The Blood Lights by Elaine Pascale Book Tour and Giveaway :)
The
Blood Lights
by
Elaine Pascale
Genre:
Horror
The
Blood Lights are the last thing you’ll see…
They
victimize all…
Jezzie
Mitchell is in anguish; with her brother’s murder still on her
mind, she’s noticed strange behavior among the girls in the
residential treatment center where she works. Is there a connection
between the contagion on Cape Cod and the deadly Bahamas vacation
that changed her life?
Jezzie
reaches out to former lover Lou Collins, a scholar who has chased
proof of the lights for decades. Will he be able to solve the mystery
of the lights in time?
Intensely
competitive, reporter Bridgette Collins knows the lights are a way to
secure fame in her career. And while it’ll put the final nail into
the coffin of her ex-husband’s career, she vows to know the secrets
of the lights. Even if it means unleashing a world-wide epidemic…
The
boy knows he is lost.
He
is lost, and his former sense of normalcy has completely vanished.
He
feels abandoned.
The
irony, if he were old enough to understand the term, is that he is
lost inside of a closet that is only six feet in length. In the
dark, the closet feels cavernous, endless. The closet provides
adequate space for a trauma that will remain with him throughout his
adult years.
His
fear is nearly smothered by the heavy olfactory smog of mothballs and
cedar chips, yet the fear constantly recuperates: a phoenix
with dread for wings.
The
boy’s face feels tight from the dried traces of tears that etch his
cheeks. The hot air rushes his nostrils which are clogged with
mucous; the hot air is working against him, forcing him to
hyperventilate. The entire house is unfamiliar to him and his
eyes, in the darkness, struggle to make out the walls and ceiling of
the place where he is being held captive.
He
is not alone.
Elaine
Pascale has been writing for most of her life. She took a break from
fiction in order to give birth to two children and complete a
doctoral dissertation. She lives on Cape Cod, MA, with her husband,
son and daughter. She teaches a variety of courses at a private
university in Boston: from English Composition and Communications to
a Vampire Seminar. Her writing has been published in Allegory
Magazine, Dark Fire Magazine, and several anthologies. She is the
author of If Nothing Else, Eve, We've Enjoyed the Fruit, and is also
the author of the nonfiction book: Metamorphosis: Identity Outcomes
in International Student Adaptation--A Grounded Theory Study. She
enjoys a robust full moon, chocolate, and collecting cats.
An interview between Elaine
Pascale and Nancy Kilpatrick
NK - When did you write your first
fictional story, what was it about, and was it soft and sweet or dark
as hell?
EP – I have been writing since
before I could write. I can remember begging my parents to teach me
to write words so I could write down the stories in my head. The
first story that I can remember the plot, though, was a short story I
wrote in elementary school—maybe fifth grade—and it was
definitely dark and creepy. Something about demonic children.
Fortunately, my parents were always very supportive and encouraged me
to keep writing (even if the work produced was a little disturbing).
They also took me to the library and allowed me to check out any
books I wanted (which were usually horror). My mom is a big yard
sale/consignment store fanatic and she would bring home any horror
books she found. It wasn’t until I went to college and was in a
Creative Writing program that I was first told that I should write
something other than horror. One professor even said he was going to
'save' me from horror as I was a better writer than that (whatever
that means).
NK - You have a full-to-bursting
academic background in English lit but that doesn't always lead to
good fiction writing. How did you make the transition from studying
literature to a Ph.D. level, and teaching and tutoring and writing
non-fiction all the way to the other side and turn into an
outstanding creative writer and not just a conduit for others?
EP – I believe that writing and
reading go hand and hand. I consider myself a 'word nerd'. I love
good writing. I have seen student papers where I stop and think, “My
God, that’s a beautiful sentence.” There is an artistry there
that I really admire. Working with other people’s writing, as a
literature teacher or tutor, has helped me to deeply analyze what
makes writing interesting.
In terms of being a conduit for others,
I am learning how profoundly satisfying that can be. Every February,
I try to do some activity for Women in Horror Month. This past year
was the 10th anniversary and I published short stories by women
writers on my blog. I worked very hard to acquire much-deserved
attention for the women involved and the joy I felt during this
project is hard to describe. Granted, this is different from teaching
literature where many of the writers are already lauded; but there is
a great deal of pleasure in turning readers on to new (or new to
them) writers.
NK - You've got a wonderful
novella, The Blood Lights, and a fabulously inventive short
story collection, If Nothing Else, Eve, We've Enjoyed the
Fruit. What propelled you to write these two works? And how did
you come up with the title for the collection?
EP – The Blood Lights was
was inspired by a true event where my cousin, my husband, and I were
sitting on the beach at night and this unexplainable
light hovered for the longest time. We could not figure out
what it was, so I set out to explain it. I had also recently
vacationed in Bimini with my family and that was a place that really
stole my heart. I had a need to put it into a story, so it wound up
in that novella.
If Nothing Else, Eve, We’ve Enjoyed
the Fruit is a collection of stories of mine that I enjoyed
compiling. It’s funny in that the stories that I feel the most
disassociated from, or question the quality of the most, are the ones
that sell the quickest and receive the best feedback. If I had the
time, I would examine the disparity between what I want to write and
what people want to read! The title came from the first story of the
collection that acts as a preface (actually a bookend with the
prologue) to the collection. I guess I have always felt that the
snake and Eve got a bad rep for their collaboration in the garden of
Eden.
NK - What's up next for you in the
way of fiction writing?
EP – I shy away from talking
about writing because, like sex, those who talk about it the most do
it the least. I have not been prolific lately, due to many changes in
my life, but I have been participating in a picture prompt/flash
fiction activity sponsored by Ladies of Horrorthat appears on
spreadingthewritersword.com and this keeps me sharp. I wrote and sold
two short stories in 2019 so far and I have been working on a novel
for a while now. It is probably the most commercial piece of writing
I have ever committed to, but I am fighting above my weight class in
terms of remaining motivated with it. I think I may have to buckle
down and join Nanowrimo or some other group that forces me to finally
finish it.
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