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Interview with Steph Post

Steph Post

Monster Librarian reviewer Dave Simms recently had the opportunity to interview Steph Post, the author of the recently published book Miraculum, reviewed here.

Steph is also the author of A Tree Grown Crooked (Polis Books, 2018), a semifinalist for the Big Moose Prize, and the Judah Cannon crime novels Lightwood (Polis Books, 2017) and Walk in the Fire (Polis Books, 2018). Her short fiction has appeared in a number of publications and anthologies, and her short story “The Pallid Mask” was a nominee for the Pushcart Prize. She has published many book reviews and author interviews and is currently the writing coach at Howard W. Blake High School in Tampa, Florida.  You can visit her website at stephpostfiction.com.

This is a really fun interview, so definitely take the time to read it and enjoy! You also might want to check out her website now, as she is running a contest for art from the book through March 31st.

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DS: Miraculum was written between two of your Judah Cannon books  Why is this your third/fourth book and not second? Crazy publishing world or by design– or both?

 

SP: Definitely the crazy ins-and-outs of the publishing world, but I think the timing actually worked out perfectly. I sort of exist between different genres, so I think it worked out in my favor to establish a base with the crime fiction community before jumping over to fantasy/literary/historical/whatever we’re calling Miraculum today. Also, from the writing standpoint, I like to switch genres with every book I write. That way, there’s no chance of getting bored! I just finished up the last of the Judah Cannon books this past year and now I’m back to a novel that much more resembles the style of Miraculum, so I’m sticking to my zig-zagging path.

 

DS: Your art related to Miraculum is fascinating. Any thought to doing something professional with this? Art show? Illustrated version of the book? Booth at a local carnival?

 

SP: Thank you! I don’t consider myself a professional artist by any means, but I do love painting and printmaking. I especially love that it’s not a career in the way writing is for me. I can just mess around, without any of the pressure I put on myself when it comes to my novels. I’ve sold paintings in the past, and will be selling these Miraculum pieces as well, but mainly this project was a way for me to reconnect with a book I wrote three years ago, and also to connect with readers and fans. I wanted folks reading Miraculum to see some of the additional layers in the story that might not be obvious between the actual covers of the book. In a way, the paintings are a peek behind the curtain. I’m running a contest on Instagram right now— anyone who sends in a photo of the book (audio, Kindle, library book, doesn’t matter)—is entered in a drawing to win their choice of paintings. The contest ends March 31st and once the two winners (plus a winner of a custom piece) have chosen their paintings, I’ll put the rest up for sale. The contest is also a way to interact with readers and so I’m loving the project all around.

 

DS: I absolutely love your tattoos – and Ruby’s. The symbolism of her ink gives the novel a very cool dimension of character. Which of yours means the most to you?  I intend on getting one for every novel  published. Two down so far.  What’s your view on them?

 

SP: Well, thank you again. Speaking of… that reminds me. I need to make a tattoo appointment…. There’s no way I could pick one tattoo of mine that means the most to me—I don’t even know how many I have! My most recent tattoo is a quote from ‘The Little Prince’ in honor of all the dogs I’ve loved who have passed away. Every tattoo is hugely important to me, whether in what it means or in where I got it (I like to get tattooed when I travel), or in why I got it. I think everyone has different reasons for getting tattoos, no one reason better than another, but for me, it’s like a record of my life. A visual story, in a way, that only I understand, but that keeps me grounded.

 

DS: Ruby reminds me of a badass version of Ray Bradbury’s The Illustrated Man. Where did the inspiration for her come from?

 

SP: See above…. I think the tattooed part of Ruby comes from me. What I love about her tattoos, though, is that they are a doorway to discovering herself and her power. They’re a mystery, but a Pandora’s box once unlocked and opened.

 

DS: A Tree Born Crooked, Lightwood, and Walk in the Fire live in the crime genre. Was there a conscious decision to jump back in history for Miraculum‘s semi-historical realm? I understand that you’re going further back for the next novel. Do you think this could be a trend for you?

 

SP: Oh yes. The novel I’m currently working on is set in the 1890s. I love studying history and I think time periods of great change (such as the 1920s, the 1890s, etc.) are especially fascinating. Above all, though, the story has to rise above the setting of the novel, and this is something I’m really having to learn to balance, the farther I go back in time to write. I’ve got a long way to go on this new book, so I haven’t yet seen the book that will follow it. But I really like playing around on the fringes of fantasy/history/horror/adventure etc., so we’ll see how it goes.

 

DS: Influences? Who has shaped your writing, personality, and soul? Beyond writers, what musicians or artists impacted your creativity?

 

SP: Oh wow, that’s a weighted question. I’m going to just stick to those who have influenced my writing: definitely Michael Ondtje, David Eddings, Sheri Reynolds and Dorothy Allison. I’m sure there a million more, but I was reading those writers back when I first started to consider the idea of one day becoming an author myself, and so I think they had a huge impact on defining my direction.

 

DS: What’s next for you? Don’t feel obligated to stop at books, although what I read about the story set in 1890 sounds intriguing.

 

SP: While I’m still promoting Miraculum, of course, most of my energy is now going into the new book, which will most likely consume me for the next nine months. When I’m working on a book, I tend to get hyper-focused, and so I’m not one of those talented authors who can juggle a dozen creative endeavors at once. But when I do come up for air, I’m busy with dogs, chickens, gardening and, of course, art projects.

 

DS: You are very active on social media promoting other writers, both new and established. That is amazing – and not something that’s common enough in writing. We’re good with the support overall, but to publicly do so is refreshing. Writers’ groups and organizations rarely help much (although ITW has done wonders for me and others).  Your thoughts on this?

 

SP: When I was first starting out, I reached out to a few other writers, on social media, because I had absolutely no physical writing community. I don’t have an MFA, I’ve never been part of a writing group, I’m a very lone wolf when it comes to the actual writing process. I didn’t know the ropes at all and I started asking to interview writers as way of making connections and trying to learn what the hell I was doing. And I was stunned by how many writers, famous writers, were so warm and kind and open. They instilled in me the need to always, always, support other writers first. Not just because it will usually come back around to help you one day (and it has for me), but because it’s the right thing to do. There is not a finite amount of author success out there in the world that we need to scrabbling over. When one of us succeeds, we all succeed. And we should use any bit of success we might be fortunate enough to find to help pull up other writers, just as we ourselves were pulled up.

 

DS: What do you want readers to take away from Miraculum?

 

SP: I hope they get lost a little bit in the magic of storytelling. There’s a million layers to Miraculum and from what I’ve seen, all types of readers are taking away different things. But I hope everyone who reads it is reminded of why storytelling in and of itself is so vital. And so much fun.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on March 17, 2019 by , Reply

Book Review: The Hunger by Alma Katsu

The Hunger by Alma Katsu

G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-0735212510

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook

 

The release of Alma Katsu’s new historical horror novel brings with it comparisons to The Terror by Dan Simmons, even including both of them in social media ads. Do not be fooled. Yes, both authors bring impeccable research to fine stories and put you right there in the moment with ease, and both examine the human condition and how people can easily be turned to embrace their shadow selves, the monsters within the person.

However, there are a couple of major differences. First, The Hunger will not take the entire summer to read. At nearly a thousand pages, The Terror, while amazing, could be used as a weapon to literally knock someone out. Katsu’s story trims the fat, leaving a lean but thoroughly detailed and realistic story that doesn’t skimp on the details of the western mountains or pioneer life. Instead, she focuses on the relationships and the rot that crisis can reveal.

Many readers will be at least partially familiar with the story of the unfortunate Donner Party, a caravan of travelers who attempted to traverse the Sierra Nevada mountains, but were ill-prepared for the journey.

In a story where the ending is already written and most of the facts are substantiated, Katsu keeps the reader’s attention with compelling characters, and takes her time in building the burn. She introduces the many characters and allows them to maneuver through the plot, growing and festering in readers’ minds as they turn the pages. Her weaving together of the players in this horrific chunk of history creates a bloody tapestry that will intrigue the reader.

The most vividly drawn characters are Charles Stanton, a bachelor with the dark secret; Tamsen Donner, wife of George, who strongly believes in the supernatural and witchcraft;  James Reed, another party leader with a dark path; and Tamsen’s youngest daughter, who can hear the dead speak to her. Toss in some other players, and the stew simmers to a rich boil that threatens to destroy the group even before the true tragedy hits.

Katsu inserts the supernatural, or at least the vibe of it, which elevates the novel from pure historical fiction to historical horror, but she keeps the story lean. Reading it, one can almost feel the desolation of the mountains and the desperation their journey. By the time the climax unfolds, Katsu delivers on the promise hinted at in the beginning– a bit of a twist,  but just enough to create wonder Recommended reading for any thriller or history fan.

 

Reviewed by David Simms

Editor’s note: The Hunger is a nominee for the 2018 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Novel.

 

Posted on March 1, 2019 by , Reply

Book Review: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

Random House, 2017

ISBN-13: 978-0812985405

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook, audio CD

 

Lincoln in the Bardo can be described as an American ghost story, but there is much more to it than ghosts in a graveyard. It’s not a book to zip through once and put down with the confidence that you have completely absorbed what it has to offer. Trying to describe it, and review it, has been difficult, but it is worth it. George Saunders won the Man Booker prize for literary fiction for this novel, but don’t let that influence whether you try it for yourself.

At the center of the story is the death of Abraham Lincoln’s son, Willie, and Lincoln’s grieving alone at night in the cemetery where Willie was laid to rest, although “laid to rest” isn’t really the best description for its residents. I didn’t know this, but a “bardo” is a Buddhist term for a kind of in-between or transitional state. The cemetery’s residents, who tell the majority of the story, are stuck in that transitional state, no longer alive but unable and unwilling to move on or even recognize that they are dead. When Willie arrives in the bardo, the other residents, based on their previous experience, expect that he will quickly move on, but when Lincoln returns to grieve, he promises to visit again, and Willie stays to make sure he is there when his father returns. Of course, as a ghost, he is unable to physically interact with his environment or with living people, and it isn’t as easy as it might seem for him to stay, especially without the help of the other ghosts of the cemetery. In fact, if he doesn’t move on, he may be taken by damned souls.

The narrative structure of the book is challenging. It alternates between sections that take place in the cemetery, with a variety of ghosts attempting to move the story forward, or include their own story, or push their way in, interrupting each other and editorializing on events and each other, and collections of multiple historical eyewitness accounts of the same events, mostly descriptions and opinions of the night Willie died and of Lincoln himself.

The parts in the cemetery can be very confusing, as the speakers (and there are many) are only named after they have spoken, so it’s not always clear who is telling the story. The reader certainly does get to see the democracy of death in America, though–  cemeteries include all kinds of people, from the repellent and hateful to decent and caring(and sometimes all of it in one person), but in this time, at the beginning of the Civil War, African-Americans are buried outside the fence and their ghosts have to rush the fence and fight off hateful racists to get in. Once they are in, many of them do speak up, and they remain some of the most powerful and lasting voices in the story.

The alternating sections of compiled contemporary eyewitness accounts are probably what was most fascinating to me. Many of them contradict each other: some are sympathetic, complimentary, or admiring, while others condemn him in the strongest terms. To see history, and Lincoln, through so many different eyes, is fascinating, and connects with Lincoln’s interior dialogue and terrible grief for both his own son, and for all of the sons he will be sending onto bloody battlefields, as imagined by Saunders. Even if the cemetery story is too much for you, I recommend at least looking through the book to see these accounts. About two-thirds of the way through you will find absolutely scathing comments and letters as bad as anything you can find about our president on the Internet.

While Lincoln in the Bardo can be read as a novel of historical fiction, or a portrait of grief, it can be funny, foul, and sometimes gross (I was not expecting a poop joke four pages in). There are many moments of tenderness, and, despite the grief, horror, denial, and anger that emerge in the cemetery, it is also hopeful for those in the bardo, and for freedom in America.

If you like your narratives to be straightforward, this is probably not the book for you. But if you are willing to try out this unusual narrative structure, and do some rereading for better understanding, this is a ghost story you won’t soon forget.

Contains: racial slurs, suicide, references to rape and child molestation.

Posted on November 27, 2018 by , Reply
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