10 Questions with L Bachman
1. Who has been your biggest influence as a writer?
Classic horror writers like Mary Shelly and Bram Stoker really influenced me, the language they used is not something you see anymore, but in more recent times I really fell in love with Anne Rice’s book Interview with the Vampire. Something about the way she writes really encouraged me and inspired me.
2. How did you get involved with graphic design for Burning Willow Press?
I had already established myself as a graphic artist for my own clients. Kindra Sowder approached me to do the cover for a short she was working on called Anima. It was shortly after finishing this project she asked me if I’d be interested in working for her publishing house. It all happened very quickly from the time she contacted me to do cover work to her hiring me, maybe a week or two all of this happened. I still couldn’t believe she wanted to hire me.
3. What current writing projects are you working on?
I put together a special edition of my already published works of The Blasphemer Series: Maxwell Demon and Harvest. This edition is called Dawn of Blasphemy. What’s special about this is the bonus material. The bonus material was voted on by supporters and fans in my fan group on Facebook. They got to choose what got included in the bonus materials. I wanted to do something for the readers to thank them.
4. What’s the genesis of your Blasphemer series, and do you have further releases planned?
The series began with a character that didn’t get introduced until the second book, Dante Angeloft. I had started creating him when I was still a youth. From there a title came because of original writings of this character being called a blasphemer because of his paintings being controversial. Overtime, when I began working on the series again the word blasphemer seemed to fit more and more with the entire series.
Maxwell Demon, the first book, is the story that launches the series. Because of all that happens in this book the rest of the series is set in place, the second book Harvest is the first steps into the world after Maxwell’s ascension and those that had proven their worth of The Fallen and damned angels got to go home. I’m currently writing Ghosts, the third book, and though the books had been planned out to be about 7 totally, after working through things during the writing process those books have dwindled down into 5 books that are needed total to write the series from beginning to end. Those this series ends at 5 books there is another series I have planned that will continue where it ends called The Bishop Witches.
5. Is there an overall theme to your writing?
Trying to make sense….does that count? I want to write in a way that emotionally pulling for the reader to become invested in characters, worlds, and story. I also want to write in a way that things can make sense with realistically believable characters.
6. Tell me more about your story A Farmhouse Haunting in the upcoming Crossroads in the Dark anthology?
The theme of this anthology is urban legends. I love reading these types of things and I had been inspired by a Japanese story for my work. I wanted to do something modern.
It’s the story of a soldier that comes home to find that his pregnant wife has died, but never left. Her ghost and the ghost of the child still haunt their farm house in a rural location. Not wanting anyone to discover she has died out of fear of losing her he ends up going on a killing spree to protect her, but over time the ghosts haunting his home and the horrible things he’s done has driven him to the edge. I don’t want to give anything really away, so I suggest reading it when it comes out!
7. What made you start writing?
I began writing when I was young as a way to escape a childhood that was rough. It was my way of controlling situations that in the real world I had no control over as a child. I could write people liking me that didn’t, meeting celebrities, or even traveling. Over time, as I aged, I changed the things I wrote being instead of fantasizing my reality to worlds I created, stories I wanted to read, and characters I could relate to.
8. What is your best quality as a writer?
Never giving up would be my personal answer, but beyond that I can share what has been shared with me from readers that have spoken with me or left reviews and through them I can say my best quality is being able to tap in on emotions to create my scenes.
9. How has living in the South influenced your fiction?
Alabama is a beautiful mixture of amazing landscape, religion, and old folklore. I grew up listening to the stories of how ‘the older generation’ of rural citizens did things even if it was superstitious beliefs like whispering to your vegetables before planting them to help them grow and then seeing the same people head into little old isolated churches surrounded by corn, soy, or cotton fields.
I’ve met other writers from Alabama and they’ve all seemed to say the same thing as how I feel about the state, it’s a beautiful place saturated with old world religion and superstitions that make for a combination that inspires us. Author Jay Michael Wright II is one of those authors that I can say with confidence that has been inspired by the Alabama life, folklore, and stories.
10. If you could invite five people to a dinner party (alive or dead, real or fictional) who would you invite?
Jesus Christ, Anne Frank, Anne Rice, Edgar Allan Poe, and Mary Shelly.
Classic horror writers like Mary Shelly and Bram Stoker really influenced me, the language they used is not something you see anymore, but in more recent times I really fell in love with Anne Rice’s book Interview with the Vampire. Something about the way she writes really encouraged me and inspired me.
2. How did you get involved with graphic design for Burning Willow Press?
I had already established myself as a graphic artist for my own clients. Kindra Sowder approached me to do the cover for a short she was working on called Anima. It was shortly after finishing this project she asked me if I’d be interested in working for her publishing house. It all happened very quickly from the time she contacted me to do cover work to her hiring me, maybe a week or two all of this happened. I still couldn’t believe she wanted to hire me.
3. What current writing projects are you working on?
I put together a special edition of my already published works of The Blasphemer Series: Maxwell Demon and Harvest. This edition is called Dawn of Blasphemy. What’s special about this is the bonus material. The bonus material was voted on by supporters and fans in my fan group on Facebook. They got to choose what got included in the bonus materials. I wanted to do something for the readers to thank them.
4. What’s the genesis of your Blasphemer series, and do you have further releases planned?
The series began with a character that didn’t get introduced until the second book, Dante Angeloft. I had started creating him when I was still a youth. From there a title came because of original writings of this character being called a blasphemer because of his paintings being controversial. Overtime, when I began working on the series again the word blasphemer seemed to fit more and more with the entire series.
Maxwell Demon, the first book, is the story that launches the series. Because of all that happens in this book the rest of the series is set in place, the second book Harvest is the first steps into the world after Maxwell’s ascension and those that had proven their worth of The Fallen and damned angels got to go home. I’m currently writing Ghosts, the third book, and though the books had been planned out to be about 7 totally, after working through things during the writing process those books have dwindled down into 5 books that are needed total to write the series from beginning to end. Those this series ends at 5 books there is another series I have planned that will continue where it ends called The Bishop Witches.
5. Is there an overall theme to your writing?
Trying to make sense….does that count? I want to write in a way that emotionally pulling for the reader to become invested in characters, worlds, and story. I also want to write in a way that things can make sense with realistically believable characters.
6. Tell me more about your story A Farmhouse Haunting in the upcoming Crossroads in the Dark anthology?
The theme of this anthology is urban legends. I love reading these types of things and I had been inspired by a Japanese story for my work. I wanted to do something modern.
It’s the story of a soldier that comes home to find that his pregnant wife has died, but never left. Her ghost and the ghost of the child still haunt their farm house in a rural location. Not wanting anyone to discover she has died out of fear of losing her he ends up going on a killing spree to protect her, but over time the ghosts haunting his home and the horrible things he’s done has driven him to the edge. I don’t want to give anything really away, so I suggest reading it when it comes out!
7. What made you start writing?
I began writing when I was young as a way to escape a childhood that was rough. It was my way of controlling situations that in the real world I had no control over as a child. I could write people liking me that didn’t, meeting celebrities, or even traveling. Over time, as I aged, I changed the things I wrote being instead of fantasizing my reality to worlds I created, stories I wanted to read, and characters I could relate to.
8. What is your best quality as a writer?
Never giving up would be my personal answer, but beyond that I can share what has been shared with me from readers that have spoken with me or left reviews and through them I can say my best quality is being able to tap in on emotions to create my scenes.
9. How has living in the South influenced your fiction?
Alabama is a beautiful mixture of amazing landscape, religion, and old folklore. I grew up listening to the stories of how ‘the older generation’ of rural citizens did things even if it was superstitious beliefs like whispering to your vegetables before planting them to help them grow and then seeing the same people head into little old isolated churches surrounded by corn, soy, or cotton fields.
I’ve met other writers from Alabama and they’ve all seemed to say the same thing as how I feel about the state, it’s a beautiful place saturated with old world religion and superstitions that make for a combination that inspires us. Author Jay Michael Wright II is one of those authors that I can say with confidence that has been inspired by the Alabama life, folklore, and stories.
10. If you could invite five people to a dinner party (alive or dead, real or fictional) who would you invite?
Jesus Christ, Anne Frank, Anne Rice, Edgar Allan Poe, and Mary Shelly.
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