OMINOUS 13: LORI R. LOPEZ, DARK FICTION AUTHOR

Hi Lori, thanks for being so kind as to be interviewed for OMINOUS 13 DARK FICTION SPOTLIGHT SERIES. Let’s get right to it. In a recent interview you did with Uvi Poznansky, you stated that to you, writing is similar to painting with words. One of my favorite writers is JRR Tolkien. His writing is so colorful, reading it becomes like watching a film. What writer(s) do you think best incorporates this type of artistic prose?

Thank you for inviting me, Paul.  Words are very important to me.  I do enjoy reading prose that evokes images as strongly as a painting or a film.  Poetry is that way, and I write that too.  I enjoy reading literature that makes you stop in awe of a line, and I hope that my writing does that for readers.  Some of the authors I enjoy for their style are Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, Lewis Carroll, William Shakespeare, Ray Bradbury, Victor Hugo, Andre Norton.  Also Stephen King and Dean Koontz.  Doctor Seuss had a fun way with words.  There are more, but these stand out in my mind.

Your writings don’t seem to fit into one particular genre. As a reader, are you much the same, or do you prefer one particular genre best?

I’ve read quite a variety.  I used to read Science Fiction growing up, along with Horror and Fantasy.  I would read animal stories and poetry, classic adventures, plays, screenplays.  Sometimes Nonfiction.  As an author I do the same, a variety of genres, sometimes separately but often combined.  I also like to write for different ages, but mostly I write for twelve through adult since I don’t use explicit language or content.  A few are more intense, more violent.  There are children’s books.  I kind of do it all.

Do you prefer writing poetry, novels or short stories?

Oh gosh, that’s a tough question!  I don’t think I prefer any one over the others.  I love to write them all.  They each have their qualities.  And some say my prose is rather poetic, or my poetry rather like my prose.  I do at times tell stories in my verse.  I like the depth of a novel, the chance to really get into the plot and characters, but I also enjoy being able to tell a tale faster, more concisely in a short story.  And my stories usually have a good bit of depth.  My characters are well defined, whether in a story or novel.  You feel you know them; some of them may stay with you for a while.

Your charitable work with Tumaini Girls Rescue Center (Safe House) in Siaya, Kenya is extremely admirable. What can you tell us about that organization and what prompted you to become involved?

My sons and I have been active in doing what we can for years with causes, from animal rights and conservation to children and abuse survivors.  So far we cannot do anything major, but small gestures do make a difference.  On Facebook I met a couple of the people who are helping the Tumaini shelter and a community library in Saiya, Moses Akwiri Okoth and Brenda Bee (Kemunto).  They are the admirable ones, two amazing individuals who devote their time and efforts to helping others.  I’ve tried to spread the word for them, both on Facebook and Twitter.  When I learned they needed books for the library, my sons and I sent ten of our books, the nine I had in print and my son Rafael’s volume of verse.  My son Noél helped them set up a Paypal account to receive contributions.  Their community has a lot of issues to deal with, including attacks against females.  They are in great need of donations and whatever support people can give, even just sharing about their cause.  And a wonderful thing they do each year is to participate in an event called WALK A MILE IN HER SHOES, where local men wear red high-heels to march for one mile.  It’s to raise awareness of the assaults on women and children.  I think it’s terrific.  They’ve had to postpone it this year, however, due to lack of funds.  They are involved with another organization to make colorful dresses, The Pixel Project, which is aimed at ending violence against women.

Contact Brenda Kemunto at vgirlskenya@gmail.com for information.

Books can be mailed to:

    Saiya Community Library

    c/o Pauline Caroline Oduk.

    P.O BOX 1702(00100)

    Nairobi Kenya

You seem to be a hat aficionado, something I can relate to, for sure. Tell us about your love for stylish headwear?

Ha ha, yes, I love hats.  I have my entire life.  My mother wouldn’t let me wear cool ones like cowboy hats because they were “for boys”.  So of course I wear fedoras, top hats, any manner of short and wide brims, berets, and all sorts of caps.  My collection is growing.  It’s part of who I am.  One of my favorite groups on Facebook is for hat-lovers.

Your author bio lists you as, “an author, poet, artist, actress, songwriter, musician and activist for conservation, children and animal rights.” Obviously, you possess a very creative mind. Who do you credit for inspiring you as a youngster to expand your talents in the direction you have taken them?

My mind is “brimming” (hat pun) with imagination.  I have so many ideas and projects, I go nuts trying to catch up with them all.  Since I was a small child I was determined that I would become a writer and artist and actress and poet and musician . . .  Nobody told me to think that way.  I was simply always very ambitious.  Just like when I became a vegetarian at age fifteen.  Nobody in my family was one.  Nobody I knew was, either.  I was considered strange, but it didn’t bother me.  I’ve never been normal.

I did have an uncle who was an artist, although not professionally; another uncle who was an architect and musician.  My mother had wanted to be an artist herself yet didn’t pursue it.  I’m sure they influenced me somewhat.  But they didn’t really encourage me that I can remember.  No doubt I was inspired by hearing fairytales and Nursery Rhymes, then reading beloved stories.  Watching movies and television, listening to music, seeing artwork.  I started drawing and writing poems quite young.  I was often on the stage in Grades Four and Five, performing skits I had written.  And I was a natural drummer, then played Percussion in Band.  I later taught myself guitar to write songs.

Being from Wisconsin, I can imagine a lot of long, cold, winter nights spent developing your imagination. What inspired the ‘macabre’ side of your creative development?

It just happened.  My first favorite book was WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, and it had monsters.  I loved it!  I also loved FRANKENSTEIN, first the movies and then the book.  I recall seeing Hitchcock’s THE BIRDS with my brother at night as a kid.  Wow!  A little older I would stay up late and watch Elvira host horror films.  I loved the creepy humor of THE ADDAMS FAMILY and THE MUNSTERS.  Those were new shows when I was growing up.  I would beg my mom to buy me magazines like FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND.  She wasn’t very enthusiastic about my interests.  She wanted me to be a nice little girl, wear dresses and play with dolls.  That totally wasn’t me!

You describe yourself as having an overactive imagination. I can relate to that. I kind of go crazy when circumstances prevent me from releasing my imagination through creativity. Do you ever feel that kind of restlessness and absolute need to create?

Oh yes, all the time!  My head is swimming with ideas.  Sometimes I’ll get ideas for different things at once in a flood.  I can’t write that fast.  I lose a lot of ideas if I can’t write them down because my memory is bad.  I have to be creative.  I need to write.  I can easily get caught up in my work and forget about eating or drinking anything.  Even when I’m doing something else creative like art, I miss writing.  It’s hard for me to not be writing something.

You have some creative projects going on with your kids. I think that is priceless! Can you share a little about that?

Thank you!  We formed a creative company called Fairy Fly Entertainment, named after one of my books.  We make a great team because we all have the same talents, but each of us is most passionate about one particular field.  With me it’s literature.  For my oldest son Noél, it’s music.  And for Rafael, it’s acting and film.  We have a blast working together on projects.  So far we’ve released a few author readings on YouTube under Fairy Fly Entertainment and a book trailer for DANCE OF THE CHUPACABRAS under Trilllogic.   Noél composed the musical scores and Rafael did graphics as well as the filming for my readings.  We did vocals for the Chupacabras song, and the lyrics were from my novel.  They’ve helped me with tech stuff for publishing my books, and they’ve been incredibly supportive, as I have tried to be for them since they were little.

Is your visual art available to the public?

I did some painting in the past.  I am primarily doing artwork at this point on the computer for my book covers and illustrations.  I probably won’t have time or the interest to do paintings to sell.  But I have been giving away free signed prints of illustrations at book fairs and conventions.

How extensive is your acting experience and how far would you like to see that side of your creative personality grow?

As I mentioned, I did a lot of performing on stages at school as a kid, and I competed in Forensics Playacting as a high-school Freshman for a two-person drama.  The judges raved and we would have gone to State instead of the Varsity Team, but my partner broke his ankle and couldn’t do the scenes.  That was my last real chance to act.  Life got in the way of my dreams for quite awhile.  I supported my sons with their dreams and interests.  I helped my ex-husband with his goals and waited for my turn.  I even helped my sons prepare for auditions when they started to get involved with acting.  They began performing as dancers when they were young.  I based the main characters in my novel DANCE OF THE CHUPACABRAS on them, in fact.  And I first wrote the story as a screenplay for my sons.  We made many trips to Hollywood.  I wanted to give them the opportunities, encouragement and support I didn’t have as a kid.  Then we had to stop due to lack of funds and time.   Noél became involved with science fair projects, competing at the international level in Ninth Grade, going to State a few times, winning a national award.  We are finally ready to get back into acting again, along with music, after a series of setbacks and delays.  I started self-publishing in 2008 and have been releasing books each year.  Rafael released one book so far and has a number of literary and film projects he’s working on.   Noél has been starting to compose music.

Your novel, An Ill Wind Blows, has been quite celebrated, winning awards and pushing up the charts. What about that story has enabled it to connect with readers in such a rewarding fashion?

It isn’t actually up the charts, ha ha.  I’m still not known that well.  But it has won a couple of awards so far.  I think it’s a special story, and a very fun adventure.  It’s about facing your fears and believing in yourself.  An evil storm swallows some quirky characters who find themselves in a stormworld.  Dark Fantasy and plenty of humor, as well as horror-style creatures.  Readers have enjoyed the novel.  I hope more will find it.

What can we expect from Lori R. Lopez in the future?

I have so many projects to finish!  I’m hoping to publish my next horror collection soon, a Halloween-themed novel, my next two poetry collections, more poetry columns, a collection of my artwork, more children’s books, more stories, a graphic novel, and some sequels.  I would like to do all of that this year.  But I must find time for music and acting, so that will slow me down.  Not that I write or draw fast.  I don’t. 

Here are some of my links . . .

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

http://www.amazon.com/author/lorirlopez

FACEBOOK AUTHOR PAGE

http://www.facebook.com/lorirlopez.author

WEBSITE

http://fairyflyentertainment.com

POETRY COLUMN

http://fairyflyentertainment.com/category/category/poetic-reflections

Books by Lori R. Lopez:

SPOOKED http://www.amazon.com/Spooked-Lori-R-Lopez-ebook/dp/B00HXC5148 

JAR BABY http://www.amazon.com/Jar-Baby-Lori-R-Lopez-ebook/dp/B00G51KFJE

3-Z (FREE) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GD0UH0E

SLEEP OF FOOLS http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GLS5SAM

OUT-OF-MIND EXPERIENCES http://www.amazon.com/Out-Of-Mind-Experiences-Thirteen-Tales-ebook/dp/B0072JRUVE PRINT: http://www.amazon.com/Out-Mind-Experiences-Thirteen-Tales/dp/1438216602

DANCE OF THE CHUPACABRAS http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Chupacabras-Trilogy-Trilogies-ebook/dp/B007KTUZQ8 PRINT: http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Chupacabras-Trilogies-Lori-Lopez/dp/144951393X

CHOCOLATE-COVERED EYES: A SAMPLER OF HORROR http://www.amazon.com/Chocolate-Covered-Eyes-Sampler-Horror-ebook/dp/B00612RJ6E PRINT: http://www.amazon.com/Chocolate-Covered-Eyes-Sampler-Of-Horror/dp/1481001957

POETIC REFLECTIONS: KEEP THE HEART OF A CHILD http://www.amazon.com/Poetic-Reflections-Heart-Child-ebook/dp/B00BFRX3S8 PRINT: http://www.amazon.com/poetic-reflections-keep-heart-child/dp/1451586531

UNLEASHED (FREE) http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/115698

HEARTBEAT http://www.amazon.com/Heartbeat-ebook/dp/B006NQHFZI

BEDEVILED http://www.amazon.com/Bedeviled-ebook/dp/B006QESGWI

CREEP http://www.amazon.com/Creep-ebook/dp/B0070OB7D8

FOSSIL http://www.amazon.com/Fossil-ebook/dp/B007MHI718

BLOODPATH http://www.amazon.com/Bloodpath-ebook/dp/B007T25JCG 

MACABRE http://www.amazon.com/Macabre-ebook/dp/B007TYEYOS

MOOD http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Mood-ebook/dp/B007TYL5EA

AN ILL WIND BLOWS by Lori R. Lopez http://www.amazon.com/An-Ill-Wind-Blows-ebook/dp/B008397NO6 PRINT: http://www.amazon.com/Ill-Wind-Blows-Lori-Lopez/dp/1484097734

SOME THING by Lori R. Lopez http://www.amazon.com/Some-Thing-ebook/dp/B0084T2TLW

THE LYCANING by Lori R. Lopez http://www.amazon.com/The-Lycaning-ebook/dp/B00857522Q

THE WRAITH by Lori R. Lopez http://www.amazon.com/The-Wraith-ebook/dp/B0084T4HD0

UNNATURAL by Lori R. Lopez http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008MQ6XTQ

JUGULAR by Lori R. Lopez http://www.amazon.com/Jugular-ebook/dp/B008R9DHQU

MIND OF LORI R. LOPEZ: THIRTEEN TORMENTOUS TALES http://www.amazon.com/Macabre-Mind-Lori-Lopez-ebook/dp/B0090GMY18 PRINT:http://www.amazon.com/Macabre-Mind-Lori-Lopez-Tormentous/dp/148107976X

MONSTROSITIES http://www.amazon.com/Monstrosities-ebook/dp/B009Y01R40

CEREAL BOX SURPRISE http://www.amazon.com/Cereal-Box-Surprise-ebook/dp/B009YP7RJY

BEYOND THE STUMP http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-The-Stump-ebook/dp/B00ADIF8E2

NUANCE http://www.amazon.com/Nuance-ebook/dp/B00ADIFCOS

NEXT DOOR (FREE) http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/258798

HORRENDUS (FREE) http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/258797

THE FAIRY FLY http://www.amazon.com/The-Fairy-Fly-ebook/dp/B00CO3NS8M 

PRINT: http://www.amazon.com/The-Fairy-Fly-Lori-Lopez/dp/1492843628 THE

MUDPUPPY PRINT: http://www.amazon.com/The-Mudpuppy-Lori-R-Lopez/dp/1489525297

THE FOX TROT PRINT: http://www.amazon.com/The-Fox-Trot-Lori-Lopez/dp/1489527338

THE FRUIT OF THY WOMB (FREE) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DRSI2SY

Click To Purchase Paul DeThroe's Dark Fiction @ Amazon

The Top Ten Witches of All-Time

10. Cordelia Fox

Click to read entire story

Sara Paulson has to be commended, respected and feared for her portrayal of Cordelia, who tried to kill her mom, stabbed her own eyes out to gain second sight, and burned her mentor at the stake to cement her ascension to Coven Supreme. Well played, Cordelia!

9. The Charmed Ones

Click to read entire story

Sexiest witches ever. The three sisters are also pretty darned good at snuffing out demons. What’s not to love about this group of witches? They are still extremely popular in syndication.

8.  Glenda the Good Witch, Wizard of Oz

Click to read entire story

She rides bubbles and has one of the most recognizable voices in movie history. Oh yea, she isn’t scared of wicked witches either. By empowering Dorothy, she made female heroes possible.

7. Hermione Granger, Harry Potter

Click to read entire story

The self-conscious perfectionist from the megahit Harry Potter series. She doesn’t get much credit, but were would Harry Potter and Ronald Weasly be without her and her timely spells?

6. Samantha, Bewitched

Click to read entire story

She brought witchcraft to the mainstream. Her popular television series is still beloved today, decades after it originally aired. How many of you can twitch your nose like her?

5. Marie Laveau, New Orleans Voodoo Queen

Click to read entire story

A true life witch of the highest order. People still go to her grave to pray for wishes granted. This is usually reserved for saints and whatnot, but New Orleans has its own way of doing things.

4. Stevie Nicks

Click to read entire story

The ultimate white Wiccan, Stevie doesn’t like to be called a witch, but it’s pretty obvious. It goes deeper than her wardrobe too. Listen to the occult imagery in her songs and you will know.

3. Fionna Goode, American Horror Story Coven

Click to read entire story

Fionna is as wicked as any witch on any list. She’s slashed throats, drowned girls, beheaded a minotaur, slept with ghosts, then had the ghost hack up her enemies. She is the Supreme, simply put.

2. Wicked Witch of the West, Wizard of Oz

Click to read entire story

She had her flaws, like keeping the one thing that could kill her, water, just laying around. But her image has endured decades as the classic face of an evil witch. Green witches with warts, yea, that’s her. Her obsession over her late sister’s ruby slippers is timeless.

1. Morganna LeFay, King Arthur

Click to read entire story

King Arthur’s sister, had sex with him, bore him a child that would bring down his Kingdom of Camelot and trapped Merlin the Magician, or Druid, in perpetual frozenness.  Yes, that’s pretty wicked.

Click to read Top 10 Witches of All-Time Honorable Mention 

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OMINOUS 13 INTERVIEW SERIES: CHANTAL NOORDELOOS

OMINOUS 13 DARK FICTION AUTHOR INTERVIEW SERIES: CHANTAL NOORDELOOS

Hi Chantal, thanks for appearing on Ominous 13! Just for the record, I love your work. You’re a star in the making. With a lucky break, you could be a household name. With that out of the way, let’s dive right in!

Your first full length novel offering, Coyote, the Outlander, a well-received steampunk/sci-fi novel, follows a sexy female bounty hunter chasing alien bad guys, and coming to grips with her own personal issues, especially with her father. What can you tell us about this story, without spoilers, that would convince readers who’ve never heard of you to buy and read?

Argl, so I can’t just rely on my blurb? Darn, I’m a terrible sales person. I guess what I could point out that Coyote is a story with a difference? For one the book is accompanied with a second screen experience, in which we hope to pull the reader more into the world. I would tell you that I’d like to think Coyote is a very character driven story, and though it’s a steampunk novel (or technically Dustpunk) it’s the story that truly counts and will still be very accessible for readers who have no affinity with Steampunk. And then I would probably have to tip my hat at you, and mutter something about this being one hell of a deal sir / little lady… and give you my best smarmy car salesman smile.

With the success of Coyote, how far and what direction do you plan to take this fantastic story?

You flatter me, sir! (there’s that hat tipping thing again… I can’t seem to stop) There will be five books. I’m hoping to add a second screen to all of them. The first book was quite short, but I have a sneaky suspicion the second book will be a lot longer (since I already surpassed the word count of book one, and am about half way in the story.) I have a general idea where I want to go, and I already have the title for the second book, which will be called: “The Clockwork Dragonfly”.

Though you write in different genres, horror seems to be your specialty. What drew you into the world of horror writing?

I’m a big fat coward… and that may sound silly, but that actually helps. Everything scares me, so it’s easy to come up with a horror plot. It’s funny, because I never pictured myself as a ‘horror writer’, though I could have known. I’ve been a role player for a great many years (almost 22) and when I started being the dungeon master (or games master) the games got a bit of a dark side. I became quite infamous for my horror games, and I guess I just continued that in my writing. It all started when I wrote for anthologies. The first one I wrote for was called ‘Hell’. I really love using angels and demons in stories, so this felt like a perfect fit. I wrote a little tale called ‘Only Forgotten’, and that was the first thing I published. I won’t bore you with the long story around it (it ended up somewhere else first), but in the end I wrote more short stories for the same publisher. And because of that, I rolled into the horror world. I do other things, but horror feels like my ‘go to genre’.

You’re from the Netherlands, but you’ve have made quite a splash across the great pond, in America. Was this a conscious decision on your part, or did America discover your impressive talents by sheer good fortune?

I have a guilty confession to make: I have NO affinity with Dutch writing. It’s not just the language, but the type of writing is so different from what I enjoy to write (or read really). I always knew I wasn’t going to write for my own people (I sound like an alien, I am aware of this… Chanti phone home) To me the US or the UK market are the same. They’re both not in my country, and I love them both… but I’ve noticed that I happened to get more of a ‘following’ (if we can call it that) in the US, and that stuck more. So I decided to write my work in US English (though I would naturally write UK English, since I went to college there). I love the American audience, they are such enthused readers and that really boosts the ole writer’s ego.

How difficult is it, being the mother of a young daughter, to delve in and out of the real world for her and your family, and the imaginative worlds that you create?

When she’s at school, I have no problems. We treat writing as my job, so I get a lot of space to write. When Elora’s home, it’s more difficult, because she’s quite… ehm… present? In other words, she’s always making a lot of noise, and I’m one of those horrible people who needs silence. When she goes to bed I tend to work a little bit more, so I get long work days after all. In this house we do have a rule: Work hard play hard, so my husband doesn’t mind that I make 9-12 hour days on average, as long as we do fun things too, and I give my all to the family as well as the writing.

Your latest offering, a short story anthology entitled Deeply Twisted, has quite an interesting cover, which I love by the way. Tell us about the concept of the cover and what makes your anthology so ‘twisted’?

The girl on the cover is Judit Smits, who is a friend of mine. She did a photo shoot and this picture (and the one on the back cover) were part of that shoot. I fell in love with the pictures and she introduced me to the photographer Marc Price.

I was thinking of bundling all my short stories for quite a few months, and this was the perfect excuse. I had some stories that were previously published and a few stories that I was still working on. Instead of sending them out, I decided to use them for my own collection. When I saw the picture, I changed one of the characters from a Dutch story I had, from an old hag to a young woman. It was a bit of a challenge for me, to change a character so drastically and I had to rewrite it quite a bit because I kept going back to the ‘hag’ I had in my head. In the end I wrote another story with the same character, which I called Deeply Twisted, to tie the cover in with the book. It was a lot of fun to work on.

I think the twisted part is that I like to write stories that are not as they seem. Now some of the stories are more ‘surprising’ than others, but because twisted has so many meanings, I believed it would be the most suitable description for my collection. 

I read a conversation between you and one of your fans on your website, where you stated you were afraid of poodles. Besides their gnashing, gnarling teeth and growl, why in the world would you be afraid of them?

Hahahaha, that wasn’t me! Not that I will start the Poodle fan club any time soon (I’m more of a cat person, and I prefer large dogs over small ones) but no particular fear. My phobias are quite bland, heights, spiders… scary little girls. The latter fuel a lot of my writing fear.

You seem to very fond of drawing. What kinds of subjects draw your attention in the area?

At the risk of sounding cheesy… I like drawing people. Especially women, but that’s because I find them easier to draw and I have a weird fascination for drawing breasts… (don’t ask, I can’t tell you why)

I draw all sorts of things, but cartoons / comic book style have my preference. I do a lot of drawing for Coyote, but that character really inspires me.

Being an incredibly creative and driven person, how do you handle the times when you, for one reason or another, circumstances prevent you to be able to write or draw or create?

You picked the absolute right timing for that question. I haven’t written in about a week at the moment due to holiday madness and this crappy virus that has been terrorizing my house for days. 

It’s been driving me up the wall. I hate not writing, it makes me very on edge and grumpy. I need an outlet for my creativity, or I go a bit funny (not funny, ha-ha… more funny, back away and avoid eye contact)

Before I started writing fulltime, I had this creative ‘hole’ to fill. So I would organize about 4 larp events in a year, and would do all sorts of little projects to keep me entertained. Writing has been very fulfilling, and my life turned a bit more boring after that. I think my husband is relieved, because we don’t have people over at our house every weekend anymore, like we used to… and he is no longer subjected to all the crazy plans I came up with in the name of creativity.

Being your friend on Facebook, I often see your real life stories of grown up game nights. I am amazed at how seriously you and your friends take the games and how much fun you have. I’m not saying that game playing isn’t big over her in the States, but you gals and guys seem to take the intensity of the games to an entirely new level. Is this part of the culture of the Netherlands?

Ehm… I don’t think it is. Only with a small group of people (who happen to be my friends) We like to role play a lot, but board games are also fun. Especially co-op games. I know there are a few game conventions here, but I think it takes a particular ‘kind’ of people to really enjoy gaming.

You also seem to enjoy playing LARP games. For those of us who don’t know, that is Live Action Role Playing. Tell us a little about what kinds of games your play and what drew you into that sub-culture?

I started to take Larp serious when I lived in the UK. In the Netherlands I went to a little indoor event, and I liked it, but in the UK I was dragged to ‘the Gathering’ by some of my friends, and I attended a couple of smaller larp events too. When I came back to the Netherlands, I decided I was going to organize my own fantasy events, and I did so under the name Moonblade. When I got pregnant with Elora I stopped for a while. But I missed it, though I was ready for new things. We decided to move away from the standard ‘mediaeval fantasy’ settings, and moved towards… you guessed it… contemporary horror. Much more my genre *grin*

I saw a picture of one of you LARP games in which you dressed as a lady vampire. It looked very realistic and scary. Have you ever thought of using your experiences with LARP into an acting career?

I’ve received quite a few compliments on my acting skills, and people have invited me to join their theater groups, but to be honest, I don’t think I would do well with acting. I suck at remembering lines and I’m too hyper for studying. I was in a few plays when I was younger (my favourite was the Gingerbread Lady, by Neil Simon) and I always had good grades in Drama, but I prefer to improvise. I also love playing the bad guy. I’m not dainty princess material, I rather strike terror in the hearts of my ‘players’.

What can we expect from Chantal Noordeloos in the future?

I’m a busy little bee, so I hope a lot. Right now I’m working on several projects for 2014. The first (of seven) installment of my “Even Hell has Standards” series, called ‘Pride’ (which is the rewrite of Only Forgotten). I’m working on the second Coyote book, and am outlining the third. Another project I want to finish for 2014 is the first novel in my Celestials series. I actually wrote that book about 3 years ago, and am rewriting it now. I’m about 89.000 words in, but other things have been getting in the way. First I’ll need to finish the current project, which I started for NaNoWrimo, a dark fantasy YA novel called Alleria. Quite a challenge that one, because it’s out of my comfort zone, but this story has also been haunting me for years. Lastly I want to write a haunted house novel. And yes… all this by the end of 2014.

Thanks again Chantal, for answering our questions and allowing us to take a peek into your personal and professional life. If you would be so kind as to send along a few pics, especially the darling one of you dressed as a vampire that would be great. Also, please add links to your sites here:

Thank you so much for this Paul. This was a wonderful interview! I love how personal you made this.

My sites are: www.coyotethebooks.com

And: www.chantalnoordeloos.info (but this is my website that needs some updating)

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OMINOUS 13 DARK FICTION AUTHOR INTERVIEW SERIES: PAULA D. ASHE

Hi Paula, thanks for agreeing to do an interview in my Ominous 13 series. You live in the very conservative state of Indiana, yet you are married to a woman. Why do you think that at this time, in this country, which was built on the principles of separation of church and state, and individual freedoms, that gay marriage is even an issue any more?

Well, the USA was not initially founded on the separation of church and state and individual freedoms for everyone; just for wealthy, landowning, straight, white men. Those characteristics are what make someone a citizen, nothing else. Paul Atwood's War and Empire: The American Way of Life, William Appleman Williams' Empire as a Way of Life, and A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn all provide different perspectives on the founding of the country. I mention this just to provide some context for my initial statement. So, with that in mind, its only when marginalized groups (ie. those who are not wealthy, landowning, straight, white men) resist and demand to be treated as citizens are rights extended. So, I think the reason why it's still an issue is because same sex marriage requires granting rights to everyone, beyond just marital rights. Marriage is the core of social relationships in the United States. Marriage determines taxes, child custody, where you can live, your credit score, medical insurance, and so much more. Therefore, same sex marriage again opens up a floodgate of additional rights and protections. The perception (based on the myth of scarcity) is that if people receive more rights, then less power remains concentrated among certain groups. So those groups that are accustomed to having power work very hard to restrict who has access to various privileges.

You’re working on a PhD from Purdue University and currently serve on the English Faculty at Ivy Tech. I actually took some classes there on my way towards my bachelor’s degree. Great school and a noble day job for you. What is the hardest thing about being an instructor?

Thank you! The grading! It isn't difficult; just tedious and absurd. It's nearly impossible to distill someone's progress with a discipline as ephemeral as writing into a single letter grade.

What is the most common mistake your students make and what advice would you give to clear that up?

Following instructions. Seriously, I wish I had a more…philosophical response, but it’s true: follow the dang instructions! ;-) Even students who are exceptional writers need to develop an eye for detail and consistency.

Can you see yourself becoming a full-time novel writer, or are you content teaching full-time and pumping out short stories and novellas as time allows?

Hmm…I think the more appropriate set-up for me personally would be half and half; teaching part-time and writing full time. Just writing and never leaving the house and staying in my head all the time is a bad idea. I need to have some kind of schedule or routine that exists outside of my own plans for the day. Plus, I love teaching.

I grew up in a small Kentucky town and was struck by lightning when I was eight.  When I was nine I saw the local undertaker digging up a hundred year old grave. I’ve been drawn to dark fiction ever since. What prompted you to go to the dark side in your writings?

You were struck by lightning? Do you have a Lichtenberg figure scar? Those are cool. Not that getting struck by lightning is cool but...y'know. Anyway, that’s a great question and I never have (what I feel is) a ‘good’ response. I’ve always been drawn to the dark side. The first short story I can recall writing was about a little boy who lost his puppy and the puppy drowned. What five year old writes about that? I also wrote a story about the Christian apocalypse when I was…in another interview I said three or four, which I don’t believe…so maybe six or seven. I’ve always been pretty sensitive and as an adult, I know that many of my fears and anxieties are worked out through my fiction.

“PDR: No for some reason, I escaped unharmed and unscarred, at least physically. I remember my mom rushing me to the doctors, who gave me a clean bill of health. Lucky, they said. But my mom wouldn’t relent and soon took me to a psychiatrist, I guess because she didn’t understand the new creative side I began showing. Nevertheless, they put me on some pills called phenobarbital. But I didn’t take those long. Couldn’t stand being sedated! At least not until many years later! ;)”

On your website, http://pauladashe.net/, you have some very impressive movie reviews. Is this an avenue you could see yourself becoming a professional at?

Thanks! I don’t think I could become a professional film reviewer; I’ve seen so many more films than what I review and post online. However, if someone wants to pay me to write reviews when I feel like it, my contact info is below. That will also probably never happen. *laughs* Although, I will be reviewing the film adaptation of Elizabeth Massie’s short story “Abed”, directed by Ryan Lieske. I CANNOT wait to watch that movie!

What are your favorite all-time horror movies?

I have a top 20 list posted here for your convenience! http://pauladashe.net/2012/07/07/my-20-favorite-horror-films/

My top five from the list are: Alien, Aliens, Hellraiser, Event Horizon, and High Tension.

You have quite a few published short stories out there. Which do you consider your best work, and where can it be purchased?

Oh boy…um…I suppose ‘The Mother of All Monsters’ is my current favorite, mostly because many people have told me it is their favorite. Also, --get this—my MOM loves it! It is available in the Serial Killers: Iterum collection published by JWKFiction.

You contributed the lead story of Four Ghosts, entitled Mater Nihil. The premise of the four ghost stories involves redemption of some sorts. Excluding spoilers, tell us what about this story could draw us into reading it?

Blood. Infanticide. Magic. Pregnancy. Crows. Dismemberment. Love. Poor hair styles. Gore. Obsession. Darkness. Terror. Parenthood. Malamutes. If any of those things interest you, give it a read. I have free electronic review copies available. Just holler. 

I typically light a candle, some incense and put on some heavy metal music at low volume when I write. Do you have any sort of ritual or prefer a certain atmosphere when you write?

I previously had a very similar ritual as you Paul, but because of my schedule, it’s nearly impossible for me to create that sort of atmosphere without needing to turn around in undo it after twenty minutes or so. So ideally; incense, candles, metal. Realistically; any atmosphere will (have to) do. I’ve also gotten quite adept at drafting while my students are doing in class writing. I am also sometimes rude and will write when socializing. Sorry. 

What can we expect from dark fiction writer, Paula D. Ashe in the future?

All sorts of foolishness. I am subbing some stories for a couple of projects with Chupa Cabra House, so keep your fingers crossed for me. I am also working on a story for an erotica anthology featuring African American writers/characters, to be released sometime in February. Related to that project is another adult-fiction collection featuring LGBTQ African American writers/characters, edited by yours truly. Over the summer I’m releasing a not-yet- titled collection of short stories and novellas; a mixture of previously published and new stuff.

(PDR: Fingers crossed!)

Thanks so much for your incredible patience, Paul! (Paul sent me this interview in early November. It’s almost 2014. Shame.)   

(PDR: Good things come to those who wait. This interview was worth waiting for. Incredibly eye opening!)

About this author:

Paula D. Ashe is a thirty-something writer of dark fiction who only feels comfortable writing about herself in third person. Originally from Ohio, She resides in Indiana with her wife and too many animals. Paula works as an instructor of English at a community college. She is also a PhD student in American Studies at Purdue University. Before that she earned a BA in Creative Writing and a minor in Psychology, then an MA in Composition and Rhetoric and a graduate certificate in Women's Studies, all from Wright State University. You can find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pauladashe and Twitter @pauladashe if you're into that sort of thing.

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