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Showing posts with the label Author Interview

Ghost Story Competition - Writing the Supernatural

 I'm not the Crowvus writer who publishes horror. I've appreciated the brilliant books by Judith Crow, but I know it's not something I can write. The supernatural is different. People will - quite rightly - tell you that horror can encompass the supernatural, but the supernatural is not only confined to that genre. The supernatural, by definition, have their roots in the natural. In the case of ghosts, they were once alive, now having transcended from the natural (i.e. worldly) existence, into the supernatural on an unknown plain. The best ghost stories (my opinion only!) are the ones which unite the natural and the supernatural, looking at the shadows and imprints left on the natural world by those now occupying the supernatural one. In essence, when I read through the submissions for the Crowvus Christmas Ghost Story Competition , I'm looking for the human aspect of the story. I love the idea of ghosts trapped in time, I love the idea of ghosts trying to commune with ...

A Dangerous Road - D. Apple - Qs&As

  Today, I'm thrilled to be able to share an interview with author D. Apple, whose story,  A Dangerous Road , is included in the  Historical Writers Forum 's new anthology,  To Wear a Heart So White . Take a look at the video below to hear about the inspiration behind her story, her love of research, and the attraction of writing real people... So let's meet the book... A cost for every action, and a price for every deed. The Historical Writers’ Forum proudly presents seven stories of Crime and Punishment, from across the ages. From an anchoress to a war hero; from Italy to Missouri; this anthology has a story for everyone. Included stories are: The Ignoble Defence  - Virginia Crow Agatha’s Eyes  - Rachel Aanstad A Pact Fulfilled  - Eleanor Swift-Hook Carte de Viste  - Ronan Beckman A Dish Served Cold  - Brenda W. Clough Shadows of the Adriatic  - Tessa Floreano A Dangerous Road  - D. Apple To Wear a Heart So White  is ava...

Shadows of the Adriatic - Tessa Floreano - Qs&As

   Today, we're continuing our author interviews for the Historical Writers Forum's new anthology,  To Wear a Heart So White . I'm delighted to be sharing an interview with Tessa Floreano on the Crowvus blog, to talk about her story,  Shadows of the Adriatic . Read on to hear all about her inspiration, writing believable characters, and encouraging readers to see beyond the surface... First of all, can you please tell us about yourself and your writing? I am a dual Italian-Canadian citizen residing in the Pacific Northwest, which makes me a pseudo-American, at least that is what The Husband calls me. I enjoy traveling, gardening, reading, and all things Italian. By candlelight and moonlight, I write history about Italians—real and imagined—with a laptop, typewriter, and fountain pens at the ready. My historical era sweet spot ranges from the Gilded Age to the interwar period of the 1920s and 1930s. My stories are always about Italians because they are the people...

A Dish Served Cold - Brenda W. Clough - Qs&As

  Today, we're continuing our author interviews for the Historical Writers Forum's new anthology, To Wear a Heart So White . I'm thrilled to be welcoming Brenda W. Clough onto the Crowvus blog, to talk about her story,  A Dish Served Cold . Read on to hear all about her inspiration, writing pre-existing characters, and gems uncovered during research... First of all, can you please tell us about yourself and your writing? I am best known for science fiction and fantasy – my first novel came out in 1984 from DAW Books. All my stuff overlaps with historical, however – historical SF, historical fantasy, and sometimes just straight historical! A great example of this was in Clarkesworld Magazine last year, where “Clio’s Scroll” came out. It’s first contact with aliens, time travel, and Dante Alighieri in 13th century Tuscany. In relation to A Dish Served Cold, where did your inspiration come from? I’ve written twelve novels about Miss Marian Halcombe, first seen in Wilkie Coll...

Carte de Viste - Ronan Beckman - Qs&As

Today, I'm delighted to be able to share an interview with author Ronan Beckman, whose story Carte de Viste  is included in the Historical Writers Forum 's new anthology, To Wear a Heart So White . Take a look at the video below to hear about Ronan's inspiration for this story, the art of writing flashback sequences, and bringing his ancestors' stories to life... So let's meet the book... A cost for every action, and a price for every deed. The Historical Writers’ Forum proudly presents seven stories of Crime and Punishment, from across the ages. From an anchoress to a war hero; from Italy to Missouri; this anthology has a story for everyone. Included stories are: The Ignoble Defence  - Virginia Crow Agatha’s Eyes  - Rachel Aanstad A Pact Fulfilled  - Eleanor Swift-Hook Carte de Viste  - Ronan Beckman A Dish Served Cold  - Brenda W. Clough Shadows of the Adriatic  - Tessa Floreano A Dangerous Road  - D. Apple To Wear a Heart So White  is avai...

A Pact Fulfilled - Eleanor Swift-Hook - Qs&As

For today's #HistFicThursdays blog, I'm delighted to be welcoming Eleanor Swift-Hook onto the Crowvus blog, to talk about her story, A Pact Fulfilled , which is included in To Wear A Heart So White , the new Historical Writers Forum anthology. Read on to hear all about her inspiration, writing real people, and the importance of research... First of all, can you please tell us about yourself and your writing? According to my mother I’ve been writing stories ever since I first learned how to form words with a pencil. In those days I even illustrated them as well, but sadly my artistic talent did not keep pace with my literary enthusiasm. Although I have written other things, I started writing historical fiction relatively recently, driven by my passion for the early modern period, especially the tumultuous times in the 17th century. My Lord’s Legacy series of books is set in the First English Civil War, one of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and my latest series explores the grim...

Agatha's Eyes - Rachel Aanstad - Qs&As

 Today is the first day in a series of interviews for the stories of the Historical Writers Forum  anthology, To Wear a Heart So White . Our first interview is with Rachel Aanstad who is the author of the story, Agatha's Eyes . So let's meet Rachel and hear more about her story... First of all, can you please tell us about yourself and your writing? I’ve been fascinated by history since I was a little girl. My playtimes always involved pretending I was something like a priestess in Ancient Egypt or a Lady in Waiting at Queen Elizabeth I court. I was always interested in the lives of people who weren’t monarchs or wildly famous.  Over the years I have been lucky to be able to explore a variety of careers. I worked as a radio DJ, a bookkeeper, an architect, an illustrator, a set designer, a Shakespeare director, a gardener, a teacher, a writer, and a medicinal herbalist. I have lived all over the US and traveled in Asia. All of these experiences have helped me be a better w...

#IndieApril Interviews - Steve Exeter

Our 6th Indie Hero is Steve Exeter, author of "Severus: the Black Caesar"! This is a brilliant book to end our first session of #IndieApril interviews. Next week marks the launch of Susan Crow's book "Child of the Earth" so we'll be spending next week promoting that. We're hoping to go back to these interviews the week after. Happy #IndieApril! Severus: the Black Caesar Blurb Severus follows the amazing true story of a rebellious boy who grew up in an African province and became the first Black Caesar of the Roman Empire, the head of a dynasty that would lead Rome through bloody civil wars and rapidly changing times. As a young man, Severus hates the Romans and conspires to humiliate them. What begins as a childish prank unfurls into a bloodbath that sends Severus careening into his future. Through a tragic love affair, dangerously close battles and threats both internal and external, Severus accrues power — and enemies — in his unlik...

#IndieApril - Christopher Aggett

Our fourth Indie Hero is well deserving of the title. Not only is he a successful author in his own right, he also spends much of his time helping other authors on the Writing Community Chat Show. I have often seen authors asking for publicity and yet not giving back in return. Not Christopher! His Community Chat Show is a perfect way to give back to the #WritingCommunity Thanks, Christopher! Deep: the Climb of Truth Blurb "It was hard to imagine my father as anything other than that to me, I couldn't think of him as a killer" A young woman named Dee steps into a world of discovery and fear. Having been brought up isolated from civilisation she is separated from her father and her so-called home. She sets out on a journey through a world of danger and mystery; risking everything to stay alive and reunite with her father Eli. Eli who leads a secret life, entwined in dark and dangerous military experiments that threaten human existence. "This book...

#IndieApril Interview - Shaina Krevat

Our #IndieHero for today is Shaina Krevat, author of "Tales of Mundane Magic". Shaina is a terrific author of short stories, and has a brilliant website which showcases her writing. She also offers writing advice! What a fabulous IndieHero to have on our blog! Make sure you check out the links at the bottom of the page, after reading the interview. Tales of Mundane Magic Blurb Nothing too strange ever happens to Gertie and Bridget Mallon. The sisters don’t have magical adventures fighting off dark lords or saving the world. Gertie spends her time learning the skill of enchantment, and Bridget has the ability to see things no one else can see with her left eye, which was bewitched in an accident many years ago. Sure, they attend Flories Boarding School, where Gertie takes a potions class and Bridget plays basketball, and the occasional magical anomaly takes place, but who doesn’t deal with the occasional poltergeist or curse?Life is relatively calm for the Mallon...