Welcome to the WordCrafter “Midnight Garden” Book Blog Tour

Posted: October 7, 2024 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Anthology, Audio Excerpt, Author Interview, Blog Tour, Books, Dark fiction, Giveaways, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: "The Seagull Man", Anthology, M.J. Mallon, Midnight Garden, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | 25 Comments

It’s day 1 of the WordCrafter Midnight Garden Book Blog Tour, and we’ve got a great tour scheduled with with guest posts and readings from contributing authors at every stop, and a fantastic giveaway, so stick with us.

Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow is the annual WordCrafter anthology, and book 2 of the Midnight dark fiction anthology series. This year’s winning story is “The Seagull Man”, by M.J. Mallon. Also featured are stories by contributing authors Paul Kane, Ell Rodman, DL Mullan, Joseph Carrabis, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, Paul Martz, Denise Aparo, Jon Shannon, Julie Jones, Abe Margel, Robb T. White, Molly Ertel, Zack Elafy, Danaeka Scrimshaw, Kaye Lynne Booth, and Alex Constance.

About Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/MidnightGardenAnthology

Giveaway

Three lucky winners will receive a digital copy of Midnight Garden in a random drawing following the tour. All you have to do to enter is follow the tour and leave a comment at each stop that you visit.

If you miss a stop, you can go back and visit through the links in the schedule below. (Links won’t work until the stop goes live).

Schedule

Monday – October 7 – M.J. Mallon: Interview & Reading from “The Seagull Man” – Writing to be Read

Tuesday – October 8 – Danaeka Scrimshaw: Inspiration for “The Fae Game” & Denise Aparo: Reading from “Jack Moon & the Vanishing Book” – Roberta Writes

Wednesday – October 9 – Joseph Carrabis: Reading of “The Last Drop” & Inspiration for “Striders” – Paul Martz

Thursday – October 10 – Paul Martz: Reading & Inspiration for “The Blackest Ink” – Writing to be Read

Friday – October 11 – Molly Ertel: Inspiration Reading from “Antipenultimate” & Abe Margel: Inspiration for “My Balance” – Kyrosmagica

Saturday – October 12 – Paul Kane: Inspiration for “Drip Feed” & Joseph Carrabis: Reading of “Grande Ture” – Undawnted

Sunday – October 13 – DL Mullan: Reading from “Kurst” & Ell Rodman: Inspiration for “The Drummer” – BookPlaces

Monday – October 14 – Joseph Carrabis: Reading of “The Exchange” & Inspiration for “The Tomb”) – Writing to be Read

Today’s stop features an interview with the author of the winning story, M.J. Mallon, and an excerpt reading from “The Seagull Man”.

Interview

M.J.: Thank you so much Kaye for such wonderful questions and for featuring me.

Kaye: What inspired you to enter the WordCrafter 2024 Short Fiction Contest?

I enjoy being part of anthologies especially around Halloween time when I can flex my dark fiction tendencies. And the bonus of winning, which this time I did, is so inspiring!

Kaye: What inspired your story entry, “The Seagull Man”?

M.J.: Bird and people watching! I’ve witnessed four curious bird episodes, three with seagulls, either acting strange or amusing and one more recently with a large swan and pigeons being fed by a curious-looking man. Getting back to the seagull story that inspired me, I saw a man surrounded by seagulls who appeared to be dressed like them. They flocked around him, obsessively, camouflaging him, and then followed him when he drove off on his bike. He disappeared with them, as if he was one of them, dressed in seagull colours of white and grey.

Kaye: Where were you when you received the news that your story had been chosen as the winner?

M.J.: I was in Tavira, Portugal, enjoying the June sunshine. Imagine my delight to hear that I was the winner. An excuse for some celebratory wine, some vinho verde!

Kaye: You’re a YA author. In your opinion, what is the biggest difference between YA and adult fiction? Why do you choose to write for young adults?

M.J.: With YA fiction, you must have the right mindset, a youthful one. And be mindful of the audience you are writing for. So, I include mental health, etc, trigger warnings, (mild ones, albeit.)  I am currently writing book three in the series and there is one creepy scene, (which I’ve had some concerns about. How far is it okay to go?) How much do I include for a younger readership? What is acceptable? Whereas, if you write for adults, there are fewer restrictions in that way. I write YA because I have a young mindset, and I like to keep as youthful in mind and body as I can.

Kaye: What is the biggest reward you get from your writing?

M.J.: The readership, when you get feedback that your writing means different things to different people. No one has the same opinion. And when someone truly gets your story and relates to what you are trying to portray that is the biggest reward.  

Kaye: How does your love of crystals play a role in your writing?

M.J.: I collect crystals have done for years. My first was a malachite, which is a green crystal and a stone of transformation! Crystals are a crucial part of the Curse of Time series, Bloodstone and Golden Healer, and will also be in the third book, still to be named. Crystals are magical! The main protagonist, Amelina, learns about her magical ancestry and how to wield magic to protect her family and her friend Esme, the vulnerable mental health protagonist, the mirror girl, from harm.

Kaye: Books 1 & 2 of your Curse of Time series are Bloodstone and Golden Healer, respectively. Would you like to tell about this series?

M.J.: The story setting is Cambridge, England, where I used to live.

It is inspired by:

 The Corpus Christi Chronophage clock on King’s parade and its three creatures: the grasshopper, the mythological midsummer fly, and the dragon, (invented by Dr. John C. Taylor, OBE who I had the pleasure of meeting!)

Juniper Artland’s sculptural park, crystal grotto, (crafted by artist Anya Gallaccio,) in Wilkieston, near Edinburgh, Scotland.

It is a light (crystal magic,) and dark tale of a girl’s transformation, her discovery of who she is, who she can trust and how to cure her father of a debilitating aging curse. As the series continues, the storyline of all the characters evolves. In this process, we learn more about the antagonist, Ryder, who is a dark demon, a shadow sorcerer, with a creepy panther. And book three has the extraordinary dragon clock timepiece!   A dragon like one you have never met before!

Kaye: In addition to your novels, you’ve had stories published in several short fiction anthologies, including Nightmareland, in which I also have a story featured. (I didn’t realize that until I visited your author page on Amazon.) What is your preference: writing fiction in short or long form? Why?

M.J.: Yes, I began writing short fiction horror/dark fiction through the training ground of Nightmareland!

My preference… long form is so rewarding when I write that final chapter. I always feel such a sense of accomplishment. But it is so difficult in its production, because of its size, the sheer volume of the project. And a series is even harder.

 Short form is easier to get to the nugget of the story. I love that about short form. Both are wonderful. I’m not sure which I prefer… I love them both, but for different reasons!

Kaye: If you could meet and talk with one literary figure, dead or alive, who would it be? Why?

M.J.: Ah, just one? Oscar Wilde, as I’d love to ask him about his portrayal of Dorian Grey, in the Picture of Dorian Gray. The antagonist, Ryder, in the Curse of time series was based on him. Dorian’s narcissistic vanity, his longing for beauty, for youth, his charm, and his excesses that is Ryder.

Reading from “The Seagull Man” by M.J. Mallon

Midnight Garden Book Trailer

Excerpt From “The Peddler”, by Alex Constance

Excerpt From “Fire Sale at the Burdock Family Business”, by Robb T. White

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Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!

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