2018 December Curiositales Magazine with Wendy Higgins, Constantine Singer, and Mary Taranta. by curiositales

CONTENTS THE HIGHLIGHTS

@darkfaerietales_

GENRE

FICTION FOOD FEATURE

AUTHENTICITY

Interview with Wendy Higgins of Kiss Collector

Recipes from Kiss Collector, Strange Days and Splendor and Spark

Interview with Constantine Singer of Strange Days

COLLECTOR

ALIENS AND

ONCE UPON A DARK FANTASY

THE BIBLIOPHILEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GIFT GUIDE

DARK WONDERLAND

Interview with Mary Taranta of Splendor and Spark

Check out these 5 amazing Bookstagram creators

Michelle Foster-Colvin brings Alice to life with a dark twist

K CURIOSITALES

CONTENTS 11 Editor’s Letter 13 14 16 24 26 30 36 46 50

A note from the editor. Contributors Learn more about this month’s writers, photographers, and crafters. Giving Back Learn more about this month’s charity. Genre Collector Wendy Higgins of Kiss Collector Wendy Higgins | Share Your Shelf Wendy shares her favorite goodies. Seeking Contributors Like what you’re reading? Join our team! Fiction Food Recipes inspired by Kiss Collector, Strange Days and Splendor and Spark. Aliens, Authenticity, and the Art of the Dad Joke Constantine Singer of Strange Days. Constantine Singer | Share Your Shelf Constantine’s tour of bookish items. The Bibliophile’s Gift Guide by Lana Glick

54 Once Upon a Dark Fantasy

Mary Taranta of Splendor and Spark. 62d Mary Taranta | Share Your Shelf Mary’s 10 favorite bookish items.

@myfriendsarefiction

66 Dark Wonderland

Photo essay by Michele Foster-Colvin

84 Love, Lies, & Hocus Pocus by Lydia Sherrer

Chapter One preview. 100 December New Releases

102 Around the World

K CURIOSITALES

CURIOSITALES

K CURIOSITALES

FROM THE EDITOR

Letter From The Editor

December... the month of giving! Well, I’m happy to

announce our gift to you this month- a bonus interview! Instead of our usual two interviews, this month, you get three. Wendy Higgins has ventured out of her normal realm to bring us a contemporary romance, Kiss Collector. Constantine Singer debuted his sci-fi this month, Strange Days. And Mary Taranta brought her dark fantasy duology to a close with Splendor and Spark. I’ve said before that I’m a fantasy girl at heart, so I absolutely love the authors this month taking me out of my genre comfort zone to explore new stories. I can’t wait to curl up with a cup of cocoa, a warm blanket, and these books (plus a few more). Happy Reading, Gillian St. Clair Editor-In-Chief

CURIOSITALES

K 11

CURIOSITALES New York, New York; USA

EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Gillian St. Clair CONTRIBUTORS Kelsey Bjork, Elle Jauffret, Michele Colvin_Foster, Lana Glick, Lydia Sherrer

MARKETING & ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Vipul Kuchhal

ONLINE Curiositales is a digital monthly magazine. We also engage readers with a free newsletter. For your regular dose of all things bookish, subscribe at www.curiositales.com

COPYRIGHT Copyright 2018 by Curiositales Magazine. All rights reserved. This magazine or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in review.

K CURIOSITALES

Award-winning and USA Today-bestselling author of snark-filled urban fantasy, Lydia Sherrer thrives on creating characters and worlds you love to love, and hate to leave. She subsists on liberal amounts of dark chocolate and tea, and hates sleep because it keeps her from writing.

LANA GLICK Lover of all things literary and creative, Lana is working on a book of her own while continuing to read as many new and old books as she can get her hands on. The Instagram/bookstagram community has allowed her to connect with fellow writers, bookworms and has been an outlet for her to express her hobbies and passions.

ELLE JAUFFRET MICHELE FOSTER-COLVIN

Elle Jauffret writes from personal experience about Owner of Michele Foster-Colvin the culinary arts, mysteries, Fine Art Photography. Originally and France. from Lubbock, Texas and a long time resident of Alamogordo, NM.

CONTRIBUTORS

LYDIA SHERRER

CURIOSITALES

K 13

GIVING BACK Every month you read, you're giving back. Curiositales donates 10% of every purchase to a nonprofit. Check out this month's organization.

K CURIOSITALES

CURIOSITALES

K 15

K CURIOSITALES

“

That’s just a silly story I was writing for my friends.

“ S

eventeen-year-old Zae Monroe is on a mission, and she won’t stop until she is the winner. But in the end, will going after as many kisses as she can be worth it?

GENRE COLLECTOR Interview by Gillian St. Clair Written by Kelsey Bjork

Zae’s relationship with love turns sour after her boyfriend cheats on her and her parents’ relationship begins to fall apart. That’s why Zae and her friends decide to create a contest to see which one of them can kiss the most boys during spring break. What could possibly go wrong? Windy Higgins, a USA Today and New York Times bestselling author, is taking a break from her usual romantic fantasy and paranormal fiction novels with a contemporary romance: Kiss Collector. Although she has written a contempoCURIOSITALES

K 17

rary novella before, this will be her first full length novel in this genre.

reflection of my feelings for her, and they aren’t at all.

But readers may be wondering: why did she choose to deviate from her norm? It turns out that because of current book trends, Higgins’ editor suggested she try something new. She was resistant at first, but eventually came across a story she had written eight chapters of many years ago.

People always say things like, ‘Is suchand-such character based on your husband?’ and I’m like, ‘…No!’ But people always assume these things. That being said, I do get a lot of ideas from stuff that has happened to me, or to people I know, or things that I’ve heard about that I’ve sort of twisted,” Higgins said.

“My agent suggested that I go back to it, and I thought, ‘That’s just a silly story I was writing for my friends.’ But I started reading through it again and thought, you know, this is actually kind of fun.” Inspiration can come from anywhere, and for Higgins, the inspiration for Kiss Collector came from her relationships with her own friends. “None of it is verbatim. But, for instance, a boy in the book does something bad, so the girls biscuit his car in order to get back at him. If you haven’t heard of that before, it’s like egging someone’s car, but instead you take pop open biscuits and squish them all over it,” Higgins said. “That’s actually something we did. So I included little inside jokes and stuff like that in the book for them because I knew they’d appreciate it.” No matter how fictional an author makes their novels, there are still some people who will think that their stories are more autobiographical than they intended. “There’s always that concern – I even worried when my mom read it because I thought she was going to think the bad things the mom did in the book are a 18

K CURIOSITALES

“I get inspiration from life and from all around me. It could be from something that I see on television, or something someone tells me, and I take it and kind of run from there. At the end of the day, it’s just a book about how people make mistakes, and how that doesn’t make you a bad person. It’s about how you handle the mistakes that you make.” Trends haven’t been in favor of the fantasy genre for a while now, and the effects of this can be seen in what is and isn’t being published. This is disappointing for readers, of course, but it’s having an even larger impact on authors. “It’s been a really hard…past two years, actually. All last year I was on submission with a fantasy idea and nobody wanted it. Everyone said no, including my publisher, who I have seven books with,” Higgins said. “Everyone told me the same thing: the trend is shying away from anything paranormal - and my book was a modern day contemporary with witches and warlocks.” Although publishers may want certain genres based on trends that does not mean that all readers feel the same way. “The

problem with trends is that my readers want fantasy from me, but that’s not what the publishers want. So my only choice, if I want to write those kinds of stories, is to self-publish them. I don’t mind self-publishing; I love having more control and being able to get my stories out to readers faster, but I don’t have as many sales through self-publishing. So, it’s a struggle financially and mentally, and it’s happening to traditionally-published fantasy writers across the board. It’s tough, but that’s how trends go. Maybe next year it’ll turn itself back around.” It’s disappointing when a genre that authors and readers love isn’t considered trendy, but fantasy always comes back, and when it does, Higgins will be ready. And even if that doesn’t happen soon, she has an idea that involves rewriting the story that she had on submission last year. She plans on doing this by using the same romantic plot in a different way. “For me, the romantic aspect of it was the heart of the story. I just need to change the plot because publishers don’t want an oldschool paranormal where the girl doesn’t know what she is until she meets the mystery boy who tells her. That’s why I’m trying to do the opposite of that. In this story, a girl who knows that she’s a witch meets a boy who is unaware of the fact that he is a warlock,” Higgins explained. “Every story has been told, so it’s about trying to make it feel new and fresh all over again. That will hopefully be my project after I finish the Greek mythology I’m working on right now.”

Thankfully, things may already be looking up for the fantasy genre based on a sign that Higgins got recently. “I had my cover reveal for Soul and Darkness – my Greek mythology – and it’s the most traction I’ve had on any of my social media posts in over a year. I think people miss it, and I think they’re excited that I’m going back to my roots a little bit with this story. So, that gave me some hope,” she said with a laugh.

“

Every story has been told, so it’s about trying to make it feel new and fresh all over again.

“

Higgins has a lot to look forward to with the release of Kiss Collector and so do her readers. “They’re excited! I have around 700 people in my closed chat group who are hard core fans who will buy any book that I write no matter what what it’s about. So that’s good!” she said excitedly. Despite what some may think, people still love to read. Unfortunately, people still love to pirate books as well. One of the complaints authors have about this method of obtaining books is that it’s part of the reason why certain genres appear as though they are becoming less popular. CURIOSITALES

K 19

“It’s terrible. I paid for a site called MUSO which basically hunts down my books online and attempts to take them down for me. But it sucks that authors have to pay for that.

seems to be getting worse because the internet is a wonderful, beautiful, crazy, awful thing.” Publishing companies are also trying their hardest to fight against this problem.

I think part of the reason it’s such a huge problem is because people just don’t fully understand. They’re like, ‘Yeah! I got something for free!’ And I’m like, ‘No! It doesn’t work like that!’” Higgins said in a frustrated tone. “It’s hard to get the word out without sounding like you’re just being greedy.”

“If someone writes to me and says, ‘I found Sweet Evil or The Great Hunt on this site’ I forward the links to my editor, and she forwards it to the HarperCollins legal department. Apparently they pay for anti-piracy stuff similar to MUSO,” Higgins said. “I don’t know how much they’re really able to do, though. It’s a constant battle for them, too. It’s literally non-stop, Because a big source of pirating comes and it’s probably always going to be like from misunderstandings, Higgins took the this.” time to talk about the ways it can negatively affect authors. Some may doubt the ramifications of book piracy, but author Maggie Stiefvater de“Sales go down, and when that happens, cided to prove those people wrong. After your publishers do not want to publish the third book of her Raven Cycle series you anymore. Even though all authors wasn’t selling as well as expected, she conlose money from piracy and it sucks for us ducted her own experiment. With the help all, huge authors like JK Rowling are still of her brother, they pirated fake versions making enough to support themselves. of the book themselves. On the other hand, midlist authors like me feel that hit. It’s a matter of your car “Everyone was very confused,” Higgins payment and your kid’s soccer fees and said. “One of the things that people argue things like that. So when you have 100 is that those who are pirating the books books being pirated instead of purchased, are never going to buy them anyways, you feel it where it hurts.” but she proved them wrong. She actually found people talking on threads online Unfortunately, even using the tools avail- who were saying things like, ‘I can’t get able to fight against piracy isn’t a perfect it to work…whatever, now I’m going to solution. have to buy it.’ “To fight it you have to pay, so one way or another you’re losing. And when you pull one down, five more pop up,” Higgins said. “If you want to fight it legally then you’re going to have to pay for a lawyer. It’s just a losing battle for authors and it 20

K CURIOSITALES

So she was able to prove what a big difference taking away the ability to get books illegally makes just in the first week of sales. Because at the end of the day, people are going to buy books if they don’t have any other options,” she said. “But

there will always be excuses. People will always look at authors like they’re rich and will assume that one book isn’t a big deal, but one book does make a difference.” Piracy can especially hurt authors who write more than standalone books. In fact, Higgins’ Sweet Evil trilogy came very close to not coming to completion. “The only reason the subsequent books in the series got picked up was because a television producer came forward with interest. After they talked to the publisher for my books, the publisher was like, ‘Well! We need to go ahead and buy the rest of the books too!’ The television interest ended up falling through, of course, but I still got my stories published, and that’s all I cared about,” she said. Despite all of the things that authors have to deal with, they still believe that creating stories is worth it in the end. Part of the reason why is because of their amazing, supportive readers. Higgins even has a Facebook group for them.

ever being so successful that I wouldn’t want to be interactive with my readers. They’re just the best.” Of course, Higgins is always ready to welcome new fans. That is why she had something to say to those who may be unfamiliar with her or her books. “I love love stories, and if you love love stories too, you need to give this one (Kiss Collector) a try because it’s got lots of boys, and lots of kissing, and lots of romantic tension,” she said enthusiastically. “I’m all about the romantic tension in my books. That’s kind of my thing. It has to have it or it won’t keep my interest. So, for anyone who is drawn to that kind of story, I hope you will give it a try.” Kiss Collector comes out on December 18! So make sure to show Higgins your support by purchasing her newest novel! TWITTER: @Wendy_Higgins WEB: www.wendyhiggins.co INSTAGRAM @wendyhigginswrites

“That group is where the 700 hardcore fans are. I talk to them about everything. I’ve always been very transparent with my readers, and I think I have a good relationship with them because of it. They’ve been with me through the early days when I didn’t think that the rest of my Sweet books would get published. But they did, and they hit The New York Times – that was all my readers,” she said. “They’ve been such a blessing for me, and I think of them as my friends. I always try to respond to them, and I can’t imagine CURIOSITALES

K 21

K CURIOSITALES

CURIOSITALES

K 23

Share Your Shelf with Wendy Higgins

MY LAPTOP!

I swear, if I had a house fire, I’d have the laptop and dogs in my arms, and that is all. I had a MacBook Pro for six years and now I have a MacBook Air. Best purchases ever! (Just a sidenote, I’m not a hardcore Apple girl…I have a Samsung phone! But I will never go back to a PC computer.) 24

K CURIOSITALES

2) MY SIGNED BOOKS, which are like gold to me and I never lend them. Over the years, I’ve had friends sign books at different events. Each signifies a special moment for me. You can say I’m a collector, lol 3) MY KINDLE in its well-loved (read: worn out) pink case. I’ve had it many, many years, and can’t bear to part with it, even though the battery is almost shot. I enjoy reading paper books, and on my kindle, equally. 4) MY FAN ART, handmade items, gifted to me from incredible readers from around the world—paintings, drawings, cross stitch, creative photography, jewelry—readers are so thoughtful. It makes me emotional every time I receive something a reader has taken time to create. 5) MY HARRY POTTER COFFEE MUG from Platform 9 ¾ in London—coffee is a must! So is a visit to England! And Harry Potter, in general! 6) MY “FILM SCORE” PANDORA CHANNEL and headphones for those rare occasions when I need to write in public. I have a very hard time focusing when other people are around, and I can’t concentrate if I hear words/lyrics, so in public I enjoy listening to powerful instrumental music. 7) MY KAIDAN ROWE DRUMSTICKS, which I bought on Etsy, along with my “I’m with the drummer” bracelet from Hebel Design, and my Sweet Evil necklace that was sent to me from a reader in Ireland. I have worn that bracelet and necklace to every single book signing I’ve done. 8) MY KISS COLLECTOR BREATH MINTS—fun and useful swag for my upcoming book, my first YA contemporary romance ;) 9) MY RECLINER, which I write in every day. I don’t have an office, so I snuggle into this chair with a blanket and my laptop and do my best to write all the words while my dogs constantly attempt to find a way onto my nonexistent lap space. 10) MY WORK UNIFORM, aka jogger/sweatpants. Comfort is key when you work from home! I feel very lucky each day to be doing my dream job, even though it’s not glamorous 99% of the time. I love it.

CURIOSITALES

K 25

CONTRIBUTE JOIN THE TEAM

Curiositales Magazine is on the lookout for contributors. If you have an idea geared toward the YA readership, send us an email: contribute@curiositales.com. Our readers are creative and talented and we want to feature you. Send us an email to be considered for an upcoming issue. Short Story Criteria: Around 3,000 words Submit a Word Document

Payment $50 within 30 days of publication. 26

K CURIOSITALES

SHORT STORIES COSPLAYERS ARTISTS EDITORIAL PHOTO SPREADS TUTORIALS ARTICLES FLASH FICTION HAVE AN IDEA? LET US KNOW!

CURIOSITALES

K 27

K CURIOSITALES

CURIOSITALES

K 29

FICTION FOOD

By Elle Jauffret

KISS COLLECTOR “Homemade churros from Monica—her mom knows they’re my fave. […] … the four of us getting cinnamon and sugar everywhere as we rated the images on my walls. […] I see Mom pulling out all the ingredients for taco soup, my favorite, and my stomach sours with guilt. […] I half-heartedly sip the Capri Sun Mom packed with my elementary school–worthy lunch.”

K CURIOSITALES

Zae’s Mom’s Taco Soup (Zae’s fave #1) In a large pot, sautée tortillas strips (5 soft corn tortillas cut into thin strips) with vegetable oil (about 2 tbsp) until crisp (like chips) (about 2 minutes). Remove from pan and place on paper towels. Set aside. Sautée 1 onion (coarsely chopped small), garlic (6 cloves, crushed), and spices (1 tbsp paprika, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp chili powder, 2 tsp ground cumin) on medium heat while stirring for 3 minutes. Add 48oz of chicken broth, crushed tomatoes (one 28oz can), 2 tsp salt, 4 soft corn tortillas (coarsely chopped). Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered for 30 minutes. When done, purée the soup with a hand mixer or a blender (so the soup is smooth).

Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Then add 3 eggs to the mixture and stir until the dough is shiny and smooth. Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large tip. Heat vegetable oil in a thick saucepan (the oil should be 2-3 inches deep) on medium heat (oil should reach 330 degrees). Squeeze out batter gently above oil, cutting every 3 to 5-inch-length. Fry 4-6 churros at a time (they should not touch). Fry until golden brown (you will need to turn each once). Place on plate lined with paper towels. Then, roll in cinnamon sugar (cinnamon sugar = 1 tbsp sugar + ½ cup sugar).

Meanwhile, sautée 4 chicken breasts (boneless and skinless and cut in small cubes) in a separate pan in 1 tbsp vegetable oil until fully cooked and lightly golden. Add chicken to soup. Add 1 tsp of pepper. Mix well. To serve, pour soup in bowl, top with fried tortilla strips, cubed avocado (1/4 avocado per each serving), shredded cheddar cheese, and fresh cilantro. Monica’s Mom’s Churros (Zae’s fave #2) \In a medium saucepan, place 1 cup of milk, 6 tbsp butter, 1 tsp salt. Cook over medium heat until it boils. When it boils, add 1 cup of flour to the pan. Cook while stirring until mixture forms a ball and detaches from pan (about 1 minute). CURIOSITALES

K 31

STRANGE DAYS […] a plate with what looks like two steaming hot pupusas covered in pickled cabbage. I sniff and I can smell the tortillas and cheese and chicharrón.” (p.85) “The pupusas look exactly like the ones I used to order when we went to Atlacatl for dinner as a family. I’ve been ordering them since I could walk.” Papusas Dough/Masa: In a large bowl, combine 2 cups masa harina + 1 ½ cup hot water. Stir until the dough is smooth. Add 4 tbsp butter (softened) + 1 tsp salt + ½ tsp nutmeg to the dough and knead until well combined. Set the dough (masa) aside. Filling: Sautée 4 oz pancetta + ½ lb ground turkey + 1 small onion (chopped) in a pan. When all cooked, add ½ cup of fresh thyme + ½ tsp salt, mix well and set aside. Divide dough in 8 and make a masa ball the size of a clementine. Press your thumb into the center of each ball and fill with filling + shredded Oaxacan cheese (about 6-8 oz in total). Pinch the edges around the filling and flatten the balls into thick, circular patties (the filling should be completely inside the masa). Cook on a greased skillet or griddle until brown on both sides (about 3 minutes per side). 32

K CURIOSITALES

Serve warm. Top with pickled vegetables.

SPLENDOR AND SPARK “Coffee, sugar, and cream spill over the edge…” “She brandishes her gloved hands […] clutching two thick slabs of fruit bread wrapped in a cloth napkin.” Fruit Bread In a large bowl, mix together 1 ¼ cups of flour + 1 pack of dry yeast (8 g) + ¼ tsp of salt. Add ½ cup of chopped walnuts + ½ cup of chopped dry apricots + ½ cup of raisins + ½ cup of warm water + ¼ cup of warm milk + 1 tbsp honey. Mix it all with a spoon or a blender with paddle attachment. The dough should be sticky. Sprinkle dough lightly with flour, cover bowl with damp towel and let rest for one hour. An hour later, the dough should have doubled in size. Make 4 mini loaves and bake in 400 degree-oven for 30 minutes. Serve warm. Top with pickled vegetables.

CURIOSITALES

K 33

French-born, Californian lawyer by day, writer/home chef by night, Elle Jauffret writes from personal experience about the culinary arts, mysteries, and France. She received the 2016 SDSU Writers’ Conference Choice award and loves creating “fiction food” based on the books she enjoys. You can find her at ellejauffret.com or @ElleJauffret on Twitter and Instagram

K CURIOSITALES

CURIOSITALES

K 35

K CURIOSITALES

“

If the story is right, they will read it.

“

Anyone who loves to read and is ob-

sessed with Instagram hashtags like #bookstagram is not at all surprised by the fact that peoples’ obsessions with books are not going away anytime soon. But despite how popular this hobby still is, there are some people who underestimate the size of this massive community of readers.

ALIENS, AUTHENTICIY AND THE ART OF THE DAD JOKE Interview by Gillian St. Clair Written by Kelsey Bjork

The people who think this way, of course, do not enjoy reading. But according to Constantine Singer, an author and teacher, even those who say they dislike reading are more interested than they realize. “If the story is right, they will read it,” he said. “I’ve been a teacher for twenty years, and for seven of those years I’ve been teaching English. So I know that if you build the foundation for a story and present it well, you can teach anything to anyone – even a monstrosity like Lord of the Flies. I’ve seen that become a kid’s favorite book when it’s taught right. And with things like graphic novels you can even turn kids who don’t read CURIOSITALES

K 37

very well into story hounds, which is just a beautiful thing. Once you have a kid interested in the idea of story, they’ll follow that and build their skills until they’re able to pursue stories on their own.”

“I’ve always been fascinated by the idea that there’s more going on in life than what we understand. One of the things I really wanted to do was push the boundaries of what is into what could be. So the novel ended up being a near-future, realSinger has been a teacher for twenty years, ity-plus, science-fiction, that’s set in Los and recently, he became a published auAngeles and the Imperial Valley.” thor. His debut novel, Strange Days, is a young adult science-fiction. Singer’s pursuit of a writing career began when he was in high school. Well…kind The story follows Alex Mata, a teen who of. would rather go about his normal life than pay attention to rumors that aliens are “I had a very good friend who I looked attacking. But when aliens kill his parents, up to, so I always wanted to be like him he can’t ignore them anymore. No one or even be better than him. Then one day believes what happened, so he runs away my English teacher actually told me I was and finds a tech guru who claims he can a better writer than he was, and after that, help. I didn’t write again – I had won,” he said laughing. “I didn’t want to lose that victoThis leads to Alex joining a group of teens ry by writing anything else.” who have been given the ability to glide through time and witness the future. Doing so will be dangerous, and Alex will have to make difficult decisions about who to save. Although Singer loves science fiction, he has some other favorites too. “When I’m reading for pleasure as opposed to keeping up with my genre, I read mystery and crime fiction; I have an absolute love for LA-based noir.” Not surprisingly, the genres Singer loves to read have influenced what he writes. “If you read Strange Days, you’ll find that, in a lot of ways, it actually feels less like science-fiction and more like a near future noir – especially in the beginning,” Singer said. But don’t forget: this is still a sci-fi with aliens. 38

K CURIOSITALES

“

I really wanted to do was push the boundaries of what is into what could be.

“

His break from writing, of course, didn’t last forever. “Move forward twenty years and I’m thirty-eight years old, married, have a kid, and have a career. I’ve never

done anything with writing, but I’m still thinking of myself as a writer. It wasn’t until I changed schools and had more free time that I began working on a book that I’d been thinking about for 20 years…and it was horrible. Singer then went on to write four more manuscripts. His fourth one received interest, but it was in a genre that wasn’t selling. “I was having no luck in adult genres, so my wife finally turned to me and said, ‘Look, you know kids better than almost anybody I know. Why don’t you just write YA?’ – And so I did.” Part of the reason why Singer knows kids so well is because of his students, so not surprisingly, they were a big influence on his writing. In a comment Singer left on the Goodreads page for his book, he says stories that include places his students are familiar with and characters they relate to are important. That’s why his goal with Strange Days was to write one of those stories. “When your assumption of life is exclusion, you are allowed within the world of your own creation, but once you step outside that boundary, you operate under the assumption of outsiderness,” Singer explained. “To have your world expanded and include some part of the outside world that you didn’t imagine was available to you is heartening. It provides hope, and it provides a sense of belonging which is oftentimes missing.” Some writers may feel like they should only write about those like themselves, but that is not the case. Although Singer is white, he strives to make his stories realistic.

“Anyone writing diverse characters in a multicultural setting who isn’t a person of color really needs to spend an enormous amount of time thinking about this before they act. As I started to write, I spent a lot of time listening to people of color in the arts and in the written world about, essentially, what my lane would be. What I discovered is that I would have a much more difficult time writing about middle-class white kids because, excluding my own daughter, I don’t know many. Every kid I know and spend time with is a person of color,” Singer said. “I could never write about their identity or what it is to be them, but I can certainly write about them in situations of my creation.” An important step in making sure a story is accurate is the inclusion of sensitivity readers. But according to Singer, there is a new term that he finds more fitting that is becoming more popular: authenticity readers. “It’s not about being sensitive, it’s about being authentic. I’m not trying to paint a delicate picture, I’m trying to paint a realistic one,” he said. Considering how authors want their stories and characters to feel as real as possible, this definitely makes sense. “In order to write a book that anyone will want to read, the characters have to be real. Any minor thing that sounds unauthentic will draw the reader out, and kids are instinctual about this. They don’t necessarily understand why they’re drawn out, but they still know. If you look at Goodreads you see this over and over again. The character does one little thing and all of CURIOSITALES

K 39

they’re done with the book and giving it a one star review. That is authenticity. They develop this idea of who the character is, and as soon as the character betrays that idea, they’re done. So even if it weren’t for an issue of sensitivity, authors need to spend an enormous amount of effort making sure that what they’re doing is authentic to the characters, and that the characters are authentic to reality, simply for readability and success.”

only became popular recently, there were some who chose to speak out despite the disapproval. “Dick Greggory was one of my heroes. He was a deeply political comedian, and it cost him everything. But what he did was the right thing. As someone who is in the public eye, even in a very minor way like I am, we don’t give up our responsibility as citizens to be engaged. It’s a right not just a privilege.

Most celebrities don’t because they want In order to be successful, there are certain their art to become the story, not themthings that celebrities are expected to do selves. But in the end, all art is political. and not do. For example, not long ago Taylor Swift has been political from the many of them didn’t talk about politics for beginning; she just didn’t want to admit fear that it would ruin their careers. Now- it. If you listen to her music, she has a adays, though, more and more people point of view, and that point of view tells with large platforms are using their voice us about what she believes. So it was no to speak about issues, and Singer is one of surprise that she came out in favor of Phil them. Bredesen.” “It’s always been okay,” he said, “but it hasn’t always been accepted.” Even though celebrities speaking about politics

Although some artists may fear that talking about their political opinions will

It’s like nothing’s changed here at all. 40 K CURIOSITALES My family being gone hasn’t brought even one part of life here to a standstill.

cause them to lose fans, Singer has a different mindset. “The reason I’m very comfortable with speaking about issues is because those who don’t like my politics on Twitter probably won’t like my book either,” Singer said laughing. “You should buy it anyway, though, because it’s always good to read someone else’s point of view,” he added. Along with reading to gain a new perspective, it’s also important for authors to read other books in their genre. Singer has been doing this a lot recently, but one that stood out from the rest was Heart of Thorns by Bree Barton (Curiositales interviewed her for the July issue!) “I really love the assumption of feminine power that runs as a major theme. But she also shows that feminine power does not necessarily mean good; it just means that women are substantial and powerful people who can make good and bad decisions. That’s something I’ve honestly been missing in fantasy.”

you want to see science applied in ways in which the ramifications of the ideas are explored, whether or not they’re fully realistic, then read science fiction,” he explained. “You’re not reading it because the science is accurate, you’re reading it because the people are accurate. Science fiction is most often a morality tale.”

“

I would really like this book to be something that people take to heart.

“ Being an author is a dream that many begin to have when they are children. That is why Singer had this to say about his writing journey: “I imagined this point, and I think every writer does. Although, I imagined the fantasy of it rather than the reality, which is a lot more work and a bit less fabulous. But the reason I’m really glad to be here, even so, is because I would really like this book to be something that people take to heart.

Readers have certain expectations when it comes to each genre, and for some, that includes accuracy in science-fiction. Although the science in these books are not trying to perfectly imitate real life, some readers of the genre like to point out any inaccuracies that they find. This can be frustrating for authors, but Singer had this I wrote it with schools in mind, and I’m advice in response. in the process of developing school cur“If you want to read accurate science, read riculum for it. I know what the English standards are, and I structured this book a textbook. If you want to read science in large part so teachers can use it to teach that’s interesting and theoretical, read the hero’s journey. physics magazines and journals. But if CURIOSITALES

K 41

“

Because the more of us who can tell good stories, the better life is. And the better life is, the more of us will have good stories to tell.

“

So I would like for readers to think about this book not just as a story in itself, but as a book about story. If you don’t understand how they are constructed or if you don’t know the hero’s journey, use it as a way of learning about it so you can tell better stories yourself. Because the more of us who can tell good stories, the better life is. And the better life is, the more of us will have good stories to tell.”

Because Singer is a self-proclaimed purveyor of dad jokes, Curiositales wanted to end the interview with one. Instead, he gave a lesson on the true meaning of dad jokes. “They’re organic and situational,” he said. “You can’t just tell one – you have to be in a situation where one is formed. Otherwise it’s just a joke from a dad joke book which is not a dad thing. We don’t actually use those. So you’d have to follow me around with my kid for a period of time until she did something which warranted a dad joke.” Now we know. Singer’s debut novel, Strange Days, was released on December 4 so you can find links to purchase it right here!

TWITTER: @ajaxsinger WEB: www.constantinesinger.com INSTAGRAM @constantinej.singer

He ﬂips the picture over...a beach that’s piled with thick white sand and rocks. K CURIOSITALES

CURIOSITALES

K 43

K CURIOSITALES

CURIOSITALES

K 45

Share Your Shelf

with Constantine Singer want to buy my side of the couch in our bedroom, but it’s integral to my bookish experience. If you don’t have a good reading couch, I think it’s important to change that.

I’m mostly not a “thing” person, so my bookish items tend to be worn and sentimental rather than perky and available to consumers. For example, my Kindle Case. It’s been with me for years and it has a strap that keeps it closed. When I read, I stick my hand between the covers and the strap presses the covers over my hand. It’s immensely comforting, like a hand-sized book hug.

Flipside, I teach reading to kids, and at school there’re a ton of things I want them to have when they read. When kids are learning how to talk to text, they need color and pens. Lots of them. A box of these can keep a class going for a while. One of my favorite things for teaching folks how to be bookish.

If I can afford to, I’ll order a copy of the book for each of my kids to keep -- that’s only happened a few times though because books are expensive and teachers They don’t make cases like these anymore, are poor and districts are cheap. So if so I may have to stop reading entirely they’re reading something they can’t scribwhen this Kindle finally dies -- this is the ble on, I make sure to have a metric ton of closest replacement I’ve been able to find. these in class for them to use. When I read, I search for the immersive experience. Not only do I want my hand hugged, I want to blot out the world around me and listen to whichever soundtrack I’ve chosen to accompany the story, hence these noise-cancelling headphones have been with me for years. They’re still available. And I don’t know that anybody would 46

K CURIOSITALES

I’m also a fan of making sure kids have notebooks where they can keep thoughts and ideas. Here’s one of my favorites to give away as rewards in class. And to complete the bookish image, I do have a fondness for bookly shirts and writerly mugs. My favorites being this Kurt Vonnegut mug and this Little Prince shirt.

CURIOSITALES

K 47

K CURIOSITALES

CURIOSITALES

K 49

The Bibliophile’s Gift Guide by Lana Glick

makes the cutest sleeves for your books! It protects them while traveling and makes them look beautiful.

6. For the lover of wall art with meaning, choose a gorgeous map from Mapiful. Pick a location that’s sentimental, from where you live to where you want to visit one f you are looking for some much needed day. inspiration this holiday season as to what to ask for or what to buy the book lover in 7. Alchemy and Ink has the most gorgeous your life, here is a list I’ve compiled that is candles and labels them with characters sure to have something for everyone and and titles from your favorite books! give you all those bookish feels!

1.Book scarves, writing gloves, clothes, totes and more, Storiarts has the cutest items showcasing some of your favorite literary words and quotes!

8. Add a cozy throw blanket to go with that candle to curl up with. I have a blanket hoarding problem and can’t help myself when I see a soft throw in a pretty color. Westelm has some beautiful ones this year.

2. Choose signs with lovable book quotes, bookish ornaments and more! Bookish Signs and 9. Need something for the sock lover? More offers a huge variety and will even Modsock has socks in a variety of all let you customize your signs and items. lengths and themes! This pair of kneehighs with a Bibliophile theme are partic3. A great alternative for the person who ularly amazing. loves to read but can’t always takes a book with them is a subscription to Audible. Now 10. Want something with a wow factor? they can listen whenever and wherever Sign-up for a subscription to a monthly they want! book box. They generally come with a spe4. To go with that Audible subscription, pair it with a great pair of headphones. Whether you or whoever you’re shopping for prefers ear buds or over-ear, there are a lot of options to choose from. 5. Want something unique? Bookbeau 50

K CURIOSITALES

cially featured book and unique bookish items that will blow you away! Fairyloot has some of the best themes and items I’ve seen! 11. The classic mug is no more! Pick this surprising gift that goes from ordinary to extraordinary when you fill it with hot liquid. This Harry Potter one from Morphing Mugs is a perfect choice.

CURIOSITALES

K 51

K CURIOSITALES

CURIOSITALES

K 53

K CURIOSITALES

“

I would make up stories in my head.

“

Once upon a time, a young girl and

ONCE UPON A DARK FANTASY Interview by Gillian St. Clair Written by Kelsey Bjork

her nine siblings lived in a very small town in Ohio – there was only one who was younger than she. Although this girl was quiet, she was also wild. When she wasn’t acting out her favorite stories, she was writing some of her own in the woods behind her family’s farmhouse. She loved her siblings and parents but greatly treasured any alone time that she could manage to have. This person may sound like a character out of a novel, but actually, this is someone from the real world who writes her own novels: Mary Taranta. “My mom had two daughters, and my dad had three daughters before they met. Then they got married and had five more kids,” she said. “I was, and still am, very introverted. When everyone was around I would usually be the one who would slip outside and disappear for an hour or two. While I was outside I would make up stories in my head.” Taranta’s life is like a story out of a happy novel, but the ones that she writes are are actually quite different. “Shimmer and Burn and Splendor and Spark CURIOSITALES

K 55

make up a duology. In the first, a young woman is coerced into carrying a spell for a princess in order to save her sister. But that princess also wants to steal her father’s throne.” With a plot so dark, readers might expect Taranta’s book covers to reflect that. Instead, they prove why the phrase “never judge a book by its cover” still rings true. “They kind of make you think they’re sparkly, happy, romance novels, but the romance is sort of in the background. It’s mostly about the main character, Faris, searching for her sister and trying to free her from an enchantment – it’s pretty bloody,” Taranta said. “There’s a lot of body counts in it.” Some might assume that authors of this genre have personalities to match them, but that is not always true. “I’m very peppy and very chipper, so the first time I wrote dark fantasy my sister read it and asked, ‘Are you…okay? This is not like you.’ The thing is, life is pretty grim sometimes. Plus, I’ve always been drawn to monsters, the darker sides of people, and that moral grey zone that people find themselves in when they’re faced with difficult choices. So, for me, it’s a lot easier to explore that in dark fantasy rather than in light fantasy – which I enjoy reading as well – but I like getting the blood, guts, and grimness in there too. That way the hope, in return, looks a lot brighter and has a bigger payoff.” Readers might be surprised to hear that some of the books that defined Taranta’s 56

K CURIOSITALES

childhood include The Babysitters Club, The Little Sisters Club, and The Boxcar Children. “In high school and college I wrote mostly contemporary stuff, and it wasn’t until I read Harry Potter that fantasy really entered the picture. I think a lot of the reason I wrote contemporary at first was because those books really had an impact.” Her family may have been surprised by her style of writing, but her love of reading and writing came as no shock. “I was in the accelerated reading programs at school because I would spend all of my time reading; I was always a grade level or two above everyone else.” Taranta was lucky enough to have teachers who encouraged her creativity. “I started writing plays in the third grade, and my teacher was kind enough to actually let me put them on. They were terrible, but that was the catalyst for me writing,” she said. “Then, when I started writing my own stories in fifth grade, I made up characters that were pretty much me but in different costumes and in different places. But my writing kept evolving from there and it’s something that was always a part of me. Even though I went to school for history and I tried to get a real job after school, writing has always been important. For me, it’s a matter of doing it part time on the weekends and evenings after work, and then carving the time out from there.” Finding a work-life balance is an all too common problem. Although it’s difficult, Taranta has managed to become pretty

good at it. That being said, this year has been more hectic than the last.

politics and religion, so it sounds like it’s going to be right up my alley.

“Nowadays it’s a little more difficult for me to balance reading time with family time, but at night before I go to bed I’ll read an e-book or something on my Kindle. And if my son is taking a nap I might try to sneak in a chapter or two,” Taranta said.

I’m also excited to read Margaret Rogerson’s An Enchantment of Ravens. It’s based on the synopsis she posted on Instagram. I am really excited to read this. It’s about battle librarians protecting magical texts. Ten year old me is already geeking out about it, and I know I’m just going to adore this book.”

“I’m just now starting to get to the point where I have a handle on my schedule and actually feel like I can start reading for fun again. There are so many books that came out this year that I haven’t had the chance to look at, so I’m really excited to dive back into that.” Luckily, Taranta will have plenty of new releases to choose from. “A lot of people have been talking really highly of Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan. It’s a dark fantasy that comes out early next year. It has

Although Taranta will have to wait a while for those books, she can still think fondly of those she has been able to read recently. There is one in particular that especially had an impact on her – a debut dark fantasy ARC that she read in 2017 – Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao. “She created a character that’s unlikeable, and it wasn’t until I was around three quarters of the way through the book that

CURIOSITALES

K 57

I realized she was the villain. Even once I got that revelation I was still kind of rooting for her to succeed and win, and I loved that,” Taranta said excitedly. “The fact that she kind of turned me into a lover of villains, which I had never been before, really stuck with me. I always root for the good guys, but that book was amazing. I still think about it.” It’s not unusual for Taranta to daydream about books for a long time, especially her own book ideas.

Along with her agent’s suggestion, she also wanted to create a duology because of a common piece of advice authors get. “Once you write your first book the best thing you can do is write your next one before the first comes out. I took that to heart, and I actually had Splendor and Spark submitted before Shimmer and Burn even released.

The second was actually a lot easier to write because the characters and world were already established – it was just a matter of picking up where I left off. At “For Shimmer and Burn, two years passed the same time, though, it was also a litbefore I wrote it. I find that the longer I tle more difficult because I had to create can let something sit in my head the better stakes that were new but still big enough it’s going to turn out. So most of the stuff to make the story seem worthwhile. I also I want to write has been in my head for had to make sure it wasn’t just a repetition around three years, if not longer. There’s of the first book with new settings.” even some stuff that’s been in there for ten or fifteen years that I’m just waiting for a Every job has some negatives, and one chance to write.” that comes along with being an author is writer’s block. Everyone has their own A question that often comes to the minds way of combating it, so Taranta shared of readers after finishing a duology or what she does. trilogy is, “Did the author always know it would be more than a stand alone?” And “Usually, if I’m writing and I get bored or for Taranta, the answer is yes. Her agent distracted, that’s a sign that I’m not writsuggested it to her when a different book ing the right thing. So the best thing for she had on submission wasn’t receiving me to do is go for a walk or run or someoffers. thing like that. Being outside, and sweating, is a really good way to clear my head, “He told me that trilogies weren’t selling I guess,” she said with a laugh. “Then I that well, so I wrote the first book with an come back and suddenly understand how ending open enough that we could poI’m supposed to fix the scene.” tentially pitch it as a two book series. But even though I knew going in that we were A lot can happen in a duology, so it’s no trying to sell it as a duology, I didn’t know wonder that Taranta has a few things in if it would actually get picked up that way particular that she can’t wait for readers to until we got the offer.” discover. 58

K CURIOSITALES

“I’m really excited for people to actually meet Cadence as a character as opposed to just a thought in Faris’ head. Even though she had a major role in Shimmer and Burn and was Faris’ main motivation, she didn’t get a lot of lines,” Taranta said. “But in Splendor and Spark she has a much more active role. She has a personality, and she’s allowed to say what she’s thinking. I loved writing her because she surprised me a bit with how much of a firecracker she turned out to be.” Taranta’s life has been quite busy, and things won’t be slowing down for her anytime soon. “I’m working on another young adult dark fantasy, but it’s going to be a little more light-hearted. There will be more happiness, but there will still be monsters and bloodshed as well. It’s sort of in a quasi-Byzantine empire inspired setting. This is the elevator pitch: a knight teams up with a heretical scribe to fight grave robbing monsters with swords. It’s sort of slowly taking shape right now. I’m hoping to have a draft finished and sent to my agent by the end of the year so I can see what he thinks and get feedback. Hopefully we’ll be able to send it out in the world and see what happens to it.” At the end of the day, much of a book’s success comes from those who take the time and effort to support them. That is why Taranta had something to say to readers. “Thank you for reading my books – that’s always really appreciated. I hope that what you can take away from my duology

Because no matter the story, those who are fighting for good must be resilient. “That’s what it comes down to, really. Even if everything seems hopeless, I still think we should fight,” Taranta said. “You still need to try.”

“

Even though the stories are kind of grim, and even though they get dark, there is always hope. It’s always worth fighting.

“

Otherwise, how else would the main characters of a novel, even those in a dark fantasy, ever reach their happily ever after? If you’ve already read Taranta’s first novel, make sure to read the conclusion of this duology in Splendor and Spark which was released on December 4! And if you haven’t read Shimmer and Burn, make sure to check it out first! You can find links for both on Taranta’s website!

TWITTER: @ MaryTaranta WEB: www.marytaranta.com/ INSTAGRAM @ marytaranta CURIOSITALES

K 59

K CURIOSITALES

CURIOSITALES

K 61

Share Your Shelf

with Mary Taranta

1. Hufflepuff house scarf—Hands down my favorite Harry Potter item. It’s soft and muted and wool, and I took it with me to England and got to wear it around Lacock Abbey, where they filmed several Hogwarts scenes from the movies. 2. Personalized journal—After I sold Shimmer and Burn (originally titled Until Our Blood Runs Clean), my husband bought me a journal with the title embossed in a little plaque, and wrote a super sweet note inside about how proud he was of my hard work.

3. Cinnamon-scented candles—I wrote my first fan fiction around Christmastime in the sixth grade, so I will always, always associate the smell of cinnamon with that time of my life. It’s my absolute favorite scent to burn while I write. 4. My reclining chair—I’ve spent many hours curled into this thing. Perfect size for me, a book, and a cat! 5. Apricot blossom bookmark—My sister-in-law brought me this beautiful bookmark from a trip to South Korea. I’m afraid of losing it in a book, but I have it displayed because it’s so pretty. 62

K CURIOSITALES

6. The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber, 1st edition—My mom searched for a year before she found a copy of this book for me. It’s beaten and bruised (and marked up in pen), but I will always love it. (It’s been reprinted since then, so more easily available!) 7. Leather journal—I know, another journal! But I bought this in Florence on my honeymoon, from this gorgeous bookstore where everything was handmade. I’m too scared to use it, but every time I see it, I remember Florence at Christmas with my husband. 8. Black marker board—I have one hung in my office for brainstorming. The markers don’t last so I’ll probably replace it with a regular white board one day, but the blackboard looks so nice against my green walls!

9. Strathmore Sketchbook—Drawing is a good way for me to brainstorm, so if I’m working on a book, I’ve got a sketchbook nearby! (And it’s fun to look back and know exactly what I was working on at the time based on sketches alone.) 10. My library card—I know, kind of cheesy, but seriously—my local library is great, and now that I have a son, being able to take advantage of their children’s programs is an added benefit. Support your local library!

CURIOSITALES

K 63

K CURIOSITALES

pen Book Chocolates is a marriage between two passions: literature and

chocolate. Food can be a powerful instrument in storytelling, from the Muscat grapes MercĂŠdĂ¨s

3-Ounce Chocolate Bars Made in the USA Hand-Crafted All-Natural & Organic Ingedients Fair Trade Chocolate

offers Monte Cristo to the everpresent tea shared by Holmes and Watson. flavors

Our

embody

the

signature stories,

characters, and themes of our favorite classics.

New flavors

For more information, please visit

arriving Fall 2018

OpenBookChocolates.com CURIOSITALES

K 65

K CURIOSITALES

CURIOSITALES

K 67

K CURIOSITALES

CURIOSITALES

K 69

K CURIOSITALES

CURIOSITALES

K 71

K CURIOSITALES

CURIOSITALES

K 73

K CURIOSITALES

CURIOSITALES

K 75

K CURIOSITALES

CURIOSITALES

K 77

K CURIOSITALES

CURIOSITALES

K 79

PHOTO CREDITS PHOTOGRAPHY: Michelle Foster-Colvin Influenced by Annie Leibovitz, Dorothea Lange, and Ansel Adams to name a few. Lover of old black and white photography. Stripping away the color from images really exposes the beauty of some subjects that might otherwise be overlooked. ALICE: Kimberly Cadwallder Dog groomer, yoga instructor and model. She runs a nonprofit reptile rescue and animal education outreach program that visits schools, scout groups, and other public venues teaching the public about the importance of reptiles in our ecosystem. CATERPILLAR: Mike Elliot Enjoys the performing arts and has experience in plays and musicals. Among his many hobbies is cosplaying various characters with his family; mostly being their own creations. CHESHIRE CAT: Anna Taylor Debut photo shoot. MAD HATTER: Michael Bryson Hills Mowery A New Mexico native has been featured as a print model and performed on many stages both small and large; as well as, an Entertainment Cast Member at Walt Disney World. MARCH HARE: Logan Behrmann A dentist who enjoys horses, archery, hiking. QUEEN’S GUARD ASSASSIN: Melinese Boner Model & cosmologist specializing in eyebrows, lashes, and professional makeup. She did her own makeup, the Cheshire cat, and assisted on many of the other characters for the shoot. 80

K CURIOSITALES

QUEEN’S GUARD CAPTAIN: Michael Colvin Husband and assistant/videographer at Michele Foster-Colvin Fine Art Photography. Always a good sport and ready to jump in and help with any crazy projects his wife and Rhonda dream up. Played this role when a model couldn’t make the shoot and totally nailed it. RED QUEEN: Keddy Lorraine Mother of three doing theater for over 20 years. Modeling and movies are more recent, new, and exciting endeavors. TIME: Jeff Mallari Active duty in the US Air Force, cosplayer, fire performer, magician, entertainer, and frown flipper. TWEEDLE DEE & DUM: Mandy Nielson Passionate about music, specifically piano, and loves to sing. Hopes to be a professional makeup artist one day. Entertains as a jester in her free time by showing magic, spinning poi, and telling jokes. WHITE QUEEN: Jana Parrelli Finance manager and spa owner, she loves creating costumes & having a blast with themed photo shoots. WHITE RABBIT: Samantha Madigan A high school senior who has done modeling for Rhonda Napoleon since she was a young girl. She has won such titles as Miss Cloudcroft’s outstanding teen and Miss Alamogordo’s outstanding teen with the Miss America scholarship program. Sam is a member of the National honor society and is the captain of her cheer and cross country teams. She will be attending Northern Arizona University in the fall for Forestry. COSTUME, HAIR AND MUA: Rhonda Napoleon/Napoleon Fantasy Photos Rhonda is a natural light fantasy photographer, upcycle costume designer, prop designer, and HMUA.

CURIOSITALES

K 81

K CURIOSITALES

pen Book Chocolates is a marriage between two passions: literature and

chocolate. Food can be a powerful instrument in storytelling, from the Muscat grapes MercĂŠdĂ¨s

3-Ounce Chocolate Bars Made in the USA Hand-Crafted All-Natural & Organic Ingedients Fair Trade Chocolate

offers Monte Cristo to the everpresent tea shared by Holmes and Watson. flavors

Our

embody

the

signature stories,

characters, and themes of our favorite classics.

New flavors

For more information, please visit

arriving Fall 2018

OpenBookChocolates.com CURIOSITALES

K 83

K CURIOSITALES

Check out this free preview of Love, Lies, & Hocus Pocus by Lydia Sherrer Saving the world is such a bother when it makes you late for tea. By day, book-loving wizard Lily Singer manages library archives. By night? She sleeps, of course. In between, she studies magic and tries to keep her witch friend Sebastian from dragging her into trouble. Unfortunately, trouble comes looking for her on a regular basis. When Sebastian needs help breaking a magical curse, Lily knows things are not as they seem. Their quest to unravel the truth and free a tormented soul uncovers hints about Lily’s mysterious past—and those working to hide it from her. As if that were not enough, Sebastian gets them stuck in a time loop and Lily must track down the culprit. But they are not the only ones interested in this strange phenomenon, and it becomes a race to the source of the magical disturbance, with all their lives hanging in the balance.

CHAPTER ONE

Lily Singer wished she could simply say her date was going badly and leave it at that. But such a gross understatement was against her nature. To be accurate, she would have to admit it was in the top five worst, if not in the top three. This wasn’t totally unexpected. Most—actually, all—of her dates were men she’d met online who, inevitably, weren’t as cute as their profile pictures suggested. Awkward and bookish, she found it much easier to start virtual, as opposed to real, conversations. Speed dating and blind dates were out of the question due to her abysmal social skills. Well, that, and the fact that she was a wizard. No, not a witch. A wizard. “Soo…when you said you had diet restrictions, what you meant was you could only eat burgers?” Lily asked, trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. Though she suspected the only way her date would notice sarcasm was if it was dressed up like a cheeseburger. CURIOSITALES

K 85

“Huh?” Jerry Slate, a good hundred pounds larger and ten years older than his online profile picture, looked up from his second burger to stare, confused, at her face. “When we were setting up the date, you asked if you could pick the restaurant because you said you had diet restrictions,” Lily reminded him.

keep him talking for a good while, though it bored her almost to tears. Boredom was preferable, however, to the awkward silence interspersed with chewing sounds she’d suffered through for the first half of their date.

Funny, she’d thought that, in person, Jerry would be more inquisitive. That was before she’d been aware of his burger obsession. As she absentmindedly separated “Oh, yeah. I have a sensitive stomach. I the carrot coins from the rest of her salad can only eat 100% pure beef burgers, and and stacked them into a tiny, walled forthey have to be grass-fed. Free-range, you tress between her and her droning date, know? None of that GMO stuff. This place she realized he hadn’t asked her a single uses the best ingredients out there.” question beyond the perfunctory “How are you?” since they’d met outside some Lily resisted the urge to roll her eyes, con- twenty minutes before. From the time soling herself with the thought that it was they’d entered the restaurant, his entire atbetter to be taken to a gourmet, environtention had been devoted to ordering and mentally friendly burger restaurant than, eating, though he had, at least, disengaged heaven forbid, a normal burger restaurant. a few brain cells long enough to inform her of the best items on the menu. Looking to the side, she gazed longingly through the restaurant’s front windows to Come to think of it, he hadn’t been very the sunlit street, busy with lunchtime traf- inquisitive online, either. But Lily was fic. If only she knew how to teleport, she good at asking questions through virtual could escape this awkward situation with chat. It was like doing research in a search minimal embarrassment. engine. Type in a question, then browse through the resultant dump of informa“So…” she tried again. “How’s your gam- tion to find your answer. ing campaign going?” When asked a question, especially if said “Oh, it’s fantastic,” Jerry enthused past question had anything to do with himself, a mouthful of half-chewed but—let’s not Jerry was obligingly verbose. He went forget—grass-fed burger. Not slowing his into great detail, as long as that detail consumption of burger, fries, and a hand- involved the hundred different titles in his made root beer float, he launched into a grunge rock music collection, or his dardetailed description of his gaming group’s ing feats in the latest sneak attack against latest campaign against…someone. Lily his group’s unsuspecting, now-no-longer couldn’t remember who. allies. It was a topic she could safely rely on to 86

K CURIOSITALES

It wasn’t as if she’d had soaring expecta-

expectations. She’d just hoped for some intelligent conversation about, oh, say, books. Or history. Or philosophy. Or anything that mattered, really. Some people improved upon face-to-face acquaintance. Jerry was not one of them. Neither was she, come to think of it. But she, at least, didn’t bore anyone with loving descriptions of each book in her expansive personal library unless she knew, for a fact, that the person was a bibliophile. Hands nervously smoothing down the dark fabric of her pencil skirt, she cast about desperately for an excuse to prematurely end the date. She intended to block Jerry Slate from her dating profile as soon as she got home. Ignoring the gaming babble coming from the other side of the table, Lily concentrated on the fork she held in her hand as an idea came to her. She whispered the words for a simple heat transference spell, her other hand wrapped around the power-anchor amulet she wore tied to her wrist like a bracelet. Her body heat began to seep into the piece of metal, making it grow warm as she grew cooler. When she judged it was sufficiently hot, she made a startled gesture, dropping it dramatically onto the table as she jerked back in her chair.

pick up my fork. It’s very hot. It burned my hand. They must have just washed it in an industrial washer.” Jerry reached forward to touch the fork experimentally, hand stopping short as he felt the heat emanating from the offending utensil. “Gosh, that is hot. Are you okay? You don’t look so good.” Jerry’s brow furrowed in confusion. Not even he was absentminded enough to miss the fact that their silverware had been sitting, quite cool and harmless, for a good fifteen minutes since they’d gotten there. Lily made a show of feeling her forehead, hoping to redirect his attention. “I feel all clammy. I should probably go home. I could be getting sick. Thanks so much for the food!” With a touch of guilt, she fled the restaurant, not looking back. If she had, she would have felt better. Jerry’s momentarily stunned face quickly smoothed over as he noticed the untouched burger at her place and, not wanting to waste food, began demolishing it as well.

The warm summer air felt good on her face as Lily drove her Honda Civic down “Ouch!” she yelped. Ponce De Leon Avenue, heading back to Agnes Scott College campus. Her soft, “Huh?” Jerry said, stopping mid-sentence. chestnut brown hair frizzed in the humidIt seemed to be his favorite word, along ity, despite being pulled back into a severe with oh. bun. At least it wasn’t whipping around her face and getting stuck in her glasses, “I wasn’t paying attention and tried to as it would’ve been had she worn it down. CURIOSITALES

K 87

Verdant foliage and colorful flowers crowded around the sidewalks, businesses, and houses lining the street. The abundant plant life was one of the things Lily loved most about Atlanta. It made the place feel less like a big city and more like a well-tended neighborhood. Plus, it reminded her of home in the Alabama backwaters. Pulling into the college’s employee parking lot, Lily gathered her things and headed across campus toward McCain Library. Though originally founded as an elementary school in 1889, Agnes Scott had become a college by the early 1900s. McCain Library, built in 1936, consisted of four main floors, a grand, vault-ceilinged reading hall, and three attached floors dedicated to the stacks. It was a beautiful example of Gothic architecture meeting utilitarian building needs and, along with the other Gothic and Victorian red brickand-stone buildings around campus, made for a beautiful and relaxing atmosphere. Though it was Saturday, Lily preferred to take refuge in the library and bury herself in paperwork rather than go home and risk the urge to mope about. The tall ceilings, majestic architecture, and quiet atmosphere would calm her in a way no amount of tea or chocolate could. And, of course, there was the comforting smell of books. She passed a few groups of girls relaxing or studying on the green—it was a women’s college, and non-employee males were discouraged from hanging around campus. On this sunny day, the blue sky and warm grass had lured most students 88

K CURIOSITALES

outside to study, so she saw only a few scattered girls working quietly in the library’s grand reading hall as she made her way to her office. Her office was a spacious room on the first floor, with a high ceiling and expansive windows. Tall bookshelves covered most of the other three walls, and a large, mahogany desk dominated the center of the room. With a sigh, she dropped her purse onto one of the two visitor’s chairs—both currently pushed up against her bookshelves as stepladders—and sat down at her desk. The desk’s dark wood surface was polished to a shine, and each item on it was arranged neatly. Her computer, pencil holder, and file organizer were placed just so, cleaned spotless, and free of dust. Her shiny, brass nameplate was centered and aligned perfectly parallel to the edge of her desk. It read: Lillian Singer: Administrative Coordinator/Archives Manager It was a prestigious position for Lily’s relatively young twenty-five years of age. But the fact that the previous archives manager, Madam Barrington, had taken Lily under her wing and personally groomed her for the job had made Lily the obvious choice when Madam Barrington retired a year ago. Beyond the Madam’s training and endorsement, however, Lily had been well prepared for the job. With four years of undergraduate work-study in the stacks, not to mention two years as head librarian after graduation, her BA in history and minor in classics were just icing on the cake.

Of course, Lily’s love of books, organized nature, and library experience weren’t the only reasons behind Madam Barrington’s choice. The real reason was she’d needed someone to take over as curator of the “Basement”—a secret archive beneath the McCain Library containing a private collection of occult books on magic, wizardry, and arcane science. Being a wizard herself, Madam Barrington had recognized Lily’s innate ability soon after she’d begun her freshman year. The older woman had considered it her duty to keep the then-young and inexperienced girl’s insatiable curiosity from getting her killed. Madam Barrington had always been frustratingly vague about exactly who owned the books. Her job, and now Lily’s, was to care for them, study them, and act as gatekeeper to their knowledge. Only once had Lily seen Madam Barrington allow access, and that was to a very old gentleman who’d arrived late one night and whispered something in the Madam’s ear. When Lily had asked how she would know to let someone in, Madam Barrington had simply smiled her mysterious smile and said, “You’ll know.” Lily’s worries had faded over time, as not a single person had ever appeared requesting access in the year since she’d taken over. Though the Madam was tightlipped on the subject, Lily got the impression there weren’t many wizards left in the world. Of those who did still exist, only a select few knew of the Basement’s whereabouts. That was fine with Lily, as the Basement was her own personal heaven. Knowledge was the next best thing to life itself, and knowledge of the unknown and mysterious was something she’d craved ever since she could remember,

long before she had found out she was a wizard and started learning the craft under Madam Barrington’s tutelage. That thirst got her into trouble on some occasions. But just as often, it resulted in exciting discoveries which added to her already encyclopedic mind. Having all of Agnes Scott’s stacks, archives, and considerable online research capability at her fingertips was a dream come true, not even counting the Basement. Now, having settled into her leather desk chair in the sunlit office, Lily relished a moment of glowing satisfaction as she surveyed her domain. Taking a deep breath, she let the disappointment and frustration of an abysmal date fade away, refocusing instead on all the good things in life. Books. Tea. Chocolate. Cats. More books. Who cared about men and dating when you had all that at your fingertips? Speaking of men… There was a flourishing knock on her office door and, without waiting for an answer, a tall, lanky man with mussed brown hair came swaggering through. His untucked shirt and worn pants gave him a disheveled look, though he walked as if he wore the finest Italian suit in all the world. On a leather cord around his neck hung a triangular stone with a hole in the middle. She’d always wondered what it was but wasn’t one to ask personal questions. His grand entrance was marred slightly by the absence of her visitor chairs in front of her desk, which interrupted his smooth transition from swaggering in to lounging handsomely across one of them. Instead, he had to reverse direction and pull a CURIOSITALES

K 89

chair over from a bookshelf before settling his lanky form into it. Lily hid a smile, trying to look stern instead. “Sebastian, how many times do I have to tell you, you’re not supposed to be wandering around campus. This is a women’s college, and private property.” “Pish.” Sebastian waved a hand unconcernedly. “If you’re so worried about it, call security.” His eyes were bright with mischief. As if to emphasize his complete lack of concern, he reached into his pocket and drew out that silly coin he was always playing with. He liked to roll it over his knuckles and perform other sleights of hand, knowing it annoyed her when he showed off. Lily rolled her eyes. She knew that he knew that she wouldn’t call security. At least, not until he’d annoyed her to the point of losing her temper, which wasn’t often. “And to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” Chin propped in the palm of her hand, Lily raised a skeptical eyebrow in his direction and did her best to ignore the coin. Unlike most men, he picked up on sarcasm like a child picked up candy— every time, and with great glee. “Oh, you know. Just paying a social visit. It’s been far too long, don’t you think? How’s the ol’ biddy doing these days?”

“I’d like to hear you call her that to her face. And your great-aunt is just fine. The last time I visited her, she was enjoying a day in the garden.” “Still kicking, eh?” Sebastian snorted, twirling a bit of his bangs around one finger. “Far be it for the great Madam Barrington to grow old and die like the rest of us.” Lily frowned. “That’s quite disrespectful. You know very well that wizards tend to live longer than everyone else. If you’re going to insult my mentor, at least have the decency to do it behind my back.” Sebastian laughed, making a dismissive gesture. “Lighten up, Lily. It was just a joke. She did disown me, after all. I’d say that at least gives me the right to make jokes about her.” Unlike his great-aunt, Sebastian Blackwell was a witch. No, not a wizard. A witch. The difference came from the source of their power: a wizard’s was innate, cultivated through discipline and study, channeled and shaped by will and word, often supplemented by a collection of arcane objects; a witch’s was entirely acquired through the delicate art of give and take. Many beings—spirits, demons, and magical creatures—were happy to give aid or favors to the right person in exchange for the right thing. Others could be tricked, a few could be forced, and some were to be avoided altogether.

Lily’s eyes narrowed. Sebastian practically To drastically oversimplify, wizards were oozed casual nonchalance, which meant born; witches were made. Though Madhe was up to something. am Barrington was always vague when it 90

K CURIOSITALES

came to wizard culture, Lily at least knew that not all children of wizards were wizards themselves. It was genetic, like eye or hair color. The stronger the wizard and purer the blood, the better chance of passing on the gene, or whatever it was that enabled wizards to manipulate magic. So, being old, proper, and a traditionalist, Madam Barrington viewed witchcraft as disgraceful and lowly, not to mention dangerous. Only shameless fools with no true ability engaged in such activities. Sebastian’s view was, since he couldn’t be a wizard, he might as well be something. And anyway, he made a very good witch. Lily happened to agree with Sebastian but never said so to her mentor. It took adept social skills, a clever nature, charisma, and force of will to live such a life and come out on top. She would make a dreadful witch, as evidenced by how terrible she was at interacting with anyone except the few friends—or annoying acquaintances in the case of Sebastian—with whom she was comfortable. The ease with which Sebastian glided around social situations made her quite jealous. He was everything she wasn’t: handsome, confident, popular, and good at whatever he put his mind to, though he rarely put his mind to anything unless absolutely necessary. For, as it turned out, he was also lazy, untidy, and undisciplined. He would have made a terrible wizard. Putting a note of briskness in her voice— she did have paperwork to go through, after all—Lily fixed Sebastian with a stare and asked more firmly, “What do you want, Sebastian? I know you’re up to something.”

“Well it sounds terrible when you put it like that,” he said, grinning. “Sebastian,” she said in a warning tone. The witch raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. I’ll get to the point. You’re no fun.” “I have plenty of fun. It’s called reading books.” “Uh-huh. Right.” Now it was Sebastian’s turn to roll his eyes. “Anyway, I need your…consulting services.” “You mean you need my help?” Lily asked sweetly, the start of a smug grin pulling at her lips. “No, I need you as a consultant, one professional to another.” Putting his coin away, he straightened in the chair, smiling and spreading his hands wide in a disarming gesture. It was obviously meant to reassure her, but she was not impressed. “Really? Professional? Since when are you a ‘professional’ witch?” Sebastian adopted an indignant look. “Since a while. Can’t you just see it? Sebastian Blackwell: Professional Witch!” he said dramatically, lifting his arm to paint an imaginary sign in the air. “I have business cards and everything.” His hand dove into the back pocket of his jeans and produced a rather bent card, which he flipped onto her desk with a flick of his wrist. “Fascinating,” Lily commented, voice fairly dripping with amused sarcasm as CURIOSITALES

K 91

as she examined the card. The front showed a headshot of Sebastian—handsome without trying, as usual—beside his name and contact details printed in an overly curly font. The back had a stylized monogram in purple and gold. “And what services do you offer as a ‘professional’ witch?” she asked, fighting the urge to laugh. “Oh, casting out evil spirits, contacting loved ones who’ve passed on, consulting the fates, various potions. You know, the normal stuff superstitious rich people believe in.”

“Is that so?” Her tone remained disinterested. She’d been pulled into too many of his wild schemes not to be hesitant. Though, to be fair, she’d egged him on in many of those schemes, whenever there was knowledge to be had or a new spell to try. Curiosity often got the better of her, and Sebastian knew it. “Yes, it is so.” “Explain.”

“I was hired to cast out this evil spirit, and it turns out the spirit isn’t evil. He’s actually a pretty nice guy. The real culprit is a spell put on the house almost a hundred “Charlatanry, you mean?” Lily asked, eye- years ago because of some jilted lover. The brow raised again. spirit has stayed behind to warn people away from the house ever since. So, even “Hey! I can actually do most of the stuff though he has, technically, been haunting people ask for. When they want somethe house, even if I get him to go away, thing impossible, like talking to their dead that doesn’t fix the problem, and I won’t pet parrot or predicting the lottery, I make get my money.” something up to keep them happy. Ignorance is bliss and all that. No harm done.” “Let me guess: You need me to come figure out what the spell is and get rid of it, Lily gave him a hard stare over her glass- right?” es. She hated that saying. Ignorance was one of the least blissful things in the “A very astute conclusion! I’ll give you an world, in her opinion. She believed that award later.” Sebastian gave her a lazy “the truth will make you free,” a saying smile and a wink. which was carved into the rafters of McCain Library’s grand reading hall. But she Lily was not amused. “You know, you reminded herself that Sebastian wasn’t her really shouldn’t insult the person you’re problem and got back to the point. “So, asking help from,” she said, giving him what do you need my ‘consulting sera level stare. “And I still haven’t heard vices’ for?” any compelling reason why I should help you.” “Well, I got hired for this job, see, and I’ve run across something more up your alley “Ah, yes, well.” Sebastian backpedaled a than mine.” bit. Lily knew his good looks and charming ways usually got him what he needed, 92

K CURIOSITALES

so she took delight in giving him as much trouble as possible. A very small part of her liked to watch him squirm. Well, maybe not so small a part. “Besides helpi—I mean consulting for the sake of our professional friendship, there’s a collection of occult books in the house, which the owner has agreed to give me as part of the payment. I would, of course, hand them over to you, should you provide the aforementioned consultation…thingy.”

more than she already does.”

Despite her better judgment, Lily’s interest was piqued. New books did that to her. She could never resist learning new things. And if these were genuine books on magic, not silly mumbo jumbo written by someone who thought they were a wizard, they could be valuable indeed. She was always looking to add to the Basement’s collection, not to mention expand her personal library.

“Hmm…where is it?” Lily asked, considering.

Still mulling over the possibility of new books, she caught sight of Sebastian’s smug smile. She frowned. It annoyed her to be so predictable, but sometimes it couldn’t be helped. Sebastian knew her well enough to guess what was going on in her head. He knew that as soon as he mentioned books, he’d already won.

Lily glanced at her watch. It was one o’clock. Her failed date with Jerry felt like years ago already, though it had only been an hour. Despite herself, the prospect of an unknown, malignant spell—and new books to explore—was too tempting to delay.

After a few more moments of silence, just to make him sweat, Lily finally nodded. “Fine, I’ll help. And wipe that smug grin off your face, Mr. Blackwell. Those books had better be the real thing, or I’ll have a word with your great-aunt about all this ‘Professional Witch’ nonsense.”

“If I were you, I’d be more worried about what else she might do besides disdain it. Now, when can we look at this house? I’m not going to shuffle around my work schedule for you.” “Why not now?” Sebastian asked, rising and bowing smoothly, arm outstretched towards the door.

“South, past Fort Benning. It’s on the Chattahoochee River, a bit north of Eufaula, Alabama, before the river runs into the reservoir. About a two-and-a-half hour drive. If we leave now, we can spend a few hours poking around the house and have you back home by dinnertime.”

“Alright, let’s do it,” she said, standing up from her desk and moving to collect her purse. “You’ll have to meet me at my apartment first, though. I need to change and get a few supplies.” She was still wearing the pretty blue blouse, dark pencil skirt, and high heels she’d donned for her date.

Sebastian paled slightly at her threat but “Sure thing, Lil.” Sebastian tipped an covered it with a shrug and a laugh. “As if imaginary hat and started for the door. the old bat could disdain my existence any “How many times do I have to tell you—” CURIOSITALES

K 93

Lily began, exasperated. But he was already out the door and down the hall. “—don’t call me that,” she finished in a subdued tone. Sighing, she gathered her things and followed him out, locking her office behind her. Enjoyed the story so far? Get your copy of Love, Lies, & Hocus Pocus by Lydia Sherrer on Amazon today!

“

He knew that as soon as he mentioned books, he’d already won.

“ Award-winning and USA Today-bestselling author of snark-filled urban fantasy, Lydia Sherrer thrives on creating characters and worlds you love to love, and hate to leave. She subsists on liberal amounts of dark chocolate and tea, and hates sleep because it keeps her from writing. Due to the tireless efforts of her fire-spinning gamer husband and her two overlords, er cats, she remains sane and even occasionally remembers to leave the house. Though she graduated with a dual BA in Chinese and Arabic, after traveling the world she came home to Louisville, KY and decided to stay there. Her hobbies include playing the ocarina, LARPing, and collecting insects. FACEBOOK: @ lydiasherrerauthor WEB: www.lydiasherrer.com INSTAGRAM @lydiasherrer

K CURIOSITALES

CURIOSITALES

K 95

K CURIOSITALES

CURIOSITALES

K 97

K CURIOSITALES

CURIOSITALES

K 99

12/4/18 Buy Now

Dcember Releases 12/4/18 Preorder

100

K CURIOSITALES

12/4/18 Buy Now

12/11/18 Buy Now

12/18/18 Preorder

December Releases 12/8/18 Preorder

12/31/18 Preorder

CURIOSITALES

K 101

Around the World I

f you love bookstores then you’ve definitely seen the photos of Shakespeare and Company in Paris. Its iconic green and white signage is a dead giveaway that you’re about to enter a very bookish world. You might have to travel to France to visit the bookstore, but once there, you’ll be greeted by shelves of books in English. Now a literary institution, Shakespeare and Co. has attracted anglophile readers and writers for decades. Originally named Le Mistral, the founder, George Whitman, changed the name on Shakespeare’s 400th birthday. The shop entertained such notables as Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Anaïs Nin, Richard Wright to name a few.

102

K CURIOSITALES

CURIOSITALES

K 103

104

K CURIOSITALES