Many of you know this, but I’m originally from British Columbia, Canada. I now live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and have now been living here for six years. In between moving from BC to Edmonton, I had a brief stint in Calgary. It wasn’t until I moved to Edmonton that I was really focusing on actually writing and getting published blah blah blah. When I got to Edmonton, one of the first Alberta writers I connected with was Mike Thorn, who at the time was living in Calgary and we both had a moment of hilarious annoyance that we didn’t connect while living in the same city. Through talking with Mike, he suggested one publisher to keep an eye on for open calls and putting out amazing work was The Seventh Terrace based out of Calgary. He was right. The quality of work they release is staggering, and as with many small Canadian presses, it is led by only a few individuals doing all of the heavy lifting. Last week, I had one of those doing the lifting as a 3Q’s guest (Rob Bose) and today, I have another!

Sarah L. Platt is a fantastic author, editor and I’m so very happy to have here join me today!

Welcome Sarah!

Steve:  What does your process look like once you finish your first draft? Do you immediately dive back into it, or do you take some time away?

Sarah: …Yes?

First of all, it takes everything I have to finish a rough draft. Then I spend anywhere from 1 month to 8 years in a state of existential despair, during which I may complete other works I was despairing over while writing the aforementioned rough draft. I wish I had better news. I wish someone had told me this is 99% of being an artist, so I could have done the smart thing and become a dentist. No one creative ever wanted to be a dentist. And it’s no coincidence that they’re all rich and happier than your average writer.

Steve: What’s the one thing you’d change now if you’d have known it when you started writing?

Sarah: Aside from the dentist thing? I dunno…maybe cash in and write airport kiosk thrillers?

But my serious answer, and something I tell all new writers, is to focus on the gratification of writing and learning the craft. Publication feels great, critical acclaim feels great, but it will never feel as good as creating. That’s the juice, my friends. I promise you.

Steve: Of the books or stories you’ve released, which is your personal favorite and why?

Sarah: A short story called Suicide Stitch, which you can read in my collection Suicide Stitch: Eleven Tales.  It’s about a woman cleaning out her suddenly deceased sister’s house, unsure of whether her death was truly an accident or something intentional. It’s my favourite because I tapped into some awful kind of darkness with that story. I doubt I’ll ever write anything more chilling.

Steve: Bonus Fun Question – Would you rather be lost at sea or in the mountains?

Sarah: Have you seen the ocean? It’s fucking terrifying. At least the mountains are familiar. I get lost in those all the time.

Steve: Good point! Thank you so much for doing this, Sarah!

To find more of her work – check the links!

Website: https://the-seventh-terrace.com/

I know many people HATE social media, but I’m one of those odd ducks who love it. I love seeing what people are up to, what they’re creating, where they’re travelling and how big the kids are getting (or how cute their pets are!). One thing, I think at least, we can all agree on, is how many doors social media has opened and how it’s allowed so many of us to connect and discover new and exciting authors. Today’s author came onto my radar via one of my personal fav authors, Ian Rogers. Ian has been raving about Ray Cluley’s work and even pitched it being made into a movie in his own awesome 3Q’s. Naturally, I had to reach out and try and get even more eyes on Ray’s work, as that’s the whole point of these 3Q’s!

I’m super excited to welcome Ray as today’s 3Q’s guest!

Steve: What does your process look like once you finish your first draft? Do you immediately dive back into it, or do you take some time away?

Ray: I consider my first draft to be draft 0 and I do immediately dive back in, making obvious fixes such as amending spelling or cutting accidental repetitions, removing specific words I favour too much, things like that. Once it’s accurate and trimmed a bit, it’s a first draft, which I leave for a while so I can return to it with fresh eyes. I’ve usually still been thinking about it in that time, though, so I can often hit the ground running and make some adjustments right away, mostly concerning characters or particular scenes. The fresh read through helps with pacing and structure and consistency, and with strengthening rhythms, emphasising themes, building on symbolism, all that juicy stuff. I have as much fun with that kind of redrafting as I do with the ‘making it all up’ stage. When that’s done, I’ll read it through again and, if there’s time, leave it to settle before repeating the steps above if necessary. And then it’s good to go. If I’m going to send it to a trusted beta reader, this is when that happens, but I don’t tend to do that much.

Steve: Do you believe cryptozoological creatures exist? If so, which one do you think has the best chance of being proven to exist?

Ray: I want to believe. And I kind of do, really, to a certain extent, because I think all those things are at least based on something real. The most likely of them to ever be proven or found is probably a sea creature of some kind, I expect, as our oceans are so rich in biodiversity and still relatively unexplored. Something like the kraken, for example, I can easily imagine being ‘discovered’ some day, as we’re already finding evidence of giant squids on the bodies of other ocean animals, like whales, without having ever seen one. Speaking of which, the blue whale is the largest creature (we know of) on our planet, and we still don’t know much about their migration patterns, so it’s not a great leap to think there might be more out there in our oceans than we’ve seen so far. Whether we’ll ever find them amongst all that fucking plastic, though…

Steve: Of the books or stories you’ve released, which is your personal favorite and why?

Ray: Well, I’ll always be fond of ‘Shark! Shark!’ because with the British Fantasy Award it opened a few doors and led to Probably Monsters getting picked up for publication, but honestly, I really like them all or I wouldn’t write them in the first place. Wherever I send them, they’re always written for me first. With that in mind, my favourite is usually whichever one I wrote most recently. Currently, it’s a toss-up between ‘The Wrong Shark’ (you see a favourite theme here?) or ‘The Final Girl’s Daughter’. Both of those appear for the first time in my new collection, All That’s Lost.

Steve: Bonus Fun Question – What was the best practical joke you’ve ever been involved in?

Ray: I don’t really like practical jokes; I think because so many of them seem to come from somewhere a little bit mean? That said, I did once frighten my partner to tears when we were watching the wonderful Marianne, a French horror series I thoroughly recommend. It seemed like a funny thing to do at the time, but once the tears came all I felt was regret. Before that, I once dressed a fake skeleton we have before positioning it elsewhere in the house, and that had a similar result, so I should have known better. See? A little bit mean. (Sorry Jess.)

Steve: Thank you so much for doing this, Ray – and for not making me cry from one of your practical jokes!

To find more of Ray’s work – check the links!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RayCluley

Website: https://www.raycluley.com/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ray-Cluley/author/B092DYXJT9

99% sure today’s 3Q’s is the first one I’ve done with a zombie. I say 99% because there’s still the lingering mystery surrounding Carl John Lee and based on his age and biography – he could also be a zombie.

Today’s author is a friend to many, an author who delivers his Splatterpunk with enthusiasm while also supporting the community like very few do!

Please welcome Tommy!

Steve: What does your process look like once you finish your first draft? Do you immediately dive back into it, or do you take some time away?

Tommy: Once I’m on a project, I tend to stick with it until it’s finished. My first drafts are a bit more extensive than some writers, because I edit as I write. This slows my writing process, as I end up re-reading and polishing my previous day’s work when I sit down. My first drafts still end up being a bit “bad-wordy.” I have to go through and remove my “bad words” and that often lengthens the piece. Bad words I don’t like using out of dialogue include just, so, like, that, even, very, was, had, were, alright, alot… and LY adverbs. After I go through the draft, I’ll send it off to beta readers and wait for their bad news.

Steve: Do you believe cryptozoological creatures exist? If so, which one do you think has the best chance of being proven to exist?

Tommy: Okay, Steve.  This is a tricky one to answer.  If you asked this question to a little boy named Tommy Clark in 1976, he would tell you Bigfoot. He would tell you he saw a Bigfoot.  He’d tell you all about Bionic Bigfoot, The Patterson Film, how much he idolized John Greene. This incident made so much of an impact on my life, that it’s become the backdrop for a future project I have in the pipeline (Falls Brook is the working title, and it features a unique Sasquatch as one of the characters).

Adult Tom Clark is a bit more skeptic. He knows that there is more to Bigfoot’s footprint than the tracks found in the woods. There’s the cryptoid’s ecological footprint out there, and we haven’t been able to find one.

So, to answer your question… Bigfoot? Sasquatch? But the cryptoids I think that has the best chance of being proven to exist? They’re not fantastic creatures by any stretch of the imagination. They’re allegedly extinct species, much like the coelacanth. One is the North Eastern Cougar and the other is the Tasmanian Tiger.  And even though I know I really didn’t see Bigfoot 45 some-odd years ago (it was likely a deer)… I’m still terrified of the growling I heard in Minerva, NY during my wife and I’s first wedding anniversary in 2004. I’ll go to my grave swearing it was a cougar. “Nature has a way,” isn’t that what Ian Malcom says?

Steve: Of the books or stories you’ve released, which is your personal favorite and why?

Tommy: It’s a toss up between Good Boy (my first stand alone piece of long form fiction – it was written in memorial of my father) or my latest, SummerHome (as it’s my first full length novel).

Steve: Bonus Fun Question – What was the best practical joke you’ve ever been involved in?

Tommy: At first I was going to tell you how I switched Diet Pepsi for a concoction made of soy sauce and seltzer water in my friend’s 2-Liter bottle (he liked drink straight from the 2-Liter)… then I thought about the time we made some kid drink the algae-ridden bong water out of a 3-liter gravity bong… but I’ll settle on a call back to one of your earlier questions.

After I “saw” Bigfoot way back when, of course I told all my pals in the neighborhood.  They didn’t believe me, but their older brothers and sisters thought it was hilarious, and those kids? Well, they hatched a plan.

The house I lived in rested upon a small creek. Our back yard was fenced in, and my little brother and I went outside one afternoon to play (he was three then). Across the creek we heard a noise and went to the back to investigate. We stood in horror, unable to move. I shit you not, across the creek, standing in the woods… was a motherfucking Bigfoot.

We screamed bloody murder, and our mother came running out of the house and saw the monster. She freaked out, herded us under her arms and ran us back into the house. She called the cops, grabbed a kitchen knife, locked the doors, and waited for the Sheriff’s Deputies to arrive.

In the interim, Bigfoot disappeared like Bigfoot fucking does.

The Deputies showed up, searched through the woods and then started interviewing our neighbors. An hour later the teenagers confessed to their prank, leaving an explanation to why Bigfoot disappeared. He went back to his house, of course. On this day, I discovered a furry rug and a King Kong mask do resemble Bigfoot from a distance.

I still resent those teenagers and their prank. Shockingly, it would be another two years before I learned the truth about Santa Claus by stumbling into my parent’s cache of gifts in their closet. But I will never forgive those kids for ruining Bigfoot for me.

Steve: Oh man, that’s great! Haha!

Thank you so much for doing this, Tommy!

To find more of his works, check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Thomas-R-Clark/author/B07JL6V3W6

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TokenTom

Website: https://thomasrclark.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/token_tom

3Q’s today is with a fantastic author and a super supportive member of the dark fiction community. Since blasting out of the starting blocks with his Bram Stoker Award Winning Debut novel, ‘Haven,’ Tom Deady has continued to deliver truly dark and delicious reads for his fans!

I’m so happy to have Tom stop by today!

Welcome Tom!

Steve: What does your process look like once you finish your first draft? Do you immediately dive back into it, or do you take some time away?

Tom: I usually dive right back in. My first drafts are really to get the story out of me. It’s the first round of edits where I add a lot of detail, build out the characters if they feel flat, and add any foreshadowing or recurring themes. I know a lot of people cut down their word count during editing, but I usually add. I think it’s because I’m a pantser so I don’t always have all the dots connected while I’m writing the first draft. There’s usually a lot for me to fix during that first round of edits. After that, I generally take a break from it before polishing.

Steve: You win a very prestigious award and are invited to receive it. The award is a bronze plated copy of the book that means the most to you in your life. What book is it and why?

Tom: Okay, this is a tough question. I would have to say To Kill a Mockingbird. I remember reading it for the first time in high school and being blown away by the power of the story. It’s a book everyone should read at least once in their life.

If you’re talking horror, it would be ‘Salem’s Lot. I’ll never forget taking it from one of those spinning wire racks they used to sell mass market paperbacks on. The iconic cover with the single drop of red. I devoured that book. I was probably thirteen and had grown up reading Hardy Boys and Three Investigator books, and this was one of the first adult books I read. That was it. I was a horror guy after that.

Steve: Of the books or stories you’ve released, which is your personal favorite and why?

Tom: I think the answer to this question will always be Haven. It took me fifteen years to write. I started it around 1995 when I took a mail order writing class through Writer’s Digest Magazine with Michael Garrett. I’d work on it for a bit, write a few scenes, then set it aside for years at a time while I was raising my daughters and working multiple jobs to make ends meet. I finally finished the first draft in 2010 and took another couple years to edit it and make sure it made sense since I’d written it out of order. I like to tell my daughters that Haven is their sibling because I wrote it while they were growing up. There’s a lot of me in that book.

Steve: Bonus Fun Question – You’re on a camping trip when suddenly a wild animal confronts you. You take off running and it follows. What animal are you confident in thinking you could outrun?

Tom: Funny story that sort of fits the question. My wife and I recently relocated to Arizona after being lifelong New Englanders. Aside from rattlesnakes, scorpions, and coyotes, they have javelinas out here. They look like wild pigs or boars and travel in packs. I was out walking the dogs one night and spot three or four of them rooting around the neighbor’s trash. I think it’s cool and grab my phone to get a video. They don’t think it’s cool when the dogs start going crazy, and they decide to charge! With two labs yanking on their leashes, I couldn’t manage to get between the dogs and the javelinas, and no amount of yelling and stomping my feet was deterring them. So, I ran! I dragged the dogs about thirty yards down the street, figuring the javelinas would have given up. Nope! They were still coming. They’re pack hunters, so one is coming straight at me while the other large one flanks me. I turn and drag the dogs farther away but the javelinas keep coming. I grabbed a handful of rocks and threw them at the lead one and they finally turned around and went the other way. So, I know I can outrun a javelina!

Steve: Whoa! Tom! That is amazing (frightening sure!) but an amazing answer! Haha! Glad you and the dogs made it!

Thank you once again for doing this!

To find more of his work – check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Tom-Deady/author/B00ILC8TOS

Website: https://www.tomdeady.com/

Tik Tok: @tomdeadyofficial

Hey friends! Another great 3Q’s today and this one is with one of the dynamic folks behind Calgary, Alberta’s phenomenal 7th Terrace Publishing! Rob Bose not only puts out fantastic fiction for his own fans to read, but is also behind some of the biggest and buzziest collection over the last few years!

Welcome Rob!

Steve: What does your process look like once you finish your first draft? Do you immediately dive back into it, or do you take some time away?

Rob: Unless I’m writing to a deadline and have procrastinated to the point where there is literally no time, I always let everything rest for at least a week—in the case of a short story—or a month or more—in the case of a novel.

Though… when I start chipping away at something else during the down time, I often get a weird spark of insight on the resting piece and end up going back in an adding at least a note. Or surgically changing something. Then I have to physically restrain myself from re-reading the entire damn thing and fiddling. It’s a curse.

Steve: Do you believe cryptozoological creatures exist? If so, which one do you think has the best chance of being proven to exist?

Rob: I want to believe, I really do. The world needs magic. And we don’t know what we don’t know, so while a lot of cryptids seem to defy belief, lots seem like they could easily be lurking at the fringes of remote places like deep oceans or great mountain ranges.

That said, I’ll have go with the Yeti. I can totally believe there’s a giant snow ape lurking around out there bootlegging Netflix from the comfort of their cave system.

Steve: Of the books or stories you’ve released, which is your personal favorite and why?

Rob: My favourite has to be Fishing with the Devil, a collection published a few years back by Coffin Hop Press (and now out in a second edition from The Seventh Terrace since CHP is pretty much dead). Lots of my earliest stories from before I worried about being a writer or writing, and fabulous art, both inside and on the cover from James Beveridge (of Edmonton!).

Steve: Bonus Fun Question – What was the best practical joke you’ve ever been involved in?

Rob: I’ve worked as a software engineer for many, many years and in one company, which shall remain nameless, there were a few of us who tended to hang out and cause mischief. There was also, however, an annoying fellow who was altogether too serious. And a kiss-ass stool pigeon. But we had his number. Every week we started swapping his batteries in every device he had with identical used up batteries. So he was continually replacing them. Always going to the stockroom, grabbing new ones. Bitching at IT to replace his obviously faulty mouse and keyboard and such. We’d recover the used-up ones from his garbage and swap them over and over. He never did catch on. I still laugh thinking about that.

Steve: Oh, that’s fantastic! I love when you can think back on something you’ve done in the past and still chuckle about it!

Thank you again, Rob!

To find more of his work, check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robert-Bose/author/B00YQSVRRM

Website: www.robertbose.com or www.the-seventh-terrace.com.

Twitter: @RobBose

FB: www.facebook.com/robertbose

Title: Curse Corvus

Author: Alex Ebenstein

Release date: April 25, 2023

This isn’t typically how I’d start a review, but please hold tight. While writing my upcoming release I did a significant amount of research into crows, ravens and their respective roles in different cultures and stories passed down. As you may have seen, there are two dark, feathered birds on that cover.

So, when Alex Ebenstein announced his debut novella and was looking for reviewers, I was all over it. Huge thanks, Alex for sending me a digital ARC. Alex has always been super kind and supportive, and I’m always excited to see what folks are coming up with.

The synopsis was intriguing, especially the ‘A flock of birds fallen from the sky’ line that opens the description. Just what is going on? And what takes place between these two friends, Val and Lyndsay?

What I liked: The novella starts out super eerie and never lets up. The two friends go for a hike, in a place they often go, when they start to discover hundreds of dead birds. Then they find a discarded wedding dress that appears to be wrapped around something.

Val reaches forward but stops. Lyndsay keeping her back. But soon, subtle changes begin to occur with Val. Alex does a great job of keeping it minimal at first, before ramping it up. We get key points involving work, relationships and most importantly, the relationship between these two best friends. It’s an interesting dynamic, especially as a power shift begins to occur.

Lyndsay’s character seemingly both grows and shrinks within the story arc, which made the ending that much more powerful and also almost an unexpected reaction from this character.

Alex deftly ties everything together from the beginning as well as what he weaved together leading up to the climatic moment.

What I didn’t like: The one piece I wish was expanded upon more, I think at least, would’ve been seeing more of Val and Lyndsay’s friendship prior to the discovery of the birds. Without that, it was tough at first to really see a difference in their relationship because that was simply how Val acted the entire time. So, having some sort of aspect to compare against would’ve been great.

Why you should buy this: Alex has crafted a really engaging, compulsive debut novella, one that was very hard to step away from, which is ultimately what you want when reading. The characters are all great, even the secondary ones that pop up here and there and he does a great job of pulling us along to get to the horrific ending. This was a home run from start to finish and I’m excited to see what else we’ll get from him in the future.

5/5

I’m super excited for today’s 3Q’s Special Guest. Ever since I read his collection, ‘The Sea Was a Fair Master,’ I was blown away with Calvin Demmer’s deft prose and amazing way of crafting a story. Along the way I’ve read a bunch of his stories, multiple collections and even appeared alongside him in a few anthologies!

Please welcome Calvin!

Steve: What does your process look like once you finish your first draft? Do you immediately dive back into it, or do you take some time away?

CD: I tend to go straight back into a first draft. I will already have ideas for changes or have identified parts that require fixes. I want to get started on that. I do take a break later in the process.

Steve: What’s the one thing you’d change now if you’d have known it when you started writing?

CD: I would have liked to have had my current schedule back then, but other than that nothing really comes to mind. It’s different for everyone but starting with short fiction was the right approach for me. I’m also glad that I explored and blended different genres early on.

Steve: Of the books or stories you’ve released, which is your personal favorite and why?

CD: Some stories come together easily, and some are a struggle; some go through numerous drafts, and some go through very few. So, I don’t have a personal favorite. If I am either challenging myself or trying something different—no matter how big or small the approach—I’m usually happy with how things end up.

Steve: Bonus Fun Question – Would you rather be lost at sea or in the mountains?

CD: I don’t think I have a choice. I’ve written so many stories about the wicked ways of sea that I think it’s inevitable I will end up lost at sea. Maybe I should start writing stories about evil mountains to balance things out.

Steve: Ha! Fair enough! Thank you so much for doing this, Calvin!

To find more of his work – check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Calvin-Demmer/author/B00P96CDYQ

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalvinDemmer

Website: https://calvindemmer.com/

Today’s guest is another author who I connected with because of the fantastic LOHF Writers Grant! Wendy Dalrymple continues to decimate her readers with her distinctive brand of dark fiction! I was so happy she was able to answer my tough, hard-hitting questions and join me today as my 3Q’s guest!

Welcome Wendy!

Steve: What does your process look like once you finish your first draft? Do you immediately dive back into it, or do you take some time away?

Wendy: I definitely have to take a break! It always feels like finishing a marathon when I finish a first draft. I usually step back for a few days to a week and then revisit my work with fresh eyes.

Steve: You win a very prestigious award and are invited to receive it. The award is a bronze plated copy of the book that means the most to you in your life. What book is it and why?

Wendy: Always a difficult question! I suppose I have to say Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier or The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. These were two really important books in terms of me discovering what kind of voice I want to have as a writer.

Steve: Of the books or stories you’ve released, which is your personal favorite and why?

Wendy: So far, They Come From the Water is one of my favorite horror novellas. It’s not for everyone, but it’s a very personal story for me and touches on a number of my fears.

Steve: Bonus Fun Question! You’re on a camping trip when suddenly a wild animal confronts you. You take off running and it follows. What animal are you confident in thinking you could outrun?

Wendy: A sloth? Hahaha, no seriously, if any animal follows me I’m a dead person. Side note: one night while camping, I DID have a Florida Panther cross my path on the way to the bathroom. Thankfully it was not interested in me.

HAHAHA! That is a great choice! And phew! Lucky that the panther had no interest in you!

Thank you again, Wendy!

To find more of her work, check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Wendy-Dalrymple/author/B089SPZJCW

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wendy_dalrymple

Website: wendydalrymple.com

I connected with today’s guest when their ultra-fun release ‘The Nothing That Is’ arrived to fill readers eyeballs with the fantastic story told within. Since then, it’s been great seeing their fanbase grow and how unique and rewarding each of their releases is. I’m super happy that Kyle was able to do a 3Q’s and is today’s guest!

Welcome Kyle!

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?

Kyle: Phew. In the past year, it’s dwindled quite a lot. But looking back to 2018 thru 2022, I’d been diligently producing writing, so I guess I shouldn’t feel too bad that I’ve taken my foot off the pedal a bit. Two kids will do that to you. Hmm, my writing time has to be in the morning. I’m a morning person. Like 5 or 6AM. And, yes, I will try to write the same time each day, when I can. Maybe maaaybe I can get some words in at night after the kids are in bed. But generally, it’s in the morning when everyone is asleep still. The world is crusted over. I can dig at stuff then. I should say there’s one exception to this, and that’s when I walk. Esp. in nicer weather, when I’m walking, I will have lots of writing in my head. So, I type it all into a Notes app on my phone and transfer it later. That happens a lot in the summer.

Word count wise, I will feel pretty good with 1K in a sitting. Since I’ve been off for a while, and getting back into the rhythm, I told myself 500/day is good.

Steve: You’re riding an elevator and BAM! It gets stuck. What two authors (one living and one dead) would you happen to find yourself stuck with?

Kyle: Well, the dead one is Ursula K. Le Guin. That’s easy. And the living one is Stephen King. Le Guin is a monument in my mind. I’ve worked hard to emulate her prose and heart and storytelling since I’ve found it. And she was such a wise person. I would have loved to talk with her about topics not even related to writing. And King because there are few authors that I’ve heard talks from, online or otherwise, who are such good storytellers and friendly. Uncle Steve is open and approachable. So, yeah. Those are my two for today. Ask me tomorrow, I’d give you different answers probably.

Steve: Tell me about your newest release and why someone should read it!

Kyle: My most recent novel is Boris Says the Words. It’s a weird novel. It touches on sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. I worked on it longer than any other piece of fiction I’ve created. And I think it’s the most heartfelt thing I’ve published. Why should someone read it? Because it’ll hit all the buttons that spec readers have. It’s got magical words, body horror, dark comedy, patches of philosophy, poetic language, touches of a science-fictional future, alternative history, etc. The plot follows two main characters: a baker in Indiana who has multiple sclerosis and a call center worker in a desolate village in what’s left of Russia. Their storylines crossover and meet with a mysterious character named Boris. I gave myself absolute permission to put whatever I wanted into that book. I think it paid off.

Steve: Bonus Question! If you were transported back in time, which Pop Band/Hit Band would you hope to find yourself a member of?

Kyle: An 80s British band called Talk Talk. They had a hit of the same name which was later covered by No Doubt many years later. They started off as pure pop and transformed into an arty experimental band. Both sides are amazing.

Great choice! They definitely had a number of amazing songs!

Thank you so much, Kyle!

To find more of his work, click the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kyle-Winkler/author/B08ZK9T21N

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bleakhousing

Website: https://kylewinkler.net/

Oh man! So, today’s guest is someone that has been requested probably more than any other of my 3Q’s guests! In fact, I get one or two people DMing me a week, asking if I have asked Lee Franklin to do a 3Q’s. Well, the answer is and always was – YES! BUT! Life has a way of running away from us and it wasn’t until recently that Lee got back to me with her replies! So, to all who’ve been asking – here you go! Today’s guest is the one and only, Lee Franklin!

Welcome, Lee!

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?

Lee: G’day, at the moment my writing time looks like… it’s absolutely rat shit since I’ve been trying to resettle back into Australia with my new job and now Carpal Tunnel in both hands. Before, back in the good ol’ days it was post school drop, post run and always with a coffee. I never really tried to aim for word counts. Rabbit hole research and rewriting, self-editing as I go kill any significant word count. Some days I could crank out about 2000 others 100. Yeah, I’m not great with wordcounts.

Steve: You’re riding an elevator and BAM! It gets stuck. What two authors (one living and one dead) would you happen to find yourself stuck with?

Lee: Wow this one is a doozy. There are so many authors within our community I want to meet, and I don’t know If I know that many dead authors. I didn’t grow up with Poe, Lovecraft or Shelley. Maybe Doyle, because I was a massive fan of the Conan the Barbarian movie as a kid. As for living authors I would probably say Lee Murray as she is the most beautiful and talented soul and I reckon we would kick ass together.

Steve: Tell me about your newest release and why someone should read it!

Lee: Well, I have the Nang Tani sequel Rak Ruex in the midst of the editing process. It will be released in the first half of this year.  Why should someone read it… What is not fun about bloodthirsty Old Gods wreaking havoc in the cesspools of contemporary society?

Steve: Bonus Question! If you were transported back in time, which Pop Band/Hit Band would you hope to find yourself a member of?

Lee: I truly wouldn’t curse any band with my abhorrent lack musicality. I used to do a lot of amateur theatre…. I was in a chorus of 20 people, and I was told to mouth the words… So, I guess I might’ve done alright with Milli Vanilli.

Haha! Excellent choice!

Thank you so much, Lee!

To find more of her work, check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Lee-Franklin/author/B07F2SPNBN

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WordPilmgrim