I said there would be a second set of questions regarding Blue Moon, and here they are! You can read Part I, here.
- What research did you do to incorporate occult and magical elements authentically?
A lot over the years and in many different ways. I read a lot of fantasy novels growing up and played a lot of TTRPGs, so there’s a lot of learning by osmosis regarding magic and magical systems bouncing around my brain (on a good day). Beyond that, I looked at the various esoteric traditions in the world: ceremonial magic, various neo-pagan traditions, and those connected to other religious beliefs. I then broke each system and practice into its constituent parts, and I treated those parts both like building blocks to create something new and aspects of character motivation and worldview.
- Can you discuss the inspiration behind some of the settings, like the fictional Butcher’s Bend and its locations?
Butcher’s Bend was simply meant to be a fairly large city in the southern United States. I chose South Carolina, because it sounded good following the name Butcher’s Bend. The plan was to create a city that felt alive, like it was its own character. So, that meant giving it neighborhoods, like the Veiled Heights, which is where most of the supernatural beings choose to live. As such, it has an aura that most people can’t see, but most can feel it when they step into the area. I based James Roanoke State University on a various parts of all of the universities I’ve attended and taught at. And if you didn’t know this, most universities have tales of hauntings, which helps. Coal Creek was a combination of historical coal mining towns in the Appalachian Mountains and old ghost towns that shows like Ghost Hunters, Paranormal State, and Ghost Adventures visited. And the Four Winds Bar was a blending of the Lux bar in the TV show Lucifer and the atmosphere from the Blue Oyster Cult song “Astronomy,” which is actually where the name “The Four Winds Bar” came from. I wanted a neutral space where I could have supernatural beings and humans who interacted with them knowingly could all come, sit, and exchange information while relaxing. And borrowing from the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil,” I designed it to be a place fitting for a “man of wealth and taste.”
- How do you address sensitive topics, such as child murder and adult themes, in a way that respects the audience?
The short answer: with care and sensitivity. The longer answer is an extended process of taking care to respect boundaries while being faithful to the needs and tone of the story. I do have certain boundaries I will not cross. Examples are that I will never depict rape, and animals will not die. (I know there’s a longstanding understanding that if an animal is shown in the first five minutes of a horror movie, it tends to die; and I don’t like that) Beyond that, the key is to get other eyes on the manuscript – especially those trained to read with sensitivity to some issues. That’s also why I put content warnings on the copyright page of my books; I want readers to know what they’re going to see on the pages and prepare, or I want them to make the decision they would rather not read about such things and skip the book. Do I want sales? Yes. But I want my readers to be safe mentally and emotionally during and after reading.
- Samantha’s complex relationship with her father is central to the story. How did you build their layered dynamic?
I’m laughing as I write this. Some of my readers will know the genesis of that is, well, my own relationship with my father. He hasn’t done the horrible things Donal Hain has done, but he and Donal both have an honor code, and they believe they are doing the “right thing,” even if it isn’t, even if it hurts those they care about.
- What made you include elements of humor, such as puns and witty remarks, alongside darker themes?
Dark humor. That’s how I respond to the world around me to avoid being crushed by anxiety and depression. Also, I love puns, and I think dad jokes are peak humor. In many ways, I write for myself, which I think is good advice: write what you want to read (because you’ll be reading it a thousand times while editing and revising). A lot of people respond with humor during stress. Also, I know Poe believed everything moved in the same direction and with the same tone, but I believe humor at the right moment can dissipate tension, allowing it to be built up again with increased strength. Or, honestly, if I were to give a short answer: life is a blend of humor and terror, joy and sorry, ease and stress.
- What significance does the tarot and rituals, like the one Tiffani explores, hold in the novel’s themes?
The Tarot itself, has little to do with the themes. The cards chosen reflect the goal of Tiffani’s chosen ritual, to find love. However, the ritual itself as well as the use of the Ouija board and even those performed by Donal Hain reflect one of the core themes of the series: there are limits of power and limits of knowledge, and when you seek to move beyond them without being careful in how you approach your attempt, there are consequences—negative consequences. My favorite Elizabethan tragedy is Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, and so some of the themes I regularly explore are the hubris of thinking “I can ignore the consequences/I am too smart to be tricked” when “I exceed the moral and rational limits of what we know is possible.”
- How do you approach writing villains like Donal Hain and Faust?
Villains need to be real people. They need to have backstories, flaws, goals, and good traits. Sure, it’s fun to write and to play the “mustache-twirling” type of villains like a Snidely Whiplash, but those are fun for short stories. I always ask myself a few questions when planning any antagonist: (1) What is their goal? (2) Where are they coming from? (3) What is their motivation for seeking this goal? (4) What is their code of honor? (5) What would convince them from turning back and changing their plans?
- What’s next for you as an author? Do you plan to expand on this world or explore new genres?
Well, I need to finish drafting the next book in the series, which will conclude the first major arc. Right now, that book is titled Carmilla’s Gambit, and it will bring a lot of the plot threads from the first six books to a conclusion as well as propel a few new ones moving forward. I’ve got a few romances coming out for the Elisabeth Shade line, one will also have some recipes as it focuses on a succubus who is bad at seduction but loves to bake for people. A friend and reader challenged me to write a horror novel set in Louisiana that could only take place in Louisiana. I’ll be working on that next. Beyond that, we’ll see what happens.
So, those are some of the questions I’ve been asked about other books that I’ve applied to Blue Moon. If you have any other questions or want me to expand on anything mentioned in either part of the Q&A, feel free to ask. I’ll be happy to either put together another Q&A post or respond with a video post.
As a reminder, Blue Moon is out now! Paperbacks can be purchased anywhere online, but I would prefer (if possible) you purchase from either my website or bookshop.org. Ebooks, right now, are available at Amazon.
Updates to come later.
-Robin
cursingravenbooks.com 