Editor Nancy Kilpatrick Multi Author Book Release Party and $50.00 Amazon Gift Card Contest LIVE Here!
Thanks for joining us today for our LIVE launch celebration for “ Danse Macabre: Close Encounters with the Reaper“, edited by Nancy Kilpatrick. Please ask your questions to the authors, and answer questions in the comments section below.
The Interview
BBB: Danse Macabre: Close Encounters with the Reaper could be one of the most unusual anthologies you’ll ever read! Twenty-three literary reflections embody the theme, classical artwork devoted to the spectrum of humanity’s intriguing interactions with the Angel of Death in all of his/her manifestations. Gathered together by Nancy Kilpatrick, these stories are intimate encounters with death; whether physical, mental, emotional, spiritual or psychic. Strange and horrific tales that will curdle the blood.
BBB: Thanks for joining us Nancy. Can you tell us a bit about Danse Macabre: Close Encounters with the Reaper.
Nancy Kilpatrick (Montreal, Canada): Danse Macabre: Close Encounters with the Reaper is a literary version of Danse Macabre “Plague art”. Twenty-six literary reflections that embody those themed, classical artworks devoted to the spectrum of humanity’s intriguing interactions with the Angel of Death. People die from old age, illness, accident, violence, despair. They can die before they are born. The happy and the sad, the sane and insane, the rich and the poor, the law abiding and the criminal, the genius and the fool, the saint and the sinner. Some face death consciously, others die in their sleep. But we all die and Danse Macabre is a kind of universal melting pot for death. My goal was to create an anthology that is a literary version of the Danse Macabre artwork, showing the same range of humanity in a variety of situations and encounters with death. — Nancy Kilpatrick
BBB: Who is featured in Danse Macabre?
Nancy Kilpatrick: Danse Macabre features works by Gabriel Boutros, Brad Carson, Suzanne Church, Dan Devine, Lorne Dixon, Tom Dullemond, Opal Edgar, Ian M. Emberson, Edward M. Erdelac, Sabrina Furminger, Stanley S. Hampton, Sr., Brian Hodge, Nancy Holder & Erin Underwood, J. Y. T. Kennedy, Nancy Kilpatrick, Tanith Lee, Brian Lumley, William Meikle, Lisa Morton, Tom Piccirilli, Morgan Dempsey, Timothy Reynolds, Angela Roberts, Lawrence Salani, Lucy Taylor, Bev Vincent, and Bill Zaget.
BBB: Who is joining us today?
Nancy Kilpatrick: We have several authors from the anthology dropping in to answer your questions. Here is a list of the authors who will be dropping in, what their story in Danse Macabre is about, and what influenced them.
Gabriel Boutros (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
I am Gabriel Boutros and I’m writing from Montreal. My story is called Out of the Sun, and it is about Death and his sidekick, The Joker, coming to a mining camp to collect souls after a fatal accident at the mine. The inspiration came from the closing line of the song “All Along the Watchtower” which is:
“Two riders were approaching, and the wind begins to howl.” I just thought this was a very spooky, yet forlorn image and would be a great opening line for a story, although I had no idea who these riders were or what the story would be about until I began writing it.
Brad Carson (Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada)
Name of your contribution to Danse Macabre: Mr. Go Away
Brief summary (without spoilers): A young boy at play meets and defeats the Reaper, with imagination as the ‘innocence’ victim.
What were your influences in creating this piece? Events from my farm boyhood, refracted by time, a return to the ‘hood and the thinning of the veil.
Suzanne Church (Kitchener, Ontario)
Name of your contribution to Danse Macabre: Death Over Easy
Brief summary (without spoilers): When Death waltzes into her diner for breakfast, Lizzie learns how he likes his eggs.
What were your influences in creating this piece?: I love road trips, especially eating in local diners along the way.
Morgan Dempsey (San Jose, CA, USA)
Name of your contribution to Danse Macabre: Death in the Family
Brief summary (without spoilers): Death in the Family is retelling of the classic folktale Godfather Death, with a bit of a twist. Dominik’s godfather is Death itself, and Death has given Dominik the opportunity to become a rich and famous healer. But Death’s gift comes with a caveat: when it is someone’s time, Dominik must let Death take them. When Dominik finally breaks that one rule, he discovers the consequences, and the truth about his godfather’s work.
What were your influences in creating this piece?: Mostly the original tale.
Lorne Dixon (New Jersey, USA)
Name of your contribution to Danse Macabre: Pressed Butterflies
Brief summary (without spoilers): An ailing young girl, dying from yellow fever, encounters a man who offers her the choice between salvation and damnation. But which is which?
What were your influences in creating this piece?: Pressed Butterflies” is a meditation on every child’s first notions of mortality.
Tom Dullemond (Brisbane, Australia)
Name of your contribution to Danse Macabre: Population Management
Brief summary (without spoilers): A bureaucrat responsible for End of Life management tries to cope with his own scheduled death.
What were your influences in creating this piece?: I thought of how robots might optimise the experience of death for the betterment of all society, then kind of ran with the creepy implications.
Opal Edgar (Paris, France)
Name of your contribution to Danse Macabre: Elegy for a Crow Brief summary (without spoilers): In modern Japan, Death, in the shape of a crow, comes to collect the victims of a sect…
What were your influences in creating this piece? The baby crow I found and cared for during a couple of weeks, as well as my general fascination for Asia.
Ian M. Emberson (small town of Todmorden, in the county of Yorkshire – U.K)
My contribution is in fact called “Danse Macabre”, and is the only poem in the collection. The opening line tells you what it’s all about : “Death came to me in a mini skirt”. The idea came to me when I showed my wife Catherine an illustration in a biography of Petrarch, and she remarked : “That’s death in a mini skirt”.The only question I have to ask is : “Why are people attracted to the macabre ?” It appealed to me as a child, but does so no more. My poem is essentially humorous.
Edward M. Erdelac (Valley Village, CA, United States)
Name of your contribution to Danse Macabre: The Exclusive
Brief summary (without spoilers): A crusading frontier newspaperman gets the opportunity to interview the most accomplished killer the world has ever known.
What were your influences in creating this piece?: I had recently read The Shootist by Glyndon Swarthout and there’s a scene where a newspaper editor tries to wrangle an interview out of the dying gunfighter (played by John Wayne in the movie). He uses the phrase ‘the most famous shootist extant.’ It stuck with me, and reminded me of the writer character in Eastwood’s Unforgiven, embodying that western era yellow journalism fascination with the career, with the motivations of killers, a fascination which of course extends to modern day. I write a weird western series called Merkabah Rider, about a Hasidic gunslinger tracking the renegade teacher who betrayed his mystic Jewish order of astral travelers to the Great Old Ones of the Lovecraftian Mythos. The folkloric story of the first woman Lilith (taken from the Alphabet of Ben Sirach) and the angel Samael (who in some traditions is the Angel of Death) and their illicit affair plays a part in that series, one I wanted to explore a little more. I saw the newspaperman eager for a story even at the point of death as a good way to frame this sort of eternally tragic love story, and Nancy’s anthology was the perfect impetus for writing it.
Stanley S. Hampton, Sr. (Las Vegas, Nevada)
My contribution to “Danse Macabre”: “An Appointment in the Village Bazaar”
Brief summary: Sergeant Caleb Justus, an Army Combat Artist in Afghanistan, is accompanying a patrol to a remote mountain village. Caleb has been provided with a bodyguard for the patrol, a reassuring feeling after he narrowly escaped being killed by an IED a few days before. He discovers that the closer they approach the village, he has a growing sense that there’s something unsettling to his bodyguard, perhaps even something dangerous…
Writing influences: My service in the Army National Guard, and my interest in painting. And an old Arabic story about a servant who finds Death staring at him in a village market, whereupon the servant flees to another village. His Master goes to the market to ask Death why he scared his servant, and Death answers that he was simply surprised to see the servant at the market. They have an appointment that night in another village.
Nancy Holder (San Diego, CA)
Name of your contribution to Danse Macabre: “Totentanz” (co-written with Erin Underwood)
Brief summary (without spoilers): Drea has moved to Germany to please her fiance. She’s trying to waltz to his tune but this dance is star-crossed.
What were your influences in creating this piece?: I used to live in Cologne and I miss it! And I wanted a chance to write with Erin, who is awesome.
J. Y. T. Kennedy (Ardrossan, Canada)
Name of your contribution to Danse Macabre: Fingernails
Brief summary (without spoilers): An obsessive hobbyist in Iceland visits a gathering of world record holders, where he meets a woman who appears to share his interests. But there is something familiar about her project of building a ship out of fingernails. . .
What were your influences in creating this piece?: I started with the idea of Hel (the Norse Death Goddess) being the ultimate obsessive hobbyist, a thought that had struck me when listening to an audiobook of Norse Myths with my children. (I was familiar with the myth before that, but had not thought of it that way before.) It seemed natural for my protagonist to have a similar obsession, and there is an appealing weirdness to the whole world record scene. I mention one actual world record holder, Lee Redmond, by name in the story, because I had an image in my head from something I had seen as a child, and when I researched the story I realized that it was definitely her. I hope she would not be offended by my character’s opinion about her looking caged: in fact she seems to have lived a very active life.
Lisa Morton (North Hollywood, California, USA)
Name of your contribution to Danse Macabre: “The Secret Engravings”
Brief summary (without spoilers): When Death offers to help famed artist Hans Holbein the Younger create his immortal “Dance of Death” engravings, Holbein accepts…but soon discovers the terrible price of that acceptance.
What were your influences in creating this piece?: I’d recently finished writing a non-fiction article on how Holbein’s work compares to the depictions of death in the graphic novel series THE WALKING DEAD (for the anthology TRIUMPH OF THE WALKING DEAD), and so Holbein and his astonishing engravings were still much in my mind.
Timothy Reynolds (Calgary, Canada)
Name of your contribution to Danse Macabre: “Blue-Black Night”
Brief summary (without spoilers): It’s the story of an ailing folk singer and his chat with Death about the meaning of love songs.
What were your influences in creating this piece?: It was written straight from the heart, inspired by the music of the late Harry Chapin. The first draft took 45 minutes. I had a story about a young woman waiting for Death to join her for a dance but because it was a reprint, Nancy (the editor) declined, asking for something new. Since the first story was about a woman and dancing with the Reaper, I flipped the idea over and wrote what I think of as a companion piece, about a man and the Reaper, using music as the main theme.
Angela Roberts, (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
Name of your contribution to Danse Macabre: A Song for Death
Brief summary (without spoilers): In rural Portugal, at the height of the Spanish Influenza pandemic, Death appears to a young widow in the form of a black-clad folk singer, and offers her a bargain: her life or the lives of her village.
What were your influences in creating this piece?: When I read the description of the theme of the anthology, the period of the Spanish Influenza seemed like an ideal setting for this type of story. One of the hardest hit countries was Portugal, and being half-Portuguese myself, I was inspired to set my story in the Portugal of my great-grandparents – a land in upheaval politically, socially, and spiritually.
Lawrence Salani (Sydney, Australia)
Name of your contribution to Danse Macabre: The Angel of Death
Brief summary (without spoilers): The story is predominantly a lamentation on Death. Reminiscence of the past as the main character visits the grave of his friend who was taken by a freak accident by the seaside while he was still in his prime. A strange occurrence at the remembrance ceremony performed on the spot where his friend was taken. As he contemplates the past he forgets the time, and must walk home in darkness.
What were your influences in creating this piece?: Because I live along the coast, the sea is often reflected in my work, but, the contemplation of Death was the main influence that led to the creation of the piece.
Lucy Taylor, (Pismo Beach, CA)
Name of your contribution to Danse Macabre: “La Senora Blanca”
Synopsis: Lupe Delgado spies Death in the form of La Santa Muerte prowling around the old age home where Lupe has lived since the murder of her husband Naldo many years ago. Despite Death’s fearsome appearance and her own terror, Lupe demands an explanation: why did Naldo have to die when he was La Senora Blanca’s most ardent devotee? Why weren’t Lupe and Naldo allowed to end their lives together as they had planned, by throwing themselves in front of La Estrella del Norte? And who among the home’s elderly residents will be the next to die?
The idea for “La Senora Blanca” came from two sources. One was my interest in the Mexican cult of La Santa Muerte. Beloved by criminals, prostitutes, and outcasts of all kinds, Saint Death promises to honor all prayers—as long as she receives gifts of cigars, liquor, money, and maybe even some high quality cocaine. And when I sat down to write the story, I had just returned from a visit to my 96-year-old mother, who lives in an assisted living center in Richmond, VA. I could imagine the terrified residents of such a place peeking out of their rooms at night as Death crept along the corridors, wondering who would be chosen next.
Erin Underwood (Marblehead, MA)
Name of your contribution to Danse Macabre: Totentanz (co-written with Nancy Holder)
Brief summary (without spoilers): When Drea moves to Germany to be with her fiancé she scores a job to die for and learns along the way that there is more to life than the stale promise of love.
What were your influences in creating this piece?: I was influenced by the idea of modernizing death over time based on the original history and art inspired by the Black Plague.
Bev Vincent (Houston, Texas)
Name of your contribution to Danse Macabre: Therapy
Brief summary (without spoilers): It’s short – no summary needed!
What were your influences in creating this piece?: A prompt from Judi Rohrig in her Hellnotes “Wee Small Hours” contest
Bill Zaget (Toronto, Canada)
Name of your contribution to Danse Macabre: Symeon
Brief summary (without spoilers): After millennia in service as the Angel of Death, Symeon is totally burnt out and not a little insane. Convinced that Love will redeem him, he goes in search of it, but the result takes a violent turn.
BBB: Thanks everyone for joining us today!
Everyone: Thanks Rachel!
===========================
The Questions
For the Authors
The visiting Danse Macabre authors have asked the following questions. Authors please place an @ symbol in front of the name of the author asking the question.
Gabriel Boutros: I would like to ask the various authors if they write mostly in a specific genre or on a particular topic, or if it really comes down to whatever inspires them at a certain time.
Brad Carson: Do you have a particular place or time where your creative ideas seem to burst onto your consciousness?
Does music aid your “moodling” time? (that’s the stage where everything is in the air waiting for that aha! moment, you know the time when you appear to be dozing on the couch but are in the throes of brilliance))
Suzanne Church: If you had to assume the job of grim reaper, how would you dress?
Morgan Dempsey: What drove your particular characterization of Death?
Lorne Dixon: What happens to your characters in the last moment before the first paragraph of your story?
Tom Dullemond: What did you enjoy most about exploring your characterisation of Death?
Opal Edgar: When you write fantasy, do you try to teleport readers into another world, or do you see yourself as giving a distorted/personalized reflection of this world?
Ian M. Emberson: Why are people attracted to the macabre?
Edward M. Erdelac: Are you personally afraid of death? How did that inform your characterization of Death as a character?
Stan Hampton, Sr.: What fascinates you about the subject of Danse Macabre that you wanted to contribute to this anthology?
Nancy Holder: What is your go-to food when you’re on deadline? (Mine is sourdough bread!)
J. Y. T. Kennedy: Did you find that writing for this anthology led you in a different direction from what you are used to?
Lisa Morton: Is every horror story really about our fear of death?
Timothy Reynolds: When writing your story, how much did you think about your own death, your own mortality?
Angela Roberts: What do you think has made Death as a character so compelling for all these years?
Lawrence Salani: What led you to writing horror?
Lucy Taylor: How did you decide what form Death would take in your story? What influenced the way you depicted Death’s ‘personality?’
Erin Underwood: What are you reading now?
Bev Vincent: When you think of Death, how often do you picture the grim reaper?
Bill Zaget: What were your influences in creating this piece?
——————————————————-
Question for Readers (Guests):
Gabriel Boutros: As for the readers, why are all you people obsessed with death, anyway?
Brad Carson: We’re getting close to Oct 31st – the night when the veil is thin. What are your ritual(s) to either welcome otherworldly beings to your hearth or keep them at bay? (We walk around our house with a lit jack o’lantern at midnight)
Brad Carson: Do you pay attention to what your dreams might mean? eg. If you dream of a dead friend or relative, does this alter anything in your waking life? Does the dead friend’s sister call or email you out of the blue? Do you believe this is more than coincidence?
Brad Carson: Do you have any personal ghosts that you know are around you? Do they haunt or comfort you?
(eg. My wife often feels her mother’s presence when she kneads dough and bakes bread because her mother taught her.)
Suzanne Church: Why do you think we humans find it easier to cope with death if we can picture him as one of us?
Morgan Dempsey: What is your favorite story with Death as a character? (Can be anything, book, tv show, movie, etc.)
Lorne Dixon: Do you truly believe in happy endings, ever?
Tom Dullemond: Do you think open discussion of Death is a taboo in Western Culture, and why/why not?
Opal Edgar: How would you personally picture the modern day grim reaper?
Ian M. Emberson: Why are people attracted to the macabre?
Stan Hampton, Sr.: What fascinates you about the concept of Danse Macabre, that you want to read a variety of short stories about it?
Nancy Holder: How many devils dance on the head of a coffin nail?
J. Y. T. Kennedy: Death has been personified in many forms in world mythology. Is there any form which particularly interests you?
Lisa Morton: If Death offered you a deal for extra life, would you take it?
Timothy Reynolds: Do stories about death horrify you or excite you?
Angela Roberts: If Death were a person, what do you think he looks like?
Lawrence Salani: Do you predominantly read horror stories, or are you interested in other genres.
Lucy Taylor: Do you find that reading about Death makes the idea of your own death less frightening? If you had only a very short time to live, do you think you would want someone to give you this book or would you want to avoid it?
Erin Underwood: What was the first book that you absolutely loved reading?
Bev Vincent: What draws you to anthologies?
Bill Zaget: No influences, other than my nagging fear of death and irony.
—————————————————————-
Thanks for playing! Good luck!
Entry Points into the Draw will be done using rafflecopter, in order for your book purchase points to count today you must purchase them through the rafflecopter widget and follow the instructions there, NOTE there is a different email to send your receipts to today. Contest ends on Monday October 22nd.
The prize has been donated by EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing. http://www.edgewebsite.com
@Suzanne Church – How would you dress were you to assume the office of Grim Reaper? I would wear one of those tremendous Japanese wicker hats you sometimes see in samurai movies. The three storms in Big Trouble In Little China wore ‘em. No real reason other than they’re so dang mysterious and otherworldly looking, and I’ve always wanted an excuse to wear one. Other than that…eh….street clothes.
Cool.
It’s always a trench coat and a fedora for me.
I like the fedora and the trench. So many resonances. Hard-boiled and intrigue, BUT, if I was Death I’d wear a suit that was split down the middle, half-black, half-white, so I could present either side, depending on who I was fetching.
I wrote a play called The Undiscovered Country about the right to die and the death character was dressed that way. The costume mistress had to buy two suits and cut them in half and then sew them together. She gave me all kinds of grief, but WOW did it look good! Spooky, yet oddly business-like, and against black stage curtains…totally amazing.
@Lisa Morton (Is every horror story about our fear of death)? I really think so, when you come down to it. Fear is always of the unknown and there is nothing more unknown than death and what happens after. It really is the great equalizer, even in terms of knowledge. Neither Stephen Hawking or Honey Boo Boo can say for sure they know what happens to consciousness when the body dies. That’s the inescapable commonality of humanity. And it can come in so many different ways, and at any time. It’s the dread that all people everywhere live with. The true fear. Mummies and vampires and goblins are all just window dressing, a way to define something that is indefinable. It’s fitting that today is the anniversary of the publication of Mobdy Dick. There’s a great passage in it (and excuse the length) -
‘That intangible malignity which has been from the beginning; to whose dominion even the modern Christians ascribe one-half of the worlds; which the ancient Ophites of the east reverenced in their statue devil; — Ahab did not fall down and worship it like them; but deliriously transferring its idea to the abhorred white whale, he pitted himself, all mutilated, against it. All that most maddens and torments; all that stirs up the lees of things; all truth with malice in it; all that cracks the sinews and cakes the brain; all the subtle demonisms of life and thought; all evil, to crazy Ahab, where visibly personified, and made practically assailable in Moby Dick.’
Ahab transfers something of his fear of death to the whale because it is a comfort. It’s something he can attack and fight against. I think that’s what’s inherently comforting about horror fiction. We’re vicariously fighting (or surrendering to) death.
@Erin Underwood (the first book you absolutely loved reading) There were two, and this is mixing the sacred and the profane, but it’s the truth. Jack London’s Call Of The Wild was read to my seventh grade class by Sister Marie, and I was blown away by it. On my own, I read Simon Hawke’s novelization of Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. Haha. I’m not even really a fan of the movies, but I read it in one sitting and was amazed by how visceral and shocking fiction could be. No idea if it reads as well as it did in seventh grade.
@Edward E. Call of the Wild was a terrific book. I grew up in Northern California and was very influenced by Jack London when I was a kid. Great choice!
Pingback: Danse Macabre: Close Encounters With The Reaper « Delirium Tremens
@Morgan Dempsey: What is your favorite story with Death as a character? (Can be anything, book, tv show, movie, etc.)
Terry Pratchett’s DEATH is the funniest by far, and I like the concept of Reapers in Supernatural a lot.
@Willie Meikle — Good choices! (Also I am a *HUGE* Supernatural fan
)
@Erin Underwood: What was the first book that you absolutely loved reading?
Treasure Island by RLS. That was back in about ’67, and I still read it once a year.
@Willie Don’t laugh, but that’s the book that made me want to be a pirate when I grew up. You make me want to read it again. Maybe I’ll do it next year for Talk Like a Pirate Day!
@Lorne Dixon: What happens to your characters in the last moment before the first paragraph of your story?
One is having a coffee, one is having a cigarette, and one is having a nasty accident with a chain saw.
So… a Thursday?
@J.Y.T Kennedy: I loved having a chance to write with Erin Underwood. We write a column together but this was our first foray into fiction as a team. Erin had the initial concept. We eventually moved it to Cologne, which I was very happy about because I used to live there.
@ErinUnderwood My first favorite book was BLACK BEAUTY. Which is weird because I’m afraid of horses!
@Nancy Holder. LOL. At least it wasn’t Black Widow!
I loved The Black Stallion. I was convinced that one day I would own a race horse ranch and that I would be a jockey. We’d go to the race track in Santa Rosa, CA and watch the horses run. My mom would even place a bet for me once in awhile. Sadly, I grew up to be twice as tall as a jockey should be…so… no racing for me!
You too? I use to have a notebook with horse possible names. But I outgrew it as my reading tastes changed.
@Gabriel Boutros Do you write mostly in a specific genre or on a particular topic, or run with whatever inspires
I usually write genre fiction. I have dabbled in more literary endeavors, but they always seem to end up with a fantastical element somewhere.
As you guessed, though, inspiration is the key. If I don’t have a wisp of an idea, then writing becomes a standoff between me and the blank screen.
I see I don’t appear in the list above of participating authors. Am I really here? Is this the real life or is this fantasy?
You probably just got caught in the landslide, William. No escape from reality.
Easy come, easy go…
@Morgan Dempsey: Death has been personified in many different cultures, but decided to back to the Grim Reaper, find out as much as I could about the legend and use that as fodder for a therapy session where the therapist explored his psyche. The story was written in response to a Hellnotes prompt that asked, “What makes the Grim Reaper grim”.
@Brad Carson Do you have a particular place or time where your creative ideas seem to burst onto your consciousness?
Generally I work best in the morning to mid-afternoon. But when I’m on a deadline, I can push through the entire day and well into the evening if need be. If I’m brainstorming a hundred words, I usually do that right before sleeping.
Does music aid your
@Lisa Morton: If Death offered you a deal for extra life, would you take it?
It depends on my circumstances at the time. How many of my loved ones are still around, for example. I know of people who are happy to go at the end because there’s nothing left for them.
@Lawrence Salani: What led you to writing horror?
My pat answer has always been the same. “I like monsters.”
But it goes deeper than that.
I write to escape.
I grew up on a West of Scotland council estate and I spent a lot of time alone or at my grandparent’s house.
My Granddad was housebound, and a voracious reader. I got the habit from him, and through him I discovered the Pan Books of Horror and Lovecraft, but I also discovered westerns, science fiction, war novels and the likes of Mickey Spillane, Ed McBain, Alistair MacLean, Dennis Wheatley, Nigel Tranter, Arthur C Clarke and Isaac Asimov. When you mix all that together with DC Comics, Tarzan, Gerry Anderson and Dr Who then, later on, Hammer and Universal movies on the BBC, you can see how the pulp became embedded in my psyche.
When I was at school these books and my guitar were all that kept me sane in a town that was going downhill fast. The steelworks shut and employment got worse. I -could- have started writing about that, but why bother? All I had to do was walk outside and I’d get it slapped in my face. That horror was all too real.
So I took up my pen and wrote. At first it was song lyrics, designed (mostly unsuccessfully) to get me closer to girls.
I tried my hand at a few short stories but had no confidence in them and hid them away. And that was that for many years.
I didn’t get the urge again until I was past thirty and trapped in a very boring job. My home town had continued to stagnate and, unless I wanted to spend my whole life drinking (something I was actively considering at the time), returning there wasn’t an option.
As I said before, I write to escape.
My brain needed something, and writing gave it what was required. That point, back twenty years ago, was like switching on an engine, one that has been running steadily ever since.
Willie
The story sounds familiar. I’ve sold my old PAN paperbacks when I tried to stray away from horror, but in the end I have come back to it.I now wish I had started writing earlier. You are right in saying that it is an escape into one’s own world, but remember the way back out.
@Lucy Taylor Do you find that reading about Death makes the idea of your own death less frightening? If you had only a very short time to live, do you think you would want someone to give you this book or would you want to avoid it?
Great, juicy question, Lucy.
If I only had a short time to live and I could still be active, I think I would be out in the world, squeezing in as much as I could, rather than inside reading.
If I was stuck in bed, I would definitely read an anthology about death. Why not see how everyone else portrayed him? Because it’s possible that we’re all channeling a little bit of mojo from the other side, and maybe I could grab a few pointers before the ultimate reveal.
Thanks for your comments, Suzanne.
Personally I love reading about death–and your “Death Over Easy” was great in that I totally identified with the small-town diner setting and the main character’s having to deal with both Death and food service. The second part of my questions comes from the fact that a dear friend of mine is dying of liver and kidney failure. She’s bedridden, an avid reader, and has always been a huge supporter of my work. Yet I thought long and hard before sending her a copy of the anth. “You sent her WHAT?!” I kept imagining people saying. But finally I sent her the book anyway, and she seemed okay with that.
Were I in her situation, I believe I would very much want to read DM. But then that’s me:)
Every person’s reaction will be unique.
All you can do is support your friend, offer the book, and what she chooses to do with it is up to her.
I don’t think I could truly understand her circumstances until it was my turn.
@ Morgan Dempsey: (What is your favorite story with Death as a character?) On A Pale Horse by Piers Anthony
@Erin Underwood: What are you reading now?
The Twelve by Justin Cronin and Revenge of the Vinyl Cafe by Stuart McLean
Cronin is such a fantastic writer, and so little heard of! I’m always so glad when I see he’s not forgotten.
@Erin Underwood: What are you reading now?
A NIGHT IN THE LONESOME OCTOBER by Roger Zelazny.
I’ll be the first here to send best wishes for a quick recovery to our co-contributor Tom Piccirilli. Get better soon, Tom, we’re all thinking about you.
Second. And Tom’s is a fantastic contribution. I really enjoyed it.
Yes, Tom, speedy recovery. Wish you were here with us now. Next time!
Yes! Tom, get better! Now!
Willie, Edward, Nancy and Nancy thanks for posting about Tom, and for sending good wishes for his recovery.
This email was sent from Tom’s wife Michelle. We have all been given permission to share this statement from her. Thanks.
“Tom Piccirilli has recently had brain surgery to remove a tumor and is about to start chemo and radiation treatments. You can find out more at his Facebook page that I keep updated or many other online sites that are keeping fans and friends informed on my husband’s condition. His niece is raising money to help pay for all his medical treatment http://www.indiegogo.com/TomPiccirill. Like many self-employed artist, he is uninsured.
Best,
Michelle Piccirilli”
If you wish to send a greeting please do so below. I will collect them up and send them back to Tom and Michelle at the end of the event.
Hi there!
For any of our authors that are joining us now, and we were not able to get your answers as part of the interview, I will just ask them now and get you to answer them as a reply to this post.
1. Where are you writing from?
2. What is the name of your story in Danse Macabre?
3. Can you please give us a brief synopsis(without spoilers)?
4. What influenced you to write this?
5. Can you provide us with a question for the authors to answer?
6. Can you provide us with a question for the guests to answer?
Thanks!
@Lucy Taylor: (How did you decide what form Death would take in your story? What influenced the way you depicted Death
@ErinUnderwood The first book I absolutely fell in love with was TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. It was actually the first book that haunted me, if you know what I mean.
@Chris Marie Green. To Kill a Mocking Bird is one of those jaw-dropping books that will stay with you forever.
@williammeikle here
1. Where are you writing from?
Newfoundland, Canada, up on the East Coast, about as far east in North America as you can get. I can wave home to Scotland from here.
2. What is the name of your story in Danse Macabre?
Ghost nor Bogle Shalt Thou Fear.
3. Can you please give us a brief synopsis(without spoilers)?
A trip to hospital with a badly injured friend leads a man to make a pact with the Reaper, one with a devastating outcome.
4. What influenced you to write this?
A Scottish folk song, a lullaby sung to frightened children, and used as the title for the story.
5. Can you provide us with a question for the authors to answer?
If we had a danse macabre, who would be your ideal partner from literature at the masque?
6. Can you provide us with a question for the guests to answer?
I see death as just another step along the way. How about you?
@Brad Carson: (particular place or time where your creative ideas seem to burst onto your consciousness?) It’s a cliche, but the shower. Either that or it seems, whenever it’s least convenient to write it down (kids need diapers changed, somebody has to be picked up from somewhere, dinner, etc).
Does music aid your
Glad to see that I’m not the only person who finds inspiration in the shower. Someone’s got to invent a waterproof notepad.
Gabriel, what about erasable shower tiles?
You are definitely not alone in your shower…uhm, let me rephrase that.
Lots of people have aha! experiences in the shower. Hmmmn, that’s probably not much better. Sigh.
In his book Imagine: How Creativity Works, Jonah Lehrer says the shower is one of the most common places for insight into a tricky problem. Also, walking in the woods. It’s an excellent book for anyone remotely creative which I guess, is everyone.
I think it’s in the chapter called Bob Dylan’s Brain.
@Erin Underwood (What are you reading now?) The Ionian Mission by Patrick O’Brian
@Suzanne Church: If you had to assume the job of grim reaper, how would you dress?
Like a Scottish clansman… think Conor McLeod in Highlander. Complete with Claymore.
I would so not want that guy coming for me!
Some terrific answers, everybody. You’ve all contributed wonderful stories.
@Suzanne Church: If you had to assume the job of grim reaper, how would you dress?
— Probably like I dress normally. Jeans, sensible shoes, comfy tees, and a warm coat and a scarf. The shoes are important. I suspect I would have to do a lot of chasing.
@Tom Dullemond: What did you enjoy most about exploring your characterisation of Death?
— I really enjoyed writing Death as someone who knows everything, but isn’t going to tell you, because really it won’t help matters anyway.
@Lisa Morton: Is every horror story really about our fear of death?
— I’d actually say that most horror is fear of the unknown and/or the inevitable, which death totally falls under.
@Lawrence Salani: What led you to writing horror?
— Actually, I’ve never written horror. I’m not even sure if my story in this anthology counts as horror? I’m a fan of the genre, but I’ve never tried writing it. I hope to, some day!
The shoes are important. I suspect I would have to do a lot of chasing.
Good point. Though I would hope with a job like that, the ability to apparate would be part of the perks package.
I seem to have missed the leadoff page by just a couple of minutes (sorry! after taking some vacation time, this slipped up on me), so here’s the lot:
Name: Brian Hodge
Location: Boulder, Colorado, USA
Contribution to Danse Macabre: “For I Must Be About My Father’s Work”
Brief summary (without spoilers): When his intended victim prays for his life, a nihilistic mob killer, who loves only one thing in his life, grants him an hour’s reprieve, to give God time to save him
It is the fulfillment of a decades-long goal to share a table of contents with you, sir.
You make me blush. And let’s just hope it doesn’t take another decade for the next time.
Since words are our life, what would you like your own last words to be?
“I love you. All of you.”
Because I hope that when I pass, I will be surrounded by the people I love.
@Brad Hodson (how would you prefer to make your exit from this life?) Standing on a raft, going over Niagra Falls with a hang glider. Really, just some method that is very quick and preferably amazing.
Gah! Second time I’ve answered a guest question. Sorry!
Last words: “Be seeing you….(wink)…Mwahahahahahah….CROAK.”
No worries…feel free to answer either!
Yeah, but who’s this Brad Hodson?
Hahahahaha. Ah geez. I’m battin’ a million. Sorry, Brian.
@Brian Hodge. Since words are our life, what would you like your own last words to be?
To be continued…
I’ve always been partial to Dave Schow’s: “Not dead, just resting my eyes.”
But for sheer hard-boiled verve, it’s tough to beat this 1930s gangster named Francis ‘Two-Gun’ Crowley, before he was electrocuted in the chair: “You sons of bitches. Give my love to mother.”
For the authors: During any research you did for your stories, did you discover anything that truly creeped you out or stuck with you as especially morbid?
Also, I should have reviews up for both books tomorrow on my Speculative Fiction column, and an interview with Nancy the following week!
Hey Josh,
Thanks for dropping by and posting a question. Thanks for being a part of our Danse Macabre blog tour. Can you post a link here in the morning?
Good question! When I was writing “La Senora Blanca” I came across an old news article about anti-kidnapping agents in Chihuahua who had found a skeleton dressed as a bride in a large altar to La Santa Muerte. It was in a home where kidnapping victims had been held.
THanks for reviewing the book! I think I’m responding to the question about did anything I learned for this story freak me out? Not this one in particular, but I’m always finding about things that freak me out. I just found out that a friend of mine sees ghosts all the time. It’s no big deal to her. I haven’t decided if that scares me or if I just think she’s wacko.
i would like to say THANK YOU to all the authors for participating today and making the time to be here for us fans.
@ BARD CARSON: growing up the house we lived in was haunted by a man, he wasn’t threatening but he only made himself known to girls & ladies, no boys or men. we moved when i was 13, and at the time i was happy to move into a bigger house and have my own room but ever since then i have missed the ghost man. i wouldn’t say he was comforting but neither was he malicious he was just there sometimes. my friend however has a strong “good” presence in her home (never displayed anything even remotely similar before moving into the house), she will have the most intense and vivid dreams about “bad” things before they happen, once she dreamed she was in a car speeding down a dark road then it veered off and she flew through the windshield and hit a boulder, and that evening she got a call from a foreign hospital that her dad had just been admitted, his rental car went off the road and was saved from falling into a ravine by a boulder.
@ LAWENCE SALANI: my favorite genre is fiction!, lol, horror & paranormal, romance, epic adventures, regular adventures, suspense… anything that i can escape into and get away from my own crazy life for a while.
@ ERIN UNDERWOOD: the book that really pulled me in and twisted my heart into knots was Jane Eyre, it was required reading in H.S. after that i have loved books and escaping into them.
@ NANCY HOLDER: i think any number of devils can dance on the head of a coffin nail, i don;t believe that devils (or other evil demons) exist the same way we do, in possession stories you hear about children being possessed by legions of demons, and i think the same could be true for how many can dance on the head of a coffin nail.
Thank You,
Lupe
Lupe,
Thanks for joining us!
Lupe. Ghosts are everywhere. Maybe we “see” them depending on the intensity of their need or our need. Intensity does not necessarily equate with violent. A benign presence can be very powerful and comforting. Energy lives!
@Suzanne Church: If you had to assume the job of grim reaper, how would you dress?
A: Like Carl McCoy, from the band Fields of the Nephilim, who in turn dresses like a character from a spaghetti western: long duster, wide-brimmed hat
Thank you, Brian, for mentioning The Iceman Tapes. I was wondering what your source for the character was. Gonna hunt it up. I really, really enjoyed ‘For I Must Be About My Father’s Work.’
Thanks for the good words. And those were a pair of HBO documentaries from the mid-1990s or so. I’d be amazed if they’re not heavily excerpted on YouTube. Also, coincidentally, there’s a movie about Kuklinski that just came this fall, called The Iceman, in which he’s played by the excellent actor Michael Shannon.
Yeah, Shannon IS great! I loved him in Shotgun Stories, 8-Mile….I keep hoping they’ll tap him as Glanton in that Blood Meridian adaptation they keep talking about.
Have you ever seen The Proposition, from 2006, I think it was? With Guy Pearce and Ray Winstone? It may well be the bleakest “Western” ever filmed. I put Western in quotes because it’s set in the Australian outback, so while on one level it feels like a Western, it also has this completely different vibe to it than anything else I’ve seen. Anyway, when it came out, Roger Ebert wrote that seeing this was what finally convinced him that Blood Meridian could actually be filmed.
Yes, Brian! HOLY COW! THE FLIES!! Great movie. Nick Cave was behind that one. I don’t listen to music to get inspired very often, but a buddy gave me Murder Ballads for a birthday present one year. Awesome.
Brian said: I
I second that emotion!
@Lawrence Salani: What led you to consider writing horror?
That’s an easy one, Lawrence.
I love horror.
I love reading it. I love writing it. I love watching it.
One of my colleagues once said that many writers have less-than-idyllic personal lives, and that we tend to use writing as a form of therapy.
I will admit, after I’ve had a rough day (or rough week), the horror comes naturally. My first readers have noted that the worse my circumstances, the darker the horror.
Just sayin’.
Suzanne
You’re right, either you enjoy horror or you don’t. It’s something inside. I tried to sell all my books when I was younger to get away from dark fiction, but something keeps drawing me back. Luckily I kept all my Arkham House Lovecraft.
Good thing you kept the Lovecraft.
My son recently searched out Lovecraft at his high school library. The librarian wasn’t sure who/what he was talking about.
@Suzanne Church: If you had to assume the job of grim reaper, how would you dress?
First I want the scythe. I don
Interesting. For each person, they would only see you once, but you’re right, I think I would want to have a decent wardrobe. So long as I could throw the trench coat and fedora on as accents.
The scythe just looks way too heavy to lug around all the time.
Well maybe when I
To Bev Vincent…Knowing your love of Stephen King’s writing, how much do you feel he influences your own?
I think we writers are all influenced by everything we
@Morgan Demspey (What drove your particular characterization of Death?)
I always saw Death as quiet, stoic, unemotional about his work, taking no particular pleasure in it, but feeling no sympathy for his victims either. Definitely a man of few words, because there’s really nothing left to say when he shows up. That’s why I gave him a companion, The Joker, who is much more “lively.” I’m not sure where The Joker comes from. Perhaps an orphan who latched onto Death and soon went quite insane.
That
That
@Tom Dullemond What did you enjoy most about exploring your characterisation of Death?
I enjoyed Death’s playful nature.
Because with a job like that, you’d have to have a sense of humour or you wouldn’t be able to make it through a day, let alone eternity.
I’m the sort of person that will make a joke during a really scary/awkward moment to cope. So why not have a good laugh with Death? Because if you’re not laughing, you have to be crying, and a good guffaw feels better.
@vicki keller: Knowing your love of Stephen King
@williammeikle If we had a danse macabre, who would be your ideal partner from literature at the masque?
I’ve always loved Stu Redman from Stephen King’s The Stand. He knew how to deal with an apocalypse. His attendance would certainly be welcomed.
I’d go with another of King’s, Carrie White. She’s due a decent dance, and would be useful to have around if things get hairy.
@ Edward M. Erdelac: Are you personally afraid of death? How did that inform your characterization of Death as a character?
I
@Gabriel Boutros: As for the readers, why are all you people obsessed with death, anyway?
— > My youngest son’s name is Gabriel!
As for your question death always hovers and you just never know when it’ll steal you away. It is a natural part of the life cycle, something that everyone eventually goes through.
So then, that is some list of questions for us readers.
Wow.
-Morgan Dempsey: What is your favorite story with Death as a character?
I think someone else said it above, but the Death character form Supernatural is absolutely hilarious.
-Suzanne Church: Why do you think we humans find it easier to cope with death if we can picture him as one of us?
I’ve always thought it’s because then it gives us someone we could try to bargain with or talk to. Because then there’s somebridge between the known and the unknown.
-Erin Underwood: What was the first book that you absolutely loved reading?
Okay so I know that this is going to sound really strange. But the first thing that I remember reading over and over was A Midsummers Night Dream. I know. I was a strange child. My freak flag was flying even back then!
-Nancy Holder: How many devils dance on the head of a coffin nail?
Three, of course.
Well I’m pretty sure it’s night time in some of these places you guys are from. So I just toss the question out for whoever’s around.
I’m just curious have any of you guys ever met any of the other authors in this anthology?
Thanks!
I attend HWA meetings with Lisa Morton, but other that, no. I have talked the Blues occasionally on Facebook with William Meikle.
@Brad Carson: We
Indeed Samhain. Bring on the cattle.
Is the Morrigan presaged by a murder of crows?
And by the way, I think reverence is a ritual. A most potent one. Acknowledgement, adoration or worship of the dead. Seems like a smart choice.
For any of the authors who want to answer.
What 3 words would you use to describe your main character in this book?
Death warmed over
Nasty, brutish, and tall.
Laid-back, ready, tired.
Innocent anguished knowing.
Resigned, inquisitive, nostalgic.
What 3 words would you use to describe your main character in this book?
Brave, adventurous, honest.
Gabriel,
Did the Hendrix song influence more than just the title? I really loved your story and was not expecting the amazing ending…
@Morgan Dempsey: What is your favorite story with Death as a character?
The Books of Magic, by Neil Gaiman. It
excellent answer. Books of Magic took my fevered brain places I had never imagined to exist and demonstrated that boundaries are made to bend.
@Gabriel Boutros
Gabriel,
Did the Hendrix song influence more than just the title? I really loved your story and was not expecting the amazing ending
The song as a whole has a sad and semi-mystical quality to it, which surely influenced the mood of my story. But mostly I just borrowed the imagery from the final line. I loved that we don’t know, in the song, who these two riders are, nor what will happen when they get there. Only that the wind begins to howl…
@Brad Carson: Do you have any personal ghosts that you know are around you? Do they haunt or comfort you?
—> I like to believe that my maternal grandmother and grandfather are looking down from above to guide and protect me and my three sons. I imagine how pleased both would be at how big their first great-grandson is. Comfort.
Though for the first year after my grandfather’s death I firmly believed he haunted my uncle – the one who lived and took care of him that first year after grandmother’s death. It was weird because at the funeral the lights went off right when ti was about to start, not a storm cloud in sight, and only came back on after it was over.
@Brad Carson: Do you pay attention to what your dreams might mean? eg. If you dream of a dead friend or relative, does this alter anything in your waking life?
— Sometimes… Especially when they follow me throughout the day. When I was pregnant for my youngest son (who is soon to be eight) I use to dream of my belated grandmother. I always wondered why… Year or two after my grandfather’s death I dreamt about him. I remember being so joyful of seeing him asking how he came back.
@Morgan Dempsey: What is your favorite story with Death as a character? (Can be anything, book, tv show, movie, etc.)
—-> Hehe, Death in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure part two comes to mind. LOL
@Lorne Dixon: Do you truly believe in happy endings, ever?
—> Feel a little jaded on this. Not everyone has a happy ending. They may have a passable ending and some a crappy ending but then my outlook is skewed.
@J. Y. T. Kennedy: Death has been personified in many forms in world mythology. Is there any form which particularly interests you?
— The Morrigan and her crows come to mind on this.
@Lisa Morton: If Death offered you a deal for extra life, would you take it?
—-> NO! Sometimes life is a burden. Life is hard. I’ve had many downs and here or there ups. But then I’m jaded.
@Lawrence Salani: Do you predominantly read horror stories, or are you interested in other genres.
—> I’ve read “some” horror stories. They are really not my genre of choice. I prefer paranormal, fantasy suspense.
@Bev Vincent: What draws you to anthologies?
—-> Anthologies are a great way to try out a writer’s style to see if it is one that I may enjoy. Actually it is how I found a lot of authors I read today through anthologies.
Just logging in and joining the fun as one of the very excited Danse Macabre authors. I’ve never done this before so I may need guidance.
Good to see you here, Tim! Has music inspired any of your other work? I really liked your portrayal of Death in Blue-Black Night.
@Tim Reynolds
Hi Tim,
Loved your story. What was the inspiration?
@LorneK. Hi. Thank you. It was inspired by late singer Harry Chapin’s “I Wanna Learn a Love Song” about how he met his wife Sandy. Harry is even referenced in the story.
Hey Tim
Happy to see you. Can you do a shout out to the gazillion people you know to come and post a question for you (and the other authors) to answer? To all of our authors, and guests, thanks for sending the word out to your circles! This could end up being the best attended event ever with your help. YAY! Thanks everyone for being here – Janice from EDGE
Hi Janice. Good to be here. I did a Facebook Shout-Out before I logged on and will go Tweet the ‘stuff’ out of it, too.
@Suzanne Church: If you had to assume the job of grim reaper, how would you dress? Lolita gothic! Muahahahahahahaha
@Lucy Taylor. Hi. Music is always important in my stories. I always try to reference some current or classical song to help set the story and the character’s mind set. If I don’t actually mention music, then it’s playing while I write. I wrote an entire novel while listening to Queen’s “Made in Heaven” album. I even stole the title for my novel.
I’ve seen so much death over the years that I wanted to write a story which gave the dying hope that it wasn’t all a cold grip and a long, lonely slide into oblivion. Since my own death is eventually inevitable, I suppose I was writing it mostly for myself.
@Bev Vincent
Going to make this quick since it is almost midnight here in Saudi Arabia.
I am mostly familiar with your works of essays, interviews and book reviews and your regular CD magazine piece “News From the Dead Zone.” However, you also have a good body of short story work as well. Which do you prefer and do you have any other fiction work coming out soon?
I have stories in Shivers VII (which also contains a rare, vintage King short story), Appalachian Undead and Chilling Tales 2 on the horizon.
The non-fiction is usually more demanding of my time, since I have set deadlines for a lot of the things you mention. I go through phases when I have almost no time for fiction. However, I would say I enjoy writing fiction more. I’m trying to clear my plate of obligations so I can get back to a novel that’s been ignored for nearly two years.
“What led you to writing horror?”
Well, it’s been said ‘write what you know’ and my Virginian mother and grandmother truly gifted me with a ton of material, Southern Gothic in particular. Aside from that (or maybe because of it) I genuinely enjoy reading and writing horror. I remember the first time I read a horror story, it was in an Alfred Hitchcock magazine, and I was mesmerized. No, I hadn’t been menaced by spirits in an old adobe pueblo,as the character in that story was, but it captured feelings of dread I was familiar with.
I feel very grateful that I’m able to do something creative while at the same time kicking around a few of the old demons.
Lucy
My first book was Tales to Tremble By; I think I would have been twelve at the time. I loved the demonic ghost on the cover. Still have the book, still like the cover, which suprisingly has some good stories in it.
@Lawrence Salani: Do you predominantly read horror stories, or are you interested in other genres.
I read anything I can get my hands on. I read a fair bit of horror, but also a lot of crime, thrillers, fantasy, science fiction and historicals. I don’t read as many westerns as I used to, I’m a bit out of touch there, and I’m not that keen on war stories, but apart from that, most anything goes.
Someone asked me privately about what inspired me to do this antho. I’ve said quite a bit in my introduction, but this is my short answer to the question:
Danse Macabre comes out of my interest in the artwork that began in the 1400s as a reaction to the plague. It’s been called plague art. This is a simply art that shows a skeleton, the formerly living, leading the living into demise. There are all sorts of scenarios with the skeletons and they range from fun and silly to horrifying and they come for a variety of types of people, from the lowest on the socioeconomic scale to the kings, queens and popes. I find this art lovely and a very peaceful and simple presentation of the end of life, which is what we all face. Consequently, an anthology of stories that tap into the ideas of this artwork, showing death as the great equalizer, was a natural for me.
Thanks Nancy for posting this.
@DMSuzanneChurch: If you had to assume the job of grim reaper, how would you dress?
My usual: Hawaiian shirt, cargo pants and sandals over socks. I
Lorne Dixon: Do you truly believe in happy endings, ever?
Happiness is a process, an objective to be constantly fought for, not a state that once achieved lasts beyond the moment.
@DMMorganDempsey: What drove your particular characterization of Death??
An image from my own dreams. She
@DMLorneDixon: What happens to your characters in the last moment before the first paragraph of your story??
Mark had just looked up into the clear Utah sky and sighed.
Jill (Death) had just done another reaping and decided it was time for a short break.
@ Erin Underwood: What are you reading now?
A: Rewire Your Brain, by John Arden (on neuroplasticity) and The Guide To MIDI Orchestration, 3rd Ed., by Paul Gilreath. Maybe not the answers you were looking for!
@ Nancy Holder: What is your go-to food when you
@DMTomDullemond: What did you enjoy most about exploring your characterisation of Death??
How much I wanted to sit down with her myself, and just chat in that infinite time between ticks of the second-hand.
@DMOpalEdgar: When you write fantasy, do you try to teleport readers into another world, or do you see yourself as giving a distorted/personalized reflection of this world??
Yes. Both. I am currently writing about Faerie, but my finished Urban Fantasy novel is set in our world, behind the scenes, so to speak. I like to use otherworldly explanations for everyday events in such a way that the reader willing to suspend disbelief for a moment will think “Wow! Is that REALLY what happens?”.
@DMIanMEmberson: Why are people attracted to the macabre??
Day-to-day life can be pretty horrific so reading/watching/listening to the macabre and horrible makes that day-to-day life more bearable. It
@DMEdwardMErdelac: Are you personally afraid of death? How did that inform your characterization of Death as a character??
Terrified, Ed. I made her as warm and welcoming as I could imagine. Sadly, I fell in love with her while writing it and now my wife thinks I
@Gabriel Boutros,
Gabriel,
Fantastic story. Over and above the song lyrics, did the particular circumstance, namely a mining disaster, influence your approach? If the environment had been a war setting or train wreck for example, what influence, if any, might this have had on the story, or does it matter?
Thanks!
Allen Israel
Hi Allen, thanks for your question. Every story comes out differently, and in this case it began with the two riders coming in out of a desert, or some equally desolate setting. There was no need for them to come to a mining camp; like you say it could have been a train wreck or any other disaster. What mattered to the story was the group of men sitting around waiting for their fates to be decided, and the mining accident that put them in that position came about after the fact. I don’t usually have no idea where a story is going when I sit down to write it, but this was as close to that as anything I’ve written before.
I don’t want to hog the posting so I’ll lump the remainder of my Questions from DM authors here, at one time.
Stan Hampton, Sr.: What fascinates you about the subject of Danse Macabre that you wanted to contribute to this anthology?
-Most of what I write is about death. It
I am reading S.T Joshi’s Black Wings and Caitlin Kiernan’s Five Chambered Heart. I enjoy short stories much more than novels; therefore, I can mix the two books. I have recently purchased two copies of Milton’s Paradise Lost. One is illustrated by Blake, the other by Dore. Unfortunately, the Dore illustrations are not very well reproduced. This is a great book if you are interested in life/death, good/evil.
I’m always wondering what my dreams mean – I even have a dream book that I use to try and decode the symbols in my dreams sometimes.
@Lorne Dixon
In the five minutes prior to the start of “Senora Blanca” I’d like to think Lupe is dreaming she’s making love with Naldo, because right after that the dream changes into something a lot scarier.
Death is probably lighting up a Cohiba and looking to see who gets ‘lucky.’
Here’s a writerly question for all. How long did it take each of you to write the story you submitted to the anthology?
Where you plagued with selfdoubt when you submitted it or is selfdoubt a thing of the past?
GHOST NOR BOGLE came in one sitting, the whole thing being written in one night and edited the next day. Sometimes they come like that, and I’m grateful when they do.
As for self-doubt, I have some of that, but not enough for it to cripple me and stop me moving forward. If it hits me, I just look at the bookshelves that hold what I’ve had published so far. Just knowing what I’ve done so far is usually enough to banish the fretting, at least long enough for me to get some actual writing done.
A little less than an hour for the first draft, Ella. I’m not always so lucky. Self-doubt is why I write, or at least ONE of the reasons.
It was probably written and edited in five days. I often spend more time revising than I do on the first draft.
Self doubts? Sure — we’re as insecure breed. I know the odds favor rejection. However, I’ve had enough acceptances over the years that I know some editors will buy my work if I persist.
Wow that’s all a lot faster than I was thinking!
@Ella About three days, all told. I wrote it in one or two, sent it to a buddy to read and give feedback, but I don’t think I changed anything.
I don’t have a lot of self doubt when I submit anymore, for the same reasons other people have said. I have enough books on my shelf to where I’m pretty positive I’m a writer now, even if I’m not putting a deposit on a house in Bel Air or anything.
This is gonna sound egotistical, but now, more often, I doubt the editor’s ability to appreciate what I’m sending ‘em. Haha. That sounds bad. I don’t mean to say I’m the greatest writer ever, I mean, I know what I write, and I know what kind of people tend to enjoy what I write, and sometimes I submit things even though I’m unsure from the editor’s track record that they’ll ‘get’ me.
I don’t agonize much over the send button. If I have doubts about the story I’m sending, well, it must need a lot of work, so I don’t send it.
Nancy was great though. She actually worked with the story and made some great suggestions that I took to heart and I think improved the piece. I’m happy to be in such a great collection alongside such awesome talent. I love to learn from fiction, researching, writing, and reading, and stories like La Senora Blanca and The Secret Engravings are like jumping points for subjects I definitely want to read further up on. Awesome.
Four days for the main writing and revising, several years ago just after my maternal Grandfather’s death. Pressed Butterflies has always been personal, not commercial, so it seemed like the right project might never come around for it… and then, Danse Macabre, the perfect home. Then… few sessions right before submission to sandpaper down some edges.
I usually write a first draft in one or two sittings.
Then, I take about a month to get feedback, think about the story, and allow the details to simmer.
Finally, I revise and submit which takes two or three more sittings.
I had the first sentence of this story for a long time and no idea what to do with it (maybe 5 or 6 month). I stash those sentences that make me feel a certain way in a very very long excel doc… when I heard about the anthology suddenly that sentence came back into my head and the whole story with it! It was written in one night and then edited over the following week.
Sure I have self-doubt, I’m a young writer still struggling to have any of my stories out there! In fact, I sent it over with very little hope I
I have to go now, but I had a great time reading all the comments, and getting to know a bit about what makes all these great and varied writers tick. Thanks Janice and to everyone else involved in putting this event together.
Thanks for joining us. It’s been great!
Janice
@Gabriel Boutros,
Gaby, I remember when I read the story that I thought the mine was explicitly selected. It’s deep underground, desolate, dark, damp, dank, smelly,and fraught with danger. If the doesn’t sum up “hell” I don’t what does. Therefore, I think you were wise to avoid a train-wreck or other disaster since those settings would not, in my opinion, have served as a crucial “character” the way the mine did.
Hi Lorne. That is certainly an interesting interpretation you put on it, especially since we write so many things that have subconscious meanings of which we are totally unaware. However, as the story never actually visits the mine, and it is only mentioned in retrospect, I don’t want to take credit for symbolism I didn’t intend. Perhaps some dark, mysterious hand was guiding my thoughts unbeknownst to me. (I just wanted to write unbeknownst once before leaving for good.)
Unbeknownst… good word.
Intriguing comments – especially those concerning inspiration and idea-generation as this is kind of a tricky antho-topic. Sounds fascinating!
Oops! Mistress is home! Musn’t be caught playing with friends online. Must go give attention. Will be back later, after Mistress fed and sleepy. Ciao….
Run Tim run. Seriously, thanks for joining us and thanks for all your encouragement for forever! Congratulations.
@Gabriel Boutros,
Gabriel,
In retrospect,I guess it could have been a train provided that it was a Spanish train that ran between Guadalquivir and old Saville
@Lorne Dixon: What happens to your characters in the last moment before the first paragraph of your story?
Having sustained the worst beating of his life and finding himself flat on his back in the dirt street, Barry has been whisked off out of town, dragged by his ankle across the pitted ground, a horse kicking up clots of earth in his face.
@Tom Dullemond: What did you enjoy most about exploring your characterisation of Death?
Figuring out that the only more unenviable position than going beyond the door is being the guy that escorts you but never gets to go himself.
@Nancy Holder: What is your go-to food when you
READER QUESTIONS:
@BradCarson – (dream utility). I try to pay attention to dreams; keep a dream journal. I also try to make use of the first waking moments to get some unusual problem-solving done.
@MorganDempsey – that “Ghost of Christmas Future” guy from the old black and white Christmas Carol. It’s the classic, iconic grim reaper, and I saw it at just the right age to think that was the one true depiction.
@LorneDixon (likely-hood of happy endings). Prurient double entendres aside, sure: there has to be a mathematical chance of a happy ending once in a while.
@LisaMorton (extended life deal) – Pursuant to an extended warranty on all parts, and other negotiated details – I MIGHT look at the contract. Those things are notoriously tricky though.
@ErinUnderwood – (first book-love) – probably The Hobbit. Also a book about a whale (not Moby Dick – an honest to God whale, eating squid and swimming around and stuff) but it was so long ago, I just can’t remember the title. But it was a grabber. Also illustrated, which probably helped at the time.
@BevVincent – (why anthos) – Like to learn how it’s done: anthos are great teachers. As to what literally draws me – it’s often the cover art. Also concept, names I know, and buzz.
It’s wisdom to pay attention to dreams, as dreams are paying attention to you.
Keeping a journal of dreams is a great idea, besides its interpretive value (ie the pay-off) you will be able to peruse them in the years ahead and discover patterns and themes as well fore-tellings. You can try to ignore them, you can run but you can’t hide.
Keeping a journal of dreams is a great idea.
I tried the dream journal for a while. Problem is, most of my dreams are nightmares that wake me in the night. By the time I’ve written it down, I’m awake and can’t fall back asleep.
Hi all. Just got back from work.
Some great Q. & A. happening here.
Kudos to all.
(gotta go jam a sandwich in my mouth and then I’ll return to play some more)
@Edward M. Erdelac
Your answer to Tom’s question “What did you enjoy most about exploring your characterisation of Death? Figuring out that the only more unenviable position than going beyond the door is being the guy that escorts you but never gets to go himself.” really speaks to me.
I think that epitomises why I loved this anthology so much – you read it expecting the standard stories about people crossing over and what you get is interesting angles on the life of death.
To all the authors on this project and to Nancy for doing a wonderful job putting it all together – Thank you.
Thank YOU, Ella!
Morgan Dempsey: What is your favorite story with Death as a character?
Terry Pratchett’s HOGFATHER has to be my favorite. It’s positively quirky.
I think his full name is Terry Positively Quirky Prachett.
Hogfather is one of the best, both in print and on the screen.
Hello. Just thought I’d stop by and see what’s going on.
Welcome, Stan!
So, what do you think happens after DEATH?
Less than we hope. It’s impossible for us to imagine a concept as absolute as “nothing”, so it become easy to imagine that there must be something beyond the flesh. Would we bother with any kind of afterlife mythology if we could intellectually process the concept of absolute mortality? I doubt it.
I think I believe in the Summerland put forth in Richard Matheson’s What Dreams May Come. I think he tapped into something there, something from beyond. I think Tolkien did too, in Leaf By Niggle, and a thousand other writers and thinkers I can’t name.
I have always thought, even as a small boy in Catholic school, that Heaven was what you imagined it to be, whatever that was. And if you’re a good person, you live a good life, and if you don’t forget to cultivate that spiritual part of yourself, that imaginative side, all the more interesting your afterlife will be. The Egyptian Book Of The Dead called for this – a preparation for what comes after. If you believe nothing happens, I guess nothing happens. You fade away, or you float in a personal oblivion. If you feel guilt over the life you’ve lived, you experience the torments you believe you deserve. In Judaic folklore, for instance, hell has a time limit. The soul is purged for a maximum of twelve months.
I think those who do evil but feel no guilt are not exempt from this. I think there is a cosmic force (God) that looks over us and puts such things right. Or maybe the souls of victims have an influence on such a person’s fate. Maybe they just get sent back as do overs.
Lisa, I’m not sure what happens after death, but I know a few people who are able to see the spirit world. I’ll ask them if they can speak with them as well. We paid a great deal of money to meet and speak with Alison Dubois (Basis for TV show Medium) but I was unimpressed and still don’t have an answer. In my writing, there’s always SOMETHING, so that there’s hope. Tome, true horror, would be that this is all there is and there’s no ‘reset’ button.
I think death is the end. Fade to black.
What is one book everyone should read?
George Orwell’s 1984
Paolo Coehlo’s The Alchemist.
There are so many, Lisa, but the first that popped into my mind, a book I love so much I’ve actually read it several times, is Dan Simmons’ The Terror.
Fahrenheit 451
You woke up this morning and realized you had been reincarnated as a pair of shoes.
Describe yourself.
A pair of Original Penguin classic black and natural leather Jingles. Easiest question of the night… just Google it.
Blue suede Addidas Gazelles with white stripes.
Danse Macabre: Close Encounters With The Reaper.
Well I don’t know how that wound up there. That was meant for “What’s one book everyone should read?”
Black sneakers.
You woke up this morning and realized you had been reincarnated as a pair of shoes.
Wow, hmmm…that’s a tough one.
Black Blundstone boots.
YOU are a paranormal character, what is your super power?
Telekinesis. It is my life’s dream to be a Jedi.
The ability to fly.
I would so love to fly. Wind in my hair, getting places in record time without traffic.
Oh yeah!
I can shapeshift into animal form.
In my dreams, I jump. Real high and far, come down slow. Like Springheeled Jack, or The Hulk.
If you could jump in to a book, and live in that world, which would it be?
In the Uglies, Pretties, Specials series by Scott Westerfeld, they ride hoverboards. I have to say they sound like a massive fun fest!
If we looked under your bed, what would we find?
Cat hair. And maybe a cat.
Nothing. And that’s the way I like it.
Depends what type of sight you’re using.
On one level – dust balls and probably a dark chocolate ball that missed my mouth and made a bid for freedom. On another level – all sorts of icks and oh-ohs that twist me up during the night.
Lisa, under my bed are the same monsters that were there when I was a child, but now I’m their leader. My sisters, on the other hand, had to deal with a real monster when we were young, because I used to hide under their beds and reach out and grab their dangling feet and try to drag them under while growling and snapping. The one (is now 50) and still has to jump onto the bed some nights when her imagination takes hold.
The best way to conquer your monsters is to become one yourself. Bwahahaha!
Well, cat hair, for sure. A cat or two, possibly (if somebody’s just rung the doorbell and they decide to hide) and my gun (but don’t worry, I never let the cats play with it.)
The odd monster or two.
@ErinUnderwood. I’m just getting into The Enchantress, Book 6 of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott. The first 5 were pure pleasure, populated by a myriad of mythos. Where else can you find Billy the Kid and Machiavelli battling Gilgamesh and William Shakespeare with appearances by Mars, Odin and Dr. John Dee to name drop a few.
Whoo hoo! LOTS of new authors for me!
Hi all….
Do you generally set one large or many small goals?
I like to make big goals, but I break them into small goals, so that it’s more manageable, and so I actually make progress. So, both?
I generally try to set a small goal, but end up procrastinating so much that by the the time I get to it (usually with a deadline gun at my head) it has grew some. It’s now large and verging on frightening, so I have to break it into a bunch of small goals.
Ha! You, procrastinate? It can’t be true!
I usually set a series of writing resolutions which become my goals for the year.
But on a daily basis, I try to write at least 100 words no matter what. (Even if I haven’t had butt-in-chair time)
When I sit down to work on a rough draft, I usually write a minimum of 2000 words.
Goals? I write or I don’t write. There is not ‘goal’.
Actually, I’m kidding. Because I write both large and small fiction, I have a variety of goals. I try to make them different types of goals, though. There are writing-down-the-story goals, research goals, marketing goals, editing goals, fleshing-out-concept goals… and all so I don’t become 1. Bored, and 2. Stuck because the brain can’t get into a particular groove. Many grooves, many ‘groovy’ options.
I always have a to-do list with a number of short term deadlines. I’m not exactly goal oriented. I’ve lived long enough to know that it’s almost impossible to plan things too far in advance. Serendipity or calamity have their ways with your plans.
@BrianHodge. Probably something like. Oh! Or maybe, Now I remember where I left those keys.
Hey, no one asked me how long it takes to EDIT a book, especially one like DANSE MACABRE. I suspect if you combined the length of time it took all of the authors to write their stories, it would still be much longer to read submissions, acquire (or not), edit and order the stories and write the introduction. This anthology took about one year of work on my part.
A year well spent, as far as I can see.
Would you rather be doing something else?
Thanks Brad. And I tend to do projects I’m interested in and want to do, so no, I wouldn’t have preferred doing something else. I was happy working on Danse Macabre, an anthology close to my heart.
I’m very glad you put forth the effort to edit this (and other) anthologies. You’re putting such interesting work out there for all of us to read.
Thanks Suzanne.
Yes, thank you for your work! I can believe it would take a very very long time to find and assemble all this material and manage to make it so complementary and faceted!
I didn’t realize, but wow, yeah, it has been a year since the initial prompt went up! You did an amazing job, Nancy
Thank you!
@Lorne Dixon What happens to your characters in the last moment before the first paragraph of your story?
Lizzie is just opening up the diner. Turning on the grill, pulling out the foods to prep, and getting organized for the morning rush.
@Nancy Holder What is your go-to food when you
@lornedixon That would pre-suppose that there are endings.
There’s the road and its split into happy and non-happy whatever you choose will get you further down the road. As long as you keep moving. As Yogi Berra said, “If you see a fork in the road, take it.”
Hi!
I’m going to follow the example of some others on here, and put several replies in one email. I have read through the discussion so far, and it has been very interesting!
@Stan Hampton, Sr.:
@Edward M. Erdelac Are you personally afraid of death? How did that inform your characterization of Death as a character?
Yes, I am terrified of death. Probably because I’m the kind of person who needs proof and, well, you don’t get the proof until it’s too late.
On one level, I definitely believe in ghosts, spirituality, and the afterlife.
On another level, I’m terrified that it’s lights out, you close your eyes and then nothing.
And I’m not very good at doing nothing.
@Erin Underwood What are you reading now?
I usually read a bunch of books at once.
I’m about 2/3 through Horns by Joe Hill, and just last weekend finished, The Sisters Brothers.
I’m just sneaking in while at work. I won’t be ‘here’ for another 10 hrs but I figured I could answer as many Author questions as I dared:
@Gabriel Boutros: I would like to ask the various authors if they write mostly in a specific genre or on a particular topic, or if it really comes down to whatever inspires them at a certain time.
- I usually write speculative fiction aimed at grown ups, because it frees me up to write anything. But I’ve written literary fiction quite happily too. It’s absolutely inspiration (or guideline) based.
@Brad Carson: Do you have a particular place or time where your creative ideas seem to burst onto your consciousness?
Does music aid your
Not a question but a comment…I haven’t finished the whole book yet, but so far Timothy Reynolds’ story is my fave – I would never have thought a story about Death Herself could be, well, sweet, but it is! I quite enjoyed it.
Thank you, Michelle. I thought that a book about Death should have a little Hope, even if it still made dying inevitable.
I don’t remember the exact book title of the first book I absolutely loved reading, but I remember devouring everything Christopher Pike wrote when I was a kid. (author question)
@Stan Hampton, Sr. What fascinates you about the subject of Danse Macabre that you wanted to contribute to this anthology?
There’s something all-encompassing about the Black Plague. All of those people, all of that death. And the artwork says it all, that death was present in everyone’s daily activity.
They must have been constantly worrying, When will death show up at my door?
Those dark days must have been such a frightening time to be alive.
Although my story doesn’t touch on these themes, I think the plague art is what inspired me to write something simply so that I could be a part of the collective experience.
@Suzanne.
Yes, that must have been a frightening time. It must have seemed like the world was ending; so many dead that mass graves were common and it seemed like there weren’t enough living to bury the dead. It’s no wonder that the Black Death left such an emotional scar on mankind, though these days it may seem like a very dark fairy tale rather than true history.
Stan
Danse Macabre author
Time to get some zzz’s. Will drop by tomorrow morning. Gnight all. (or Gday for those in Oz)
Good night!
I would love to stick around and chat some more, but my dogs are reminding me that we all need to eat and that 4am (when I rise for work) comes much too early on a Friday.
It has been a pleasure participating. Thank you fellow authors, and thank you to the readers who give us one more reason to write. I mean, really, we write for ourselves,but it’s so much better when someone else likes it, too. Especially if that someone is Nancy, Queen of the Editors, and her legion of followers.
Just remember that you don’t have to believe in Death, because Death believes in you. Sort of like Santa, but without the gifts.
Ciao for now,
Tim
Here are a few more thoughts. . .
@Opal Edgar:
Hello. I’m back. By the way, I’m Stan Hampton, Sr., author of “An Appointment in the Village Bazaar,” which is included in the Danse Macabre anthology.
Hi all! It’s great to see so much discussion here!
I’m going to follow the leads of some of the other authors here and answer as many questions as possible in one post:
@Gabriel Boutros: I would like to ask the various authors if they write mostly in a specific genre or on a particular topic, or if it really comes down to whatever inspires them at a certain time.
A: I’ve written science fiction, but my main genre is actually fantasy, and I think that’s reflected in my story; it’s definitely more dark fantasy than horror. I think inspiration plays a huge part, but I also think that we have our favourite genres that we’re all more comfortable with.
@Brad Carson: Do you have a particular place or time where your creative ideas seem to burst onto your consciousness?
Does music aid your
Hiya folks!
Gabriel Boutros: As for the readers, why are all you people obsessed with death, anyway? I think people are obsessed with all the things that Halloween represents, monsters, death… because they are our worst fears, or for some crazy reason utter taboos that at most normal times we avoid all thought and talk. Also why horror movies and books are popular too.
Brad Carson: Do you pay attention to what your dreams might mean? I might, depends on the dream. I don’t believe that a particular object or something has a totally different meaning, I believe your dreams are not showing you metaphors for something else. If they are crazy jumbled, then you had a crazy jumbled kind of day. If you have a dream that you trip while walking down the aisle, you’re afraid you are going to trip while walking down the aisle. Easy.
Suzanne Church: Why do you think we humans find it easier to cope with death if we can picture him as one of us? Probably the same reason why people have (almost) always humanized gods and goddesses – so they are vastly more relatable to us.
Lorne Dixon: Do you truly believe in happy endings, ever? Of course! But no one (well, at least post-Grimm anyway) believes that after the Happily Ever After that means never any problems, or fights or anything like that. They will always happen – HEA does not mean a perfect life or relationship.
Tom Dullemond: Do you think open discussion of Death is a taboo in Western Culture, and why/why not? & Ian M. Emberson: Why are people attracted to the macabre? In the end for these two, I really don’t know… but my guess would be the same reason why sex is still mostly taboo – those darn puritans.
Lisa Morton: If Death offered you a deal for extra life, would you take it? Nope. I’m no fool. LOL Besides, Be it just extra or immortal… people around you die and you don’t. You might end up just existing and not truly living. So why bother.
Lucy Taylor: Do you find that reading about Death makes the idea of your own death less frightening? If you had only a very short time to live, do you think you would want someone to give you this book or would you want to avoid it? Oh lordy no… I think it might actually make me more afraid when thinking about it… we simply do not know what comes next – the undiscovered country and all that.
Erin Underwood: What was the first book that you absolutely loved reading? I haven’t a clue here… I started when I was younger than most, and just been going. Now, whatever my first astronomy book was… well, that one sure has ended up being my downfall! LOLOL
Bev Vincent: What draws you to anthologies? You can read one single story in a short amount of time, but you get introduced to other authors you might not be aware of, get a flavor of their writing, and then proceed to check out their longer stuff.
Lois
@Lois M: I think open discussion of death is taboo, yes. I’m not sure if our obsession with youthfulness is because of that, or whether the taboo arises from that. (Note I’m just theorising here.) Certainly our medical system focuses on extending life at all costs, regardless of benefit. Opposition to euthanasia is a perfect example of this. My usual response to terminal patients being denied death on their terms is ‘we wouldn’t treat a dog this way, why is it okay to do it to a human?’. Ha ha, and yes, those puritans is my guess too!
You know, I always think that, too, when I’m holding one of my cats whose time has come and it’s been given its final ‘shot’–who’s going to do this for me? Probably no one. It would be illegal.
Coincidentally today I was emailing with a friend who has lived in Japan and in Mexico and we were speaking about Day of the Dead. She said something to the effect that she didn’t like the attitude toward death in the US, that “in Japan it is okay to die and in Mexico it is also permissible. In the US I do not think it is allowed.” I had to smile. She has a point.
Yes, same here in Australia. If I arranged my own death and asked for my loved ones to attend, they all get slapped with assisting suicide. I guess it’s one way to filter out the people who care about you on your last day.
@Brad Carson – My best ideas almost always come to me in the shower. I have no idea why, but I’m sure I’ve used up more than my fair share of water solving a few story dilemmas over the years.
@Nancy Holder – Totally chocolate. Although recently I’m addicted to these mango and yogurt gummies from Trader Joe’s.
@Erin Underwood – I don’t recall the first children’s book (I started reading when I was three), but I do remember the first adult novel I was obsessed with: Verne’s JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH (I also loved the movie with James Mason and Arlene Dahl).
Thanks everyone for joining us for the launch. The contest will be open until Monday, and the authors will be answering questions, etc. until noon CST tomorrow. For more information about “Danse Macabre: Close Encounters With the Reaper” and to learn about other EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing books, please visit us at http://www.edgewebsite.com/ – Cheers! Janice from EDGE
DANSE MACABRE also has its own website here:
http://dansemacabreanthology.com/
BEV VINCENT: I love anthologies for several reasons. First, it’s easier for an author to build a world that seems real in a short story than in a novel (although novels have been improving in recent years), so as a reader concerned with solid worldbuilding, I find stories are more likely to be satisfying. Second, a novel provides one story; an anthology provides many. Third, an anthology can be a good read if I like only a few stories if they are excellent; with a novel, the whole thing has to be good. Fourth, I can pick up and set down an anthology and not worry about losing the thread of the story.
@Lisa Morton: If Death offered you a deal for extra life, would you take it?
Short answer – No. I would rather be at peace and get to rest then do it all over again. To each his own though.
@Gabriel Boutros we people are obsessed with death because we really do not know what is on the other side of life.we may guess but we never really no what is or will happen.
@Lisa Morton that is the ? is it not more then likely it depends on the deal or if you even have anything left to live for!
wonderful excerpts/blurbs of this collection. How do the authors coordinate when writing for anthologies or collections such as this?
There wasn’t any coordination this time, that I’m aware of. Any illusion of cohesion would have been fashioned by Nancy Kilpatrick herself.
I don’t think I’ve ever been involved in an anthology where there is any coordination (or indeed, any contact) among the authors. One reason for that is that, in most cases, most of us don’t know who the other authors will be (or if we will be among that number!) until the stories are finished and the table of contents assembled. Even in cases where an author is invited to contribute (as opposed to submitting to the slush pile of an open anthology), he can’t be assured that his story will be accepted.
The editor is the unifying thread in any anthology. She has a vision of what the book will be (though that vision may change once the stories start coming in).
For the record I’ve not had a chance to read any of the stories as the long sea voyage to Australia has yet to deliver the book to my home.
Do you truly believe in happy endings, ever? Yes, my grandparents were married for over 59 years before my grandfather passed away. Although they did have disagreements and bickered at times, they loved one another greatly and raised 11 children together.
I certainly think there is room for happy endings, even in dark fantasy and horror. “Happy” could be as simple as “someone survives” or it could be that the evil is vanquished.
In horror and dark fantasy, for me, a ‘happy’ ending could be as simple as the main character having held on to who he or she truly is, even if they’re still facing death. Or a change of heart, so that there’s acceptance for what’s happening or perhaps a new understanding or forgiveness that has more to do with an internal shift than an external ‘victory’. Come to think of it, much like I view daily life.
Do you predominantly read horror stories, or are you interested in other genres.
I generally read romances but I like a large variety of books so that I don’t get burnt out on in genre.
I mostly read crime and mystery fiction these days, with the odd smattering of other things. I go back to horror on occasion, but I also read non-fiction, mainstream fiction, science fiction and fantasy from time to time.
What draws you to anthologies? I like that ability to try multiple authors that may be new to me. The short stories are also great bedtime reads.
Question: Are you planning on dressing up for Halloween? If so, as what?
This is something I regret very much, but I never lived in a place where Halloween was celebrated. I have seen great monster parades in Germany though! (with kilometers of tall grown man walking through narrow streets of historical towns, and dressed as witches and elves, orcs and loads of other things I don
I love dressing up for Halloween.
I have several costumes that I cycle through. Not sure which one I’ll go with. Maybe the spider witch? Because I love her hat and cape.
Not this year, because early the next morning I’m flying to Toronto for World Fantasy. But in my neighborhood we get tons of kids–they arrive in packs–and I love giving out candy and seeing their costumes. In years past, I’ve dressed as a flapper and as a witch.
For the first time in almost ten years, I actually have an excuse to dress up. Usually expend all energy and money dressing the kids, but this year I’m doing a Halloween pub crawl with some friends, so I’m going as Dead Tony from Die Hard (the terrorist whom McClane put the Santa hat on and wrote Now I Have A Machinegun Ho Ho Ho on his shirt in blood). It’s very cheapo, but I’m excited. I’ve been wanting to try to go as the Invisible Man (mmummy wraps, smoking jacket, sunglasses, etc) or Kolchak for a few years but never get around to assembling the pieces. This year I did it.
My wife’s making a Dorothy and Tin Man for my two youngest, and the eldest is going as a lady pirate. I’m trying to get her to let me paint her face with Ta Moko.
What is your favorite Halloween treats?
When I was kid, growing up in a rural area, the metric for a successful Halloween was the number of 5
What is your favorite Halloween treats?
Reese’s peanut butter cups and potato chips.
No bag of candy is safe with me. I buy my Halloween candy the morning of and try to give all of it away. That said, though, it’s not like I don’t sample. My favorites are Hersheys, Reeses, and mini-Milky Ways.
Peanut butter cups.
Are you more of a
Definitely a pumpkin patch person rather than a slasher person. I remember Halloween with the magic and nostalgia of a Bradbury story. I lived in a rural community and we were allowed to roam free in a pack for hours. The nights seemed to last forever. We had adventures!
I kept the most sincere pumpkin patch in Calumet City, Illinois.
This year I’m a great zucchini person. I managed to grow one to pumpkin size, and it turned orange and everything.
Whenever I’ve tried planting actual pumpkins, we’ve had a cool summer and they haven’t grown.
Imma answer the question about being drawn to anthologies. I love going different places, seeing different things all in one book.
I enjoy anthologies for that reason, too, Leah. I like to see what a lot of different writers do with the same essential theme; there’s so much diversity. I also like writing for anthologies, because it gets me to thinking in new ways and working with ideas that, left to my own devices, I might not consider.
Well folks, it’s 8pm here my time in sunny Brisbane, Australia, and I’m happy to answer any questions for the next hour or so. I’m writing, too, believe it or not. Like a real writer type person! >_<
You’re definitely a writer who understands the importance of blocking out time to write.
Kudos!
@erinunderwood, The answer to your question: What are you reading now?I am reading S.T Joshi
@lisamorton
Horror does not have to be about fear and death.Suspense and an unexpected twist at the end sometimes work better. Roald Dahl does this and most of his stories can be regarded as horror.
Oh, good point. Roald Dahl’s adult short fiction is quite creepy.
Hi Tom, from Cronulla in Australia. I wish I could keep responding but I need to get up early for work. Good luck with your writing.
@Lisa Morton If Death offered you a deal for extra life, would you take it?
I think it would totally depend on the conditions of the deal. Chances are, the terms would most definitely be worse than simply dying.
Unless I hadn’t done some really important activity, maybe then I would take the deal.
Good Morning!
I’m going to be back on here until the end of the event. Anybody else still around?
Somebody asked yesterday if any of us have met. I have met Tim Reynolds, and we both read from our DM stories at When Words Collide in August. It was part of an EDGE authors session, which was recorded, and should be on their podcast page at some point. (Might even be up by now. . .I haven’t checked.)
@Shauna Roberts :
I find it really interesting that you find worldbuilding better in short stories than in novels. I always felt that one of the difficulties with spec fic short stories was that you don’t have much space to build your world. I suppose you also have less space for accidental inconsistencies, though, and can get away with glossing over stuff you haven’t quite figured out yet. I’m more of a novel fan myself, but I agree it can be frustrating to read a whole novel when you feel that the world isn’t as well thought out as it should be.
Hi Jennifer!
Your story is set in Iceland. Have you ever been to Iceland? Was there a reason why you set in there instead of another Scandinavian country?
Hi Nicole,
No, I’ve never been to Iceland, or anywhere in Europe for that matter. I got asked whether I was going there when a friend saw me taking out travel guides for Iceland from the library, but I had to admit that I was not. My original synopsis did not mention where the story took place, and Nancy specifically told me that I should set it somewhere in Scandinavia. I think the main thing that made Iceland the clear choice was that it is prone to earthquakes, which suited my plot. But there were other things that made it appealing. Many of the sources for Norse myths and sagas come from Iceland, and the old religion persisted their longer than in other parts of Scandinavia. Also, I have actually seen Icelandic sheep and know a bit about them, although I decided not to shoehorn an essay on the topic into the story. (They are just mentioned briefly!)
@Erin Underwood: What was the first book that you absolutely loved reading?
It’s was Robin Hood’s Adventures by Howard Pyle that I received as a gift when I was 6 or so. I’ve read it so many times that my copy lost both covers and a few last pages, but it is no matter as I remember the ending as if I’ve read it yesterday anyway. I love the adventures and the historical setting. Actually, this book introduced me to historical genre and made me its fan.
Here’s one I didn’t get around to replying to last night. . .
@Brad Carson: Does music aid your
@Bev Vincent, I love anthologies because they’re so different from reading novels – short stories are a wonderful (and I think often unappreciated) art form. I also love anthologies because they introduce me to new and talented authors that I might never have otherwise discovered.
I definitely believe in happy endings, but I also think it’s a part of life to experience bad and sad things. They make us appreciate the happier times even more.
Good morning everyone.
And I think I’m too late for Day 2 of the grand opening. Ah well. Thanks.
Stan
Danse Macabre Author
Not sure if you’re still answering questions, but I have one (open to any of the authors): do you ever use dreams as inspiration for your writing? I often do, and one of my writing instructors found that fact very interesting, so now I’m wondering if it’s an unusual practice.
I have occasionally used a dream as an inspiration. I don’t think it’s that unusual to use dreams to your writerly advantage.
The book sounds awesome! The story entitled “Fingernails” really intrigues me! Can’t wait to read all the stories!
Morgan Dempsey: What is your favorite story with Death as a character? (Can be anything, book, tv show, movie, etc.)
I used to love the tv show ‘Dead Like Me’. It was a fascinating way to look at reapers, how we pass on, and also a show about a young girl dealing with her death issues along with her family’s grief.
@Brad Carson… I think about my dreams and their meanings often. If I have a particularly bad dream, I use caution that day.. or check on a loved one. I love when I have a reoccuring dream when I know whats going to happen. Can’t really control the events, I don’t think…
@Tim Renyolds…. Stories of death creep me out! I dont know why. But not as much as zombies. (shivers)
Vampires, Shifters, Zombies, Angels – who wins the final ultimate battle?
@Opal Edgar: How would you personally picture the modern day grim reaper?
I used to picture the grim reaper sort of character. With the black robe and no face. Now I tend to picture Brad Pitt from Meet Joe Black. Much nicer image.
What to you is the best part of being a writer and what is the part you wouldnt mind giving up?