a bit of amalusta (chamomile or matricaria recutita – used to treat sore stomach and an irritable bowel syndrome). She also finds gonoleta ( gromwell or lithospermum tenuiflorum- used as an oral contraceptive).

In chapter 18, Kerza uses incense made from dracontos (rosemary or rosemarinus officinalis – used in incenses as it was considered a divinatory herb, possibly because its use in large quantities can cause seizures) and ziodela (sweet marjoram or origanum majorana – used historically as an incense, a mild sedative). She then anoints Alina and Zareus with holy oil made from azila (hound’s tongue or cynoglossum – it softens and soothes the skin, but it has a narcotic effect, depressing the nervous system) and hormia (annual clary or salvia horminum – primarily for aromatic purposes, a soothing/relaxing effect).

I was pleased to have a source that allowed me to have proper names for the herbs and assured what I was using was native to the area. This was probably one of the most useful results of my research for Sleep Escapes Us.

Sleep Escapes Us is available in first draft format, posted by chapter, on Scribd.com and will remain there in full until the end of December. If you would like to read it (by year’s end), you can find the first chapter at:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/71346987/Sl...

Also – this month marks the release of the ebook version of Elevation, the sequel to Fervor (the print version to follow at a later date). You can purchase it at Smashwords or Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Elevation-ebook...

Adventures at Hal-Con

My very first convention was a Hal-Con, back in 1986, the first time the convention existed. It was Hal-Con 9, and I was a scrawny little fourteen-year-old with a crooked smile and lopsided glasses. My mother had sewn a costume for me, a dragonrider of Pern costume in greens and golds, and I made a little red fire lizard (yes, I know they aren’t red) to sit on my wrist. I entered artwork in the art show (an utter disaster), played a few games and met Guy Gavriel Kaye for the first time.

That feels like eons ago, and I never imagined myself as a guest at a con, even as a “local celebrity”, but there I was at Hal-Con 2011, the revived version, with my table of books, my scheduled slots in panels, and my official “guest pass”. It was a first of a different kind, and one that was equally exciting and overwhelming. This time I was forty instead of fourteen, and trying to be noticed so that people might take an interest in my books, rather than to avoid being stepped on. I was nervous but ready to face the crowd.

The first challenge was lugging boxes of books to my table, bleary-eyed and a little lost. Luckily, I had the help of my trusty sidekick, Brad, and a friend who worked at the con venue, Pete, to get me loaded onto a dolly and into the Author’s Corner. The volunteers at the convention were priceless, helping me to get settled in and making me feel very welcome.

Later that morning I sat for an interview with Haligonia.ca (which were streaming live at http://live.haligonia.ca/halifax-ns/n... ). They covered a lot of the action at the con, and added some fun to the hustle and bustle.

I then sat on a panel discussing zombies in popular culture. You can catch the highlights here:
http://hexedpodcast.blogspot.com/2011...

The rest of the afternoon was a busy blur at my table, handing out business cards, pimping Ren Garcia and Arlene Radasky’s works as well as my own, and selling the occasional book. The only real low points of the con, and they were minor, was not really having the opportunity to grab a bite to eat or a coffee, and the one fellow that soured my fun for a few moments when he looked at me scornfully and berated me for having a male protagonist in Fervor instead of a female one (yeah – I’ll fix that for you...just let me get right on that *sigh*)

I was pretty hungry when I got to the Stargazer Soiree, but the food there was scrumptious, the company was delightful, and along with a lovely lady named Heather-Anne, I stole away more than an hour of Kelley Armstrong’s time (she had the coolest laptop bag ever – with a werewolf face and red bows). The three of us snuck over and stole a hug from Nicholas Brendon. I was so happy I was giddy.

The next morning I dragged myself back to the con centre for a 9:00 author Q & A panel (I was in very good company). Then I returned to tending my table, where I stayed until closing with the exception of a stolen hour at Starbucks with a strudel muffin, an eggnog latte and my NaNoWriMo project on my laptop (Sleep Escapes Us, check it out at: http://www.scribd.com/chantal_boudreau ). I shared some friendly conversation with my neighbour, Mark Oakley, a talented cartoonist. I traded a copy of Magic University for a signed copy of Stardrop for my daughter (she loved it!) Check out his great work at: http://iboxpublishing.com/index.php .

All-in-all, it was an extraordinary experience and my thanks and kudos go out to all of the organizers and volunteers. I got an invite to return in 2012, which I gladly accepted, and I’m looking forward to an even bigger and better gathering of the fandom kind next year.

Chantelly’s Field Guide to Zombies - Magical

This will be my final instalment of the field guide, and I’m digging deep to the true root of zombies. Before the biological-sourced zombies, before those originating from a hefty dose of cosmic dust, there were the zombies that were magicked into existence. Search for the definition of the word zombie, or as it was initially spelled in Creole “zombi” (believed to be from the West African mythos, Nzambi), and you’ll come up with references to Voodoo, snake gods, spells, cults and the supernatural.

As scepticism in all things demonic, spiritual and necromantic has increased exponentially in recent times, fiction containing this type of zombie has dwindled. People don’t fear the supernatural the way they once did, and since the zombie genre tends to reflect current fears, there is less call for their kind. While uncommon, however, there are still some exciting and extraordinary examples of magical zombies in today’s popular culture, but they are often secondary to the modern day toxic shamblers or viral runners, and tied to some other

Voodoo zombies:
Haitian, Creole, New Orlean – it often begins with altars, animal sacrifices, strange chanting and potions concocted from the poison of the puffer fish. The zombies that are enchanted to rise again can be typical undead, will-less servants to their voodoo masters until they ingest salt or meat (although in this last aspect, definitely not the Romero norm.) Some experts hypothesize that “real” zombies had never died at all, but were in a deep coma, and awoke to an easily manipulated trance-like state. The earliest zombie movies featured this kind of black magic zombie, such as in 1932's White Zombie, starring Bela Lugosi. This is the type of zombie in one of my latest short fiction projects, Dead to Write.

Supernatural zombies:
Spawned by Hell, or its demonic minions, these zombies are more vicious than their voodoo brethren. They are often vengeful spirits, like in Raimi’s Evil Dead or the Nazi zombies in Dead Snow, rising to defend their stolen treasure. They don’t tend to be as mindless as the usual zombie fare, possessed by evil and organizing to attack their victims. The only thing definite about this variety is they tend to be strong and unpredictable, often existing beyond expected zombie “rules”.

Fantasy magic zombies:
The most likely place to find magical zombies in genre fiction nowadays, are in dark fantasy novels set in wizardly worlds. Necromantic wizards, witches or priests reanimate or control the zombies in those tales through their spells or evil prayers. Sometimes they wield enough power to gather together entire armies of undead, a very frightening premise. The zombie novel I have planned for NaNoWriMo is dark fantasy, based around the mythology of ancient Thrace. If the concept interests you, you may want to follow my progress as I post my first draft chapters to my Scribd account (beginning in early November) at: http://www.scribd.com/chantal_boudreau

I’ll be going on a blog hiatus during my excessively busy November, with only very brief posts or guest posts until December. I’ll be away, but I will be back.