Sunday, December 23, 2012

Yule Tidings

I just want to make a short post to wish all my readers, fans, followers and friends a very happy Christmas and a prosperous new year in 2013. 

2012 has been a slow year due to getting sidetracked by a novel that demanded to be written right there and then. Nasty little novelses. Hopefully 2013 will see at least one more publication for your infinite enjoyment. On the cards is a second short story collection, possibly a third, and hopefully the exciting sequel to said nasty novel. 

In the meantime, I know a lot of you will be expecting shiny new ereaders in your stockings and under your trees this Christmas, and I ask you to remember, in your technological delight, a poor, lonely little ebook that's just longing for a forever home - Red Wine and Words - only $4.91 on Amazon.com and £4.11 on Amazon.co.uk. Treat yourself, and at the same time make a struggling author immeasurably happy.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

The Next Best Thing

A friend and author of the forthcoming short story collection, Strings, Darren Gallagher asked me to participate in a blog hop that has been cycling around t'interwebs over the last months. You can read Darren's post here.

Of course, being the gobshite I am, I agreed. I've never done one of these things before, so bear with me as I jump in feet and head first (though I'm not certain I'm still limber enough for such a maneuver.)

   What is the working title of your book?
   Red Wine and Words. Not working, but actual!

   Where did the idea come from for the book?
   It’s a collection of sixteen short stories, so the ideas came from many different places at 
   many different times. Some of the stories have already been published in various 
   anthologies, so the ideas for those would have come from the submission call and 
   subsequent brainstorming.
   Usually brainstorming, for me, gets out of control. It’s highly likely that brainstorming for 
   one story will uproot ideas for ten others.
   Dreams, also, form the basis for a lot of my ideas. But mostly, anything that intrigues me, 
   scares me, confuses me, or affects me in any emotion not aforementioned, gets the 
   creative juices flowing. I’m a little strange like that.

   What genre does your book fall under?
   As you might have gathered from the above question, I am, at times, more emotional than 
   a pregnant woman coming down off a lifetime prescription of anti-depressants. So 
   whatever mood takes me, will also take my writing.
   I’m fond of the dark stuff. This is not in reference to Guinness (which, funnily enough, I'm 
   also fond of) but to dark themes – horror, psychological horror, thriller, murder, mystery, 
   love and loss, etc. You will not find many happy endings in my writing, and certainly no 
   chick lit. No siree.

   Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
   All male characters shall be played by Johnny Depp. And I shall call him Johnny. And he 
   shall be mine to cuddle at will.
   All female roles shall be played by Angelina Jolie. I shall call her Angie. And she shall be 
   mine to cuddle when Johnny is broken.

   What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
   Does it count if I write a whole page punctuated only with commas and semi-colons? 
   Okay then, okay:
   'An eclectic collection of tales which blur the line between fantasy and reality, mixing 
   horror, humor, suspense, and tragedy with the all-encompassing theme of love and loss.'

   Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
   'Tis published, and published by Post Mortem Press, based in Cincinnati. The company is 
   owned and run by Eric Beebe and his wife Stephanie Beebe, and they run it like a family. 
   There’s a great bunch of authors represented by Eric and Stephanie, and there's a lot of 
   blaggarding goes on in the group. But, I've gone too far; the first rule of the Post Mortem 
   club is we don't talk about the Post Mortem club.

   How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
   Most of the stories in Red Wine and Words were already written when the brilliant idea 
   came to me to lump them all together in a single collection. All that remained was to 
   gather them up and edit them according to my writerly ego at the time (some were almost 
   a year old. Oh, the shame!) Of course I did write a few extras specifically for the 
   collection, and edit those too.
   I guess in all, from writing the oldest story in the book, to having the book published, took 
   approximately one year.

   What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
   I would never be so boastful, or, for that matter, be able to overcome my self-doubt for 
   long enough to compare myself to any other book or author. Every book has its own 
   unique charm, every author, their own voice. Some may appeal to me in the fiercest 
   possible way, others, not at all.
   So for this, you're going to have to make do with the opinions of others. One review which 
   literally made my jaw drop, was from Dean Cowan of BookPleasures.com. Dean said:
   “On my bookshelf I own collections of stories by the likes of M.R. James, Conan Doyle, and H.P    
   Lovecraft and I hope Emma Ennis would not be insulted if I said that stories of this kind belong beside    these."
   How do you like them apples?

   Who or What inspired you to write this book?
   I've always loved reading, and in school, getting assigned an essay was the highlight of 
   my week. While the rest of the class were groaning in despair, I was dancing inside. It just 
   so happened that I was lucky enough to have a teacher who nurtured both these loves. On 
   the return of one of my essays (I think I was about 13 or 14 years old at the time) she had 
   written: “I loved this one, Emma. So emotional. Perhaps a future as a romance novelist?”
   (or something along those lines.) And from there, the seed was sown; there would be no 
   weeding it out, no matter how many rejections racked up.
   It was for this reason that I dedicated Red Wine and Words to this very teacher.

   What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
   Seriously? Is it not piqued already? You lot are a hard crowd to please. Very well...
   2012 is the year of the apocalypse (I've lost count of how many we've had so far this year) 
   – that's in there. Copycat murders – they're always fascinating aren't they? Well that's in 
   there too. You want to know about Egyptian curses, or what imaginary friends really are? 
   Well I've got some theories for you to bandy about. Ancient Indian spirits, Shadow People,
   mental diseases – yep, you guessed it – all found within the covers of Red Wine and 
   Words.
   Add to all these a generous dollop of the human condition, a sprinkle of conspiracy, a dash 
   of fairytale and a pinch of dark angels, and there really, really is not much else you can ask 
   for. Just go buy the damn thing!

And that, as they say, is a wrap! Next week you can read posts by:
Rebecca Snow,
Brian Dobbins, author of 'Jasmine's Tale,'
Dale Eldon, author of the forthcoming novelette 'Dark Dwellings,'
and
Jason D. Brawn, author of the novelettes 'Stranded' and 'Refuge.'

Tag, you're it!

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Give the Gift of a Book

It's that time of year again. The trees are shivering in the woods, the tinsel is preening itself in the attic; you're making a list, you're checking it twice. * Christmas music screeches to a halt*  That dreaded list. We all, every year, have one or two of those annoying b*@%&^ds we just don't know what to buy for. They're not interested in movies or games, they have all the latest gadgets for the home and the most fashionable trimmings for their appendages. Because of their damnable happiness, each year you're getting a little thinner on top.

How about giving the gift of a book?

A book is timeless, traditional, and always appreciated.

Some awkward people complain they never have time to read, so what could be better than a collection of short stories? Not so time consuming, and you can bow out for a few days and still be able to pick up where you left off.

You can guess where I'm going with this...

Red Wine and Words - sixteen short stories of love, loss, horror, tragedy, guaranteed to wipe the smug smile off those pestilent pup's faces and keep them quiet for the season.

Or imagine this: you've already bought that newfangled ebook reader gadgetty thingy for your loved one. Go the extra mile and get them started with Red Wine and Words in ebook format.

Sorted! So that's Christmas in the bag. I'll even provide the links for you:



I'm so eager to share my baby with you lot I even dabbled in a little movie making. It's quite pathetic really, but maybe it will make you all feel sorry for me and encourage you to buy in bulk. You can find it here. Opinions to yourselves please.