The Deorhord

Hana Videen. Profile Books. (352p) ISBN: 9781800815803
The Deorhord

The Deorhord

I was originally going to buy this when it came out in hard back but completely missed it, so was really looking forward to it coming out in paperback.

This is a brilliant mix of a couple of things I’m quite fascinated in, beasts and language especially old language and forgotten beasts.

There are a few sections and Hana looks at a variety of beasts that are common (and not so common) in Old English literature from eagles through elephants to stranger beast that defy description.

Each chapter stands alone beautifully and gives various references to literature that include that animal, breaks down symbolism, especially that linked to Christianity, and ends with a glossary of the Old English words used in that section.

Travelling through tales from Beowulf, Alexander (the not-so Great), and various Saints these tales are fascinating and kept me interested from start to finish, great variety and all put together so well.

Thanks to Profile Books for sending this out on its paperback release for me to ogle.


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Seeing Myself in Children’s Fiction

Kes

Kes

Growing up in the 60s and early 70s, on a working class estate on the south edge of Edinburgh that was gradually being abandoned, where all the traditional industries that sustained the community had disappeared, it was difficult to see myself in the children’s fiction of the era.

I eventually found Kes but that was way too near the bone by the time I read it. I wanted the lifestyle that was fostered onto the working class by the slew of middle-class fiction out there. Swallows and Amazons, Secret Seven, Secret Garden, all those lovely little comfortable adventures that the middle class could have. The ones where there is slight peril/adventure but everyone is home in time for tea and there would actually be food on the table.

There was nothing representing the crushing poverty, violence and ignorance of my actual daily life, where was the glue-sniffing, where was the stealing to eat, where was the regular after pub hours brawls, the sectarian football murders, where was the wondering if you are going to get new underwear and socks this year, you know, all the fun things in life.

There was none of that, it was never acknowledged by anyone that we lived shit lives and our children and so on would probably continue living those shit lives as there was no way out that we knew of or were ever told about.

This was all exacerbated by an education system that didn’t value us or see any prospect for us either and aimed at getting us through the system with a rigid minimum of qualifications/education, enough to shoot a gun, take a bullet or jockey a till. Teachers at the end of their teaching career and extremely jaded or so bad that the only posts they could get were in sink estate schools were our inspiration.

I was fortunate in that I had my Nan, she encouraged me to read and read widely always saying, ‘No matter what else they take away they can never take that from you.’, unfortunately I never really understood this until I was much older and working with children myself. I also had a wonderful primary teacher, Miss Lawson, who again encouraged my love of reading and writing, letting me have my head and pushing more difficult books on me when I looked comfortable for them.

There were also the wonderful library services in the town, both locally and in the centre. Always helpful and friendly, encouraging and a place to feel safe for a few hours a day.

Even though I had these wonderful champions of reading in my life, by the age of nine I had rejected children’s literature in favour of horror, science fiction and fantasy, they gave me places where I could go to escape the harsh realities of the life around me or revel in the violence of other worlds.

There was no way that using and producing words was seen or encouraged as a way of making a living, or even as a way of expressing thoughts and feelings, never mind developing them as an art form.

Mining, brewing, army, or prison were the best the careers officer could offer (and the first two had been reduced to such a perilous state that they were a non-starter), boy soldier or drug dealer was the traditional route to making a living.

No thoughts of further (never mind higher) education were put forward by school or parents who had accepted their lot in life, unless you were a girl of course and wanted to be a hairdresser or beautician.

Like every other group good representation is desperately needed to encourage people to believe that they have and are of value. Representation of the working class in children’s literature is better now than it has ever been but more still has to be done to get more positive messages out there, and with the massive cuts education has seen over the last decade (and before) this is hard but hopefully not impossible.

I finally feel positive about stating I’m working class and that is where I came from, but it has taken 38 years to get there.

[updated 07/11/2024]


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Crypt of the Moon Spider

Nathan Ballingrud. Titan Books. (128p) ISBN: 9781803368801
Crypt of the Moon Spider

Crypt of the Moon Spider

A wonderfully Gothic re-imagining of the moon in an alternative 1923.

There is so much of the science fiction of Verne and Wells in this novella, but then tempered by a very dark creeping horror with a Lovecraftian flavour, cosmic and visceral.

Set on the moon among the forest that Galileo thought was a sea is a sanitarium called The Barrowfield Home, a place treating melancholy with experimental procedures involving spider silk from a long dead Moon Spider.

A cracking tale that had me gripped from start to finish, with a slow build setting the place within a universe that suddenly exploded into a startling conclusion there wasn’t a foot placed wrong.

The whole story was tight and paced so well, I especially liked the inclusion of some back story for Grub which really added flavour to the conclusion.

Looking forward to the next episode in the Lunar Gothic Trilogy!

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.


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The Game Changers

Tim Clare. Canongate Books. (256p) ISBN: 9781805301349
The Game Changers

The Game Changers

I love gaming and have been gaming on and off since the mid-70s (chess) and have recently returned to playing solo board games and as part of this I’ve always loved a good book about games and the history of games.

In this book Tim looks at various games from the oldest to some of the newest and looks at how each has been part of society and influenced other game development travelling the world to show the universality of the need to game.

He also looks at how games influence people and groups and how people interact in these groups and it is this honest look at the sociological importance of games both at a group and individual level that really appealed to me about this book.

Full of humour and information this is a brilliant read from start to finish and I loved every moment of it.

Tim also ends with a very personal revelation that he hints at throughout the book so it came as no big surprise but shows a great deal of honesty and integrity.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.


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Nicole M. Wolverton – Author Q&A

Nicole M Wolverton taken by Heather McBride Photography

Nicole M Wolverton taken by Heather McBride Photography

NICOLE M. WOLVERTON grew up in the rural hinterlands of northeast Pennsylvania, wondering what lurked in the cornfields outside her bedroom window. Her curiosity about what terrible things might lay in wait in the dark only deepened after moving to Philadelphia after high school—to the point where she and her husband led their wedding guests on a ghost tour of Old Fort Mifflin during their reception.

Today, Nicole is a fear enthusiast and Pushcart-nominated writer of (mostly) speculative and horror fiction. She is the author of A MISFORTUNE OF LAKE MONSTERS, a young adult speculative novel due out on July 2, 2024 (CamCat Books), and THE TRAJECTORY OF DREAMS, a 2013 adult psychological thriller (Bitingduck Press). She also edited/curated the 2021 anthology of short fiction BODIES FULL OF BURNING (Sliced Up Press), exploring horror through the lens of menopause—the first of its kind. Her short fiction, creative nonfiction, and essays have appeared in over forty anthologies, magazines, and podcasts.

She lives in the Philadelphia area—in a creaky and mysterious hundred-year-old house—with her long-time and long-suffering husband and a sweet, goofy rescue dog. Nicole earned a B.A. in English from Temple University and a Masters of Liberal Arts in storytelling, horror, and society (with a creative writing certificate) from the University of Pennsylvania. She is an elections official, assistant magazine editor, and speechwriter, as well as a travel enthusiast (24 countries to date) and dragon boat steersperson, paddler, and assistant coach.

Nicole can be found at:
Website: www.nicolewolverton.com
Mastodon: @nicolewolverton
Instagram: @nicolewolv214

Tell me what inspired you to write your debut young adult novel?

I was the chief dishwasher in my family—and I know how random that sounds in response to the question. I grew up in a small, rural town in northeast Pennsylvania, and my childhood home was on the outskirts of that rural town. One of my chores was washing the dishes after dinner, and so I would stand there are the sink, look out the window at the lake about a mile behind my house, and fantasize about what might be lurking in its depths. There was never much of anything to even when I wasn’t washing dishes, so that’s how a lot of my ideas were born—I’d zone out, wondering what lived in the cornfields next to my house… or have a dream that our high school football team’s winning streak was assured by a local necromancer. But for A Misfortune of Lake Monsters, it was all about that lake and about wondering what else was out there in the world that was bigger than my experiences as a rural teen.

What came first the characters or the world?

The world, absolutely. Devil’s Elbow, Pennsylvania—the setting of A Misfortune of Lake Monsters—is based in many ways on my hometown. It is geographically in just about the same location, and the town is just as strange as I felt my town was during my high school years. Of course, my hometown is not a tourist mecca with a resident lake monster!

The characters in Lake Monster, while they came later, arrived in my head nearly fully formed… likely because I could see so clearly who Lemon Ziegler and her grandparents had to be. The owner and operators of Ziegler Ferry Tours—and the perpetrators of a generations-old fake lake monster—had to be tough old birds, the type who could raise a granddaughter who would be incredibly loyal and caring, yet tough in her own way. Troy and Darrin showed up next, but again—they had to be exactly who they are. I was lucky enough to be part of a small group of tightly-bonded friends in high school, and Lemon, Troy, and Darrin are modeled on that type of ride-or-die friendship.

How hard was it to get your first (debut) book published?

A Misfortune of Lake Monsters has been through two agents and a handful of close calls… so it’s been a slog. Horror as a genre is really interesting—there’s some absolutely great horror being published by the Big 4, but in more recent years it seems like the place to be for horror is smaller publishers. I keep hearing that for the big New York publishers, horror (particularly YA horror) is a tough sell—yet independent publishers are taking chances and producing extraordinary work. Take a look at the Stoker Awards and the Locus Awards, for instance: the big guys are well-represented, but so—too—are smaller operations. While it took some time for Lake Monsters to find the right home, I think in the end it landed in exactly the right place with a smaller publisher.

How long did it take to write?

A Misfortune of Lake Monsters

A Misfortune of Lake Monsters

Which time?! A Misfortune of Lake Monsters has been through a few versions—it started out as a third person, dual POV story. I think the first draft might have taken only six months, perhaps. After all the tinkering, re-drafts, developmental edits, etc, well… I’m not sure I can lay an accurate number of months or years on it.

Do you have a writing playlist? If so do you want to share it?

Rather than a writing playlist, I have plotting playlists. Listening to music is hard for me when I write because my brain tunes into it, and I want to sing along or thing about the lyrics—so it’s more distraction than helpful. But in the plotting phase (and I am an aggressively organized plotter) it’s very helpful. I do a lot of thinking while lying in bed because I have long-term chronic insomnia… I’ll wake up at three in the morning and not be able to sleep, so I put on the playlist for a specific novel, get in the right frame of mind either through the sound or meaning of songs, and let my brain wander into the plot. Sometimes I add to playlists after I’ve plotted and written, simply because a song reminds me of a character or scene, though—like A Misfortune of Lake Monsters’ playlist has a few songs that came out long after I’d already finished the book.

How many publishers turned you down?

I’m not really sure! The agent who took A Misfortune of Lake Monsters on submission kept track of that, and I tried to stay positive by tuning it out as much as possible, waiting for that YES. It also helped that for at least some of that time, I was writing short stories that were getting acquired—so I had a distraction. Pursuing publication means generating coping mechanisms to help deal with rejection. Ha!

What kind of reactions have you had to your book?

Very few people have read A Misfortune of Lake Monsters at this point—my critique partners, my former agents, my editors at CamCat Books. I’ll be able to update you on this after early review copies go out in a few months.

What’s the favourite reaction you’ve had to your book?

Something that tickled me—one of my critique partners said that Lake Monsters was as if Clown In A Cornfield had a baby with Jaws in Welcome to Night Vale. High praise indeed!

What can you tell us about your next book?

Keep in mind that this novel hasn’t been acquired yet, but if you enjoy accidental-slash-unintended cannibalism and ride-or-die friendships, it might be the book for you. It was a very personally satisfying book to write for me, which sounds strange, I know.

I can also tell you that it, too, is set in Devil’s Elbow, Pennsylvania, the setting for A Misfortune of Lake Monsters, and that is by design: ever since I started reading Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series, I’ve been enamored with the idea of building a world and situating a raft of standalone books within that world. With Devil’s Elbow, I’m able to do that, and it’s incredibly fun.

Do you take notice of online reviews?

Sure—but I also have enough of a thick skin that if someone doesn’t like something I’ve written, it doesn’t bother me. My work is not for everyone. It does make great reviews all the sweeter, and I’m so appreciative of those who read and take the time to leave reviews or contact writers to say nice things.

Would you ever consider writing outside your current genre?

I will always think of myself as a horror/speculative writer first, both adult and young adult—but I’ve had a few more literary-type short stories published, including one in the Saturday Evening Post. I also dabble in creative nonfiction and memoir, owing to several classes I took during my masters program in those areas. There’s something magical about mining your past for vividly painful incidents and turning them into something insanely weird or funny. I’m not afraid to write what appeals to me in the moment, regardless of the genre. Plus, I think of horror very, very broadly—I doubt most people consider the film Titanic as horror, but I absolutely do: nearly everyone dies horribly in the end.

What did you do before (or still do) you became a writer?

I spent most of my adult life working as a nonprofit fundraiser in the Philadelphia area, and I’m currently an associate director of communications and assistant editor of a magazine at a university. In everything I’ve ever done in my career, storytelling has been a huge part of it.

Which author(s) inspire you?

I earned a masters degree in horror and storytelling in May 2023, and my program was filled with tremendous writers that have been incredibly inspirational to me. Nova Ren Suma taught the very last class I took during my masters program, a YA writing course. I’ve been reading Nova’s great and eerie work since her first book came out, and she is a tremendous educator—very enthusiastic and supportive, but she’s also someone that can coax a good story out of you. I also had other professors who are not steeped in horror—Elysha Chang, Sunita Prasad, Kitsi Watterson, Ricardo Bracho, and Melissa Jensen—all of whom are incredible writers, incredible teachers, and incredible people.

Which genres do you read yourself?

It should go without saying that I read a lot of horror and a lot of YA books—but I read a bit of everything, from cozy mysteries to literary fiction to history to memoir. I like other peoples’ worlds, both real and imagined. If you visited my house, you probably wouldn’t know my favorite genre until you walked into my office (most of my horror books are in there, plus a lot of horror-y art).

What is your biggest motivator?

I have stories in my head, and if I don’t get them out on paper it becomes a preoccupation. I also have a pretty decent memory for dialogue and little details, so writing makes a good outlet for that; otherwise, I’m just some weird woman with a brain full of useless observations. I genuinely don’t mind being considered weird (hey, badge of honor), but I aim for usefulness. I’m sure that has something to do with being raised by farmers/former farmers/factory workers.

What will always distract you?

Music…and certain films. If I’m scrolling, and I see it, for instance, So I Married An Axe Murderer—I’m stopping whatever I’m doing and watching it.

How much (if any) say do you have in your book covers?

Very little.

Were you a big reader as a child?

A thousand percent yes. I’m very lucky that I had grown-ups around who liked to read to me, and after I learned to read I was always at the library or scrounging what little pocket money I had to buy a new book (the closest shop to my house was probably 45 minutes way, and the Internet had yet to be invented). Among my earliest reading memories is reading The Outsiders (SE Hinton) at my grandmother’s house—I always had a really strict bedtime, but I was so into this book that I barricaded myself in the bathroom and shoved a towel along the bottom of the door, so the light wouldn’t show through. In the wee hours of the morning as I was finishing the book, I was sobbing my little eight-year-old heart out, hoping my grandmother wouldn’t hear me. That’s when I knew reading is powerful—and to this day I’m grateful that no one cared what I was reading…they were more concerned that I was reading.

What were your favourite childhood books?

I loved those Time-Life books about the supernatural. I could not get enough of them. It makes a certain amount of sense, all things considered.

Do you have a favourite bookshop? If so, which?

That’s so tough—I love all the independent books shops in Philadelphia and the burbs equally. There is one, though, that feels extra magical to me. Garlands of Letters on South Street in Philadelphia is a new age bookshop, so they wouldn’t sell my book, for instance, but I love being there. Even just walking into the shop, past the big lion statue, and into the ever-present cloud of incense… browsing the tarot card selection and the crystals… it’s the kind of the place where it wouldn’t seem out of place if an elf popped out of a cabinet and kicked me in the shins. I wrote a novel some years back that was shelved—it included a scene in a bookshop based on Garlands of Letters.

What books can you not resist buying?

My weak spots: hauntings and minimalist covers that are colorful. I have a tough time saying no to novels that feature ghost stories. I just do and always have. And I know there’s that old saying about not judging a book by its cover, but I have a massive appreciation for simplicity in design and typography when it comes to book covers. I will snap up a book that wows me with cover design in a heartbeat, and I’m seldom steered wrong.

Do you have any rituals when writing?

I’m an aggressively organized plotter, so having a detailed outline is my ritual: I generally don’t start writing anything without a plan. A big part of that is superstition about writer’s block. Hey, if I have a roadmap, I never get lost!

How many books are in your own physical TBR pile?

Well over a hundred. I keep trying to make a dent, but then a friend or an author I admire has a book event in the vicinity and, well… I buy more books. I’ve vowed to STOP buy physical books a billion times, but it’s tough.

What is your current or latest read?

I just finished Nova Ren Suma’s book A Room Away From the Wolves last night, which is—as I’ve come to expect from Nova—gorgeously and lushly written. I’m also in the middle of Women and Children First, Alina Grabowski’s debut novel that’s coming out in May 2024 (also fabulous, and you should have it on your radar).

Any books that you’re looking forward to in the next 12 months?

Jenny Adams’s A Deadly Endeavor (March 2024) is one I’ve recently just finished, and I’m looking forward to seeing it debut—it’s set in Philadelphia, and I have such a weakness of Philly-set books. That’s just one of many 2024 debut novels; I’m in a group of 2024 debut-ers, some of whose novels I’ve read and some I’ve not yet gotten to, but they all sound amazing.

Any plans or projects in the near future you can tell us about?

I’m currently writing a novel I started in Nova Ren Suma’s course in spring 2023—a YA horror novel set in a grocery store. A strong element of the story is a particular Catholic saint, a patroness against—among other things—diabolical infestations. I have a weird habit of visiting churches to see religious relics and the bodies of incorruptible saints when I travel (it’s extra weird because I’m not Catholic, nor have I ever been Catholic), and so I’m very much trying to get to Cairo, Egypt to make a pitstop in a church that allegedly holds the preserved right hand of this particular saint.

Any events in the near future?

I’ll be telling ghost stories at the Strong Women, Strange Worlds Holiday Extravaganza on December 2, 2023, and I’ll be on the Shining Moon speculative fiction podcast sometime in December 2023. A little further out, I’m scheduled to appear at the Scary Stories Book Fest on October 12, 2024 in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

and finally, what inspired you to write the genre you do?

There are three things that unhinged me as a kid and made me prone toward writing horror. 1] My grandmother used to read fairy tales to me—the super violent original versions that weren’t sanitized as lovely bedtime stories. My favorite was one that involved people being cut into tiny pieces. It’s stuck with me to the point that I wrote a memoir piece about it for Bookends Review (published October 2022). 2] My father, who was a terrible parent, took me to see The Exorcist at a drive-in when I was about five years old. 3] I talked about this earlier, but there’s not much to do in rural Pennsylvania, and rural settings are inherently creepy—what else did I have to do but imagine the worst? That it has resulted in A Misfortune of Lake Monsters feels… destined.


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Jan Dolby – Illustrator Q&A

Jan Dolby

Jan Dolby

Jan Dolby is an internationally published illustrator with experience in graphic design and book publishing. Jan was born in St. John’s Newfoundland, Canada and currently lives in Toronto, Ontario area with her family. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Art and has been illustrating for over 15 years.

Jan has illustrated over 25 picture books and is the illustrator of the Gabby picture book series: Gabby, Gabby: Drama Queen and Gabby: Wonder Girl written by Joyce Grant published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside. Gabby was nominated for the Rainforest of Reading Festival award in 2014 and won the Rainforest of Reading Festival – Monserrat award in 2015. Her work with the young adult health publication Below Your Belt, How to be Queen of Your Pelvic Region was recognized for excellence within the Independent Publishing industry in 2015. Jan’s illustration work for Be Proud to be Blue written by Diane Hull was recognized by The Wishing Shelf and won the bronze award in 2021.

Just released – Willa the Werewolf, by Michele McAvoy – an early reader published by Little Press Publishing / Fall 2023

Jan is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCWBI), the Canadian Children’s Book Centre, Illustrators for Hire and ChildrensIllustrators.com. 
She lives and works in Toronto, Canada.

Jan can be found at:
Websites: 
www.jandolby.comhttps://idrawanimals.myportfolio.com/
Illustrators for Hire: https://www.illustratorsforhire.com/featuring/jan-dolby-illustrator-for-hire
Childrensillustrators.com: https://childrensillustrators.com/jandolby/portfolio
Email: jandolby@bell.net
Instagram: @jandolby_artist
Twitter: @jandolby

When did you know you wanted to become an illustrator?

I have always loved picture books, but I think it was after I had my first art exhibit of my children’s paintings that the response to that show was “you need to illustrate for children”.

How long does it typically take to make a page or cover for a book?

It takes me three to six months to finish illustrating a picture book because everyone involved is incredibly organized and communication is excellent. Covers take some time to make sure it is really eye catching. Probably a good week.

What’s your favourite piece of art equipment?

My favourite tools I use are Photoshop, my drawing tablet and my iPad. Favourite materials are paper, a good pencil and black marker.

Do you have a favourite colour scheme, if so what and why?

Pink is one of my favourite colours to work with. When I add orange, red and green, I’m pretty happy.

Who were your inspirations when starting out?

Marie-Louise Gay (Canadian illustrator) is still my biggest inspiration. I met her in a cafeteria line at a conference and nearly fell over with excitement. Other inspirational beings Peter H Reynolds, Hilary Knight, the Muppets, Charlie Brown characters, Sesame Street. I could go on and on.

Do you have another job beside being an illustrator, if so what?

I should have another job, but I don’t. I market myself as much as I can and illustrate as much as possible to keep my studio business going.

What do you do to overcome a creative block?

It happens. I change what I am reading, what music I listen to and things get better. Change is good.

Do you have a favourite piece in your portfolio, if so could you share it and talk about it?

My favourite portfolio piece changes all the time. Currently it is the penguins in the ocean.

What was your first book related project?

My very first book I illustrated, interestingly enough, was about the cold virus and how you need to wash your hands a lot.

What type of media do you prefer to work in and why?

I prefer digital with some original artwork scans. I like collaborating the two. Easier to make corrections and increases my creativity.Do you have a playlist you like working to? If so do you want to share it?

No playlist

Do you have any rituals when working?

I watch Disney and sci-fi shows to keep me sitting in my studio chair while working on my computer.

Did the books you read as a child influence your work?

I read Dr. Seuss, Eloise, ….mind is blanking.

Has your illustration/art style changed over time?

Has changed quite a bit. I used to paint all of my illustrations in acrylic paint and digitize them. That style seemed a bit dated so now i draw mostly in pencil and digitize and complete the illustrations in Photoshop.

How closely do you work with the author on developing the illustrations for a book?

If I work with a traditional publisher I don’t work closely with the author. If it is a self-publishing project I do work closely with the author.

If you could illustrate any classic book which would it be and why?

Any classic book about monsters would be terrific.

If you can please tell us about your latest project and if not your last project

My latest project is a series of three early readers, fractured fairy tales…right up my alley.


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