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Tag Archives: The Elementals

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?

Release day tomorrow!

27 Friday Nov 2020

Posted by D.A Lascelles in Publicity

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C.M Kane, D.A Lascelles, Heather Young Nichols, knox publishing, Russell A Smith, The Elementals, Timber Phillips


Tomorrow is the long anticipated release day of The Elementals!

120266372_995263047627536_6798282828157499657_n

Those of you who have pre-ordered (and still time to do so!) should be getting their copies delivered to your Kindles on the day. The rest of you can just order it and get it straight away.

This week I have been doing interviews with some of the authors. We have already had Timber Philips and C.M Kane answer questions, next week we will see answers from others including Heather Young Nichols, Russell A Smith and myself!

Yes, I am going to be interviewing myself… and trust me, it is going to be an indepth and brutal interrogation. You see, I know all my secrets…

If you have pre-ordered or plan to order, feel free to comment here to tell me. Also, any and all reviews of this book would be very welcomed.

Get your copy here:

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:

SRFC – Interview with Russell Smith and F.D Lee

23 Monday Nov 2020

Posted by D.A Lascelles in Publicity, Releases

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Elemental magic, F.D Lee, Heather Young Nichols, knox publishing, Liz Knox, Russell A Smith, Super Relaxed Fantasy club, The Elementals, Timber Phillips


So, on Friday, 20th November the Super Relaxed Fantasy club (a London based group that used to meet in physical space but during the Pandemic has been doing virtual events instead) played host to myself, Russell Smith and F.D Lee while we promoted The Elementals and discussed random stuff about Urban Fantasy and History. The video is above for you to watch.

I had great fun doing this but it was very nerve wracking. I much prefer doing things like readings and Q&As in person and this was the first time I had done anything like it on video. Turned out it wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be…

The Elementals is released this coming Saturday on the 28th November. You can pre-order the Kindle edition now by following this link:

It includes a selection of 13 stories by different authors, all on the theme of ‘Elemental magic’. It includes my entry – ‘Transgressions’ – and Russell’s ‘The Social Contract’ as well as stories by Liz Knox, Timber Phillips, Heather Young Nichols and others.

Starting this week I am going to be hosting interviews with some of the authors so keep an eye out for those…

Twitter Updates

  • Interview: Gillian Polack #SFF #fiction #amwriting dalascelles.co.uk/2021/01/19/int… 2 days ago
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  • The Elementals: Russell A Smith interview. #knoxpublishing #theelementals dalascelles.co.uk/2021/01/06/the… 2 weeks ago
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