Dark memories are carried on the scent of roses.
Welcome to one of the October 7th stops on the blog tour for Our Fearful Roots by Carmilla Voiez & Faith Marlow with Silver Dagger Book Tours. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, author guest posts, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.
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Author Interview with Carmilla Voiez
Tell us something really interesting that’s happened to you!
I used to run a Gothic Clothing company and we decided that a disused asylum would be the perfect place for a photo shoot. Having obtained permission, we camped out there for a day, but it was very spooky and the wind howled through windows and made zombie noises that were just a little too atmospheric at times. There was an old bathtub which was due to be scrapped, and we had made fake blood to drip down it. I was doing this while one of the models was getting changed. She came in wearing a distressed black dress and yellow contact lenses. I saw her from the corner of my eye, thought she was the living dead and screamed. Afterwards, she told me that my reaction inspired her to rock that outfit in the photos, and they were incredible.
What are some of your pet peeves?
Writers who refuse to read books. You’d be surprised how many writers are proud that they don’t read. I cannot fathom why someone would want to create in a medium that they don’t love or at least appreciate.
How to find time to write as a parent?
It’s easier now I have teenagers. Mum is the last person they want to hang out with. When they were younger, I would wake up around 5 am and write for a couple of hours before they started their day.
Describe yourself in 5 words or less!
Gothic, feminist, thoughtful, empathetic, socialist.
What can we expect from you in the future?
I am currently writing an urban fantasy set in a women’s prison, while my artist is painting the pages for our third graphic novel.
Anything specific you want to tell your readers?
You are the most important part of writing and if you take the time to review a book, you are a hero. Thank you.
What are your top 10 favorite authors?
Clive Barker, Toni Morrison, Iain Banks, Victor Lavalle, Sarah Waters, Arundhati Roy, Storm Constantine, Douglas Adams, Thomas Ligotti and Adam Nevill.
Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?
I love reading. I read across a wide range of genres including non-fiction, but Horror and Fantasy are my favourites.
Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?
Silence, so I can hear the voices clearly.
About the Book
Our Fearful Roots
by Carmilla Voiez & Faith Marlow
Published 1 October 2021
Indomitable Ink
Genre: Southern Gothic Horror
Page Count: 236
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
Dark memories are carried on the scent of roses.
Mary wants a better life for her family and hopes the house she inherited from her aunt in Alabama will be a sanctuary for them all, but Mary and the house share a terrible secret.
Roots run deep in the south, but secrets run even deeper.
Join the Anderson family in a tale of Southern Gothic Horror in four voices.
Our Fearful Roots
Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK
Excerpt
From Chapter 3
The house was silent as he padded across the landing wrapped in a towel. An electric fan stood next to his bed. He switched it on and felt the gentle caress of its breeze. Lying on top of his covers in a pair of boxer shorts with his hands behind his head, he stared at the ceiling where the shadows of roses and tree branches danced across the white plaster.
The whirring of the fan and rustling of leaves became a secret language that tickled his ears and lulled him to sleep. They told him he could hide here until his father came to protect him.
His knees were against his chest. He tried to straighten, but he was jammed against a wall. He knew he must stay silent, must not be found. Male voices and footsteps echoed beyond the flimsy wall. Both the thunder of feet and the growl of words sounded angry.
“Where is he? We know you’re hiding him here.”
A woman sobbed, pleaded. “There’s no one here.”
Darkness was torn from him as the barrier between Eric and the men was ripped away and thrown across the attic. Hands grabbed his hair and yanked him into the moonlit room. He tried to concentrate on the eaves, but pallid, grotesque faces blocked his view. Some screamed obscenities while others cackled at his terror.
Grabbing claws and gaping maws closed in on him, smothering him as they congealed into a mass of flesh and rage, swallowing him. He struggled against the oppressive weight that was pressed against his nose and mouth, stealing his breath. His heart bruised his ribs, and his mouth tasted of rusted metal.
“Why?” he yelled. “Why?”
A door opened and small hands pulled the death-shroud from his face. His sister’s eyes looked huge in the dark room and shone with tears.
“Eric,” she said, stroking his hair. “Wake up, Eric. Please, I’m scared.”
“I’m awake,” he whispered and sat up.
About the Authors
Carmilla Voiez is proudly pansexual, and an autistic introvert who finds writing much easier than verbal communication. A lifelong Goth, she is passionate about horror, the alt scene, intersectional feminism, art, nature and animals. She lives by the sea in North Scotland and is studying an Arts and Humanities (Creating Writing) BA(Hons) degree.
Carmilla grew up on a varied diet of horror. Her earliest influences as a teenage reader were Graham Masterton, Brian Lumley and Clive Barker mixed with the romance of Hammer Horror and the visceral violence of the first wave of Video Nasties. Fascinated by the Goth aesthetic and enchanted by threnodies of eighties Goth and post-punk music she evolved into the creature of darkness we find today.
Her books are both extraordinarily personal and universally challenging. As Jef Withonef of Houston Press once said – “You do not read her books, you survive them.”
Carmilla’s bibliography includes The Venus Virus, The Starblood (four book) Series, Starblood the graphic novel, Psychonaut the graphic novel, The Ballerina and the Revolutionary, Broken Mirror and Other Morbid Tales. Her short stories have been included in Zombie Punks Fuck Off, Another Beautiful Nightmare, Elements of Horror: Water, D is for Demons, Trembling With Fear, and Sirens Call Magazine.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bookbub | Amazon | Goodreads
Faith Marlow is a USA Today best selling author of dark fantasy/ paranormal/ horror. Her stories stir emotions and explore the thin veil between human and the inhuman. Dark, yet inviting and familiar, Faith seeks to deliver chills with a sense of class, and sometimes a bit of heat. With each story, she hopes to build exposure for fellow women authors and artists who create horror.
Her debut, “Being Mrs. Dracula”, chronicles the lives of Count Dracula’s three beautiful, yet very different wives, Valeria, Ilona, and Fleur. The story continues with “Being Dracula’s Widow” and the third installment of the series “Being Dracula’s Heir”. The fourth book is currently in development.
Faith’s latest project, the “Scorned Women” series launched in 2020 with its first book, a retelling of the story of Medusa. Each book in this series will focus on a different woman in and seek to give them a second chance.
Faith is also proud to be featured in multiple short story anthologies. When she isn’t writing or reading, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, watching a horror movie, online shopping for Funko Pop! figures, at a rock show, or entertaining her house panther, Teddy. She lives in Tennessee with her husband, Scottie, and son, Avery.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bookbub | Amazon | Goodreads
Giveaway Alert!
$10 Amazon giftcard + ebook of Being Mrs. Dracula by Faith Marlow,
$10 Amazon giftcard + ebook of Starblood by Carmilla Voiez
– 1 winner each!
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Thank you for sharing!
This cover reminds me of another one you reviewed ages ago. The Rose?