Isobel Blackthorn's Blog, page 27

Reading from The Cabin Sessions on The New Panic Room Radio Show

I’m super excited and just a little bit spooked to be reading from my dark psychological thriller, The Cabin Sessions on The New Panic Room Radio Show.

[image error]new release! The Cabin Sessions – for those who like their horror dark and psychological.

 

The question for me is, which segment? Well here’s the weird bit. I recall a section I really like, bring up my Mobi file on my Tablet, scroll along at random…and somehow manage to land on the exact page.

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Tune in tomorrow, Friday 3rd November from 1.30pm .  http://www.panicroomradio.com/   

If you’d like to hear me, here are more dates for the diary…

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Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Dandenong Ranges, dark fiction, HellBound Books, horror, Olinda, open mic, psychological thriller, The Cabin Sessions, The Panic Room Radio Show, Warburton

#NaNoWriMo here I come!

I cannot believe that tomorrow I start the #NaNoWriMo challenge. After all, I’m in the middle of moving house. I have a novel I’m readying to submit. I have another in draft form on my desk and three more in the planning stage. How can I even think to take on something else right now? I must be barking mad!

But…

Here’s why – if I don’t take the challenge, TWERK may never get written. Not with all of my other projects demanding my attention. I’ve had ideas for this novel for about two years. I’ve planned and story boarded it three times. I have the characters, the plot, the research all done. I’ve figured out a new setting and another plot twist. There is nothing stopping me smashing this one out in one month other than the fear of not finishing it before I move.

What is spurring me on is a little voice telling me this might be the most popular book I’ll ever write. It’s based on a flash fiction piece I wrote, that was snapped up by Backhand Stories. Here’s TWERK.

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Wish me luck!

 

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: #NaNoWriMo, Twerk

The Tides Between by Elizabeth Jane Corbett

I am delighted to share my review of Elizabeth Jane Corbett’s debut novel, The Tides Between.

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“In 1841, on the eve of her departure from London, Bride’s mother demands she forget her dead father and prepare for a sensible, adult life in Port Phillip. Desperate to save her childhood, fifteen-year-old Bridie is determined to smuggle a notebook filled with her father’s fairy tales to the far side of the world.

When Rhys Bevan, a soft-voiced young storyteller and fellow traveller realises Bridie is hiding something, a magical friendship is born. But Rhys has his own secrets and the words written in Bridie’s notebook carry a dark double meaning.

As they inch towards their destination, Rhys’s past returns to haunt him. Bridie grapples with the implications of her dad’s final message. The pair take refuge in fairy tales, little expecting the trouble it will cause.”

My Review

Told from three viewpoints, Elizabeth Jane Corbett’s debut novel is a fearless yet endearing exploration of the day-to-day existence of a small cast of characters, each with their troubles, who are incarcerated along with numerous families in the steerage deck of a ship bound for Australia. The Tides Between is an ironic tale in some ways, for the duration of a voyage that spans half the globe, the epic journey that unfolds is one situated at the hearth of human existence.

Corbett writes with a deft pen. The author is unafraid to expose the reality of life for working class migrants making the treacherous voyage to Australia. In true literary fashion, the narrative presses forward through the unfolding realisations of its characters, the backstory interwoven in fragments.

The Tides Between opens with fifteen-year old Bridie clutching a notebook of fairy stories she was forbidden to keep as she boards a ship bound for Port Phillip. What unfolds is in part a coming of age story, as Bridie learns to handle the grief she feels at the loss of her father, and accept the benevolent affections of her stepfather, Alf. Yet The Tides Between is less a story of one girl’s entry into adulthood and more a meditation on trauma and its consequences, and on identity and the power of myth.

These themes are strikingly played out through Rhys, a young Welshman and miner’s son crippled by claustrophobia.  His wife, Sian, is pregnant, as is Bridie’s mother. Will either woman manage to safely birth her child before the ship pulls in at its destination? Will Rhys transcend his anguish? Will Bridie shake off her adolescent ill humour? Can Alf, a man strangled by his sense of duty and obedience, find the courage to confront the ship’s surgeon?

Corbett carries her plot forward with intricate attention to emotional detail. The heaving waters of the various oceans traversed a powerful metaphor for those heaving in the hearts of protagonists Bridie, Rhys and Alf.

Corbett’s writing is visual, metaphoric and intelligent.

“The night air fell like a chill shawl on her shoulders. Turning back towards the hatchway, she heard an eerie drawn out sound from beyond the deckhouse. She halted, nerves feathering her spine.”

It is in this fashion that dramatic tension is maintained, the reader treated page after page to Corbett’s elegant prose.

The theme of fairy tales is prominent, but these are not the stories of children’s books. They are powerful myths rich with significance. Bridie strives to make sense of the world and relationships through the lens of fairy tales, questioning, comparing, speculating. Corbett juxtaposes Bridie’s musings with the reality of her situation, conveyed through the harsh, albeit sensible worlds of her mother.    Meanwhile, Rhys grapples with his own demons. The only time he can cope with being in steerage is when he is on stage, telling Welsh fairy tales to a captive audience. Through the friendship that grows between Bridie and Rhys, Corbett explores the healing power of fairy tales, a release as much for the teller as the listener.

In one respect, The Tides Between is a vivid portrayal of life in steerage. The reader is there with the stench and the lice and the privy buckets. Just as she is unflinching when it comes to portraying the physical hardships onboard, Corbett casts a microscopic eye over the complexities of grief and shame, taboos and social rejection.

Despite its heartrending moments, The Tides Between is ultimately a story of redemption, transformation and hope.

“She had begun to treasure their moments together, like bright beads, slipping through her fingers and puddling at the bottom of memory’s purse.”

The Tides Between pulls the reader in two directions, the desire to continue turning the pages at odds with an equally a strong wish to pause and reflect on its various intricacies, its depth. The only difficulty faced in reviewing a book of this quality is putting it down long enough to scribe reflections. A work I would describe as literary historical fiction, The Tides Between, is a captivating and immersive read.

 

About the author

When Elizabeth Jane Corbett isn’t writing, she works as a librarian, teaches Welsh at the Melbourne Celtic Club, writes reviews and articles for the Historical Novel Society and blogs at elizabethjanecorbett.com. In 2009, her short-story, Beyond the Blackout Curtain, won the Bristol Short Story Prize. Another, Silent Night, was short listed for the Allan Marshall Short Story Award. An early draft of her debut novel, The Tides Between, was shortlisted for a HarperCollins Varuna manuscript development award. Elizabeth lives with her husband, Andrew, in a renovated timber cottage in Melbourne’s inner-north. She likes red shoes, dark chocolate, commuter cycling, and reading quirky, character driven novels set once-upon-a-time in lands far, far away.

BUY your copy here
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: #AWW, Australian women writers, Celtic myths, Elizabeth Jane Corbett, Historical fiction, Odyssey Books, The Tides Between, Welsh fairy tales, Welsh myths

Artefacts and other stories by Rebecca Burns

I’m delighted to share my review of Artefacts and other stories by Rebecca Burns

 

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That dandelion. A flash of stubborn yellow in a dark box of space. It had promised sunshine but had tasted sour. Artefacts. A dandelion. A mayfly. A family, bereft. Items and mementos of a life, lived hard and with love, or long, empty, bitter. In these sharply drawn and unflinching short stories, Rebecca Burns unpicks the connection between the lives we live and what we leave behind.

My Review

The short story form is hard to master. There are many strictures and the word length alone demands taut and pointed prose. Few can manage the heights of Alice Munro. The reader waits for that release of breath as the author provides an astute observation or an elegant and original turn of phrase. Which is why, when I read this latest offering from Rebecca Burns, my mind was switched to critical.

Yet from the first, Burns satisfies the aspirations of the short-story reader, with sublime writing and masterful control, finely balanced with moments of apt poetry.

“She soothed his craggy face into easy, jelly smiles.”

And

“A quick tongue ready to cut through the fudge of clerical life.”

Alice Munro writes of everyday life in Canada. In a similar fashion, Burns turns her attention to the everyday lives of her characters, many set in the period of the world wars, others in the collieries of central England. All her stories are told with sensitivity and compassion. If there was one word to sum up this beautiful collection, it is depth, for Burns has plumbed to the nadir of her own self in the writing, at once never failing to miss a moment of irony. Highly recommended.

Find out more about the author  – http://www.rebecca-burns.co.uk/

BUY Artefacts and other stories
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Artefacts and other stories, Historical fiction, literary fiction, short stories

The Cabin Sessions and Alex Legg: A novel in memory of a remarkable musician

I didn’t plan to write a horror novel. Not at first. Although the elements were there from the start.

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The genesis of The Cabin Sessions began in 2012, during a period of my life in which I attended an open mic every Wednesday night without fail. The open mic was held in a log cabin up in the Dandenong Ranges, east of Melbourne, Australia. I was living with the host, Scottish troubadour and gifted songwriter, Alex Legg. Every Wednesday, I would help him carry in the gear. I drank the rider. At the end of the night, making sure I didn’t stagger, I would help pack up.

That year, I was writing short stories in between being Alex’s groupie. I had yet to write my first novel, probably because I was having too much fun going to his gigs. I knew all his songs inside out and loved every single one of them. Naturally.

One night, on the way back down the mountain to our home, I had the idea that an open mic would make a good setting for a novel. Alex enthused straight away. The next day we sat in a cafe in Sassafras and cooked up the story. This is where we sat.

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Together we came up with a bunch of characters, including his doppelgänger, Benny Muir, who appears in my short story, ‘All Because of You’, named after one of his songs.

 

Alex supplied me with tips and quips and odd insights that could only come from an open mic host. With a notebook full of jottings, I figured out a plot and set to work.

Three chapters of composing later and our relationship came to an abrupt end. My creative spark for the story was gone and I shelved the project.

Two years went by and my life changed dramatically. I moved interstate. I wrote like fury and as 2014 neared its end, I had my first novel on submission, another serialised on my blog, and my third in the making.

That December, I received news that Alex had passed away. It was a huge shock for everyone. He was loved and appreciated by so many. He nurtured many a talent and was hugely supportive of local musicians. A foundation has been formed to keep his legacy alive. The Alex Legg Memorial Foundation

[image error] Taken in Belgrave by Kylie Horner.

It was early 2015 and I felt compelled to preserve his memory. I toyed with writing a memoir of those two beautiful years we shared, a memoir I had conceived when we were still together, one filled with anecdotes from all his friends past and present, but I soon decided the emotion involved would be too intense.

In the process of reminiscing those precious years I had with Alex, I re-read my old notes and chapters of  The Cabin Sessions. For me, it was like gazing at old photos. I couldn’t listen to his music. It made me well up too much. So I buried myself in our ideas.

Then, something astonishing happened. I realised Alex’s passing had liberated my story. I made a critical creative decision, and it was as though I had Alex’s permission to do it. I won’t say what it is. After that, things moved fast. In days I was hacking into those early chapters, revising the characters and tightening the plot. There were times I felt Alex was right there with me, urging me on.

The setting for The Cabin Sessions is a version of Warburton, in the Yarra Valley east of Melbourne. It was there, in a cafe that we first met. Our meeting was powerful. Alex even wrote a song about it.

The Cabin Sessions is my way of paying respects to Alex Legg and the two transformative years I spent with him. Even if my offering is grotesque, absurd, hard-hitting, at times deeply confronting and there is not a skerrick of romance to be found. I honestly believe Alex would not have had it any other way.

I am hugely grateful to HellBound Books for believing in this story. HellBound are based in Texas, USA. That feels fitting somehow.

A book launch of The Cabin Sessions is scheduled for December at Leggacy Sessions, the open mic run by the Alex Legg Memorial Foundation every  Wednesday night at Oscar’s Alehouse, Belgrave.

The Cabin Sessions is now available from Amazon.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: #TheCabinSessions, Alex Legg, All Because of You, ALMF, Dandenong Ranges, dark fiction, HellBound Books, horror, Leggacy Sessions, pyschological thriller, The Hills, Warburton, Yarra Valley

The Cabin Sessions available for preorder

I am delighted to announce that my debut dark fiction novel is available for preorder. Just click on the link.

http://hellboundbookspublishing.com/cabinsessions.html

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This book is special to me. I wrote it at the same time as A Perfect Square. I see the novels as twins. Both contain dark themes. Both aim to disturb.

With The Cabin Sessions I set out to explore themes of domestic violence and child abuse, by exploring what might happen to people who live in absolute denial, or immobilising fear. At first I didn’t know if I could produce a character twisted enough for my purposes. Then along came Eva Stone. I wrote a piece about her for Bloody Good Horror Books.  http://bloodygoodhorrorbooks.com/?p=112

Writing horror is weird. I enjoy it because I get to unleash my depths. As for all the horror readers out there… #TheCabinSessions   Are you ready to be entertained???

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: dark fiction, debut horror, HellBound Books, horror, new release, psychological thriller, The Cabin Sessions, Women horror writers, women in horror

El árbol de Drago

Estoy encantado de revelar la portada de la edición española de mi novela, El árbol de Drago.

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“Ella quería olvidar, permitir a este ambiente de tremendo aislamiento consumirla. Perseguida por los demonios del pasado y el presente, la geóloga Ann Salter busca refugio en la exótica isla de Lanzarote. Allí conoce al carismático escritor Richard Parry y al alfarero nativo Domingo y juntos explorar la isla. Ann se encuentra con tesoros ocultos de la isla que caen en un viaje profundo dentro de ella misma, se esfuerza para comprender quién fue ella, quién es ella, y quién ella quiere ser. El árbol de Drago es una anécdota intrigante de traición, conquista y amor en todas sus formas, establecida en contraste al panorama dramático de la isla y la historia colonial española.”

“Esta novela está construida maravillosamente y en ella se muestra la complejidad de nuestras vidas, especialmente cuando abrimos nuestros corazones a la pasión” —Robert Hillman, La Miel Ladrona

“El árbol de Drago es una novela hermosamente elaborada, escrita exquisitamente rebosante de pena y sinceridad, dolor y alegría. Es tan excitante desde el principio que no se consigue dejar hasta terminar de leerlo. El árbol de Drago tomará tu corazón”- Jasmina Brankovich, escritora

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La edición inglés fue publicado por Odyssey Books en 2015. Ahora, están publicando la version español. Estoy muy agradecida, especialmente a Inelda Lovi por su traducción.

¡Ahora, tengo que aprendiendo más español! Han pasado muchos años desde que viví en Lanzarote.

Despues de 26 septiembre 2017, usted puede comprar este libro en Amazon

Estoy en Facebook 

Twitter @IBlackthorn

Goodreads

Si desea escribir una reseña de este libro, póngase en contacto conmigo a través de este sitio web.

Puedes leer más sobre El árbol de Drago en inglés aquí

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Cesar Manrique, Cuevos de los Verdes, El árbol de Drago, El Golfo, El Risco, ficción, Haria, Islas Canarias, la cultura de Lanzarote, la geología, la historia, Lanzarote, Literatura, Montañas del fuego, Odyssey Books, Teguise, Timanfaya, Titeroyugatra

The Cabin Sessions cover reveal!

 

Welcome to The Cabin Sessions. Are you ready to be entertained?

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I’m delighted to reveal the cover of my latest book release. The Cabin Sessions is a dark psychological thriller/horror novel coming out in October.
Big thanks to HellBound Books!
Enter the remote and tight knit town of Burton, once a stronghold of the exclusive Kinsfolk cult.  Meet the tormented and strange Eva Stone…

Like my Facebook page or hit the contact/subscribe tab on my website to stay in touch.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Breath holding, dark fiction, HellBound Books, horror, literary horror, open mic, pyschological thriller, The Cabin Sessions

Dead Again by Sandi Wallace

The second in Wallace’s rural crime series, Dead Again is a fast-paced thriller set in the fictitious town of Bullock in the Yarra ranges east of Melbourne, and in the historic spa town, Daylesford.

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“It is almost two years since wildfires ravaged the tiny town of Bullock, and Melbourne journalist, Georgie Harvey, is on assignment in the recovering town to write a feature story on the anniversary of the tragedy.

In nearby Daylesford, police officer, John Franklin, is investigating a spree of vandalism and burglaries, while champing to trade his uniform for the plain clothes of a detective.

When Georgie’s story and Franklin’s cases collide, she not only finds herself back in conflict with the man she’s been trying to forget since their first encounter, but she uncovers the truth about how the fires started – a truth no-one is wanting to believe.”

My Review (first appeared on the website of Sisters in Crime)

Dead Again opens with a perpetrator consumed by guilt for a crime he doesn’t reveal. From the first, the reader knows a little more than city journalist Georgie Harvey and Daylesford cop John Franklin. What unfolds is a flawlessly plotted unravelling of a heinous truth. The plot, jump cutting between the two protagonists, never stumbles. The story architecture that leads to a dramatic conclusion is convincing and plausible. Sub plots provide pleasing texture, driving the story forward, affording the necessary complications and frustrations. The result is a rich and satisfying tale.

Catch up on the novel’s predecessor is deftly handled. Georgie and Franklin have history, one that is unresolved. Franklin is consumed by an unwavering passion. Georgie is conflicted, her relationship with hot shot lawyer AJ, on the rocks. Wallace develops her characters with considerable finesse. It isn’t easy creating emotional character arcs in a novel heavy with plot. It appears Wallace has a hunger for Wallander in rural Victoria. Both Georgie and Franklin are introspective, troubled, frustrated and hurt. They are mirrors of each other, yet distinct. Wallace applies the same character-developing care in her antagonist. The reader will be forgiven for feeling some initial sympathy for a figure who has plainly committed some terrible act.

Dead Again is a brave book. The theme, termed Red Victoria in the narrative, concerns the Black Saturday bush fires of 2009. The horrors of that day cannot be erased from collective memory. The trauma lives on. Stepping into this terrain is dangerous, the author will inevitably be accused by some as cannibalising the tragedy of others for personal gain, a vulture, picking over trauma as though it were carrion. Worse, misconstruing or trivialising real events. These are unfair accusations. Authors travel where their muse takes them. Besides, Wallace is well aware of the dangers. The author treads lightly, defensively, tentatively, as does her protagonist, Georgie, the city-dwelling outsider on an assignment to write a magazine feature.

“’It’s impossible to describe. It’s a unique sound. Terrifying. And I hear the death screams of humans and animals.’ Gravelly, she added, ‘Ever heard that?’

Not trusting her voice, Georgie shook her head.

‘I feel the ghosts of my friends. This is stuff that I wouldn’t believe if it hadn’t happened to me. It keeps me awake at night.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘Hour upon hour, every single night. And the smells…’ Kelly shuddered.

It felt cruel to want more, but Georgie hung on each word.”

In this fashion, the wildfire theme is handled with respect and consideration, like an artefact held in the hand and turned over, sensitively scrutinised.

All the incidentals in the story are carefully researched, adding to the social realism that the author strives for. With wit and a sharp eye for the essentials, Wallace has built a story world that feels real. A page turner with much to savour, Dead Again is a moving and highly engaging read.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Book review, crime fiction, Dead Again, Rural crime, Sandi Wallace

Writers chat writing – my debut vlog appearance!

I was delighted to guest on screenwriter Claire Duffy’s vlog. We chatted about writing, naturally. So here I am in my workroom, against a dark background, feeling a bit envious of all that white behind Claire! These are the realities of vlogging! On radio you can turn up in your trackies. Hmm. Something else to get used to in this advancing world of ours. Anyway, we had a ball. I hope you enjoy it. You can find Claire Duffy here.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: vlog, writers chat writing