I try really hard to have a solid memory about book stuff – so I am super duper confident that today’s guest has the distinction of being the first author out there to ever ask me for a blurb! I still remember getting the message and being completely blown away that someone as talented as Theresa was asking ME (WHAT!) to blurb their work! 

I’m a huge fan of Theresa’s work and I’m super excited to welcome her as today’s Special 3Q’s Bonus guest!

Please, welcome Theresa!

Steve: What does your writing time look like? Do you try and write at the same time each day? Do you have a word count you attempt to hit?
TB: Ugh. I really wish I had a much better answer for this. Currently, I’m trying to strategize what I can do regarding my day job so that I can set aside more time and energy for my writing. Being an educator means that the bulk of my time is grading, grading, and more grading. And grading some more… When I’m not working, I really work best when I have a deadline—like a submission call or a set release date. That really lights a fire under me! I would love to one day get into a daily writing schedule with a word count minimum. #lifegoals

Steve: You decide to host a writer’s retreat. One weekend in a luxury house on an island. What three other authors do you invite to come along?
TB: I would definitely reach out to Steve Stred. He’s super down-to-earth and such a genuine person. Not to mention, he has such a creative mind and a fun personality. Hanging out and brainstorming with him would be epic. (Is that against the rules to invite the interviewer? If so, I’ll continue with 3 more…) (Steve note – I usually try and not comment on interview replies – but this would be so much fun! Especially with J.H.!!)
J.H. Moncrieff is a top choice. A fun fact—we both met on a writers’ retreat in Transylvania eons ago, where we found out we clicked and had so much in common. I adore her as a person, and I admire her as a writer. What a gem of a human being. We’re actually travelling together soon and hope to discover some new haunted places—fodder for inspiring future fiction.
I’d love to invite Candace Robinson. We’ve been long-time virtual friends (she’s also in the Emporium of Superstition with me!) and have supported each other for years. Whenever either of us needs a beta-read, we have each other’s backs. She’s been a great cheerleader and source of information, especially when it comes to starting up TikTok, for example. (I swore I’d never get on there, and now I’m eating my own words). She’s got such spunky, creative energy and would be a ton of fun.
Caryn Larrinaga is another pick for an invitation. She’s another author friend in my life who has that vibrant, creative vibe. Such an imaginative and genuine person, not to mention such an amazing support. I’m sure we’d be up all night spinning ghost stories and hatching spooky plots.
If I could invite 3 authors I don’t know personally, alive or dead, here’s my list: Mary Shelley, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Taylor Jenkins Reid. Edgar Allan Poe and Shakespeare would definitely be runners up, though…

Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!
TB: In October, Emporium of Superstition was released. It’s a spooky anthology of revamped old wives’ tales. A total of twelve female authors “draw on the ancient tales your grandmothers warned you about. From demons living amongst humans, to ghosts lurking in the shadows, and even gods looming above, these recountings will surely inspire a fright.” (That’s from the book blurb). My story is about why you should never wake a sleepwalker! A teenage son is terrified that his father is going to do harm to himself or others while he sleeps; however, the son has his own horrific secrets he’s been keeping.
Here are a couple of plugs for this amazing anthology:
“This gorgeous, epic tome of dark fantasy and horror tales is absolutely unforgettable. Featuring established authors like Theresa Braun and Candace Robinson along with a number of promising newcomers, this book takes you on a journey through magic and the macabre. You don’t want to miss Emporium of Superstition. It’s sure to be one of the best anthologies of the year.” –Gwendolyn Kiste, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Rust Maidens and Reluctant Immortals
“From cats stealing your breath, to the misfortune of cracked mirrors, this tricky little trove of bite-sized horrors is candy for the superstitious, and will quench the craving for a Halloween treat.” –A.G. Howard, best-selling author of the Splintered Series

Steve: Bonus Question! You receive an invitation in the mail from one of these two people. The invitation invites you to have dinner and spend the night in their home. Do you accept the invitation from Victor Frankenstein or Dracula and why?
TB: What an incredible question! That really made me think. I’ve always been a fan of vampires, probably since birth. There’s something sexy about having such control over mortals, while at the same time being invincible. And the power of seduction they have is pretty cool. That’s not even taking into consideration the atmospheric castle and gothic décor—yes, please! Also, I’d imagine that vampires would be masters of conversation (being alive for so long and all), and that really turns me on. I realize there are downsides to the undead, but it’s just one dinner/overnight stay, right? Besides, Victor Frankenstein is super into himself and his creation. If he didn’t have the time of day for his fiancé, I doubt he’d have much interest in bonding with me. He might have invited me to his humble abode, but I’m less interested in what he has to say. Every time I read the novel, I root for the poor monster.

Excellent choice! Thank you so much, Theresa for doing this! Keep an eye out, as the audiobook of Fountain Dead will be arriving soon, as well as a new release!

To find more of her work – check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Theresa-Braun/e/B007YTA6C2

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tbraun_author

You ever just randomly connect with someone and become fast friends and you genuinely want them to succeed? Somewhere along the line, Pete and I connected and I feel like I’ve known him my whole life. I’ve loved seeing his new works arrive and I’m so happy to have him on 3Q’s today!

Please, do welcome Pete!

Steve: What does your writing time look like? Do you try and write at the same time each day? Do you have a word count you attempt to hit?

Pete: I’m going to say something here that’s anathema to many writers (at least to their social media personas). I’ve stopped writing for the time being, and I’m okay with that. It’s not permanent. I’ve spent years putting in the daily grind. I know what it takes. When I’m ready for that level of commitment again, I’ll dive back in. Anyone who’s read the preface to my new horror collection, Fool’s Fire, knows that I have plenty of fiction planned for the future, but I also started a new job recently. It’s rewarding, but it’s also demanding. It’s going to take everything I’ve got for a while. Give me a few months and I’ll take up my hair shirt and scourge once more, demanding of myself that I write at least some amount each day. I take the craft of writing seriously, so I have no interest in half-assing it.

Steve: You end up at an estate sale and discover an unpublished manuscript from an author you love. Do you keep it just for yourself or do you share it with the world?

Pete: Fun question! And potentially revealing, morally. If the author was still living, I’d probably reach out to them directly and honor their wishes as to the manuscript’s fate (after reading it, of course). But if it was the work of a deceased writer, I’d likely keep it. If a library, museum, or collector was interested, I’d be willing to negotiate. Ha!

Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!

Pete: Fool’s Fire has been out since October 1, and it’s my third in-print collection. This is me returning to my horror roots, so I hope that fact alone is appealing to some readers. Since my last horror collection I’ve published an assassination novel, a crime collection, a book of poetry, and a children’s fantasy novel, so it was refreshing to let out the reins a bit with this collection, in terms of a terror quotient. Plus, Alan M. Clark provided the cover art. What more incentive do you need?

Steve: Bonus Question! You wake up in a comic book. What is your comic book character and what is your superpower?

Pete: Version 1: Skip Driscoll, private music tutor. I pass out drunk in an alfalfa field one night and wake up in Victorian London the next morning, invisible but able to start fires with my snot (unable not to, in fact). Chaos ensues.

Version 2: Dubbed the Cutter by newspapers and TV anchors, I roam the streets of Fargo, North Dakota, excising the indigent–for a fee. People pay to watch from the shadows as I slice and dice the homeless and destitute. No jail can hold me, as I’ve been able to control all types of metal with my will ever since a cranial injury in a smelting plant left me near dead. Not that incarceration comes up all that often. In fact, I’ve never been jailed for the thing I’m most known for.

Version 3: Captain Apathy. My hyper-acute hearing allows me to pinpoint the distress of the victimized. The hell of it is, I can’t be bothered to do anything about it. Crime in my city is on the rise, while I order another pizza and drink another beer. There must be something worth watching on YouTube.

Haha, love it! And love that we got some great variety!

Thank you so much for doing this Pete!

To find more of his work, check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Pete-Mesling/e/B003KIUS0Q

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PMesling

Blog: https://www.petemesling.com/blog

Today’s guest is somebody who continues to put out thoughtful pieces of brutality. I came upon her work through her numerous anthology appearances and she’s always been supportive and super encouraging!

Please do welcome Geneve to 3Q’s today!

Steve: What does your writing time look like? Do you try and write at the same time each day? Do you have a word count you attempt to hit?
Geneve: I write during the day, with many numerous tea breaks, and I try to hit key moments in the story rather than a specific word count. My process tends to involve plenty of thinking time and research—lots of strange rabbit holes, collecting flotsam and jetsam that may or may not make it into the final piece of work, or that may send the story off in a completely unplanned direction. I’ll often do a rough outline, and I might have a beginning line, a last line, or a scene from a particularly vivid dream. When I’ve built up enough irresistible momentum, I’ll write and write and write until the story’s done. Then I’ll emerge, a little glassy-eyed and incoherent, but euphoric.

Steve: You decide to host a writer’s retreat. One weekend in a luxury house on an island. What three other authors do you invite to come along?
Geneve: Only three? Oh, that’s tough.
I’d invite my dear friends, Lauren Elise Daniels and Pamela Jeffs. They’re my first readers and the people who know my writing inside and out. They both write gorgeous speculative fiction so we’d have plenty to chat about. The third invite would go to my Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women co-editor, Lee Murray. You can’t spend time around Lee and not be inspired. She’s one of the kindest, most talented, and hardest working authors in the horror world; plus, Lee’s terrific fun. Whenever we get together, we end up making wildly ambitious plans.
Are you sure I can’t invite more? I’d love to have all the authors from Black Cranes, Tortured Willows, and Unquiet Spirits aboard. Being part of that groundswell has given me the sisterhood I never had. Maybe Lee and I could hatch a plan to sneak all the Crane/Willow/Spirit Sisters onto the island. Now that would be a caper.

Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!
Geneve: Chromophobia, a women-in-horror anthology edited by Bram Stoker Award®-winner Sara Tantlinger, came out in July this year. I loved Sara’s previous anthology, Not All Monsters, so I was delighted when my short horror story “Double Happiness” was accepted for her latest outing as an editor.
“Double Happiness” plays with the perception of red as a symbol of good luck and fecundity in Chinese culture, and explores the practice of ghost marriage. My main character, Jin, is a sly, greedy ne’er-do-well, and I had great fun putting him through the courtship from hell.
I also have a horror short story called “They Call Me Mother” in James Aquilone’s Classic Monsters Unleashed. The anthology also came out in July and was the highest-funded horror fiction anthology in Kickstarter history. My story is a reimagining of a famous monster (I won’t say which one, as that’s part of the ending reveal) and was a response to how allegations of sexual misconduct, and gendered violence were dealt with by the Australian government.

Steve: Bonus Question! You receive an invitation in the mail from one of these two people. The invitation invites you to have dinner and spend the night in their home. Do you accept the invitation from Victor Frankenstein or Dracula and why?
Geneve: Hmmm. I feel like a night at the good doctor’s house would require some potpourri or Vicks under the nose. All those body bits? Surely, things would be a bit whiffy. On the other hand, I’m one of those people who attracts every mosquito within miles after five minutes in the garden, so I might not survive a night with the Count. Although, Dracula would probably be a better host than Frankenstein; I imagine he’d go all-out for a dinner guest, so at least I’d get a fancy meal before becoming one of the undead. I’ll go with Dracula.

Great thinking!

Thank you so much, Geneve!

To follow her journey and find more of her work – check the links!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlynnGeneve

Website: http://www.geneveflynn.com.au/