This is where I’ve been!!!
I’ve put my writing on hold to pursue a career as a fire fighter. I know it sounds a little random, especially those who have been reading my pieces over the years and have become great fans. I just want to say I am not ignoring you and yes, I miss chatting with you all, especially at deviant Art. I’m already 2 months in and have four left. If I succeed and pass all the required test I’ll be a fire fighter AND a writer. I’ll have all the time in the world to catch up with my writing.
I actually have one final chapter of The Monolith to write. I have two books in the editing stage and a handful of shorts that need editing. The only really writing that has been done in the last couple of months in the tiniest bits is a short story, slowing turning into a long story, maybe a novella, called “The War On The Blacktop”. It’s a post apocalyptic story where three bikers are being chased by a demon who is after something in one of their duffel bags.
Expect a huge surge of stories in August.
Two stories win first place in Good Guy’s Publishing Flashy Short’s Competition
You will find my short story “Confetti Skycade” and my shorter short, “Bubble Jet Fuel” in the newest “Flashy Shorts – The Sequel”. The both happened to win first place over at Good Guy Publishing and another story “Fallen Awake” was also mentioned as an honorable mention. So I think three stories will be published. I actually think these three are really great stories and if you are a fan of something a bit more washed with wonder, you should pick up this edition when it comes out.
The Monolith Update: Are You Ready To Die?
The Monolith has 15 chapters done. It was originally intended to be 25 but I realize the story is already almost done at 15. It will probably end at 20. The date is scheduled for late Feburary but is subject to change. And I think it’s fucking an amazing fun story.
Monolith News: [link]
Date: Feb. 24th
Also check out Confetti Skycade my latest short story.
Books can get you in a lot of trouble. That’s why I like them so much. – L. Vera
Just a few weeks ago, an FBI task force raided a home* in Portland, Oregon very early in the morning. They broke down the front door with a battering ram and threw in a stun grenade, which is non-lethal but produces a very loud and disorienting noise and a blinding bright light. The team locked down the building and secured the sleepy, compliant occupants. The operation was one of several which also occurred in Olympia, WA and Seattle, WA, involving some 60-80 officers.
Just who were these dangerous criminals, these domestic terrorists whose threat level is so high that an FBI team with stun grenades, battering rams, and assault rifles needed to burst into their homes in the wee hours of the morning?
Why, it’s these two young folks,
Leah-Lynn Plante: 
and Matt Duran:
Reportedly, the FBI search warrant was for black clothing, paint, sticks, computers and cell…
View original post 660 more words
Buy Flashy Shorts Today
When I hear Flashy Shorts, I picture some bright colored shorts, perhaps something Bart Simpson wears. Nonetheless, here is a flashy set of shorts from Good Guy Publishing, coming out Today, with yours truly gracing the pages. The lineup is actually pretty nice, check it out:
Oatmeal Galaxy by K. M. Indovina
Metro Rider by Mark Gatto
Cup Football by Margaret Nesbitt
Duck-egg Blue by Natalie Glenister
The Secret Witch by Debbie Behan
No Criminal by L. Vera
The Flat by Graham Taylor
The Kansas Kindred Killers by Graham Smith
-L. Vera
Diary of a Madman FREE!!!!
You have no excuse not to download this. Even you don’t have a kindle, you can download the PC version here. It’s free till Monday.
Today’s post brought to you be the letter H.
Hiatus.
Been super busy with www.aknifeandaquill.wordpress.com, reading Heath Lowrance’s Dig Ten Graves
– L. Vera
A new blog and we want you to help.
“A Knife And A Quill” is a new blog I’ve created with other writers and artist that will feature dark literature, from self published books to children’s books. So far the staff is four people strong and we have a lot of content coming out on Friday.
So there’s many things you can do to help.
1) Join the team. We are looking for article writers, someone with a little spunk who like to write 2-3 articles a month about writing news, keeping with our dark theme most of the time. We are also letting bloggers use their own amazon affiliate links so they profit off the traffic here.
2) Donate. Soon there will be an icon so that you can donate to make the site more dynamic. We only need $100 every year to make the blog a full fledge website.
Also, click on our Kindle Store link if you plan on making amazon purchases. We get a percentage of anything you buy through our Amazon Affiliate links and even that will help the site.
3) Let us interact with you. Need a book review, let me know. Want an interview, send me a message. Want a contest advertised, shoot me the info. Want your site featured in a blog, then maybe we can trade.
4) Send us any crazy short story you have, which we will throw up on “The Wall”. We’ll showcase strange, weird short/flash fiction every now and then which you can add as a publishing credit.
5) Follow us. It’s that simple. If you have a wordpress account or an email address, we would be thrilled to have you following us.
6) I’m almost out of ways you can help. 🙂 But the last thing I could think of is just communicating with us. I respond to everyone and love talking to anyone who’s brave enough to leave a comment. I may not have awesome ties to agents or big companies, but I do know lots of writers and after talking to you, I’ll know one more.
Diary of a Madman – August 20th
**Author’s notes: This is the tenth piece, the first is found here
You can find the complete, professionally edited and extended book here along with two short stories for $2.99.**
August 20th
Dear Diary,
I’ve been watching the old lady down the hall. This kill is going to be easy. From what I can see out of the corner of my peephole, she leaves everyday at around 8:30 in the morning to get the newspaper and a coffee. Around lunch time she leaves the door open to her apartment till about 8 in the afternoon. She leaves it open for ventilation while she cooks and to air out her apartment.
She takes her smoke breaks around 1, 5, and 8.
I didn’t notice this earlier but Vanessa left me some messages on my answering machine. She mentioned that she will be away for a couple days and, get this Diary, she misses me. So overall, a good day. Tomorrow, will be even better.
The hunger
scares me.
Messages on Todd’s Answering Machine
You have 5 unheard messages.
First message.
Todd, it’s me Vanessa. I haven’t talked to you since Wednesday. I thought you were back in town by now. I hope you’re not avoiding me. Anyways, call me or stop by. I know this may sound weird but I feel lonely when you’re gone. Anyways, call me.
Second message
Mr. Casil, this is Tony, from Frontier Publications. I don’t know how to tell you this but we decided not to go ahead with To My Enemies. What you sent, well… It isn’t what we are looking for. It’s… Look it’s too depressing. A lot of this seems like dribble and crying. I talked to your agent William and we are discussing an alternative to fulfill your contract. William will get together later with you on this. Thanks.
Third message
Todd, buddy old pal. It’s me William. I got out of a meeting with Frontier Publications and looks like they are pulling the plug on your book. But the jokes on them. If they don’t put it out they still have to pay you. You won’t get any percentage from sales but they have to pay you the full bonuses for writing the book. So keep writing. I’ll see if I can find another publisher.
Fourth message
Todd, it’s me Vanessa. I’m leaving out of town for a class trip this weekend. I won’t be back till Monday morning. By the way, I loved your book To Sarah. It’s very beautiful. Whatever happened to her? Anyways, I’ll call you when I get back.
Fifth message
…static…
…static…
click!
Diary of a Madman – August 17th
**Author’s notes: This is the ninth piece, the first is found here
You can find the complete, professionally edited and extended book here along with two short stories for $2.99.**
August 17th
(Continued…)
Diary, I am writing from my childhood bedroom. I found the letter. I found all of them. How can she be dead and still be able to send me all these letters?
She’s alive and I need to find her. I plan on heading back to my apartment tomorrow morning to pack up and get a flight ready.
I called Vanessa from my house phone. Vanessa was happy to hear from me and I was also happy to hear her voice. I felt so nervous to even call her. I felt my stomach get queasy before I even dialed her number. I’m glad I did. The sound of her voice made me forget about everything. We talked for about an hour and she asked me to meet her friends. Our relationship is growing pretty fast. I’m not sure how I can juggle two relationships. I have one with a loving angel and the other with a murderous hunger.
The hunger swims in circles in the back of my stomach. It’s like a hungry shark contained in a huge fish tank swimming constantly in circles.
August 18th
Dear Diary,
The old lady down the hall has green eyes.
Green eyes.
Green.
The hunger.
It feeds off of green eyes.
August 19th
Dear Diary,
I don’t know what got into me yesterday. I can barely read what I wrote yesterday. I felt terrified the whole afternoon. Now I finally have a grip on things.
I need to tell you what happened. I got home and I placed my stuff down on the table. Then everything toppled onto the floor and that’s when I noticed it. The notes and letters that lay on the floor has the same hand writing. I felt so scared my body trembled. I made some tea and tried to calm down.
I felt horrible. I felt like my world was ending because I knew that there was more to all this. I reached into my bag and found an old book of mine I brought from home. It was James Thurber’s 13 Clocks. I opened it up and in the margin where I wrote my name when I was thirteen, was the same writing as the notes and letters. I walked down the stairs in a mindless stupor to check my mail. Nothing, it was empty. I walked back upstairs and I saw the old lady. Her eyes are green.
I must kill her next.
The hunger burns like acid. I think I’m going to be sick.
An Interview With The Sly Ben Sobieck
L. Vera: Ben Sobieck, It’s nice to have you here. If you haven’t been keeping up, I’ve been interviewing non stop for over a week, and I’m pretty much on a roll here. So I’m happy I tracked you down.
Ben Sobieck: I wear a lot of camo, so it’s understandable. I’m happy to be back here in reality, virtually.
L. Vera: So here’s a quick, offbeat question. Tell me the best place to hide in your home if anyone played Hide and Seek there.
Ben Sobieck: Anywhere but the office. I rarely come out of my hole.
L. Vera: Hopefully no thieves are reading this.
I really enjoyed your story “The Last Injustice”. I think any story with a grandfather and their grandson causing trouble, is always a fun read? Please don’t tell me this is based on a true story.
Ben Sobieck: No, it’s not a true story. It involves a terminally ill grandpa going nuts one night. He brings along his grandson/daughter (I never make it real clear so as to allow the reader to insert him/herself). The grandkid tries to figure out what’s making grandpa be so crazy, outside of the illness. It’s a rhetorical question that isn’t completely answered. I want the reader to take a bird’s eye view of life and create their own meaning.
L. Vera: So why have this piece in Burning Bridges? Was it something written especially for the anthology?
Ben Sobieck: First off, “Burning Bridges” is one helluva anthology. It has this punk rock/indie spirit running through it. A bunch of authors, disgruntled with how they were treated by a particular individual, got together to make a statement. It wasn’t anything vengeful. More like, “We got hosed, but we’re not slowing down. We’re burning a bridge and we’re never looking back.”
The grandpa character in my story feels the same way, but with life overall. His only purpose left in life is to die, and he can’t stand to go through with it. He can’t look in the past, either, since it’s too painful. He’s stuck, full of guilt, and he just goes nuts. On the other side of things, the grandkid has an entire life to anticipate. Using this contrast, I wanted to show the two options you can take in life: You can let the past eat you alive or you can look forward. I thought that matched the theme of the anthology perfectly. I hope readers agree.
L. Vera: Why should other readers download it? And what piece should they start reading first?
Ben Sobieck: They should download it because it’s full of great writing. We put this thing together out of want. We’re not making a red cent off it. This is pure passion for writing. Start from the beginning and enjoy yourself.
L. Vera: What other craziness should we expect from you in the future?
Ben Sobieck: I have these two sides to my writing. One is serious, the other is humorous. On the serious side, I’m chipping away at my next crime novel. On the lighter side, there’s always another Maynard Soloman stories on the way.
L. Vera: Ben Sobieck, a fun writer. I plan on reading on reading Cleansing Eden and maybe later I’ll grab one of your humorous detective collections. Everyone should keep up with Ben by visiting his blog and facebook page . Thanks Ben.
An Interview With The Multiple Personalities of Edith Maxwell
L. Vera:Edith Maxwell it’s nice to have you all here. If you noticed the title to this interview, I think you might have an idea of where I’m going to go with this.
Edith Maxwell: I do! We’re happy to be here, too.
L. Vera: How many pen names do you have?
Edith Maxwell: Tace Baker is the first pen name I am using professionally. My three-book Local Foods Mysteries contract with Kensington Publishing specified that I couldn’t publish any other mysteries as Edith Maxwell during the terms of the contract. When I landed a contract with Barking Rain Press to publish Speaking of Murder, the first in my Speaking of Mystery series, I needed to come up with a pseudonym. You can read about my process here. I finally settled on Tace, an old Quaker name, because my protagonist Lauren Rousseau, is a Quaker linguistics professor. And Baker is at the front of the alphabet and easy to spell (and I love to bake!).
L. Vera: I’ve also had plan to use the pen name, “4”? What do you think? I was thinking of releasing my sci-fiction under that name and having a whole persona behind it.
Edith Maxwell: “4” is intriguing. I wonder if it would be difficult to make people understand it is a name, though.
L. Vera: The reason I chose L. Vera was because it’s hard to tell my gender. Just by correcting people, I’ve met lots of people.
So you and Tace Baker each have a story in Burning Bridges. Why did you decide to get those stories in “Burning Bridges”?
Edith Maxwell: Speaking of Murder is the book for which I burned a bridge behind me, by withdrawing from my contract with a fraudulent so-called publisher. I wanted to honor the other authors who went through the same kind of grief by joining the collection. And since Tace is just starting her writing career, she needed a short story pub credential.
L. Vera:What can we expect those stories to be about?
Edith Maxwell: Both of my stories are about revenge and burning bridges of a sort, so I thought they’d be a good fit. One describes a writer who needed an idea for a crime story, and decided to make it come true, as well. The other could be seen as murder out of compassion or out of greed, or both. My villains are just that, kind of bad people at heart.
L. Vera:In the future, where will we find your stories in? And any other pen names we should look forward to seeing?
Edith Maxwell: Speaking of Murder will be out from Barking Rain Press in early fall of 2012 in both paperback and e-formats. Look for TaceBaker.com, @tacebaker, and Tace Baker on Facebook and Amazon. I’d love a follow and a Like! The first Local Foods Mystery,A Tine to Live, a Tine to Die, featuring organic farmer Cam Flaherty, will be out next spring from Kensington Publishing. I hope a few other short stories will pop up here and there, too!
A lot of friends actually call me Max, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I found a way to write under that name, too.
L. Vera: Thank you, Edith Maxwell. It was a pleasure to have you on my blog and I look forward to reading your stories in Burning Bridges. Please visit Edith Maxwell’s blog and amazon page, follow her on Twitter, and give Edith M. Maxwell a Like on Facebook.
Edith Maxwell: Thanks so much for having me on, Luis. And good luck with your writing career, too.
An Interview With The Super Human Heath Lowrance
L. Vera: Heath Lowrance, man of many words, at least I would hope so. It’s nice to have you here Heath.
Heath Lowrance: Thanks, L.
L. Vera: Tell me a little about how you became a writer? Was it radiation? Revenge? Standing to close to a microwave?
Heath Lowrance: I was bitten by an irradiated Harlan Ellison, and eventually learned that With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility.
L. Vera: I knew it. I’ve read your story “A Freeway on Earth”, and it’s so far my favorite story in Burning Bridges. Did you specifically write this one for me?
Heath Lowrance: I wrote it for you and every other working stiff living a life dictated by an alarm clock. Really, “A Freeway on Earth” was born out of frustration with the day job, and how such a huge chunk of our lives are very jealously owned by someone else. I hate that. And I hate that I would get so anxious and nervous about being even a minute late, because the people that owned my time would read me the riot act about it.
So “Freeway” is about day job anxiety.
L. Vera: Why did you choose to get Burning Bridges together? You and Ben Sobieck were the brains behind the operation, you guys don’t have better things to do?
Heath Lowrance: It just seemed like something that needed to happen. Here’s this group of diverse and amazing writers, all with one thing in common (they’d each been burnt by an unsavory experience with a small press). They’d all crossed over a particular sort of bridge. I loved the idea that this one common experience had brought all these different sorts of writers together. Someone (I think it might have been YOU, L., but I can’t really remember) suggested, maybe half-jokingly, that we do an anthology, I seconded it, and bamm-o, next thing you know here we are. I volunteered to compile it because, you know, I only had three other projects that were way past due, why not add a fourth?
L. Vera: It may have been me. I know I’m always trying to get writers together to make our own website, but no such luck so far. I’m actually very happy this anthology happened. I have already heard lots of good things about the other writers and it was an honor to be included. Was there another writer out there that you wanted to include, that didn’t make it onto the pages of Burning Bridges?
Heath Lowrance: Well, I would’ve loved if our Nigel Bird had the time to do a story. I admire his work greatly. But despite that, I think we managed to gather up a pretty stellar list of contributors.
L. Vera: I was hoping to find him in there as well. Where will I be able to find your books and what else should expect to see you in?
Heath Lowrance: You can always hit my Amazon page. My novel THE BASTARD HAND is still available, as is my short story collection DIG TEN GRAVES. My second full-length novel, CITY OF HERETICS, is coming out soon from Snubnose Press. And there’s two or three other things coming in the next couple of months. Follow my non-award winning blog, Psycho Noir, for updates and details and what-not.
L. Vera: Heath Lowrance, an incredible writer. It was glad to have you on my blog and I hope to see more of your stuff. Till then I just started Dig Ten Graves, great so far and if others want to keep up visit Heath Lowrance’s blog and amazon page.
Heath Lowrance: Thanks for having me.
An Interview with the Flying Allan Leverone
L. Vera: Allan Leverone, it’s a pleasure to have you here on my blog.
Allan Leverone: Hey, Luis, thanks for having me – I hope I don’t drive away all your readers…
L. Vera: Impossible. I hope.
Once again, I like to start off with a little off-beat question. So off the top of my head, since I know you’re an air traffic controller . . . who’s worse Pilots or Airport Security?
Allan Leverone: Well, I don’t have to deal with airport security on a regular basis, but on the other hand, I’m not normally in danger of getting groped by pilots, so it’s probably a wash. And, while pilots can occasionally be difficult to work with, if it weren’t for them, I’d be out of a job, so I can’t complain too much about them. Plus, if they want to land at the airport they have to do what I say, so most of the time we get along fine.
L. Vera: Sounds like a fun job. Ever think of a story idea while telling pilots what to do?
Allan Leverone: Occasionally, although it’s kind of funny – I was having little to no success getting anyone to pay attention to my work back in 2007, when I attended Thrillerfest, in New York. I was pitching a novel to an agent and he was completely uninterested in the concept. To pass the time, he asked me what I did for work, and when I told him, he looked at me like I might just be the dumbest person he ever met. He asked why I hadn’t written an air traffic control thriller, and I had no good answer for him. A couple of months later I began work on the manuscript that eventually became FINAL VECTOR, and things have gotten better and better, writing-wise, ever since. I wish I could remember the agent’s name, because I would love to thank him!
By the way, I’m not saying I’m NOT the dumbest person that agent ever met, but I figure literary agents meet a lot of people in their line of work; what are the odds this one never met anyone dumber than me?
L. Vera: Low, I hope.
I’ve read “Dead Weight”, found in Burning Bridges, and wondered where the inspiration came from for such a story?
Allan Leverone: “Dead Weight” is a story with real relevence for me, because the major plot element is something I have personal experience with. I’m not a mob accountant in real life, so if you read the story, you can probably figure out which major plot point I’m talking about. While I didn’t handle the situation in the manner my main character does in “Dead Weight,” I can’t say the thought didn’t occur to me. But in the end, the story is about a parent giving up everything for his child, a subject most parents can relate to pretty easily.
L. Vera: Why Burning Bridges? Why did “Dead Weight” find it’s way with those lovely band of misfits?
Allan Leverone: I was really excited to have the opportunity to contribute a story to BURNING BRIDGES, not just because of the ideal it represents, but also because it was being edited by Heath Lowrance, a guy I have a tremendous amount of respect for. Everyone who contributed to the anthology was burned by a relationship with an unsavory upstart publisher a while back, and a few months ago, someone had the idea of striking back through an anthology. BURNING BRIDGES is the result, and while I admit I’m a little biased, I think the result is truly spectacular.
L. Vera: What should we expect from you in the future, besides fame and fortune?
Allan Leverone: Well, while I’m certainly not about to turn down fame OR fortune should they come knocking, my goal is always to concentrate on the things I can control. For a writer, as you know, that means continually working to improve, and putting out the highest quality work I can. There are so many outstanding writers generating so much outstanding material that it’s really easy to get lost in the shuffle, and there’s a very real element of chance involved in determining who gets noticed and who falls by the wayside.
That said, I have a lot of stuff coming up that I’m very excited about. I just released my third horror novella, THE BECOMING, about a twelve year old boy who accidentally unleashes a horrific force when he explores a long-abandoned coal mine in Pennsylvania. I regained the rights to my first thriller, FINAL VECTOR, from Medallion Press and will soon re-release it in ebook form. And I’m working hard on the sequel to my novel, PASKAGANKEE, which should be available in a couple of months, titled REVENANT.
I just keep writing and hope good things happen.
L. Vera: I’ve already read half of Burning Bridges and think it’s a must read for anyone who simply like good short stories. I think a gateway drug to many other crazy books, but I suggest you delve in and not look back. Also check out Allan at his blog and on Amazon.
Allan Leverone: I couldn’t agree more. Thanks very much for having me, Luis, and here’s to brisk sales a great reviews!
An Interview with the Menacing Joshua J. Mark
L. Vera: Hi. It’s a pleasure to have you here on my blog.
Joshua J. Mark: Great to be here. Thanks for having me.
L. Vera: I wanan start with an important question. Which do you prefer dogs or cats?
Joshua J. Mark: Definitely dogs. I live with one dog and four cats. We’re outnumbered. It’s a tragic scenario. My wife and daughter are cat lovers so my evil plan to leave the back door open for a night and then say, “Cats? What cats? We had cats?” will never be realized.
L. Vera: I read on B. R. Stateham’s blog you once had a dog named “Milkbone”. Ever write him, symbolically, in a story?
Joshua J. Mark: Yes, he’s shown up in various forms through the years mostly as a symbol of loss having nothing to do with an actual dog. He does make a realistic appearance in my novel `Other People’s Dreams’, though.
L. Vera: Should we expect a dog in “Safety First”, found in Burning Bridges?
Joshua J. Mark: No dogs in `Safety First’ – only on obsession which steadily grinds down the mind of the narrator.
L. Vera: Why Burning Bridges? Why with such a colorful authors?
Joshua J. Mark: I’m really, deeply, honored to be included with the other writers in`Burning Bridges’. I think the title is great, the stories are great, and I love how the project developed in response to a disappointment we all shared together in the publishing world.
L. Vera: If I were to stalk your work what should I expect to see in the future, at the end of my binoculars.
Joshua J. Mark: I’m presently marketing my Paranormal Young Adult novel, `The Girl from Yesterday’ and I have two others already written in the Rebecca Pender series (a girl who sees and talks to ghosts)so I’m hoping you’ll see that in the not-so-distant future. I’m also in the process of re-writing this other novel, `Other People’s Dreams’ about a guy who discovers he can make everyone around him happy by lying to them about pretty much everything.
L. Vera: Awesome, I’m actually about to read your story in my copy of Burning Bridges, which is out today. Free on Smashwords and .99 on Amazon, which will be donated to “Literacy for Incarcerated Teens”. Thank you and I hope to have you on again.
Joshua J. Mark: Thanks. It was a pleasure.
An Interview With The Scottish Mouthed McDroll
L. Vera: McDroll, I’m happy to find you busy and awaiting the release of Burning Bridges. It is a pleasure to have you on my blog and don’t worry I’m already a pro at this.
McDroll: I’ve read your previous interviews and I’m surprised you’ve not already got your own Saturday night chat show.
L. Vera: Oh, you. Let’s talk about you. If you had to chose one word that I (being an American) would need to know, if I was going to visit Scotland? Keep in mind I already know many foul words.
McDroll: There’s so many colourful words that I could teach an impressionable young lad like you Luis from shoogle to foochle but if you were ever to visit Scotland then you’d definitely need to have a grasp of bahoochie as you Americans are always talking about your ass.
L. Vera: “Bahoochie” I’ll try to fit that in a conversation today. So, “No Turning Back”, is in Burning Bridges. Why did you chose Burning Bridges for your story?
McDroll: I jumped at the chance to be included in an anthology with so many brilliant writers. I love Julia Madeleine and her novel No One To Hear you Scream was one of my top 10 reads of the year so I’m just thrilled to be in her company!
L. Vera: So what’s inside the story, “No Turning Back”?
McDroll: One of my friends happened to mention that the police have a new tactic in the local drug dealing business and as soon as I heard about it, I just knew that I had to use it in a story! I can’t say anymore because of spoilers!
L. Vera: I notice in your stories a lot of kids can’t speak properly. Do you think kids nowadays are just lazy? Or just don’t care?
McDroll: Even in Argyll, land of hills and glens, the youth of today are influenced in their speech by all the American TV that swamps the airwaves;-) I love eavesdropping so that I can pick up little gems in conversations. I love how people talk to each other, it’s so colourful and something I overhear will spark off a story.
L. Vera: Which came first, the title or the story? Because I must know.
McDroll: The story always comes first with me. I find titles quite hard so always wait until the story’s finished hoping that some kind of inspiration will hit!
L. Vera: So what’s next for McDroll?
McDroll: (I’ve now published 3 parts of my serialised novel, The Wrong Delivery. I need to get busy on part 4 which will probably be the last part, I think. It’s a crime drama set in Argyll, not a place particularly known for crime in Scotland, and shows how people’s lives can spiral out of control from making just a few poor choices. When I’m finally finished with that project, I’d like to try to write something longer about my two favourite characters, Beeny and Jango.
L. Vera: McDroll at her finest. Grab Burning Bridges on Amazon on Today. Also, check out McDroll at her blog and buy her books on Amazon.
Diary of a Madman – August 16th
**Author’s notes: This is the ninth piece, the first is found here
You can find the complete, professionally edited and extended book here along with two short stories for $2.99.**
June 20, 1979
To anyone who reads this,
I am lost in the woods. Todd attacked me and if I don’t make it out of here alive then he has also killed me.
He’s crazy. We woke up in the middle of the night and I heard a wolf howl. It scared me. I told Todd that I was scared and we need to go home; but he wouldn’t listen. The howling got louder and I started to cry. He looked into my eyes and I told him, ‘I want to go home. I want to be with my family.’ He snapped, I saw it in his eyes.
He hit me over the head with a rock. I’m bleeding and I am getting a bit dizzy. I just want to you to know that I love you mom. I love you too, dad and I am sorry.
August 16th
Dear Diary,
I spent the whole day writing. I tried to get those notes out of my head. I wrote and wrote and wrote. Then… someone knocked on the door. I assumed it was Vanessa. I just sat there typing away. I closed the blinds and stayed in my robe. I keep thinking about how I knew it was me who wrote those notes. It didn’t even look like my handwriting and I don’t remember writing any of it. Maybe Sarah is dead. Maybe I did kill her, but why don’t I remember?
No. I received a letter from her when I was in college. I need to find it. I’m going tomorrow to my parent’s house. I need to find it.
By the way, my novel is coming along, but so is the hunger.
August 17th
Dear Diary,
I had a horrible dream last night. I was standing on the street in front of my house. I was in my childhood pajamas but I wasn’t a boy. I was a grown man. The only light in the sky came from the moon and its many stars. I slowly walked over the dew covered grass and towards the garage. I remember the garage door disappearing in thin air as I approached it.
Inside the empty garage floor was a lone cardboard box. On the side written in a black marker was the name “Sarah”. I opened it and inside was her head. It appeared to have been bludgeoned. Her face was barely recognizable.
There was also a book in there as well. It was her Diary. As I reached for it, the garage seemed to turn into a dark forest. I was back in the woods. Her Diary was in my hands. I opened it and bellowing cloud of air and fear flew into my face. I woke up screaming and terrified. At that point I didn’t want to go back home; but I have to. I wrote this entry while the dream was still fresh in my mind. I will write more tonight when I get back home.
Nest: here
An Interview With The Rootiness Tootiness Writer, B. R. Stateham
L. Vera: Wow, B. R. Stateham. I’m happy to have the chance to ask you a couple of questions. I hope you feel comfortable here at my blog.
B. R. Stateham: No problem, Luis. Always willing to have a conversation about writing, writers, my characters, and about creating story lines. A writer talking with writers, and fans of writers, is always a pleasant experience.
L. Vera: Thank you. Okay now with the pleasantries out of the way, let’s get to the guts and blood. When was the last time you killed someone?
B. R. Stateham: Let’s see . . . it was day before yesterday, I believe. Wrote a Smitty story about Smitty having another ‘talent’ in his hit-man trade; that of being a professional ‘cleaner.’ Cleaning up the mess others leave behind. Come to think of it, in another piece I am writing (not a Smitty piece) a couple of characters are about to get whacked. Hmmm . . . bloody old fart, aren’t I?!
L. Vera: After reading “A Gift”, in Burning Bridges, I’m convinced Smitty, the cold blooded killer, is actually you. How close I’m I from the truth? And don’t tell me if you tell me you’re going to have to kill me.
B. R. Stateham: Mmmmmm . . . maybe deep down in the subconscious you might be right. I think both the writer and the fans find characters they identify with and secretly wish they could clone into. Certainly a few fans have come to enjoy the Smitty stories that way. The consummate killer who knows how to kill and disappear into the night? There’s something vicariously intriguing about that concept. We find that character thru several genres from Horror thru Westerns. The mystery/detective genre is full of ’em.
L. Vera: So what will we find inside the story, “A Gift”?
B. R. Stateham: An acquaintance of Smitty’s asks the killer to protect his only child from harm. He does, and in the process (and in an allegorical sense) gives the acquaintance an opportunity to cross a bridge and embrace a different life. A simple explanation, to be sure; but the story is a little more grimly painted.
L. Vera: Awesome. How many Smitty stories are out there? And where could we find them all?
B. R. Stateham: Oh goodness, who knows!! Smitty hopefully will last a long time. Currently I’m writing his first full length novel. And then I collect the Smitty stories when enough of them have been written and put them in an on-going anthology. Two of them are out now. Call Me Smitty: Dirty Little Secrets and Call Me Smitty: See You in Hell are available thru Amazon. As to where yo can find the individual stories I send them out to many of the on line ezines. And I share a few of them on my blog site In The Dark Mind of B.R. Stateham.
L. Vera: When you came up with the story, which came first, the title or the story?
B. R. Stateham: The story comes first. Always the story. The title usually comes from a line out of the story itself. For me it seems so easy to find a line or two that can be used for the title. But the story first (and I might add it’s usually first an image, or an idea, first set down and then the building of the story around that image or idea). I like writing this way. It’s fresh and exciting . . . and many times quite surprising . . . what comes along doing it this way.
L. Vera: How many more deaths should we expect in your writing career? (Please talk about future stories and books with your writing that’s coming out)
B. R. Stateham: Haven’t a clue! Currently I’m piddling with four novels I’m writing plus numerous short stories. There’s the Smitty novel (tentatively called The Ripper). And then the third book in the Turner Hahn/Frank Morales series (a couple of homicide detectives); and there’s the second book in the art thief/detective character named Jake Reynolds. And the third book in the Roland of the High Crags Fantasy series. So there’s enough there to keep me going for a long, long time.
L. Vera: That’s B.R. Stateham folks and I was glad to have him here. Don’t forget to read Burning Bridges hitting the #1 free spot on Amazon on Today. Also, check out B. R. Stateham at his blog, but tread lightly I swear he’s a cold blooded killer.
George Gesinger: the man, the author and the interview.
L. Vera: George Gesinger, an amazing writer, I am happy to have you on my blog.
George Gesinger: I’m more than happy to be here with you, Luis. I’d like the public to know more about me, as a writer and as a person. I believe I have something important to say to society.
L. Vera: Okay. I’m glad to be that platform. So let’s start off with publicity. One thing I like about you is that you are not afraid to publicize your work. Any secrets you want to share with us not so brave authors?
George Gesinger: The thing about publication is that it’s not like being on stage, in person, performing in the spotlight, like I was doing when I was a child prodigy in school. It’s only a matter of trying to think of things to say about my stories. I think I’m called upon to give more than just a link to motivate people to want to read me. People want to know why they should give their attention to any story. If you tell most people you’ve got a psychiatric diagnosis, they really don’t want to read your work. If I don’t get the word out, being a freelancer, how is anyone even supposed to know the stories even exist? I’d like to encourage all writers to take an active part in promoting their own work. There’s everything to gain from publication. I took some courses in business and marketing. I have some idea about how to make the plug about each succeeding story.
L. Vera: Your story “Asylum” is locked away in Burning Bridges. Is there any reason you decided to put such a story in this anthology?
George Gesinger: Yes. I spent my youth in state hospitals and psych wards, or asylums, after I’d graduated from high school and got sick while I was in university. I tried to go to music school, to become a high school band director, but the rigors of university life were too much for me. I had a major nervous breakdown when I was only twenty years old. Since then, I’ve suffered from a chronic chemical imbalance in my brain, which is an incurable disease. The doctors can control it to a certain extent, so some of us can live fairly normal lives with it, but once you come down with a problem with your brain chemistry, you have it for a lifetime. I want to be a part of the process of educating the public about this issue, so that there might be a little more open mindedness in the community at large for guys like me. The media have given a lot of bad press to mental illness, but many of us are just lonely, confused people who have to take pills and see doctors all our lives.
L. Vera: The title alone brings grimy images of a man locked away. Is that what we should expect?
George Gesinger: I think the general public is just plain frightened by the concept of someone being locked away in an asylum, because they don’t really know what it means. In all my work, I’m trying to dispel the stigma. I believe I’m “called upon” to do that, in a spiritual sense, since I have been given such a creative thrust, especially over the past year, to be writing down my experiences and publishing them. I’m not just doing it to shock the public. I think there’s already way too much of that in the media. What you’ll find in all my work is some perspectives on what it’s like to be behind locked doors. An asylum is not a prison, and as long as you treat others with respect, they are likely to do the same to you. I like to have a little fun with the concept, too. I always try to take my medications, because I don’t want the men in the white coats to be coming after me with a butterfly net.
I saw a story about soldiers being in combat on the TV one time, and the commentator made the remark that a soldier’s life is largely one of extreme boredom, punctuated with short periods of deep horror. I guess I’d say the same thing about being in asylums. Most of the time, we’re just bored, and want to go home. Sometimes, I think I’d like to have a normal life, with a normal history, but that’s not where I’ve come from.
L. Vera: What compelled you to write such a piece?
George Gesinger: I’ve had a lot of experience in state hospitals and psych wards over a lifetime of better than sixty years. That’s forty years in and out of institutions. One of the things I find compelling about that is that I’ve survived the experience. Someone once said, “Write what you know,” and I know institutions and the people in them. I always say that I don’t eat my vegetables, because some of my best friends are vegetables.
L. Vera: Most importantly which came first, the title or the story?
George Gesinger: I lived the experiences long before I could ever write about them. In 2010, I had a couple of calamities in my life. For one thing, I got confused about the formula for taking my medications the way they were prescribed. I’m not certain, but I think I overdosed myself for about two weeks or longer. I nearly lost my life. The other thing was that I lost my ability to communicate for several months, while I went thru the detox from my psych meds to save my life. Please understand. To take a chronic mental patient off his medications completely for any prolonged period is a very dangerous thing to do to a patient. I might have gone off the deep end, and never come back to myself again in my lifetime. I had to have strict medical supervision. My speech and ability to write the way I’m doing now, have come to me thru that confusing, tormenting time. I feel compelled to tell my stories.
L. Vera: What should we expect from you in the future?
George Gesinger: I hope to learn a lot more about writing fiction. I have a friend here at assisted living who’s trying to coach me a little bit about how to do that. So far, what I’ve been doing is writing about my personal experiences, in a nonfiction setting. Since I’ve been diagnosed with a memory disorder, I pursue my memories, and do my best to write them all down. What I’d really like to be able to do is draw upon my personal experience to write more about the overall experience of having a chemical imbalance, but make it more like fiction. I ask each of you to visit my blog. I’ve been very active there, too. I have a blog post about One Flew Over the Coo Coo’s Nest, dispelling some of the fallacies about the movie. There are things in that movie, like Girl, Interrupted, that are on target, and other things that are just plain Hollywood.
L. Vera: Awesome interview, I got an early copy of “Asylum” which will be in Burning Bridges on Amazon on May 1st and it’s great. Please visit George Geisinger on his blog , or on Goodreads and buy his books on Amazon , or you may get locked away with us crazy writers and none of us would want that. Right?
An Interview With The Face Smashing Paul D. Brazil
L. Vera: It means a lot to me to have you on my blog.
Paul D. Brazil: It’s nice to be asked, mate.
L. Vera: I know you write a lot of gritty noir in crime infested worlds. Since I’ve always felt you were such a “tough guy”, I want to know, who was the last person you punched?
Paul D. Brazil: I’m a writer not a fighter. I’m more float like a bee, sting like a butterfly. Drink like a fish.
L. Vera: Drink Like A Fish, that should be the title of a book. Anyways, I’ve always seen your stuff in collections, ever think about pushing a novel out?
Paul D. Brazil: There’ll be a novella coming out at some point this year from Pulp Press called Guns Of Brixton. And at least one more that should be out by the end of the year.
L. Vera: So what kind of violence will we see in, “The Beginning Of The End”? And will anyone get punched in the face in your story?
Paul D. Brazil: “The Beginning Of The End” has lots of violence that’s much worse than a punch in the face but, as is my taste, the violence all happens ‘off screen’.
L. Vera: What compelled you to write such a piece?
Paul D. Brazil: I wanted to write something about someone having a fresh start and burning bridges. And then see what happens after that. It’s like the last frame of The Graduate‘, which I’ve always found quite ominous.
L. Vera: And once again (it’s like my catch phrase for interviews) which came first, the title or the story?
Paul D. Brazil: The story was originally called ‘A New Dawn Fades‘ after the Joy Division song, but I thought that was a bit too glum, chum.
L. Vera: What should we expect from you in the future?
Paul D. Brazil: Two anthologies that I’ve edited will be out very, very soon: Drunk On The Moon and True Brit Grit (which I edited with Luca Veste).
I’ll have story -The Liberator- in Matt Hilton‘s Action magazine and one called Catch As Catch Can in an anthology that’s being put out by the people behind Solarcide magazine. The Italian publisher Lorenzo Mazzoni will be putting out a novelette as part of a series of stories set in various cities of the world. Mine is set in Warsaw.
And there are a couple more things in the works that I don’t want to talk about right now.
L. Vera: You’ve heard here first. Paul’s a writer not a fighter. I can’t wait to read “The Beginning Of The End” in Burning Bridges on Amazon, May 1st. Also, check out Paul D. Brazil at his blog and read his stories or I’ll punch ya in the face.
An Interview With The Inked Sensation Julia Madeleine
L. Vera: I would like to start off by saying how much of an honor it is to have you on my blog and bare with me as I’m still getting the hang of doing interviews.
Julia Madeleine: Thanks a bunch for the invite.
L. Vera: I was doing some research on you and gave up, because ever since I’ve friended you on Facebook, I’ve always been interested in the fact that you are also a tattoo artist. If I wanted a tattoo, why should I go to your shop?
Julia Madeleine: You will have to take a look at the website and check out our work to know the answer. You know what they say about a picture and a thousand words.
L. Vera: You also have a story in “Burning Bridges” that’s coming out on May 1st, and you have a short story called “Unforgettable” screaming between those pages. Why did you choose Burning Bridges for you story?
Julia Madeleine: Oh, it’s probably all Heath Lowrance’s fault. You know he’s always up to no good. Him and that crazy British guy Paul D. Brazill. The two of them are the usual suspects when it comes to something like this. Paul probably thought the whole thing up after a few drinks. Yeah, now that I think about it, it was the two of them. I’d swear to it.
L. Vera: Those two trouble-makers are always up to no good. So tell me what is “Unforgettable” all about, and will it really be unforgettable?
Julia Madeleine: I hope it’s unforgettable. It’s about a woman who’s been stood up by a man a time too many and now she decides to teach him a lesson he will never forget.
L. Vera: Is there any intriguing tale about its creation?
Julia Madeleine: Once I’d started writing it, I remembered a story a friend had told me many years ago about her first ever date experience when she was just sixteen and the heartache she felt when she was stood up. So I worked that into the story.
L. Vera: And because I have to ask: Which came first, the title or the story?
Julia Madeleine: The story came first. Titles always come later for me.
L. Vera: What should we expect from you in the future?
Julia Madeleine: I’ve got stories in four, possibly five, more anthologies this year. I’m also releasing another full-length thriller called The Refrigerator Girls.
L. Vera: Another fun interview, I really enjoyed having Julia Madeleine on my blog and again in my kindle with Burning Bridges on May 1st. Also, check out Julia Madeleine at her blog and also stop by for a tattoo, tell them L. Vera sent ya.
An Interview with the Gun-Toting Darren Sant
lverawrites 