National Tell a Fairytale Day

Apparently, it’s National Tell a Fairytale Day. I don’t know who decides these things, but Beneath Blair Mountain volunteers as tribute. While set in 1910s America, this book was inspired by Irish tales of the Sidhe and Icelandic tales of the elves/Huldufolk. At their roots, both of these traditions, like the fairytales canonized by the infamous Brothers Grimm, lean more horror than fantasy. Expect no Disney fare here.

Published Author Happy Dance

My first book is out! You can find Beneath Blair Mountain on Amazon and Goodreads. And you never know, maybe someone will ban it and bring this blog full circle.

Salt & Iron

Cover art by Mariya Suzuki

Merry met again, my good readers. For those of you following the saga of my Appalachian Urban Fantasy novella, you’ll be happy to know that Beneath Blair Mountain is out! You can find it on Amazon and Goodreads or read more about it on 1888’s website.

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Beneath Blair Mountain (Coming Soon!)

My first book is coming out soon! It’s not banned (not yet, anyway), but it features many of the things you know and love from the many banned books I’ve reviewed over the years (female protagonists, ghosts, pagan mythologies, historical events, social commentary, death, etc).

Salt & Iron

Cover art by Mariya Suzuki

So, as you may know from my last post, my novella, Beneath Blair Mountain, is being published as part of the Summer Writing Project 2015 Collection. The Summer Writing Project is an annual joint venture between 1888 and JukePop, which you can read more about in the link above (or here and here). And isn’t that a damn fine cover? Mariya Suzuki did a fantastic job on all three books in the collection, but I do admit to being slightly biased. Just look at those mountains! If those can’t spirit you away into the pages, the fey folk might as well pack up and go home. 

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From Blair Mountain to Black Hill

I know I’ve been absolutely terrible about this blog in the last year, but I have some excellent news for those lamenting a lack of Shannon in their lives. I’m getting a book published.

Salt & Iron

Merry met, my good readers. I have some excellent news. If you went to 1888’s website this weekend, you may have been greeted by my face. As some of you may recall, this summer I participated in the Summer Writing Project, an annual contest held by 1888, Black Hill Press, and JukePop. All summer long, writers serially updated novellas on everything from the escapades of wayward youth to space stations to caffeine outlawing dystopias.

My own novella was a mix of Urban Fantasy, Horror, and Historical Fiction set during the 1910s. Beneath Blair Mountain follows the story of Lara Rae Brecken, a West Viriginia girl trying to escape her fate, who finds herself face to face with the fair folk one cold October night. And, lo and behold, Beneath Blair Mountain, was one of three novellas selected by Black Hill Press for publication.

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Fey as Folk: Summer Writing Project 2015

Hey, all. My Urban Fantasy/Historical Fiction novella, Beneath Blair Mountain, is finished and JukePop’s Summer Writing Project is drawing to a close, so please go check it out and give it some love.

Salt & Iron

So, as devoted readers may remember, I’m participating in the Summer Writing Project, a collaboration between serial writing venue JukePop, indie publisher Black Hill Press, and 1888center. My novella, Beneath Blair Mountain, is current holding fifth in the rankings, but I could use some love, whether you choose to read, comment, vote, share, or just give me a hearty thumbs up.

Beneath Blair Mountain is a fusion of Urban Fantasy/Horror/Mythic Fiction and Historical Fiction/American Gothic, so there should be something for everyone, whether they like myth, folk culture, rural Appalachia, dark fey, Edwardian period pieces, ghost stories, political and social commentary, Irish gunrunners, or American history. Here’s the description if you’re interested:

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Need a Summer Getaway? Try Blair Mountain

So, I know I’ve been terrible at posting to this blog and I really do intend to remedy that, but, in the meantime, I am keeping up with my other blog, Salt and Iron. Also, I’m happy to say that you can read my fiction for free all summer as a part of JukePop and Black Hill Press’s Summer Writing Project. So if Urban Fantasy, Horror, American history, Irish fairy lore, labor movements, immigration, and Appalachia are things that interest you, consider this your lucky day.

Salt & Iron

Great news! I’m participating in the Summer Writing Project, a collaboration between JukePop, which is revitalizing the serial, and Black Hill Press, which publishes the long-neglected shortform that is the novella. What does this mean? Well, it means that you can read my novella, Beneath Blair Mountain, as I update it serially all summer.

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One Last Time? Always

As some of you may know, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are banned books. So stick it to the Saurons of the world and go see The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies this week.

I’d Like To Ban Harry Potter: A Response

Many people have tried to (and succeeded in) banning Harry Potter. I’ve been wanting to tackle the books here for years, but never know where to begin (I’ve written two academic papers on the matter and have too much to say) or how to put it in any kind of coherent, non-thesis-y order and then get overwhelmed and put it off again. However, an excellent blog I follow recently wrote a rebuttal to an interview in Times of India, in which a writer gave some odd reasons for wanting to ban the Harry Potter books. Once again it seems the people trying to ban books have all too often never read them. Anyway, it’s an interesting read, so go check it out.

There and Their

Dear Shinie Antony,

Hi! How are you? I read your interview in Times of India today. Being an avid reader myself, I had no idea about your existence till I read your interview.  So, I had to search you on Goodreads. I found that you have written quite a few books yourself..and a total of THIRTEEN  people had rated your most rated book! And most of your books have been rated from the range of 2 to 3.5 stars…wow! Congratulations!!

I am writing to you, because I read your this article:

Now there are a million books out there, and a million more readers. So, I understand that not everybody will be aware of each and every ‘author’ there is. But, do you know, unless the person is living under a rock, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, on some island that has not yet been charted on the…

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Save Wolves, Read An Awesome Book

We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you shameless self-promotion. The anthology I’m in is out! Huzzah! Er, awwwoooooo?

Salt & Iron

Cover design by Matt Cowan and Marshall Stevens. Wolf Warriors copyright Thurston Howl Publications.

Great news, internet! The anthology I’m in is out! Wolf Warriors: The National Wolfwatcher Coalition Anthology is a wolf-themed charity anthology to raise money for the National Wolfwatcher Coalition, which seeks to educate people about wolves and their importance, as well as advocating for their preservation. The anthology is chock-full of lupine art, fiction, flashfiction, and essays of all genres, so fantasy fans, nature/animal lovers, literary folks, non-fiction people, art enthusiasts, and all manner of readers can all find something to enjoy.

The anthology also features stories by David Clement-Davies (author of The Sight, Fell, and Fire Bringer) and two-time Hugo Award winner Catherynne M. Valente (author of the Fairyland series)! I’m super stoked to be in an anthology with them and can’t wait til my copy arrives so I can read “Fell’s Dream” and “The…

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Another Year of Banned Books

Merry met, my dear readers. It seems my blog has been around for another year. And it has been quite the year here at the Bound and Gagged Banned Books Blog. One of my posts was Freshly Pressed, another was quoted in The Huffington Post, and we went from about 50 followers to over 2,000. So whether you’re new to the blog or have stuck by us since the beginning, thank you. Thank you for reading, sharing, commenting, and taking the time to come to our little corner of the internet.

This year we also gained two excellent writers. Hannah and Victoria Lepore were both kind enough to grace the blog with their thoughts, rants, and insights, joining me and Elliot Oberholtzer on our banned book crusade. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all three of them for contributing to the blog, for taking the time to write such thoughtful reviews, and for being generally awesome human beings.

I hope you’ll all stick with us for yet another year of banned book reviews, censorship news, and the occasional nerdrage. Banned Books Week is fast approaching, so check back for more Bound and Gagged goodness (not nearly as kinky as it sounds). In the meantime, enjoy this look back at the last year of banned book reviews.