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Lurking Musings

~ Musings of a newly published writer

Lurking Musings

Category Archives: Guest posts

Interview: Gillian Polack

19 Tuesday Jan 2021

Posted by D.A Lascelles in Guest posts, Interview

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Australia, Chandler Award, Disability in fiction, Gillian Polack, Medieval history, Speculative fiction, Wizardry of Jewish Women


We are very fortunate today to have the chance to interview Dr. Gillian Polack who is a Medieval scholar from Australia who also writes speculative fiction. Is, in fact, an award winning author of such with the 2020 Bertram Chandler Award for Oustanding Achievement in Australian fiction. Her latest release, Borderlanders, is currently out on sale from various sources – https://www.odysseybooks.com.au/titles/9781922311184/.   

We asked her a few questions about herself and her work.

What drives you as a writer – what makes you sit down and work through your day enough to get something finished?

I have so many stories to tell. I have so much learning to do. They make tapestries together and those tapestries make me feel as if my life is worthwhile.

You are known as an editor, historian and teacher as well as a writer. What skills from those professions, aside from the obvious ones, do you think have helped you as a writer?

The most important thing I take from all the different parts of myself is learning: I’m always learning how to tell better stories. I’m not convinced I write good novels yet, but all my different skills definitely help me move in the right direction.

Tell me about the place where you live. Have you ever used any aspect of this place in your writing?

I live in Canberra. I call it the centre of the known universe, because many Australians dislike it and most of the rest of the world forgets it’s our capital city.  I also call it a palimpsest city. It’s tucked into the mountains and, if you look around without knowledge, it’s bland.  I love this. A city that deceives others by pretending to be dull…Canberra has so many layers and so many stories

I’ve used Canberra in my fiction for years.  The novels still in print are Ms Cellophane (the public service and how it devastates some souls), The Time of the Ghosts (how ghosts travel with us and how, if we don’t handle our cultural baggage, it will change the world around us), and part of The Wizardry of Jewish Women (bushfires and feminism).

Some palimpsests have just one hidden layer and some have many. Canberra has many, and I suspect I shall write about it again.

What is your favourite historical period? How would (or have?) you used this in your writing?

Despite the fact that I’m a fully functioning Medieval historian, I don’t have a favourite period. I love learning about people, and history is a rich well of stories that help me understand people and their lives. I always use  history in my fiction, even the fiction that looks as if it contains nothing historical at all. Most recently, Poison and Light is set in the future, where the eighteenth century is re-created so that a whole planet can hide from the present.

I had several triggers that set off this jaunt into a future past. One of them was MacHeath (the John Gay version of The Beggar’s Opera, not the one by Brecht). I realised that a reinvented past would have all the aspects of history we regard as sexy, even if, in reality, they’re not sexy at all. Highwaymen, a Code Duello, hot air balloons and so much else are part of a society that discovers this. I love  fiction from the late eighteenth century, and I used it as a springboard. If you look hard, you’ll see them reflected.

Have you ever based any characters on real life people? If so, who and what did they think of it?

I nearly did, once.

In my first novel, I had a character based on a real person. My publisher warned me that this was not a wise thing to do. Illuminations was published in the US and litigation was a major problem at that time. I rewrote the section and changed the character.

There are also sequences in The Wizardry of Jewish Women that are based on actual events, but I modified the characters themselves. In real life, Carmen Lawrence and Anthony Albanese made appearances, but in this version of the same events (in fact, in all the events that are derived from real incidents and enter into my fiction) the characters are different. This turned out to be very wise of me and I will always be grateful to the US editor who taught me to do this, for Albanese is currently one of the most senior figures in Australian government.

Borderlanders involves a character who can produce magic through artwork. Can you tell us more about this? How does magic work in your world?

This is the same weird Australia I used in the short story that Mindy Klasky published in Nevertheless, She Persisted https://bookshop.org/books/nevertheless-she-persisted-a-book-view-cafe-anthology/9781611386875There is a connection between magic and emotions, but there’s often a twist in it. You can never quite be certain that the world you are looking at is the one you thought you were in.

How do you think fantasy writing will evolve over the next few decades? Any trends you are seeing now that you think will become more relevant?

We’ve had a wave of growing cultural awareness recently, where many writers explore their own background in their work, or suddenly realise that when they write about other cultures and lives they have been guilty of ‘othering  characters in the writing. It hasn’t dug deep yet, but if it does, it might change everything.

We have some of the tools for that change already: own voices, asking for help with writing people from different backgrounds to ourselves, understanding that some people can be hurt if we choose our subjects lightly. We still have a wider cultural framework, however, that pushes easier, more comfortable and less diverse views.

If we’re very lucky, we might have a brilliant blossoming of new paths in novels as authors discover how much narrative potential there is in getting rid of the most egregious bias.

What big current affairs issue would the main character of Borderlanders, Melissa, have an interest in? What would her opinion be on this issue?

Her main focus would be on current government. Given the Federal government in Australia is not at all supportive of people with disabilities, her life is affected by Federal policies and she would keep an eye on it. That would be very personal, and she might not say anything in public. What she would talk about at a dinner party is how government policies hurt people. I suspect she would simply say that and then be quiet again. She’s not someone who makes the ears of others ring with her opinions.

In Borderlanders, you are writing about disabled characters. How do you feel disabled characters are handled in fantasy media in general and how do you feel this could be improved?

I have a big gripe about many characters in fantasy media in general. The vast majority of those depicting someone ‘other’ (whatever the reason for the othering) are often depicted as shadow figures. Not full characters. I don’t feel as if I want to meet them or avoid them. If I don’t have even an inkling of who they are off the page, then the author has done them a disservice and has put a stick figure in their work in place of a real person.

Since each and every person with disabilities (to use that as an example) is an individual, with a whole life and really interesting things to say, to give them short shrift is to add to the bias about them.

Othering can be done to so many different people – it loses us our humanity. All writers need to do is say “Yes, this person is Black American, or Indigenous Australian, or queer, or Jewish, or Hindu or disabled… but what are they like as a person and how do these aspects of their lives integrate with who they are as a person?”

If I were to ask Melissa what was happening in the story of Borderlanders, how do you think she would answer?

“I don’t know. Really. I’m trying to understand, but, honestly, I need to sort out some issues before I can answer your questions. Can I ask you, though, why you need to ask me this? Books are made to be read, not explained by characters.”

 

 

The Elementals: Russell A Smith interview.

06 Wednesday Jan 2021

Posted by D.A Lascelles in Guest posts, Interview

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Island Gardens, London, Russell A Smith, The Elementals


So, in the fugue of Christmas and New Year, you probably forgot all about The Elementals. So, being the helpful chap that I am. I thought it time to remind you…

Cover of The Elementals in the element of air (surrounded by clouds)

So, remember The Elementals is still available on ebook and paperback! You can get it from this Amazon Link!

RusseditToday we are interviewing Russell A Smith, author of the final story in the collection – the Social Contract. We’ve spoken to Russ before, way back when and he did of course get interviewed by F.D Lee at the same time I was for Super Relaxed Fantasy Club. As the only other UK author involved in this anthology, I could in theory have done this interview in person had the world been less virus ridden…

The anthology theme is ‘Elementals’, what does this mean to you and how did you interpret it in your story?

Growing up much in the known western tradition I often think first of earth, air, fire and water. I am pleased spirit is an addition to our options here and I spend far, far too long thinking through metaphysics and how understandings of each of these elements affects the practitioner in the first place. Which led me to how some of them work together, how some really shouldn’t, etc. I really didn’t have time to get into it all on my story here, but thinking about that gave me a whole world to play with, complete with current standings, alternate world histories and suchlike. In the universe I’ve got running, there are a number of options for the magically talented beyond elemental, but we have a specific focus here. My lead protagonist has a talent for manipulation of air and water in particular.

Where is your story set? Is it a real world location or one you made up? What drove you to set your story there?

My story is set in East London, and I’ve joked a few times that I know some friends who could see some of the first part of it from their house! I can’t remember exactly what order things came in, but there’s a particular event taking place that happens in that area which I wanted to include in the plot. I should make sense when you meet a couple of the characters. I may have slightly fudged a calendar date or two, but I’m fairly certain it’s not that important.

Are there any personal experiences in your story? Things you have done, people you have met etc.?Island Gardens - Wikipedia

I’ve been to every location featured in the tale bar one, which I’ll leave you to guess! The characters themselves are entirely fictional, though one of the characters is very loosely inspired by someone I know. Again, I shall leave you to speculate as to which. I also featured another character mostly after exchanging a very short prompt with another friend of mine, whose name I even riff off slightly.

[Editors note, the embedded video below is a clue as to one of the locations used…]

What drives the main characters of your story?

Honestly, I can tell you that the lead was just wanting to have a nice entertaining weekend, and that plan hits a barrier almost straight away. However, the title of my tale, The Social Contract, probably gives away a big theme of characters having numerous obligations within various communities. And they may not always have a universal understanding on this. This starts with some quite real-world issues which I don’t delve into heavily here because that’s not what I’m going for, but it still affects the supernatural in some ways, which will quickly become clear.

How would any of the characters in your story respond to the current world of 2020?

I’m fairly sure it’s not explicitly mentioned, but I set the tale in 2019 quite deliberately. Although there’s certainly peril, I very much wanted to ensure there was joy and light-heartedness on the page, which thankfully my lead lives for. She’ll certainly not be enjoying 2020 one bit, but would absolutely be sporting a Black Lives Matter badge and even though better equipped to handle matters of air transmission than most, will sport an array of geeky masks at all times.

What was your writing ‘method’ for this anthology? How did you progress from initial idea to the final, published story?

Embracing the chaos of my surrounding environment would be the short answer! I turned up quite late to the party so had to come up with something fast, was thinking about the starting location and reasons for the initial conflict first, knew I’d be keeping my end of the prompt I mentioned earlier up, then worked out how I was going to put it all together . I had to quite hastily get some more eyes on my initial draft, then go again!

Describe the premise of your story.

A young witch has plans for a nice chilled weekend break hanging out with her cousin. Would it surprise you to know this does not go according to plan? She starts her perilous night in East London with the police getting in her way by arresting her cousin, but that’s soon interrupted there’s the unknown demonic thing terrorising the local park nearby. So her cuz doesn’t even get to be the first rescue attempt she has to make. After that, she might be able to begin to work out what all of that is really about. Oh yeah, there’s also a really special dog.

The Elementals: Heather Young Nicols interview

15 Tuesday Dec 2020

Posted by D.A Lascelles in Guest posts, Interview

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Heather Young Nichols, knox publishing, The Elementals


For our next interview with an author from The Elementals, we have Heather Young-Nicols. Heather Young-Nichols is a USA Today Bestselling Author of YA and contemporary romance author and a native of the great and often very cold state of Michigan. She is better known at home and to her friends as the Snarker-in-Chief, a job she excels at beyond anything she could have imagined. She loves many things, but especially cold coffee, hot books, and baseball. But not necessarily in that order. You can find out more about her on her website: http://www.heatheryoungnichols.com You can also see more on her Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and Instagram accounts. And don’t forget, you can buy The Elementals from Amazon UK and Amazon US! An image of the Elementals cover in a setting representing waterThe anthology theme is ‘Elementals’, what does this mean to you and how did you interpret it in your story? Elementals to me revolve around the elements. As this is an elemental witch anthology, I focused on a witch that can use the elements from another series of mine. Where is your story set? Is it a real world location or one you made up? What drove you to set your story there? The story is not in a real world location. As the first story takes place in a fictional town called Warwick, and the warlocks came from another fictional town, I created a third for Devious Magic. Are there any personal experiences in your story? Things you have done, people you have met etc.? There are some personal experiences in the story, but they aren’t unique to me. There’s a carnival/fair. There are rides. Things of every day nature that most people can place themselves. What drives the main characters of your story?40410982. sy475 My characters are driven by a few things. The desire to do a good job. The desire to have their owns lives, but in the end, they are driven by taking down a dark coven. What was your writing ‘method’ for this anthology? How did you progress from initial idea to the final, published story? My process is always the same. I have a concept, plot it out (which is crazy as a former pantser), then get to writing. Then comes editing, more editing, even more editing, proofing, and bam. Finished book. Describe the premise of your story. Oliver is sent to keep Mila safe from a dark coven trying to recruit her. She has no knowledge of the world of magic. Which means, Oliver not only needs to protect her, he must also teach her about the abilities she has no idea of. All the while, he must also fight his growing feelings for her.

The Elementals: Jared Lain interview

03 Thursday Dec 2020

Posted by D.A Lascelles in Guest posts, Interview, Publicity

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Jared Lain, Liz Knox, The Elementals, Timber Phillips


54704904In the next of our interviews of the authors of The Elementals, we have Jared Lain who wrote Weyward City Blues – a detective story with an elemental twist.

Jared has collaborated with Timber Phillips and Liz Knox on a few other projects, including The Waters Edge and Romanticizing the Gods.

The anthology theme is ‘Elementals’, what does this mean to you and how did you interpret it in your story?

The Elemental motif is popular in fantasy, and extending this to a romance story was easy. I liked creating archetype characters for each of the elements. I interpreted the theme to create a modern setting where five castes of predominantly female magic users lived in harmony with each other, where their elemental magics were put in a superior position to our modern guns and computers male dominated world.

 Where is your story set? Is it a real world location or one you made up? What drove you to set your story there?

Weyward City Blues is set in a fictitious city set in a vaguely PNW/Northern California vibe. The city is completely made up, and I was drawn to this part of the country for it’s revolutionary spirit, and more nature and spirit oriented views on religion and politics.

Are there any personal experiences in your story? Things you have done, people you have met etc.?

One of the biggest influences on my writing in this story comes from my own place of employment, where the company is owned by women, and the overwhelming majority of the employees are women.

What drives the main characters of your story?

The main character of the story is driven by the fact that he is an outsider, and an apostate. In a city dominated by female magic users that have thrown off the old model of police and leadership, he is a former cop and one of the rare male witches. He’s conflicted because of what he can’t let go of, and what he can embrace, i.e. the past and the new present respectively.120266372_995263047627536_6798282828157499657_n

What was your writing ‘method’ for this anthology? How did you progress from initial idea to the final, published story?

I used a basic plot outline, and started with the initial concept of flipping the roles, magic is prevalent but almost all the users are women, witches. The main character has gone from being part of the old majority, a cop and a man to being a serious minority, an ex-cop in a city where the police are gone, and women with magical power are in control.

Describe the premise of your story.

A former cop turned witch is called into an abduction and murder mystery where he has to look at who he is, who he isn’t anymore, and how he can resolve the abductions, face a chain wielding biker, and will the girl get him, or will he mess it up?

The Elementals: C.M Kane interview

26 Thursday Nov 2020

Posted by D.A Lascelles in Guest posts, Interview, Publicity

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Baseball, CM Kane, Lincoln Nebraska, Pacific North West, The Elementals


In the second of our interviews with the authors of stories from The Elementals (still on pre-order until Saturday 28th…), we have C.M Kane. She is the second author to hail from the Pacific North West. After this interview, I am now looking forward to reading about how an air elementalist can get involved in baseball. And maybe learning more about baseball (which I know very little about…).

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, CM Kane was fed a steady diet of sports, particularly baseball. Having this love of the game instilled in her at an early age, she found that nothing was better than getting lost in the game. Storytelling was another gift that was encouraged in her youth, and she’s taking to the written word to explore a new aspect to the game she loves.
 
 
If you wanted to learn more about her, you can check out her links below:
 
 
 
facebook.com/AuthorCMKane
 
https://twitter.com/AuthorCMKane
 
https://www.instagram.com/authorcmkane/
 
https://www.amazon.com/author/cmkane

The anthology theme is ‘Elementals’, what does this mean to you and how did you interpret it in your story?

The elements have so many meanings. I knew I would have to use air for my short story since it was baseball themed, and didn’t seem to coordinate with any of the other elements. It was fun to dive into witchcraft and the elements to find the best blend for this short story.

Where is your story set? Is it a real world location or one you made up? What drove you to set your story there?

My story is set in Lincoln, Nebraska. While it is a real place, the magic Cover of The Elementals in the element of air (surrounded by clouds)within it is not. The reason I chose this place is because my love of baseball came from my father, and this is where he was born. I wanted to include him in my story in some way, so chose to set it in his home town.

Are there any personal experiences in your story? Things you have done, people you have met etc.?

It’s completely fiction. While I have watched many baseball games, and been to them as well, I have not ever played baseball, nor do I have any connection with any professional players.

What drives the main characters of your story?

Murph is driven by his desire to win. Soibhan is driven by her desire to help, no matter who asks.

What was your writing ‘method’ for this anthology? How did you progress from initial idea to the final, published story?

I knew I would be writing about a baseball player, so found a way to incorporate the elements into that basic theme.

Describe the premise of your story.

It’s about a baseball player and a witch. Not much more without giving away things.

The Elementals: Timber Philips interview

24 Tuesday Nov 2020

Posted by D.A Lascelles in Guest posts, Interview, Publicity

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Elemental magic, knox publishing, Pacific North West, The Elementals, Timber Phillips, water elemental


In case you may have missed it on the many times I mentioned it already, The Elementals comes out on the 28th November – this coming Saturday! To celebrate this release I have interviews with some of the authors who have stories in the anthology. We are kicking things off with Timber Philips!

Things I learned from this interview – I was not the only one in this anthology to use characters from an existing series and there are now two characters called Ashlyn or Ash in this book. Great minds think alike…

An author photo of Timber PhillipsTimber Philips hails from a land filled with beauty and steeped in magic; the Pacific Northwest. She swears you can see fairies and goblins, magic and promise around every tree and in every drop of water and she shares that magic whenever she can. She loves welcoming everyone to her worlds of romance rooted in fable and fantasy.

The anthology theme is ‘Elementals’, what does this mean to you and how did you interpret it in your story?

I interpreted it as just what it is, the four elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. I already have a witch series that the four of them each have been born with an affinity for a particular element. I decided to focus on Water for this anthology piece, and thus decided to focus on the back story of my water witch Ashlyn Tremblay.

 Where is your story set? Is it a real world location or one you made up? What drove you to set your story there?

All of my witches are from the fictional small town of Loving, Massachusetts. Ashlyn has since moved on from Loving and so I have her and this particular story set in the nearest big city which is Boston.

 Are there any personal experiences in your story? Things you have done, people you have met etc.?An image of the Elementals cover in a setting representing water

LOL no. I used a friend of mine’s name for the lead bad guy in this story, but there is in no way any other resemblance to the actual person.

 What drives the main characters of your story?

Loss, grief, and the need to be the good guy. Ash is a very mixed up character. A good person who has just suffered a pretty tremendous personal loss. She is trying to find her way in the world, just like everyone else, she just has the added complication of being a water witch.

What was your writing ‘method’ for this anthology? How did you progress from initial idea to the final, published story?

You know, I always get this question, and I never have a good answer. I don’t know how I do it. I just sit myself down and write. I just do it.

Describe the premise of your story.

 Ashlyn Tremblay is a mess. Her twin sister has died, her circle is broken, and she has taken to reckless behaviors in order to mask her pain. Her boss, Hatchet, is less than thrilled, and though Ashlyn knows she’s ready to go solo in their bounty hunting endeavor, Hatchet’s saddled her with a babysitter for her next job… his son, Stone.

Release date for The Elementals is 28th November 2020.

You can pre-order (or buy if its past the 28th!) on Kindle from this link:

THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (1964) A tongue-in-cheek analysis by Steve Van Samson



16 Friday Oct 2020

Posted by D.A Lascelles in Guest posts, Musings, Reviews, Vampire Month

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I am legend, Last Man on Earth, Omega Man, Richard Matheson, Vampire Month, Vampires, Vincent Price, Zombie horror, zompires



Amazon.com: The Last Man on Earth [VHS]: Vincent Price, Franca Bettoia,  Emma Danieli, Giacomo Rossi Stuart, Umberto Raho, Christi Courtland,  Antonio Corevi, Ettore Ribotta, Carolyn De Fonseca, Rolando De Rossi,  Giuseppe Mattei,First, a little history…

These days, the backdrop of a zombie apocalypse can hardly be considered jaw droppingly original. With such beloved properties such as THE WALKING DEAD (2010), NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) and about a million in between, the zombie hoard concept has staggered and moaned its way into our hearts. Funny thing is, boil ‘em down to their component parts and you’ll find there are essentially two types of zombie films: Pre-Apocalypse and Post. But in the early 1950s, the idea of a world where mankind had been put on the endangered species list was unheard of. Lucky for us that in 1954, genre master Richard Matheson penned a novel that changed all of that.
In the world of Science Fiction and Horror, “I Am Legend” is kind of an important book. It inspired not only what is considered by many to be the quintessential zombie film (Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, 1968), but also three direct adaptations (including THE OMEGA MAN, 1971 & I AM LEGEND, 2007) and essentially an entire subgenre of horror. In other words, if the Zombie Apocalypse compels you to write a thank you note, it should probably be addressed to Richard Matheson.
But enough of that…
Tonight’s film is not only the first to adapt the story “I Am Legend”, it also happens to be the most faithful to the source material.
THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (1964) is constructed of three distinct acts, beginning with a series of aerial shots depicting a sprawling, if barren metropolis. As these progress, the shots become more and more grim, eventually depicting dead bodies strewn over sidewalks, streets and stairs as well as a church’s marquee which boldly proclaims that THE END HAS COME. The sequence comes to its conclusion on a sleepy street, which would surely be charming if not for all the bodies.
It is here that through a broken and boarded window, we catch the first glimpse of our hero. Starring as Dr. Robert Morgan we have the great Vincent Price (HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, 1959, THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES, 1971). Initially asleep, Robert is jarred awake to the shrill sound of an alarm clock. And like many of us are apt to, he greets the morning with all the excitement of getting a root canal, as he shuffles off and into the business of the day.
“Another day to live through. Better get started.”
With this haunting line, so begins the film’s first act.
For quite a while, the movie trudges along as a sort of one man show–depicting a typical day in the life of the titular LAST MAN ON EARTH. Initially, all of the film’s dialog is delivered via an inner monologue–providing vital insight into the mind of our protagonist, as well as establishing the ins and outs of this post-apocalyptic world. Apparently it has been three years since Morgan inherited the Earth, though by his own account if feels quite a bit longer.
After checking his calendar and adding oil to the ole’ generator, Morgan steps outside to greet the morning sun as well as some fresh dead folk on his lawn. These he regards with all the awe one typically reserves for the first glimpse of the morning paper. It is about this time that we begin to learn about the film’s so-called monsters. Though I have thus far likened these infected humans to “zombies”, this is not entirely accurate. While the infecteds are certainly zombie-esque (given their apparent penchant for moaning, shuffling, blank stares, etc.) they also share quite a few similarities with another classic monster–the vampire.
We soon learn that Morgan has fortified his home with such oddities as strands of garlic and mirrors. According to this film’s mythology, mirrors can be used to repel the infecteds who have a serious hate-on for their own hideous reflections. Of course later when we are treated to the limits of the makeup department, this fact becomes quite silly since the monsters (zompires?) look about as monstrous as the average post-bender collegiate.
But I digress…
After a few more steps in the morning routine, Morgan packs his kit with some freshly made stakes, loads up the car with two bodies from the lawn and hits the road. Better get a move on, Morgan–you’ve got a full day of errands ahead of you and daylight, she’s a burnin’.
After a quick fill-up, the good doctor’s first stop is “the pit”. Basically a perpetually burning gorge of insinuated bodies (insinuated since we never actually see any besides the ones Morgan tosses in). Admittedly, out of the many daily functions we have seen Dr. Robert Morgan perform so far, throwing dead zompires into the mouth of hell is probably the most exciting. The sequence ends with Morgan chasing the bodies with a whole can of petrol and a jumbo novelty torch–just to let the we the audience know that they the filmmakers were also wondering what was keeping this pit thing going.BlueisKewl: The Last Man on Earth 1964
Stop number two on Morgan’s crazy Saturday adventure is a visit to the local supermarket. Surprisingly, he passes through aisles stocked with cans and boxes of viable food, ignoring the lot. The item he’s after today is garlic since his home supply has apparently lost its potency. A good thing indeed that the market’s freezer is still working and there is a large supply of the stinky vampire repelling bulb inside. After stocking up on all the garlic he can carry, Morgan moves on to the really fun part of the day… FULL THROTTLE ZOMPIRE KILLING SPREE!!!
The score blares, all brass and swagger as we are treated to a montage of Vincent Price kicking in doors, hammering down stakes and feeding “the pit” with some freshly slain zompire folk. Then wash, rinse, repeat–it’s all very exciting. Eventually though, the sun starts to get low in that western sky. Noticing this, Morgan decides he had better head home, batten down the hatches and hunker in for another long night. And so he does. One safely settled in, the zompires appear almost at once, planks of wood in hand–they assault the doctor’s home, even calling him by name!
“Morgan… Come out Morgan…”
Fortunately for the good doctor, his zompire assailants have the approximate upper body strength of Spongebob Squarepants. After three years of nightly onslaughts, they have yet to set as much as one wormy toe into his fine, upper middle class home.
At its core, the point of act 1 is to show us a typical day in the life of THE LAST MAN ON EARTH. The mundanities feel mundane for a very good reason–Morgan is running on fumes. He exists simply to exist. Filling his time with the self appointed purpose of exterminating as many zompires as possible–making sure not to die in the process so he can do it all over again the next day, and the next… and the next.
The Last Man on Earth 1964: 15 things you didn't know! | Spooky Isles
Act 2 appears pretty much out of nowhere and is basically one big flashback. In it, we are able to glimpse a portion of Morgan’s life prior to the human race’s nigh-extinction. We get to meet his lovely wife and adorable young daughter, as well as his best friend Ben (who we’ve already met as the hero zompire who endlessly calls Morgan by name). These are the early days of the disease and they aren’t pretty–what with all the panic and hazmat suits and dead kids getting hauled away in trucks. The sequence is certainly interesting enough and adds some depth to our main character.
With the flashback over, we smack headlong into act 3. The final portion of the film takes what we think we know about the world and turns it on its head. Without giving too much away, I will say that the conclusion does a good job of providing an alternate look at Morgan’s unique outlook and situation.
THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (1964) is admittedly something of a sluggish affair. It’s production is low and it features some seriously terrible audio quality as well as glaringly looped voice overs.–however, the film is certainly not without its charm. Price’s character, while incredibly disillusioned and apathetic, is fascinating when juxtaposed against the dystopian world just outside his door. We come to understand that Dr. Robert Morgan is a shell of his former self. A man resigned to continue the business of living–somehow finding balance in day to day survival, but perhaps without knowing why. And somewhere along the way, he became something unrecognizable.
I think Nietzsche probably said it best.

[Vampire Month] The month that never dies…

01 Friday Mar 2019

Posted by D.A Lascelles in Guest posts, Interview, Photos, Vampire Month

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

March, Vampire Month, Vampires


It is March and loyal followers of this blog all know what March means. That’s right – Vampire Month. That random idea I had many years ago to create a themed event because, one March, I happened to have four Vampire authors just itching to get some guest posts out there… Then, for some insane reason, once I had laid it to rest at the end of March I decided to bring it back for another year… and another… and another…Vampire

A lot has happened since then but Vampire month has managed to be released on time every year, no matter how busy or distracted I get. This year is no exception with regards to the distraction. I’ve started working on some educational resources (first one published recently, the other two still in production) and also been trying to work on several new projects, including a Vampire based story of my own for an upcoming anthlology to follow up the Over the Top Alphas collection (https://www.amazon.com/this-world-Alphas-Brynn-Burke-ebook/dp/B07MMVY2LK). This is unusual for me because I do not normally write about Vampires. Well, apparently now I do…

All of this distraction has meant that I have not been able to  get hold of four Vampire authors to do spots this year. So, this year I have opted for a more freeform approach. Instead of the traditional ‘guest post and interview’ combo for all participants, this year contributors are free to submit what they want – guest posts, interviews, photos, flash fiction, anything that fits the theme. I am also going to do a couple of posts myself. One on a Vampire photoshoot I went on recently and the other on the short I am writing for the anthology.

So, expect the first post sometime early next week…

Cover Reveal: Regret by Elizabeth Knox

11 Tuesday Dec 2018

Posted by D.A Lascelles in Guest posts

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Tags

Cover reveal, Elizabeth Knox, Goodreads, Regret


A cover reveal from Elizabeth Knox for her upcoming book, Regret. You can add it to your Goodreads to be read list below and look out for the release…
Elizabeth Knox cover image of Regret, Tattooed, muscular half naked man
Blurb:

I regret all of it, every damn thing I said to her.

 Now I might not have the chance to tell her everything. I may never get a chance to apologize to her. To tell her how my worst fear is losing her and that I’m afraid I may have pushed her to do that. I was on my way to Bubba’s that night and found her car on the side of the road. Rafael has her, and I’ll do everything I can to get her back.

I will slaughter anything in my past, because I won’t live with any regret.

Add to TBR: https://goo.gl/mrRQX3 

Suave by C.A Bell

11 Friday Aug 2017

Posted by D.A Lascelles in Guest posts, Publicity

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Tags

C.A Bell, Romance, Suave


Today we have another release by C.A Bell to showcase to go with Angel that appeared in a previous blog. So, check out her latest: Suave.

OUT NOW SUAVE

#NewRelease #Sexy #Fun #LaughOutLoud #Erotic novel #KindleUnlimited

Suave by C.A.Bell

Pick up your copy now while it’s on offer for just .99: http://mybook.to/Suave

Max Harper

I make sexy, sexier.

When a woman is on my arm, you can bet your life she suddenly becomes a hundred times more appealing to everyone else around. Why? Because I’m shit hot and I make them look shit hot, too.

There’s no doubt about it, I’m an arrogant hunk with an impressive six-pack.

I’m not looking for love. I’m not looking for money. I’m just looking for a hot woman to stroke a few things—my ego being one of them.

I choose my women like I choose my wine—if she doesn’t smell fruity or look rich, she’s got no chance.

Brooke Knight

I make sexy, sexier.

When a man or woman is on my arm, you can bet your arse they suddenly become a hundred times more appealing to everyone else around. Why? Because I’m sexy as shit and I make them look sexy as shit, too.

There’s no doubt about it, I’m a sexy, powerful woman with an impressive pair of legs.

I’m not looking for love. I’m not looking for money. I’m just looking for a hot man or woman to stroke a few things—my ego being one of them.

I choose my prey like I choose my perfume—if they don’t smell sweet or look expensive, they’ve got no chance.

They’re both egotistical, powerful people with uncontrollably intense sexual appetites.

But, what happens when two forces collide because they want the same thing, the same woman? I’ll tell you what happens—mighty, sexy things.

SUAVE FINAL FRONT COVER*

Buy Now

Suave-Teaser-3

Suave-Teaser-4

C.A’s Stalker Links

Website – http://cbellatrix.wixsite.com/cabell

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AuthorC.A.BELL/

Twitter – @cbellatrix09

Amazon – https://www.amazon.co.uk/C-A-Bell/e/B0140XPC0U/

Blog – http://bellbookanderotica.wixsite.com/bbae

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1951042.C_A_Bell

C.A.Bell’s Hot Room – https://www.facebook.com/groups/957145681001116/

Bell & Gill’s Naughty Corner – https://www.facebook.com/groups/172075439998804/

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