Clan Destine Press is bringing out a new anthology And Then, and you can read interviews with the authors here over the next few weeks. There is also an Indiegogo campaign, to which y’all can contribute here.
Today Narrelle M. Harris discusses “Virgin Soil”.
What inspired your story/novelette?
The idea of virgin sacrifices and the trope that they’re always about the slaughter of girls who haven’t yet had sex. I wanted to explore some different ideas about what it could mean, and then I wanted to marry that with the idea that sometimes, to do good, things that are not good have to be done too. I loved the idea of people who were really good guys at heart, but they had to do what looked like dark magic to achieve their goals. The magician equivalent of those who have to take out the trash.
What appealed to you about this project?
I loved the idea of an anthology of adventure stories – stories with an Australian flavour but full of dash and derring do! Basically, I wanted to *read* it.
What advantages does a long-short form offer?
You can tell a solid story but keep it short and snappy – yet with enough scope for a little world building: something that might be a foundation story for a bigger world, too. It’s allowed me to experiment a bit with an idea that I might expand later.
The future of short fiction is …
Looking healthy. The nature of ebooks means one-shots can be sold, as well as anthologies. I think, too, with people feeling so time pressured and reading for short stints on social media, the short form is an ideal length.
What’s next for you?
I’m putting the finishing touches on a novel commissioned for UK’s Improbable Press – The Adventure of the Colonial Boy: a Holmes/Watson romance set in Australia in 1893. After that, I have a bunch of short stories I’ve promised to several markets, and then onto the third of the Gary and Lissa vampire novels, Beyond Redemption, for Clan Destine Press. I’ve got two other novels out for consideration at present too, so fingers crossed 2016 will be a busy publishing year for me.
Narrelle M Harris writes crime, horror, fantasy, non-fiction and erotica. Her books and novellas include Fly By Night, Showtime, Witch Honour and Witch Faith, Melbourne-based vampire books The Opposite of Life and Walking Shadows and an upcoming Holmes/Watson romance, The Adventure of the Colonial Boy (2016). Recent romance series include Talbott & Burns, Secret Agents, Secret Lives, and Birds of a Feather. Find out more at www.mortalwords.com.au
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