Great oogly woogly, the publication date for Johnny Lycan & the Anubis Disk is only 3 months away. This means I’m in that horrible limbo between relief that the damned thing is finished, and awaiting its emergence into the world.
Because I want the book to hit the ground running, I’m beginning to line up reviewers, bloggers, and other folks who can help spread the (hopefully positive) word. One of the ways Amazon deems a book worthy of promotion is if there are a lot of reviews early on.
We have PDF copies of the book available right now
Epub and Mobi copies are available probably October 1
Paperback ARCs are available now in very limited supply. First choice will go to those with established blogs, reviewers for magazines and press, especially in the Urban Fantasy/Horror area, or who are prominent reviewers on Amazon or Goodreads.
You can pre-order now by clicking here and going to Black Rose Writing. Use the promo code: PREORDER2020 to receive a 15% discount. The Paperback is available for pre-order at Amazon with Kindle and Audible coming in November. And look to the side of the page to sign up for my newsletter.
A while back I really enjoyed a sort-of Urban Fantasy book called Markus, by an author I didn’t know, but share a publisher with. (Peace be upon Black Rose Writing.) I reached out to David Odle, and while nothing happened initially, he has a new book out and we arranged this interview. (Pro hint… if you want to get a response from an author, catch them in a pre-launch panic.)
This was a chance to talk to David about his newest effort, more of a horror/thriller thing called Kate’s Lake. Enjoy.
David, tell us about you.
Tell you about me? Whenever I’m asked this question, I always feel like there’s shockingly little to tell. Perhaps that’s why I write stories; to create fantastical characters who provide a vicarious escape into other worlds and interesting circumstances. But if it’s just me, my main love beyond family and friends (and craft beer), is simply a good story. Whether it’s a book, an article, a movie, or a TV show, a story well-told is what I find most satisfying.
I really enjoyed Markus, and was a bit surprised you shifted gears a bit. Tell me about Kate’s Lake.
I’m super-stoked about newest novel, Kate’s Lake, (released at the end of June)! I loved writing it and it may very well be the story that contains the most of my own personal characterization due to the military background of the character. The story is about a former Marine named Mick Smith, a recovering alcoholic and Iraqi combat veteran, who discovers what he believes may be the Fountain of Youth. While attending the funeral of an old friend, Mick’s dark past catches up with him as strange events spark a cascade of horrible circumstances that ultimately lead Mick to Kate’s Lake, where he discovers the horrific truth about its healing water.
You shifted away from Urban Fantasy a bit. I thought you’d be setting up a sequel to Markus, since the book ended as it did. What about this story attracted you?
Different than my debut novel, Markus, which is an Urban Fantasy, Kate’s Lake is a horror novel written in first person which allowed me to create Mick in my own image. The story is based loosely on one of my oldest friendships from the Marine Corps and was sparked one morning when I thought, what if I suddenly received a phone call that JT had died. Would I go to his funeral? And what if I decided to go and then learned that something strange was happening there. What if he wasn’t really dead? And the story began to unfold from there. I actually wrote the opening chapter several years before adding the story after it.
The “what if” game has sent a lot of us in weird directions. It’s where Johnny Lycan came from after 3 historical novels. Who do you read?
My literary hero is Stephen King. I became hooked on books after reading Cujo when I was thirteen and from then on, I couldn’t get enough of Stephen King. I wanted to be just like him! But since then, I’ve grown more diverse and discovered a huge world of wonderful writers. Over the past year, I’ve really enjoyed Paul Tremblay, Alma Katsu, Brian Keene, Delia Owens, Pierce Brown, and Erik Larson (I love reading history).
Not to crash the party, but Johnny Lycan & the Anubis Disk is coming in November. Order now by clicking here and going to Black Rose Writing. Use the promo code: PREORDER2020 to receive a 15% discount. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kindle and Audible coming in November. And look to the side of the page to sign up for my newsletter.
One of my favorite things is when history writers take a minor character and make them the hero… or a person usually thought of as the villain is the good guy. So I was really surprised and unexpectedly amused by James Jakins, “Jack Bloodfist: Fixer” in which an Orc plays a kind of PI.
I shouldn’t be that shocked, after all I’ve made a werewolf the hero of Johnny Lycan & the Anubis Disk, but this was the first time I’d read something where an Orc was ever anything but a snarling bad guy. So, here’s my chat with James Jakins.
James, what’s your deal?
I’m honestly just a giant nerd. I run a weekly game of Dungeons and Dragons(or whatever system we feel like) I play video games, and I try to read as many books as my schedule allows. And I take all that stuff I love and I try to use it to make fun books for other people to enjoy.
Tell us about your book. It smells like the first in a possible series, and it’s unique to be sure.
My novel, Jack Bloodfist: Fixer, is about an orc in a suit who likes to think of himself as a Fixer. He does his part to help his orc and goblin cousins integrate into human society in a small city in Virginia. But he finds himself in over his head when an old enemy of his family shows up seeking justice for past crimes with a whole army of paladins and his angry god along for the ride.
I love that the Orc is trying to hard to be a good guy. What about that whole fantasy trope intrigued you?
In a lot of ways this series is my love letter to tabletop roleplaying games. And that’s really the appeal for me. I enjoy playing with the tropes and taking familiar character types and shaping them into a new but still recognizable shape.
I’d originally set out to just write a more traditional thriller novel. It had been meant as a way to teach myself pacing and outlining. Not as something I planned on releasing. But as I worked on it the fantasy elements started creeping in. I’d also pitched another story idea to a writer friend of mine. A book that would feature goblins. He told me he only liked the idea if I actually made the goblins the heroes of the story. With that thought in my head this particular story started to morph until it was the orcs and goblins, and other traditionally “evil” characters that were the heroes, and the holy knights of a god of justice became the villains.
Yeah, and there’s a hot Kelpie in the mix, but I don’t want to give too much away.You don’t sound like most UF writers. Who inspired you? Who do you read that others might need to know about?
This is a very long list… But to name a few: Michael McClung, Robert Jackson Bennett, Josiah Bancroft, RJ Barker, Rachel Aaron, Robert Jordan, and on and on. I have found as I get older I’m actually more inclined to venture out of my comfort zone, so I’m hoping soon that list can include more than just fantasy authors. Recommendations are always welcome.
Where can we learn more about Jack the Fixer and some of your other work?
Not to crash James’ party, but Johnny Lycan & the Anubis Disk is coming in November. Order now by clicking here and going to Black Rose Writing. Use the promo code: PREORDER2020 to receive a 15% discount. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kindle and Audible coming in November. And look to the side of the page to sign up for my newsletter.
Yes, it’s another boxing story. It’s the third I’ve had published, after Bayamon, 1978 and The Towel. Fourth, if you include Los Angeles, 1952, a 2-part story about a date that takes place at a boxing match. What’s up with all the boxing love?
On one level, it’s simple: I love the sport. My grandfather was a silver medalist in the Canadian Golden Gloves, and fought half a dozen pro fights. My dad and I used to watch together, and he taught me to appreciate the lighter weight classes, as you’d expect from a guy who never really got past bantamweight himself.
A friend of mine once asked, “why do you like boxing so much? Your stories make it sound like it’s all blood and racism and toxic masculinity.” To which the correct answer is; “what’s your point?” If you’re looking for drama and high stakes, it’s a perfect crucible.
Me with former Super Featherweight champ Cornelius Boza Edwards
But there’s a more”writerly” answer. Each of my short stories is a writing exercise of a kind. Can I capture this moment, or this kind of action, or compress this scene into a specific period of time? Boxing is perfect for these little word experiments. Each round is exactly 3 minutes. You can compress a lot of action into that time period. There are a finite number of characters, which for short stories is great.
Johnny Lycan & the Anubis Disk is coming in November. Order now by clicking here and going to Black Rose Writing. Use the promo code: PREORDER2020 to receive a 15% discount. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kindle and Audible coming in November.
‘Utterly original, beguiling in every sense of the word and as funny as hell – Turmel’s wit and visionary prowess is a force to be reckoned with; not since American Werewolf In London has the werewolf genre had it so good!’
Ross Jeffery – author of Juniper & Tethered
I’m very pleased that my new novel, Johnny Lycan and the Anubis Disk, is now available for pre-order through my publisher, Black Rose Writing.
It starts like nothing you’ve ever read from me, and I’m betting you’ll enjoy it:
“The Russian tasted like borscht and cheap cigarettes. Well, his blood did. It’s not like I actually ate him—I wasn’t that far gone. But with that much blood flying around, some of it got into my mouth, and as nasty as it tasted, I licked my lips and felt it fuel my anger.”
Official publication date is November 19, but you can order your paperback copy now by clicking here and going to Black Rose Writing. Use the promo code: PREORDER2020 to receive a 15% discount. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kindle and Audible coming in November.
While there are far more consequential things going on in the world, I have news: Johnny Lycan & the Anubis Disk has a cover. If you WERE to judge the book by the cover, you might think this book is pretty cool.
Johnny Lupul is riding high. He’s got a PI license, a concealed carry permit, his first big payday and a monster of a secret. After rescuing a bookie’s daughter from Russian mobsters, the newly-minted PI catches the attention of a rich, mysterious client.
At first, it’s easy money. After all, magic isn’t real and those “occult” objects have to be fakes. But while chasing an Egyptian relic, an obsessed enemy from his past emerges. Johnny learns that the world is much stranger—and more dangerous—than he ever suspected.
Being a werewolf may be the most normal thing he has to face on this case.
This baby is out November 19 from Black Rose Writing, preorders available soon.
One of my new year’s resolutions was to read more foreign books and watch more foreign movies. (In translation of course, I’m your typical uni-lingual North American.) I have found some wonderful writers, such as Leonardo Padura from Cuba and Spain’s Arturo Perez Reverte. But lately I’ve been watching and reading more from South Korea. They are definitely having a moment.
Besides winning the Best Picture Oscar for Parasite, Bong Joon-Ho’s Snowpiercer has become a TV series on TNT–although the jury is still out on how good it is, and why it’s so Asian-free is something of a mystery. He’s one of those directors that, while I don’t love everything he’s done, is always worth a watch. (Seriously, The Host is an under-rated blast, Okja is too earnest for its own good.) And, although he didn’t direct it, Train to Busan is the best Zombie movie I’ve seen in a very long time, and I’m not a big fan of the brain-eating undead.
A month or so ago I shared with you my love of the historical fiction/zombie series, The Kingdom. Netflix has a bunch of Korean films and series (Black is creepy AF), and wherever (and whenever) they’re set, they have this air of being just different enough to be intriguing. Not Chinese, not Japanese, and definitely not what I’m used to.
There have also been two books recently that I really enjoyed. The first, is The Plotters, by Un-Su Kim. It’s an easy-reading oddball take on a political plot and the assassin hired to make it all work. Again, it feels like a standard political thriller but the world it portrays is just slightly… different.
The other book, and the one that’s getting all the international buzz, is Kyung-sook Shin’s, “Please Look After Mom.” It’s the tale of a family forced to deal with the changes in family dynamics, class and how little we know our parents and each other. It won the Man Asian Literary Prize, and is a staple of book clubs. While it’s not quite perfect (the changing POVs have no logic to them) it is an engaging, dramatic and heart-tugging story.
I know next to nothing about South Korea, and know very few people from that background, I suspect that will change as I go down the rabbit hole like I did with Hong Kong gangster films and all things Toshiro Mifune.
And I’m not alone. A colleague of mine in Northern California is hooked on the Korean version of Telenovelas. BTS is jump-starting puberty for a whole generation of tweens. Like, I said, the country is having a moment of pop culture relevance it’s never had.
What movies or books from other cultures and languages are you taking in? Maybe more importantly, why not?
Sarah, tell the nice people about yourself and what you do.
I wrote my first (what I would consider) “professional” piece when I was in the eleventh grade. It was a one-act comedy play for my community theatre group. When I saw people interacting with the story I’d written, both the actors putting their own spin on the words and the audience laughing and smiling as they watched, I knew that’s what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to tell stories that people wanted to engage with and experience. I did a fair amount of scriptwriting through college and shortly after, both for stage and film, but fiction is the one place I can make anything happen regardless of time or budget—both of which are pretty big roadblocks when you’re writing in fantastical genres, like I tend to do. Maybe I’ll return to scriptwriting at some point, but I think that would only be for the fun and collaboration. But novels, novellas, etc give me the freedom to tell the stories I really want to tell.
Your new book is “The Mourning Sun.” What’s the deal there?
The Mourning Sun, will be the fourth book in the Dead Mawl novella series (technically, it’s the fifth, but only if you count the prequel/origin story released in the omnibus and just recently as a standalone). The series is about a group of blue-collar workers—custodians and security guards—who strive to vanquish the evil entities lurking in the partially-abandoned Edensgate Shopping Center. The town they live in was once a prosperous mining city, but it was wrecked by these entities. Our heroes managed to trap the creatures (somewhat) in Edensgate, but they still try to escape again pretty much nightly.
It’s an ensemble cast—it jumps around into a few different heads depending on the installment—but it mostly focuses teenager Cari Hembert who stumbles onto the secret in the first novella and who we follow continue to follow in some capacity throughout the series. The Mourning Sun picks up right where the third book left off, and without giving too much away, on the morning after a very intense night that culminated in Cari arriving home to see her mother being attacked by a monster.
I love that your heroes are janitors and regular Joes. I mostly deal with the same kind of folks. What is it that inspired you to write this?
The heroes in Dead Mawl don’t really have magic powers in the traditional sense—they are more like D&D fighter class heroes, if that means anything to you. They each have a weapon proficiency that gives them extra skills in combat (accuracy, strength, etc), and the longer they work at the mall they gain higher endurance, faster healing, and even the ability to go for a long time without sleep. The villains, on the other hand, have a lot of magical abilities–summoning monsters and creating illusions are the big two we have seen so far—so there’s an element of research and experience that affects our heroes’ chances of being successful too. I think I like that part the most. I really don’t favor stories that have a superpowered badass just show up and fix things immediately (or they could fix things if his/her personality didn’t get in the way somehow). I like uneven matchups where the good guys must rely partially on knowledge and grit to get through it. And these heroes get hurt, even with the healing—I think every installment has seen at least one injury to a major character—so the stakes are personal as well as metaphysical.
As far as roots—the quick answer is that back in 2014 I wrote a couple pieces of Army of Darkness fan fiction. They were just for fun, but I liked the characters I created so much I cut out all the borrowed IP, reconfigured the plot, changed the setting from an S-Mart in Michigan to a semi-abandoned mall in Nevada, and here we are.
The longer answer is that I worked several blue-collar jobs when I was in high school and into college, including cashier and custodian, and I’ve had it in my head to do a hero story about characters in those fields ever since. These jobs are physically demanding, they are often boring and repetitive, they are looked down on as unskilled, and yet without people in these roles we would be lost. With everything that has happened over the past few months I think people are starting to get it, which is nice. Hopefully, it translates into higher wages, but we will see.
I’m going to smile, nod, and pretend I know what a D &D Fighter Class whatever is, but I get it. And Fan Fiction has started the careers of a lot of writers. Who do you read that people should know about?
This is always a tough question for me because I’m pretty all over the place. As far as writers in and adjacent to my genre, I’m a big fan of Grady Hendrix, Drew Magary, Jim Butcher and Stephen King (of course). I also enjoy some of the more delicate contemporary fantasies that have come out in recent years, like The Night Circus, An Unkindness of Magicians, and The Rook. Currently, however, I’m reading through James Ellroy’s L.A. Quarter series—I just finished The Big Nowhere and will move on to L.A. Confidential next–and I’m loving pretty much every minute despite having no magic at all. There’s very little genre-wise that I won’t try, except for maybe straight-up romance—and even then I might roll the dice if the premise sounds interesting enough.
Where can people learn more about you and your work?
ou can preorder The Mourning Sun on Amazon or buy my books on my website: www.sgtasz.com. That’s where I have my blog, which I try to keep up with once a week or so. I also have a Medium publication (https://medium.com/the-uglycat) where I exclusively feature pieces about Vegas/by Vegas writers.
Sign up for my newsletter using the form on the left hand side of the page and get secret free stuff plus the first look at my upcoming book Johnny Lycan & the Anubis Disk. Of course, you can find all my novels on my Amazon author page.
When I signed with my publisher, Black Rose Writing, I began reading some of my fellow BRW authors. One of my favorites is Anna Mocikat who has a backstory nearly as interesting as her books. I first read Shadow City (the sequel is out in the fall) and in going down THAT rabbit trail I realized her first five novels were written in German. Well, that sounds like someone I needed to talk to…
Give us the Anna Mocikat story.
I’m an author of Sci-fi, Dystopia, and Cyberpunk novels, with my latest book Behind Blue Eyes, just released this month. Before I started writing and publishing books, I used to work in the film industry for many years. I learned my craft as a writer at Film School Munich, where I studied screenwriting.
Behind Blue Eyes is my sixth published novel and my second in English. Before moving to the US in 2016, I published several books in Germany.
When not writing or reading, I love playing video games in my spare time. It’s a great source of inspiration for me. I’m a proud dog-mom of three rescues who keep me company when I’m writing.
I’ve read Shadow City, and look forward to the sequel, Dark City. Meanwhile, you’ve got a new book out. (Wayne’s note: dang, I thought I was cranking them out!) What’s Behind Blue Eyes about?
It’s a Cyberpunk Noir story. In a not so distant future, society has gotten rid of everything that made human life miserable in earlier times and has become a utopia. It is so perfect that it needs killer cyborgs to hunt down everyone who disagrees with it.
What is it about the story that compelled you to publish when you’re already in the middle of another series?
The roots of the story is the idea of three mega-corporations ruling the world, who are in constant war with each other. All factions have developed super-advanced cyborgs as the ultimate weapon, which they send out to fight each other.
One of my all-time favorite movies is Ghost in Shell and I took much inspiration from it for my story. But I’m also a big fan of Blade Runner and 1984.
So it’s ripped from the headlines, huh?Who did you read that corrupted you and got you writing?
I’m a big fan of George Orwell and Aldous Huxley, who are the fathers of the dystopian genre. I also enjoy books by Isaac Asimov, Phillip K. Dick, and Stanislaw Lem very much. Lately, I have been mostly reading Indie authors. There are so many hidden gems out there if one steps away from the mainstream bestsellers and is willing to explore.
Where can we learn more about your work and see what you’re up to?
Sign up for my newsletter using the form on the left hand side of the page and get secret free stuff plus the first look at my upcoming book Johnny Lycan & the Anubis Disk. Of course, you can find all my novels on my Amazon author page.
I know nothing about painting, I really don’t. I envy people who can paint, draw and sculpt, but those aren’t skills I possess. While I find the Renaissance fascinating as history, I’m embarrassed by how little I really know about the key players. That’s where Stephanie Storey comes in.
I’m an art nerd and television producer out in Hollywood, which means, yes, I write about art history, but hopefully in an entertaining way. I was born and raised in Arkansas, but after living in Los Angeles for nearly twenty years, my husband — an actor and Emmy-winning comedy writer — and I travel the world full-time, well, not during the global pandemic. We are currently sheltering in place by a lake in Arkansas, which is the perfect spot from which to write my next novel and host a talk show from my living room. That’s right, Covid-19 has apparently pushed me to launch my own chat show where I connect virtually with some of my favorite writers to talk about their passions, process, and what makes their work relevant to your life today. At least this time, I really like the host.
What’s your new novel about?
My newest novel is entitled Raphael, Painter in Rome, which hopefully tells you that it’s about Raphael the Renaissance painter not the Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtle. These are the years when the young, brilliant painter of perfection Raphael was decorating the pope’s private rooms while Michelangelo was just down the hall painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling, as they went head-to-head in the deadly halls of the Vatican to see which of them would become the greatest painter. This period in history–full of war, conspiring cardinals, and dangerous love affairs–is traditionally told from Michelangelo’s perspective, but I let Raphael tell the story of these events in his own voice, as he asks himself: “Is there a version of this story where I get to be the hero or does Michelangelo–and his miraculous ceiling–end the victor every time?”
What is it about that story that so fascinates you?
I’ve been obsessed with a guy by the name of Michelangelo for about twenty-five years, ever since I studied art in Italy as an undergraduate. I traveled to Florence and saw the David for the first time and then went down to Rome to see his Pieta and the Sistine, and my life was changed. I eventually set out on a pilgrimage to see every Michelangelo on public display in the world. But always, in the back of my head, lurked his most serious rival, Raphael. Raphael who was handsome and charming and beloved–the opposite of Michelangelo in so many ways. I knew I wanted to write a novel about their rivalry during the Sistine years, but the more I dug into the story, the more Raphael kept talking. He, frankly, wouldn’t shut up. So eventually I had no choice but to throw out Michelangelo’s point-of-view and let Raphael tell his own version of events. Now, Raphael doesn’t only rival Michelangelo as a painter in my mind, but in my heart, too.
I love the fact that the e-book has links to the actual artwork you’re talking about which really brings it to life. What’s your favorite part of the book?
You ask impossible questions, Wayne! I can’t pick just one! But I’ll highlight the one that I keep reading at my events (virtual for now!): It’s when Raphael and Michelangelo meet face to face for the first time. Raphael has snuck into Florence’s city hall and is trying to get a glimpse of Michelangelo’s designs for a fresco he is about to put up on the wall. Michelangelo is a paranoid recluse who doesn’t let anyone look at his work before it’s finished, so when he catches Raphael spying, Michelangelo climbs the scaffolding to take a marble hammer to Raphael’s head… I love this scene because it’s the first time Raphael sees Michelangelo’s drawings, and he’s shaken as much by the sculptor’s talent on paper as by his temper. I also love seeing Michelangelo through Raphael’s eyes because we not only get to see the disheveled stinky sculptor of history, but also a man consumed by passion and drive and desperation… to me it’s a beautiful portrait of Michelangelo that only a guy with the heart of Raphael could capture. But also, at this moment, when he’s faced with the dynamism of Michelangelo’s personality and art, Raphael has a chance to expose what drives him: a desire to bend the world toward beauty.
Where can people learn more about the wonder that is you, and see your new author talk show?
My website is StephanieStorey.com where you can learn about the history behind the novels, brush up on your writing skills, or find a museum to visit (once museums are open again). You can also see my talk show “Storey Time” where I interview other authors on my Team Storey YouTube Channel. Or you can find me on Goodreads, Bookbub, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Twitter,Facebook, Instagram, or search for my book recommendations on BookShop.org which supports local, independent bookstores!
By the way, since Stephanie has such fabulous taste, here’s what she said about my upcoming novel, Johnny Lycan and the Anubis Disk:
Turmel offers a refreshingly modern take on werewolves, while leading readers on a blood-thumping, high-stakes ride through the underbelly of Chicago. I never thought I would look forward to the company of a werewolf, but Johnny Lycan’s quick wit and gruff candor made me think, “Now, there’s a hairy mythical creature with whom I’d like to sit down and have a beer.
Stephanie Storey, author, Raphael, Painter in Rome.
Sign up for my newsletter using the form on the left hand side of the page and get secret free stuff plus the first look at my upcoming book Johnny Lycan & the Anubis Disk. Of course, you can find all my novels on my Amazon author page.
