Friday, May 31, 2019

UNEARTHED AUTHOR/EDITOR INTERVIEW: Kara Dennison


Today's author Q&A comes from Unearthed editor and Altrix co-owner Kara Dennison! Kara created and edited the anthology, as well as collaborating with Ginger Hoesly on "Kill the Cat," a new Owl's Flower short story. (Thanks to Unearthed contributor James Bojaciuk for the assist on Q&A, so Kara wasn't stuck talking to herself!)


Altrix Books: What led you to create Unearthed?

Kara Dennison: I was fascinated by the media surrounding the unearthing of the black granite sarcophagus in Alexandria. I love history and archaeology, but there was a mystery around it, too. A lot of the guesses and gags got really samey after a while (mostly "it's cursed"), and I thought, "You know, my friends could come up with much better stories for what's inside." That became the idea for the anthology... except, since they popped the thing open the day after I announced my general intent to do it, I followed some friends' advice and swapped it up to be any tomb-like container.


Altrix: What charity are you supporting?

Dennison: Our funds are going to the American Research Center in Egypt, which was suggested by one of our contributors, Sharyna Tran. I wanted it to be a reliable group, as well as one dedicated to either archaeology or history in some way. ARCE devotes their efforts to training archaeologists and scholars, as well as keeping cultural and communication bonds strong between the US and Egypt.


Altrix: Tell us a little about your story.

Dennison: "Kill the Cat" is from the setting of the Owl's Flower light novel series I do with Ginger Hoesly. The main line books are a paranormal romance series about a barista and the local nature god who loves her, but there's a wider world of local and global gods that our guy Herne is just a tiny part of. This story introduces Masudah, an Egyptian god of curiosity, who's trying to protect his own interests while humans study his tomb. It's the first Owl's Flower story we've done where our main protagonists don't show up at all, but you'll see one familiar face from the second book and meet a character who'll be showing up in Book 4 and onward.


Altrix: How was your first time curating an anthology?

Dennison: Well, I wanted a learning experience, and I got one! Funnily, the stuff I thought would be easy was challenging, and vice-versa (and needing emergency gallbladder surgery in the early stages was a surprise). I've taken a lot of notes on things I had to learn to do in the moment, things I'd change for next time, but nothing that was outright bad. (The fact that I say "next time" should probably be something of an indicator!) It was really exciting to see all these amazing stories and art pieces come in one by one, and it was a privilege to work with so many of these people. I also owe a lot both to Ginger and to James Bojaciuk for their help in the final stages of bringing it all together.


Altrix: Where else can our readers find your work?

Dennison: I've got a blog that I (try to) post to once a week, and I'm the artist half of a webcomic with my friend Rob Lantz that's got about 2k pages worth of backlog if you've got a long weekend to fill. Other than that, you'll be able to see more of my work soon from 18th Wall, Obverse Books, and right here on Altrix!

Order your copy of Unearthed from Altrix Books!


Wednesday, May 29, 2019

UNEARTHED AUTHOR INTERVIEW: John Peel


Our author Q&As continue today with John Peel! Doctor Who fans will know Peel for his novelizations and many works in both spin-offs and charities, but he has no shortage of original works, too!


Altrix Books: What about the Unearthed concept made you want to pitch a story?

John Peel: When I was a teenager, I read about Howard Carter and the fabulous discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. I grew up in Nottingham, England, where Lord Carnarvan (who funded the dig) lived, so I felt a connection. I've loved archaeology ever since, so when "Unearthed" was announced, I simply couldn't resist.


Altrix: Tell us a little about your story.

Peel: Well, Resurrectionists were a tangible problem in the 18th and 19th Centuries. There was a medical need for cadavers for interns to study, and that created a market for fresh bodies - no questions asked. I wanted to examine how someone might justify to themselves providing the corpses - and, naturally, one possible consequence...


Altrix: What books, shows, or real life events inspired your work?

Peel: The stories of people like Burke and Hare - probably the most notorious grave-robbers ever.


Altrix: What was the most challenging part of creating your story?

Peel: Well, it's always the same challenge in any story, really - creating characters who believe in what they are doing, especially when they are doing what most of us would consider to be wrong or even evil. Very few people in this world do evil things for the sake of doing evil - most people have a way of justifying (at least to themselves) what they are doing. It's really about finding the correct motivation for your villains.


Altrix: Where else can our readers find your work?

Peel: Right now, I'm having a lot of fun with the steampunk-influenced adventures of Doctor Omega. And book 2 is all about a tomb and a buried body, so it's right in line with "Unearthed"!



Order your copy of Unearthed from Altrix Books!

Sunday, May 26, 2019

UNEARTHED AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Keith R.A. DeCandido


For the next few weeks, we're going to be chatting with some of the authors behind Unearthed, to help you get to know them better and learn more about their works in the anthology!

Keith R.A. DeCandido penned Rán for Your Life: A Tale of Cassie Zukav, Weirdness Magnet. The story brings the star of his book Ragnarok and Roll to a new group of readers!


Altrix: What about the Unearthed concept made you want to pitch a story?

DeCandido: In this particular instance, it was less the concept of the anthology and more the editor -- Kara Dennison has been a dear friend for a very long time, and I wanted to do a story for this anthology so I'd get to work with her.


Altrix: Tell us a little about Rán for Your Life.

DeCandido: It's the latest in my cycle of urban fantasy stories set in Key West, Florida featuring Cassie Zukav, weirdness magnet. Cassie is a part-time scuba dive-master, part-time B&B worker, who is also a Norse fate goddess (something she learned only recently to her surprise). People in her life include an immortal barfly, the ghost of an old wrecker captain, and several Norse gods. "Ran for Your Life" involves two Norse gods, Ran and Aegir, and a container that makes any Norse god -- including Cassie -- feel oogy. The story also involves Loki and Odin and several scuba diving trips.


Altrix: What books, shows, or real life events inspired your work, if any?

DeCandido: The biggest inspirations are Norse myths and my experiences being married to a scuba diver -- not my wife Wrenn Simms, but rather my ex-wife Dr. Marina Frants, who was and is an avid scuba diver. Plus, of course, just the general vibe of Key West.....


Altrix: What was the most challenging part of creating your story?

DeCandido: Both Odin and Loki have died in other Cassie stories, but I realized that this story needed to have both of them, so I had to find a way to make it fit at a point in the story cycle where I could use them both.


Altrix: Where else can our readers find your work?

DeCandido: My personal web site, DeCandido.net, is the best place to go -- it has ordering links for my latest books, as well as general links to my e-mail, my books at various online book dealers, my blog, my Patreon, my Facebook fan page, my Twitter feed, my Instagram account, my works for Tor.com, my Wikipedia page, etc. It's basic, but it's a clearinghouse for all the means of finding me and my work online.


Order your copy of Unearthed from Altrix Books!

Monday, May 20, 2019

UNEARTHED: Quick Updates and Authors Elsewhere!

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Hope you're having a great week, readers! Just a few notes on Unearthed progress today, along with what some of our writers are up to.

First off, we're getting the finishing touches slapped together, so we should have sales information for you before long. Many thanks to our writers for their last-minute galley checks and prompt responses!

While you wait, check out what a few of our featured talents have been up to:


Keith R.A. DeCandido has put in an appearance on the Fictitious podcast, talking about his book A Furnace Sealed. Pop over and give it a listen!


A new episode of Michael O'Brien's podcast, Managlitch City Underground, is now available for download. If you like what you hear, be sure to check out the archives and get caught up to the whole story!

Sit tight for more news, and more from our creators, very soon!

Sunday, May 5, 2019

CHARITY BOOKS: Thank You! and Future Plans

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Thank you to everyone who bought a copy of Seasons of War: Gallifrey before we closed out orders! It was an amazing first project for Altrix Books, and we look forward to many more—charity and otherwise—in the coming months and years.

As of now, Gallifrey is no longer available for sale or download. We'll be issuing a final total for sales in the near future.

In the meantime, here's where we stand on our upcoming projects:

Unearthed proofs are about to go out to contributors for one final check. Once everything's been checked over and we get some last art and design work in, it will be up for sale in the shop.

This summer's upcoming charity anthology, edited by Paul Driscoll, will be announcing authors and titles soon. Look forward to it! We'll also be giving shout-outs to our contributors, so you can check out their other work in the meantime.

We have our writers set for the first year of The Chronosmith Chronicles and will be announcing them before long. Paul and Kara will be on board, of course; we've also got some familiar names adding to the team's story!

Other projects are also in the works, but those are early days. We look forward to unveiling them when the time comes!

Thanks as always for your support—Unearthed contributors, keep an eye out for your proofs in the coming days!