Republishing this piece in honor of the 20th Anniversary of the western drama, Open Range. (I was reminded of this by a fellow blogger! How time flies!)
First of all, I want to say I adored Uncle Lauran. I just had no idea…
Recently, someone asked on social media about using different pen names for different genres. My first reaction was that a name is the most important aspect of a writer and should sell the author, regardless of the genre. It’s hard to imagine using multiple pen names and struggling to brand each one for different genres. I already have a hard enough time branding my single pen name. Of course, I’m self-published in today’s world. Back in my uncle’s day… sigh… oh, to be a writer when people actually visited libraries.
But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it’s not a new question. Writers have used multiple pen names to differentiate their stories and guide readers toward specific genres for ages.
Then, I had a ‘slap my forehead’ moment when I realized that one of the most amazing and prolific writers of the twentieth century, who had mastered this concept, was my very own uncle, Lauran Paine, a man who, like so many of us, struggled to get published, found his niche, and launched a career that resulted in over 1000 books! Yes, that’s three zeros, folks!
Here’s what People Magazine said about Uncle Lauran:
Ernest Hemingway—Lauran Paine can outwrite you! Franz Kafka—Lauran Paine can outwrite you! Count Leo Tolstoy—you too! Lauran Paine can outwrite all you pretty-boy novelists put together!
Uncle Lauran was listed in the ‘Guinness Book of World Records’ as the world’s most prolific living author for many years. The first thing I asked to see during my visit was a copy of that publication. I already loved the fun facts in the Guinness Book, and having an uncle’s accomplishments listed alongside records like the tallest man ever recorded, the shortest woman, and the largest living cat… well, that was the best.
At the time, I didn’t think to link that to what it meant to have so many of your own books on a shelf. They covered an entire wall! And that’s the crux of my musings today: he used over 70 pseudonyms, both male and female, depending on the market.
I’m not sure why I haven’t given Uncle Lauran’s writing more thought since I became a writer. My Dad shares a story about him every time I talk about my writing (which results in a lot of stories… hmmm…), and I love hearing them. But it wasn’t until today that I realized how amazing he was in his chosen profession, and I started remembering how he shared his experiences.
I loved listening to them back then. Today, as a writer, those conversations mean even more.
Memories are funny things. I’m sure you’ve had that moment when a single thought opens the floodgates. Uncle Lauran married my Aunt Mona in 1982. She was his favorite research librarian at the Siskiyou County Library (actually, more like the only research librarian). It was a late romance made in heaven. All the memories started playing like a film reel—the holidays at the cozy A-Frame in the mountains. Uncle Lauran, scaring off a huge bear that came to visit at the back porch one Thanksgiving, and his office full of his own books in the stone-lined basement built into the hill under the house.
So, I had to share. Because now that I am a writer and have taken another look at his body of work, I am floored. I would love the opportunity to go back in time and learn more about how he achieved it. He was a rock star! I appreciate much more now what he accomplished by sitting down and writing every day with a set schedule.
Books were his bread and butter. He wrote full-time from 1948 (though he started writing in 1934) until just before he died in 2001. He always talked about having a formula. If you master the formula, you can write anything consistently. Mr. Friedman of People Magazine captured the formula best in Uncle Lauran’s interview.
Keep in mind, he was a genuine cowboy from a much earlier era…
Paine churns out more than oaters. “After a while,” he says, “I get bow-legged with all these Westerns.” He’s done history, science fiction, mystery and romance. “Romances are the easiest thing in the world to write,” says Paine, “if you can stomach them.” In conquering his digestion, Paine must also come to grips with a problem all fiction writers wrestle with: empathy. “I don’t know much about women,” he admits. “But what man does? They’re emotional creatures.” So Paine has devised a formula to probe the depths of female psychology. “They want him, they don’t, they don’t know. By that time, you’re on page 251.”
Uncle Lauran really said that about the formula! He said it to me numerous times to convince me I could write. I guess I did have aspirations back then. Hmmm.
U.K. Writer Ben Bridges does a beautiful job of highlighting Uncle Lauran’s career. You can find his article here. I love what he has to say about the pen names:
When the paperback market began to dry up in the 1960s, however, Paine adopted several new pseudonyms and began turning out westerns primarily for Robert Hale, its subsidiary John Gresham and the then-buoyant library market. Now, in addition to Mark Carrel, he could also be found masquerading as Clay Allen, A A Andrews, Dennis Archer, John Armour, Carter Ashby, Harry Beck, Will Benton, Frank Bosworth, Concho Bradley, Claude Cassady, Clint Custer, James Glenn, Will Houston, Troy Howard, Cliff Ketchum, Clint O’Conner and Buck Standish, among many others. Additionally, he published scores of crime, science fiction and romance novels (virtually all issued by Hale or Gresham), but later admitted that thrillers and SF required more thought, time and planning to make them work.
Mr. Bridges, also published by Robert Hale, has an impressive body of work himself under his own variety of pen names. I discovered another author I need to study and read!
My favorite part of Uncle Lauran’s story was how long it took him to find his niche, which didn’t happen until he got advice from his publisher to write what he knows. He was a cowboy, a stuntman, he owned cattle. He said he had the scars to prove it. He wrote what he knew and he gave his readers tons of it. He used to tell us some of his Hollywood stories about the times he hung out on the lot of the Lone Ranger. He was friends with Jay Silverheels, who was the legendary Tonto. That’s just a sample.
Two movies were made from Uncle Lauran’s stories: 1957’s ‘The Quiet Gun,’ inspired by Lawman, and 2003’s ‘Open Range,’ based on The ‘Open Range Men,’ produced by Kevin Costner and starring Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall, Annette Bening, Michael Gambon, and Michael Jeter. It’s an amazing movie and does justice to the original story. My aunt managed Uncle Lauran’s works after his passing, working closely with Lauran Paine, Jr., and put in a lot of effort with Mr. Costner to bring her husband’s story to the big screen. She attended the premiere.
This story became…This story.I adore the old coversUncle Lauran picked this one for me because it is a beautiful western romance. I’d have to argue that he understood women despite his glib formula litany. I loved it.
Uncle Lauran didn’t just crank out serial fiction, but he also created an impressive, wide-ranging body of nonfiction. He brought this book to my Dad’s house during one of my visits, and I stayed up all night reading it. It’s enjoyable to discover these out-of-print books for sale from interesting booksellers. This particular one is listed by Common Crow Used & Rare Books.
Though I didn’t get a chance to thank Uncle Lauran for planting those seeds to tell a story when I was in my twenties, I hope he appreciated my fascination with all that he was and achieved, nonetheless.
Do you see it? Can you picture the whole story? There are so many things to say about the title of this 1987 movie starring Billy Crystal, Danny DeVito, and the late Anne Ramsey of Goonies fame. While my main contemplation is about how it conveys a story in five words, there are other elements worth mentioning.
But first, do you agree with me that the title is a complete story unto itself?
Right off, we have an idea about the characters, their motivations, the plot, and the setting. We know that the protagonist both loves and hates their mother. We know the antagonist has done enough awful things to be worthy of being thrown off a train, or at least having a child fantasize about it, and we get the struggle. There will likely be attempted murder action on a train. We might also guess the outcome. Could you throw your mother off a train no matter how you felt about her? Of course, we can’t foresee all the plot twists and surprises and there are many in this comedy action film, but these five words have me imagining all sorts of things.
Other information gleaned from these five words that I particularly enjoy is that they sound like a book title, which it is. So, we might grasp that element right off as well. I love that this is about a creative writing teacher and writer suffering writer’s block after his ex-wife steals his book and makes millions with it. No one could pull off that maddening fate like Billy Crystal. Throw in an emotionally stunted student who gets the brilliant idea to switch murders in a Hitchcockian Crisscross-type alibi story, and wow! So much to work with.
The creators not only conveyed a story in their title, but they could use the group of clever words as a plot device and a marketing boon… along with the hilarious images of Momma.
What other movie titles can you think of that accomplish this?
Here are some I found:
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Saving Private Ryan
Tower Heist
Snakes on a Plane
Granted, these might be more about revealing the plots in the titles than giving us a whole story, but I get a lot of information from their brevity, nonetheless. Don’t you?
I’ve also saved a few memes that convey a story in a handful of words. Here’s a favorite.
The challenge of conveying so much with so few words fascinates me, and I’ve returned to it time and again as I pursue novel writing. One of my favorite exercises was contributing two sentence stories last year to fantasy author Richie Billing for his newsletter (which he packs full of helpful resources for writers by the way). One of those is the header on my Short Stories page, Sad Swallow. Oh, alright. I’ll just add it here. It’s only two sentences.
In a voice that plucked at her heart strings, her dear swallow lamented, “All winter we exchanged stories, my beautiful Thumbelina, and it made my heart soar. When you climbed upon my back and begged me to take you to my favorite far away land, how could I have known my happy dream would end with you forsaking me for another?”
Ahem… Okay, so, they’re two long sentences. Still, two sentences. For more of these, click here. They were such a blast to do and based on a genre prompt from Richie. Sad Swallow obviously is a fairytale retelling.
I’ve also tried my hand at 100-word and 250-word stories in what are referred to as drabbles or micro fiction. And I just signed up for another 250-word micro fiction challenge with Writing Battle, taking place in August. So many good things happening on that platform! Thanks Max and Teona!
My latest endeavors in brief tales include poetry, which I’ve written to accompany three stories I will be publishing in one volume later this year. I’m very excited about what I came up with after thinking for years that I could never write poetry. It’s so satisfying and fun!
If you dare, check out my series of three 100-word horror stories here. And my 250-word action adventure drama here (with a bit of ranting on my excellent feedback).
Thanks for tripping with me over the title, Throw Momma From the Train, and have an excellent rest of your June.
Written for Richie Billing’s Two Sentence Story Prompts for The Fantasy Writer’s Toolshed newsletter. Can’t say enough about this fantasy writer who is super generous and helpful to budding writers.
Genre: A Cowboy Story
A Cramp for A Win!
Seth contorted his shoulder to reach that agonizing spot on his calf, which he was determined to keep pressed against the flank of the bucking bronco. The move didn’t do a thing to ease his cramp, but damn, if his inflexible leg didn’t just do the trick to keep him seated on the back of the snorting beast for that extra three seconds!
Genre: First Contact / Alien Encounter.
Did She Just Say That?
A vision materialized in the antechamber, zeroed in on me, probably because I was the only one holding a clipboard, and demanded, “Take me to your leader.” No way did that blue-skinned beauty just utter those B-movie words I thought, even as I turned to walk towards the Oval Office, propelled by some mysterious force.
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Saving Her Distraction
The elf princess’s long legs ate up the distance, bow raised, arrow nocked, hair billowing around her head in aqua ribbons, electric green eyes fixed on her target. She was pleased to see the cagey goblin, who knew well her deadly aim, freeze in his tracks at the mouth of the Cyrian Cave as she bore down on him and called out to the trussed-up human she’d come to adore, despite his inability to stay out of trouble, “You nearly did it to me this time, my love, leaving me to spend another thousand years looking for one like you who drives me so satisfyingly to distraction.”
Genre: Crime Story
Lovely Burnt Bone
Detective Armstrong knelt by the destroyed boathouse, sifting through Julia’s scorched remains, then plucked up a fragment of her jawbone while she hovered over the scene of her death and watched with ghostly eyes. Finally, she thought, as he called out, “Would you be so good, Reginald, as to process this lovely piece of dental work I will refer to from here on as our smoking gun.”
Genre: Thriller
Mom’s Sacrifice
She crouched under the bridge while her terror dissipated and listened for the scraping sound his game leg made as it dragged along the asphalt, signaling her mother’s murderer was nearing their trap, and their plan was working. Step… thump… step… thump… step… thump… then a hitched breath, a swish of metal slicing through the air, and a quiet splat as the hated head dropped into a vat of acid.
Genre: Nautical Adventure
Due East
Storm clouds roiled across the horizon, while the setting sun pierced the ominous gloom with its brilliant orange rays. Captain Scott made his navigational calculations and called out orders to adjust the Helene’s course due east, even as he dreamed about the fabled gold ahead, and gloated over the bloody destruction he left behind, which had finally eliminated the competition.
Genre: Fairytale
Sad Swallow
In a voice that plucked at her heart strings, the dear swallow lamented, “All winter we exchanged stories, my beautiful Thumbelina, and it made my heart soar. When you climbed upon my back and begged me to take you to my favorite far away land, how could I have known my happy dream would end with you forsaking me for another?”
I’m not claiming by any stretch that these are great stories, but I did give them my best shot, and Richie guaranteed submission for any and all efforts by his followers. I missed the deadline for Sad Swallow, so Richie added it to his next newsletter. He’s awesome… and a great writer!
This month’s guest first came to my attention several years ago at an Autocrit short story workshop, and I’ve enjoyed her stories and lively newsletter ever since.
After participating in Rayne Hall’s latest writing contest, where she challenged writers to submit stories without any AI assistance, including editing (eek! No Grammarly!), I thought it would be fun to invite her to chat about her life as a writer (gardens, cats, and all), her works, and writing in the gothic horror genre. We will also discuss her work as a writing coach and her top five tips on the craft.
Let’s Meet the Author
I’m Rayne Hall, and I help good writers become great.
As the author of the bestselling Writer’s Craft guides, I answer writing-related questions on in the social media, post articles online, coach authors, edit books, speak at conferences and teach online classes.
I’ve been working in the publishing industry for three decades, as a trainee publishing manager, editorial assistant, magazine editor, investigative journalist, production editor, literary agent and publishing consultant.
In between, and often at the same time, I’ve been a museum guide, adult education teacher, development aid worker, apple picker, trade fair hostess, translator, belly dancer and tarot reader.
Now I’m a professional writer, with more than a hundred books published under several pen names (mostly Rayne Hall), in several genres (mostly fantasy, horror, historical and non-fiction), by several publishers, in several languages. I’m also a publisher, and these days I publish most of my own books, as well as anthologies with Gothic stories by other writers. After living in Germany, China, Mongolia, Nepal and Britain, I’m now based in Bulgaria where I enjoy visiting ancient Roman ruins and derelict abandoned homes, going for walks in the woods, organic permaculture gardening and training my rescued cats.
Let’s Get Started
Thank you so much, Rayne, for visiting with me on my Spotlight. I’d like to start at the beginning and ask: Who or what inspired you to become a writer and dedicate your life to the written word?
RH: I grew up in a conservative, restrictive home in southern Germany in the 1960s, when girls were expected to get married and become housewives. This didn’t appeal to me in the least. Cooking and cleaning all day long sounded boring.
My family was steeped in the Catholic religion, and they gave me a big book with the life stories of saints. I read the thrilling tales eagerly. Could I become a saint instead of a housewife, thus escaping the boring household drudgery?
Alas, sainthood seemed to require not only a pious life but a painful death. Most saints suffered martyrdom, pierced by arrows, devoured by lions or burned. I didn’t cherish an agonising demise.
Housewife or martyr? Both dreary options, and I didn’t look forward to growing up.
I started reading books when I was four, and by the time I was seven, I devoured all the kids’ books I could lay my hands on: fairy tales, illustrated animal stories, saints’ lives and more. When I discovered that there were women who wrote books, a window to a new world opened for me.
As a grown-up, I wouldn’t have to scrub floors all day, nor would I have to offer my feeble flesh up to torture. I could write books instead.
“When I grow up I want to be a writer,” I declared firmly, at the age of seven.
Of course, adults talked me out of this ‘nonsense’ and persuaded me to choose a more sensible career. But with twists and turns, my life path led me back to my vocation, and here I am, a writer of books.
DLL:How awesome to start life early with that gothic romance outlook. I appreciate how you knew what you wanted at the age of seven, or rather, what you didn’t want, and ended up where you aimed to be.Such a great story!
I find it fascinating to learn from different writers about how their journeys evolved. What inspired you to write horror? Tell us about your other favorite genres.
RH: Historical fiction was my favourite genre to read, and my first genre to write. I remember my first attempt at a novel – the adventures of a Venetian courtesan in the 1700s. Probably not a good choice of subject for a fifteen-year-old virgin who had never been to Venice.
After that came several more historical novels, each a notch better than the one before, because I became better and better at my craft. But success eluded me. I tried other genres, switched to short stories. Yet every manuscript I mailed out returned with a thud. In those days, submissions were on paper, and the envelopes with the rejected sample pages and stories were heavy. I learnt to recognise the sound of a rejected manuscript falling through the letter slot, a disheartening start to the day.
Then in one week, I got three acceptance letters. Acceptances – without manuscripts attached – whispered through the letter slot, what a cheering noise! All three were for horror stories. That’s when I saw a pattern. If Historical Fiction didn’t get me anywhere, but Horror did, maybe that’s what I should write.
At first, I baulked. I thought all Horror was Splatterpunk, with sadistic violence and gruesome stuff – again like the martyrs having their flesh torn with red-hot pincers – and that was not for me. But when I researched the genre, I discovered that it has subtler forms: Psychological Horror, Suspense, Gothic.
The Gothic especially appealed to me: more creepy than gory, more atmospheric than violent. I love it, and this has become my main writing category. I love creating the vibrant settings, the passionate emotions, the guilty secrets, the creepy atmosphere.
I tried to write other genres, too: Historical Romance, Cosy Mystery, Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction. But somehow, they all took a dark turn. Without my knowledge and consent, the characters hatched evil plans and hijacked the plots. So I ended up writing yet another Gothic Horror yarn.
Fortunately, Gothic fiction lends itself to layering with other genres. So I’ve created not just Gothic Horror, but Gothic Historical, Gothic Fantasy, Gothic Romance, Gothic Mystery fiction.
DLL:This is so encouraging, not only in terms of perseverance, but also in how one finds their niche. I love it!
What inspired you to teach the craft, and where do your craft books fall in your bibliography? What topics did you focus on in the beginning, as compared to now?
The Writer’s Craft books teach advanced-level writers specialist skills. They’re the kind books I would have needed years ago but couldn’t find because they didn’t exist. At the time, there were many how-to-write books for beginners. But for writers who’d mastered the basics, there was little guidance available.
Eventually, after I had reached a very high level with my own writing, I developed the series to fill the gap in the market.
Writing Fight Scenes was the first of the Writer’s Craft books. During my long learning journey, I’d been frustrated that there was no book available on this specialist subject.
When I saw online courses on this topic, I signed up at once – only to find that they were superficial and filled with platitudes instead of providing practical guidance. So I studied fight scenes in literature and developed my own system. Then I taught an online course, which was a tremendous success. Many authors needed fight scenes for their fiction and didn’t know how to go about it, and they loved my course and recommended it.
In 2011 I decided to expand my course into a book with the same title, and it instantly became a bestseller.
So I turned some of my other courses into books, too: Writing About Magic, The Word-Loss Diet, Writing About Villains. Before I knew it, I had a series with fans who wanted more.
The series now has almost 40 titles. Writing Scary Scenes, Writing Love Scenes, Writing Vivid Settings, Writing Vivid Dialogue, Writing Vivid Plots, Writing Vivid Characters, Writing Deep Point of View…
Which do you prefer to write, short stories or novels, and how can you tell when a story might evolve into a novel? What’s your top favorite answer when a reader asks you how to write a short story?
RH: I enjoy writing both short fiction and novels. My best work, the one I’m most proud of, is the dark-epic fantasy novel Storm Dancer.
But overall, I prefer short stories, simply because they’re quicker to complete. I can finish a short story in a month, from idea to polished version, whereas a novel is a commitment for years. I have many half-finished novels lingering in my file folders, and it’s doubtful whether they’ll ever see the light of publication. With shorts, I can savour the thrill of completion more often.
Many short stories want to grow into a novel. As I write, they grow and grow, and it takes discipline and skill to keep them confined to a manageable length. My two favourite techniques for this: 1. Let the story play out in a single location. 2. Let it unfold within a short time, preferably in a single day.
DLL:Thanks for the great tips! I can totally relate to your experience. I often feel torn between finishing shorter pieces and working on novels that I might never complete. It’s frustrating when I have such epic endings and vivid scenes running through my head, all while feeling like time is slipping away. So many writers publish multiple novels in a year, and I really want to know their secret. That’s when I remember that the joy is in the writing—published or not, finished or not—and that really helps.
Speaking of getting our books out into the world, do you self-publish?
RH: My first twenty or so books were conventionally published by twelve different publishers, but now I’m my own publisher. I’m actually a trained publishing manager, that’s my career. I’ve worked in many different positions in the publishing industry, so I know the business well, and now I’m using my insider knowledge.
In the 20th century, publishing involved a big capital outlay, and the only way to reach book buyers was through a complex distribution system which only publishers had access to. In those days, self-publishing was almost inevitably doomed to failure, and at huge expense. I used to advise against it.
But the publishing industry has changed to much. With e-books and print-on-demand technology, the once exorbitant production costs have evaporated. Everyone can use online bookselling platforms to make their works available to the book-buying public.
The literary agents and publishing houses, essential parts of the system in the 20th century, have become obsolete. Why should we writers – who mostly earn very little for our work – finance a big publishing apparatus we don’t need, and the salaries of multinational CEOs? Frankly, writers need publishers like they need a tapeworm in their guts.
Of course, you need to be aware that as a self-publishing author, you are a publisher as well as an author. If you want to be successful, you have to approach this as a business. You’re responsible for your own quality control, your own marketing, everything.
DLL: Ooh, great insights on traditional versus self publishing. It’s super helpful to hear from an author who’s been so immersed on both sides.
As promised at the outset, what are your top five tips for writers?
RH: Here you go:
Write the kind of book you’d love to read. This way, you’ll create a great book, and you’ll enjoy the process.
Write about what you know. This way, your won’t commit factual errors, and your book will ring with insight and authenticity.
Use specific weather for every scene – a drizzle or a downpour, dry heat or a thunderstorm – to add realism and vibrancy.
When you experience worries and problems, write about them. They make great fodder for your fiction.
Revise your writing until it sparkles. Don’t be satisfied with good writing. Make it great.
Be authentic. In this world of automation and fakery, people crave authenticity. This is your chance to stand out: instead of automating your social media, using AI for your writing and pretending to be someone you’re not, just be real.
DLL: Fantastic! Thank you for sharing those with us today.
Now, let’s dive into your writer’s life. One of my favorite aspects of your newsletters is the photos and stories about your gardens and pets. It’s clear that you find inspiration in the nature surrounding you. Can you share how these enjoyments help to balance life as a writer?
RH: I love nature, and I’ve created my personal garden paradise – 4000- square meters (that’s about 4800 square yards) filled with trees, shrubs, flowers, vegetables and fruit. It’s all organic, without use of pesticides, my private eco-project, a permaculture ‘food forest’. Bees, bumblebees and butterflies love the place. They flutter and buzz all around me. Sometimes, I see ten or more colourful butterflies in a single square meter (yard). Crickets chirp, birds twitter, storks rattle their bills.
I do my morning exercises amidst this lush abundance, and for breakfast and pick whatever fruit is currently ripe and eat it right away: peaches, nectarines, apricots, figs, plums, apples, pears, mulberries, cherries, pomegranates, grapes and more. This is my personal idea of paradise, and I feel blessed that I’ve been able to create it here in sunny Bulgaria.
I’ve had a writing chair made for me – a sturdy chair made from reclaimed materials, with broad armrests for placing my notebook and a glass of water. I love sitting there in the morning, listening to the sounds of nature and jotting down my ideas and story drafts in a notebook. Often, my cats join me (they love those broad armrests), and my dogs lie at my feet.
I savour these moments with deep gratitude. I’m able to shut out my worries and the troubles of the world, and to focus on joyful creating.
DLL:So much of this shines through in your blogging and newsletter, which is incredibly inspirational to me as a writer and blogger focused on the writer’s life. Thank you for painting such a vivid picture we can immerse ourselves in today.
Besides working in your gardens, what are your favorite activities to inspire your fiction?
RH: I find inspiration in places. Wherever I go, I observe and take notes. What does the place smell of? What sounds can I hear in the background? How does the ground feel underfoot? How does that door knob feel to the touch, what noise does that door make when it opens?
Whenever I have time to kill – at a bus stop, in a hospital waiting room – I use the opportunity to take setting notes.
Over the years, I’ve created detailed descriptions of hundreds of places, and I use can insert them into my fiction. Weather a scene takes place in a hospital, a church, a cemetery or a wildlife park, I have the vibrant details at my fingertips.
Here in Bulgaria, I like to visit places with history: ancient Thracian temples, the remnants of bath houses from the Roman period, deserted factories from the Communist era, and homes abandoned when the rural population dwindled. Each building has so many stories to tell, about the people who lived there, their loves, their sorrows, their dreams.
Those abandoned homes are my favourite spots to hang out to soak up atmosphere and inspiration. Even though the roofs have long collapsed and the window panes are broken, some still have remnants of lace curtains quivering in the breeze, cupboards are filled with dusty jars of canned fruit, and among the upturned furniture and rat-gnawed cushions I may find an old newspaper or an illustrated children’s Bible.
My pets love to accompany me when I explore these places. I’m always glad to have my dogs with me for protection, but it’s the cats who make the visits special. My black cat Sulu in particular adores entering spooky derelict buildings. He delights in walking across shattered roof tiles, scratching charred timbers and sniffing at long-abandoned hearths. Then he chooses a window-sill to lie on, and from there he watches what’s going on inside the house and in the outside world.
DLL: Have you ever thought about vlogging? I would love to follow you on your explorations. Thanks for this glimpse into life in the Bulgarian countryside.
Can you tell us about your cats, and what role they play in your writing?
RH: All my cats are rescues, and I’ve trained them. Yes, cats can be trained – if they want to. Mine love it. They can perform little tricks, shake hands, high-five and more.
When I’m writing on my laptop, the cats often join me. One naps on the rug at my feet, one sits on the printer, another curls up in an open desk drawer, and there’s almost always one snuggling between my arms. This is so sweet!
My senior cat Sulu adores books. Whenever he sees an open book on the table, he lies down to ‘read’ it, with a paw on the page. This makes great publicity photos, because what could be cuter than a black cat reading a Gothic fiction book?
DLL: Thanks again for joining me today, Rayne! Check out Rayne’s craft books here. You can find Rayne and her works on her website, subscribe to her newsletter and blogs, which she shares on Substack, and follow her on Bluesky, Instagram, and Facebook.
My guest and I have been sharing our writing journey for the past couple of years. We chatted on my Spotlight last May with the release of her second book, Hearing Wind.
It’s not often you get an opportunity to meet an online friend and fellow author, and when one comes around, it can be magical, especially when it takes place at Lake Tahoe, where A. B. Herron and her husband recently vacationed.
I am a huge fan of her Elemental Wolf Series and picked up her latest release, Wooden Wolves, to take with me for a signing.
We had a great time exchanging signed books and chatting over lunch in a café with the lake glistening across the highway. As these encounters often go, we barely scratched the surface of everything we wanted to discuss about writing, so I felt a Q&A session was in order, especially since this marks a year since we last chatted on my blog.
Let’s Meet The Author
A.B. Herron grew up pretending to be a wild creature running through the hills of California. Her love of reading is her dad’s fault, introducing her to White Fang, Treasure Island, and Call of the Wild before she could hold a book. Her favorite directive was “read”. Later, when she conquered reading for herself, Herron could be found curled up in her closet, tucked away from reality, riding on horseback, performing magic, and later running with werewolves.
The secret itch to write bloomed in grade school, along with the diagnosis of dyslexia. Professionals told her parents she would struggle with reading, but that information came too late for her to put into practice. However, depositing letters in the right order continues to be a mystery for Herron.
In college, while studying for her BS in Zoology, she started putting pencil to paper and allowed her imagination to bleed out into the real world (so to speak). None of her early attempts found an audience due to her complete refusal to admit to their existence.
Nowadays, Herron splits her time between her dog (well, and husband), her writing, and a full-time job that keeps her firmly rooted in the now, even when her brain whispers “the Mountains are calling…”. Her real-life adventures can be found on Instagram, and her daydreams can be discovered in the Elemental Wolf series on Amazon.
About Wooden Wolves
Becoming a werewolf was supposed to solve his problems.
As it turns out, one needs more than a fur coat to do that.
Tobin barely has time to adjust to his new life before something begins hunting him, and he’s forced to flee Portland for the unclaimed magical territories of Washington. But in those northern wilds, Fey lurk in the forests, and a newly turned werewolf is easy prey.
To survive, Tobin needs to learn fast: what hunts him, how to fight back, and where he belongs in a world where power rules.
The last thing he needs is a distraction, but there is one woman whose scent keeps drawing him closer, making him question his decisions.
Neoma never planned on coming back to her hometown.
Running a bookstore wasn’t part of the dream, and neither was her cranky autoimmune disease. Fighting her overwhelming desire to retreat from the world, she gives connection one more shot. So, when a dangerously handsome stranger invites her into his gaming group, she figures—why not? What’s the worst that could happen? She might actually have some fun?
What she doesn’t know is that some games can change your perception.
Others contain monsters that might change you.
Let’s Get Started
It was fabulous meeting you, Amanda, and what a blast. I started your book when I got home and immediately got hooked. Tell us about your Elemental Wolf series and where it’s at in the scheme of things. What was the inspiration behind it?
ABH: Hello again Darci, and it was so much fun meeting with you in person. I’m still marveling over your own beautiful book that you gifted me; I can’t wait to finish my current read so I can get started on yours. I’m happy to hear you got hooked into Wolves. I have to admit, it is my favorite book in my series currently. Am I allowed to have a favorite when it comes to my book babies?
You ask what inspired the Elemental Wolf series. Honestly, it was during a pretty stressful time in my life, and I was writing short stories for friends as escapism. One friend shared with me a fantasy that they wanted me to put on the page, so I took it, placed it in the Pacific Northwest, rubbed some magic on it, and when I was finished, I looked at it and thought, “There’s a whole book here.”
Jumping ahead, there are now three books in Elemental Wolves, and this new one, Wooden Wolves, is a bit outside the normal timeline for a series. At the end of Watching Water, the first book, I leave a couple of cliff hangers. Hearing Wind, the second book, follows the main character, Nora, on her timeline, but Wolves follows a secondary character, Tobin, on his journey. His story is one that needs to be told, and was supposed to be a short novella to connect his events into Nora’s journey for the upcoming 3rd, now 4th book. As a result, I have Wooden Wolves as book 1.5, and I worry that it will be confusing to readers. However, it gives them the option to read either book, in either order, and they are both happening at the same time. Different storytelling, and I’m hoping it will be well-received.
I will say that I couldn’t be happier with how Wolves turned out, and the secondary main character, Neoma, has a firm place in my heart. She’s strong, feisty, and determined despite the odds against her. I can’t wait to hear what you think of her and Tobin
DLL: Congratulations on your release, Amanda, and way to go. I want to say you fleshed this out and published it in like a year? Tobin is a great character, and I’m excited to be delving into his story. This is your passion story, and it’s coming through in the reading.So yes, there is nothing wrong with authors having a favorite book baby!
I love this cover, the formatting, and your publication mark, all things you’ve been exploring in your publication journey. Can you share some tips and highlights about the process and your resources?
ABH: Awe, I love that you commented on the publication mark. I had to invent this press since this time around I was the full publisher. I had a support team, editor, formatter, cover artist, and an author friend that I kept bugging with questions of “how do I do this?” For the first two books, I used an amazing independent publisher for Indie Authors called Luminare Press. I had no clue how to bring a book to fruition, and they took that stress off my plate and made it happen. They were a gift because I didn’t even know where to start. I had a manuscript and was clueless about what to do next. This was before I got on social media and found the author community. Luminare has a fantastic staff and will make the process easy on you, but that comes at a price point I couldn’t shoulder for this latest book.
Because of the author community and friends like you, Darci, that I have made, I’ve learned a lot more about how to navigate the publishing process and do more of it on my own. An IG friend put me in touch with Becky at Platform house when I was asking how to format. Becky’s an Indie author who does book formatting for other indie authors. She was amazing and budget-friendly. I know I can learn to format, but I was extremely short on time for getting this book to print. I might try to format for the next book, but Becky was worth every cent, and she really made the interior look good.
Now, the cover artist, Ravven (you can look her up just by her name), has been an absolute joy to work with, and her skill speaks for itself. The werewolf howling in the background on Wolves, she made for me when the stock photos she’d found didn’t fit the look I was hoping for. I love what she does, and I keep begging her not to retire before this series is done.
I’m always surprised by how many people a book needs to go through before it ever makes it to print. From the alpha and beta readers to the editors and formatters, this manuscript had more eyes on it than the first two, and it showed. For those who are working on their own stories, my humble advice is to get as many different eyeballs on your manuscript as you can; it will make it better. And find a good editor; they are worth it.
DLL: This is great advice. Thank you! I didn’t even know there were people who offered formatting services. Here is Becky’s website. I also found Ravven’s website, and her work is phenomenal as your gorgeous covers attest. The more eyes, the better, is so true. I’m really happy all this came together so well for you… And that I get to benefit by enjoying a great story.
Where can readers find you and your awesome books in the upcoming months?
ABH: The easy way to find me is to hop on my website www.abherron.com, and there are links to the two places to buy my books online. I’m now in a bookstore in Eugene, Daffodil Books, and will be at four different in-person events throughout Washington and Oregon over the summer. If you sign up for my newsletter, those dates and locations will show up in your inbox, but can also be found on my website.
Thank you so much for having me, Darci. Lunch was a special treat. Somehow, we need to do this again and keep talking about all things writing and books.
DLL: Yes! Meeting you was awesome, Amanda, and it was way too short. I will definitely be looking for a way to get together again.
Thank you for answering just some of the questions that I wanted to ask you at lunch. Do you have any last words of advice for independent authors just getting started?
ABH: My last pieces of advice for new authors are three-fold: 1 – Don’t start your publishing journey with a series, do a stand-alone book first, because you will learn everything you don’t know about the process and how to make it better. 2 – Get connected with other indie authors, it really helps to have people you can ask questions from when you’re feeling lost. 3 – Find a good editor. Seriously, they are worth it, and I can’t stress this enough. I’ll stop there, or I’ll keep sharing all the mistakes I’ve made (and the new ones I’m making) and the hard-won advice I’ve been given. Enjoy the journey, everyone, it’s a wild one.
DLL: Awesome! Thank you! I will leave our readers with a gallery of your fantastic Lake Tahoe photos.
Follow A. B. Herron on Instagram for more amazing photos and the latest on her books.
Born and raised in Massachusetts’ Merrimack Valley, Michael C. Carroll has always loved storytelling. After graduating from Boston College, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia where he teaches and lectures on the epic poetry that inspires his writing. It was not until his master’s program through the Bread Loaf School of English brought him to Oxford University, that Michael knew he had found the story he would spend the rest of his life telling.
In Professor Francis Leneghan’s tea-scented office, Michael began studying the Old English manuscript of Beowulf. That literary exploration led to his thesis that addresses the allegorical significance of the dragon fight that concludes the Anglo-Saxon epic poem. Not long after earning his Master’s degree, Michael began writing Beyond the Fall of Kings, the incredible true story of the war behind the poem of Beowulf.
Currently, Michael lives in Atlanta, Georgia where—when he is not giving lectures on Beowulf—he can be found making dinner for his wife and daughter, coaching his school’s football and swimming teams, and working through his own translation of the Old English Beowulf Manuscript.
Thank you so much for joining me this month, Michael. I’ve really been looking forward to our visit. You’re involved in a lot of things that I want to get into. But first, I’ve been dying to ask you about what it’s like to immerse yourself in the world of Beowulf. I admit I haven’t read it, but I enjoy the cinematic interpretations. I’ve never met anyone who’s made it a life study, especially to the point of mastering Old English. You’re like a modern day bard. We’ll be sharing a couple Instagram video clips of your readings below.
A.I. Art by D. L. LewellynA.I. Art by D. L. LewellynA.I. Art by D. L. Lewellyn
I’ve been studying up on the poem for our discussion. Aside from the significant themes like the warrior code and the cost of adhering to its principles, and what Grendel and his mother might represent in contrast, it fascinates me that this very old tale is steeped in fantasy with witches and dragons, and a good reminder how far back our modern fantasy stories reach for inspiration.
Q: What drew you to the ancient poem? Was it the period of writing, the style, the characters, or the story? Can you elaborate on the elements that interest you the most?
MCC. First off, thank you for all of the kind words! I have been looking forward to this interview ever since you contacted me after reading one of the short stories I wrote a little while back, which I’m sure we’ll talk about in just a bit. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this opportunity to talk about my writing and the things that inspire me.
Alright, let’s get into it.
I think what first drew me into Beowulf and why I love the story are actually a little different. When I was in high school, I had a phenomenal AP Literature teacher—isn’t that always how these stories start. His name was Jay Pawlyk. As part of our curriculum, Mr. Pawlyk taught the anglo-saxon epic. Oddly enough, I don’t remember much about the story from that first initial read. I remember that the translation that we read was in verse; I believe it was Seamus Heaney’s translation though it’s hard to be sure. I also remember writing an anglo-saxon poem bragging about my abilities playing the guitar hero, and while my attempts at reliving those glory days during the pandemic with that video game were unsuccessful, I do still have my students write a similar assignment.
What I remember most was how much Jay Pawlyk loved the anglo-saxon world that the poem calls home. I remember him explaining how when he was in grad school, he dove head-long into a language he didn’t understand and came out on the other side practically dripping with alliteration and verse and meter. I remember his passion for bringing that world to life in our modern day.
I think in retrospect, now that I teach the poem and have submerged myself in the old English manuscript, those are the aspects that I love the most now as well: the world, the poetry, and the way the poem is still applicable today.
DLL.That is so fantastic-That aspect where you can take a deep dive into history, find literature that is both informative and entertaining and bring it to life in the present. I’ve always envied those who found a way to dedicate their lives to academia, and it is a real treat to get these details from someone who has done it and is happily immersed. This also makes me want to take a class on poetry to expand my skills as a writer.
Q: I’d be thrilled if you could provide a synopsis of your Beowulf-themed thesis on the allegorical significance of dragon flight. Sounds fascinating. What prompted you to pick that subject?
MCC. Of course! The final draft of the thesis was well over a hundred pages, so I promise to keep this as brief as possible. Here’s a synopsis of the poem for those that need a refresher, followed by my hundred-page thesis in a nutshell.
At the start of the epic poem, the title hero travels to the land of the Danes where he kills a monster along with the beast’s mother before traveling home. Then, fifty years pass, and voila, Beowulf somehow finds himself king in the land of the Geats. Finally, after a thief steals a treasure from a fire-breathing dragon, elderly Beowulf fights the poem’s final monster, dies in the process, and dooms the nation he loves to destruction from impending warfare.
Ok, that’s the poem.
My thesis deals with the “voila.” During that fifty year gap, Beowulf and the Geats (the Hretheling dynasty) go to war with the Swedes (the Scylfing dynasty). That historical feud has become known as The Swedish Wars, a five-phased bloodbath that leads to Beowulf ascending the Geat throne.
I argue in my thesis that the dragon fight that claims the life of the title hero allegorically represents that feud, the true, historical cause of the Hretheling demise.
And here’s a little plug…that Swedish War is the exact tale that Beyond the Fall of Kings, the first book in the Sons of Hrethel Trilogy, brings to life.
DLL. Thank you for sharing that! And giving us a peek into your works in progress. An exciting project for sure. It must be a thrill to weave your own epic tale out of a passion for language and history.
Q: Your bio shares how you became interested in studying Old English. But can you talk more about the link between your fascination with Beowulf and its archaic language?
MCC. While I fell in love with the poem when I started teaching it, I only became interested in the Old English manuscript when my master’s program brought me to Oxford University and I had the opportunity to learn from Professor Francis Leneghan, author of The Dynastic Drama of Beowulf. I earned my master’s degree through the Middlebury’s Bread Loaf School of English, which brought me to Oxford in 2019. The class I took with Francis dove into the manuscript, and that was my first introduction into Old English studies.
Now, for some background, I am a huge grammar nerd. In addition to writing, I am also a teacher at a private school that runs from 7th grade through 12th grade. My time in the 8th grade classroom has led to a great love of grammar, right down to the lost art of diagramming sentences. I could talk with you for hours about the difference between gerund and participial phrases and consider it an afternoon well spent. At the same, however, while I know that being passionate about grammar makes me more of an exception rather than the rule as an author, I do think that it makes me a better writer.
For those reasons, I think finding my way into Francis’ office was the perfect storm for me. An epic poem that I knew and loved? Check. A professor equally passionate about an anglo-saxon epic poem? Check. Alliterative structure and epic meter ripe for analysis? Check and Check.
That was when I dove into the murky waters of translating, and I have found that those waters are as tumultuous as they are deep.
DLL.It is so refreshing to hear from a writer who appreciates all things grammar and vocabulary! Editing is often the labor we all want to put off. You’re making me want to take your classes and get back to the basics. But even more than editing is having such an arsenal at your disposal to craft your best story. Like a sculptor with all the best tools to hew out a masterpiece. My background is in office and legal assistance… decades of writing and editing. I was very happy to utilize those tools when I started writing fiction a few years ago. It felt like I had a small leg up. I say small because I had no idea about the amount of growth that lay ahead. You never stop learning!
Enjoy clips of Michael reading Beowulf in Old English borrowed from his Instagram page at the end of our discussion, and follow him for more.
Q: I would also love to hear about what it was like to study at Oxford, to be immersed in a world of academia and a university that encapsulates an entire historic city. What an opportunity and avenue to find your life’s passionate pursuit!
MCC. To say that studying at Oxford was like living out a dream would be an understatement. While I was overseas, I lived in a dorm room on the Lincoln College campus, which is right off of Turl Street. What was even better was the fact that my wife came with me for the summer as well! The memories we made that summer are among those I cherish the most in my life.
Oxford, England is like a writer’s paradise. You turn the corner and see J.R.R Tolkien’s house. You walk the doors of The Eagle and Child pub, and you are greeted by a massive portrait of C.S. Lewis. You take a walk along the river and find yourself staring at the quad where they filmed scenes from the Harry Potter movies. The marks those writers have left are everywhere. The impact they’ve had on literature is everywhere. The air is practically steeped in it.
DLL. That’s exactly how I imagined it! Thank you for sharing your experiences from the inside of such a phenomenal literary mecca!
A.I. Art by D. L. LewellynA.I. Art by D. L. LewellynA.I. Art by D. L. Lewellyn
Q: Do you imagine yourself as an English bard in a past life? Would it have been only in the time of Beowulf? Or are there other periods you see yourself wandering through?
MCC. While I love poetry, I think there’s something unique about Beowulf, and perhaps more specifically, the history behind Beowulf, that I find super fascinating—indeed, more fascinating than any other story I’ve ever encountered.
I talk about this a bit on the Required Reading podcast episode where we discuss Beowulf—another shameless plug—but Francis Leneghan once compared Beowulf to an Anglo-Saxon Forest Gump. I have come to use this comparison every time I begin teaching the poem and any time I’m charged with explaining why I love the poem so much. Really, I bring this comparison up whenever anyone will listen…
Like Forrest Gump, the poem of Beowulf does more than describe a renegade warrior tearing limbs off of monsters in 7th century Scandinavia. The poem of Beowulf is the history of the Anglo-Saxon people. It’s one of the most thorough and complete historical accounts of a group of people in all of literature. For that reason, just as the story of Forrest Gump follows a hero through the Vietnam War, and the Watergate Scandal, and draft riots, the Anglo-Saxon epic follows its hero through the rise and fall of three historical dynasties, countless blood feuds, and a handful of wars that shaped three centuries of human history. The characters and references and mead-hall songs are all entrenched in that captivating history.
For that reason, I don’t think that it’s the time of Beowulf, but rather the history of Beowulf that resides at the heart of my passion for the story.
DLL. Great analogy and glimpse into your classroom! Definitely helps me grasp the impact of how literature can be a window into a period of civilization.
It would be amazing to listen one to of your lectures on Beowulf. What are your key topics? Who gets to avail themselves of your expertise? Only students? Or do you have a broader circuit?
MCC. For the last eight years or so, I have taught Beowulf at the school where I teach. I teach the Seamus Heaney translation because it’s beautiful, approachable, and tells the tale in verse, which I think is an important distinction. Admittedly, there are many scholars who deem the translation “Heaney-Wulf” due to the fact that Heaney was a poet first and a translator a far-and-distant second, but part of what that means for my students is that nearly an entire term of study is dedicated to a single poem, which allows for me to read the poem out loud to them in its entirety. Without a doubt, it is the term I enjoy teaching the most.
To answer your question though, yes, my students are the only ones who must endure my lectures; with that being said, however, I do bring up the poem whenever I can on the Required Reading podcast.
But I will say, for those who are interested, I have begun posting on my Instagram page a series of reflections entitled, “Beowulf Was First” in which I take a look at modern movies, books, and television shows—from How the Grinch Stole Christmas to Disney’s Tangled—that draw inspiration from Beowulf, so feel free to take a look at some of my musings there!
What theme or element from the poem does your audience want to hear about most?
MCC. Every year we have a set of themes that we address with the students that are prevalent: hospitality, identity, legacy, heroism, etc. Sometimes those themes change from year to year, most often they remain essentially the same. But the theme that we always address that seems to gain the most traction is when we discuss the human code.
In class, before we read the first line of the poem, I always have the students write down three codes by which they must abide. At our competitive, private high school, most often those codes end up being their academic honor code, their dress code, and their athletic code of conduct. After giving them some time to muse, write, and share with one another, I introduce the theme of the Human Code, a code by which all Anglo-Saxon people—kings, princes, and warriors alike—abide. It’s a code that dictates everything, how they live, breathe, and ultimately pass on into the Lord’s keeping as the characters so eloquently state in the poem.
I think addressing the human code that way helps to show them that while they might use a different language and wear different clothes and live in a different, albeit much colder, part of the world, the challenges that they face and the morals they use to approach those challenges are not too dissimilar from their own.
DLL. Well. Since I can’t be young again and a student in your class, this was the next best thing. Thanks! And I’m glad you touched on the code. When I delved into the poem for this interview, that was an intriguing element I wanted to explore.
Let’s talk about your work on Beyond the Fall of Kings. It sounds epic. I would love to know about the story itself and your progress and plans for it.
MCC. I know I mentioned this above, but Beyond the Fall of Kings is the untold story of the history behind Beowulf. It’s the first book in The Sons of Hrethel Trilogy that essentially tells the story of the Swedish Wars. The book itself follows three different characters: King Heathcyn of the Hrethelings, King Ongentheow of the Scylfings, and a young warrior named Eofer for the Geat nation.
What I love about the story, and I hope readers love as well, is that it’s historical fiction. These battles really took place. These kings really rose to power. These characters really lived and breathed and in some cases died for their kingdom. I love being able to bring those stories to life.
I did have a manuscript request from an editor for Beyond the Fall of Kings, so the novel is being considered for representation; for more about the texts journey through publication readers can feel free to follow my Instagram page where I release chapter excerpts and publication updates.
DLL. That is amazing news about representation, Michael! Thank you for sharing right here your exciting prospects for this body of work! Your labor of love. Congratulations! I’ll just keep sprinkling your Instagram page around, so our readers can be sure to find you.
I reached out to you for this chat after reading and thoroughly enjoying one of your short stories. I also read it out loud to my husband because I knew he would love it and we got into a great discussion about it. It’s called A Wrong Cruelly Done. It won a place in our Fantasy Sci Fi Writers Alliance anthology in Part I, God vs. Man, and I can’t wait for it to come out in print. After reading it, I really got a sense of your flexibility as a writer. What other projects do you have in the works? And where can we find them?
MCC.A Wrong Cruelly Done was a short story I wrote that, like a great deal of my writing, finds its inspiration in Beowulf. For readers who might be unfamiliar with the story, A Wrong Cruelly Done reimagines Prince Herebeald’s death from the Anglo-Saxon epic in 1970s Northern Ireland. I loved writing that story. It gave me a chance, with Beyond the Fall of Kings in publication limbo, for lack of a better phrase, to keep me writing.
When I submitted the piece for the competition, I sent a message to Eric thanking him for the prompt because it launched me into what has become my current project.
I’m really excited to announce that I’m nearing the completion of a book of short stories! It’s entitled Retold: Eight Short Stories with Roots in Epic Poetry. Like A Wrong Cruelly Done, these short stories reimagine tales from epic poetry in a variety of settings, everywhere from a spy-infiltrated Istanbul to a starship in outer space. I’m hoping to take some time to seek publication opportunities for some of the stories in a few literary magazines before queerying the collection.
DLL. Those stories sound not only awesome but a ton of fun to write. And I can’t wait to read more. Please keep me posted, so I can share your future publications!Visit the Fantasy Sci Fi Writers Alliance and find out more about the short story challenge, which is still in progress.
Besides Beowulf, what other literature or authors have influenced you? Is there a person(s) who has inspired you most?
MCC. Yes, and his name was Brian Jacques.
At a scholastic book fair in second grade, I discovered Brian Jacques’ Redwallseries. For readers who are not familiar with the Redwall books, they are essentially stories about knights in shining armor set in a world of rodents. When I was younger, I read every Redwall book that I could find. I have memories of being in the back seat of the car during long vacation drives devouring those stories of adventure. The first origin story I ever read was Martin, the Warrior, the prequel to the Jacques’ flagship Redwall; I can remember sitting in the public library with tears streaming down my cheeks as I fought through the ending of that book.
When I think about the stories that inspired me, I always come back to Redwall, and for that reason, I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Brian Jacques.
Let’s get into the amazing Podcast world of Required Reading. Did you really tell me it’s hitting a million downloads! Wow! I’ve been dipping into quite a few of the episodes because they cover so many books and authors I love. How did it get started and when? Can you tell us about your co-hosts and what your objectives are, who your target audience is? What do you have planned for future episodes?
MCC. Of course! So Required Reading is a podcast that I co-host with a couple of other teachers that I consider both coworkers and friends. We are blessed to have a fully equipped podcasting studio right on our campus, which makes arranging our episodes a little easier. We typically release episodes on the first and the 15th of every month, and the books that we read span everything from graphic novels to Shakespearean classics.
While our conversations bring us in a myriad of different directions, we center our discussions around what it means to read and teach great literature.
Dr. Nic Hoffman and Mr. Mike Burns are the other co-hosts, and oftentimes, we will feature a guest who is somehow affiliated with the text—they are a fan or scholar of the author, they recommended the text for an episode, they wrote their master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation on the material, etc.
And yes, the last I heard from Nic, Required Reading was on pace for a million episode downloads, which is both crazy and exciting.
You can find us on Spotify, the apple podcast app, or wherever else you listen!
DLL. Awesome. Thanks, Michael, and congratulations to all of you on your growing platform.
Now I’d like to touch on your life as a creator. With so many pursuits, how do you balance it all with family? What are your tips on staying organized and getting things done, while finding time to relax?
MCC. I wish I had a good answer for you on this one. I think that this really is the hardest part: balance. I teach full time for a living, and on top of those courses, I’m also the head 7th grade football coach, the head middle school swimming coach, and an assistant coach on the varsity diving team. Before all that, though, I’m a husband to my amazing wife, Katherine and a father to our beautiful daughter. Finding time for writing, seeking representation for publishing, and keeping up with things like continued features and posts online is hard. Really hard.
I can’t say that this works for everyone, but I will say what has worked for me. Every Sunday afternoon, my wife and I talk through the upcoming week. I use that time to create the “To Do List” of papers that need grading, cars that need oil changes, meals that need cooking, and everything in between. It might seem exhausting, and sometimes it is, but at the bottom of every “To Do List” I write “Continue Writing Retold” or “Keep Writing BTFOK” or “Continue WIP.” Amidst all the craziness of life, I have found that keeping that on my to do list always keeps my writing on the table. It feels like a treat when I finish a stack of papers, and I can carve out a few hours here and there to do some writing. For me, it also keeps writing as a passion that I look forward to rather than work that simply needs completing.
Lastly, though, I love to cook, and I have found that to be an excellent outlet when things pile up.
DLL. Ah… the power of making lists. This is a great tip!And so is having a dedicated hobby. Highly recommended!
Do you have a favorite creative space? How do you prepare your environment, so you can be your most productive? Any routines or tips you’d like to share?
MCC. I write a lot at work. Sometimes that means in my classroom. Sometimes that means in the library surrounded by students and books. Sometimes that means at my desk in the English Department.
I tend to be quite social when it comes to my work. Not with sharing it, mind you—I still have a great deal of work to do on that front—but I like being around people when I work. Nothing beats a rustic coffee shop with a bold dark roast, packed tables providing a little white noise, and a nice scone.
Of course, that’s the dream, but that’s not always the reality. These days, when I finally sit down to write, the coffee has gone cold and there’s a monitor next to my keyboard that could break me from my trance any second. I think it’s beautiful in its own way, though.
DLL. I love it!
What do your kids think about Old English and history? Any like-minded scholars following in your footsteps?
MCC. Well, I don’t know how many students really love Anglo-Saxon epic poetry, but I do think that there are some who are interested in the history. In class, we talk a great deal about the code by which the characters in the poem abide. I think some of the lessons that the students gravitate towards the most tend to be the lessons that bring the poem to the students where they are.
For that reason, I have kept Jay Pawlyk’s Anglo-Saxon boast assignment alive. I think they really start to understand the verse and meter when they write to imitate the poem themselves, bragging about everything from brushing their teeth to tying their shoes. Whenever the lecture veers toward something they encounter in their teenage lives, the poem takes on a new light.
I will say that in addition to lecturing on Beowulf, I also teach a Creative Writing elective at the school where I work, so while there might not be many budding Old English scholars, maybe there will be a new author who hits the writing scene in a few years who I taught in class; if they start talking about their crazy high school teacher who would wear an Anglo-Saxon war helmet when reading about the title hero’s clash with Grendel, you’ll know who they’re talking about!
DLL.Oh yeah! I’ll be looking out for those writers for sure. LOL
Thank you again for spending time with me this week and sharing a day in the life of a writer, podcaster, and Beowulf and Old English scholar. It was epic, just as expected! Do you have any parting words of advice for our readers who want to follow similar passions?
MCC. If I had one word of advice, I think it would be to focus on the story. After all, as a writer that’s our most valuable currency. I know it can be difficult, especially when entering the scary world of agents, publishers, editors, social media, and challenges that await around the corner that I can barely pronounce or understand, but I think by focusing on the story that you want to tell, that story that keeps you up at night when you’re lying in bed, that story that gives you chills when you’re stopped at a red light because you can feel deep down in your bones that it needs to be told, if you focus on that story, and telling that story the best that you can, as passionately as you can, not somebody else’s way, but your way, I think the rest will take care of itself.
The spicy scent in the air is enough, but then there are the crisp, warm colors, both bringing the coziness that lends itself to all the activities I enjoy—writing, reading a good paranormal romance, knitting, walking with my dogs and husband, taking a drive through the mountains, maybe on a yarn crawl, or going to Apple Hill to pick up a deep-dish apple pie. I’m missing those this year. But my friend and I are already planning for next year.
I mention a drive through the mountains (only miles away) because from my house, the colors are somewhat absent. But it’s only minutes, and I find myself immersed in color. That’s life in the high desert. I’m situated at 5,000 feet amid scrubby sagebrush and elm trees, looking across at Mt. Rose with its tantalizing streaks of orange and yellow. I do have a single pistachio tree that tries to do its brilliant thing before the frost hits or the winds blow off all the leaves. Still, I can’t complain about the views from my two acres.
Fall is also when I order my calendars and customized weekly planner from Personal Planner, an activity I eagerly look forward to all year. Setting up a new planner is the best part. When I need a break from writing, I turn to my neglected cross-stitching, knitting, and crochet WIPs while listening to books or watching movies. I also enjoy coloring in my planner inserts or doing a little Zentangling. So cozy! I signed up for the fall Writing Battle Short Story Contest because I haven’t participated in one of their seasonal challenges in a while, and I miss them! I’m also thinking about writing a flash fiction piece for a contest with Fractured Lit.
Here are a few photo collages to spread the cheer.
My crafts are never carried out alone. This is Fernando, the chihuahua, and Harley the… Well, your guess is as good as mine. Both rescues and my best writing buddies. These are a few of my favorite fall cross stitch projects, two finished, and one I’m hoping to get done by Halloween.
How about a cozy paranormal romance for your fall reading enjoyment? Follow me to stay posted on my October sale.
I’m a big fan of pulp fiction—noir, westerns, horror, sci-fi, and fantasy. You know, hardboiled stories with gritty characters. I’m working on one that blends these genres. The idea was inspired by a ’90s rock video by The Toadies and my collection of Edgar Rice Burroughs paperbacks, which I received from a thoughtful boyfriend way back when I was 19. I’d like to share the opening scene.
Let me know if it grabs you. I might just serialize the story in installments for you and subscribers of my newsletter. After all, that’s how pulp fiction is meant to be shared.
Visit this awesome Pinterest Board for more fabulous pulp magazine covers.
Meetings at the Edge
Detective Charlie Driver knelt among the charred beams on the blackened stone floor, a cigarette unlit and dangling from his lips as he examined the scene. Ash and smoke were all that remained of the old boathouse at the edge of Stem Pond, which had a dark history of burning down and then rising again from the ashes. Each time, people died in the blaze, just like now.
As with previous incidents, there was no sign that anyone besides the victim had entered or been near the abandoned building when it caught fire, nor was there any evidence of how the fire started or why it only affected the small structure before burning out, despite witnesses a mile away describing flames shooting above the trees like Roman candles. It was as if it had taken place in a vacuum.
His department and the fire investigator officially cleared the scene the day before, and the remains were with the coroner. Every piece of evidence had been collected and sent to Charlie’s understaffed but capable crime lab, and he’d returned to the scene alone.
After the yellow tape came down, there was no one around to crowd his thoughts or question his methods. He would draw a cigarette, brush it beneath his nose before setting it between his lips, and let the ritual stir the instincts he trusted more than evidence. It often helped him get a bead on the victim.
His methods weren’t working today.
While the victim’s presence felt tangible in the lingering scent of smoke and damp earth, their voice remained as silent as the surroundings.
A crow had been lurking nearby for the past hour, occasionally shifting branches as if to remind him it was there. When it finally cawed overhead, Charlie nearly bit off the tip of his cigarette. He palmed it, squinting at the bird, then let the silence settle back in. Was the nosy creature reminding him that he was the only human on this Sunday afternoon, left in this cold, neglected 20-acre park? A gust whipped up unexpectedly, finding its way down the back of his fleece-lined coat, and Charlie stood, pulling his collar tighter.
Feeling as if the pond somehow held answers, Charlie took one last look around. The water wasn’t very deep, and beneath the frost lay a thick layer of moss. Centuries-old ash, oak, and elm trees stretched upward from its shore like twisted skeletons, interspersed with ghostly stands of fir, creating a dense, somewhat gloomy woodland. Frost covered the branches and glittered on the charred ruins beneath his feet—all signs of winter in this rangeland county. Yet, one detail puzzled him: all the green stalks poking through the snow. The park was overrun with wild onions.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was very strange about it, not because they grew in winter (onions can tolerate cold temperatures), but because this proliferation was unusually early. And why this place? He rolled his shoulders. Strangeness was increasingly the theme of this investigation, but what that meant for the victim…
Another blast of cold air swept over him, but this one carried something more—something inexplicable—making him want to light up his smoke and take a deep drag. The crow let out another loud caw as it took flight. Clenching his jaw, Charlie slipped the cigarette into his breast pocket and headed for his car. It was time to meet with his partner and go over the facts she’d been gathering.
Want to find out who died in the mysterious fire in a park overgrown with wild onions? Let me know in the comments.
I played my first tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) ever at my first-ever writing retreat in Virginia City in May. This month’s guest convinced me to give one a try on our Saturday evening in the cozy, haunted St. Mary’s Art Center, along with my friend and retreat roomie (and last month’s guest) Dee Beardsley. Jade authored the riveting Cthulhu mythos-based story and was an excellent teacher.
We started after dinner in the sitting room on the first floor, before taking a break for movie night in the theater on the 4th floor. Then, we retreated to the airy second-floor veranda, with its low lighting and the stars twinkling over Virginia City, which had us resorting to our phone flashlights to roll the dice and read the scenes. That only made the experience delightfully more gothic. And wow, was it ever the most complex, imaginative, and compelling way to immerse oneself in a story! I was Mr. Wabash, through and through, living in 1890s Chicago, discovering magic, and making some scary decisions. I would truly love to roleplay again, if I ever get a chance.
Join me for a chat with Jade today to discover what you’ve always wanted to know about TTRPGs and the stories and writers behind them, as Jade shares insights into the life of a TTRPG author.
Let’s Meet the Author
Though her usual genre is sci-fi and fantasy, discovering the tabletop roleplaying game Call of Cthulhu lit Jade Griffin’s imagination down a darker path of Lovecraftian horror. She has published six adventures so far in a series of Call of Cthulhu TTRPGs, starting with Taken For Granite on DriveThruRPG, and the collected campaign Embraced Fate: Amor Fati 1-4 is her newest TTRPG publication.
The most recent, Mr. Smith Who Works The Front Desk, is another companion novel to her Call of Cthulhu TTRPG series, which are therefore both player handouts and minor mythos tomes.
Jade Griffin lives in the high desert of northern Nevada with her family and an array of pets from several Phylum of Animalia.
Let’s Get Started
Thank you so much for visiting my Guest Spotlight, Jade. While I thoroughly enjoyed your introduction to TTRPGs, as mentioned above, I am woefully ignorant of the basic elements, having sadly missed out on this fantasy world-building craze in all its manifestations. So, to help ground us in the genre, what are the basic elements and objectives of a TTRPG from a player’s perspective? Are there other or different goals from a writer’s perspective?
JG: Very glad to answer! First, no matter if you play Call of Cthulhu or Dungeons & Dragons, or Star Wars, or any of the other tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs), they are all driven by the same factors: dice, character sheet, theater of the mind, and a group of friendly people. Dice have been around for millennia and are key to the random generation of events and results at the table, which are also affected by the skills and traits on an individual’s character sheet. These, combined with theater of the mind, where the person running the game describes the situation, scene, and all non-player characters (characters controlled by the person running the game and not the players). Keep in mind that a table and the group of people that you are with could be in person or even a virtual tabletop (VTT). I have run and played both ways. The connection is still there with a VTT, connecting with people from anywhere in the world, but the more intimate nature of sitting at a physical table surrounded by other people with a similar or the same goal–to go through a story together and make it your own–is immensely satisfying from my perspective as a writer. I am, first and foremost, a writer and not a gamer.
DLL:Fascinating, Jade! ‘Theater of the mind’ really captured the essence for me, and why it’s so fun to own the story and character. I went and looked up the history of dice. I’m not sure why I haven’t considered their enduring history before.
We caught a glimpse of your writing journey in your bio, but could you share more about how you became a writer and what led you to where you are today? Who or what was your biggest inspiration along the way?
JG: My biggest inspiration continues to be life and everything in it. A color, a smell, a sound… I am constantly reminded of my characters, and this puts a smile to my lips and prods me to make even more scenes and characters to delight myself and others. Initial inspiration came from reading Anne McCaffrey’s ‘Dragonriders of Pern’ series. I also enjoyed the autobiographies of Zitkala-Sa, Benjamin Franklin, and Frederick Douglass, the Little Fuzzy series by H. Beam Piper, the Quintaglio series by Robert J. Sawyer, and the classic ‘Frankenstein.’ For someone like me with a huge imagination, they all get catalogued in my brain warehouse and continue to inspire. As for how I became a writer, I would write little poems, then fan fiction, and finally original stories. The dialogue was always there, audible to me, and I crafted scenes and settings around what I hear and see my characters doing. It is such fun!
DLL:You made me smile, too. I can easily see your method in your sensory writing. And what great recs!I read ‘Dragonriders’ years ago. I might need to revisit it. I also love ‘Frankenstein,’ the story behind its creator, Mary Shelley, and all its media adaptations, including a movie I watch often, ‘I Frankenstein,” which features other fantasy themes I enjoy like Gargoyles vs. Demons. And of course, there’s the iconic satirical and hilarious version, my favorite Mel Brooks film, ‘Young Frankenstein.’ I went on a bit of a tangent, but the remarkable themes in Shelley’s brilliant horror story resonate in so many ways.
Did you play other TTRPGs before Call of Cthulhu? What interests you most about the gaming aspect, generally? What interests you about the Lovecraftian mythos?
JG: My goodness, yes. I never roleplayed in any system before meeting my husband. Divorced now, but he was a full-on gamer of everything and anything, so I did quite a bit of boardgames, card games, console and computer games, and of course TTRPGs. It was my greatest joy amongst the games, because any playthrough stays with me forever, just like crafting a story, whereas boardgames always reset and start over. I like things that stay. As for others, I have played: White Wolf, Star Wars, The Strange, Dungeons & Dragons (1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th Editions), and so many more. Why do I tabletop roleplay? As stated, the stories stay with me. They continue. Then I write novels based on stories not played through. Everything’s gloriously connected, and I love it. And I greatly prefer the Lovecraftian mythos and Call of Cthulhu over any other TTRPGs for the sole reason that you are playing a normal person. Not a hero, not a chosen one, just a person trying not to go insane but driven by the need to know or solve a mystery or even get revenge sometimes. It is fantastically human with the situations and consequences players find their characters in.
DLL:This is really helpful to me as a non-gamer, and now I understand the appeal I felt, thanks to the Lovecraft legacy and hisCosmic Indifferentism theme, which really came through in yourstory.
It seems to me that writing for TTRPGs with an established mythos and fan base would present its own unique challenges as well as benefits. Can you share what you’ve found to be the case?
JG: I find writing for Call of Cthulhu to be so much easier than other systems. You are dealing with the real world and not needing to know every rule of someone else’s fantasy world. I typically write in the 1920s and have been having loads of fun researching the era. I love to put as much history as I can into my works, to bring that world alive! As for already writing in an established mythos and fan base, the benefit is that you have fans craving more. The challenge is finding out if you need to create your own creatures and villains to tantalize them, or if it is in the public domain to use creatures already established. I love that there is a large Discord community of fellow creators, consumers, and even employees of the company that owns the rights to Call of Cthulhu, and they all welcome new creators, creations, and provide feedback.
DLL:I can see the appeal of the setting! And that’s exactly what I expected the community to feel like. Very fun.
Fantasy writers are often accused of loving the journey through their created worlds so much that they don’t want to leave them, which is why fantasy novels tend to be lengthy and often become series. Fortunately, readers also enjoy this aspect. It seems that writing for TTRPGs offers an author multiple ways to expand their worlds within the established mythos, including role-playing. Can you elaborate on that idea?
JG: Interesting question. Some have even asked me why I serialize my games if they are considered one-shots–a one-and-done where a group comes and plays that particular game once. There is no continuation for them… Except that I write with the endgame in mind, and it has always been a campaign–a lengthy story that you can do in sections. Don’t have time to play a whole campaign? No problem. The adventures I write are in small chunks, so you can just buy one; however, my goal is to tantalize the players to ask for more, and I feel successful in that regard, as it keeps happening at my own table! I have run games online and at local conventions for over three years now, and for many friendly strangers, and at least half end up asking, “What happens next?” Such a great feeling! It isn’t for everyone, however. Many TTRPG writers just do one and then move on to the next story they are inspired to do, but for me, everything – and I mean everything I write – eventually is connected together ;)
Along with your fascinating response above, how would you compare the experience of writing a novel or a single short story with creating a TTRPG?
JG: Excellent question, as there are similarities and differences. A novel is a set path, a set story. In a TTRPG, many things can happen that change the outcome of the game. Some characters even die. I try to write in contingencies for the most likely happenings and tell the person running the game that sometimes things happen, so make sure the play-through is fun and you can never go wrong – even if that means changing aspects of a story, altering a die roll, or simply saying a thing is so. The person running the game is a storyteller, referee, and observer all in one go. With a novel, though, you are judge, jury, and often executioner–of not just ideas but of your characters. I write what is there. My characters have lives. I am their scribe. Those paths are set when they go to print, and there is no deviation from their main timeline. Some deviations happen during gameplay because you can encounter the same characters you’ve read about in the novel, or you will read about a character you have just played with in a game. It was both a challenge and an experiment to see if I could write the same scene for a game as well as a novel. In my third and final novel in the series, titled “The Death of Lacy Moore: Monster Hunter of the 1900s”, this turned out to be the climactic scene. It is also the climax in my 4th TTRPG adventure, “Amor Fati 4: Ebon Roots”. They are the same scene, but I wrote them with certain fixed points in mind, points that could not be shifted in the game. I think I succeeded in my experiment and ended up with a very engaging and shocking conclusion.
DLL:Again, this is fascinating! And choosing a path by rolling the dice is exactly why playing the game was so compelling to me as a newbie, even as I felt a sense of awe over the complexity.
Both your passion for writing your stories and playing the game was evident in Virginia City, but which excites you more: playing or creating? I know you mentioned it above, but I would love more. Would you consider yourself a writer first, a player second?
JG: Always a writer first. Always. I play to experience the creation and revelation process as it happens in a TTRPG environment.
I’ve interviewed fantasy authors who heavily draw from their past world-building experiences in TTRPGs, and I envy them for that valuable skill. How much does playing the game influence your story creation? Build those world-building muscles? Do you think up new characters, stories, or scenarios even while you’re playing?
JG: For me, they play off of each other, and fuel each other, honing and sharpening the skill of world-building due to the sounding board of feedback from players, and of their own concepts brought into play. For example, one player randomly asked, in character, “I wanna go see the Ada K. Damon.” They were in Ipswich, Massachusetts, but I had no idea what she was talking about. I told her the storm was too bad so she could go another day. She accepted that reason and gave me time to look it up. Turns out it is a shipwreck that I happily integrated into a huge plot twist, which changed the whole course of that particular adventure and therefore the story. And, yes, I also get ideas from a thing spoken, a sound heard, a mispronunciation, or a mistype. Inspiration is everywhere, and my smile just lingers.
DLL:What a great story, and I caught that very smile at the retreat. This just expands on my love of writing and the many places we find inspiration.
Click on the photo to learn more about the shipwreck of the Ada K. Damon.
As we delightfully wandered through your latest story in draft form, you were able to address those few spots where something was missing as it came up, making notes in that huge binder packed with vivid, dark fantasy scenes, which suggested that this step (playing your draft story) is an important part of your process. Is that the case?
JG: Yes. And thanks again for being a part of that. Playtesting a game is important, but what you helped me with is one of several steps of THAT particular type of game. See, it is a playable Choose-Your-Own-Adventure-style TTRPG called a solo adventure. I need many, many playtests to iron out anything that doesn’t fit.
It is so hard to see what doesn’t work without a lot of playtesting and people trying different avenues in each playthrough. Even now, after 20 or so playtests, I still feel I need to do some more before it can go to print, even though I have published it digitally.
DLL:Wow! 20 playtests. That’s a lot of editing in the writing world. But I can totally see how that process needs to play out, while also being totally fun.
Which takes up more of your time, playing or writing? I imagine it’s a challenge not to let one consume the other. What organizational tips and techniques can you share about how you achieve your publication goals while running games and honing your player skills? How do you balance the world of TTRPG with everyday life?
JG: Writing! But also in “writing” is creating the story, characters, how they get in and out of dilemmas, the actual physical writing, and of course, marketing/publicity! I put all of my goals in my scope for each month/each year and refine it as I go. I also track any writing accomplishments in a Word document for easy reference and have a folder on my computer for photos. I also keep any bios I have typed up, printed out, or sent off, like for this interview, for easy access. I am definitely a planner and keep notes both in hardcopy and digitally in the file associated with the story or game they pertain to. As for how I balance? My creative space is my computer and the table where I game. My computer is not in an office where I can close the door and be alone. I share the space with my kids. I play instrumental music to drown them out or write/create/revise while they sleep.
DLL:Excellent! Thank you.
And speaking of organization, the layered complexity in your game staggered the imagination. You not only create a compelling mystery with numerous scenarios for each roll of the dice and player decision, but you basically have to deconstruct the story and assemble it like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Can you share more about your process and the challenges of assembling such huge projects?
JG: Yes, that was exactly it! I wanted to write a solo adventure and had to think up how. Yes, there are some tutorials out there, but really doing it, there are several ways to get started, and no good way to organize it the way my brain works, except to write it and go down each path as I write. The challenge was keeping track of them all, both in my head and on paper. It took 5 months to write a playable draft, as opposed to 1-2 months for a normal adventure. The sequel is taking even longer. I know there is something missing when I sit down to write it. There are little bits, little nuggets of awesome, and I am not finding them yet. Makes writing it difficult.
DLL:You write fast. I wish I could write at that pace. Based on all the techniques you’ve discussed, your nuggets of awesome will come. 😄
What would you say are the top skills needed to get the job done, to make a story a game, and a game a story?
JG: A very organized mind rife with creativity. I describe myself as a creative firestorm and have not met someone like myself before: bubbling with creative energy, bursting with fiery, excited bits of joy when I speak of my work. Secondly, you MUST be able to set a goal and achieve it. Do not look at roadblocks and setbacks. Those are mere challenges. These are self-imposed deadlines, but I imposed them to meet them, not to have them beat me. Third, you are your biggest champion and your loudest cheerleader for your work. You must be this. People must see your excitement. If you are not happy with it, why should they be? Fourth, develop the skill. Take part as a player, then purchase a game and read through it, and run your own. You can’t write what you have no experience playing. There are some rules for how a game is set up, its flow, and how stats and character sheets are set up. There are necessities and there are accessories, just like in writing a novel or short story. And if you want to do both, you must be inspired. Either driven by the book or, preferably, driven by the game, they fuel one another like nothing I have ever heard of.
DLL:So much great stuff, and I definitely caught that bubbly, energetic excitement at the retreat, which is why I was so happy to have you visit my Spotlight and explore it further.
What advice can you share about getting started in the TTRPG world as a writer and publisher of those games?
JG: Start with Storytelling Collective and their Write Your First Adventure workshop. They also tackle subjects and genres of novels and short stories. Highly recommend them. That is where I got my start. There is also a huge presence on Discord. That is where I find my playtesters and my beta readers/critiquers. Go find them.
DLL:Excellent again! Thank you.
You’ve published many stories with more on the way. Can you share a sneak peek of what’s coming and the best way to find you and your works?
JG: Absolutely! First, a cover reveal of the 5th adventure in the Amor Fati series, which I just published. And following is my social media info to see my progress, and where I will post sneak peeks as well as snippets of writing that I am working on.
10/13-10/16 – BLFC (Biggest Little Furry Con) in Reno, Nevada – running my various games
10/17-10/19 – Miskatonic Repository Con (online Discord convention, running my games)
11/1-11/2 – SNAFUCon in Reno – running my various games
11-8, 15, 22, and 29 (every Saturday in November) – Kobold’s Keep in Reno – running my games in person
Jade’s DriveThruRPG published stories with affiliate links.
DLL: Excellent, and on the topic of sneak peeks, I would love it if you could share a snippet of a favorite scene featuring one of those harrowing decisions a character must make.
JG: Sometimes it is hard to pick! I am in the middle of a short story horror adventure anthology featuring all of my own characters from the TTRPG series Amor Fati. I just published ‘Amor Fati 5: Hound of Fate.’ I started the sequel to the solo adventure. I started ‘Amor Fati 6: Lone Stars & Pinewood Boxes.’ Here are some bits from several of the anthology stories:
“Happen Stance” (“Touch Of Paisley” anthology)
Summer 1841
With dark of night above, cold ground beneath, and agony in between, Mr. Arthur Arctus Paisley did not ask if Death were coming for him; but instead fiercely wished for an answer on when. Death was well-deserved at the point he found himself, tossed and discarded in a barren landscape, broken and bleeding. He deserved to die. He wanted to die. Why did Death refuse to claim him?
“Origin of Mr. Doud” (“Touch Of Paisley” anthology)
1903
He could run faster than anyone in school and had proven it in track time and again.
That didn’t matter to the nightmare creature effortlessly gliding after him.
“Mr. Midsommer Meets His Match” (“Touch Of Paisley” anthology)
Merely fear, or the start right before the rush of the chase, and nothing more. Harold Midsommer had never experienced actual precognition, nor any validation that an impulse or feeling led to a better outcome for himself. He ignored the odd yet insistent apprehension and signaled Agent Foster to his left and Agent Dane to his right. He entered the abandoned building through the front door, easing it open slowly lest the rusty hinges give way and the door crash to the ground, alerting the creatures inside that their pursuers were closing in.
“Possessing A Sound Mind” (“Touch Of Paisley” anthology)
Nothingness. Familiar, in a way. So familiar, in fact, that he could function within it. Most could not, or so he assumed. A nexus in which his demiconsciousness resided, not unlike what he dwelled in as a captive for decade after decade after decade after…
Nothingness. Focus. Yes. This was different. This state of being contained an absence of feeling anything emotional as well as physical. Grasping that pinpoint of awareness, so elusive…
Nothingness.
Focus! Yes. I am Mr. Smith. I am…
Nothingness.
It is empty and full but I am Mr. Smith.
“The Bowers Ring” (“Touch Of Paisley” anthology)
“Christine, I believe you’ve taken some sort of issue with me and I’d like to know what it is. Feel free to speak candidly without reproach.”
The young female relative gave a little sigh, set the book down, faced her grand-aunt, and said, “The reason is simple: You are a liar.” Blunt, unexpected, but Virginia did not have feathers to ruffle. She herself was all scales and saw much of her own calculating coolness in the girl.
Easing onto the bed, she regarded her grand-niece with a clever smile. “What specifically do you believe you’ve been lied to about?”
Christine scowled, as if Virginia should already know the answer and it angered her to point out the facts. “Not counting the lie you just told about our family history, I overheard you talking with my dad last year, telling him where you’d been and what you’d done. All that stuff about magic and old gods and monsters. It’s all lies.”
“Origin of Mr. Grummond” (“Touch Of Paisley” anthology)
Is wonderful to sit at little café table in Autumn and drink delicious, hot coffee from tiny porcelain cup, to relax and survey all people so busy in coming and going, but is much more enjoyable to sit across from man in nice suit and let him watch me prepare tools to extract information from him. Perhaps he will tell me why I am told to assassinate him. Perhaps not. Cannot yet tell. Either way, drink coffee and read people, or clean tools and read one man, is enjoyable afternoon for me.
And here is a look at the premise for my newest TTRPG, “Amor Fati 5: Hound Of Fate” – Investigators are invited to sniff out answers to a pack of questions at the philanthropic Paisley Foundation and are allowed the full run of the building – with a few caveats surrounding Mr. Smith, the organization’s mysterious front desk man. Their curiosity has them chasing more than their own tales, interrupted by the arrival of an otherworldly predator hunting Mr. Smith.
And the premise for my upcoming TTRPG, “Amor Fati 6: Lone Stars & Pinewood Boxes” – On the eve of the new year, December 31, 1922, investigators are sent to Fort Worth, TX seeking the occult knowledge of an elusive carpenter when stars align not only for an alcohol-fueled family reunion but the arrival of a terrible creature which leaves destruction in its wake.
DLL:Absolutely awesome!! I so enjoyed reading these. Thank you so much.And thanks again, Jade, for chatting with me. Do you have any parting advice for those who would love to try their hand at writing stories for a TTRPG?
JG: Again, start with Storytelling Collective. It is where I got my start. Sign up for one of their Write Your First Adventure workshops, but they also have workshops, etc., for creative writing, short stories, flash fiction, romance novels, fantasy novels, poetry, and more. They are self-paced for some categories and a month long for others, and are geared toward getting you motivated, staying motivated, hitting attainable goals, and cheering you past your expectations. Some have contests or the end result to give you a place to submit your work. Others, like Short Story September, happening now, usually end up in an anthology. Short Story September is free. No need to pay for anything to get published, either. Just buy the book when it comes out!
DLL:Ooh, I will definitely sign up for Short Story September next year. What a great resource. I also registered for WorldAnvil, a platform to help authors build their worlds. All the best to you, Jade.
Questions and comments are welcome. Thanks for visiting bydllewellyn.com and supporting indie authors.
This summer’s Q&As have centered on short story writing, and my friend, Dee, is the perfect guest to round out the theme in a totally fun and unique way. She is a long-time fanfiction short story writer for the classic western television show, BONANZA, plus so much more, as we will discover.
As a Trekkie (Star Trek fan), I’m familiar with fan fiction, having read and passed on to my nephew dozens of fabulous Star Trek novels. I’m also familiar with the show’s bible, a colloquial term for the official, internal production document used by writers and directors to maintain consistency across the series. In the case of BONANZA, the names and likenesses of the characters are copyrighted, and writers must adhere to the brand’s guidelines while publishing their stories within the series community established by the brand. Guidelines vary for classic TV shows with huge fan bases, like Emergency, Adam 12, Stargate, Quantum Leap, Charmed, and more. Check out this forum listing. It boggles the mind.
Some argue that fanfiction does not fall under fair use, as it is derivative work. The issue of whether fanfiction is transformative (profound alteration) or non-transformative (verbatim copying of preexisting works, or plagiarism) has been endlessly debated and fought in courts. Dee will take us behind the scenes in the life of an inspired fanfiction writer and her commitment to the BONANZA brand.
Let’s Meet the Author
Dee Beardsley is a retired legal support professional, current radio show script writer, producer, and director, avid quilter, Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT), world traveler, and prolific BONANZA TV show fanfiction writer.
After a fulfilling career in the legal profession in San Diego, California, Dee knew where she wanted to head next in life.
She packed up her office and all her quilts and quilting paraphernalia and moved to Cartwright Country, aka Northern Nevada, just a few miles from historic Virginia City and the Ponderosa Ranch. She has written 63 stories since 2010, featuring the beloved Cartwrights in these settings, which you can find here.
Let’s Get Started
It’s about time I had you visit my Guest Spotlight, Dee. Thank you so much for joining me today. I want to chat about all the interests you love to pursue, many of which we share, but let’s start with writing. Can you provide the highlights of your writing journey and how it all began?
DB: Thank you for the invitation, Darci. I am humbled that you asked. In college, I was a tech major in Theater—costumes, lighting, makeup, and directing—but didn’t write my first television script until I was working on my Masters in Radio, Television, and Film. It was a 30-minute children’s show titled “The Thief Who Stole Time.” It was unbelievably hard to turn over my first script to a director whose vision of the production was not mine.
A life-long fan of BONANZA, I began writing fan fiction months after attending the 50th Anniversary Convention in 2009. I took a Writer’s Workshop there, devoured every word, and took copious notes (thank goodness for my legal shorthand!). I wrote my first BONANZA story over a weekend and, with a shaky hand and trepidation in my heart, I published it at midnight on the Bonanza World website. The first review said, “That is unquestionably the most powerful, gut-wrenching, amazing story that I’ve read in a very, very long time. Certainly, it’s the first one in ages that has moved me to tears—I kept thinking, “You can’t! You can’t!”—but an author can, because sometimes, that’s how life is.” I framed that review, and it hangs above my computer as a reminder that I can do it even when the writing/editing is hard.
DLL: Thank you for sharing this amazing story, Dee. What lovely feedback to fuel your new passion. And wow, I would have loved to have been at that convention.
What other types of writing do you engage in besides fanfiction?
DB: I wrote professional development articles for various legal publications during my career, and I continue to write content for Douglas-Carson Legal Professionals’ monthly publication as well as serve as its editor.
DLL: Douglas-Carson Legal Professionals (DCLP) is the local chapter of NALS, supporting members in Nevada. Dee does a fantastic monthly newsletter. I was a member from 2010 until I retired in 2023 and created and maintained its website until then.
I just want to add a plug for professional development organizations like NALS. For career-minded support professionals, there is nothing like getting out and meeting others in your field. Participation dwindled drastically during my membership. Maybe a result of new generations valuing meet-and-greet career development and networking less than past generations. While many organizations have adapted and thrive online these days, there is no better way (or fun way) to get the most out of membership than attending the conferences and events. Sit on a board. Run for office. Network in person. The benefits are phenomenal.
What works or authors have inspired you throughout your life?
DB: I love reading historical fiction, mysteries, fantasy, and an occasional biography. And the authors I admire would be (in no particular order): Diana Gabaldon, Robin Hobb, Scott Pratt, Leo Tolstoy, Naomi Novik, James Patterson, Stephen King, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Susan Howatch, Wilbur Smith, and, of course, D.L. Lewellyn.
Favorite books of childhood: Nancy and Plum by Betty McDonald; Pamela and the Blue Mare by Alice L. O’Connell; Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes. From 4th grade on, I would begin every school year by checking out these books from the school library. Other books would get added to the list over time, but these were the core. In 7th grade, I read War and Peace and fell in love with Russian novels.
DLL: 7th grade is the perfect angsty time for Russian literature. And wow, thanks for including me on your illustrious list. I will never see my name so close to Gabaldon or Tolstoy ever again, so I will cherish this forever. 😀
You recently participated in a presentation with Diana Gabaldon, right? Can you share some of your favorite insights from the Outlander author?
DB: I did. She was speaking to a local group in Flagstaff, Arizona, and I saw on Facebook that attendance by Zoom was possible. I love the Outlander series, so I signed up hoping to learn more. Diana has a great sense of humor and is unassuming, even a bit self-deprecating. She not only speaks very fast, but she chuckles while speaking. There was no way shorthand would work, so I turned on the voice memo on my phone to capture her stream-of-consciousness explanation of how she works. Please excuse the length of this answer, but I think it’s an important lesson in our craft.
Diana said she’s a hodgepodge thinker, not a linear one. She shows up every day to work and has no idea what’s going to happen, but she needs a kernel, an image or a line of dialogue that she can see and then she writes down a sentence describing whatever that thing is.
I write the sentence as carefully as I can to describe exactly what I’m seeing or hearing and then I look at it and I take words out and put words back in and I move pieces around and then I add another sentence and think no that’s not right but put a space in because I might want to use it later and I fiddle until that sentence is the way I want it and in the meantime the back of my head is kicking through the rubbish back there and turning up mushrooms and ooh I didn’t think that and sometimes that anchors me where I am what I call a cold day where I have no idea what’s going to happen. I have a lot of books on 18th century clothes and furnishings, houses, whatever and I will often pick up one of those like an old Sotheby’s catalog and go through it. Glass and silver and I’ll think somebody’s going to be eating or drinking something and I think I can describe it so I flip through it and there is this nice Waterford glass with panels in which Jacobite roses were engraved. I was thinking splendid. Well, maybe whoever owns this glass is not Jacobite. Maybe they’re our guest, and somebody who is a secret Jacobite put this in front of them to see how they would react. Anyway, I thought that might be good, so I put it sort of in front of my mind’s eye, so to speak, and started writing, and I said ‘The crystal glass’. Okay. Good beginning, but it’s just sitting there, not doing anything. Maybe something else is going to happen to it. Someone’s going to knock it over, and the crystal glass shattered on the floor. No, no, I don’t want to break it, it’s too pretty. Well something has to happen to it, so okay, it’s just sitting there, and there’s light shining through it, and I can see that, so the window must be open. Okay, the light. The light what? Okay, the light hit the glass a certain way, and it’s going to band, isn’t it, because of refraction and so forth? Do I want to go into that? No. Too scientific. The light struck the crystal glass? What about the roses? Do I need to put those in here? No, I can put them somewhere else. The crystal glass glimmered in the light? No. Wait a minute, I can see that light from my left and it’s blue and it seems cold somehow. What if it’s blue? Why is it blue? And I’m thinking the cold light…yeah, the cold, blue light. Okay, now we’re exploring timing. Well it has to be winter because it’s the 18th century. Why else would it be cold and blue? Okay, so I look out the window and there’s snow, and I think that’s why it is cold and blue because there’s snow, okay, it’s winter, okay. The cold, blue light of a winter afternoon—is that enough?—The cold, blue light of a late winter afternoon—that seems like a lot of words but let’s keep them for the time being. I can always take them out later. The blue light. No, the cold blue light of a late winter afternoon…okay, get the glass in… passed through the glass so the light passed through the crystal goblet…okay it’s a goblet instead of just a glass so we can put that in, giving it more of a nuanced sense…well, and did what? So I can see it…this is where refraction comes in and it bent and went splat on the table… okay, so the cold blue light of the late winter afternoon… no, it doesn’t matter if it’s late…the cold blue light of the winter afternoon passed through the crystal goblet and…I can’t say splat on the table… and cast a pool…I can see it…and cast an amber pool on the polished wood of the table. Okay. There we have it. The cold, blue light of the winter afternoon passed through the crystal goblet and cast a pool of amber light on the polished wood of the tabletop. We’re in Jocasta Cameron’s study and she’s sitting in front of the crystal goblet.
So that’s how a kernel works. It’s all very messy. It’s basically figuring out how your own brain works and working with it, not against it. It’s not what they teach you in fourth grade, i.e., you must have a topic sentence, etc. You just need an idea to start with something that will get you into the page.
Diana Gabaldon
What is it about Bonanza that makes you a huge fan? What themes or elements do you enjoy incorporating into your Cartwright stories most?
DB: As a canon writer of BONANZA fan fic, I stick to the guidelines established by the creator David Dortort:
In the Old West, it meant a lot to be a Cartwright. Being a family, loving the land, being honest and fair. Giving every man and woman a second chance.
More than most television shows, BONANZA has a heart and soul. To protect that heart and soul and to preserve the integrity of the show, the following are the essential values that must be maintained:
1. The Cartwright family, the good father and the good, loyal sons, are the center of gravity around which the show revolves. They may disagree on any number of issues, but always, in the end, they are a family again, all for one, one for all.
2. They stand for tolerance, compassion, and concern for all endangered species, and that includes the stranger in need of sanctuary, the battered mother, the abandoned child, the wounded animal, as well as the forests, the mountain stream, the lakes and ponds. No woman, no child, no animal can be abused without swift and full-bore punishment for the abuser.
3. The Ponderosa, the home of the Cartwright family, should be treated as a special kind of place, a sort of mythical kingdom on the glistening crown of the Sierra. Good people, role models, are in charge here. People slow to anger, but tread lightly or suffer the consequences. Stern, formidable when faced with injustice, but loose, relaxed, fun-loving, a family that can laugh at itself as easy as it can challenge a swindler, a bounty hunter, a slave master, or a robber baron, no matter how high the odds are against them.
David Dortort
DLL: What a marvelous insight into the mind of the show’s creator. No wonder fans still enjoy the show in syndication and the ongoing stories on the fanfic forum.
In the stories I’ve read of yours, the characters come across so vividly and true to their natures that I can imagine engaging with them at the Ponderosa Ranch or Virginia City in the 19th century. Dare I ask, who is your favorite Cartwright?
DB: Initially, when I was 12, it was Little Joe, but I soon realized that it was the whole family that mattered to me. My parents divorced when I was 10, and I didn’t see my Dad again until I was an adult. I had no siblings. Watching BONANZA allowed me to see what men were like, how they thought, walked, talked, and loved. So my favorite is the family.
Dee was given permission by Bonanza Ventures to share this image of the Cartwrights.
DLL: I totally get that, and it shows in your writing.Can you share a favorite scene from one of your stories?
BONANZA was on for 14 seasons. “The Way Home” is set in what I call Season 15. In this scene, Joe has been missing for two years and doesn’t remember that his brother Hoss is dead. Jamie is the youngest Cartwright son who was adopted in Season 13. Griff is the ranch hand who joined the cast at the beginning of Season 14. Billy is an original character of mine introduced in my first story, “My Father’s Heartbeat.”
The door was ajar, but Ben knocked lightly on it anyway out of habit. When there was no answer he pushed it open with his fingertips, but remained standing in the threshold, uncertain about entering. He didn’t know how his son felt about yesterday’s events. It was obvious when Joe drove into the yard with Griff that he knew he had been followed. He had shaken off offers of assistance when he climbed awkwardly out of the buggy, walked somewhat tipsily into the house, and went straight to his room slamming the door, not speaking to anyone. When Ben had checked on him later, he was sleeping with his deaf ear out, a trick he had begun using to avoid conversation. Griff was close-mouthed about why they were delayed.
It was only this morning when Ben was going through the portfolio and saw the Army contracts that he realized Joe must have seen them also. The title after Griff’s name must have been a shock to Joe, but the word “manager” had many meanings and could be changed with no real harm to either man. Ben was more concerned with the title after Billy’s name because he knew that “trainer” held more significance for Joe. No one trained his horses but him—no one.
Joe didn’t hear Ben’s steps in the hallway or the door creak as it opened, but he could feel his Pa’s presence all the same. Doc Martin was right in that his other senses were beginning to compensate for the hearing loss. Jamie had told him about a nitro explosion that left him blinded although he had been lucky and had regained his sight as predicted. The Doc had offered no such assurances this time. No, this time the hearing loss was likely permanent as was the vertigo.
Pa’s been smoking again. Joe knew his Pa had given up his pipe after a severe case of influenza last winter—last winter?—but all that must have changed in the time he’d been gone. It was more than the smell of pipe tobacco which filtered into the room when his Pa entered and sat down on the edge of the bed. It was The Look Joe felt boring into his back. He’s worried.
“I’m all right,” he sighed, not moving from the window.
“Well,” Ben said, “at least you’re not ‘fine.’”
Joe’s eyes flashed as he snapped his head around towards his father, ready to retort, but seeing the smile on Ben’s face, he held his tongue.
Ben could see what that quick movement cost Joe . . . the way he gripped the window frame to steady himself, the beads of sweat that broke out on his brow and lip. He could sense when the wave of nausea slammed into his son. It even appeared as though Joe had stopped breathing for a moment when he closed his eyes against the dizziness.
“Look at me son,” Ben said quietly.
Joe’s eyes opened and—exhaling slowly—he focused on his father’s face. Ben wanted so badly to put his hand around Joe’s neck and pull him close as he used to do, but Joe was keeping him at arm’s length both figuratively and literally.
“Talk to me, Joe. I know you’re angry with me, but we need to talk it out.”
When there was no response, Ben changed tactics.
“Tell me what it’s like.”
“What?”
“These attacks. What do they feel like? What happens to you?”
“What happens?”
“I want to know what you’re going through. Help me to understand, son.”
Joe sighed and stared out the window again. He remained that way for a long time. So long that Ben had almost decided to leave the room when Joe began to speak hesitantly as he struggled to put into words what he experienced.
“It’s . . . like being drunk only worse. Instead of the room spinning, I’m the one spinning. I have trouble hearing, my eyes go haywire, my head weighs a thousand pounds and I can’t hold it up. I sweat, throw up, and then want to sleep for a long time. When I wake, I feel like I was rode hard and put away wet. And I know it will happen again. And I know I’m powerless to stop it. But the worst part,” Joe paused. “The worst part is being treated like . . . like Little Joe.” He turned to look at his father accusingly, “like a child.”
Ben swallowed hard and met his son’s gaze. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Joe. You’ve no one to blame but me. I’m responsible for the way you’ve been treated. I’m the one that kept Jamie and the others away from you—to keep you from learning too much, too soon.”
The raw emotion that passed between father and son crackled like heat lightning. Joe was the first to discharge the static electricity with a simple question that had no simple answer.
“Why?”
A hundred responses went through Ben’s mind in as many seconds, each one rejected summarily. In the final analysis there was only one response required—the truth.
“Fear.”
The word echoed in Joe’s head becoming louder with each ping. Fear. Joe had felt fear many times, but not his father. Not Pa. No matter how old the son is, a father isn’t allowed to be afraid. Fathers are pillars of strength, but even as he thought, My Pa’s not afraid of anything . . . he’s the bravest man in the whole world! He realized it was a child’s voice he was hearing, not a man’s. And a part of him—suddenly a very large part of him—wanted to be a child again.
Instead, he lowered himself into the chair by the window and said simply, “Explain.”
It was Ben’s turn to rise from the bed and look out the window, but there was no joy in his stance.
Joe’s insides clenched. He had a very bad feeling and it wasn’t the vertigo.
“Pa . . .”
“Hush, Joseph. You asked for an explanation. I’m trying to give you one.” Ben turned and sat on the windowsill, his hands gripping the woodwork. He took his time, weighing his words carefully.
“A child is God’s greatest gift. A parent’s responsibility is to see to it that that child becomes a happy, responsible adult, a productive member of society, socially conscious, a caretaker of the environment, and lives a long and fruitful life. When a child becomes more than a parent ever dreamed possible . . . well, that’s a parent’s gift to God.
“From the moment each of you were born—you, Adam, and Hoss, I’ve sheltered, nurtured, cared for you as best as I could. I realize at times I was perhaps overzealous in that duty of care. I’m not proud of that, but it is instinct . . . a parent’s nature to want to protect their children from disappointment; to absorb as much pain and hurt as possible. That a child will experience those things anyway is a part of growing up, I know. But the desire to protect never goes away, even when that child becomes a man.”
“Pa,” Joe began. Ben raised a hand to silence him.
“One constant fear a parent has is that they won’t be there when their children need them; to help them when they stumble, to see them grow up and flourish. But the greatest fear every parent lives with is that they will outlive their children and not be able to fulfill that promise to God.
“Pa, I’m so sorry you thought I was dead. I don’t know—”
“Joe—”
“—where I was. I would have come home if—”
“Joseph—”
“—I could have.”
Ben leaned forward and placed his hands on Joe’s knees. “Son, I never believed you were dead. Roy, Paul, everyone tried to reason with me, but I never felt it in here,” Ben poked his chest. “What they were telling me made sense in my head, but not in my heart.”
“Then . . . I don’t understand . . . what are you talking about?”
“About the information I kept from you. I’ve been trying to shelter you, protect you from learning things that would hurt. I wanted to save you from the pain—” Ben’s eyes began to fill with tears.
“Pa, I’ll get over this vertigo—”
“Joseph—”
“—or I’ll learn to live with it like the doc says. You don’t hav . . . you don’t have to—”
Tears were now streaming down his Pa’s face and Joe was beginning to panic.
“—what? What is it I don’t know? What is it you have to tell me?”
“Joseph,” Ben said, placing his hands on his son’s shoulders. “Hoss is dead.”
For a long moment Joe thought it was his ear that had deceived him again; thought he had misheard. Dead? No. Hoss is on vacation. He’s just takin’ his sweet time coming home, getting even with me for being late. But his father’s anguish was genuine. He gripped Ben’s forearms to steady himself and held on, searching the face he knew so well for a sign . . . any sign that this was all a mistake.
“I am so sorry, Joe. I would give anything . . . my life . . . if you didn’t have to go through this again.”
Again? What do you mean again? “When?” he croaked. “How?”
“Nearly four years ago. An accident. He was . . .” Ben’s voice droned on, but Joe didn’t hear. All that echoed in his head was four years . . . four years . . . four years. He’d only been gone two years, they told him. I’ve lost four years?
Joe stood suddenly, gulping for air. He had to get out of the house. He ran down the stairs, out the front door, and vaulted onto the nearest horse. There was only one place on earth he wanted to be.
The ride to the lake was a blur. By the time Joe arrived his head was exploding with kaleidoscopic visions. He fell rather than dismounted and promptly rolled to his side to empty his stomach. Spent, he crawled on hands and knees to the moss-covered mound where his mother was buried and then he saw it. No! Next to her was Hoss’s grave, the blooms of a climbing rose entwining both headstones. As his fingers traced each letter of his brother’s name one by one, Joe’s heart fractured bit by bit until there was nothing left. Bereft beyond comprehension, he fell unconscious to the ground.
DLL:Thank you so much, Dee, for giving us an exclusive look at one of your stories! What a gut-wrenching scene ending, and beautifully done.
If a writer wanted to try their hand at fanfiction, where would you advise them to start? What skills are needed, and how would they find where to submit their work?
DB: Start with a show where you know the episodes and characters in and out. It could be any show from any era. My website, womenwritersblock.net, has over 2,400 stories in 52 different fandoms. I welcome new authors/fandoms, so contact me at wwbarchivist@gmail.com if you are interested.
Start simply, perhaps with a scene that you feel was missing from an episode. Or write a sequel to the episode—a what happened next, or instead.
DLL: Perfect! Thank you, Dee.And what a wealth of stories to access for free on your fantastic website.
From the perspective of someone involved in the fanfic genre, can you share your thoughts on the copyright controversy mentioned in the introduction? What are your thoughts on fair use and derivative works?
DB: Bonanza Ventures, Inc., the copyright holder for all things BONANZA, has granted Bonanza Brand a license, and we strictly follow the guidelines for the use of the names and images of BONANZA characters.
Fanfic has been around for centuries. Consider the oral and written retellings of the Greek Myths. Jane Austen and Charles Dickens had their share of fanfic writers. Yes, there are authors who have specifically forbidden fanfiction of their work, but there are many more who have embraced it. I would be more concerned about plagiarism.
DLL: That sums up well what I’ve been researching on this fascinating topic. Thank you.
In case you’re curious about the actual copyright language, Dee provided it for us:
The names and likenesses of the characters appearing in BONANZA photoplays, and any images and pictures from such photoplays, are collectively copyrighted and trademark-protected property of Bonanza Ventures and NBC Universal, Inc. (as successor in interest to the National Broadcasting Company, Inc.), and are made available only for private, non-commercial use.
Can you describe the BONANZA fanfic community and how dedicated the writers are to the brand’s integrity? I know the readers are dedicated as well. Can you give us an idea of the volume of readers visiting the Bonanza Brand info site and how they engage with the community beyond just reading the stories?
DB: Our community forum for all things BONANZA is bonanzabrand.info. Included are subforums dedicated to each character as well as each actor, episode discussions, games, puzzles, and more. There is also a subforum, The Virginia City Literary Society (VCLS), for writers, which offers writing challenges, workshops, discussions on the writing life, and research, plus an area for works in progress (WIPS) where a writer can get feedback and encouragement.
Our library site isBonanzabrand.info/library, and it requires a separate registration, but you can use the same password.
At Brand, our desire is to maintain a high-quality library where fans can enjoy a wide variety of stories. Readers come to explore stories about the Cartwrights, their family and friends, and the supporting characters who have come and gone in their lives. Readers do enjoy original characters as well as characters from other fandoms and how they interact with the Cartwrights; however, these characters shouldn’t push the Cartwrights to the periphery or out of the story.
We currently have over 4,350 stories in the library. Since BONANZA has a worldwide fan base, we have an app on the site that will translate a story into any language listed.
Stories are often based on episodes (431 of them!) and are identified in the summary, e.g.: WHN (what happened next); WHI (what happened instead); WHB (what happened before); WHIB) what happened in between scenes; AU (alternative universe—e.g., a Cartwright marries); or Crossover (between, say, BONANZA and The Big Valley). Many are completely original and true to canon.
Our guidelines are designed to provide writers with the opportunity to share their passion for the Cartwrights and the other characters created by David Dortort’s vision. Stories that are not consistent with this aim (e.g., slash, smut, sex with minors) are not tolerated and will be removed.
You asked about traffic. We get over a million hits a year, but of course, a lot of those hits are bots. Our stats for most viewed stories for the period January 1 – August 13, 2025, are 57,814 from the following countries: the US, the UK, Germany, Canada, France, Australia, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Thailand.
DLL: This is amazing! I love that readers around the globe can enjoy the stories in their own language and find stories inspired by their favorite episodes.
What is the longest story you’ve written, and what is the shortest? What’s your best advice on writing short stories?
DB: My shortest story in the library is “Alone” at 505 words.
My longest single story told in three parts is The Choices Trilogy (“Choices,” “Shadows,” and “Hunger”), totalling 47,500 words. “The Way Home” came in at 30,935. “Deception” at 18,437 and “One Candle” at 16,000.
Otherwise, I pretty much write in the 3,000 to 10,000 range. Truthfully, I don’t worry about word count unless it’s for a Drabble where the number of words is exact (a great editing exercise!). I write until the story is done, and then I edit the hell out of it. If it’s been said, don’t belabor the point. Make each word count. Get in; get out; be brief; be gone. And PROOFREAD!!!
My biggest bugaboo as an editor and beta reader is repetitive phrases (especially in the same paragraph). Use a thesaurus!
DLL: Great advice. Thanks!
Through your many organizations, writing, legal profession, radio, cinema, quilting, etc., you’re often called upon as a guest speaker. What are your favorite themes to share with your audiences across all subjects? What are your favorite themes when speaking about writing?
DB: Golly! You do ask tough questions, Darci! What it boils down to is that I am not a passive member of any organization with which I am involved. Active participation, purpose, commitment. Don’t be a seat warmer. Make a difference. At my writing workshops, I stress canon and being true to the characters created by David Dortort.
DLL: Thanks for rising to the challenge of satisfying my voracious curiosity. And, again, great advice.
Prior to your very busy retirement, you were busy raising a son, working as a legal support professional for top law firms, and an active member of NALS, the National Association for Legal Support Professionals, even serving as its national president. NALS is how you and I met. How did you fit your creative life into such an active schedule? What role did writing play in those earlier years?
DB: Creativity is like water to me. I have to have it to live, and I’ll cross deserts to find it. It’s what makes life worth living. When I was a Cub Scout den leader, every meeting was an opportunity to use my theater skills in interpreting the monthly theme, e.g., taking old sheets and stamping them with sponges dipped in paint to create castle walls and have the boys write a play about King Arthur. Or building a dogsled to “run” in the Iditarod, introducing Robert Service (“The Cremation of Sam McGee”) to the boys, and having them write and recite a poem about life on the Klondike and or building a doll house (I told them it was a ranch house. Shh!) and asking them to write a skit about living in the Old West.
I made a lot of quilts for the NALS Foundation for fundraising purposes… not much writing there! Now I donate Zentangle pieces to the Foundation’s auction.
DLL: I’m sure those Cub Scouts still hold those memories. They got to benefit from you crossing deserts. What great experiences! And what lucky auction participants.
One of the reasons we relate to each other so well is that we’re multicrafters who relish learning new things each new decade of life. We’ve shared many of our interests at conventions, classes, and retreats. Zentangle, for instance, with Audrey Markowitz, CZT. You’ve since been certified as a Zentangle teacher.
We’ve been roommates at NALS conventions. We had a NALS night out for National Law Day with the Carson City Cinema Club. As a member, you organized the event, and we enjoyed the best classic film ever, To Kill a Mockingbird. You’re still involved with the local NALS chapter, sharing your professional knowledge.
Most recently, we were roomies at the Virginia City Writing Retreat, where we enjoyed the truly inspirational setting at St. Mary’s Art Center (once a Victorian hospital), which featured in one of your stories.
You primed our participation by sharing one of your excellent writing presentations, featuring Dan Harmon’s Plot Circle.
I’m so happy we’ve been able to enjoy all these activities together over the years, plus so many lunches and meetups where we talk for hours about our love of art and writing. But I’m noticing a pattern as I reflect on our time together. Not only do you enjoy learning new things, but you also love sharing them with others through mentoring and teaching. You were the first person I turned to when I started writing and were instrumental in my progression.
Can you share your journey in exploring your diverse interests and more about what motivates your passion to create and then teach what you know?
DB: I am not ashamed to say that I’ve failed at something because you learn more from your failures than your successes. I also share what works for me and offer others a different way of looking at something, and hope something works for them. Perspective and alternatives.
A favorite book as a child was The Little Engine That Could. “I think I can, I think I can…I knew I could, I knew I could. I remember playing schoolhouse as a child and finding out that the best way to learn something was to teach it to someone else. For example, when I learned multiplication, I taught the younger kids in the neighborhood the principles to help me internalize it. What became clear when I began leading seminars and teaching classes is that everyone learns differently, so you need to present the same material in four different ways: for the auditory learner, the visual learner, the reading/writing learner, and the kinesthetic learner.
I have a curious and inquisitive nature and love learning and trying new things. Some stick, others don’t. I no longer build dollhouses, but I want to learn woodburning, and I recently acquired an engraving pen…so I’m looking forward to pursuing both in a spare moment or two. Ha!
I began quilting in earnest in the 80s and have more fabric than I’ll ever be able to use. What I love about that craft is the variety of tasks involved. I can piece blocks or assemble them into a top, quilt it or bind it, or sit at the computer and design a new one using EQ8—whatever suits my mood. The result is that I have many quilts in various stages of completion. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
After I took a beginner Zentangle class with Audrey Markowitz, CZT, and became certified, I taught for a while at locations in Carson City and Dayton, both of which closed during COVID, so now I share my Zentangle knowledge with my “Dayton Divas,” and continue to take classes myself online or with other CZTs. The Zen in Zentangle is the meditative part. When I’m stuck on a story, I’ll create a tile focusing on one stroke at a time. Solutions to plots often appear out of thin air when I’m chilled out (or when I’m in the shower…but that’s another story.)
I took these photos when I joined Dee and the Dayton Divas for a Zentangle afternoon.
DLL: I should have guessed you were a mentor from an early age. 😄A great insight into how one creativity flows into another, resulting in multiple life-affirming benefits. You nailed the multicrafter’s character. I, for one, can’t have too many unfinished projects. You never know when the mood will strike to work on a particular one. And yes, those mindful activities work on the subconscious level to get ideas flowing. I recommend it!
As a retiree with a stacked calendar, how do you manage your time and commitments? Can you share your best tips and techniques for staying organized?
DB: Although it goes against my grain as a people pleaser, I have learned to say “no” and developed a personal motto/mantra: “Don’t promise what you can’t deliver and deliver more than you promise.”
Calling on my theatrical background, I mark my calendar entering the due date (opening night) first and work backwards, leaving time during the week prior to the due date for last minute changes or adjustments (dress rehearsal, tech rehearsal), the week or two before that for planning and acquiring of materials to complete the project (table read, scene work, blocking, run throughs, etc.).
If facing a same-day deadline, I still work backward: 5 p.m. (court closes); 4:30 p.m. (filing with court); 4 p.m. (copies made); 3 p.m.( messenger arranged, service envelopes prepared); 2:30 p.m. (remind attorney of deadline); 1:30 p.m.( ensure exhibits are in the correct order); 12 p.m.
(remind attorney of deadline); 10 a.m. (obtain filing fee check from accounting); 9 a.m. (remind attorney of filing). Obviously, I’m being facetious here, but the important thing to do is to lay out the push points, allow time for something to go wrong because it will, and have a backup or an alternative plan in mind.
I set aside one day of the week for me. No commitments. I usually mark my calendar as “studio” time. The point is, “ME” time is just as important as all the other demands.
DLL: Ooh, I love this theatrical-inspired method! All you planner fanatics (like me), take note. And wow, so many people I know, including me, struggle with saying no. I can see the necessity with all your commitments and your credo.
You’re an avid traveler. Can you share how travel fits in with your creative life?
DB: I love to travel, and I love road trips. I am also an inveterate cruiser. Experiencing new worlds and meeting people from different walks of life and cultures is an important part of that, but I also go on quilting cruises where I can indulge a passion AND meet new people AND see new places. I taught Zentangle to some shipmates on my 17-day Hawaii quilting cruise in January 2025. One of the ladies was 82!
During my circumnavigation of Australia last fall, BONANZA was a frequent topic. It started during introductions around the dining table (a different table every meal). No one had heard of Dayton, Nevada, so I usually just said “I live in Carson City… the Nevada state capital…” When I continued to be met with blank stares, I would add, “Cartwright Country,” and everyone would exclaim, “Bonanza! We love that show.” It didn’t matter what country they were from; they all knew the show.
The beauty of a ship is that you can do as much or as little as you want. I usually had a full schedule on sea days, attending cultural lectures and special programs about the ports coming up, the piano bar, the arts and crafts room, library, jigsaw puzzles, reading by the pool, writing, scholarly conversations in the art gallery, and silliness in the lounges.
DLL: I adore this!More proof of how one passion connects to others, often in surprising ways, enriching our lives.
In addition to all the crafts previously mentioned, you’re listed on your very own IMDb page as the writer, director, and producer for The Feud (2025), the Radio Story Hour (2023), and Secrets of Harridge House (Audio Drama) (2020). I think of it as an extension of your writing craft, but can you share how you got involved in local radio and what you love about it? The same for your involvement with the local cinema club.
DB: I joined the Carson City Classic Cinema Club when I first moved to Nevada as a way to meet people and create ties with the community. At the first open board meeting, I volunteered for something and was soon appointed to fill a vacancy on the board. From there, I became an officer and then started a monthly newsletter—the C5 NewsReel, which features information about the classic films being presented. Soon after, I joined Rhonda Abend and Jeff Fast, the hosts of a weekly radio show on KNVC 95.1 dedicated to classic cinema. Through those connections, I met Scott Young.
During the pandemic, when live theater went dark, many producers turned to audio as a way to keep actors, writers, and directors working… and to prevent their spouses and significant others from committing murderous acts. Advances in remote recording technology meant productions could be created safely from anywhere in the world, without cast or crew ever having to be in the same room. I was approached by Scott, Supervising Producer of the gothic horror drama Secrets of Harridge House (airing on KNVC 95.1 FM and as a podcast), to try my hand at the Season 2 opener. My first attempt was a disaster. Writing for audio is nothing like writing narrative fiction. Instead of painting scenes with all five senses, you have to rely entirely on dialogue, music, and sound effects. Scott saw potential and gave me another shot. That second script made it to production, and over the next two years, I wrote 10 episodes across Seasons 2 and 3, also serving (uncredited) as the co-writer of both season Bibles. I eventually became Supervising Producer for Season 3 alongside Cody Lindenberger, helping to shape the show’s long-range story and ultimate conclusion.
When Scott launched Radio Story Hour, I joined as a staff producer, adapting and directing two Edgar Allan Poe stories (airdates pending). I also worked with him as a Consulting Producer on the first season of “Murphy’s, Inc.,” helping select the writing team and guide them through story development. It was a joy to mentor emerging talents Austin Dai and Terra Eon, whose strong work allowed them to run the writing of the series entirely during its first season. They later opted to bring in new writers to collaborate with them for Season 2.
One second chance opened the door to all of it, and I’m grateful I walked through.
DLL: I’ve always admired how things worked out for you so quickly after retiring and moving your life to Northern Nevada. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful example of taking a leap of faith into opportunity at any stage of life.
Now, this might be a tough question, but what is your favorite among all your pursuits? Which one is the most mindful and relaxing?
DB: They all have their place and time, and a season to every purpose.
DLL: Well said.
Thank you so much for visiting today, Dee! Do you have any parting words of advice for those who have many passions they want to pursue but struggle to find the time?
DB: Make time, even if it’s 5 minutes a day. You’d be surprised how those minutes add up and what you can accomplish.
Cartwright Country
Since I share a love of Northern Nevada and its history with Dee, I’m leaving you all with a stroll through our high desert and mountain neighborhoods.
There’s also the colorfully named Bucket of Blood, photo courtesy https://www.nvexpeditions.com/storey/virginiacity.php, and so many more. Check out this great body of photos of the silver mining commerce of yesterday still thriving today, thanks to the tourists, who visit in droves from 1.2 to 2 million a year.
If you’re sensitive to paranormal activity, watch closely while traversing those wooden sidewalks. You might see a figure looking out a window from the boarded up upper floors.
For years, my husband and I brought all our visitors to Virginia City, partaking in the mine tour, the wild west show, and riding the awesome steam locomotive. There are many ways to experience the Old West in this remarkable town.
Soon after my husband and I moved to Nevada, we visited the Ponderosa Ranch at Incline Village, and thank goodness we did. Sadly, the family-owned theme park closed in 2004 due to selling the property to a land developer, but it was a popular destination for world travelers visiting Lake Tahoe for many years. The world still loves BONANZA as Dee attests to with the volume of visitors to the Brand’s info site.
This map is on permanent display at the Autry National Center in Los Angeles. Assuming that north is supposed to be up, the map was drawn incorrectly. When Ayres showed the map to series creator David Dortort he said “I love it, but your directions are wrong.” Ayres fixed this by adding a compass with north pointing to the left and up. If only all cartographic problems could be solved this way.
Isn’t it fantastic? It was used in the opening credits, burning away as the Cartwrights rode in on their horses. Enjoy watching the YouTube video below.
I live smack in the middle of it, New Washoe City, which is adjacent to Washoe Lake State Park, situated above the fictional Ponderosa Ranch territory. It’s been a marvelous place to call home for the last 30 years, with its paradisiac views and close neighbors.
Dee lives just about straight up (according its creative direction) from the middle of Carson City at the right of what I think is supposed to be the Carson river.
This map from Wikipedia provides an accurate orientation.
Old Washoe City, Nevada, was founded in 1860 as a supply town for the nearby Comstock Lode mines, particularly Virginia City. It thrived initially due to its location near Washoe Lake, which provided ample water power for lumber and ore processing mills, and its role as a major freight hub. However, the town’s prosperity was relatively short-lived. The completion of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad in 1869, which bypassed Washoe City, and the shift of milling operations closer to the mines, led to its decline. By 1880, the population had dwindled to about 200, and Washoe City eventually became a ghost town.
Eight years ago, the modest community with thriving Highway 395-accessible businesses was hit again when the final extension of I-580 bypassed it. History repeating itself.
Still, the old 395 highway pulls in visitors to places like the Chocolate Nugget Candy Factory, the historic Bowers Mansion, and other draws such as nature exploration, hiking the Ophir Creek Trail, which connects Davis Creek Regional Park to the Tahoe Rim Trail at Tahoe Meadows.
Check out “Where I Live” for some amazing photos, which I’ve taken over the years, of the valley, lake, and views from my home, and other nearby historic western treasures located throughout the northern Sierra Nevada Mountain range.
Thank you so much for visiting. Comments are welcome!
By D. L. Lewellyn 