“Myths Untold: Faery” launched this morning, including my new story “Through the Veil“. And along with it, the blog tour is in full swing. 🙂
Over at Melanie Marshall’s Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words, all four authors are talking about how we write:
How do you write – are you a plotter or pantser, or both?
Skye Hegyes: I’m a bit of both. With short stories and some of the novellas I’ve worked on, I can take a vague idea and run with it, writing it without planning too much.
That said, novels are another story. I recently tried pantsing a novel and just couldn’t do it. I’m a definite plotter where novels are concerned…
Over at Multitasking Mamma, we have our first review, as well as a guest post on things no one knows about the four of us:
Review: Who does not love fairy tales? I guess there are some who don’t so if you are the non-traditionalist, then maybe you should check out Myths Untold: Faery. This is a collection of stories that gives a twist to familiar and some unfamiliar fairy tales. Mind you, if you are an avid fan of these tales, it is understood that you know the real ones, those that have not been romanticized by Disney or censored by conservative movements, are as grim and as twisted as twisted can be. What did I like about this particular collection? Well, it’s strange, compelling, it leaves the reader a lot of things to think about, and to smile for.
What’s one thing almost no one knows about you?
Brandon Witt: This is always a hard question for me. I’m a very what you see is what you get kind of guy, at least as much as a Gemini can be. And, I decided long ago to not be ashamed of any aspect of my life, so I just put it all out there. Which, you can see if you follow me on all the social media sites. Talk about over share… Goodness!
Hmmmm… I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before. I hate sleep. HATE it. I like having slept, but it drives me crazy that I have to sleep, it’s such a waste of time. I’m a like a little kid every single night at bedtime, and look for any reason to not have to go to bed. (My boyfriend is the exact opposite.) I also hate dreaming. I know writers are supposed to love dreams and get inspired by them. If I’m going to have to sleep, I want to do it, do it well, and get it over with. Dreams (the nighttime ones, not the life dreams category) are exhausting...
At Anne Barwell’s Drops of Ink, I’m talking about how the book came to be:
How it All Came About
By J. Scott Coatsworth
The Myths Untold: Faery anthology had a long road to get from conception to reality. It started as the smallest of ideas in a conversation with Gus Li. I had just gotten back into writing after a long hiatus, and I was making contacts in the LGBT fiction and MM romance worlds. I ran across Gus, and we struck up a conversation about doing a project together.
This was about the time DSP Publications was launching – Dreamspinner’s new imprint for gay fiction that didn’t necessarily have a romantic component, and which included sci fi, fantasy, paranormal and horror titles…
And last but certainly not least, MM Good Book Reviews asks about inspiration:
Where did the inspiration come from for your story in Myths Untold, Faery? Is it like anything else that you have done?
Gus Li: I kind of do have a fascination with faeries. There are a lot of layers to them: cultural things, societal things, thematic elements like humankind vs. nature. Then there is a wealth of characterization to explore. Add to the the potential for world building, and it’s just fun–but also a challenge.
Aesthetically I have always been drawn to characters who are sort of unsettling and eerie as opposed to classically attractive. One common thread in faerie lore is that no matter how hard they try to mimic a human appearance, there’s always something off about them. That really appeals to me… and I used it in my story. Writing the descriptions of the characters and the settings–striking that balance between beauty and things being disquieting was very enjoyable…