This seemed like the perfect word for my state right now. Yes, the election was a blow, but it was a hellacious week overall. Mother is doing better, or was at the most recent visit, but her permanent location is still undetermined.
Some of you already know this: Medicare covers 20 days. After that, her health insurance will cover it until Day 100. Then it goes up to full cost, which is around $10K a month. The facility she was at is unlikely to take her back; she requires a level of assistance they don't provide. We are in limbo, a state I despise but find myself in all too often.
We're also looking at relocating. We have enjoyed most of our time in Safety Harbor, but the hurricanes are getting worse. We've evacuated multiple times. One neighbor lost their home to Milton, and other neighbors are in their own limbo state until inspections are finished. Our place suffered some damage and our heat pump needs repairs. Due to problems with the previous heat pump, we have wall units to compensate.
Our home is not insured. We can't buy insurance; it's manufactured housing and too old (1979) to insure. Once it's gone, we're screwed. Plus, the lot rent has become steeper and will probably climb again due to necessary repairs to the park. A house in another state would be just as affordable.
Finally, we still have the next Strangely Funny to publish. Three hurricanes and a family crisis have slowed us further from our usual crawl.
There's a lot on our plates. So, dumfungled we are.
Three years back, I posted about my mother's dementia. She was no longer able to live on her own, and we moved her to a facility that has taken decent care of her. The staff know us on sight, and she has had other people to talk to.
Unfortunately, her status has declined to the point where she needs more care than they can give her. I'm not going to go into all the details here, but they are connected to the dementia and other health problems.
She's being transferred to a skilled nursing facility not far from where we live. Adjusting will be hard for her; moving was challenging enough the first time.
It is also a reminder of how short our time with her is becoming. At least she still knows who I am.
Welcome to the blog tour for Days of Darkness, the new Hellscapes novel from award-winning author Stephen Zimmer! The Days of Darkness Blog Tour will run from June 17th to June 24th, featuring guest posts, interview, podcast appearances, and reviews!
Days of Darkness is a stand-alone novel, and marks the first full-length novel in the franchise following three volumes of Hellscapes short stories! Visceral and macabre, the Hellscapes worlds have strong appeal to readers who enjoy authors such as Clive Barker, Wayne Barlowe, H.P. Lovecraft, and others!
Get ready for a thrill ride into the Hellscapes realms!
How did you create Ambrose? Was he inspired by someone?
Popped into your head as is? His day job was interesting.
Ambrose was not inspired by one person, but he represents a
type of person that I find to be increasingly prevalent in today’s world. He holds a position that has a profound
impact on the lives of a great multitude of people, and the work that he does,
and the system that he is a part of, results in greater hardship, suffering,
and struggle for that multitude of people.
Yet he never stops to question any of this, and, in fact, revels in the
comforts and material success that this position brings him. There is an underlying narcissism to him, and
perhaps some sociopathic elements, to where he never thinks of the morality or
consequences of what he does, or questions the nature of the system he
serves. It is a form of evil, and I hope
the reader comes to understand that as the story unfolds and things unravel for
Ambrose.
What about The Prophet?
The Prophet, like the Stranger, is one of my enigmatic
characters that appear in Hellscapes stories.
Ultimately, the characters like these two act as a sort of beacon of
conscience in the story, as they tend to be guides to the characters in the
story toward the revelation of where they truly are and why they are
there. In some sense, they play a role
like the Greek Chorus in an ancient theater performance. The Prophet, in this story, underscores the
doom that is unveiling upon Ambrose and all of the souls that are in this
particular Hellscape. In a sense, he is
there to proclaim damnation on them, even if they do not quite understand what
he is talking about just yet.
What was the most challenging part to write in this book?
The most challenging part to writing this book was the
initial setting, where I wanted to have everything appear to be set in a
“normal world” while slowly showing that there is something “off-kilter” about
it, without giving away fully that this apparently modern city going about its
daily existence is, in fact, a Hellscape.
The transition into that full revelation could not come too quickly, and
I worked to make sure that was managed carefully in the early stages of the
tale.
What draws you to writing dark, dystopian material?
The Dark and the dystopian reflect the reality of the world
that we live in. Exploration of the
Dark, through storytelling, is valuable in understanding, confronting, and
giving vent to the Dark that is present, and pervasive, in a flawed world. Dark, dystopian material allows for creative
expression that depicts and reflects an array of evils that people face and
struggle against in life. Art provokes
thought and emotion, and often challenges its audience in some manner, and
storytelling in a dark, dystopian setting is no exception. If anything, it is very fertile ground for
creating art rooted in reality.
Plotter or pantser?
I am about midway on the spectrum of Plotter vs.
Pantser. I always have a core structure
when writing a story, where I know the general course that it will go and its
destination. This has helped me to avoid
“writing myself into a corner.” At the
same time, I like to give myself room to add new elements, whether they involve
the plot or new characters. So I don’t
outline to the point that I am too confined to be able to add new ideas that
inevitably arise along the way. With my
writing, I have developed a balance between the two poles of Plotter and
Pantser, and so far it has worked very well for me.
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
I have about three novels worth of material that I wrote
during my formative years that I am not sure will ever see the light of
day. The ideas in them I still find to
be good, but the writing would need a complete overhaul! Currently I have several new, completed
manuscripts that are in the editing pipeline, heading toward publishing. I have a new Rayden Valkyrie duology called
The Crossing, with the novels Beyond the Gates and The Light Within. I have a new Ragnar Stormbringer stand-alone
novel titled Where Mountains Rise, and a new Hongvi Shadow Walker stand-alone
novel titled As Above, So Below. There
is also a new Rising Dawn Saga novel titled The Crimson Reign, the fifth book
in that series, and a new Fires in Eden novel, the fourth in that series,
titled Path of Valor. Finally, there is
Rise of the Voyagers, the next in my Faraway Saga. So, in all, there are seven finished novels currently
in that editing pipeline heading toward my readers!
If you could tell your younger writing self anything,
what would it be?
To run, run fast from pursuing a career in writing!
LOL! I jest a little, but I would make
sure my younger self understood the struggle, frustrations, and pitfalls that
pursuing the writing path entails. Not
to discourage my younger self, but rather to give a sober and clear
understanding of expectations and the marathon nature of the writing path. Storytelling and writing are intrinsic to me,
so I know I would still write just as much as I do, but I would be better
prepared for the difficulties and trials that are part of the writing road.
Who is your greatest cheerleader?
My parents were always my greatest cheerleaders, and in my
heart, I know that they still are, from wherever they may be in the worlds
beyond this one. But I am blessed and
fortunate enough to have another such cheerleader that entered my world about
eight and a half years ago, Holly Marie Phillippe, my best friend and better
half. I should say here that my
definition of a true cheerleader is not just someone that seeks to encourage
and uplift you, but is also someone who is honest with you, with a motivation
to help you become the best version of yourself. That entails constructive criticism and hard
truths at times, but those are necessary things that help you grow, rise, and
become a better version of yourself, and I am grateful to still have one such
cheerleader in my world!
Thank you for the opportunity to be interviewed, and I hope
that everyone who gives Days of Darkness a try finds it to be the wild thrill
ride that I did while writing it.
Synopsis of Days of Darkness:
Ambrose awakens to find dense, rolling layers of ash-gray clouds spanning to the far horizon, shrouding the city beneath in a drab pall. He begins his day, thinking it no different from any other.
Though it is in the height of summer, an icy, anomalous chill sifts into the air later that day, until it becomes colder than the depths of winter.
Then, the sun sets, and darkness falls.
The night does not end, as there is no sunrise to follow.
Bizarre and frightening apparitions begin appearing across a city and world shrouded in an inexplicable darkness. It is only the beginning of an unfurling, deepening nightmare, one that will take Ambrose on a terrifying journey of self-discovery and revelation.
For Ambrose, and everyone in the world around him, the Days of Darkness have only just begun.
About the Author:
Stephen Zimmer is an award-winning author, filmmaker, and broadcaster based out of Lexington, Kentucky. His titles as an author include the Rayden Valkyrie Tales (Sword and Sorcery), the Ragnar Stormbringer Tales (Sword and Sorcery), the Hongvi Shadow Walker Tales (Sword and Sorcery) the Faraway Saga (YA Dystopian), the Rising Dawn Saga (Cross Genre), the Fires in Eden Series (Epic Fantasy), the Hellscapes short story collections (Horror), the Chronicles of Ave short story collections (Fantasy), and the Harvey and Solomon Tales (Steampunk).
Stephen’s visual work includes the feature film Shadows Light, shorts films such as The Sirens and Swordbearer, and the Rayden Valkyrie: Saga of a Lionheart TV Pilot. Stephen also co-hosts the Star Chamber Show, a weekly live audio podcast featuring creative talents from around the world.
Stephen is a proud Kentucky Colonel who also enjoys the realms of music, martial arts, good bourbons, and spending time with family.
Gwen Mayo and I are thrilled to announce our partnership with Scott Ellis Reads to produce our first audiobook. We're starting with Murder on the Mullet Express, the first book in our Three Snowbirds series. The projected release date is January 2025, nearly a hundred years after the story's setting. This milestone fulfills a dream we've had since founding Mystery and Horror, LLC.
Most of what Gwen Mayo and I have done in the past couple of years has been invisible. I have been working full-time from home, Gwen has been ferrying my mother to and from the doctor. We had a death in the family, and it's been a depressing time.
We published three anthologies and two novels written by a friend. I attended Sisters in Crime meetings by Zoom. Neither of us were able to write for a while, and when I started again, it was with my first love, fanfiction. I slipped into the slightly more social community of https://shutupwrite.com/.
This year, we're out of the house. Gwen is the 2024 president of our chapter of Sisters in Crime, and we've been attending meetings in person. We've also participated in panel discussions and venues where we could sell our books. I had to relearn how to use Square.
We also finished something important: Ybor City Blues, the third book in the Three Snowbirds series. Our favorite Army nurse, Cornelia Pettijohn, is on her way back to Fort Fitzsimons when gangsters board the train and haul her away. It seems that a friend of Charlie Wall is in trouble and Cornelia's just the person to help. Her very close companion, Teddy Lawless, and Uncle Percival Pettijohn offer their assistance.
Soon, the three snowbirds are up to their ears in hot water. Witnesses are being killed, sidekicks are being attacked. Just when Cornelia thinks it can't get any worse, the trio get a surprise visit from Teddy's estranged mother. She's heard about Teddy's (sham) engagement and is here to see her finally wed. Cornelia would rather deal with the gangsters.
Anyway, we have something new to show you. Take a look at it and give us a review! The book is free on Kindle Unlimited.
