Meet our three Most Wicked with these encore interview excerpts.
H. E. Roulo – Most Wicked 2009
I asked Roulo what got her into horror and how she became a Horror Addict. Heather said that, “Rhonda R Carpenter and I were releasing our books at the same time on Podiobooks.com and became friends. She released a short story through Horror Addicts and ended up introducing me to the show and the host, Emerian Rich.”
Heather “was thrilled to win” the title Most Wicked which, “comes with the responsibility to organize the next year’s contest. The weight of the crown (Robe? Cauldron?) is heavy indeed.”
H.E. moved from one Podcast to another, her very own. She explained to me that, “[o]nce Rhonda and [her] finished releasing [their] books, [they] created Podioracket.com to support the authors and give fans somewhere to turn for more information. [They've] settled into a nice pace where [they] release a 20 minute show every two weeks, with two interviews and a little news and contest information. Through Podioracket [they have] also added a live Blog Talk Radio show and released an anthology, Podioracket Presents-Visionaries.”
What got the website started was Roulo’s uncertainty of what to do after she released her book, Fractured Horizon. “I wasn’t sure what the next step was for promoting it and I wanted to hear other author’s approaches. All the writers were so interesting. I realized they just needed a way to connect immediately with their audience and a central place that listeners could go. Podioracket caught on instantly because it had that ready-made audience.”
Heather gave us a little more detail about her novel. “Fractured Horizon is about Kay Downs, a contemporary woman who discovers that her absent father guarded a rift in time, but her accidental conception broke all the rules. Kay must travel through time by living through it, correct the changes her existence has caused, and ultimately heal the rift and save her father. Much of the book is spent in the near future, where a divided world teeters between bio-engineered warriors and mystical rulers who sense the future. In a world built on utter predictability, Kay’s misplacement in time makes her a dangerous wildcard. As if traveling forward through time weren’t hard enough, she is pursued by an enemy with a simpler way to protect the sanctity of the timeline—her destruction.”
For more information about Heather Roulo be sure to visit: http://www.fracturedhorizonnovel.com
Rhonda R. Carpenter - Most Wicked 2010
Not only is Carpenter an author and Clinical Hypnotherapist, she is also a Dream Analyst, Professional Psychic, and Reiki Master. With such an interesting background I had to find out how she was able to make the transition to author.
Rhonda was happy to share her story, “Author was a natural progression of a love of writing, teaching and helping others. Honestly, my first novel The Mark of a Druid was an experiment in what can I do as a writer instead of a continuation of writing for myself. I would always have written the challenge was putting it out there for others to consume. I am exceptionally pleased with the outcome. Writing is something I need to do to be happy.”
She was also kind enough to share her secrets that inspire her to write. “I am inspired by many things to write. Music is a big part of my writing experience. But the funniest thing that inspires me are my sleeping dreams. I often put a thought about my writing out before sleep and see what happens in my dreams.”
Having such an intensive background in psychology it’s easy to see why Serial Killers are Rhonda’s favorite horror monster. She told me, “I think I am most fascinated by the serial killer. I tend toward the philological and spiritual needs of the human condition. Why one person would perceive one thing and someone else perceive something completely different in the same situation is fascinating. How the mind works and what will break one person and not another makes my mind spin with stories.” Then she asked her own question, “Serial killers are often the most brilliant and demented individuals don’t you think?”
I was interested as to how Carpenter’s experience as a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Dream Analyst, Professional Psychic, and Reiki Master has helped with her writing. Rhonda stated, “I believe all my life experience has added to and helped my writing. Hypnosis gave a vehicle for the story of The Mark of a Druid as did my love of all things Celtic. Dream Analysis even made an appearance in the first book. My belief system certainly has effected my writing and I think the things I do as a day job will always be a part of my writing in one way or another. Funny now that I think of it horror is so far away from what I do in my day job maybe that is way it is a stretch for me. But Scotland Burns has that one question I always asked myself about the one god religious belief. How could the one great and powerful god be so merciless?”
The Mark of a Druid, Carpenter’s first fiction publication and the first of what’s sure to be a great trilogy, “is about reincarnation and the idea that energy never dies it simply changes. It is also about honor and revenge and how those qualities can follow a soul from life time to life time.”
Book two of The Mark of a Druid, titled When Ethers Descend, “is about what the knowledge of past lives can do to a person in this lifetime and it is the continuation of Aileann and Adaham’s (sic) connection to a prophecy.” You can listen to the prologue for the book in Podcast episode 34 on Podiobooks.com.
Look froward to Rhonda Carpenter’s future works. “Besides the sequel When Ethers Descend [she] am working on a novel that takes place between 1890 and 1914 about a murder called Truth Slithers and [Rhonda has] a 3rd called From Mother to Daughter about a family of female psychics and the struggles of having the gift.”
For more information on Rhonda Carpenter check out www.themarkofadruid.com
Laurel Anne Hill - Most Wicked 2011
Laurel was excited when she heard the news, “I feel both honored and amazed. With all the great WWW podcasts submitted, I never expected my story, Flight of Destiny to win.” She then added, “I have to admit, though, a bit of worry has crept into my mind. Rhonda Carpenter did such an amazing job organizing this year’s WWW Challenge. Talk about a difficult act to follow!”
The idea for Flight of Destiny came easy for this steam train fan. “I’ve served on several steampunk panels at science fiction/fantasy conventions. Some authors of steampunk ignore the laws of physics when they craft their stories. For over a year, I’ve wanted to see if I could write an engaging short story in that genre and include a few scientific details at the same time. My WWW assignment presented a perfect opportunity.”
Hill’s steampunk knowledge didn’t cover everything though. “I needed to research the physical characteristics of polonium-210, as well as details about its discovery and purification.” She also did “some fact checking about the operation of steam-powered vessels in the Nineteenth Century was necessary, too. And spent several hours reading about women’s Victorian-era clothing.”
For this year’s competition, each Wicked was given a poison, a place, and an object to base their story around. Laurel was given: Radio Active Polonium-210, Aircraft Carrier on the Pacific, and Cuban cigars.
“My prior employment involved working with radioactive materials and one previous boss of mine smoked cigars. My assigned poison and place presented no unusual problems. But an aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean? I knew little about Naval operations aboard such a vessel. That part of the assignment generated an internal “oh, no.” Then the steampunk idea hit me and my racing heart slowed to normal rhythm.”
Curious, I had to ask how her writing and podcasting processes came together. “I tend to mull over ideas in my head before I start writing. I select a main character, give him or her a problem, and try to climb inside of his or her mind. Then I write and revise over and over, finally reading the piece out loud for rhythm. My story goes to my writing group for feedback. Additional revisions follow. During this process, I write in time blocks as short as thirty minutes or as long as eight hours. [When I start a podcast] I read the manuscript a couple times to prepare, then set up my computer, microphone and pop-filter (a knee-high nylon stocking stretched over a diamond-shaped metal hanger) inside of my bedroom closet. After recording the entire selection twice using Audacity, I sound edit the better version. Sound editing takes me the longest, often several hours.”
One thing is for certain if she can combine radio active materials, aircraft carriers, and cigars to make one killer story; then there is nothing this Wicked Women Writer can’t write! I’m sure next year’s WWW challenge will be just as deadly, if not more so, than this year!
Hill fans, be on the look out for Laurel’s up and coming projects: “My new fantasy/horror short story, “The Vengeance Garden,” is scheduled for publication in December 2011, in the “Spells and Swashbucklers” anthology (Dragon Moon Press). I’m also working on several other short stories and a steampunk novel.”
For more information on Laurel Anne Hill check out: http://www.laurelannehill.com/
