Sirens Call Publication- The Horror of Steampunk Blog Post

With the release of each new anthology, Sirens Call Publications invites its contributing authors to write a guest post on their blog, to allow us to share our inspirations behind our pieces.

For the release of Bellows of the Bone Box, I was invited also, to have a good old ramble about what inspired me to write my short story, Clockwork Doll, and about what Steampunk means to me.  I hope you enjoy!

And if you stick with my little ramble, there's a little sneak-peek excerpt of my story too!

http://sirenscallpublications.wordpress.com/2013/05/15/the-horror-of-steampunk-with-laura-brown/

Bellows of the Bone Box- Steampunk Horror Anthology, featuring Clockwork Doll, out now!

Well, I'm a wee bit late to this party- we can all thank the disruptive and naff-tastic updates that Hotmail had last month!  As it goes, I didn't know until yesterday that my short story had been published as of April 17th, due to emails just not making their way into my inbox as the whole thing was updated!  Blasted technology!

Doesn't it make you long for simpler times?  Back when technology was more reliable, more refined?  Then maybe you'd be interested in this steampunk/horror anthology.

Bellows of the Bone Box, from Sirens Call Publications, is now available to buy in both kindle/e-book format, and in paperback.  My contribution is a short story called Clockwork Doll, and is set in an alternate Victorian London, but as the goggled skull on the front cover might suggest, these short stories aren't just typical, run-of-the-mill steampunk tales...

I love steampunk literature, as well as the fashion and aesthetic, so it was great fun to be involved with this anthology!  It also marks a particularly significant stepping stone in my writing career, as "Clockwork Doll" is the first short story I will receive payment for.  Its a small stepping stone, but as I say, significant, as being a professional author is my ultimate career goal.  While I can't quit the day-job yet, I can however say I am a published, official author, and my aspirations seem just that little bit closer to finally becoming reality.

What is steampunk?  If you're unfamiliar with this phenomenon, steampunk is both a literary movement as well as a fashion one.  For the purposes of this blog, steampunk often refers to a literary setting that takes place during the Victorian era or the Industrial revolution, but involves science fiction elements, usually such as technology that runs on steam and clockwork (as was usual for the time period) but far more advanced.  The genre, however, is far broader than that very brief description would have you belief, and covers a many different themes, such as exploration and alternative history (there are even other derivatives that cover different time periods in the same manner, such as "atom punk" or "diesel punk").  What is so interesting about the Bellows of the Bone Box anthology, however, is how the steampunk genre has been blended with horror in these tales.

Now that I'm finally on board this (steampunk) train, I'm hoping to participate in the publicity that follows, so please watch out for upcoming blog posts and the like!  In the meantime, if you would like to find out what exactly Clockwork Doll is all about, and what perhaps steampunk-horror is like, then click the links, buy the book, curl up with a cup of tea, and enjoy!

http://www.sirenscallpublications.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Bellows-Bone-Box-Kirk-Jones/dp/0615774873/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

May Blog Post- I'm BACK!

Hello everyone!

I'm very glad to announce that I'm BACK and feeling much, much better after my much-needed hiatus!  I don't have a huge amount of news, being as I was trying to use my break to chill out, but I do have a few updates to share.

If you read my blog you will know that the reason for my absence was mostly down to stress.  The beginning of this year has been very tough for me, and trying to keep up with Twitter, Blogspot, writing and all sorts of things was getting too much for me, what with all the things going on in my personal life.  We've lost some feline friends in the last few months, and its been a very sad time.  I've also had a lot of stresses from the "day job" affecting me.  I didn't intend to miss May's IWSG post, but as I had only just come back into the UK and it was birthday, I simply had no time, sorry!

I spent the last 2 weeks of April in the US visiting my fiance who I only see once a year usually.  Getting away from it all was something I clearly needed, but I was quite unfortunate to be struck by a horrendous dental infection (thank gods, and my dentist, for anti-biotics), and then pollen season in Ohio broke me out in hives!  Poor old me!  But on the upside, I got to see my Bear and have some good quality time with him, without any worries about work or writing.  It feels weird to say I've been home 2 weeks now, because sadly it feels longer, but in that 2 weeks I've had some cool things going on, and while readjusting is always a struggle for me, I do feel a lot of my stresses and concerns are finally lifting from my mind.  So back to work I go, and here I am!

Beltane Blessings

A little belated, for sure, but wishing you all some Beltane blessings at this time.  Beltane is also my birthday, and was celebrated in the most self-indulgent manner ;) I was unable to attend the Beltane ceremony I had intended to, but managed to hold my own little ceremony under a tree near my house; it was rather cute and little, and I think it went well, although may have confused the neighbours!

This is my photo of my "makeshift altar"- I was in a very pink-and-purple mood, so I bought along a rose quartz and a purple cat's eye (also appropriate as upon a "cushion" of wilted cherry blossom petals, sits my pendant of the Goddess Bast).  My pentagram sits in the middle, with some bluebells and cherry blossom flowers either side...after roses, these are my favourite flowers and are in bloom around my birthday and Beltane, so it seemed appropriate.  But also, I keep finding the blossoms ripped from their trees in clumps and just dumped on the floor, so I picked them up with the intention of putting them on the altar.  I also brought along a small offering of cheese which was gobbled up over night.  The whole thing went well very nicely, and I feel as though I've had some kind of fresh start- maybe the fertile energies of Beltane will help me with my endeavours and creativity :)

Writing Updates
Writing has been very slow for me recently, and slightly disappointing.  I've been absolutely neglectful of my EGL work, and had great intentions for attempting a bajillion different submissions, but little has come to fruition.  In the past few months, I've had only had rejections.  The first was annoying but I could kinda see where they were coming from.

The second didn't upset me at all to be honest, because it was such a nice rejection!  It was a story called "God Town" that had struggled a little with, but also was very pleased with, and had poured a lot of love into the tale, as well as a little humour.  Sadly, the submission turn out was huge, and God Town was not quite what they were looking for, however, the feedback was very positive, and left me in good spirits about getting it placed elsewhere.

The third rejection simply wound me up, as I didn't feel I was given any useful feedback, and as bratty as I might sound, I think it was probably turned away with little consideration.  I'm not usually one to blow my own trumpet, but with the subject matter in hand, not only am I confident that I was giving the publisher exactly what they were looking for, but also was using the otherwise very popular and overdone subject matter in a very unique way.  I wouldn't even be too surprised if they decided not to read it- the them I'd picked was a popular one and I had submitted close to the deadline, so perhaps they had already read something they'd liked and thought "sod the rest".  I'm not sure, and I can only speculate, but I was very annoyed by the whole thing.  I'm sure though that a similar subject will arise at some point, so their loss I suppose.

Meanwhile, on the upside, this week I began working on the edits of my short story "Skin", set to be published in the Impossible Spaces anthology by Hic Dragones!  Very pleased to have something positive going on, although editing is mighty hard work!  I have to say, I really do appreciate editors- they have a bloody hard job to do, and I certainly hope I don't make their work too much harder!

In the process of writing this blog post, I have found out some more news, which is pretty darn awesome, and if I can get it verified, will include it at the end of this post, and will probably dedicate another to it also!

(This is why it takes me forever to do blog posts :P).

Art (and Related Exciting Happenings)
Art has been a bit on the back-burner recently, although when I can get some time to draw I think it does help to relax me.  Most of the doodles I've been enjoying recently have just been sketches and ideas for my Puffin memorial tattoo, and I've finally decided I like the idea of having a sort of cameo-brooch style-frame in the design.

One piece of artwork I've been working hard on was completed and given as the gift it was intended- I'm going to admit now that I was an utter squishy fangirl who makes presents for musicians and artists that she has fangirl crushes on.  This artwork was a drawing I made for the musician/author/animator/all-round-creative-and-awesome bloke, Aurelio Voltaire; it was a tea-stained mock poster advertising fictional belly dancers (named the Clockwork Dolls, after my story of the same name) performing to his instrumental piece, "Tempest".  I'm going to wait to put up a photograph, as I'm still a bit...blushy...over the whole thing...but Voltaire is an absolute gentleman- he said he really liked it, made some lovely comments about my artwork, kissed me on both cheeks (squee!) and even gave me a keyblade pendant as a thank you gift! I tell you what, I've had a naff week following last weekend when I met him and saw him perform in London, but that little high just keeps me floating quite happily!


BIG BREAKING NEWS!

Well, I found out rather by surprise while writing this blog post that I've had a major development in my career as an author!  There appears to have been some sort of miscommunication mishap while I was absent, but as of April 17th, I have a second short story in PRINT.

That's right- Siren's Call Publications steampunk-horror anthology Bellows of the Bone Box is now published and for sale!

My short story "Clockwork Doll" is featured in this anthology- it is my second in-print (in-an-actual-physical-book-you-can-hold-in-your-hand-in-print!) and the first one I will actually receive payment for!!!

And you know what that means!

I am now officially, an author! ;)

Blog-post to follow where I gush about this- clearly I need something to celebrate after all that poop from earlier this year!

To buy copies of the book, please see Sirens Call Publications and Amazon:
http://sirenscallpublications.com/index.html
http://www.amazon.com/Bellows-Bone-Box-Kirk-Jones/dp/0615774873/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

I think that's a good place to wrap up May's blog post, so thank you, its great to be back!

Gonna take a little break...

Eventually, something's gotta give.  And it was either the remainder of my sanity or the Internet.

My computer is appallingly bad, slow and crappy, and as I've mentioned frequently, I am not good with computers at the best of times.  However, for example, it has taken me two and half hours this evening to do some stuff that probably should have only taken me one hour.  This sort of crap frustrates me endlessly, and on top of all the stress I'm dealing with at the moment, it is extremely unneeded and unwanted.

So I'm taking a hiatus from the Internet- after I sign off in a few minutes, I won't be back online until I briefly pop on on Friday evening (as I'm off to America on Saturday to see my fiance, and I will "need" to make obligatory "I'm going to America to see my fiance" statuses on Facebook :P ).  After that, I may return online sporadically for the next 2 weeks, but mostly in a social, casual manner.  So there may not be an April Blog Post this month.  I also apologise for not being more active with this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group- once again, trying to read just one other blog is taking me so much time, and taking up so much of my now endangered patience (thinking of investing in a new laptop when I come home, so I don't have to use this Box of Rocks PC).

The upside is the following:

-I won't go insane
-Therefore I won't go postal ;)
-I will have time to relax
-I will have time to deal with my shit
-I will have so much more time for writing and drawing
-I will be doing lots of writing and drawing :D
-I get to see my fiance!

I clearly need a break...so off I go.  Thanks everyone for their support, see you in a few weeks x

Insecure Writer's Support Group Post- Writing and Illustration

Happy April everyone!  Sorry for my absence last month; I was having a lot of emotional issues and traumas so I decided to take a little break for a week or so- however, over the last week and a bit, I'm trying to get back in the swing of things, so here I am.

This month's IWSG topic is a little odd- not a strong insecurity on the surface of it, but a concern that I have, and I'm wondering what other writers might make of it.

You see, I am not just a writer- I am also an artist.  I don't put a lot of my artwork online for a couple of reasons; one out of fear of plagiarism or theft (one of the reasons why I don't put my writing up for everyone to see, even though I've had requests for it).  As I'm totally inept with technology, even putting a simple watermark would be beyond me.  Secondly; DA is a pain in the ass.  Some DeviantArt artists may gasp in shock at me for this, but the truth is, I do have a DA account.  I was freaking addicted to DA for ages, until my gallery got stuck with a malicious ad that in the space of two months attacked our computer twice.  DA's stance is that its basically not their problem.  Now,  I'm sure some of you are thinking I should just use this finagle or use this filangee to fix the issue, but as mentioned before, I am inept with technology.  I struggle to keep a blog and Twitter going!  That, and we have a PC so bad that I've taken to calling it a Box of Rocks just so it seems less crap.  The account is still there (Chibi-Black-Rabbit) but as this is technically not my computer (I live at home with my folks), and my Dad asked me not to use DA anymore, I'm kinda obligated to respect his wishes.

But I am an artist; I have provided artwork for local musicians, created tattoo designs, hell, even apprenticed briefly at a tattoo studio, and it was my portfolio that nabbed me that position (it was insurance, or lack thereof, that robbed me of it).  I'm not a very social artist, but DA was working to improve that.  Creatively, my art and my writing tends to go hand in hand.  For a lot of my stories, there are doodles, sketches and even fully-developed pieces to accompany it.  I imagine the vast majority of my novels, once completed, having my illustrations accompanying them.  I can't choose one expression over the other- while writing may seem to take precedence, art is just as important to me.

You see, I don't think illustrations are just for children, or just for graphic novels.  I think even adult novels can make room for the occasional, well-placed piece of artwork.  Heck, for Night Gods (the novel I am working on) I have even considered the possibility (if it is successful enough to warrant it) releasing a whole art book, a bestiary even, of artwork for all the strange creatures and characters that appear.  Now, I've read plenty of books without illustrations, and its not spoiled the reading for me, but I do love a "picture" book too.  As an artist.

But how often do you even come across books with the odd illustration here and there?  Not many, that's for sure.  I'm trying to tell myself that its quite likely publishers will probably talk me out of illustrations, at least at first (if perhaps I became successful, I can imagine later editions and companions with artwork).  But at least the cover work, that could be mine, right?

Right?  I have no idea.  I have not seen many books where it has said that the writer was also the artist responsible for the cover design.  This surprises me, as I'm sure there must be other writers out there, like me, who are also a dab hand with a pencil or a paintbrush.  Is it always down to an illustrator/designer to do this?  How much say does the writer get in that?

You see, I can't really imagine ANYONE else having artistic input in that area.  Oh wait.  I lie.

I can name ONE person.

You see, I do admire many other artists, from Salvador Dali to Brian Froud to Yoshitaka Amano, oh of course, you can't be an artist without having your influences.  But on a more personal level, I have always been...odd around other artists.  Its a bizarre personality trait that I can only put down to insecurity and jealousy, but I have never been particularly fond of other artists in the past, or if I have done, then I've been hugely jealous of their work, which has made me feel awkward.  Nowadays, however, I do have some artist friends who I don't feel this way around, and love their work.  And one such is a very good friend of mine.

As a fantastic animal portrait artist, she is also the first ever artist I have personally commissioned myself!  I have never asked anyone to do something for me before!  IF I had to concede the task to another artist, she's the only person I can imagine doing it.

I'm even open to collaboration- as I suck with technology, I wouldn't object to a photoshop artist perhaps cleaning up something I've produced, alter it slightly to make it more appropriate for a book cover.

But actually concede the work to someone else (apart from aforementioned talented friend)...unthinkable to me.

Is this a possibility?  Has anyone ever faced this issue?  Am I being overly concerned? (I'm certainly being premature, as I have even finished Night Gods yet :P) Like I said, at this point, not a major insecurity, but as for me, art is just as important as writing, it is something I don't want to just leave to someone else.  If writing a story is all part of the expression I'm sharing with the world, then so is that artwork.

Anyway, I shall leave it at that, as I am a very tired bunny.  My April blog post will be coming up soon, but this month will also be relatively quiet as I'm spending half of it in the US!  Just want to say thanks to everyone who left a kind message recently.

Take care for now x

http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.co.uk/p/the-insecure-writers-support-group.html

Interview with Angeline Trevena- Horror Writer and Enthusiast, and Author of "Being Superhuman"

Angelic Knight Press have published an anthology of erotica- oh what a surprise, eh? In the wake of the success of E L James' Fifty Shades of Grey, everyone is jumping on that bandwagon at the moment after all!  Oh...but I forgot to mention though...this is no ordinary erotica.  This, my friends, is zombie erotica.

I'll just give you a moment to get your heads around that.  The anthology is called "Fifty Shades of Decay" (I see what you did there!) and features 51 different authors, and their tales of undead pleasure and decadence; certainly not one for the faint of heart.  One of those authors is writer Angeline Trevena; you maybe more familiar with her works of spine-chilling horror fiction. This is her first erotica story- and my first author interview! I caught up with Angeline to find out more about her short story "Being Superhuman".


- Although very well acquainted with the world of horror, erotica is a newer genre for you as a writer. What sort of challenges did this present for you?
It is such an unfamiliar territory for me, as I'm not even a reader of erotica. At first it did worry me, and my biggest issue was how graphic I should be. I follow a few erotica writers on Twitter, and know another in my local writing group. I appealed to them for help, and received a lot of advice and encouragement in reply. As long as I avoided all those comical and awkward euphemisms, I knew I could give it a good go!

- What was it about the Fifty Shades of Decay submission that appealed to you in the first place?
Just how unusual it was. Who would have ever thought of mashing zombie stories with erotica? It's so deliciously and disturbingly wrong that I simply couldn't resist it!

- You’ve said that you initially struggled to write zombie erotica, but was suddenly struck with inspiration, leading to the creation of Being Superhuman. What was the difference in your approach that lead to your success?

After a lot of false starts, I reverted to that good old piece of advice 'write what you know'. So I wrote a horror story which included sex, rather than attempting to write erotica and add horror to it. Once I got that distinction into my head, the story just flowed from there.

- The word limit was very tight, itself presenting a challenge. How did you overcome that particular obstacle?

It was tough. I ended up cutting about half of the first draft to fit the limit of 2,000 words. My story involved a lot of travelling across country, so all of that disappeared. I also cut the whole of the opening, beginning the story at the start of the action rather than spending time setting the scene. It certainly does teach you a lesson about word economy and cutting out the waffle.

- What is the significance behind the title “Being Superhuman”? It intrigued me, but didn’t allude to the sinister twist that took me by surprise!

Without giving too much away, the zombies in my story are stronger than they were as humans, they have more energy and more stamina. They are, in essence, superhuman.

- Despite the limited word count, Being Superhuman seems to hint at something deeper and larger. What message does Being Superhuman share, and do you think you’ll revisit this theme?

2,000 words doesn't give a lot of scope for character, world, or plot development, and when you're writing about something your reader doesn't have any real life experience of, you are left leaving suggestions of things, letting your reader fill in some of the gaps themselves.

For me, Being Superhuman is a story about unconditional love, and the power of lust within a committed relationship. It's about saving that relationship against extreme odds. This is certainly a theme I'll revisit, although not with the same setting and characters.

- Erotica is open to a lot more criticism than other fiction genres; why do you think this is, and how do you think these perceptions can be changed?

Erotica is mainly written by women for women, and we live in a society that is highly suspicious, scared even, of women's sexuality, and women being in control of their sexuality. While men have an unspoken freedom to explore theirs, women are subject to slut shaming, victim blaming, and an unrealistic expectation of virginity and abstinence.

It's sad that, even in the 21st Century, society reacts to sexually open women with either disdain or ridicule. Women spend their lives fighting against this cultural attitude, and I suppose we'll continue until we can find some sort of sexual equality.

- Do you think you’ll return to the erotica genre at some point in the future?

At the moment, I can't see it, but I'll never say never. Relationships are an integral part of any story, so there is sure to be sex popping up in my writing in the future.
I really enjoyed writing this story because of the unique mashup of genres, so if another chance to write horror erotica comes up, I'm sure I'll jump at it.

*

Fifty Shades of Decay is currently available in ebook format, and due for paperback release soon.  To find out more about the anthology, and about Angeline Trevena and her work, please follow the links below! :)

http://www.angelinetrevena.co.uk

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/286863

http://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Shades-of-Decay-ebook/dp/B00BH8ZM66

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fifty-Shades-of-Decay-ebook/dp/B00BH8ZM66

March Blog Post- Bereavements, Difficulties and Developments...

Hello everyone! So we've made it to March!

I want to start by thanking those of you who have left me messages of condolence regarding the passing of my beloved cat, Puffin.  Its been a hugely difficult week, made worse by other factors, and I'm sure there are many more tears to be shed yet. However, the kindness of so many has genuinely been appreciated, and has made this hard time a little more bearable.  So thank you.

Despite the fact I was singing February's praises, it turned out to be a real sucky one in the end after all! March so far is determined to carry on in that vein! Oh well!  It hasn't all been bad, and I have a lot of developments and projects to report!  And while I certainly needed some days to veg, I have found that sometimes, keeping busy and getting on with work is a great way to battle through struggles and hard times.  So here I go!

Science Fiction
Ok, so I've actually already ventured into the realm of science fiction before with my soon-to-be-published short story, "Skin", but I recently submitted another sci-fi short!  Its a very futuristic twist on the fairytale classic, Sleeping Beauty.  I don't know if this submission will be picked, but I don't think it was a bad effort, and it was certainly good fun to write.  I absolutely love twists on old fairy tales (Neil Gaiman's short story, "Snow, Glass, Apples," is one of my favourites!), and I love the creativity involved in picking back through a classic and finding little twists and openings to reinterpret.  I'm actually working on another right now (not sci-fi this time) based on Red Riding Hood.  While I'm a big fan of The Company of Wolves, I am trying to steer clear of that sort of angle.

Amusingly enough, I was cutting it very fine on the deadline! I have improved in this, but sometimes you just still run out of time!  But what was funny was that while I was finishing the story, my dad and I were watching Iron Maiden, Live at Long Beach 1985...and I submitted the piece at 2 minutes to midnight! ;)

(Cookies, if you get that.  If you don't, you really need to get Edward the Great and brush up on some 'Maiden ;) ).

Other Fiction Projects
I'm working on two other short stories at the moment, with the intention of submitting them at the end of this month.  One is the aforementioned reinterpretation of Red Riding Hood, as I mentioned.  The other is an "urban mythic" submission I'm working on.  I think I may have a very different idea going, but one of the fun parts of it is that I get to do one of my favourite things- brush up on my world mythology!  Mythology of various cultures is a subject I love, and never get bored of.  I'm really into a strange mix of Egyptian, Mesopotamian/Sumerian and Norse at the moment, but my research leads me into other pantheons also.  I think I'm going to really enjoy this particular piece!

On a slightly unrelated note, I'm going to an alternative/fetish club event at the end of the month dressed as the Goddess Inanna ;) (theme is angels and demons, gods and comic book heroes).

Art Projects
I have various art projects ongoing, or about to begin presently.  One is a cute little idea I'm pursuing as a present for a friend- I've managed to get her hooked onto my own guilty pleasure, Monster High, and am currently rendering our group of friends as freaky-fabulous monster dolls! XD  Another thing I'm working on is a tattoo design; I have been itching for more ink for months, and it just seemed natural to me that, with Puffin's passing, I should have her portrait tattooed on my skin.  So I'm currently sifting through various old photos of my old dear, and also drafting up a design which also incorporates an ankh, and the Egyptian cat goddess, Bast.

I'm also going to work on a full-colour piece very soon...its a bit embarrassing to admit, but one of my favourite musicians is coming to the UK in May, and I'm going to one of his gigs, and I thought it might be nice, very fan-girly and not at ALL creepy to bring him a present :3 Its going to be a drawing of three belly dancers, inspired by one of his musical pieces.

(Speaking of belly-dance, I really need to get back into that this week...)

Other Developments and Upcoming Stuff!
Very soon, I shall be hosting my very first blog-post interview, so please stay tuned! I am also currently working on an interview for EGL Magazine.  I feel have neglected my work for EGL in recent months so I need to devote a little more attention to that.  I am also considering setting up an artist/writer's page on Facebook (one separate from my personal account), although I may put that off for a month or two.  I'm currently having some social-media issues that maybe affected by it, so I figure I might just put that back.  But it should make it easier for people to keep up to date with new projects etc, and spread da word!  Not to mention, I can share artwork a little more easily.  I may, possibly, think about reviving my old, abandoned DeviantArt account also.

Its been a hard couple of weeks, but its not been all bad.  I'm determined to knuckle down with more work at the moment.  Sometimes the distraction is a good thing, when times are tough.  My current mantra has been "haters gonna hate, bunnies gonna bun" XD.  But yes, things have been tough, but I have been surrounded by some amazingly lovely people, at home, in my social life and even in my working life, and it has made me very grateful, and helped me to cope.  I now hope that throwing myself into work will help me get myself back to...reality.

Right, back to work, still have loads to do.  But stay tuned, things are a-happening!
(And I will be back for April's IWSG.)

Thank you everyone for your continued support- wish you all well :)

In loving memory of Puffin