Konn Lavery's Blog: Posts from konnlavery.com, page 15

Early Access: Rave Novel Chapter 3

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A Talk with Award-Winning Horror Author Jennifer Anne Gordon

We welcome back award-winning horror author Jennifer Anne Gordon to discuss her writing process and upcoming releases. Previously, Jennifer Anne Gordon talked to us in January about The Hotel series finale, When The Sleeping Dead Still Talk, along with the first book, From Daylight to Madness.

She has been quite busy over the few months, and I am thrilled to have her back with the new interview format, which includes an audio portion, allowing us to know Jennifer Anne Gordon a little more.

So, let’s welcome Jennifer to the blog!

Jennifer Anne Gordon, welcome back! You’ve been busy since we last chatted, like being on the cover of The Reader’s House. Tell us, what’s new?

Hey Konn! Thanks for having me back! I was lucky enough to be on the cover of Top Shelf Magazine as well as Reader’s House Magazine, both of these happened in a month! It was very surreal. I have also been busy finishing up final edits for my new release coming this summer (July 13!!). Other than that, my podcast Vox Vomitus as well as co-host duties on Writer’s Showcase have kept me very busy. I also have been in the process of getting the audio books of my three published novels out.

How was the process working on audiobooks? How did you find a narrator?

I used ACX as a service which was so easy and made everything very user friendly. Through that site you can audition narrators! I was lucky that I had one incredible narrator recommended to me (Aaron Smith) and I ended up hiring him for the narration for Beautiful, Frightening, and Silent, as well as for the second book in my Hotel series, When the Sleeping Dead Still Talk.

The Hotel series is complete now. What has been the consensus that readers have given regarding the final book?

I think my favorite review was “this read like 200 pages of pure nightmare. So as a horror author I feel good. Other consensus was that people would like a book about my character Agnes, and though the Hotel series for Francis and Isabelle is “over”, I can see myself at some point doing an Agnes novel.

Last time you mentioned a prequel centring around the antagonist Dr. Hughes, another story focused on Agnes, and a new literary speculative fiction story. Care to share more about your recent writings?

Oh so, yes. I did write and complete my new novel Pretty/Ugly which is hard to stick into a genre. It is literary fiction, with a dash of body horror and speculative/dystopian elements. I am incredibly proud of this novel! It will be released in July 2021!

I have also been dabbling in some creative nonfiction essays as well as a couple short stories.

I am at the moment in the VERY early stages of a new work that is completely different for me. Not horror, but I can’t say anything else about it. My agent, Paula Munier at Talcott Notch, has sworn me to secrecy!

Your background in theatre has helped make your characters believable. How do you transcribe the stage’s creative process into the literary world? Are they similar or quite different?

They feel similar on an emotional level to me. I think I put the same amount of “homework” in for creating a stage character or a character in a book. The main difference I have found with writing as opposed to acting is that a lot of that homework can be shown to the audience, they can read the backstory, feel the emotions, be inside my character’s heads. Being on stage there will always be some disconnect with the audience; they are not feeling your feelings. A good actor can make you feel things but it’s through their lens. In a book a good writer can blur the lines completely between reader and character thought.

Okay . . . writer’s block. Do you think it is a real thing?

No. I think sometimes we can be blocked with a section of what we are writing, but I don’t consider that writers block. Sometimes it just means you are forcing something you are not ready to write, or that you should not be writing. I say look up some random writing prompts and open a blank document and do a quick 14-minute writing sprint. It’s freeing.

[image error]Do you research a lot when coming up with a premise? And how much does research influence where the story goes, if at all?

I did a fair amount of research before I wrote the Hotel series, but I try to do research as I am writing so I don’t get too bogged down. The Hotel was historical, and the island is based on a real place, so I wanted to just get the feel of the island right, and a feel of the way life was in the 1870’s. For my new book Pretty/Ugly, I had to do some medical research and other “science” stuff. That is not my strong suit, so I definitely asked a lot of questions to someone who was much smarter than I was in ways of naming Virus types and understanding how to describe stuff from a hospital worker or paramedic’s point of view.

That being said I am a “pantser” so I think sometimes the research leads to discoveries and that can shape the story in someway. I know a good chuck of Pretty/Ugly takes place in Italy, and it was a place in Italy I have been, but just when I was looking at the train lines and what other possibilities could come from that, it did lead me to some interesting places (terrible pun) for the characters to end up emotionally.

Let’s thank Jennifer Anne Gordon for joining us to talk about her new novel When the Sleeping Dead Still Talk!Jennifer Anne Gordon’s Novels

Website – http://www.JenniferAnneGordon.com

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-Gordon/e/B0854PYTXX?ref_=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000

Jennifer Anne Gordon on Social Media

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/JenniferAnne...

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/jennifergen...

Twitter -https://twitter.com/JenniferAnneGo5

Thank you to Creative Edge!https://www.creative-edge.services/

The post A Talk with Award-Winning Horror Author Jennifer Anne Gordon appeared first on Konn Lavery.

Early Access: Rave Novel Chapter 2

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Audiobook: Fire, Pain, & Ruin Episode 17

Episode 17 of the Fire, Pain, & Ruin: A Rutherford Manor Novel episodic audiobook is here. As with previous weeks, a new chapter will be shared on Thursdays. Enjoy the podcast below and share it around:

Missed the previous episode? Starting out? No worries:Episode Listing Episode 1 Episode 2Episode 3Episode 4Episode 5Episode 6Episode 7Episode 8Episode 9Episode 10Episode 11Episode 12Episode 13Episode 14Episode 15Episode 16Episode 17Listen

The final episode of the Fire, Pain, & Ruin: A Rutherford Manor novel brings us to a haunting climax. Spalding discovers what had happened at the ritual site, and Louise is tempted into the forest, finding her true calling . . . at long last.

Enjoying the audio story? Get the book. #goodreads-widget { font-family: georgia, serif; padding: 18px 0; width:100%; } #goodreads-widget h1 { font-weight:normal; font-size: 16px; border-bottom: 1px solid #BBB596; margin-bottom: 0; } #goodreads-widget a { text-decoration: none; color:#660; } iframe{ background-color: #fff;width:100%; } #goodreads-widget a:hover { text-decoration: underline; } #goodreads-widget a:active { color:#660; } #gr_footer { width: 100%; border-top: 1px solid #BBB596; text-align: right; } #goodreads-widget .gr_branding{ color: #382110; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; }Goodreads reviews for Fire, Pain, & RuinReviews from Goodreads.com

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Audiobook: Fire, Pain, & Ruin Episode 16

Episode 16 of the Fire, Pain, & Ruin: A Rutherford Manor Novel episodic audiobook is here. As with previous weeks, a new chapter will be shared on Thursdays. Enjoy the podcast below and share it around:

Missed the previous episode? Starting out? No worries:Episode Listing Episode 1 Episode 2Episode 3Episode 4Episode 5Episode 6Episode 7Episode 8Episode 9Episode 10Episode 11Episode 12Episode 13Episode 14Episode 15Episode 16Listen

The Savidges have dinner with the Connors, showing support for their missing father and husband. Louise challenges Suzie, putting her secret in jeopardy. Following the dinner, Lisa and Louise return to the forest where Death calls for Louise one more time…

Enjoying the audio story? Get the book. #goodreads-widget { font-family: georgia, serif; padding: 18px 0; width:100%; } #goodreads-widget h1 { font-weight:normal; font-size: 16px; border-bottom: 1px solid #BBB596; margin-bottom: 0; } #goodreads-widget a { text-decoration: none; color:#660; } iframe{ background-color: #fff;width:100%; } #goodreads-widget a:hover { text-decoration: underline; } #goodreads-widget a:active { color:#660; } #gr_footer { width: 100%; border-top: 1px solid #BBB596; text-align: right; } #goodreads-widget .gr_branding{ color: #382110; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; }Goodreads reviews for Fire, Pain, & RuinReviews from Goodreads.com

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eBook or Print Available

The post Audiobook: Fire, Pain, & Ruin Episode 16 appeared first on Konn Lavery.

Early Access: A Talk with Award-Winning Horror Author Jennifer Anne Gordon

Want to read this?
To view this content, you must be a member of Konn's Patreon - Click "Read more" to unlock this content at the source

The post Early Access: A Talk with Award-Winning Horror Author Jennifer Anne Gordon appeared first on Konn Lavery.

Audiobook: Fire, Pain, & Ruin Episode 15

Episode 15 of the Fire, Pain, & Ruin: A Rutherford Manor Novel episodic audiobook is here. As with previous weeks, a new chapter will be shared on Thursdays. Enjoy the podcast below and share it around:

Missed the previous episode? Starting out? No worries:Episode Listing Episode 1 Episode 2Episode 3Episode 4Episode 5Episode 6Episode 7Episode 8Episode 9Episode 10Episode 11Episode 12Episode 13Episode 14Episode 15Listen

Billy and Louise need answers from the midwives, now. No more waiting. They confront the midwives to see if they have any knowledge about the backfiring ritual the group performed. At fight club, Billy shares his shame with Spalding as Irene arrives… looking for trouble.

Enjoying the audio story? Get the book. #goodreads-widget { font-family: georgia, serif; padding: 18px 0; width:100%; } #goodreads-widget h1 { font-weight:normal; font-size: 16px; border-bottom: 1px solid #BBB596; margin-bottom: 0; } #goodreads-widget a { text-decoration: none; color:#660; } iframe{ background-color: #fff;width:100%; } #goodreads-widget a:hover { text-decoration: underline; } #goodreads-widget a:active { color:#660; } #gr_footer { width: 100%; border-top: 1px solid #BBB596; text-align: right; } #goodreads-widget .gr_branding{ color: #382110; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; }Goodreads reviews for Fire, Pain, & RuinReviews from Goodreads.com

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eBook or Print Available

The post Audiobook: Fire, Pain, & Ruin Episode 15 appeared first on Konn Lavery.

Four-Month Crunch Goodbye!

Spring is in Alberta! We’re at record high covid cases! Lockdown again! The weather is nice though, that’s a plus, right? Yes, it is. We’re out of winter, and I’m celebrating a four-month crunch goodbye! 2021 has given me plenty of time to reflect on the writing craft, business, and even my own design career. For both writing and design, it’s been about a decade of growth, change, and learning. Sometimes it has been good, while other times . . . not so much. Either way, it has all brought me to where I am now, launching my tenth book in May.

Welcome to Another Edition of Unprocessed Thoughts

A four-month crunch goodbye is currently being celebrated with a good beer. As per usual, I bite off more than I can chew – or close to it. Audiobooks, book releases, online marketing, business overhaul, Patreon launch, among other significant projects, have created a turbo time warp fast-forwarding my conscious state to here, now, at the end of April. Where did those four months go?

Keeping Busy

Keeping yourself occupied is a great way to maintain mental wellbeing and nurture curiosity. It’s also good to give yourself projects during a winter pandemic, for there isn’t much else you can do. Otherwise, you’ll stare at a wall for excessively long periods, confused as to why you’re doing it, reflecting on the concept of life, wondering if you’re even real and if the confusion even matters.

So, keep busy. I’ve talked about the various projects I’ve been working on in previous Unprocessed Thoughts, social media, and the newsletter. We won’t get into those . . . except I will mention that Rave is now complete and launching May 20th, with the online book launch happing May 19th. Sign up, grab a copy, and join me at this fun book reading and digital gallery!

But Not Too Busy

Okay, now that we’ve got the plug out of the way, let’s get back to celebrating the four-month crunch goodbye with two words: time off. I do believe that leisure time is a primary force with creativity. You give yourself the freedom to let your mind wander, explore, and reignite that curiosity many of us lose when we become adults. The trick is not to give yourself too much leeway, as you can fall into procrastination. If you work all the time, you’ll get the classic burnout or just create half-assed art that has no substance. Creativity is a delicate balance of knowing when to call it quits and when to light the fire.

Four-Month Crunch Goodbye! Thanks for the fast forward.

You can do a lot of stuff in one decade. Or four months. Plus, a lot of stuff can happen to you for better or worse. Either way, we’re off to a strange start for the 20s. Isn’t it just strange calling this decade the 20s? At some point in your life, you have to ask yourself if you want to keep doing what you’re doing forever or change. You know, big picture stuff. The kind of thinking that isn’t possible when you’re in a hardcore project crunch. Now that we’re in full-on spring and I’ve wrapped up these goliath projects with a time machine, I feel a sense of long-lost freedom. It’s the same freedom I felt when I first started freelancing in 2014. It’s a sense of possibilities, weightlessness, and flexibility. As the saying goes . . . freedom comes at a price. In this case, no wars were fought, and no one died. All the constraints had been self-inflicted and stubbornness to commitment, seeing them through.

Beer Note: Analog Brewing It Always Starts In A Tavern
Pub Style Amber Ale

For this month, I tried a beer that was on sale because I’m cheap thrifty. Plus, the eight-bit artwork is a fun nod at old-school RPG video games. If you didn’t know, RPGs are one of the original inspirations that got me into writing. Cheers to that!

The beer is as described – a pub-style amber ale. It’s a got a slightly heavy body, so don’t have a meal during it. Either way, this beer goes down smooth. Between the artwork and taste, it makes me wish I was writing this at a noisy Irish-styled pub with a chilled pint glass full of beer. Perhaps when bars open up again and we’re clear of this pandemic, the wish will become a reality.

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Audiobook: Fire, Pain, & Ruin Episode 14

Episode 14 of the Fire, Pain, & Ruin: A Rutherford Manor Novel episodic audiobook is here. As with previous weeks, a new chapter will be shared on Thursdays. Enjoy the podcast below and share it around:

Missed the previous episode? Starting out? No worries:Episode Listing Episode 1 Episode 2Episode 3Episode 4Episode 5Episode 6Episode 7Episode 8Episode 9Episode 10Episode 11Episode 12Episode 13Episode 14Listen

Intuition is magnetizing Louise, and she follows the calling of Death. Little does she know that her actions will unleash horror upon the innocent. Spalding makes a disturbing discovery, one that reminds him of his past, during his days of working with The White Hand.

Enjoying the audio story? Get the book. #goodreads-widget { font-family: georgia, serif; padding: 18px 0; width:100%; } #goodreads-widget h1 { font-weight:normal; font-size: 16px; border-bottom: 1px solid #BBB596; margin-bottom: 0; } #goodreads-widget a { text-decoration: none; color:#660; } iframe{ background-color: #fff;width:100%; } #goodreads-widget a:hover { text-decoration: underline; } #goodreads-widget a:active { color:#660; } #gr_footer { width: 100%; border-top: 1px solid #BBB596; text-align: right; } #goodreads-widget .gr_branding{ color: #382110; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; }Goodreads reviews for Fire, Pain, & RuinReviews from Goodreads.com

Grab the Book Today!
eBook or Print Available

The post Audiobook: Fire, Pain, & Ruin Episode 14 appeared first on Konn Lavery.

Audiobook: Fire, Pain, & Ruin Episode 13

Episode 13 of the Fire, Pain, & Ruin: A Rutherford Manor Novel episodic audiobook is here. As with previous weeks, a new chapter will be shared on Thursdays. Enjoy the podcast below and share it around:

Missed the previous episode? Starting out? No worries:Episode Listing Episode 1 Episode 2Episode 3Episode 4Episode 5Episode 6Episode 7Episode 8Episode 9Episode 10Episode 11Episode 12Episode 13Episode 14Listen

The temptation is too strong, breaking Spalding, and he is fully aware of his inability to live up to his father’s name. In the forest, Billy is teaching Louise self-defense so she can be independent, like the mysterious midwives.

Enjoying the audio story? Get the book. #goodreads-widget { font-family: georgia, serif; padding: 18px 0; width:100%; } #goodreads-widget h1 { font-weight:normal; font-size: 16px; border-bottom: 1px solid #BBB596; margin-bottom: 0; } #goodreads-widget a { text-decoration: none; color:#660; } iframe{ background-color: #fff;width:100%; } #goodreads-widget a:hover { text-decoration: underline; } #goodreads-widget a:active { color:#660; } #gr_footer { width: 100%; border-top: 1px solid #BBB596; text-align: right; } #goodreads-widget .gr_branding{ color: #382110; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; }Goodreads reviews for Fire, Pain, & RuinReviews from Goodreads.com

Grab the Book Today!
eBook or Print Available

The post Audiobook: Fire, Pain, & Ruin Episode 13 appeared first on Konn Lavery.