Michael K. Rose's Blog, page 14

An Interview with Gary Dolman, Author of The Eighth Circle of Hell

Today, I have an interview with British writer Gary Dolman. Gary is the author of the historical novel The Eighth Circle of Hell .
***
Tell us a bit about The Eighth Circle of Hell.
The novel is set in 1890 in the wealthy spa resort that was Harrogate, Yorkshire, England.
The Victorian age is often held up as a shining era of British history; a time of wealth and power, of civilisation and philanthropy. It was indeed all of these. But it was also a time of great cruelty and depravity, where power and wealth were used to ill-purpose. In particular it was the time of the ‘Defloration Mania’ where hundreds of thousands of young, innocent girls were bought and sold like the slaves they became.
In The Eighth Circle of Hell, an elderly workhouse ‘imbecile’ is continually tormented by disturbed and fractured memories of her adolescence. She had been orphaned and sent to live with her depraved uncle and his powerful, predatory friends, and advancing, dementia has caused her to regress inexorably back in her life, to the point where she is once again re-living that awful time.
Husband and wife commissioned investigators, Atticus and Lucie Fox are engaged by her grown-up nephew to trace her and to bring her back to live in the family home where her elderly, frail uncle still lives. They do so, but are horrified to hear the very next day that she had brutally murdered her uncle in the night. But they were puzzled too; how could she have committed murder? She had neither the physical, nor the mental strength to do such a thing.
The novel is a bleak study of the stark contrast between the polite, strictly-ordered society of the Victorian age and the utter depravity and exploitation of the vulnerable it shielded. It demonstrates how in the midst of that depravity, promises and friendships can be forged that are more enduring even than the boundaries of life and death itself.
How did you become interested in this subject?
It was quite by chance. One evening several years ago, whilst I was visiting my father in a care home, one of the other residents who was also in the end-stages of Alzheimer’s suddenly cried out in her sleep, begging some uncle to stop, screaming that he was hurting her. It made me start to imagine what kind of horrors she must have been reliving and that inspired the idea behind the novel. When I began to research the history of child abuse, I came across the holocaust that was the Defloration Mania and The Eighth Circle of Hell took form.
Can you explain the meaning of the title?
The title comes from Dante’s epic poem, Divine Comedy. The eighth of Dante’s nine circles of Inferno – of Hell, contains those guilty of the sin of seduction. It’s a play on the profound contradictions in the novel where the perpetrators of the abuse push the blame for committing it onto the victims.
In Dante’s poem, the sinners are driven round and round the Eighth Circle by demons. In the same way, my central character’s recurring memories drive her around and around in torment.
How did you decide you wanted to write historical fiction? Do you write in any other genres?
I have always been fascinated by history in general. Living for much of my life in Harrogate, which is a town built largely in the Victorian age, means that I have a particular attachment to that period. The richness and the social extremes of the Victorian Age are especially poignant and stumbling across the Defloration Mania gave me a perfect excuse to set the novel in that time. Because it is also crime fiction, there is also the advantage to a writer that with very little forensic science other than early fingerprinting, detectives had to rely much more on their reasoning and intellect. My publisher, Thames River Press, has requested a series of three novels, all related in terms of genre and characters and I have at least half a dozen plots for novels beyond that, all of which feature Atticus and Lucie. I’m becoming rather fond of them if I’m honest.
Having said that, I am also itching to write a really dark, contemporary psychological thriller.
What are you working on now?
I have completed my second manuscript featuring Atticus and Lucie Fox. Their next investigation concerns a number of brutal murders which appear to centre on a long-vanished Northumbrian castle, and on the delusions of a madman who believes he is the father of King Arthur. The Madman of Sewingshields is due for publication in May 2013 by Thames River Press. Beyond that am just beginning a third novel, inspired by the Northern British folklore of yetis.
***
The Eighth Circle of Hell is available from Thames River Press . Readers can purchase copies from Amazon US or Amazon UK.

Gary Dolman was born in South Tyneside in 1963, but grew up principally in Harrogate in North Yorkshire, where he now lives with his wife, three children and two dogs. He is fascinated by the human mind and how it contends with adversity in all its forms. He is also passionate about the history – real and mythical – of the north of England. Visit Gary's blog at http://www.garydolman.blogspot.com/ .

An Interview with Tara Stogner Wood

Today, I have an interview with Tara Stogner Wood, a paranormal author who has a story in the new fairytale collection Once Upon a Twisted Time.

***
Tara, tell us a bit about Once Upon a Twisted Time.
Once Upon a Twisted Time is a unique collection of fairytales with a twist. We've taken four classic stories and turned them on their heads to create something engaging and fun for readers. Here's the blurb:Think you know your fairytales? Think again. These aren’t your normal happily-ever-after. Within these pages, a murderous Little Mermaid gets her revenge, the Cinderella doesn’t really want to wear the slipper, Snow White is up to her eyes in industrial experiments, and the Beauty is in fact the Beast. This collection of four novellas will surprise you, make you gasp in horror, sigh with relief, and sit on the edge of your seat. And most of all…they will make you rethink everything you think you know about dark fairytales…
Did you and the other authors in the anthology give each other feedback during the writing process, or was each story developed independently?
We're a close knit group, so there was tons of feedback and ideas flying back and forth. That said, each of us personally chose the fairytale we wanted to re-imagine. From there, it was only natural to tap someone on the shoulder and say, "What do you think about this?" or, "Is this too literal?". The finished tales are truly a product of each individual, but we found that bouncing ideas off one another was really helpful. They're a fabulous bunch of ladies with some amazingly creative brains.
How did you come up with the idea for your story, "Miss Cavendish and the Spark of Salvation?"
A photo of an incredibly good-looking archer made it's way into my inbox, courtesy of my cohort, Trish M. Dawson. Anyhoo, said photo of attractive male model made me instantly think of "The Huntsman", so that's what he became. The steampunk aspect sort of jumped out at me and I took it and ran. I had the most fun writing this story, and Asher and George have to be two of my favorite characters that I've ever written.
Do you and the other authors have plans to put out another anthology like this?
Absolutely. We really enjoyed working together, and Moon Rose Publishing is a dream to work for. As far as specifics, nothing has been ironed out, as we all have other projects currently in progress. A few ideas have already been thrown around amongst this particular group of authors. I can say that I am currently contracted by Moon Rose for another anthology with a different group (but all of them amazing!) of authors to be released in the spring of 2013.
What are you working on now?
I think the question should be, "What are you NOT working one right now?". LOL. I have three projects that I am actively working and writing on at the moment: the next novella for Moon Rose in the spring, the second book in my paranormal romance "In Blood" series, and a YA thriller that I'm plotting out. I am also co-author on another full-length novel contracted by Moon Rose for a tentative release in April.

***
Get Once Upon a Twisted Time from Amazon.com or Amazon UK. You can connect with Tara in many and sundry ways, including:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/twoodwriter
Twitter: http://twitter.com/twoodwriter
Blog - The Tarasphere: http://tarasphere.wordpress.com/
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Tara-Wood/e/B007PK4W1Q/

An Interview with David Bain, Author of Death Sight

Today I have an interview with David Bain, horror author of the novel Gray Lake (among others) and dozens of short stories. Some of those stories have featured a character named Will Castleton and Dave's new novel, Death Sight, is the first full-length Castleton adventure. But he can tell you more about that than I can.
***
Dave, can you tell us a bit about your new novel, Death Sight?
Death Sight is the first novel in the Will Castleton series. There are already several stories and a novella, collected in The Castleton Files, available in print and all ebook formats. While The Castleton Files feature stories from throughout Will’s career, Death Sight is his origin story, detailing the devastating events which presage and lead to his “slightly psychic” abilities, then chronicling his initial, furtive, reluctant acceptance of said abilities. It’s also, to some extent, a novel about the changes one goes through in one’s early twenties. It can be a lonely, difficult period, full of uncomfortable transitions - at least it was for me - and it certainly is for Will. Readers will decide, but my feeling is I really put him through the wringer.
Here’s the “back cover blurb” for Death Sight: Hospitalized after drowning during a rescue attempt, newly graduated U.S. Marshal Will Castleton is besieged by visions of a hulking executioner torturing a bound man. A perilous race against time leaves Will broken, unsure if he even wants to join the marshals. Escaping to his Michigan hometown, Will finds his father dying, a young woman’s ghost desperate to communicate with him, and a biker kingpin out to make a statement by taking out local law enforcement’s golden boy.
You've written quite a few Will Castleton stories. Do you plan on many more short stories and full-length novels featuring the character?
Always! Sooner rather than later I’ll put out a ghost story collection called Ghosts, Just Behind You, featuring “Purgatory,” a new Will Castleton story - maybe a short story, maybe a novella - either way it’s harrowing, with Will getting kidnapped by some badasses and a couple ghosts help him escape.
What drew you to genre fiction, particularly horror?
I seem to have a different answer to this question every time it’s asked. Tonight (as I sit alone in a Mexican restaurant, two tall beers in) I think it was about rebellion. Horror was the most contentious fiction I could find at the age when I needed something rough, independent, socially questionable to cling to. I wasn’t a Goth or a hair band disciple - I was, in fact, a rather tender and tenuous adherent to almost every one of the various late ‘80s ethics, exploring broadly - I listened to The Smiths and The Cure in secret, after the Guns n’ Roses and Metallica crowd had left the party. Stephen King and Clive Barker were pretty much all I was interested in. It was the only fiction that spoke to me, period. I got in a lot of trouble before I was sent to college - the university environment pretty much saved my life, gave me the focus, inspiration and direction I needed. And it was there that I discovered enough diverse horror/mystery/fantasy/science fiction writers, from Poe to Chandler, from Tom Robbins to Octavia Butler, to show me there was a hell of a lot more than mere rebellion going on.
Can you tell us a bit about A/A Productions and the projects you currently have underway?
A/A Productions  is a small publishing company I’ve started. So far we’ve published Proactive Contrition, a 100,000-word experimental “meta-memoir” by Chicago writer Wayne Allen Sallee, a several-time Stoker nominee, a collection of stories by Ken Goldman, an author who’s appeared in about every small press horror publication imaginable, and a handful of fun anthologies such as Dark Highways, Sword and Zombie, Forbidden Texts and Dark Days, featuring great authors like William Meikle, Jon F. Merz, Scott Nicholson, Mike Arnzen, Steve Vernon, Eric S. Brown and lots of others. I make no bones about the fact that A/A Productions uses the same self-publishing venues and tools available to any author these days. On one level, we’re simply a middle-man, providing art, editing, formatting, etc. I also make no bones about the fact that authors could be doing all this for themselves. But some authors are technologically challenged or simply don’t want to be hassled with it. Another part of the idea is to be selective about projects, setting a certain standard - yes, authors could easily be self-publishing this work, but the goal is to form a sort of collective where people will know an A/A Productions book will have quality content, quality formatting, quality editing, etc. I’m going for a very indie feel, with the authors having a say and creative control at every level. Right now, I don’t charge an up-front fee; instead, I receive a share of the profits of each book - usually 15%, like an agent might - this way I keep a vested interest in each project. It keeps me doing the best work I can and pushing as hard as possible to make each one a success.
What will you be working on 2013?
The major item on the docket is Green River Blues, the second Will Castleton novel. That’s my top writing priority. There are a number of other projects which may or may not see fruition. I’m also likely to finish a novel called The Care and Feeding of Michael Anthony Zee - it’s about 80 percent done and much more mainstream, literary and crazy than most of my other work, sort of a hipster angle on the sort of thing I normally do. Right now my web site says I’ll be self-publishing it, but I’m seriously considering seeking a traditional publisher for it. We shall see.
There are also too many stories, novellas, anthologies and the like in the works to list here - the best bet would be for interested readers to follow my blog or Twitter, which is where the real fun is.
But I do want to mention this! 2013 should also see a Wattpad exclusive work aimed at young adult readers - at least novella length, maybe a novel - called Stalk Me. I’ve started serializing some work on Wattpad, and I’ve received some praise but also a little flak for it - why fer crysakes would an established writer play around on a site populated by Twilight imitations and One Direction fanfics!?!?!? Yes, you do have that sort of thing on Wattpad, but you also have surprisingly creative and adept writers (young and old) sharing stories that are, in truth, more read, more discussed and more loved than the bulk of self-published work on Amazon. Wattpad is totally about story. There’s no thought of money, just entertainment and community. I’m simply floored at the quality of stuff you can find there, and I love the spirit of freedom, interaction, fun and creativity.
Thanks, Mike, for the chance to do this interview! You rock and everyone should buy Sullivan’s War!
Thank you, Dave! I keep telling people that, but they just laugh and walk away.
***
Click here for links to purchase the new novel Death Sight on Amazon (Kindle), B&N (Nook), Kobo and Smashwords.
There are all sorts of other ways you can connect with David Bain, too. To wit:
Website: http://DavidBainBooks.com Amazon Page: http://bit.ly/davidbainkindle Twitter: http://twitter.com/davidbainaa Facebook: http://bit.ly/DavidBainFB Newsletter: http://bit.ly/bainnewsletter

Cover Re-Reveal: Chrysopteron

On the 21st of December, I release my new novel Chrysopteron.

The Story

Captain John Hayden, haunted by memories of war and still grieving the death of his wife, is about to embark on the most important mission of his career: to discover the fate of the Chrysopteron, one of five generation ships which left the Earth centuries earlier. The descendants of the Chrysopteron’s original crew had successfully colonized their planet, but less than a hundred years later, all contact was lost. Hayden knows that a mysterious new religion which was formed onboard the ship may have played a role in determining the fate of the colonists, but there is no way to know what he and his crew will find when they finally arrive.

In a story that touches on issues of faith and self-determination, Chrysopteron explores the fundamental elements that define our species. Even though we may leave the Earth, we cannot leave behind that which makes us human.

The Cover

I call this a re-reveal as I have altered the original cover, which I revealed some time back. I'll blog later about why I made this change, but here is the updated version:


Two main elements make up the cover. The first is an image of the optical double star Alpha Capricorni. An optical double is a pair of stars that appear to be close together from our perspective but are, in fact, quite distant from one another. The second image is a detail from a fresco in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence painted by Bronzino, one of my favorite Mannerist painters.

The image of the woman represents the Greek goddess Iris. The name of the book (and the ship) refers to her as well: Chrysopteron is one of Iris's epithets and means "golden winged." Like Hermes, Iris is a messenger and a link between humanity and the gods. She is also a goddess of the sea and sky and the rainbow was one of her main symbols. All this is very important to the story in Chrysopteron, but I can't reveal too much without giving away key plot points. Watch this blog for the release announcement on the 21st. I do hope you decided to check it out.

All the Best,
Michael K. Rose

An Interview with Shaun Allan, author of Sin and Dark Places

Today I have an interview with horror author Shaun Allan. He has just released a new fiction and poetry collection called Dark Places.
***
Shaun, Tell us a bit about Dark Places.
Dark Places. Well, it's a collection of 13 poems and 13 stories, all on a horror or dark theme. Talking of themes, there's a quote on the cover of the book in Latin: "Furor est in tenebris utriusque. Debemus facere proelium cum nostra daemones." Which means "There is darkness and madness in each of us. We must do battle with our own demons."
Dark Places is all about that. What if the horrible thoughts we sometimes flash upon, even if we’re the nicest of people, decide that they’re going to become real? Is it always possible to prevent the beast within from crawling out of its cage?
As you know from Sin, he struggles against a force that uses him but that he can’t control. In many ways, the characters within Dark Places suffer a similar fate. They see things they shouldn't. They do things they can’t help. Or they discover things about themselves that they didn't realise...
The poems were written a while ago, when I was in my own ‘dark place.’ I’d put them aside and saved them and hadn't actually thought about their publication. I’d written a couple of the stories too and enjoyed some wonderful feedback. Then a fellow writer asked me to look at one of her stories. She told me it had been written when she was in a ‘dark place.’ Thus, the inspiration for the title story came and, along with it, the flow of words for the other stories.
The response for the book has been excellent. The fact that it is made up of individual poems and stories means it’s easier to pick up and put down – well, hopefully not so easy to put down, of course.
I love the cover too. It keeps the theme from Sin and looks gorgeous in print!
Dark Places contains both stories and poems. Do you prefer writing one over the other? Do you find writing one more difficult than the other?
I prefer to write stories, I think. I don’t necessarily find one easier than the other as I write a lot of poetry, but it tends to be for an occasion or a mood. Saying that, I have two books of children’s poetry out too - Zits’n’Bits and Rudolph Saves Christmas. I once went through a stage where poetry was all I would write. Now, though, I find the stories flow much more freely.
In some cases it’s how the muse takes me. I have written a couple of Sin’s blog posts in rhyme. One was even to the tune of Queen’s ‘I Want to Break Free!’
Which of the stories or poems is your personal favorite?
Now that’s a hard one. As the poems were written at a time when I was, internally at least, not at my brightest, some of them are quite personal. As for the stories... I like 'Dark Places' because it was the one that coalesced the collection together. It was the spark that fired the anthology and prompted the burst of writing that became the others. Also, the thoughts of other ‘Alice’ worlds in the reflections of the television etc. are ones I toy with myself – hence their inclusion!
'The Last Dance' is another favourite. This doesn't have the darkness that the others have. It’s a little more whimsy. There's some hope in it. Also, it made my wife cry when she read it.
And there's 'Joy.'  In Sin, as she's his sister, she didn't get the chance to tell her story. Now she does. Now she has a voice. There was no way, really, that any other story could close the book.
What do you now have in the works?
Well. Where do I start? I have a children's book about the youngest of three witches who have lost their powers to work on. I have another called Zombies are People Too. There's Sin's ongoing blog – his 'diary of a madman'. And, of course, there’s the sequel to Sin. It’s been difficult to work on this as Rudolph and Dark Places pushed in line, but I am hopeful I can return to it and actually spend some real time on finding out what comes next. I don't plan what I write, so actually fixing on one thing is often difficult.
I interviewed you about your novel Sin for the webzine SpecFicPick (link). Is there anything you'd like to say about it here, or any other publication you'd like to mention?
Sin is currently being pitched to Hollywood with the possibility of becoming a film. It's also being turned into an audiobook (and I've been asked to narrate!). The wonderful people at Wattpad have asked if I'd like to be a part of their Writers' Program and have Sin as one of their featured books, which is amazing. I've recently uploaded a new short story to Wattpad entitled The Hunger, which has had some great comments: http://www.wattpad.com/user/ShaunAllan
Of course, time runs headlong before me and I struggle to keep up with her pace, but I try.
Anything else you'd like to mention?
Thanks very much for this Michael. I very much appreciate it. You could mention that autographed print copies of both Sin and Dark Places are available from my website's bookstore ( http://www.shaunallan.co.uk/bookstore.php ) as are those of Zits’n’Bits and Rudolph Saves Christmas.
***
For more information as well as links where you can buy Dark Places and his other work, visit Shaun's website here . Kindle users can also link directly to Shaun's work on Amazon US here and Amazon UK here .

Sullivan's War: Book III - Free This Weekend! (Dec 1-2)

Sullivan's War: Book III - Edaline's Dawn, the final book in the Sullivan's War trilogy, is free Saturday and Sunday, December 1 and 2 for the Kindle. 
To download your copy from Amazon US, click here . To download from Amazon UK, click here .
The entire series, Books I-III, is also available in one edition called Sullivan's War: The Complete Adventure. If you're interested, you can find links to download it here . You can also purchase a signed print copy from that page.
All the Best!Michael

Reviewers Needed

Hello, all. I'm looking for anyone interested in reviewing my science fiction novel Sullivan's War. I have a sequel written and am aiming for a January/February release. I'd like to get some more reviews on Sullivan's War before it comes out.
I have thirty eBook copies of Sullivan's War available to give out to people who are able to leave reviews at either the Amazon US or Amazon UK sites. I can send the book as either a mobi file for Kindle or an epub file for most other eReaders.
For those of you who have already read Sullivan's War, I'd be grateful if you'd considering reviewing it as well. Since the story was originally release serially, many of the reviews are on the individual novellas rather than the complete story which was released afterward. Links to Sullivan's War: The Complete Adventure can be found here if you'd like to leave your review.
If you would like a review copy, please send me an email at myriad_spheres@yahoo.com with "Review Copy" in the subject line. In the email, let me know your preferred format (epub or mobi) and if you'll leave the review at Amazon US or Amazon UK. Please note that I am not able to participate in any review exchanges. 
Thank you in advance!
All the Best,Michael

#12NovelsIn12Months Update: I Might Fail

As I write this, I my head and throat are aching and I'm sitting upright in bed. There's a cup of peppermint tea and several cough drop wrappers on my nightstand. Yes, I'm sick. I began feeling it on Wednesday. Thursday morning it was worse, but I forced myself to write 3,000 words on Darkridge Hall. Friday it was about the same, but Saturday I woke up feeling absolutely miserable. Today I am a little better, but my energy is sapped and the creative juices are flowing like molasses.
So, I must face a fact: I might fail in reaching 60,000 words this month and completing Darkridge Hall. My original goal was to write a novel a month for twelve months, but I notice that the hashtag I chose for it, #12NovelsIn12Months, does not make that distinction. I can cheat and say I'll write those twelve anytime during the twelve months. Sure, it's semantic justification, but if it keeps me from feeling like a failure, so be it. Anyway, if I finish Darkridge Hall sometime in early December, what difference will a few days have made in the long run? It means I'll have to be diligent to keep up a good pace for my December book, but I will not abandon the entire project because I fell behind one month. I will write these twelve novels. Yes, the title of this post should be "I Won't Fail."
There is still a chance I'll be able to rally and finish Darkridge Hall in the next few days. I'm going to try to write today, but I don't know how far I'll get. The time might be better served editing one of my completed projects. Either way, wish me luck!

Another Bookmark Swag Giveaway!

I did this a little while back, and now I'm doing it again! I have twenty more sets of bookmarks to give away to my readers. If you've read and enjoyed any of my books, just send me your physical address and I'll mail four bookmarks out to you:


As you can see, you'll be getting two of the Sullivan's War bookmarks with the picture of the fighter jet on the front. If you're so inclined, I'd be grateful if you'd give the extra bookmark to a friend who you think might enjoy my work. Word of mouth advertising is incredibly important for Indie writers.
Send your name and address to myriad_spheres@yahoo.com and I'll mail them out to you. I'll update this page once all twenty sets have been claimed.
For those who celebrate it, have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!Michael K. Rose

Two Free eBooks Nov. 17 & 18

Two of my short stories, "Sleep" and "The Tunnel," will be free this weekend, Nov. 17 & 18, on Amazon. If you haven't yet had a chance to read my work, this is a good opportunity to do so.
"Sleep"
Jane has just murdered a man. Now, in addition to monitoring her ship's systems as she makes a freight run between the planets of Silvanus and Faris, she has to figure out how to get rid of the body. She also has to come up with a plausible story to explain the man's absence. And what she would really like, more than anything else, is to get some rest. But sleep will not come easy.
"In a delightfully off-center tale reminiscent of Ray Bradbury with the slyness of Alfred Hitchcock, every Sci-fi lover will find something to like about this great blend of human interaction with the mind-bending terror of the unknown." - Amazon Review
Get it at Amazon US , Amazon UK , Amazon.de and all other Amazon Kindle stores.
"The Tunnel"
Around the world are countless neglected and forgotten places. These are places that have lost their original purpose. Castles become obsolete with the introduction of gunpowder, temples to mighty gods fall into disuse when the people adopt another faith. When this happens, they must find a new purpose. And if you feel a beckoning in one of these forgotten places, if you feel one of them drawing you ever inward, proceed with caution. What you find inside may not be to your liking.
"This story pulls you in immediately with its perfectly crafted narrative form, moves you precisely with its language and imagery and tingles you right to the core with its remarkable concept. Short stories of this calibre are much harder to write than they seem and Rose nails every nuance perfectly." - Amazon Review
Get it at Amazon US , Amazon UK , Amazon.de and all other Amazon Kindle stores.
If you enjoy "Sleep" and "The Tunnel," you will also enjoy my collection Short Stories . More information can be found here .