Book Review: The Red Tree

The Red Tree by Caitlín R. Kiernan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The audiobook was just mesmerizing and I don't know if that's a function of the reader or Kiernan's lyrical writing. I can't say I can make sense of this work, but I don't regret listening to it.

I will say, though, that the very end of the book (no spoilers here), where the voice switches to another person/characters, didn't make sense to me. Maybe it refers back to something earlier in the book that I've forgotten. And it's only because of that ending that I'm giving this 4 stars instead of 5. Yes, I realize that I might have missed the point because I'm not a sophisticated enough reader, and you might read the book and find it resolves well or is unresolved in a pleasing manner, but this is just how I reacted to it.

Still, there's no doubt that Kiernan is a powerful writer with a strong imagination.

(P.S. Speaking of imagination, there's something about the tree and the otherworldly part that reminds me of King's Lisey's Story.)

View all my reviews

I'll be Vending at Parafest 2013

September 6-8, 2013
 
I'll be heading down to Parafest 2013 at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center in Bethlehem, PA where I will staff the Broad Universe table with members Terri Bruce and Kristi Petersen Schoonover.

This is our first time at the paranormal and horror convention to be held. It's a little different from the fan conventions I usually attend, but I'm looking forward to the change of pace.  For one thing, it has celebrities (including cast members from True Blood, one of my must-watch TV shows).  Also, it's more about the paranormal than about writing and publishing. The front page sums it up nicely: "If you love ghosts, the supernatural, the paranormal, horror and the just plain weird, then this is your chance to meet your favorite celebs and learn from the experts!"  We're hoping that some of the media-loving attendees love to read, too.

If you're attending the event, please drop by the vending room to say hello. The hours are Friday 12-9, Saturday 10-9 and Sunday 10-4. Look for the Broad Universe table.

Broad Universe is an international non-profit organization dedicated to promoting, encouraging, honoring, and celebrating women writers and editors in science fiction, fantasy, horror and other speculative genres.

Another Interview Podcast: Scott Goudsward

In this episode I interview writer Scott Goudsward.

Scott's love of vampires began at an early age watching Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, and Peter Cushing on Creature Double Feature on Saturday afternoons. 

Scott always said he was going to write the massive vampire epic novel.  Trailer Trash was not it.  His first published story, also called “Trailer Trash,” appeared in the anthology The Darkest Thirst.  The novel was based on that story. 

Since then he has penned the screenplay for the short film “Granite Voice” and co-written two non-fiction books with his brother, David (Shadows Over New England and Shadows Over Florida). 

Currently he’s co-editing two anthologies for Chaosium with Rachel Kenley, Once Upon an Apocalypse, volume 1 and 2.  Scott's short fiction has most recently appeared in the Stoker Award-nominated anthology Epitaphs, and the forthcoming Carnival of the Damned and Atomic Age Cthulhu.

You can listen to the podcast directly at www.vampireswitchesandgeeks.com or download it from iTunes.

This series of short interviews are the result of me asking established writers about their vampire fiction. Many of them had written vampire fiction that I hadn't heard about because I was busy with work, night school, or life at the time of publication.

Previous interviewees in this series are writer F. Paul Wilson, who has been writing bestsellers for over thirty years; Heather Graham, guest of honor, New York Times bestselling author of over 150 novels and novellas; Jeff Strand, also guest of honor, who exquisitely mixes comedy and terror, and Hal Bodner, witty writer and bon vivant.

The next interview should be the one with writer Gordon Linzner, editor emeritus of Space and Time magazine.

Interview with Writer Jeff Strand

I've restarted my podcast Vampires, Witches, and Geeks with an enticing series of interviews recorded live at a small gathering of horror writers in Bristol, Rhode Island. Officially named the Northeastern Writers' Conference, most people know it as Necon, and those who know it intimately sometimes call it Camp Necon.

My first interviewee is Necon Guest of Honor Jeff Strand. Jeff Strand is a really nice guy – and funny as hell. You’d notice the funny bit, even if you never had the pleasure of meeting him in person. Just look at the titles of his books: Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary), Single White Psychopath Seeks Same, Lost Homicidal Maniac (Answers to "Shirley"), and Casket for Sale (Only Used Once). What I wanted to interview him about, though, was the novel Draculas, a collaboration with authors F. Paul Wilson (who I also interview in this series), Jack Kilborn (J. A. Konrath), and Blake Crouch.

So, here's the first in the series, my Interview with Writer Jeff Strand. As always, I try to keep the podcasts short and sweet. Hope this brief introduction is enough to entice you to sample Jeff's works.

Appearing at Heritage Craft Fair in Framingham

On Saturday, March 24, 2012, I'll be at the New England Horror Writers' table at the 39th Heritage Craft Fair in Framingham, MA. Along with me will be other NEHW writers including Stacey Longo, David Price, Kristi Petersen Schoonover, Rob Watts, and K. Allen Wood.

This is pretty exciting for me. I know where it is (no GPS needed this time!) and I know where it is because not only did I grow up in Framingham, but the town, which I renamed Danforth, figures highly in both my novels.

The first novel, Darksome Thirst, starts in Framingham when a lone second-shift computer operator, Alicia Anderson, meets a vampire in the computer room. Yes, the witches who sense the vampire at the same time are in Bristleton (Brighton) and some later are in Fenmore (Boston), but the heart and soul of both Darksome Thirst and the standalone sequel, The Old Power Returns, is in Framingham.

Stop by if you can. It's a fundraiser for the Heritage Chorale, admission is cheap, there will be food for sale, and parking is free.

Saturday, March 24, 2012
10 AM to 4 PM

Keefe Technical School
750 Winter Street
Framingham, MA
Admission:  
   Adults $3.00
   Seniors $2.50
   Under 12 free

Other links for this Saturday's event:

http://www.heritagefair.org/


http://nehwnews.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/the-nehw-will-be-at-the-39th-heritage-craft-fair-this-saturday/

Multi-Author Signing in Northborough, MA

There's a new bookstore a few towns over and one of my fellow Broads (member of Broad Universe) has arranged a group book signing for us there.

Group signings are always more fun -- the authors get to see their author friends and the audience gets to hear a variety of styles and stories. This event should be even more so as we'll be reading selections of science fiction, fantasy, and horror that includes dystopian universes, magical kingdoms, vampires, and bad-@#$ faeries!

Authors Elaine Isaak, Jennifer Pelland,Trish Wooldridge, Justine Graykin, Phoebe Wray, and I will be reading.


Friday, May 8, 2009
6:00pm - 9:00pm

Jeannie's Book Emporium
299 West Main Street, #4
Northborough, MA 01532

Jeannie's is a new independent book store in the area. Come check it out!

Vote for Morven!

DEADLINE JANUARY 15, 2008

No, no, don't worry. I'm not going to try to give Hillary a run for
her money. The race I'm running in is not presidential, though I
wouldn't guarantee that it's not political (grin).

There's an online poll called the Preditors and Editors Readers' Poll
where you vote for your favorite novel published in the previous year.

It's well underway -- it ends the 15th -- and I've just been told that
someone has voted for my book!

If you liked The Old Power Returns, please go and cast your vote at

http://www.critters.org/predpoll/novelh.shtml

(It's in the Horror category.)

Thanks!
Morven