What Really Scares Me: Addiction in Horror by Holley Cornetto
I have a confession to make. Most horror doesn’t really scare me.
Horror writers primarily deal in fear, and what frightens one person may fall flat for another. I’ve found this to be true in my reading and writing. Some reviewers may call something terrifying, while others call it boring. Don’t get me wrong, I love writing about ghosts and monsters and deranged killers wielding chainsaws, but those things don’t keep me awake at night.
So then, what does scare me? The death of a loved one. Sickness. Grief. Insanity. Sleep paralysis. Snakes. Addiction.
Most of my fears, snakes aside, have to do with a lack of agency or a loss of control. To date, two of my short stories have dealt with the topic of addiction. It is this particular fear that I wrestle with most often. In part, because addiction is a scary thing, but also because addiction is so often stigmatized in society, that those who suffer because of it often fail to seek out help.
In his article titled “The Compassion of Addiction Horror,” Mark Matthews discusses addiction as possession. In this view, addiction to and withdrawal from substances is akin to “…being spiritually occupied and living through a painful mutation of your physical self” (2020) It is worth noting that the fear here is twofold. It manifests both in addiction and in withdrawal. People who suffer from addiction may feel a loss of control over their bodies and minds. Friends and loved ones may notice a change in the person that they attribute to the substance abuse. Withdrawal has its own set of horrors as addicts suffer a plethora of physical and psychological effects as the drugs leave the system.
Possession stories aren’t the only narratives that include elements of addition. In the article, “How the Horror Genre Helped Me Understand my Addiction,” Tabitha Vidaurri writes that “Vampires are a pretty thinly veiled allegory for substance use disorder if you swap out blood for alcohol/drugs” (2020). But the article doesn’t stop with vampires. Werewolf narratives also allude to substance abuse wherein “people are always waking up the next day, naked, in a field with fuzzy memories of the night before and a bad taste in their mouth” (2020). Whereas possession narratives focus on the changes a person may undergo while under the influence, or during withdrawal, these vampire and werewolf narratives borrow from addition itself. The insatiable need, in the case of the vampire, and in the case of the werewolf, the consequences of our actions when we are not in full control of our faculties.
Addiction in and of itself is a scary thing, not only for the above stated reasons, but also because it is something that society often neglects to discuss openly. In the past, society has stigmatized addiction, often blaming addicts for their own condition. In recent years, thanks to advances in mental healthcare, we’ve learned that there is so much more to drug addiction than bad choices. In many cases, there never was a choice. Many people who suffer from addiction also suffer from a range of other health issues, from mental illness to chronic pain.
So, how does this relate to horror? Horror has always served as a venue in which society can safely discuss and work through the fears that lurk in the shadows and dark corners of our minds. Horror does not shy away from bleak or upsetting subject matter; it specializes in it. It celebrates it. Horror serves as a safe space to work through the scary shit that bombards us each day when we walk out of our doors (figuratively speaking, for those of us in lockdown). It may seem like an oxymoron to refer to horror as a safe space, but when reading horror fiction, or watching a horror movie, you are directly in control of the situation. Unlike real life, when the book or movie becomes too much, you can choose to put it aside or turn it off. You can sample the fear in small doses, at your own level of comfort.
I firmly believe that society needs horror fiction as an outlet. Horror readers and writers are some of the kindest and most well-adjusted people that I know, and I can’t help but think it is in part because we work through our problems in fiction rather than bottling them up inside ourselves. Horror helps us learn and practice empathy, and empathy is something that we could certainly use more of, as far as I’m concerned.
So, now that you know what scares me, go out there and write a story. One that will terrify me. One that I can (hopefully) read in small doses, and at my own pace.
In Holley Cornetto’s story in The Half That You See, “Raven O’Clock,” a man seeking shelter from the tragedies of his life finds more than he bargained for in a mysterious cabin.
Holley Cornetto was one of 26 authors that contributed to the horror anthology, The Half That You See!
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READING/WRITING AND OTHER THINGS:
What are your top 10 favorite books/authors?
NIOBE: I read a LOT of historical novels. Not even sorry, I’m a super history nerd.
Memoirs of a Geisha — Arthur Golden
Pillars of the Earth — Wilbur Smith
River God — Wilbur Smith
Aztec — Gary Jennings
Mistress of the Art of Death – Ariana Franklin
The Twelfth Transforming – Pauline Gedge
House of Dreams – Pauline Gedge
The Memoirs of Cleopatra – Margaret George
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – John Berendt
The Vampire Lestat – Anne Rice
BEE: Oh my word, this feels like a trick question. I have to pick favorites? Ugh. I read everything from literary fiction to reverse harem romance to memoirs to historical to paranormal to the classics… I CANNOT CHOOSE!
Here’s some that I will read again and again
ANYTHING Auryn Hadley writes ever. But particularly the Gamer Girls Series
Bewitched & Bewildered Series — Alanea Alder
Dresden Files — Jim Butcher
I Am Livia — Phyllis T. Smith
Demigods of San Francisco Series — K.F. Breene
By A Thread — Lucy Score
The Song of Achilles — Madeline Miller
Sookie Stackhouse Novels — Charlaine Harris
Troubleshooters Series — Suzanne Brockmann
Hell’s Redemption Saga — Grace McGinty
Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?
NIOBE: For my writing, I usually know who the character is. Sometimes they’re fully formed in my head because I’ve met someone just like them, or they’re just more brash about it. But more often than not, the character grows as I write them. The first chapters I’m getting into their headspace and trying to decide how they would react to the surrounding situations, and by the fourth or fifth chapter, they’ve taken over and are running on their own. It’s such a strange process, and all writers sound utterly insane when they talk about this stuff.
BEE: I often get a glimpse of one or two characters to start. I have a few exercises I go through to kind of flesh them out a little more, but I rarely start to write on a book and have every single character worked out. They come to me as they are: sometimes they have their shit together and other times they are a complete and total mess. I’m there to help them fit into the overall story. When I’ve had to kill a beloved character or if I know something bad is going to happen to one of them, it feels personal sometimes. I try to use a lot of care in bringing them through things.
What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?
NIOBE: For historical writing (which I do a LOT of) most of my research happens during the writing process. I have a history degree, and I write in the eras that interest me the most (or that I’ve been obsessed with since I was a child) so I write a lot from memory, but when there are specifics that need to be put on paper I research — forty minutes spent looking for articles on how medieval people made soap? Sure. Done that.
For Urban Fantasy, I always spend the most time looking at the city I’ve set the action in. Subway maps, street maps, buildings on google street view. I want the reader to see what I see in my head, and I want the people who actually live in that city not to hate me or my book because I got a subway stop wrong.
BEE: I write across genres so some things require more research than others. I am naturally curious and I want to know how everything works. I don’t want my characters to be constrained by what knowledge I already have, if that makes sense? I’ll give you an example. I have a character in an upcoming book who is a mechanic by trade. I am… the least mechanical person you will ever meet. My idea of fixing a car is to pick up my phone and call someone to come fix it. I’ve spent a lot of time watching Youtube videos about car repair and researching types of engines and brands and such so that I can write this guy with authenticity. I don’t need all the technical stuff to make it work in a paranormal romance novel, but I want his character to stand on his own and for his job to be accurate. So. Long answer to this question. I do a lot of research about minutiae and I love it. 🙂
Do you see writing as a career?
NIOBE: Absolutely.
BEE: 1000%. This is what I want to do with myself, and I am working hard to make it happen! 🙂
Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?
NIOBE: Historical Romance and historical fiction. My interests are in the ancient world mostly, so that’s what I read. What I watch is different, but what I read hasn’t really changed since I was a kid.
BEE: I read as much as I can in all my non-existent spare time. I average about 100 books a year. I love getting to read ARCs from some of my favorite author friends. There’s something really special about reading for someone you know. As far as genre: I read a bit of everything. I am attracted to tropes often more than genre. Enemies-to-lovers is probably my all-time favorite trope. I read nonfiction and fiction. I love paranormal/urban fantasy (with or without romance) when I want to escape. I adore a good romcom with all those meet-cute moments. My romance heat levels lean towards steamy-scorching hot, and I love a variety of groupings. MMF romance is one of my favorites in the world of steamy. Mythology and underworld stuff makes me so happy. I rarely read horror, but I expanded my horizons last year and actually wrote a properly scary story for an anthology. 🙂
Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?
NIOBE:My husband is a… noisy guy. So I get up early to write in silence before he wakes up, and then the rest of the time it’s noise and music and everything else. I can write through movies, conversations while contributing to them, music, whatever. I prefer ambient noise/classical or lofi soundtracks as background noise, but I’m not precious about it.
BEE: There is no such thing as silence in my house unless I want to only write at 2am, but then the cat just meows at me like the needy little booger that he is. I have different writing playlists and usually write to music. Niobe actually introduced me to lofi last year, and that has been awesome. I have developed a few playlists based on what type of scene (sexy, action, sad, etc..) that I’m writing. My end-of-year Spotify report is always really weird.
Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?
NIOBE: Several… ugh. I have three on the go right now for three different pennames and genres.
BEE: I always have more than one going at a time because I write under multiple pen names, but I try to divide it out so that I spend certain days hyperfocusing at one at a time. Note that I said try, lol. This does not always happen.
Pen or typewriter or computer?
NIOBE: Pen and paper for desperate late night ideas, or things I don’t have *real* time for. I used to write in notebooks on my lunch breaks when I had a full-time job, but I’m always scribbling notes. Computer feels more… permanent. If I’m putting it into a document, it must be written at some point. That’s my rule.
BEE: Notebooks for doodling out characters or if I get stuck, endless Google Docs for everything else! 🙂
A day in the life of the author?
NIOBE: Some loose amalgamation of the following:
Sprints/writing
Procrastination/“research”
Scrolling pre-made cover sites to break through writer’s block (I haven’t really perfected this yet, I usually just end up buying covers)
All the iced coffee
Admin work — promo posting, making graphics, creating release plans
Obsessively checking sales pages and reviews/rankings
BEE: I work my day job during the week (and sometimes weekends) so my days are rarely typical. For Saturday, my schedule runs:
NIOBE: Keep writing. Did you release a book? Awesome. Write the next one. And the next one. And the next one. Hone your craft. No matter how talented you might be, there is always something to learn, and some roadblock to jump over. Keep learning and be humble about it, ffs.
BEE: Find an affirmation that works for you and print that sucker out and stick it next to where you write. Mine is “No Dreams, Just Goals” and I have that where I can see it anytime I sit down at my desk. This inspires me because dreams feel out of reach, but goals have steps to achieve them. After you do that, write. Write whenever you can. I have some days where I can bang out 15k words in one amazing day… and then go three days writing nothing longer than a text message. Don’t hold yourself to impossible standards, just get the words on the paper and let yourself fall into the world you are building. Tell the story that won’t let go of you.
I would also advise new authors to be patient with themselves and their craft, invest in quality craft books when they can, join indie author groups that share information, read a TON in your chosen genre, and be wary of people who say they have it all figured out or can make you into something instantaneously. There are a lot of scams out there that look for baby authors (and established ones) and just remember, if it feels too good to be true — it probably is. Write, revise, write some more! You’ll get there. Also? Friend me on Facebook. 🙂
Describe your writing style.
NIOBE: I like to hope that it’s cinematic… I see the action of the book like a movie in my head, and I hope the reader does, too. That’s my goal.
BEE: Emotional? Maybe? I love writing feelings. Whether that be the angst in enemies-to-lovers or the sharp, witty dialogue of a rom com… I want to write so you can feel it. I aspire to write in a cinematic way but I don’t know that I always do.
What are they currently reading?
NIOBE: Research for my next historical fiction series — Gladius: Living, Fighting, and Dying in the Roman Army – Guy de la Bedoyere
BEE: Rise of the Iliri by Auryn Hadley
What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first? What are common traps for aspiring writers?
NIOBE: Blurb first, then outline. Getting the blurb out of the way BEFORE I write the book saves me a LOT of heartache. After the book is written, there is way too much in your head and too much information makes a blurb sound like a synopsis.
I’ll never tell anyone how to write or make a process, because every author is different. I’m a plantser— I plan, I plot, but I leave enough room in the outline that things can change. That way when a character goes into the weeds, it’s not as traumatic. I write in chapter order, otherwise I might actually die.
BEE: Niobe has converted me into a plantser. Kind of. I try to outline out, even if it’s just a few points, what the whole book looks like now. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. Then I write the scene that is screaming loudest in my head. It is very, very rarely Chapter 1. I hate writing blurbs and probably should write those first but I don’t. LOL
What is your writing Kryptonite?
NIOBE: I have a REAL problem not writing enemies to lovers. It’s just… it’s a thing.
BEE: Enemies-to-Lovers and deconstructing tropes in unexpected ways. Two words: sealion shifters. 😀
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
NIOBE: Both? I think every author struggles with “writing to market” and I’m no exception. I try to tell the stories in my head while hitting the tropes that readers crave. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it super doesn’t.
BEE: I try to find a hybrid that works for my creativity. If I just sat down with a market report and was super analytical about everything as a way of choosing my next project, I’d probably quit. I can’t do that. But I can tie in what is popular in the market and what I like most of the time. My brand is “Romance with a side of mischief” so I’m all-in on being the quirky author BFF style of writer.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
NIOBE: Stop buying covers. Oh, wait… that’s advise I need to follow NOW.
BEE: Stop agonizing over it and write the damn book! Also applicable today.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
NIOBE: It honestly depends on deadlines. And my interest in the topic/level of other distractions. I can reliably produce a novel every month… but sometimes the words just don’t work and I end up crying for most of it.
BEE: I can usually do a novel in a month, but I prefer to drag it out a little if I can.
Do you believe in writer’s block?
NIOBE: I don’t know if it’s a block, but it’s real as hell. For me, if I can’t see the story playing out in my mind before I start writing, then I can’t write. I’ve had DAYS of nothing where I’m struggling to get the projector threaded to play the movie. Sometimes it plays right away, other days, it’s on fire and the building has to be evacuated.
BEE: I believe in ADHD? That’s my struggle. There are days where my creativity just shuts down and maybe that’s writer’s block, but there are far more days where I am battling too many tabs open on the screen and in my brain. That sucks productivity out and makes me feel crappy usually, so I have to reset myself regularly. Typically, I have to remind myself that my brain works differently and expectations that I will just be able to sit down and power-write for hours are simply not realistic. The practice of writing in 15 minute sprints has been hugely helpful for me and has made it so my ever-present-goal of one million words per year is achievable.
Bee Murray
Niobe Marsh
I am happy to be one of many Silver Dagger tour hosts sharing an interview with authors Bee Murray and Niobe Marsh.
Robert P. Ottone delights in the creepy. He is an author, teacher, and cigar enthusiast from East Islip, NY.
Check out our interview on YouTube:
Check out HIS book below!
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From waking fears to heart-breaking nightmares, this collection of short fiction is a glimpse into the terrors we face every day from the mind of Robert P. Ottone.
In “The Arborist,” a woman hears the mysterious call of the forest.
Five friends exploring an archipelago find themselves set upon by the island’s hungry inhabitants in “The Monitors.”
A young woman confronts the mystery of her infertility in “Kelly Watch the Stars.”
These works are joined by the title novella, Her Infernal Name, about the cruel intersection of desire and desperation, and many other stories crafted in the hopes of keeping you up at night.
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Casket Case (The Cynthia Shade Mysteries Book 1) by Lee James ~ Genre: Cozy Mystery
Cynthia Shade. That’s her name. She has ADHD and cynophobia. That’s just a fancy way of saying she’s terrified of dogs. Not all dogs mind you, just the tiny ones that come at you with their razor-sharp fangs and frenzied eyes. To make it worse, she can’t find a job, rather, she can’t keep a job, and she’s about to be evicted. Just when she gets a glimmer of hope she’s blackmailed into trying to solve a murder.
Wait-what?
Cue the handsome sheriff who awakens real interest in perpetually single Cynthia, and a cast of crazed suspects. One of whom is determined she doesn’t make it out of this adventure alive.
Would you like a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card? Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
Lee James writes stories of hope and redemption. Whether it’s fantasy, mystery or historical fiction, her beautifully awkward characters traverse a dark labyrinth on their journey to a hopeful end. She is vehement about the importance of creating and preserving the sanctity of the written word. In that vein, she supports literacy programs and her local libraries. Most importantly, she supports her fellow writers. When not writing, she enjoys photography, watching The Simpsons, and of course, reading.
When did you start thinking of yourself as a writer?
I seriously began to think of myself as a writer, when I started taking my writing seriously. As long as I dabbled, it wasn’t real to me. When I made my writing a priority, actually carving out time for it in my schedule. I joined a writer’s group for accountability, feeding off the energy and the generous knowledge of my peers. While I still don’t write every day, I was able to work out a writing schedule that works. As a result, after years of leaving work half-finished, I was able to publish my first book last year. I have three more scheduled for this year. Writing isn’t a designation, it’s an action.
By day, a mild-mannered salesperson, wife, mother, rescuer of senior shelter dogs, competitive trivia player and author groupie, happily living just north of New York City. By night, an author of sex, suspense and satire!
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Check out HER LATEST book below!
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SAVING GRACE – “A psychological thriller with more than enough twists, turns, and misdirection to keep even the most jaded reader turning pages all night long.” –Lori Robbins, author of the Silver Falchion Award-winning novel, Lesson Plan for Murder
Grace Pierrepoint Rendell, the only child of an ailing billionaire, has been treated for paranoia since childhood. When she secretly quits her meds, she begins to suspect that once her father passes, her husband will murder her for her inheritance. Realizing that no one will believe the ravings of a supposed psychotic, she devises a creative way to save herself—she will write herself out of danger, authoring a novel with the heroine in exactly the same circumstances, thus subtly exposing her husband’s scheme to the world. She hires acclaimed author Lynn Andrews to help edit her literary insurance policy, but when Lynn is murdered, Grace is discovered standing over the bloody remains. The clock is ticking: can she write and publish her manuscript before she is strapped into a straitjacket, accused of homicide, or lowered six feet under?
With a cast of secondary characters whose challenges mirror Grace’s own, Saving Grace is, at its core, an allegory for the struggle of the marginalized to be heard and live life on their own terms.
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Jill Hand is a member of International Thriller Writers. Her Southern Gothic novels, White Oaks, and Black Willows, are available on Amazon and from the publisher, Black Rose Writing. Advance readers called White Oaks a fast-paced, hilarious account of three siblings who are competing for their father’s forty-billion-dollar fortune while trying to prevent the destruction of Planet Earth. Diane Donovan, senior reviewer from Midwest Book Review praised White Oaks, calling it, “an unusually multifaceted tale that holds the ability to prompt laughter from thriller-style tension.” A sequel to White Oaks, Black Willows, follows the adventures of the squabbling, dysfunctional Trapnell family.
“An ingeniously dark comic thriller about greed, gluttony and murder that is destined for the big screen.” –Best Thrillers
Aimee Trapnell reluctantly leaves her apartment on Manhattan’s Central Park West to return to her childhood home in Georgia for her father’s ninetieth birthday. Also on hand are her two brothers, wily Marsh and ne’er-do-well Trainor. With a forty-billion-dollar inheritance at stake, they’re willing to do whatever it takes to make the old man happy.
To their shock they learn that what their father wants for his birthday is to kill someone. He doesn’t care who it is. He just wants to know what it’s like to commit murder.
Betrayal, double-dealing, and fast-paced action set the Trapnells on a collision course with an unexpected villain. Their journey takes them from the swamps of Georgia, to Italy’s glittering Amalfi coast, to rugged Yellowstone National Park.
Black Willows (Trapnell Thriller Book 2) by Jill Hand ~ Genre: Thriller
A mysterious cowboy is stalking the eccentric Trapnell siblings. Is he a supernatural entity or a hired killer? To complicate things, the will making them heirs to their billionaire father’s estate is missing and a relative has returned from a watery grave.
Last time, the Trapnells saved the world from destruction. This time they may not be able to save themselves. Black Willows is a darkly funny Southern-fried adventure, complete with Voodoo, arson, and alligators.
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Black Willows is the sequel to White Oaks, the first in the Trapnell Thriller series. When I wrote the conclusion to White Oaks, the story of the free-wheeling Trapnell family, lords of the manor of the small town of Cobbs, Georgia, I didn’t intend to write a sequel. However, I started to miss the family whose bizarre adventures it chronicled. The Trapnell siblings – glamorous, self-indulgent Aimee; lazy, good-natured Trainor; troubled Benjamin and clever Marsh – kept calling to me, demanding that I continue documenting their journey. Black Willows picks up where White Oaks left off, with the siblings richer than ever and presented with new challenges to overcome. It’s a funny, frivolous, wild ride, part farce, part thriller.
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Below are direct hyperlinks to the tour blogs, just click on the link to open them. Tour posts will be up no later than 9:00pm CST on the date scheduled.
For Kristy Smith, writing is her passion and writing about vampires gets her blood flowin’. Growing up in Michigan and spending time in several parts of the world has provided her with unique perspectives and innumerable opportunities for storytelling.
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Check out K.M.’s book below!
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Turning Point – Adam is the resident vampire in a small college town in Michigan. It’s the same scenario every night: wander campus, snag a co-ed for dinner, get home before dawn. Rinse. Repeat–until an irresistible new professor appears. From the shadows, he follows her every footstep, lurking, until he witnesses a tragic accident. As life drains from the object of his desire, he is faced with an impossible choice: Should he intervene or not?
22 years later, Alice Peterson is well on her way to graduating from college. Her life and goals are set, and her future is bright. But Alice meets Adam and a tempestuous wind portends a different fate. Thrust into a world she thought to be fictitious, Alice must rely on wit, cunning and newfound powers if she hopes to survive. Adam will do what he must to keep Alice from learning too much about her past, including the unthinkable.
No good deed goes unpunished as familial bonds are pushed to their limit and new relationships are tested. Filled with action and bloodlust-fueled drama, read on to unlock the mystery when Alice reaches her Turning Point.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. That means, when you purchase a book using an Amazon link on this site, I earn an affiliate commission. All commission earnings go back into funding my books; editing, cover design, etc.
Interview with the Author
Who designed your book covers?
The basic ideas are mine and my husband’s. I wanted a partially obstructed view of a woman to indicate some kind of internal and external struggles, wanted the dominant color to be blue and the type font san serif and white. We went through a couple of cover designers before getting the perfect one that I absolutely love.
What did you edit out of this book?
As mentioned, I cannibalized some earlier work, including an almost finished novel, as I was looking for the main character and the plot. I had an idea for the ending of the almost finished novel, and as I was getting closer to the end, I thought the book really didn’t add much to the conversation. That is, I thought others might be saying the same thing by that time. What that might indicate is that when I started, the idea seemed original but I started seeing books that sounded too similar. I can’t think of anything that’s like “Sylvie Denied.” The funny thing about this is that bookstores and marketers want to know the genre so they can figure out where to shelve it and how to sell it.
What is your favorite part of this book and why?
I’m especially pleased with the ending. Part of the editing of the book involved playing with the sequence – determining what was the storyline and what was the backstory. Initially I brought together some short stories and then identified a main character and a plot. The ideas I wanted to express were all there, but I hadn’t yet figured out how to say it. I shouldn’t talk too much about the ending but will say that if you skip ahead and read it, it probably won’t make sense, so don’t do that!
Did you learn anything during the writing of your recent book?
I learned plenty – about myself and about how to write and market a novel. I was fortunate to have been in a writers’ group. Until Covid, I met every Monday evening for at least three years primarily with one other woman, though others would come and go. I think she and I complemented each other, though our styles, perspectives and genres are different. We saw things in each other’s writing that needed to be strengthened, changed or even deleted. I treasure those times and am grateful for that support.
Anything specific you want to tell your readers?
Warning: there are a few incidents that may trigger negative reactions in sensitive readers.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
I loved creating the world and populating it with characters who could animate issues that are important to me.
Tell us about your main characters- what makes them tick?
Sylvie is driven to find out the truth about what’s going on in the world. She thinks adults aren’t seeing the reality in front of them and consequently feels that she needs to do it all on her own. She thinks she’ll be able to uncover wisdom by getting as close to the earth as possible, and by learning about oral traditions of people’s interactions with natural elements. Her quest is a spiritual one.
Originally from the Chicago suburbs, Deborah Clark Vance has lived throughout the US and in Italy. While raising her children, she earned a living by teaching piano lessons, selling her original artwork, editing a health journal, translating Italian, writing freelance articles and textbook chapters, working on a children’s educational TV series, teaching in a day treatment program for adults with mental and emotional illnesses, creating garden designs and teaching as a college adjunct. After completing a Ph.D. in Communication and Culture at Howard University, she taught and served as Chair of the Department of Communication & Cinema at McDaniel College in Maryland. Although she also contributed articles and chapters to academic publications, those only earned her a modicum of prestige rather than income. She’s keenly interested in the natural world as well as in social justice, spirituality and women’s issues. “Sylvie Denied” is her debut novel.
Kassandra Flamouri holds a degree in Music from the Sunderman Conservatory of Gettysburg College, which she uses to moonlight as a folk musician while juggling writing, teaching, and earning a second degree.
Check out our interview on YouTube:
Check out HER book below!
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The Chalice and the Crown – Driven, talented, and determined to live up to her family’s fame, Sasha Nikolayeva is ballet’s crown princess. But just when Sasha lands her most prestigious role yet, she falls prey to a host of disturbing neurological symptoms that threaten to end her career and her very life. As her mind and body deteriorate, Sasha spirals into a nightmare world where beauty and cruelty exist in the same breath and villains rule from the shadows.
In the glittering, sharp-edged City of Roses, Sasha is no princess. She’s a thrall, a slave. Thousands like her suffer in cursed silence while citizens enjoy the splendor of the City, blissfully unaware that their servants are anything more than living dolls enchanted to do their bidding. But the City’s slavers know the truth, and they are always watching. One misstep could cost Sasha her life—or her soul.
Even as she endures the violence and indignity of captivity, Sasha can’t help being drawn to the beauty of her nightmare world and the underground rebels who offer her friendship, shelter, even love. Before Sasha can break her chains for good, she’ll need to choose between the life waiting for her at home and the countless lives she could save if she stays. To choose a nightmare over her real life, her future, would be madness…but maybe a little madness is just what it takes to change the fate of a city built on lies.
Nina Soden 