Stephanie Ellis's Blog, page 7

INFERNO: Closing out the Ninth Circle with Lionel Ray Green

Lionel Ray Green is a writer whose short works I have enjoyed for some time at Horror Tree and I was pleased he came onboard the Inferno, treating us to a great story, ‘Lex Talionis’.

Infernal Clock: What was the inspiration behind your story?

I’m a happy-go-lucky guy, but the thing that disturbs me most is adults and parents abusing and neglecting their children. What do adults think they gain from abusing children? I feel like abusers are rarely punished properly for their crimes. I had wonderful parents as a child, so I struggle to understand this behavior. I feel like the government, legal system, and society have let many abused children down. To me, child abuse is like a plague. Thus, my story ‘Lex Talionis’ is a grim tale about an enigmatic plague doctor who visits a village where the parents hope to gain something from the results of their abuse and neglect.

Infernal Clock: What is your idea of hell on earth?

Hell on earth would be forever stuck in traffic on an endless hot, humid summer day in the middle of a desert highway with Electric Light Orchestra’s Out of the Blue CD in hand but no CD player in my car.

Infernal Clock: The Inferno was created on old ideas of sin. If you had to label the nine levels now, what would you call them? Would you keep it at 9? Increase or decrease?

I would create a 10th Circle especially for corrupt politicians and change the name to Dante’s Decadents.

Infernal Clock: They say the Devil has all the good tunes. What song would you recommend as an accompaniment to your story?

The Man Comes Around by Johnny Cash.

Infernal Clock: If you were able to visit the Inferno, what level would you want to go to and who would you want to see there?

I would want to visit the First Circle Limbo and meet Plato. I quote him in my story, ‘Lex Talionis’, for your Inferno anthology. He was the greatest student of Socrates who later became the greatest teacher of Aristotle.

Infernal Clock: What is the hottest food you’ve ever eaten. Can you share a recipe?

Chicken wings dipped in Ass Kickin’ Carolina Reaper Hot Sauce. Cook some wings and smother them in this sauce and your mouth will know what an inferno feels like. Hyperbole? Maybe, because I’m a wimp when it comes to spicy food.

Infernal Clock: Who is your ‘favourite’ villain in history or fiction?

I love Gollum from Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Gollum is such a pitiful and tragic character. I find it fascinating that someone like him could simultaneously be a powerful symbol for the duality of man and whose obsession could impact the world in such an epic way.

Infernal Clock: What is your long-term ambition for your writing?

I simply write for the love of writing, but if Netflix called to adapt one of my stories into a movie, I would answer the phone.

9.    Top tip for other writers. Fighters fight and writers write, so write every day if you can, but don’t beat yourself up if you can’t.

Bio:

Lionel Ray Green is a horror and fantasy writer, an award-winning newspaper journalist, and a U.S. Army gulf war veteran living in Alabama. He ironically loves Bigfoot and hobbits and believes Babe is the greatest movie ever made. Lionel writes a column for HorrorAddicts.net titled The Bigfoot Files. His short stories have appeared in more than two dozen anthologies, magazines, and ezines, including The Best of Iron Faerie Publishing 2019; Halloween Horror: Volume 1; America’s Emerging Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers: Deep South; and Alabama’s Emerging Writers. His short story ‘Scarecrow Road’ won the WriterWriter 2018 International Halloween Themed Writing Competition All Hallows’ Prose.

Latest publications:

My website is https://lionelraygreen.com/ and it features a link to a delightfully creepy reading of my award-winning short story ‘Scarecrow Road’ by The Night’s End Podcast. Here’s the link: https://www.nightsendpodcast.com/podcast/episode/3d368208/scarecrow-road

Inferno: Join the Doomed with Daniel R. Robichaud

Daniel R. Robichaud was a successful acceptance from our submission call. His contribution, Doomed to Repeat sits in the Eighth Circle and has some wonderful touches of humour.

Infernal Clock: What was the inspiration behind your story?

Hell itself is an intriguing concept. It’s either a place of punishment for sin or it is a place that is simply removed from God. The Inferno builds on the concept of punishment, of course, but for what reason? Punishment for eternity does what, exactly? Keep the devils employed? Instil a fear of transgression among the living? It’s an odd thing to consider, in that regard. Of course, artists like Clive Barker have different interpretations of Hell as a concept (or several different concepts, since the Hell of The Hellbound Heart and The Scarlet Gospels is different than that of Mr. B. Gone, say). 

When I first heard about the concept for this anthology, I was excited by the idea of dragging Dante’s original concepts into the modern day. Figuring out how those classical ideas might intersect with our world was a fun thing to consider, and as I delved into the different levels of Hell, I found myself drawn to thinking the most about the Eighth Circle. It seems to me quite a few popular talking heads on infotainment news stations and politicians in today’s volatile climate are destined for that area. However, I did not want to tell their story, per se. Satire that pokes at the specific targets is all well and good, and it can be entertaining in the right hands, but it seemed destined for a short shelf life. Instead, I wanted to talk about the collateral damage to the people who honour, cherish, and believe in such folks, to the ones those easy targets leave behind to pick up the pieces when they’ve shuffled off this mortal coil. That led to a story about a bereaved lover, their conviction that their departed love ended up in the Inferno wrongly, and what they wanted to do about it.

Inferno Clock: What is your idea of hell on earth?

I’d say that a place where humanity and compassion are in short supply, a place where people are afraid to live as they are for fear of horrors being visited upon them based on nothing they could choose or do is hellish. Sadly, it also describes some parts of the world we all live in. Far from the divine, too close to punishment for its own sake, and not as innovative in its horrors as, say, a Clive Barker yarn.

That said, I think we can lift ourselves up from the muck I’ve described (I am an optimist, I know). That means it’s not really hell on earth, I suppose, unless free will is just an illusion and we’re doomed no matter what we try. 

Infernal Clock: The Inferno was created on old ideas of sin. If you had to label the nine levels how, what would you call them? Would you keep it at 9? Increase or decrease?

Sin is a moving target, alas. What was viewed as sinful/evil behaviour centuries ago does not correspond to what we might consider these days. Well, what informed folks might believe. The Inferno itself should be preserved in an Infernal Museum of sorts or on some historical record. There would need to be different levels, I’d say, One Inferno for the venal sins, the direst evils that require some serious punishment to cleanse away. Another Inferno for the treatment of the little sins and their little sinners, a kind of afterlife Day Spa for evil to be purged, allowing its visitors to move along, please, move along, and mind the gap (such gaps are all too often occupied by the fruits of our sin cleanses, which are actively devoured by Hell larvae who won’t mind a nip of your foot if it strays too close).

Infernal Clock: They say the Devil has all the good tunes. What song would you recommend as an accompaniment to your story?

I’d say the title credits song, “Fire Said to Me,” from Simon Boswell’s Lord of Illusions soundtrack gets the relentless feel. Achingly beautiful, a relentless marching beat, and a hint of some seriously dark magic.

Infernal Clock: If you were able to visit the Inferno, what level would you want to go to and who would you want to see there? (I think it’s best to keep current politics out of it though!)

If I strayed too close, they might not let me out again. Probably best to visit only in my imagination. On the other hand, it might be fascinating to stroll among the trenches of level eight, just to see who’s to be found there.

Infernal Clock: What is the hottest food you’ve ever eaten? Can you share a recipe?

I am a big fan of peppers and spicy foods. My Fridays are not complete unless I can get a slice of pizza with Italian sausage, roasted red peppers, sliced jalapenos, a few sprinkles of pecorino-Romano cheese and a generous dollop of hot sauce.

Infernal Clock: Who is your ‘favourite’ villain in history or fiction?

History is filled with awful, awful people. I tend not to like them or their works. 

However, I rather enjoy villains in fiction. Do they come better than the ambitious pleasure seeker The Hell Priest (aka Pinhead) from The Hellbound Heart, The Scarlet Gospels, and The Toll, or the sadistic but fascinating Doctor Benway from William S. Burroughs Naked Lunch (and other works)? Having just finished Caitlin R. Kiernan’s The Tindalos Asset, I am also rather taken with the witchy, wicked, and wonderful Jehosheba Talog.

Infernal Clock: What is your long-term ambition for your writing?

To continue doing what I enjoy, sharing stories and in so doing shine a light on less traditional characters and scenarios.

Infernal Clock: Top-tip for other writers.

Everyone knows that the key to succeeding as a writer is simple: do the work. 

However, the key to finding errors in the draft you’ve written is to look at the text from as many different perspectives as possible. Change the font, change the font size, read the thing aloud. These reveal the wrinkles that need ironing out in no time.

Bio:

Daniel R. Robichaud (he/him) is a bisexual author who lives and writes in Houston, Texas. His work has appeared in a variety of outlets, including parABnormal Magazine, Hookman and Friends (DBND Publishing), and Eldritch Dream Realms (Hireath Publishing). His fiction and film reviews appear weekly at the Considering Stories site. His short dark fantasy fiction has been collected in Hauntings and Happenstances and Gathered Flowers, Stones, and Bones.

Latest publications:

[image error] contains my piece “Wheels Within Wheels”

[image error]My story “Shaping Worlds and Minds” is a satiric horror tale, which considers the view of a caustic vlogging influencer who believes herself immune to the disease and discovers this is not the case.





[image error]features my YA sf adventure story “Escape From the Emeralds,” about a brother and sister who have to manoeuvre past some nasty flora and fauna to get home.

Also, I write weekly reviews of fiction and film for the Considering Stories site, and I pen nonfiction for parABnormal magazine.

Inferno: Meet the Family with G.A. Miller

G.A. Miller joins us in Circle Nine of the Inferno, with his story, ‘Great-Aunt Grace’.

Infernal Clock: What was the inspiration behind your story?

When I was approached to take part, I considered what the levels of Hell represented and chose the Ninth because one’s family should provide a welcoming safe haven from the world, so when they turn against you instead, that betrayal represents the worst form of treachery.

Infernal Clock: What is your idea of hell on earth?

The abuse of women, children and animals by sadistic individuals who take pleasure in the suffering of others. Those poor souls are all experiencing hell on earth.

Infernal Clock: The Inferno was created on old ideas of sin. If you had to label the nine levels how, what would you call them? Would you keep it at 9? Increase or decrease?

I think the labels are both appropriate and timeless in terms of what they represent. I would, however, elect to add a tenth level to be reserved for a very specific group.

Infernal Clock: They say the Devil has all the good tunes. What song would you recommend as an accompaniment to your story?

This is probably the hardest question of all! Given the story at hand, the first ones that come to mind are Billy Joel’s ‘Honesty’ or the Beatles’ ‘Tell Me Why’ ( and yes, my choices do indeed reflect my age.)

Infernal Clock: If you were able to visit the Inferno, what level would you want to go to and who would you want to see there?

I can understand the request to keep politics out of my response, so I’ll simply look at certain politicians and say, “We have such sights to show you!” That said, I’d oversee my idea for a tenth level, reserved exclusively for paedophiles. They’d be greeted atop a hill where their skin would be flayed and peeled, then rolled down that hill, comprised entirely of glass shards and ultimately fall into a river of boiling oil. Once the release of death arrives, they’d immediately start over again.

Infernal Clock: What is the hottest food you’ve ever eaten. Can you share a recipe?

Because I enjoy spicy food, I was once offered a jalapeno pepper to eat at a party. Unbeknownst to me, the host substituted a habanero pepper which set my mouth ablaze as tears flowed. I’ve never tasted anything else nearly as hot as that innocent looking little pepper.

Infernal Clock: Who is your ‘favourite’ villain in history or fiction?

I think I’ll go back to my roots, to Stoker’s Dracula, as that was the first horror novel I ever read and it gave so much depth and background to Lugosi’s performance as I watched the 1931 film on my little black and white TV, the rabbit ears adjusted just so. That book began my lifelong love of reading dark fiction, and so The Count deserves the top spot.

Infernal Clock: What is your long-term ambition for your writing?

I’d like to reach a point where readers come to enjoy the work and look forward to new releases. I find writing to be therapeutic, to be honest, and would continue without ever releasing another word, but to have someone I don’t know tell me that they greatly enjoyed something I’d done is so fulfilling. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to derive extra income, but I don’t think Stephen King’s accountants need worry about making time for me.

Infernal Clock: Top-tip for other writers

Be true to yourself. Write the stories that you like to read, incorporate your own fears and life experiences as doing so will add so much credibility and passion to your work. Let the rejections come, your story will find its proper home in time.

Bio:

G.A. Miller. As a decades long career in the technical field was approaching the end, G.A. Miller decided to finally approach the blank page, an idea he’d toyed with for many years. 2017 marked his first acceptance in a publication, with the short story ‘Bequeath’ making its debut in the inaugural issue of Hinnom Magazine, published by Gehenna & Hinnom publishers.

As time passed, more and more tales made their way into numerous publications, both print and online, and then 2019 marked his entry into self-publishing. Two collections of short stories and a novella now appear on his Amazon Author page, and then a brand-new collection was released in April, 2020.

Links:
Web: https://wordsofprey.me
Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/gamiller/
Facebook: GAMillerAuthor
Twitter: @GMiller666

Latest publications

My latest publication is a novella titled “The Shopkeeper: Curios, Curiosities and Rarities”, which is available in paperback and Kindle format at Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KWCDHR6

My website is at https://wordsofprey.me/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/GAMillerAuthor and on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/GMiller666

Inferno: Sunk in the Fifth Circle with Charlotte Platt

Charlotte Platt came onto my radar with her enjoyable A Stranger’s Guide from Silver Shamrock Publishing. She kindly agreed to offer up a story and you find her in the Fifth Circle of Hell, with her tale, ‘Sunken Cost’.

Infernal Clock. What was the inspiration behind your story?

I love the idea of fairness in hell, or what could be considered reasonable or unreasonable in a deal. That span into the story quite easily as deals are a large part of demonic administration if we’re to believe historical texts. I also grew up on an island so the most water-heavy level was always going to be tempting for me! 

Infernal Clock. What is your idea of hell on earth?

To be weirdly specific, inescapable sensory overload, I’ve always got headphones in to help avoid that. More generally I think the closest we get to it currently in knowing something terrible is happening and nothing is being done to stop it, the hybrid between helplessness and indignity. We see that repeating over and over through history and across a variety of things currently and it’s a mix of social and spiritual agony, that’s go to be bad. 

Infernal Clock. The Inferno was created on old ideas of sin. If you had to label the nine levels how, what would you call them? Would you keep it at 9? Increase or decrease?

Well we got rid of limbo in canon, so to speak, so I suppose that has to go. I don’t think I’d keep lust either, though maybe switch that out for “predation”. I’d switch “gluttony” for “excess”, as well, as I always think that one is slightly misnamed. Greed, Anger, Heresy, Violence and Fraud are all pretty good as is. Maybe treachery should become something new given our updated world were treachery can be a lesser evil to reveal something worse, such as whistleblowing. I would rather have that circle for wilfully harming others for gain, which I suppose is greed, but we’re seeing it on such a huge scale now it stands apart from the base greed we see in that circle. I think some of the sins have hybridised enough so we could join some of the circles together too but that’s going to be a logistical nightmare.  

Infernal Clock. They say the Devil has all the good tunes. What song would you recommend as an accompaniment to your story?

Either Scott Mackay Where The Enemy Sleeps or The Hillbilly Moon Explosion My Love For Evermore

Infernal Clock: If you were able to visit the Inferno, what level would you want to go to and who would you want to see there?   I would love to visit the city of Dis so I’d have to jump in at level six. I would love to talk to some of the demons there, because they must have heard amazing things, but I’d probably want to see if there was a lot of cult leaders or the such there. Charlie Manson or Jim Jones locked up in one of the flaming crypts could be interesting.

Infernal Clock. What is the hottest food you’ve ever eaten. Can you share a recipe?

I like me some heat but I’m very generic. The best and hottest spices I ever had were from a friend who used to receive care packages of spices from family in Pakistan for his Ramadan meals, as he was studying in the UK, and he’d share them with other skint students. They were amazing. 

Infernal Clock. Who is your ‘favourite’ villain in history or fiction?

A difficult question! On the one hand, Hannibal Lecter, because he’s such a horror and yet you’re rooting for him throughout the books because the other characters are so awful. However, you are suppose to like him so he hardly counts. I think President Snow in the Hunger Games works was a very well done villain, though I refuse to read the origin story that came out recently as I don’t want to be given warm fuzzy feelings for a dictator characters. Similarly Meruemu/Ant King in the anime Hunter x Hunter was a villain with a lot of interesting development and is probably my favourite anime one. 

Infernal Clock. What is your long-term ambition for your writing?

I would like to develop a few universes that I could do more than one work in, and I would love to have more novels published. I’ve got a lot of short stories out there which I enjoy a lot, and I am particularly soft for shorts being made into podcasts or audioplays so I would be delighted if I could see more of that too. 

Infernal Clock. Top-tip for other writers. Write what you want to see out there and don’t be afraid to play around with weird things. 

Bio:

Charlotte Platt is a young professional based in the far north of Scotland. She spent her teens on the Orkney Islands and studied in Glasgow before moving to the north Highlands. She lives off sarcasm and tea and can often be found walking near cliffs and rivers, looking for sea glass. Her short stories have also featured in Dimension6, K-magazine and BloodLet. Charlotte presented the pitch for her novel A Stranger’s Guide at the London Book Fair 2019 Write Stuff competition and this is now available via Silver Shamrock Publishing. She can be found on Twitter at @Chazzaroo

Latest publications:

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Inferno: Burn with RJ Meldrum

RJ Meldrum is one of the most prolific short story writers I know over at Horror Tree where he pretty much has his own monthly slot! For Inferno, he has descended into the Eighth Circle with his story, ‘Hellfire’.

Infernal Clock: What was the inspiration behind your story?

I’ve always been intrigued by the old black and white, silent movies and that’s where the original idea came from – a collector finding a priceless movie, thought to be lost forever.  After that, the story practically wrote itself!

Infernal Clock: What is your idea of hell on earth?

Maybe being caught up in a once-in-a-century pandemic?  Aside from that, probably being present in continental Europe between 1939-1945 – watching the downfall of nations, the death of civilians and combatants, and perhaps having to watch loved ones die, losing your home, becoming a refugee or at worse, a statistic.  To me, that would be pretty hellish.

Infernal Clock: The Inferno was created on old ideas of sin. If you had to label the nine levels how, what would you call them? Would you keep it at 9? Increase or decrease?

I’d probably stick to the same labels used by Dante – they seem to be still relevant!

Infernal Clock: They say the Devil has all the good tunes. What song would you recommend as an accompaniment to your story?

Maybe some old-timey piano music to accompany a silent movie – the sort of thing they used to play in movie theatres before the introduction of sound – nice and jangling, discordant to keep the reader on edge.

Infernal Clock: If you were able to visit the Inferno, what level would you want to go to and who would you want to see there?

I’d like to visit all of them – imagine the stories you could write after witnessing them!  And no, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, so I wouldn’t want to see anyone there.

Infernal Clock: What is the hottest food you’ve ever eaten. Can you share a recipe?

I tried a super-spicy ramen noodle soup last year that I actually couldn’t finish (I normally have a high tolerance, but this was ridiculous) – no recipe to share, since this was a restaurant dish.

Infernal Clock: Who is your ‘favourite’ villain in history or fiction?

Moriarty probably – not the modern version – the original written by Conan Doyle.

Infernal Clock: What is your long-term ambition for your writing?

Rich?  Famous? Well, hopefully at some point, but also to leave a legacy of work that can be enjoyed by future generations.

Infernal Clock: Top-tip for other writers.

Write, get feedback, submit, find a mentorship circle to support you – all these things are valuable to both improve your writing and get noticed.

Bio:

R. J. Meldrum specializes in fiction that explores the world through a dark lens. His subject matter ranges from ghosts to serial killers and everything in-between. He has had over one hundred short stories and drabbles published in a variety of anthologies, e-zines and websites. He has had his work published by Midnight Street Press, Culture Cult Press, Horrified Press, Infernal Clock, Trembling with Fear, Black Hare Press, Smoking Pen Press, Darkhouse Books, Breaking Rules Press, Kevin J Kennedy and James Ward Kirk Fiction. His short stories have also been published in The Sirens Call e-zine, the Horror Zine and Drabblez magazine. His novella The Plague was published by Demain Press in 2019. He is a contributor to the Pen of the Damned and an Affiliate Member of the Horror Writers Association.

Links.

Facebook: richard.meldrum.79
Twitter: RichardJMeldru1

The Art of Dying

In amongst creating Inferno, writing some short stories and NaNoWriMo, I have slowly been gathering together a number of poems. Some have been published on Visual Verse and in one or two other places, a number are new. Poetry is very much a form I enjoy ‘playing’ with. The challenge to create a certain image or atmosphere or trigger an emotion in as few words as possible, is something I love. The subjects tend to be dark – but that doesn’t mean I don’t have fun. Currently in review at amazon and hopefully going live in a day or two, I hope you enjoy them.

INFERNO: You’re Never Alone with Steve Stred

Steve Stred is one of horror’s nice guys. Super supportive and a terrific writer in his own right, it’s nice to give him his own moment. He joins us in the Inferno in the Seventh Circle, with his story ‘Alone’.

Infernal Clock: What was the inspiration behind your story?

My story was more about the despondent levels people can get to when they make poor choices or things happen and everything they’ve ever loved gets taken from them. As a father, I could never imagine my life without my child and I think that really drove the narrative.

Infernal Clock: What is your idea of hell on earth?

I think that’s a very tough question. I’d think with where I’m at in life, hell on earth would be the slow degeneration of my mind. Losing the ability to remember people, memories, and the ability to read and/or write. I’ve had a few people in my life deal with chronic illness/degenerative illness and friends who have had parents deal with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s etc, and to just watch that change is horrible. I hope I never get to experience the other side of it.

Infernal Clock: The Inferno was created on old ideas of sin. If you had to label the nine levels now, what would you call them? Would you keep it at 9? Increase or decrease?

I think so much has happened now in the world that it’d be difficult to rename them, as the idea of sin itself has, at least for me personally, seemed to fall to the wayside for the most part. Growing up ‘sin’ was a scary word, because that meant you’d be sent to hell. I think for most people who are not overtly religious, the word sin is just that – a word. This question is one that could end up being a Masters Thesis!

Infernal Clock: They say the Devil has all the good tunes. What song would you recommend as an accompaniment to your story?

I typically write to music and use it as a sense of the emotions I want to infuse into each work. For this one, I’d suggest one of my favorite songs of all time – ‘In Praise of Bacchus’ by Type O Negative.

Infernal Clock: If you were able to visit the Inferno, what level would you want to go to and who would you want to see there?

Oh jeez, what a question! I don’t know if I could even answer that. Hmm. I’d suspect that if you went to the level that my story is on, The Seventh Circle, and specifically violence against oneself, you’d find a lot of musicians who’ve taken their own lives. So, at least there you could catch a concert? I don’t know, that feels horrible even typing that!

Infernal Clock: What is the hottest food you’ve ever eaten. Can you share a recipe?

I don’t do hot or spicy well. And as I don’t cook, I can’t share a recipe! I will say, years ago, I was hanging with my friend Robert Esmie. He wanted to take me to a restaurant he loved, which was Jamaican. He had a dish named after him (he was part of the Gold Medal team for Canada in the mens 4×100 relay race) and he said I had to try it. I think it was jerk chicken, but I couldn’t tell you. The entire place was laughing so hard as I started coughing and crying. My mouth was on fire!

Infernal Clock: Who is your ‘favourite’ villain in history or fiction?

I’d say it’s a tie between Jareth the Goblin King and the mist in Stephen King’s novella The Mist. Labyrinth was one of those movies I watched at such a young age that had a profound effect on my imagination. Just seeing this world open up. But the entire thing is based around Jareth taking Toby and being in control of all of these hazards to prevent Sarah from trying to get him back. As for the mist, well, that novella really scared me. To the point I’m still petrified of dense fog. The basic idea that you really don’t know what might be lurking in there is one of my biggest fears.

Infernal Clock: What is your long-term ambition for your writing?

To continue to challenge myself and write the stories I want to read. To inspire my son to use his imagination and follow his dreams.

Infernal Clock: Top-tip for other writers

Have fun. Be kind. Support others and build people up.

Bio:

Steve Stred writes dark, bleak horror. He is the author of a number of novels, novellas and collections and has appeared alongside some of Horror’s heaviest hitters in some truly amazing anthologies. He is proud to work with the Ladies of Horror Fiction to facilitate the annual LOHF Writers Grant. Steve Stred is based in Edmonton, AB, Canada and lives with his wife, his son and their dog OJ. You can find everything he has going on at stevestredauthor.wordpress.com.

Latest publication:

One of my most recent releases is my collection ‘Of Witches…’ which features 8 short stories as well as 15 stunning illustrations and photographs from my friend Miranda.

Inferno: Reuniting with Infernal Clock’s David Shakes

The Infernal Clock was the brainchild of David Shakes, a long-time writer friend from my early flash fiction days, and previous editions bore both our names. This time, due to circumstances, David had to step back from this role but still provided us with a terrific story for the Seventh Circle, ‘Reunion’.

Infernal Clock: What was the inspiration behind your story?

I’ve always been fascinated by The Wood of Suicides, I used to stare at illustrations and artwork – William Blake’s in particular. I wanted the original story to be a bright seam running through the story but also wanted to treat the subject matter with respect, whilst maintaining the horror. I leave the reader to judge how successful I was. I’d done a lot of research for my CalenDark story ‘The First Visitor’ so I returned to WW2 for the setting, and that’s helped drive the detail of the story. I also have to thank Dr Lauren McIntyre (@noddinggoth) for her support in understanding the process of body decomposition under various conditions. Finally – the music I listen to always flows in and around my writing, that’s why Steph and I get along so well.

Infernal Clock: What is your idea of hell on earth?

Children’s Soft Play warehouses, anything that’s billed as team-building or requires role play, a world where one half wastes money on diet fads because there’s an obesity crisis whilst in the other half children die of starvation and malnutrition.

Infernal Clock: The Inferno was created on old ideas of sin. If you had to label the nine levels now, what would you call them? Would you keep it at 9? Increase or decrease?

I’d keep Limbo, entry-level hell is where I’d meet all my favourite people I’d imagine. Lust can go and we’ll combine Gluttony and Greed. Anger becomes conscious unkindness, with the next layer becoming deliberate cruelty. Heresy is gone, so all the religious types who backed the wrong side can breathe a little easier. The fifth and final layer would be for the completely inhumane. Think we’re covered at 5:

1 Limbo 

2 Gluttony and greed

3 Conscious unkindness

4 Deliberate cruelty 

5 Complete inhumanity

Infernal Clock: They say the Devil has all the good tunes. What song would you recommend as an accompaniment to your story?

I should probably say something by The Screaming Trees, but I’ll go with I’ll Never Smile Again by Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra which makes an appearance in the story. Alternatively, The Garden of Jane Delawney by Trees for on-point lyrics and a nice folk-horror tinge. 

Infernal Clock: If you were able to visit the Inferno, what level would you want to go to and who would you want to see there? 

I’d visit Limbo, make sure there were people I could get on with there and that they still had pubs. I’d hope to see a barman who wasn’t Lloyd from The Shining. 

Infernal Clock: What is the hottest food you’ve ever eaten? Can you share a recipe?

I live in Birmingham. My brother came to visit and, as we both love hot food, I took him one of the original Kashmiri restaurants in the Balti Triangle. I’d warned him how authentic it was, but after embarrassing himself by trying to order lagers (it’s unlicensed as you can’t bring your own, plus we’d both had enough already) he made a great show of asking how hot they could make the Jalfrezi as he only liked hot stuff. One mouthful was the hottest thing I’d ever tasted. His hell on earth would be having to eat that forever! He tried to save face by asking for it to go, but the waiters knew, the chef knew, the owner knew – we all knew!

2 tsp Indian restaurant spice mix 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder or 1/4 tsp cayenne mixed with 3/4 tsp paprika1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves1/2 tsp tandoori masala1/2 tsp salt



4 Tbsp oil1/2 cup coarsely chopped green pepper1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion1 tbsp garlic/ginger paste 1 tbsp tomato paste with enough water to dilute to the consistency of passata1 tbsp coriander stems – finely chopped10-12 oz pre-cooked chicken or lamb2 finger hot green chillies cut into half then split (or 20 for my brother’s version) 4 cherry tomatoes halved



Mix the spices and dilute your tomato paste. In a separate pan fry off your meat or veggie supplement – but don’t cook thoroughly.Heat the oil and fry the onion and the green pepper skin side down (you want it to blister) Add the garlic and ginger paste plus the coriander stems, stirring vigorously. Turn down the heat and add the dry spice mix and the chillis.Then turn it up again, adding the diluted tomato paste. You’ll probably see the oil separate at this point – don’t worry.Add the meat to finish cooking in the liquid. Watch it thicken.

Infernal Clock: Who is your ‘favourite’ villain in history or fiction?

I really like Negan as portrayed by Jeffrey Dean Morgan on The Walking Dead – he does a really good job of giving that character great depth. I’ve always liked anti-heroes, going back to an early affinity for Pinkie Brown in Brighton Rock. I’d steer clear of history – one man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist. 

Infernal Clock: What is your long-term ambition for your writing?

To actually get it started properly and to stop postponing it. (Yes, he must – Steph.)

Infernal Clock: Top-tip for other writers

I threw out more than 50% of my Inferno story because small parts of it weren’t good enough. I probably lost at least one good idea and a number of great images. My advice is to keep all your notes, all your drafts – learn from what didn’t work as much as what did.

Latest publications:

NONE (he says but check out his previous stories in The Infernal Clock, CalenDark and DeadCades. He also has a collection of flash and poetry in Persistent Remains – Steph)

Inferno: In the Fifth with Irene Lofthouse

Irene Lofthouse is a writer introduced to me by Alyson Faye and from the quality of her submission is definitely one to look out for in the future. She joins us in the Fifth Circle with her story, ‘Food for the Gods’.

Infernal Clock: What was the inspiration behind your story?

A trip to Saltburn-by-the-Sea after lockdown had eased, its stories of the pirates, its mortuary on the sea front. In addition, the falseness of many artist statements I’ve heard/read as well as the many experiences (not just my own) had of creatives who leech ideas from others and present them as their own, with no credit to the originator of the idea. The ‘hell of lockdown’ – being confined, not being able to find a space of one’s own – and the anger that accompanied that gelled with the Saltburn location.

Infernal Clock: What is your idea of hell on earth?

So many. Surrounded by English demanding a British fry-up in the wilds of Spain, France, etc; caught in the middle of chattering classes braying (think Abigail’s Party, Brideshead Revisited); having to watch as trees and land are uprooted and cleared for greed and being unable to do anything to stop it; ethnic cleansing happening now; reprogramming of our brains to delete any creative ideas – happening now; incompetent governments – also happening now… Seems I’m actually living my hell on earth… 

Infernal Clock: The Inferno was created on old ideas of sin. If you had to label the nine levels how, what would you call them? Would you keep it at 9? Increase or decrease?

All the ‘sins’ are still with us magnified by the increase of technology – though misuse of all technology has been with us through time.

The ‘sins’ are created by a Western Catholic viewpoint, so I’d look to other cultures to see what was/is acceptable before looking at redefining – after all human sacrifice was acceptable for thousands of years before becoming unacceptable cf The Lottery/Shirley Jackson

Infernal Clock: They say the Devil has all the good tunes. What song would you recommend as an accompaniment to your story?

That’s a poser! Really can’t think of one – but would be in early blues genre, a Ma Rainey or Leadbelly… 

Infernal Clock: If you were able to visit the Inferno, what level would you want to go to and who would you want to see there?

Fourth – Greed. Rupert Murdoch, Apple & Facebook founders and all social media platforms for not policing effectively; big brands that rape the environment and people; banks that launder money; all brands/marketing that mislead (the majority); businesses that use animals for cosmetic testing; deforesters; arms dealers – I could go on, but you get the drift

Infernal Clock: What is the hottest food you’ve ever eaten. Can you share a recipe?

One of my own veg chillis when I had a cold and wasn’t able to taste things properly. It was OK to eat when I had the cold, but when I defrosted to eat a few weeks later, it took my head off! 

Infernal Clock: Who is your ‘favourite’ villain in history or fiction?

I think many of my favourite ‘villains’ actually aren’t at all, they’ve become ‘evil’ due to their treatment. I’m thinking Medusa, Clytemnestra, Boadecia, Eve. 

Infernal Clock: What is your long-term ambition for your writing?

Difficult question. I write in many mediums (children, plays, memoir, educational, adult) and genres; they all have different audiences and levels of success. Like most writers, it would be great to make enough money to pay the bills… 

Infernal Clock: Top-tip for other writers

Write, write, write; read, read, read; explore and experiment until you find a ‘voice’ that works for you. Work out how many different ways you can use your work and make money from it (eg written, spoken, audio, stage etc)

Bio:

Irene Lofthouse is author of over thirty plays, writer/editor on 26 Characters projects. Work appears in The Understory, ‘Transforming Being, Armistice 100 Days, Stories from Stone, Tyto Alba, All This amongst others. Her short stories ‘If That Happens’ and ‘Pomegranate Seeds’  were broadcast on BBC Radio Leeds in 2020 and in the 2019 Waterloo Festival competition she was a selected winner. Her children’s collections include Strange Tales in the Dales, Strange Tales in Bradford Dale and she’s the editor of the Stories from Stone anthology. Irene’s appeared at Edinburgh Fringe, in films, on radio and theatres across the UK; she’s adapted stories and hidden histories for stage and radio. Co-founder of and Artistic Director of Fresh Aire Productions with Pete Aveyard. Their ‘Queens of Dawson City’ radio sitcom Series has aired on many local radio stations, and ‘Torrent’ a ‘hard-hitting, disturbing but important’ verbatim audio play on domestic abuse/violence was broadcast on Chapelfm in 2020.

Latest publications

A Bloomsbury Response, 26 Writer in Residence, Bloomsbury Festival, 2020

The Gower Street Beat, EYE:SPY 26 Characters, 2020

‘White Wedding’ and ‘The Threshing Field’ in All This’, Comma Press, 2020

Inferno: Gets Caught with Robert Allen Lupton

Robert Allen Lupton first joined the Infernal Clock in the DeadCades anthology with a great tale from the 1960s so I called him back to join us in Inferno. This time, he plunges into the Fourth Circle, with his story ‘Cookie Jar’.

Infernal Clock: What was the inspiration behind your story?

Greed. People are blinded by greed, politicians, businessmen, and even everyday people. Decisions are made every day clothed in piety, which are selfish and self-serving. The protagonist of the story wears his greed like a crown, proud and unashamed, but greed can be its own punishment.

Infernal Clock: What is your idea of hell on earth?

A world ruled by a religion or government that ignores science and punishes people for their individual rights and beliefs. I expect that a true god doesn’t care whom one chooses to love, how one chooses to live, and what choices one makes about one’s own body – when those choices don’t harm other people.

Infernal Clock: The Inferno was created on old ideas of sin. If you had to label the nine levels how, what would you call them? Would you keep it at 9? Increase or decrease?

Wow, long question. In keeping with my answer to # 2, the levels would be based on doing harm to others.

First, I’d do away with Limbo.

Second, I’d combine levels, two, three, and four. Lust, Gluttony, and Greed are three sides of the same coin. A three-sided coin – how about that. All three can be described as a variant of lust, gluttony, and greed. Greed for sex, lust for food and drink, and gluttony for riches.

Anger is a little more difficult. Anger or rage is not necessarily a bad thing. I get angry when people abuse animals or children. I feel anger at people who punish others for their beliefs. Is that anger a sin? Perhaps it is in the eyes of others. (My anger is justified – your anger is not.) I’ll leave anger in place.

Let’s add a new level here – Hypocrisy.

Eliminate level six, heresy. Heresy is just another way to day that people who don’t agree with me are going to hell. 

Level seven, violence, stays, but it needs a little work. Murders still get their own ring. Rapists, child abusers, bullies, and the like all get a ring. Blasphemers get a pass. The only difference between blaspheming, heresy, and doctrine is which side of the pulpit you’re standing on. The last ring of violence is for suicides. I have some difficulty with punishing people for suicide. After all, I didn’t walk a mile in their shoes.

Levels eight and nine are fraud and treachery. The difference between the two are a matter of scope and context. Let’s call the new combined level, “Deceit for Personal Gain,” and let it go at that. Give it some rings if you feel the need to define it more tightly. There’s no end to how many different types of fraud or treachery we can list. Seems a shame that the human mind hasn’t been more focused on how to help each other rather than on how to cheat, deceive, and betray each other.

Infernal Clock: They say the Devil has all the good tunes. What song would you recommend as an accompaniment to your story?

I Want It All by Queen

Infernal Clock: If you were able to visit the Inferno, what level would you want to go to and who would you want to see there?

Level 8, fraud. I’d live to see every minister, priest, pope, shaman, and preacher who every used his position for financial gain or to sexually abuse a parishioner of any age.

Infernal Clock: What is the hottest food you’ve ever eaten? Can you share a recipe?

Good New Mexico Red Chile Posole – note that chile is not misspelled, that’s the way red and green chile is spelled as opposed to chili, as in Texas, or chilly, as in cold.

Ingredients

1 cup red chile sauce (recipe below)
1 tbsp olive oil
1.5 lbs pork loin cut into 1″ cubes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
6 cups chicken broth
3 cups hominy

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Season pork loin with salt, cumin, and pepper. Add to pot and brown on both sides. Remove pork.  
Add onions to the pot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, another 30 – 60 seconds.
Add back in pork, red chile sauce, chicken broth, and hominy. 
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and continue cooking for 30 minutes, or until pork is cooked through and tender.  

Top with desired garnishments. 

Red Chile Sauce

Ingredients

24 red chile pods (HOT – depending of the season and source pods could be mild, medium or hot)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic minced
1 tsp dried oregano

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  
Remove stems from red chile pods. Place chiles in water and boil until tender, about 15 minutes. 
Transfer chile pods to a blender, along with one cup of the water the chiles were cooked in. Blend until smooth, adding more water, if necessary, until consistency is similar to tomato sauce. 
Strain sauce through a sieve to remove any peels and seeds.  
Return sauce to pan and add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.  
Sauce keeps in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for 6 months. 

Infernal Clock: Who is your ‘favourite’ villain in history or fiction?

Hard question. Darth Vader immediately comes to mind as does Voldemort. Sher Kahn from the Jungle Book is certainly a contender as is the Nome King from the Oz stories. I considered Cruella de Ville, but the one that kept me up at night was Hannibal Lector. He gets my vote.

Infernal Clock: What is your long-term ambition for your writing?

I’m 72. I want to keep writing as long as I can. I’d like one of my novels or stories to be filmed.

Infernal Clock: Top-tip for other writers

Writing is a numbers game. Write every day. Bad writing can be edited, but you can’t edit a blank page. Rewrite as necessary and don’t be discouraged. Submit, submit, and submit again. An un-submitted story is a waste. My first professional sale (10 cents a word) was rejected 23 times before it sold. Submission and acceptance is another numbers game as well. If you don’t submit a story, no one can buy it. Grow a thick skin – I need to work on this one myself. (It doesn’t matter what the editor says or edits as long as they buy your story.)

Bio:

Robert Allen Lupton is retired and lives in New Mexico where he is a commercial hot air balloon pilot. Robert runs and writes every day, but not necessarily in that order. More than a hundred and fifty of his short stories have been published in several anthologies including the New York Times best seller, Chicken Soup for the Soul – Running For Good. His novel, Foxborn, was published in April 2017 and the sequel, Dragonborn, in June 2018. His first collection, Running Into Trouble, was published in October 2017. His collection, Through a Wine Glass Darkly was released in June 2019. His newest collection, Strong Spirits was released on June 1, 2020. His third novel, Dejanna of the Double Star is scheduled for publication in October 2020. His edited anthology, Feral: It Takes a Forest to Raise a Child was released September 1, 2020. Follow Robert on Facebook and read over 800 drabbles, his 100-word short stories.

Latest publication:

“Feral, It Takes A Forest To Raise a Child.”

I also right an Edgar Rice Burroughs themed drabble every day – over 900 as of November 2020. All are available, along with several articles on my page at https://www.erbzine.com/lupton/