Ever since Daniel Grimm can remember, people have whispered that death follows him everywhere. Some even call him The Grimm Reaper. But after the harrowing tragedy that shattered his family, all Daniel wants is peace. Then on the ten-year anniversary of the Grimms’ tragedy, Dr. Miguel Mortiz–Daniel’s estranged godfather–reappears in his life after a long absence. Miguel is one of the few people alive who can bear Daniel’s grief. After all, no one understands pain better than a healer.
Under the cloak of charisma and familial warmth, Miguel seems to have a shadow. Aunt Cass even urges Daniel to stay away from him. But against all warnings, he peels back the layers of grief and mystery until he discovers the dark, unthinkable secret about his godfather. Not only does this unlock the truth about the Grimms’ untimely demise; it changes everything Daniel knows about life, death, fantasy, and reality. He may get everything he ever wanted. But there’s a cost to holding the key, and some secrets should probably stay in the graveyard.
Welcome to the tale of Danny Grimm! Long after I finished his story, this dude and his godfather are still haunting me. They really latched onto my brain, as did Aunt Cass and everyone Daniel crosses paths with in this story.
I’ve been asked for comp titles, and I’ve dreaded this question a little bit. XD I’ll be curious to see what the readers say! For now, just know that it IS a retelling from Grimm’s Fairy Tales, that I watched a lot of Modern Family while writing this, and that I also listened to a lot of sad, dark music. So imagine a sitcom with like, Guillermo Del Toro vibes? Maybe that’s a step in the right direction…
Today I’m so proud to present the front cover, designed with care by the talented Molly Phipps!
The name of the game is Candles. I keep staring at this one and the way the wax melts around the design–almost seems to sculpt the rest of it. That’s important. 🙂
Godfather Death, M.D. is now available for preorder wherever you find your ebooks: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, you name it. It will also be available in paperback and hardcover (a first for me)! This will make it a volume worthy of adding to Miguel’s mysterious library! Amazon is giving me a bit of grief setting up the hardcover, so if that’s the format you’re interested in, I recommend going through Barnes and Noble online for this one. At least for now. 🙂
Finally, if you want to read it before anyone else, and for FREE, please consider signing up for an ARC on Booksprout. If you’re unfamiliar with ARCs, this stands for Advanced Readers Copies, meaning Booksprout sends you a free eBook in exchange for an honest review! Reviews in the first few days of release can really help a book find an audience, and all it costs is the time it will take you to read!
Oh, and you can also add it to your Goodreads list!
This will launch on January 9, 2024!
Let me know what you think! I’ve been dying to hear the reactions to this one!
As I work on GODFATHER DEATH, M.D., I’ve been looking to the media to fill the creative well. There was a time when this project seemed so daunting to me–not because of the subject matter, but because I wondered if we’ve told too many stories about Death. At one point I thought, we’ve had the same skeletal, hooded, scythe-swinging Grim Reaper since the 14th century. It’s that trap we all fall into as writers: “Hasn’t this been done a million times before?”
Well, here’s the thing: There’s nothing brand new under the sun, and if you’re ever worried about telling a story that’s already been told, you need to remember that it’s never been told by YOU before. So, to kick off what will probably be an ongoing list, I’ve honed in on FIVE different depictions of Death in the media… a few movies, a comic book, and a novel! Let’s dive in:
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL (2003)
Man, what wouldn’t I give to watch this movie for the first time again?
I associate the first movie with a deep sense of nostalgia. When it hit theaters, I was 12 going on 13. It was summer, and I was free. I was excited to start middle school. I think I saw the movie twice–once with my mom, and a second time with my father. It was the ultimate popcorn flick, and it later became one of my first DVDs as the VHS transitioned out of favor. A few years later, Kingdom Hearts II would also feature this movie as one of the worlds you could play in, complete with music and a sweet-ass Keyblade! 😀
My fascination with this movie is threefold: Orlando Bloom’s handsomeness, the swashbuckling action, and the plight of the damned. I still remember the iconic line and how they featured it in the trailer:
“You’d best start believing in ghost stories, Miss Turner. You’re in one!”
Death features in the movie by showing us what would happen if he/she/they took a holiday. The crew on the Black Pearl can’t die, and I love how this movie explores that. They turn into skeletons in the moonlight… food doesn’t taste as pleasurable as it should… and then there’s the look on Captain Barbossa’s face before he’s allowed to take his “final” rest, when he tells Jack Sparrow, “I feel… cold…” (When I first watched the second movie, I remember gasping and cheering when Barbossa returned at the end. Today, I find that cheap. The first movie was perfect and should’ve been allowed to stand alone! *end rant*)
I associate pirates with reckless bravery–cannons blazing and swords swinging because they have no fear of Death. But this movie suggests that maybe there is something to fear in immortality… in Death abandoning the damned. A fascinating concept.
2. FINAL DESTINATION(2000)
Gather round, children. There was a time when I was cool. Or at least, I liked horror movies. No amount of blood could scare me away. I’d sneak into the R-rated ones with my friends, and we’d LAUGH in the face of horror. Muahaha.
I don’t have the same stomach anymore, and it’s rare for me to sit through a movie/show that’s deliberately intended to disturb the viewer. I do enjoy “elevated horror” if the conditions are right. If it’s, like, Jordan Peele making some deep commentary on society, and it’s 9AM and I have the rest of the daylight hours to scrub my mind, let’s do it! (Oh and I like SCREAM, because it’s basically just Scooby-Doo for grown-ups. You can’t change my mind. Others have tried.)
Final Destination, though… absolutely disgusting. Traumatic, even. I struggle with roller coasters, freeways, and elevators to some extent because of those movies. The concept, though, is brilliant: survivors of massive freak accidents band together to cheat death, only to find that it’s determined to hunt them down. I wish I had thought of that!
In these movies (at least the first three… I stopped being cool sometime before the 4th came out) they almost always refer to Death as some sentient being, almost like a god. But if it’s an actual force or sentient being, he’s never shown. All you see are the freak accidents (in vivid, disgusting detail) and the slightest whisper of something supernatural–a gust of wind or a shadow of a hook. But it ALWAYS has a sort of personality to it. It’s petty, vengeful, and calculated. The idea that it all follows a predictable design is a little bit terrifying.
3. THE SANDMAN by Neil Gaiman (1989-1996)
Now for something a little less awful: a comic book! (But let’s be real, this one gets a little bit gross as well.)
Oddly, though, the most beautiful and meditative scenes in Neil Gaiman’s comic series are the ones where Death is heavily featured. In this one, Death is actually personified, and she’s a cool goth chick. I think I remember reading an interview where Gaiman mentioned she was inspired by a woman he met at a diner…
Death is one of a handful of siblings, each personifying a different concept: Dream, Destiny, Delirium, Desire, Destruction, and Despair. To be fair, Death does have some heartbreaking scenes, but I would argue that out of all the Endless, she’s one of the most rational and level-headed. She’s not necessarily spooky. She doesn’t have any sort of Grim Reaper aura. She’s warm, compassionate, and pensive. I thought this was an interesting way to personify her…
(Then, there’s the character who refuses to die, and he checks in with Dream every century. Dream expects him to give up after he loses everyone he loves, but the guy just keeps on going. I love that guy.)
4. THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END by Adam Silvera
This book is almost like Final Destination lite… a YA novel that made me sob.
In this one, an app developer has figured out an algorithm that can predict the exact day you’re going to die. That morning, you get a phone call that tells you it’s your “death day.” The book follows two characters who received the call, then decide to spend their last day together.
Death isn’t personified in this one, but it’s heavily explored on every page. If today were going to be your last day, would you want to know? Can you do anything about it? How will you spend it and cherish your last meals, conversations, and everyday moments?
And no, it does not pull any punches at the end. But it IS very beautifully done. The prequel, THE FIRST TO DIE AT THE END, is equally wonderful and heartbreaking.
5. CLICK (2006)
I think about this movie ALL the time, and now that I’m looking it up, WHY does it have a 36% on Rotten Tomatoes?! This movie was great! Sean Astin is in it! Kate Beckinsale is in it! Even The Cranberries are in it!
It’s been a little while and it merits a rewatch soon, but it’s a true favorite for me. Maybe it’s nostalgia again, because I vividly remember NOT watching this one in the theater. My mom bought it for me on DVD before any of us had every seen it, and a bunch of us crowded around a small TV in her room and ate snacks while we watched it. I’m fairly certain it was also Christmas. 😀
I had been expecting to laugh my ass off. To be fair, that happened, but I had no idea I was also going to cry hysterically. That’s not supposed to happen in Adam Sandler movies. They’re supposed to be stupid and good for a mindless day.
Adam Sandler is a workaholic who gets frustrated by life and too many remote control devices. So he buys a “universal remote” from some guy named Morty (Christopher Walken!) Things escalate quickly as he “remote controls his universe,” changing the tint, doing a picture-in-picture, and fast forwarding through meetings he doesn’t want to listen to.
But, like, what the hell? He forwards to his dad’s death? Then to the night when he’s about to die in front of The Cranberries? (When I explain it, it DOES sound like a 36% Rotten Tomatoes movie. But I swear it’s amazing.) And all along, the guy who sold him the remote was… THE ANGEL OF DEATH?!
I did not see that coming, ever. Death is a goofy, eccentric inventor who sells remote controls at Bed, Bath, and Beyond? And this remote control teaches Adam Sandler a lesson about life? IT’S SO DEEP. WATCH IT, Y’ALL.
In Conclusion:
There are some pretty fascinating depictions of Death in the media. Even when Death isn’t portrayed in a human form, there are all kinds of interesting ways creators have signed it a personality. These are just five of them, and Death isn’t even kind of the same in any two. So, will we ever run out of ideas to tell original stories about The End and what comes after? I really don’t think so. In fact, I can’t wait to explore more of them and add to this list!
What if Death wears a mortal body and walks among us?
What if Death is your college professor, the cute barista at your local cafe’, or even a family doctor?
What if Death is your godfather? Would you resent him for everything you’ve lost?
I’m so excited that my serial project, GODFATHER DEATH, M.D. is now a thing in the world! It makes me a little bit nervous because it’s not yet a finished product, or a medium I’ve tried before, but it feels like the right move. It’s organic this way. There’s a a bit of wiggle room to have a conversation with the readers. Ironically, it’s more alive this way. It’s also a bit like a strange TV show… part drama, part sitcom, part quest… and I promise all will be resolved in the end. I have created my map to the ending!
People whisper that death follows Daniel Grimm everywhere. They even call him The Grimm Reaper. Then on the ten-year anniversary of the tragedy that shattered Daniel’s family, Dr. Miguel Mortiz–his estranged godfather–reappears. Miguel is one of the few people alive who can understand Daniel’s grief. After all, no one grasps pain better than a healer. So why does Aunt Cass warn him to stay away from Miguel? He longs to understand, but some secrets are probably better off left in the graveyard.
You can read the first three episodes for free, and then the following episodes will become unlockable every Monday through Kindle Vella’s token system. You can even claim 200 tokens for free if it’s your first Vella story! 200 will buy you roughly 8 chapters, and pretty much the rest of Act I. (Of course, I’m not pulling any punches–I’ll be trying to hook you so you’ll come back for Act II!) The cool thing is that this format makes the story even more accessible to new audiences. When it’s all done, I’ll wait a bit, take it down, and bind it into a paperback. (Maybe even a hardcover, too? Idk… I’m pretty darn proud of this one!) Like I said, you can get the weekly streaming experience, or the binge-it-in-a-day-and-put-it-on-your-shelf experience!
There are a couple of things you can do that will really help me out:
Give each chapter a “thumbs up.” This is part of how royalties, “favorites,” and visibility play out on Vella!
Hit the “Follow This Story” button.
Share the link with someone who might enjoy this!
Reminder: Read with care. Death can be a touchy subject, and this is purely my way of exploring grief, loss, and mortality in a way that feels healthy and meaningful for me. With that said, my beliefs and experiences are my own, and I do not attempt to speak for everyone.I can hope, however, that it might bring someone some solidarity, or maybe even comfort. Danny Grimm, Aunt Cass, Miguel, and The Grimms have shared a LOT with me in the last 7 months, and they continue to do so!
I hope 2019 has been everything you hoped it would be and more so far. On my end, life’s been a little chaotic, but in a great way. It’s all chaos that I asked and prepared for, so I’m rolling with it! On the surface of it all, I recently traveled to Chicago and got an incredible fill of the famous Bean, deep dish style pizza, time with a great friend, and I discovered a random place to have amazing strawberry-lemon pancakes for lunch. I think that will be my mission every time I travel from now on… not necessarily the pancakes, but to find at least one great place off the beaten path that people don’t tell me to go to. Then I can tell YOU about it, and if you ever end up at Eggy’s Diner in Illinois, think of me. 🙂
As fate would have it, ROSES IN THE DRAGON’S DEN is a bit of a love letter to people who have ever wanted to venture off the beaten path before. Speaking of which, I’m MOVING! Last night I let one of my new roommates peek at my upcoming book. I really hope he keeps the juicy spoilers to himself… I think I can trust him.
But until then, I can show you that ROSES is just about done with interior formatting now, and Melissa Stevens worked some real magic! Get a look at the chapter header for the first page of the book:
The only thing left is to do is put a killer cover on all this, and I believe that will happen next week so . . . YEET! (Did I use this word correctly? It felt natural…)
By the way, everyone who is reading from Tucson should come see me at the Tucson Festival of Books on Sunday! I’ll be in the YA Indie Pavilion from 2:30-4:30, and I’ll have ROSES trading cards ready to give away! If you want a set, purchase any book at my table, or if you already have ’em all, just come up to me and whisper the pass phrase: LADY FORTUNE.
I’ll cut right to the fun stuff: You’ve already seen the first two covers for the new and improved Carver Trilogy, and all week long I’ve been itching to release the third and final cover! I’m just going to drop it right here for ya:
Here we have a glimpse of Neverland, pirate ships, a dragon, some of the towers from Avoria’s Citadel, and perhaps my favorite element of this cover: We finally have a look at Enzo himself!
The books themselves are in formatting, and once that step is complete, I’ll be working to hard to get these live and ready for your hands. I have a feeling they’re going to look pretty awesome in person, especially when you put them all together!
This week to celebrate the release of all three covers, I’m giving away a $5 Amazon credit to one random winner. Entry is simple:
Comment on this blog post and tell me what your favorite fairy tale retelling is, or any fairy tale/myth that you would like to see retold in the future! Or, just tell me what you think of these covers!!
I know I’ve been promising you all an update on the new branding and re-release of THE CARVER for a couple months now, and I was going to hold off until I closed the sales for the old cover and made my Make A Wish donation, but well, I just couldn’t hold it any longer! How ’bout now?
Things I love about this cover:
The way the New York skyline bleeds into The Woodlands, signifying that we’re in our own backyard and an uncharted one at the same time, that this story spans entire worlds near and far.
That tiny silhouette against the Empire State Building.
The strange dark blue pattern, signaling that this is not an everyday story and that something dark and epic is about to go down…
The new font, dark enough to be mysterious; whimsical enough to say, “But don’t take this too seriously 😉”
The everything though.
This was done by the amazing Kim G and is only the first of three! I’ll be revealing one new cover every Tuesday in the month of June, so come back on the 19th for THE UNSEEN!
Still waiting on an official timeline for the re-release, but I am going to make every effort to have this out by September for you to hold in your hands! I promise to keep you posted!
In the meantime, I’m giving you an opportunity to win one of three sets of eight character trading cards for my next book, ROSES IN THE DRAGON’S DEN! I’ll post a new challenge with every reveal, though most of them will involve sharing and following 🙂 This week, all you have to do for a chance to win is:
Be following me on Facebook and/or Instagram!
Comment on the cover reveal post on Facebook or Instagram!
Share the cover on your own Facebook or Instagram, and
Tag me in your post!
Pretty easy, right? Every week, in June, one person will win a set of trading cards, which contain a clue about one surviving character from THE CARVER TRILOGY who will make an appearance in ROSES. Yes, these books share a universe! Here’s one of the new characters!
Carlos “Charlie” Rosas is one of the main protagonists in ROSES IN THE DRAGON’S DEN. He’s twelve years old, lives in Tucson, AZ, and might have been having a much better summer if he weren’t stuck having to rescue his Uncle Diego from a dangerous fire-breathing monster. It’s safe to say his summer is anything but boring, though. Right?
What do you all think of the new cover, and of this new character reveal? Feel free to sound off in the comments! Happy Reading!
I hope everybody had a nice weekend and had the opportunity to do something nice on Memorial Day. Shout-out to our heroes and veterans out there! We thank you for your service!
I have so much I want to tell you today, especially about Phoenix Comic Fest! If I get into a full recap, I’ll be sitting here writing for days and you’ll likely get super bored, so here’s the quick version:
I sold a lot of books and ate a lot of Mexican food, oh and a little bit of Thai cuisine, too. Katie Salidas and Jenna Johnson are the most excellent con crew I can think of off the top of my head!
Michael Rooker walked into our booth just because he can do that and he’s awesome. It happened so fast that I didn’t get a picture with him, although I DID offer him a slice of pizza . . .
Dr. Strange, Star-Lord, and Bob Ross Deadpool seem to be the most popular cosplay right now, finally edging out Ledger Joker, Leto Joker, and Jon Snow. But only by a little! Although, I have to say I think this Hogwarts crew was my personal favorite . . .
And with the end of Comic Fest, it’s also the end of a wonderful era: The original print run for The Carver is at an end. I am now actively phasing out the mirror covers, and I recently got my first preview of the new look. I promise you it’s phenomenal–it’s very different and very new, while also holding true to the thematic mood and overall feel of the book. A VERY worthy and replacement for the original branding I loved so much!
For now though, I need to phase out the rest of my stock and get the original books into good hands: yours! As a last hurrah for the stock, I am offering signed and personalized copies, and even some annotated copies for readers who want a glimpse into my thought process and some additional commentary. These will make great gifts and summer reading, and for every order placed on or before June 15, I am pledging to donate half the proceeds (after the cost of shipping) to Make A Wish Arizona. So, every order supports an indie writer, a child who could use a wish right now, and gives you a fun beach read for the summer. It’s like having a triple chocolate cake all to yourself, with none of the guilt and all of the yum!
You can order HERE while supplies last. Orders are first-come-first-served, and I should tell you that at the time I am writing this, there are only three copies of The Hummingbird left! So if you’re looking for a full set or the finale on its own, order fast! I’ll be following up with PayPal invoices a day or two later 🙂
Lastly, my newsletter subscribers will be the first to see the new cover VERY SOON, so if you’re not on the official newsletter (it’s different from this blog and just a little more exclusive!), you can subscribe here!
So, we’ve arrived! I have some great giveaway stuff and info below, but first I need to be a sap for a few paragraphs. It is February 20, 2018, the day THE HUMMINGBIRD flies off into the world and the ORDER OF THE BELL trilogy comes to its close. As Marie Lu said at the end of CHAMPION, the end of the road is a strange and wistful place. It’s bittersweet. Today feels a lot like watching a friend or sibling drive off to college. Well. Kinda. It’s hard to describe. Sometimes even authors can’t quite find the right words.
Just as Aladdin had three wishes and Goldilocks sampled three bowls of porridge, it took three challenging and wonderful years to write three books about three “ordinary” teenagers who discovered that magic is everywhere, especially deep within. And that story is now complete with a start, a finish, and hopefully a wildly fun ride in between! It’s not a perfect set, and I’ve learned a lot of lessons along the way, but it is 100% true to my vision, and I’ve never been prouder to put my name on something. Oh and Enzo, if you’re reading this:
And I couldn’t have done any of this without my amazing readers and the best publishers/editors/cover designers/beta readers/bloggers/social media followers/family/friends I could have asked for! I hope THE HUMMINGBIRD is the finale you hoped for and deserved, and I hope THE ORDER OF THE BELL has given you even just a fraction of the escape, the hope, the adventure, and the light you’re looking for today–ESPECIALLY today.
Oh and don’t worry. This isn’t really the end of the path. It’s the crossroads. My fingers and those gears in my brain are still moving, so keep an eye out! I have so many more stories to tell you–some from places very close to the bell tower and some much farther away than that second star to the right–and I hope you’ll continue to explore with me.
Wishing you a happy Tuesday and a safe trip back to Florindale,
THE HUMMINGBIRD (THE ORDER OF THE BELL #3)
In the aftermath of the great battle that left Wonderland in ruins, Crescenzo DiLegno and his two best friends have reunited with their families in Florindale, but the war wages on in every kingdom. The Order of the Bell is scattered, presumably left to the mercy of Queen Avoria, whose grip on the New World grows tighter every day. Cities have already fallen, the shadows have spread, and a fortress of nightmares has appeared in the heart of New York City.
Determined to take back his home and restore order to the worlds, Crescenzo must rally all the people he’s met from his adventures, from the troubled prince to the rebellious Lost Boys, and storm Avoria’s castle of illusion. The Carver’s war against the wicked Ivory Queen brews to an explosive finale, but dark secrets about her true nature have yet to emerge, and not everybody will be prepared to survive them.
ABOUT THE ORDER OF THE BELL SERIES
In this twisted modern fairytale, the lives of three teenagers, Crescenzo, Rosana, and Zack, collide as they contend with the disappearance of their families and learn a secret that uproots their lives: They are actually the children of Pinocchio, Alice, and Peter Pan, and there are dark forces in the fairytale world that want their parents back. With only a handful of handcrafted wooden figurines to light the way, Crescenzo and his friends set off on an epic quest to rescue their families, making unlikely friends–and relentless enemies–out of the storybook legends they thought they knew. But with the growing threat of the nightmarish Queen Avoria looming over his head, Crescenzo won’t just need a few loyal allies to bring his family back to the world he knows: He’ll need a whole army to save all three.
The Carver is currently on sale for $0.99 on Amazon! Witness the adventure from the very beginning, and own the complete series for less than $5!
GIVEAWAY
To celebrate his third release and the “rule of three” in fairy tales, Jacob is giving away three of his favorite paperbacks for YA adventure lovers: STARDUST by Neil Gaiman, THE DARKEST MINDS by Alexandra Bracken, and AN EMBER IN THE ASHES by Sabaa Tahir. You can earn up to three entries as follows:
Follow @jacob_devlin on Instagram and comment on the giveaway post, tagging a friend who loves to read as much as you do!
Open internationally. Each entry gets your name/handle written on an index card and entered in a hat, and on 2/28, Jacob will draw one card at random to win the paperbacks along with some special swag items.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jacob Devlin is the author of The Carver, which recently won a LitPick Top Choice Award, and its sequels, The Unseen and The Hummingbird. When not reading or writing, Jacob loves practicing his Italian, watching stand-up comedy, spoiling his niece, and geeking out at comic book conventions. He does most of these things in southern Arizona.
Today, as part of our publisher’s UNITY BOOK EVENT, I’m introducing you to fellow author McCallum J. Morgan, published by Little Bird Publishing House. We’re on a kind of Foreign Exchange project whereby we get to be hosted on each other’s blogs and get to hang out in their world with their readers for a day.
They’re going to tell you a little bit about themselves and then for a chance to be in with winning a copy of their book, just drop a comment below.
So hi. What’s your name and what do you write? I’m McCallum. I write whatever the Muses dictate, which so far has been YA steampunk/myth fusion and horror-comedy.
When did you start writing and why? I started my first book at age thirteen or so, but I’d been writing since long before that. I loved reading fantasy and it inspired me to want to create my own worlds, characters, and stories. I’ve always loved making things up and imagining that there is more to the world than meets the eye.
What were the biggest challenges about becoming a published author? Trying to figure out the social media presence thing. I know a lot of people build up a presence and following before they get published, which is helpful, I think. But I was unsure of myself and didn’t want to tout myself as an ‘author’ when I wasn’t even published. But a writer’s a writer, published or not. Of course, it’s never easy to get an online presence and following going. But if you’ve started ahead, you have something to go off of to start your ‘published journey.’ I’m still working on it. I’m not a very outgoing person, so even behind the veil of social media, it’s hard to be big, brassy, and bold.
Shout out your publisher and tell us how they helped you on your creative journey. Little Bird Publishing House has been a wonderful place to grow as a writer. With the network of authors that all reach out and help each other, giving advice and encouragement, it’s a very nurturing environment.
What are you working on right now? I’m working on book three of my Weather Casters Saga, A Hole in the Air. And several other half-formed projects: various fantasy and horror stories and novel ideas.
Who is your most favourite character you’ve written and why do they speak to you so much? That’s like asking someone to pick their favourite child! Haha. Ok, if I have to choose just ONE, I pick Lady Vasille. I’ve had a fascination with villains since I was a kid (my favourite characters in Disney movies were the villains, Jafar, Maleficent, Cruella De Ville). Villains are cool and the ones that are complex and conflicted are even cooler. I’ve written three books with Lady Vasille now and I love how easy it is to slip back into her viewpoint and write her story. The same is true with Parsifal, but I’m proud of Vassilissa’s development and multifaceted villainy. So that’s why I choose her over Parsifal. She’s a villain and I’ve always loved those.
Do world events and politics influence your writing? Not really. I think fiction is an escape, so if avoiding current events is being influenced, then it’s actually yes, I guess. Although if they do find their way in, I’m not going to expunge them on that basis. I really hate politics and prefer to avoid them at all costs. I refer to myself as a non-political monarchist. Which is really just a fancy way of saying I’m a desperate romantic who was born in the wrong century.
How important are places you have visited and where you live to your writing? I think the scenery of North Idaho helps fuel my imagination. I grew up with woods all around my house and I played in them nearly every day. I think that was an important part of developing my rabid imagination. But the small number of places I’ve actually travelled to might influence my wandering imagination: wondering what it’s like out there, envisioning it, hungering for it. I think that is some influence on my writing about exotic and imaginary locations.
Share with us your favourite line from your most recent release. Off the top of my head? Sir Crawft, a poet, in Ambulatory Cadavers responds to a question about his writing with ‘No Your Lordship, I write fiction.’ But there’s also this bit from Charles: ‘I put it over him with a chandelier and half a pint of whiskey,’ he wheezed. Lyra: ‘You mean you set him on fire?’ Charles: ‘Accidentally, yes.’
Tell us five things that you love in life. Coffee, Costumes, Vampires, Books, and Björk.
Tell us five things that you hate in life. Adulting, Poor Grammar, mornings, politics, and country music (sorry, but I can’t stand it. Although I can appreciate the Romanticism of many of the lyrics).
What book started your love of reading? Oh, gosh. I don’t know, Dr. Seuss? The Chronicles of Narnia? I read the Lord of the Rings in fifth grade. I loved Hank the Cowdog, too. And there was A Series of Unfortunate Events. I started a fanfic of Lemony Snicket, the Horrible Highway. I used to listen to children’s classics on tape. Loved the nonsense poems. Lewis Carroll is an all-time favourite of mine.
Tell us about your most recent release. Ambulatory Cadavers was released last Halloween. It’s horror-comedy that caught me by surprise. It takes place in an imaginary country I’ve made up stories about for some time: Monezuela. The era is Regency. 1820-ish and Lyra plans to help her father take over parliament and dethrone the queen…by raising an army of the undead. Her cousin, Alice is just trying to avoid getting married when she becomes entangled with Lyra’s plot, and a strange young man of questionable occupation. I never planned on writing this book. I’d heard of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and even read the first page. I was mildly amused but disdainful of the butchering of a classic. However, the idea of zombies in Jane Austen’s time did seem like a charming notion. I thought, they should just write an original tale. I didn’t think I would be the one to do it, but the two characters of Alice and Lyra, who had developed separately, just came together, fused by the addition of zombies. Add a little Frankenstein, slapstick, ridiculous dialogue and you have a romp of nonsense to shake your sensibilities (I had a lot of fun writing it, anyway).
Thank you McCallum for joining me today, and thank you all for reading! Be sure to go check out his books, and while you’re here, see what else is going on in our UNITY TOUR on Facebook! There are a lot of opportunities to win prizes and to celebrate the way books connect us all across the world. 🙂
Did anyone else wake up feeling like Jack Skellington when he rises from his little pool?
I, for one, love this month just as much as I love September. I can’t wait to break out my brown leather jacket again, throw some hot chocolate on my Keurig and sip it all cozy on my couch, maybe the new Magnus Chase book in my hand or watching Luke Cage on Netflix… and then there’s the thrill of choosing a Halloween costume! I haven’t dressed up in a couple years, but I’m in the spirit this year. We’ll see what calls to me!
Here’s another reason to love October: From 10/4-10/9, I’ll be participating in my first YA Scavenger Hunt, and if you play along, it’s better than trick or treating! 120 authors come together on a massive blog tour, and I will be one of twenty on the ORANGE TEAM.
I’ve chosen some fun bonus content for you to access somewhere in the interwebs, and it will only be accessible to those who play the hunt. You’ll get to know my characters and thought process a little better, and if you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of the cover to BOOK TWO of THE ORDER OF THE BELL!
So, Tuesday morning, come on back here and kick off a brand new road trip through the world of YA lit! I’m hosting a very special author during the hunt, and if you play along, you’ll find me and that cover clue hiding on another blog somewhere! Better yet, you can even win prizes! I’m giving away some good ones…
