1] What was
the idea that inspired you to write this story?
I've been
writing in my Deadly Curiosities universe for a couple of years now—it’s the
setting for all of my short stories to date. The stories I've written so
far in my short stories range in time from the 1500s to present day, and focus
on Sorren, a vampire thief, and his immortal colleagues in a secret organization
that makes sure that cursed and malicious magical objects stay out of
circulation. Sorren works and his human
partners risk everything to steal dangerous items and secure them before they
can cause damage or death.
2] What do
you think about the short story form in general?
It scares
me—I’d much rather face a contract to write 150,000 words than 8,000
words! There’s a little more elbow room
in a full novel—especially an epic-length novel. Short stories are a lot more precise. I enjoy writing short stories because they
are a challenge for me, and because I have a lot of fun with them. I really admire the writers who have
established themselves as grand masters of the short story!
3] What does
your writing process involve?
I’ll get the
germ of an idea—it could be a setting, or an object, or an action—and then
everything gradually coalesces around that core. Sometimes the story comes to me all at once,
and sometimes it reveals itself one page at a time as I sit at the computer and
sweat it out. I usually work from a
loose outline, but it’s really more of a few jotted notes than a real
outline. So my process is a little
loose, to say the least!
5] Are you
reading anything at the moment and if so, what?
I try not to
read within the genre when I’m writing (which these days, is most of the time),
so I've been reading a lot of urban fantasy and paranormal mystery. They’re fun, relatively short, and very
different from what I write.
6] Why were
you attracted to contributing to the ‘Magic’ anthology?
I’m always
open to opportunities to write a new installment in my Deadly Curiosities series! And it’s always nice to work with Solaris.
7] What are
your upcoming projects after ‘Magic?’
I’m in
another UK anthology, The Mammoth Book of Women’s Ghost Stories, with another Deadly
Curiosities story, and I have a new epic fantasy book, Ice Forged, coming out
in January. I’m also bringing out more
short stories on my web site, so stay tuned!
8] If you had
the ability to cast one spell, what spell would it be?
I’d make sure
there were enough hours in the day to get everything done! (Was I supposed to say “world peace”?)
Gail Z. Martin is the author of the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga series, the Chronicles of the Necromancer series, and the Fallen Kings Cycle series. Gail began writing fiction as a child (her first story was about a vampire), and says she does not remember a time when she was not enthralled with ghost stories. A voracious reader since childhood, she frequently chose to read books with a supernatural slant, including folktales, compilations of regional ghost stories and gothic mysteries. She credits the TV show Dark Shadows with her life-long fascination with vampires.
She is married and has three children, a Himalayan cat and a golden retriever.
Gail is
hosting her annual Days of the Dead blog tour October 24 – 31, which includes
all-new interviews, author Q&A, excerpts from Ice Forged and Gail’s short
stories, and other “Trick or Treat” goodies—check out what’s happening at
www.ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer.com
And please enjoy an excerpt from “Buttons”, Gail’s
short story in the Magic: An Anthology of the Esoteric here!
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