Rose Blackthorn writes in the world of speculative fiction. She has published numerous short stories which have appeared in Necon E-books, Siren’s Call, Massacre Magazine and many others. She has a…
Source: Rose Blackthorn Interview
Category: interviews
SNAFU: Hunters from Cohesion Press
Editor A. J. Spedding has a guest post on Ragnarok Publication’s website about the newest SNAFU anthology released by Cohesion Press. She gives a bit of insight into each story, including my own The Bani Protocols…
Go here to read the whole post.
Ranks of the Rejected: Rose Blackthorn
Aeryn Rudel was kind enough to invite me to participate in his Ranks of the Rejected series. Besides asking some fun questions, he also said some very nice things about me – so check it out!
Welcome to the next installment of Ranks of the Rejected, where I interview working authors and ask them to bare their literary wounds for your amusement and edification. Make sure and check out the links to these writers’ works and websites. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Today’s victim . . . er, subject is Rose Blackthorn. I’ve worked with Rose in my role as acquisitions editor through Skull Island eXpeditions, and I’ve gone head to head with her as a writer on numerous occasions at a bi-weekly flash fiction contest out at the Shock Totem forums, where she routinely trounced me and a dozen other writers. Rose is one of those writers whose talent is so great and seemingly effortless, she makes you feel kind of worthless in comparison when you read her stuff. (Gee, thanks, Rose.) She is also a mighty 17th level Rejectomancer who commands the advanced powers
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Twice Upon a Time Blog Tour
Just wanted to share the link to my mini-interview for the Twice Upon a Time Blog Tour. Take a few minutes and go check it out…
Twice Upon a Time, from the Bearded Scribe Press
http://cortllynn.blogspot.com/2015/02/twice-upon-time-blog-tour-interview.html
Writing Process Blog Tour
A few weeks ago, I was contacted by writer and editor D. Alexander Ward to see if I’d be interested in participating in a writer’s blog tour. At that time I had to decline – this was just prior to the World Horror Convention in Portland OR, and I was stressing out about getting everything done before hitting the road.
Then about a week ago I was asked again by wonderfully talented author and editor, friend, and fellow dog-lover Sydney Leigh. Now that I have a bit more time, I was happy to say yes! And you can see her answers on her blog here.
But I’m going to go ahead and add the link to D. Alexander Ward’s blog as well since he asked me originally – and because I thought his answers were also enlightening. You can read them here.
So without further ado…
Questions:
What am I working on?
That seems to change from day to day. I have a nearly finished fantasy novel that I still want to complete. Because it is going the be the first in a trilogy, I need to get an idea of where the overall story is heading so books 2 and 3 are not completely drifting in limbo (I’m a professed pantser and it’s difficult for me to plan ahead). I’m working on what will probably be a novella, something a little different for me, a fantasy/sci fi/horror (I know, just throw everything into the pot!) that I’m really getting a kick out of. Plus I’m always working on short stories, flash pieces and drabbles. There are several things about to come out in print, a couple things in edits with publishers, and some things out there in slush.
How does my work differ from others in its genre?
That’s a difficult question for me, maybe for any writer. I know that I try to put a dark beauty in most of what I write. I want my stories to be an escape for the reader, yet to have characters and situations that are recognizable. Mostly, what I want is an emotional reaction from what I read, and so I try to put that into my writing as well.
Why do I write what I do?
I have been drawn to “genre” since I was a child. My amazing mother gave me access to worlds without end in her collection of horror, science fiction and fantasy books. She never held me back from exploring what interested me, just made sure she was available in case I was confused or uneasy about something. Because of that, I feel I have always been able to stretch my imagination in any direction I please. So really, I write whatever interests me at the time, regardless of whether it’s genre, short or long, poetry or anything else.
How does my writing process work?
As I mentioned above, I’m a pantser. I think I’ve outlined a plot line maybe once in the last ten years. When I first started writing, I was telling myself stories. I found out how it ended when I got there. That still happens a lot. Sometimes I’ll have an endpoint in mind, and allow my characters to take me to it. I have found that if I have everything already figured out in my mind, I usually have less interest in putting it all down. For me, writing is a journey and I tend to set out on every one with a sense of wonder.
I do try to write every day, and because I’m working on drabbles and shorts and longer pieces I will switch back and forth. That way I never get bored – but I occasionally have pissed off characters in my head railing that it’s their turn!
Now, I’d like to introduce you to the wonderful people who will be continuing the traveling blog next Monday!
Michael J. Evans is a Massachusetts-based horror writer. He recently edited an anthology of ghost stories, From Beyond the Grave, which was published by Grinning Skull Press (www.grinningskullpress.com). His short story, “Hungry for More,” was recently accepted for an anthology scheduled to be published later this year. He has also had stories appearing in a couple of anthologies published by May December Publications. He is currently at work on several projects, which he hopes to have completed by the end of the year. You can find excerpts of some of those projects here. https://mjevansauthor.wordpress.com/
Thomas Kleaton at http://thomaskleaton.wordpress.com/
Bio: Thomas Kleaton is a freelance horror writer. He has had stories published in SNM Horror Magazine, Dark Eclipse Magazine, and the anthologies Cellar Door: Words of Beauty, Tales of Terror, Serial Killers Tres Trias, Bones, and What Has Two Heads, Ten Eyes, and Terrifying Table Manners?
- Aaron Gudmunson at http://www.coldbrood.blogspot.com/
- I am an award-winning writer who has penned columns for local newspapers as well as contributing articles, reviews, interviews, and short fiction to numerous publications. I am the author of two novels, Snow Globe and Emma Tremendous (as A.D. Goodman), and a collection entitled From the Dusklands. All are available in e-book and paperback format via Amazon and other retail outlets. I am a member of the Horror Writers Association. Visit me on the web at aarongudmunson.com
Women in Horror Month: The Rose Blackthorn Interview via D Alexander Ward
D Alexander Ward was kind enough to interview me for a series he’s doing on Women in Horror Month. You can check it out on his blog site at:
D Alexander Ward – writer of the dark, strange and fantastic
Eulogies II contributor/editor interviews
~via Jim Mcleod
Welcome to the home of The Ginger Nuts of Horror. The heart and soul of horror fiction, news, reviews and interviews.
Eulogies II – Tales From The Cellar first came to my attention via my good friend Tony Tremblay. I have known Tony for more years than either of us care to remember. When Tony told me he was editing this book I knew it was time to do another Ginger Nuts Special feature. Plus when you factor in that this anthology contains some of my all time favorite authors, I just had to do something special.
So sit back and ready yourselves for a weeks worth of special guest posts from the editors and several contributing authors.
Today’s edition includes info from Keith Minnion and myself – click on the link below to read for yourself!
Join me in the Madhouse…
WYTOVICH PLANTS ROSE IN MADHOUSE
PATIENT: ROSE BLACKTHORN
ILLNESS: WRITER
Stephanie Wytovich invited me over for some therapy at her blog ‘Join Me in the Madhouse’
Come on by for a visit, and see what we had to talk about.
http://joinmeinthemadhouse.blogspot.com/2013/05/wytovich-plants-rose-in-madhouse_7.html
Coming Soon! Blog Hop
Welcome to my stop on the ‘Coming Soon’ blog hop–the perfect place to find out what’s next on my agenda, and to find out a little bit more about my writing. Maybe this is the first time you’ve even heard about me. If that’s the case, then this ‘blog hop’ is doing its job–introducing interested readers to new writers.
Before I go any further, I want to thank my fellow writer, D Alexander Ward, for inviting me to answer the following questions about my current projects, the writing process and what gives me the skeevies.
- What are you working on right now?
I’m always working on short stories, depending upon what’s in my mind and what submission calls I’ve seen that spark my interest. I am also working on a sort of post-apocalyptic novel in which most of the people on earth have simply disappeared without a trace.
- How does it differ from other works in its genre?
Hopefully the emotional ties between the characters as they try to survive and figure out what has happened to everyone makes it stand out, as well as the lack of an overt ‘bad guy’ who is immediately to blame for bad things happening.
- What experiences have influenced you?
Actually part of what gave me the idea for this story was moving from a highly populated area to a very rural and quiet area. Along with that I think is having lost my parents, and feeling almost like an orphan even though I was already an adult when they passed. A big part of this story is about family legends; I grew up with those and still trade them with my relatives when we see each other. It’s like a modern version of the old oral traditions.
- Why do you write what you do?
When I was in my teens, I used to tell myself stories. I would go for walks and just have this story running through my mind, entertaining myself. Eventually it occurred to me that if I wrote them down, then I could come back in a year or five years or whatever and read through them again. Most of the time, I write to find out how each story goes and how it will end. Sometimes other people enjoy them, too.
- How does your writing process work?
As I said above, it’s a very natural and linear process. I never outline, and I very rarely know how a story will end before I’ve written the whole tale.
- What is the hardest part about writing?
At this point I would have to say time. I would love nothing more than to spend all day wandering through my internal world, but my job and family like my presence as well.
- What would you like to try as a writer that you haven’t yet?
I think it would be fun to do a screenplay, that’s something I’ve yet to do.
- Who are the authors you most admire?
Wow, there are so many. I couldn’t begin to list them all, but off the top of my head would be Anne McCaffrey, Patricia McKillip, Barbara Hambly, Jean Auel, Rosemary Rogers, P C Hodgell, Charles DeLint, Neil Gaiman, Stephen King and Dean Koontz.
- Who are new authors to watch out for?
Again, there are a bunch! Just a few are Christian Larsen, Jay Wilburn, Eric Guignard, Jeff Strand, Adam Millard, Robert Walker, Rachel Swirsky and Janet Holden. And of course, the three wonderful writers I have tagged below, as well as D Alexander Ward who included me.
- What scares you?
Wasps, spiders when they’re lost from sight, driving in bad weather, never seeing the Pacific again, and the thought of losing those I love.
~~~
Now that you know a little bit about me and my work, click the links below to read the blogs of three of my fellow writers, who will be joining me on the ‘Coming Soon’ blog tour next Wednesday.
The Next Big Thing
There’s a “blog hop” going on in the horror writing community right now where authors tag each other to answer questions about upcoming projects. I was included by Sheri White at http://sheriw1965.blogspot.com/
What is the working title of your book or story?
I’m actually working on a couple of different things. One is an ‘epic’ fantasy novel, working title Bard’s Return. Also in my usual genre of horror, a novella about dimension traveling shape-changers with a deadly appetite.
Where did the idea come from for the book or story?
Bard’s Return has been a work in progress for the last few years. I was reading the Sword of Truth and the Wheel of Time series, and really started thinking about creating my own world with magic and an epic battle of good vs evil. I’ve ended up with what I think is a wonderfully diverse group of characters, who could literally take this story anywhere. We’ll see how far we can go together.
The shape-changers novella is based on a story I started writing in my early twenties. I never finished it, and let it sit and gather dust for a long time. Going back through some old stuff I happened upon it again, and decided it was still a good premise, so I’ve started rewriting it from the beginning.
What genre does your book fall under?
Bard’s Return is fantasy all the way – magic, medieval weaponry, gods and goddesses and an undying evil that must somehow be defeated.
The shape-changers novella is horror/urban fantasy. The main characters are from another dimension, but the story takes place in this world at the present time.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Honestly, that’s something I haven’t given any thought to. I can see the characters clearly in my mind, but they don’t really look like anyone but themselves 🙂
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book or story?
Bard’s Return: When an ancient evil comes back into the world, only the legends and teaching songs of centuries past can prepare the people on how to fight it; along with the help of the Kindred who helped to banish it a millenia before.
novella: When a Kaiferre outcast flees her world for our own, she seeks only the freedom to make her own choices; her kinsmen who follow will vow to take her back, with no regard to how much death and destruction is left in their wake.
Will your book or story be self-published or represented by an agency?
I’ve received some interest from a small publisher, but at this point I’m still finishing up on both projects. I won’t submit either until they are completed.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Again, still working on them. The novella has been about 9 months because I keep getting pulled away for other projects. The fantasy novel is more like a year and a half, and I’m just about done with it.
What other books or stories would you compare this story to within your genre?
Bard’s Return might be comparable to Wizard’s First Rule or The Eye of the World as far as the scope and that it is just the beginning of a longer story cycle.
The novella… really not sure!
Who or What inspired you to write this book or story?
Terry Goodkind, Robert Jordan, Patricia McKillip, Marion Zimmer Bradley
What else about your book or story might pique the reader’s interest?
Hopefully the characters are as interesting to other people as they’ve become to me.
Moonlight and Thorns 