Interview: Louise Bohmer

Louise Bohmer is the editor of Lachesis, a publisher of fantasy, science fiction, dark fantasy, horror and many other genres, operating out of Canada. I first met Louise in an online forum, and I originally sought out the threads where she posted, because she was always answering questions about submissions standards and her pet peeves.

As a new writer, learning these things about each publisher are vital. I need this kind of research to know who to send stories to, and how best to approach the publisher without causing offense.

However, within a few weeks, I let the research fall by the wayside, and I just read Louise's posts because I found her to be smart, funny, and charming. So when Louise started talking about her upcoming book, The Black Act, she had my full undivided attention pretty much from the start.

I want to brag and say how I was smooth enough to get a copy of the ARC of The Black Act, but the truth is simple. I had pre-ordered the book, and I asked nicely if I might get to see an e-book copy early. Louise said yes, and a few minutes later, I had my copy. It isn't that I'm so convincing. Louise is just that nice as a person.

After reading The Black Act, I wrote up a review, but it wasn't enough for me to close the cover and leave the story alone. I felt like I had a few burning questions that I wanted to ask Louise after finishing this, her first dark fantasy novel. So, I again approached Louise to ask about the possibility of doing an interview, and as is par for the course, she was more than happy to answer questions about her story, herself, and her work at Lachesis Publishing.

ZW: Louise, thank you for giving me the chance to do this interview. Can you briefly describe how long you've been writing and editing fiction?

LB: Well, I've loved writing since I was wee. My story goes a bit like this: When I was around 4, my mom showed me my Gramp Perkins' old British typewriter. I fell in love with it instantly. Under careful supervision, I was allowed to type on it. I absolutely loved the smell of the ink ribbon. I typed up my first little fantasy story on it, after watching The Neverending Story. Then I told my mother I planned on being a writer one day.

I used to start books in my school notebooks all the time. I'd tell my friends I was writing a novel, and they'd laugh at me. But while the teacher was trying to teach 6th grade Social Studies, I was busy trying to write a pioneer novel inspired by Laura Ingalls Wilder (my earliest writing inspiration).

I wrote my first novel when I was 13, and it was terrible. A hack job Mafia story where everyone pretty much gets killed. It was called The Underworld's Possession. I went to the library and carted home a huge listing book of literary agents and, with manuscript bound by yarn and with liquid paper covering the typos, I send it off. I've learned not to bind my manuscripts with yarn since then, however.

I quit writing for quite some time-probably around 10 years-because I just figured it wasn't a feasible career route. Then I met my hubby. He read some of my old stuff and was shocked that it was actually good. He encouraged me to get back into it. So, off and on, I've been writing something, even if it's a really bad poem, since early childhood.

I've been editing for just over 3 years now. I got into editing first through some micro presses, and then Lachesis hired me after I submitted my CV. I work for the main company and their two imprints.

ZW: Okay, so you're also an editor for Lachesis. Can you describe your typical work day? When does it start, and when do you get off the company clock? How much time do you have to devote to the slush pile and proofing duties before you can get back to work on your own stories?

LB: Most days, I start with e-mail first. At least, I trim down the pile a bit before I get to work on something. Then I open whatever I am editing and work on that, usually, while still working on some e-mails. I also make galleys for print and create the publication schedule, plus assign editors to projects, so a day can vary up quite a bit, depending on the needs of that day. I just finished cataloging all the slush, and now I have to get back to reading it.

After working on TBA for 2 plus years now, I have to admit I'm taking a tiny break from writing to catch up on the Lachesis Publishing publication schedule and just to have a breather a bit, too. Mind you, late at night I've been writing on Gypsy Wagon--sketching out its characters and plot and first two chapters, and I've produced a poem that will be in 'Death in Common', so I guess I've been writing sporadically even while I'm supposed to be having a break.

Days can range from 10 - 12 hours, usually. It's hard to shut off sometimes.

ZW: I've talked to you a few times online, and I remember how you've mentioned working through many nights with insomnia. Did you write this book at night, in the dark? And, if you'll forgive a goofy follow-up question; if you do work at night, do you find that working during the day makes writing dark fiction harder?

LB: I think I wrote about 85-90% of this book at night, or very wee hours of the morning. I'll be honest, I don't like to write during daylight. I like to edit and do the business side of things during the day. I find the day just too busy and noisy, even though I usually write with headphones on. There's still too many disruptions during the day. At night, I feel more calm and I can really slip into the story I am working on for hours. So, yes, I wrote most of this book at night (but not in the dark because then I couldn't see--haha--just teasing!)

I find writing in the day harder, yes. Doesn't matter what I am working on, even if it might be lighter in tone, I still prefer to do my writing at night. It's just a very peaceful time for me.

ZW: Getting back to your interpretation of the fae in The Black Act, you present them as an emotionally reserved people around the humans, and yet there are hints and glimpses of a much darker animal nature to them, as when the king attacks a victim by stomping and then biting him. Do you think future stories will move into the fae world to offer a closer look at this animal wild side that they keep hidden from the humans?

LB: I'd say there is a definite possibility of that, but that's all I'll tell you for now. ;-P

ZW: D'oh! Denied! Well, okay then. You've said in some of your interviews that you were inspired by older myths and legends. Are there any specific legends or old fairy tales that most directly influenced this work? Or were you working with a wide pool of research material to distill it down into this world and its recent history?

LB: The mythology that most deeply influences the characters you will find in 'The Black Act' is that of the old Irish legendary race called the Tuatha de Dannan.

It is thought these legendary people were the earliest gods and goddesses of the Celtic tribes, but, since the writings weren't collected until after Christianity spread across Europe and Scandinavia, they were reduced to great Kings and Queens and brave warriors in the written tales. Tuatha de Dannan means 'people of the goddess Danu'.

But, there are also Greek and Roman archetypes in the book--for instance, the horned man of the woods, or horned god, which I partly derived from Pan. Mind you, the Green Man and Cernunnos also inspired my woodmen, and the Green Man is fairly universal as a symbol, while Cernunnos is another Celtic leaning.

ZW: I've done a bit of research on Cernunnos, and I can see a lot of him in the character Luthien. I really liked how Luthien first evokes a appearance close to a satyr, but then you pile on a visual description that completely warps his image into something new. Most of your fae folk are described in much that same way as with Luthien. You build up each creature in terms of the elements that produce their features. Humans are a collection of organisms too, and all our microbe colonies reside inside of us in a rather attractive colored sack. But the fae let it all hang out. So, where did you get this creepy idea to make vine-covered wood people with moss for body hair and fungus for lips and eyes? Oh, and as a side question, do the fae have a sense of smell?

LB: I'll address the sense of smell first, just because it is a bit easier to answer. Yes, they do. In fact, all their senses are heightened, so they can see, hear, smell, and taste far better than any human can. This is part of the reason they are trained, in some areas of the planet at least, to control their emotions. They feel differently, almost deeper in a way, than humans do. So, when they unleash emotion and let it rule their head, it can be very disastrous if the fae lets it get out of control. This is partly due to the fact that, as a fifth dimensional being, they somewhat control and manipulate the elements. They gather power from them. Since they are so in tune with the planet, they are obviously very in tune with the elements that make up Dala, and can manipulate them to a great degree--far beyond human capacity.

As to where my idea for this concept of fae came from--that's a bit of a 'mixed pot', I suppose. First off, since they are beings who more or less protect the balance of nature, I wanted their being to make up various elements of nature. So, you see elements of human, wolf, elk, fungus, dirt, bone, in these creatures. They represent the concept that the planet is a living being. They are, in a sense, the planet manifesting itself into a creature that can experience existence from a humanoid form. In many ways, it goes back to the prologue: these beings represent Dala's first experiment with splintering itself into smaller, separate parts of its greater whole. It manifested itself into smaller forms of existence to experience its great body of self from a new perspective--to walk its lands and roam its forests. So, more or less, the fae are a living symbol of the planet's awareness. The humans are also a product of Dala's further experimentation with life, but they are less connected to its center, in some ways.

The idea also came from old concepts in folklore like the Green Man and the Green Woman, various legends I've read through the years, the concept of satyrs, and going back to a more pre-Victorian concept of fae.

ZW: Clive Barker is someone you've often cited as an influence to your writing, and I can definitely see that in your vivid descriptions of the fae, and in the gruesome death scenes in this book. Setting aside Clive Barker, who are some of the other writers who influenced you to write with such graphic and poetic detail?

LB: As cliché as it might sound, Lord Byron. I'm also a big fan of Blake and both Mary and Percy Shelley. Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' had a deep impact on me. Love that story. Margaret Atwood, but mostly her poems. Something I plan to rectify, as I've wanted to dig into her novels for ages. I've only read The Handmaid's Tale, but I can even see how that influences my writing to some extent.

And, while he isn't a novelist, director David Cronenberg has had a huge impact on my imagination as well.

ZW: The Black Act concludes darkly for most of the characters involved, but it also offers new hope with a clean slate for the survivors, as well as a brand new beginning for the Wise Women's guild. If you could write something else in the same world starting tomorrow, would you want to move ahead into this new world of equality for all first, or go back in the past to fill in some of the bleaker back story?

LB: Well, part of me would like to do both. I could see this as a trilogy, with one possible offshoot book (see Fjorhad Giants in the novel), but nothing beyond that. I wouldn't milk a world beyond what it can give me. Still, I think it would be interesting to do a trilogy with this. The offshoot book, if I did it, would most likely have little to do with the Dalthwein, and would examine an entirely different area of the planet, an entirely different, wilder breed of fae, and the reclusive Fjorhad Giants.

The other two in the possible trilogy would be a prequel and sequel. The prequel would look at Corrigan, and how he came to be the way he was. The sequel would look at Ella reborn as a fae, and would examine the world of the Dalthwein Region's fae on a deeper level.

ZW: Do you intend to stay focused on this one world, or will you branch out to other worlds and other races with your future novels?

LB: I'm writing something entirely different right now. It's horror / dark fantasy still, but it is set in modern times and in our world. Northern Ontario will be the setting, actually. Right now, I'm calling it Gypsy Wagon.

I have a short story I am working on that develops the Fjorhad Giants. It looks at the wilder fae in this harsher clime--Fjorhad District--and a bond that develops between a fae from this region and a Fjorhad Giant. Corrigan will make an appearance in this tale as well.

ZW: Do you have any other novels due out to be published soon? (Rubs hands expectantly.) If yes, can you offer some hints of what to expect?

LB: Hehe. Well, I don't have it finished yet, and it doesn't have a home yet, but I am working on Gypsy Wagon. Here is the WIP premise:

WIP BLURB - GYPSY WAGON

Violetta lives a quiet life as a doll maker in the woods of Northern Ontario. She shares a secluded patch of land and a log home with her partner. He works with his father-a partner in their refrigeration & cooling business, located in the nearest small town.

When her husband dies from a strange, sudden illness, she knows ghosts from her past are somehow involved. She goes on a spirit quest in the forest on their property, preserving her husband's dead body in the walk in freezer they have installed in their basement, to keep large cuts of meat and game, and store up for winter in their isolated home. On her quest, she becomes reacquainted with the Shaman, a beloved father figure from her childhood.

Along with her baby sister, Violetta was raised by a gypsy grandmother and their mother. They travelled across Canada, telling fortunes and providing 'parlour tricks for a price'. Grandmother was sincere in her mysticism, but mother was not, and this was why grandmother pushed for them to leave the road life. She did not like selling what she felt were second rate carny tricks, but mother was unwilling to give up the road life, and Gran suspected she sold herself on the side, to help pay for her drinking and gambling. Gran believed leaving the road life for some stability, a job in a town where they could have put down roots, would have helped Mother become the gifted, and more honest, mystic woman she once was.

Enter the Shaman, a quiet man they pick up in one of their stops, after he shows to them he possesses esoteric gifts, and he joins their small travelling show, adding new mystic, and musical, attractions.

Over time, he succumbs to the wiles of Violetta's troubled mother, but he also comes to love her children, and he earns the appreciation and deep respect of grandmother.

When he comes to Violetta in her present, he offers her the spell she is seeking to resurrect her husband, and answers to the past she has intentionally forgotten. But, as with all painful traumas fully realized and healed, and with wishes granted, there comes weighty conditions for the gift and peace the Shaman promises.

ZW: Ooh! Dang it, and now you've already got me hooked on waiting for your next book, and The Black Act isn't even out yet!

Speaking of which, let's get back to the fae. Despite their animal side, your versions of the fae also display a forgiving nature, sometimes to the point of being infuriatingly "thick headed." Are all fae pragmatists like this, or is this perspective an extension of the training they take in their youths? In other words, would a fae raised by humans be more emotional and judgmental, because the perspective was nurtured into it, or would the fae's connection to the planet make their pragmatic attitude a function of nature?

LB: Well, with the fae's reserved and peaceful nature, I was working somewhat with the concept that they are so in tune with Dala the planet tells them when to act and when to 'sheath the sword', so to speak. I intentionally wanted them to be pushed beyond what would be acceptable limits of human nature, but when they do get the 'call to attack' from Dala, there is no mercy.

For instance, they tell the witches more than once, 'I could kill you with the touch of my hand.' In my world, they really can do that, but they don't use it unless they are forced to. That's not to say all fae are so placid. The ones you meet in TBA are highly discplined and trained, as they reside so close to Dala's heartcore (an area that is said to open into the core of the planet, where the seat of its sentience would rest).

Would a fae raised by humans be more corrupt, more human? I'd say that would depend on how in tune the young creature was with Dala, and how in tune with the planet its human care givers were. If, for instance, Goddard raised the fae, I'm sure the poor thing would be most twisted and full of self loathing.

ZW: Okay, last question, and thank you for putting up with me. In your world you have a 400 day annual cycle, and a dual moon lunar cycle? This is a very different world in many ways. Why did you choose to move the story away from the familiar fantasy trope of Medieval Earth?

LB: Because I wanted this world to feel completely different to the reader. When you step into the pages of The Black Act, after a few chapters, I want you to really feel like you've come to an entirely different world. One that might fool you into believing it is Earth with a quick glance, but the further into the book you get, the more you see this is most definitely an alien planet. I didn't want my creatures tied to preconceived notions of any kind. I really felt they needed a home world of their own. And, working with the concept that the planet was more or less a living organism also kind of demanded that as well, since I was taking this planet as a living organism concept to the farthest stretches of the imagination.

Louise Bohmer's book will come out April 28, 2009, but you can already make pre-orders through the Lachesis Publishing site. Louise, thank you once again for your time, and I'll be looking forward to Gypsy Wagon with great anticipation.