Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror: Author Interviews ~ Jenna Miller

It's November 1st. Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror 2017 is now available! So today, I have an interview with the creator of the anthology, Jenna Miller. Not only is she the one responsible for this wonderful, creepy collaboration of chills and thrills, she's also a contributor as well. Let's get on with the interview! Her answers will be in green.

What inspired Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror? 

Way back in 2007, just after I’d published my first fantasy novel, I was invited to contribute to a horror anthology (Concrete Blood: Dark Tales of the City) – it was so much fun and I wanted to do my own anthology. We were also just starting Word Weavers (a writer’s group) at the time, and doing anthologies through there … I wanted one that was just for women, and more importantly, just for women in horror. When I approached people about it, I got mixed responses. A lot of women didn’t want to do it. I got a lot of flak about exploiting women and how it wasn’t “positive.” I also had a few guys who joked about not having a men only anthology.

So I decided to do both, a Ladies and a Gents, and a combined.

How often have you contributed to the anthology? 

I contributed in 2008, 2013 and 2016.
What are the titles of the stories you’ve contributed? 

Addiction, Bitch and Slither (respectively).

What was one of the hardest scenes you’ve ever had to write? 

The rape/cannibal scene at the beginning of Addiction.

How does your family feel about the production of the anthology? 

They’re encouraging, but hate that they essentially lose me for the few months I work on it.

Why do the proceeds go to the American Cancer Society? 

The anthology doesn’t make enough money to pay each contributor much at all, so in 2013 the group decided that donating the profits to charity would be best. As a group we chose breast cancer, but finding a charity that actually puts your donations towards the cause is hard, and that’s why, after much research, we chose the ACS.

I’ve asked all the authors, now I’ll ask you, too. Do you Google yourself? 

Sometimes, and while I have one of the most common names ever in the history of ever, I’m always in the top ten or so. Which is scary.

What is your preferred genre for writing? 

Horror, though I do love the occasional dabble into fantasy and sci-fi.

How do these contributors make you feel? 

I love my contributors. Each and every one has taught me something and helped both me and the anthology grow. I’ve developed long lasting friendships and also learned a few hard lessons working with people from all over the world over the last nearly ten years.

Has the success of the anthology grown over the years? 

Yes. Bit by bit, I see its popularity growing. Even now I’m booked up for the next two years in both the fantasy and the horror—which is hard to fathom, considering as I used to have to sell my soul, and seduce or otherwise entice people in order to get contributors.

How does one contribute to the anthology? 

By sending a query of interest (details can be found in the “notes” on our websites (Queries or Submission Queries) or on the FB pages ( Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror or Ladies and Gentlemen of Fantasy ) or to Email (horror) or Email (fantasy).

*~*~*

Thanks so much for your time, Jenna! I wish you much success with these anthologies as time goes on.

Don't forget, you can purchase your copy of the anthologies now!

Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror: Author Interviews ~ John H. Howard

Welcome to another Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror author interview! I'm a little biased about today's author, as I've been working with him on my BREED project as well. Today, I introduce to you, John H. Howard! His answers will be in purple.

1) Is this your first year participating in the LGoH?

No, my story “Effigy” appeared in the LGoH 2015 and I was asked to provide the foreword for the LGoH 2016.

2) If so, tell us what drew you to this anthology.

My mother was a 17-year breast cancer survivor until she finally lost her battle to that beast in September 2016. Because all proceeds are donated to the American Cancer Society, there’s no way I would ever say no to contributing to that cause. Plus, the anthology has gained quite a following and a reputation over the years, so there’s a certain amount of prestige in being asked to contribute.

3) If you’ve written for previous LGoH anthologies, list the story titles and years.

See #1.

4) What is your preferred genre?

I used to think it was fantasy, but it seems my mind tends to be drawn more toward horror anymore. It’s a great way to explore the human psyche and our collective inner demons.

5) What other titles do you have published?

“Cry of the Banshee” in the Tome of Distant Realms, 2008; “Mrs. Culling’s Reformatorium for Wayward Children” in Isabelle Rose’s Twisted Fairy Tales, 2009; “The Goblin Lantern” and “Obsidian” in Ladies and Gentlemen of Fantasy, 2014; “Moonville” in The Horror Society Presents: Forgotten Places, 2015; “Mrs. Culling’s Reformatorium for Wayward Children” (reprint) in Fiction Foundry Presents: One, 2015; “Effigy” in Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror 2015; and finally, I recently released a novella entitled “Ordinary Heroes,” which is available in print and Kindle formats on Amazon.

6) Where do you get your ideas?

From everyday life, ordinary situations. I think the key to having great story ideas is just to keep an open, active mind. I’m constantly asking myself what would make any given situation more interesting or creepy or horrific, or if I were a character in a story in that moment, what could happen next.

7) Does writing energize or exhaust you?

A good writing session will energize me for hours. A bad one will exhaust me.

8) Do you write for yourself or your audience?

I write for myself, but edit for an audience.

9) What other authors are you friends with and how do they help you become a better writer?

Jennifer L. Miller, who was the first person to publish one of my stories back in 2008 (“Cry of the Banshee”). She has been a constant source of encouragement through the years and every time she asks me to contribute to something, I try to make each story better than the last.

Julia Press Simmons, one of the most badass self-made women you’ll ever meet. Not only is she an author, but she’s currently in the process of building her own multimedia pop culture empire. If not for her, “Ordinary Heroes” wouldn’t exist in its current form. I had originally drafted it as a short story for submission to a super hero-themed anthology and she asked me why I was wasting my time submitting to anthologies like that when she felt I could do well self-publishing. She told me to add 10,000 words to the story and that she would help me put it out there. I did and she did. I’m very grateful for her time, advice, and mentorship.

Also, there’s the Fiction Foundry Freaky Fridays peer review group: Jennifer Caress, Carolyn Kay, Klara Gomez, Robbie Knight, and Sarah Walker. We’ve been critiquing each others’ work for more than two years now and do our best to strengthen each others’ writing. It’s great because everyone brings something different to the table. I have learned and grown so much over that time period, I don’t even think I’m the same writer I was two years ago.

10) What was the hardest scene to write?

Not so much a scene, but an entire story: “Effigy,” which appeared in LGoH 2015. In it, a young woman awakens tied naked to a tree with no memory of how she got there or even who she is. Throughout the story, other people do horrible things to her. I almost didn’t submit it because it was so rough (and I was slightly worried about being labeled a misogynist), but I tentatively sent it to Jenna Miller. She loved it and printed it. It got a really nice review on Amazon, too. Now, it’s one of the stories I’m most proud of because it pushed a lot of boundaries, both as a story and also for me as a writer.

11) Do you Google yourself?

I did once and learned that the former Prime Minister of Australia had the same name as me. But otherwise, no.

12) Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

In my fantasy stories I almost always reference wights of some kind, usually mist wights, but you’ll also see fire wights, water wights, and occasionally the elusive shadow wight. In my fiction, they’re not so much spirits or ghosts, but closer to elementals. It’s something I came up with way back in my twenties and I liked the idea, so I’ve tried to continue it.

13) Do you have any little known facts you’d care to reveal to us now?

I hate coconut, but I love German chocolate cake. Weird, I know.

*~*~*

Thank you so much for participating, John! And congratulations on getting "Ordinary Heroes" out there! Have a great rest of your week, everyone!

Find links below to connect with John H. Howard:

Facebook Author Page

Fiction Foundry

Amazon Author Page

Spread The Word & Win!...

I am blessed to have lots and lots of author friends. I'm especially thankful that every book donated to my giveaway is from a fellow Word Weaver! So many, many thanks to Jenna Miller, Anita Dawn Stewart, Mary McDonald, Walki Tinkanesh and Hydra Star! Let's kick off this awesome week, shall we?

Spreading the word about a book is one of THE BEST advertisements. Reviews rank right up there and I've gotten a couple of good ones so far! So what now? Well, I'm glad you asked... three lucky people will win a free ebook copy of my book, Adversarius! But that's not all! You'll also get to choose from these fabulous books as well from some amazing authors. Check out the list, then we'll get to to the rules.

Ceremony of Chaos by Jennifer L. Miller ~ Ceremony of Chaos features 12 Short Stories from the twisted mind of Jennifer L. Miller. Within the pages you will find supernatural and real world horrors sure to keep you up at night. With one new tale of terror, Black Widow, Ceremony of Chaos also contains short stories penned for Darkened Horizons Magazine, such as The Shewolf and Slither, as well as Black Water City from the Horror Anthology Concrete Blood: Dark Tales of the City. Short Stories that appeared in several Word Weavers Anthologies also are included in this collection.


Outsider by W. Freedreamer Tinkanesh ~
Rooted in the music scene of London, UK, and inspired by a life-long passion for music and a peculiar interest in private dark sides, 'Outsider' is a study of human emotions, disturbed by vampires and punctuated with rock music. Sid is a medicated musician who has lost her rhythm, but strangely is finding her voice as a writer.For Joy, the bored blood-drinker, it might have started when a powerful vampire turned her into a creature of the night at the dawn of the 20th century. Is everything as it seems? Is everyone as they appear? With offbeat sense of humour and twisted realism, the author guides you down a trail of bodies (alive, dead and undead) until the final showdown.

 
 No One Makes It Out Alive by Hydra M. Star ~
"No One Makes It out Alive: and end of the world anthology" is in short a collection of writings about the end of the world. The genres and subject matter of these stories stretches from zombies to nuclear war and from comedy to erotica, with mostly everything else covered in-between. This anthology was edited by writer, columnist, book reviewer, and magazine owner Hydra M. Star. Cover art provided by Dave Lipscomb. Foreword by Garth von Buchholz. Includes stories from; Andrea Dean van Scoyoc, Joseph DeRepentigny, Josephine Seven, Ken Knight, Larry Lefkowitz, Magan Rodriguez, Tibbie X, and W. Freedreamer Tinkanesh.


Black Pyramid by Anita Dawn Stewart ~
A beautiful land enriched with a history of mythical Gods and power hungry pharaohs. There is ONE who walks among us. He knows the truth of the Ancient Egyptians....   Siaak hides the reality of an era long erased from the temples and obelisks in order to keep the world safe. For there lurks an evil waiting to regain control of Egypt and rule the entire world!   Archeologist, Melissa Ambers, can't resist the offer to excavate a newly discovered pyramid. Only this one isn’t just any pyramid. It’s the mysterious, Black Pyramid! She finds out there's more to the stone monument than meets the eye. And within hours of stepping inside the dark tomb, Melissa's on the war path with Siaak. An ancient being who will stop at nothing to keep the leader of the BloodSeekers imprisoned. Even if it means killing Melissa and all who seek the knowledge of, the Ancient Breeds!

No Good Deed by M. P. McDonald ~ Mark Taylor discovers first hand that no good deed goes unpunished when the old camera he found during a freelance job in an Afghanistan bazaar gives him more than great photos. It triggers dreams of disasters. Tragedies that happen exactly as he envisions them. He learns that not only can he see the future, he can change it. Then the unthinkable happened and everyone ignored his frantic warnings. Thousands die. Suddenly, the Feds are pounding on his door and the name they have for Taylor isn't urban hero. It's enemy combatant. And, it means they can do anything they want to him. Anything at all.


On December 17th, I will choose three winners.

First place will win: A copy of Adversarius PLUS three other books of your choice from the books shown here.

Second and Third place will win: A copy of Adversarius PLUS two other books, again, your choice.

Now here is how you can win. Since this is all about Spreading the Word, take a look at the list of how to gain entries: 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Post: Kiera Kroft...

Thank you so much Mel for letting me talk about the most exciting thing in my life...my books.

A quick little bio about me :)

Keira Kroft carries a vet assistance degree. Her love for animals is as great as her love of people. She gives a percentage of her personal book sale profits to the animal welfare league. Residing in a quiet suburb in the outskirts Chicago with her husband and daughter she spends any spare time she has working with her cats Scamper and Sawyer, to achieve total world domination, one shared Twinkie at a time. Her passions include Reading, Writing, Football, Comic Books and nature.

Keira’s Books  

Coming Very, Very Soon.

Have it all, do it all, and be it all! Do it now. Pick up this book and change your life forever. From someone who has been from one end of the spectrum to the other.

Coming Soon

Synopsis for Death’s Reject.

Driven with fear for her husband’s life, Constance seeks the aid of federal protection for Mafia Don, Carlo Conti. When she realizes that the FBI has used her, setting a trap to turn her against her husband, it’s already too late.

Carlo Conti is faced with no other choices than to murder the love of his life or disappear. He packs up his family and flees to the beautiful country of New Zealand. After realizing that the “family” that he left behind in Chicago is being wiped out in brutal mob war, he has another tough choice to make…

If he stays, he may lose it all. But if he goes back, he will lose the only love he has ever known…his wife.

Coming ~ Late summer

Inamorata is the first Novel in the “One Bloody Night Series”.

They are supposed to be low key and get their nightly fix from a bag. But what if they could spend a cozy evening eating an old fashioned meal and then when they were done they would simply set the place on fire and walk away—no one would be the wiser?

That’s the plan when a group of rogue Vampires has poisoned the entire security staff at a Christmas Eve party at a mall in Chicago and proceed to take over for the evening and feast upon their own kind of tradition, four house keepers, a maintenance man, a girl who lives in the mall, a lonely late night worker and a couple who have escaped to the department store where she works so their spouses wouldn’t be privy to their affair and some other delightfully unexpected guests.

Everything goes exactly as they expected until the group leader Lucius Sturdevant, and second oldest Vampire to date, realizes that the woman that lives in the Comic book store that is trying to figure out how to kill him is the reincarnation of Laura, the love of his life, that died in his arms of old age, because he didn’t have the heart to turn her.

On Sale Now

Did somebody call a fireman? What about a rugged, yet gentle and very good looking fireman…anybody call one of those? His name is Jake Gilroy and he is about to change Corey Nolan’s life.

Synopsis

Determined to be out from under her mother’s ruling and away from a no-good soon-to-be ex-boyfriend, Corey Nolan exercises her independence. With a place to call her own and a job that doesn’t pay well but makes her happy, her life is full and her young daughter is content. There is no room for distractions, until she meets a local firefighter—who stirs an immediate forbidden attraction. In need of control, she tries to ignore Jake Gilroy, but circumstances bring her closer to him when someone is hell-bent on destroying her.

Dutiful playboy Jake is known as the smoking hot fireman. The first time he sets eyes on Corey, he knows he wants her. But when threats and strange occurrences start to happen, he finds the need to protect her and give more than he’s ever given any other woman.

Being together becomes more than they bargained for when their desire for each other becomes a matter of life and death….

Excerpt

She is a toddler, right? Like four or five years old? Her jaw dropped. A chill overwhelmed Corey, and she knew it didn’t have to do with the night air from the open bar door. “How do you know that? Have you been watching me?”

On Sale Now http://www.amazon.com/Glow-in-the-Dark-ebook/

Synopsis

Auntie Em has made a deal with the devil. She gave up her niece, Dorothy’s soul in exchange for a plentiful harvest. Em was smart and worked a clause into the contract. Satan could only have Dorothy’s soul in death, but she must also agree to meet the dark lord himself and shake his hand. Everything is going splendid until…

Dorothy unaware of her untimely demise or any satanic contract embarks on a journey through the Land of Oz, seeking the great Wizard in hopes that he will return her safely home. As she unwittingly marches through hell, she begins to notice that nothing and no one is what it seems and there is no turning back…

There is indeed a bad moon rising over Oz.

Excerpt

As Dorothy walked away, unbeknownst to her, the flowers turned to ash, and the munchkins had turned into little demons with ugly, red faces. The road behind her was now paved with broken bones and crushed human skulls. The sun had turned to black.

Buy it Now! http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Moon-Rising-Over-ebook/

Also Available

This thrilling assortment of carefully hand selected horror can only found together in this fine collection. Each story can be purchased separately at other outlets. This features Bad Moon Rising Over Oz and three other spine tingling stories.

On sale now http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Reads-Collection-Volume-ebook

Hugs,

Keira Kroft

www.keirakroft.blogspot.com

Halloween Approacheth...

If you all don't know by now, I'll tell you. Halloween is like, my favorite holiday EVER! I love it. I don't know why. I'm also a huge horror movie buff and always enjoyed my brother's Halloween parties. He would play like a two hour long tape (yeah...VHS) of all the scary parts of every scary movie. It was awesome. People would be glued to the TV.

Later on, after the parties stopped and his kids got a little older, he started doing a haunted house in his carport. I got to help the first year before we moved away to Alaska. It was the best!

You would think with all this horror influence in my life that I would write horror/thriller novels. I tried my hand at it once and failed horribly.

Now I'm thinking I need to keep working on that vampire story I started, but vampires are quickly becoming over done. We'll see.

Also, if you don't already know it by now, author Elizabeth Mueller's first book will be released October 31st! Fitting, considering it is titled 'Darkspell'. Congrats to you Elizabeth and I so look forward to reading your book!