February 2021 Group Read # 2 with Guest Author, Stephanie Ellis

[Kenneth]

This is the thread for our Group Read # 2 with Guest Author, Stephanie Ellis, as we dive into her folk horror tale, The Five Turns of the Wheel. You can get your copy at the link below and help me welcome Stephanie to HA!

https://geni.us/BWcejQ

[Latasha]

Welcome and thank you for joining us Stephanie!

[Niquole]

Hello, I can't wait to read this!

[Stephanie]

Niquole wrote: "Hello, I can't wait to read this!"

I can't wait for you to read it either. Even though Five Turns touches on a serious - and very personal topic - I loved writing it.

[Stephanie]

Latasha wrote: "Welcome and thank you for joining us Stephanie!"

Hi Latasha, happy to be here during WIHM! Can't wait to see what people think of the characters in this book!

[Stephanie]

Kenneth wrote: "This is the thread for our Group Read # 2 with Guest Author, Stephanie Ellis, as we dive into her folk horror tale, The Five Turns of the Wheel. You can get your co..."

Hi Ken, thanks for inviting me. The world of Five Turns is bizarre but was such fun to write. Nature red in tooth and claw and rampaging across the English countryside. I hope everyone enjoys it. Long may the wheel turn!

[Kimberly]

Welcome Stephanie! Thank you for joining us!

[Stephanie]

Kimberly wrote: "Welcome Stephanie! Thank you for joining us!"

Hi Kimberly! Thank you all for reading this book - it is one I have a very soft spot for, despite the monsters in its pages!

[Montzalee]

Welcome and thanks for a book that is on Kindle Unlimited!

[Stephanie]

Montzalee wrote: "Welcome and thanks for a book that is on Kindle Unlimited!"
I'm glad the book can be picked up in this way!

[Ami]

Thanks for joining us, Stephanie. :) I really want to join in on this on next month. The story sounds really fascinating.

I'm in the middle of Bottled right now and I'm loving it! Where did you come up with that interesting idea about the bottles?

[Stephanie]

Writing this on my tablet so hope it answers the right person! Tablets have a mind of their own. With regard to Bottled, it was a combination of things. Responding to a Stephen King based competition run by The Guardian (a UK paper) which asked for stories based on haunted objects and also a small 'ship in a bottle' I used to have. The latter was a souvenir from one of my few childhood seaside holidays - my parents ran a pub which meant we rarely got away, and if we did, it was usually out of season. I can't ever remember these 'impossible bottles' featuring in a story so I thought it was a good idea to try and expand on. Hope you enjoy Bottled, any insect presence is a definite homage to King due to the origins of this story!

[ElleEm]

Can’t wait to read this! I’ve seen it mentioned by several people on Twitter and it also was mentioned in an author Q&A this weekend.

[Stephanie]

ElleEm wrote: "Can’t wait to read this! I’ve seen it mentioned by several people on Twitter and it also was mentioned in an author Q&A this weekend."

Hope you enjoy it! When I was writing it, I can remember at certain points just grinning away as some of the characters caused mayhem.

[Jennifer]

I've begun my read! Omg, I'm only like 2 chapters in but I honestly feel like I'm in a nightmare (or at least, the nightmares I tend to have which both terrify and thrill me lol). The intro and that creepy song, the completely demented characters, impending doom all around... I'm really excited to see where this goes :)

[Kenneth]

Hey Steph. THE FIVE TURNS OF THE WHEEL pleasantly reminds me of shades of the Hammer film, The Wicker Man. What were your inspirations for the story and how did it come about?

[Stephanie]

Jennifer wrote: "I've begun my read! Omg, I'm only like 2 chapters in but I honestly feel like I'm in a nightmare (or at least, the nightmares I tend to have which both terrify and thrill me lol). The intro and tha..."

It is a nightmare world! It felt like sheer indulgence to write those characters - and they were greedy. They needed more than one ritual but it's hard to come up with different ways of killing people without it feeling 'samey'! I don't know whether anyone's noticed but I actually used the elements to define the 1st four rituals, thus you had fire in the first, earth/soil in the second, third is wind/air, fourth is water. Impending doom - yep, that's ongoing! Glad you're enjoying it.

[Stephanie]

Kenneth wrote: "Hey Steph. THE FIVE TURNS OF THE WHEEL pleasantly reminds me of shades of the Hammer film, The Wicker Man. What were your inspirations for the story and how did it come about?"

A few years ago, I wrote a short story called The Dance for the Horror in Bloom anthology. In that I turned May Day into a bit of a bloody Rapper Dance (a dance with rapper swords) and created the characters of Tommy, Betty and Fiddler. These monsters have always stayed with me and I felt they deserved a bigger stage.

And yes, there is an element of the Wicker Man in it. Most people have a vision of the quainter aspects of British folklore, Morris Dancers waving hankies, that sort of thing - but when you delve into its history - and appearance - it is quite violent and usually pretty creepy. The characters in the May Day procession - the hobby, Punch, Christopher Lee as the man dressed as a woman, they are enough to give people nightmares and I wanted that element for my troupe of Tommy, Betty and Fiddler. It's also why they have quite 'innocent' names, these juxtapose with their role in ritual, implies a harmlessness.

The setting and atmosphere was born from my childhood, from the age of 8-17, I lived in a remote rural pub, The Cider House in Shropshire. There were many times, usually dusk, when the familiar just seemed completely other-worldly and I wanted to bring that feeling in as well. The inside of the Five Turns, is based on The Cider House (but not the upstairs part), the games they played in the bar, the farmers and their dogs. That was my childhood.

But regardless of setting and characters, I had to have a purpose to the story and that developed into the position of women in society (although men died as well!). Supposedly venerated for their role in giving life, they were ultimately subjugated because of it and the worst that could be asked of a woman - in the turn of the Fifth Wheel - is finally challenged by those who decide enough is enough. There are also very personal and real aspects of loss in the book which I won't discuss at this point because it is in part spoilers, but I'll be more than happy to talk about it when everyone's read the book.

[Jennifer]

Stephanie wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "I've begun my read! Omg, I'm only like 2 chapters in but I honestly feel like I'm in a nightmare (or at least, the nightmares I tend to have which both terrify and thrill me lol). ..."

I did notice, and appreciate, the use of the elements in the rituals. I'm a sucker for anything related to paganism, dabbling in it throughout most of my adult life (the more prosaic & harmless pagan stuff, of course, nothing like what Hweol and his Sons are capable of!). The rituals I've read in the book so far... just wow, well done (don't want to give out spoilers!).

I always love when authors take the time to research and include realistic touches, like you with the elements and more. It makes the reading experience that much more immersive, and in this case, even more unsettling which keeps one turning the page for sure.

I'm just over 50% and I can't wait to see what happens next. I almost couldn't sleep, pushing myself to find out more!

[Jennifer]

Ok, so instead of sleep, I kept going until I finished the book! What a brilliant story, and one that I can see myself re-reading to try and recapture the feelings it inspired.

I have to ask (trying not to give out spoilers), will there be more stories or another novel set in this universe?

[Stephanie]

Jennifer wrote: "Ok, so instead of sleep, I kept going until I finished the book! What a brilliant story, and one that I can see myself re-reading to try and recapture the feelings it inspired.

I have to ask (tryi..."

Thank you so much for your kind words, I'm glad you enjoyed it. And - um yes. I started something in NaNoWriMo last year which I want to re'turn' to (bad pun), not saying who's in it BUT I have got 4 short stories set in this world which have been published. Officially 3 but another which I thought - oooh, these characters fit right in! Anyway, I've written several more so there's a total of 13, not superstitious at all, to make a collection. I've just sent this out to a publisher and am waiting on their decision which is some weeks down the line, as is the way of the writing world. If they don't want it, then I'll look around again or even self-publish. In the short stories, you either one or all of the 3 of Tommy & Co popping up and you will meet some of the other villagers undergoing different traumas. I've tried to set stories in each of the villages included in the Five Turns and adopted some aspects of the British folk calendar and rural belief - then twisted it. If I'm honest, I can't completely leave this world alone as I've had such huge fun with it and its universe is expanding. It's my go-to place in writing, in between grim post-apocalayptic or the gothic I also write.
Once I've got a few projects out of the way, I will be returning to my NaNo novel. It's already tugging at me.

[Jennifer]

Stephanie wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "Ok, so instead of sleep, I kept going until I finished the book! What a brilliant story, and one that I can see myself re-reading to try and recapture the feelings it inspired.

I ..."

Yay! Well, I cannot wait to read those, and 13 is the perfect number for such a collection. Fingers crossed they make their way into the world soon. Thanks so much for creating such a rich, spooky, and entertaining universe :)

[ElleEm]

I’m about 75% through at this point and I’m loving it, can’t wait to see how it finishes.

***I don’t think my question below is a spoiler, but I hid it just in case***
(view spoiler)[I find myself so immersed in the rituals and the villages that I feel like I’m drifting into a different time, an ancient time. It is hard to stay grounded into the present day. When the internet or cars are mentioned it is such a contrast to the Turns of the Wheel and it adds to the wonderful unease and tension of the story. Could you talk about any challenges you faced while creating the Weald? (hide spoiler)]

[Vicki]

This looks really interesting! I’m downloading now 😄

[Stephanie]

ElleEm wrote: "I’m about 75% through at this point and I’m loving it, can’t wait to see how it finishes.

***I don’t think my question below is a spoiler, but I hid it just in case***
[spoilers removed]"

So pleased you're enjoying it - and thanks for reading! Challenges were exactly as you say - creating that sense of separateness whilst anchoring it in the modern world. I also had to drop little hints in as to why or how 'outsiders' never discovered this part of the world or were rarely allowed in. Making it 'there but not there' was tough! Coming up with the different rituals was also a challenge. I mean everyone thinks of the Wicker Man or bonfires and I wanted fire but slightly different so it was coming up with different ways of death through ritual. Once I fixed on the idea of an elemental aspect, that helped a lot.

[Stephanie]

Vicki wrote: "This looks really interesting! I’m downloading now 😄"

Thank you for giving it your time! I hope you enjoy it!

[ElleEm]

Stephanie wrote: "ElleEm wrote: "I’m about 75% through at this point and I’m loving it, can’t wait to see how it finishes.

***I don’t think my question below is a spoiler, but I hid it just in case***
[spoilers re..."

Thanks for the insight, Stephanie and thank you for taking time to answer all of our questions. I finished reading yesterday and loved it. I will probably reread at some point because I think I will notice something new the second go round. I’m also happy to hear that you have more stories of the Weald and the trio.


Around the 80% mark... (view spoiler)[We learn that Megan loses her child. This is heartbreaking not only because I care about Megan but I understand the sacrifice that Liza has made. This was such an emotional moment and it was so hard reading it. After being in the Weald and seeing the connection between mother and child it was hard reading about the nonchalance of the doctors and nurses at the hospital. (hide spoiler)]

[Stephanie]

ElleEm wrote: "Stephanie wrote: "ElleEm wrote: "I’m about 75% through at this point and I’m loving it, can’t wait to see how it finishes.

***I don’t think my question below is a spoiler, but I hid it just in ca..."

(view spoiler)[Put this in spoilers just in case, hope it works as I've not used the tags before! The bit you read in the hospital was my own personal experience, the words were mine, the whole process was mine and the worst part was that when speaking to friends and family after, more women came forward. I heard of miscarriages and stillbirths which had been kept quiet and dismissive treatment equalling my own. It made me angry - still does. (hide spoiler)]

[ElleEm]

(view spoiler)[I’m so sorry! I am angry with you. (hide spoiler)]

[Ami]

I’m about 15% into the book so far. I’m enjoying it! I look forward to seeing what everyone has to say about it when I’m done. :D

[Stephanie]

Ami wrote: "I’m about 15% into the book so far. I’m enjoying it! I look forward to seeing what everyone has to say about it when I’m done. :D"

I can't wait to see what you think!