So, this is going to be a busy marketing month for us here at Cursing Raven Books. In addition to the Tales of the Veiled Rose dark fantasy novelette series patreon, both Carmilla’s Gambit and Wolf in the Sanctuary release next month. And while I do not want to spam post, I will be posting more frequently in order to drum up some hype for these releases.
Today, I want to talk about Carmilla’s Gambit, the seventh book in my Adventures of Sam Hain series and the final book in the first major arc of the story. Specifically, today I want to talk about three things that tend to find themselves into 90% of the stories I write and the stories I tell: horror, heart, and humor.
Edgar Allan Poe is famous for, among other things, saying that if you wish to tell a horror story, all elements should be horror-based. I disagree with that. I believe horror and fear in the absence of moments of peace, of joy, or of humor diminishes the return on the power of horror. I think that elements in fiction need to be treated like ingredients in cooking. Salt is great, but too much salt ruins a recipe. So, for me, any element out of balance with its opposites and its complements leads to dissatisfaction. If there is only horror, by the end of a book, a movie, a game… the big “plot twist” or “revelation” moment loses impact due to desensitization. That’s why I try to balance horror with heart/emotional moments and humor. (That and I tend to use sarcasm and humor as ways to deflect fear or any other negative emotion)
But let’s look at a few elements in Carmilla’s Gambit where I use all of these things (and I’m going to focus on the first few chapters to help avoid major spoilers).
Horror
Amanar blinked. He opened his mouth to speak, paused, and closed it. This was not the response he expected from the newly resurrected vampire.
“My lord, we did what we thought best to ensure our victory. Count Bha’esi came to us with word of a prophecy that you were to lead the Wild Hunt when the blood moon rises upon Samhain, and under your command, my lord, this hunt would reshape the world as you see fit. And so, amid all the chaos of the world with its wars, rumors of wars, pestilences, plagues, famines, and political upheavals, the timing of the blood moon with your return could not be more perfect. Therefore, considering our small numbers, we felt it advantageous to make allies who could provide us with force of numbers.”
Within the span of a single breath, Dracula descended from his throne, caught Florian Amanar’s throat in his hand, and lifted the man into the air, holding his face a foot above Dracula’s own. Florian gagged and sputtered as the vampire’s powerful grip constricted his trachea.
Dracula’s bulbous nostrils flared, and he bared his fangs in a snarl. The strength of his voice caused the throne room to tremble. “I led successful raids against the damned Turks with but a handful of faithful soldiers. Are your men so weak and terrified of war that numbers are so needed that you sully our victory with a fae bargain?”
This brief excerpt occurs in Dracula’s throne room where General Florian Amanar of the Order of the Dragon is justifying why the paramilitary organization (comprised mostly of mortal humans) that bears the name of his religious/military order has made a deal with a fae noble to ensure victory. Dracula, enraged by actions done in his name that contradict how he would do things, responds with a demonstration of his vampiric strength in a manner that demonstrates the punishment for being perceived as disloyal is death.
This isn’t the most horrific element in the novel (there are depictions of torture and other more terrifying elements, but those are for the readers), but I chose it to show that while most people see the presence of a vampire as a “horror element,” due to how they are often used today, I don’t treat it as such. Dracula is not a “horror element” or a “monster” because he is a vampire; he is a monstrous horror element because of how he behaves. He is an authoritarian despot, a medieval warlord who refuses to change to fit the modern world. He is, in short, a violet, short-tempered narcissistic abuser.
Ultimately, that idea: the idea of those with power seeking more power and not caring whom they harm in the process or its consequences for the world, that is where most of the horror in my work comes from. Regardless of what form it takes.
Heart
Horror and fear mean more if the person experiencing these emotions has something they fear losing. And so, an essential element for horror is for there to be emotional stakes and an emotional core that a character wants to protect.
Now, two nights after that attack, I stood in the remains of my home, my sense of safety finally slain, alongside Destiny Grimm and three Veiled Knights. Here, in the great hall of my keep, through tear-stained eyes, I stared at the body of my estate steward, my protector, and my oldest friend, Martin. A wooden stake through his heart pinned him to the broken remains of my throne, a note pinned to his blazer.
“Countess Karnstein? Carmilla? Carmilla!” I blinked and shook my head. Destiny Grimm sighed. “There you are. Hey, sorry for yelling at you, but you were gone for a bit. Dr. Shadid would say you were dissociating. It’s okay, but we need a confirmation of something.”
“Oh, forgive me, Miss Grimm. This is all… so much to take in.”
And here we see the emotional core of this novel demonstrated in a few ways. Contrary to most of the books in the series, Sam Hain isn’t this novel’s protagonist. Her love interest/girlfriend, the vampire Countess Carmilla Karnstein, is the protagonist. The inciting incident is the attack on her castle by the Order of the Dragon under the direct order of Countess Bathory as a means of getting her to flee, via teleportation portal, to Sam Hain’s house where Carmilla would witness Order of the Dragon operatives kidnap her girlfriend.
That’s what she has to lose, but we see also how this attack left her estate steward and oldest friend, Martin, staked in Carmilla’s audience chamber. As far as Carmilla is concerned, she has lost everything she loves: her beloved, her home, and her friend.
But we also see the importance of comfort in times of hurt and fear. All of us experience tragedy and loss, but we survive both because we are strong and because we have others who care for us, who comfort us, and who support us. That is what Destiny Grimm is doing for her in this scene. I’m a huge believer that community matters, and finding your community, your found family, is a key element in my writing.
Humor
Humor provides moments of levity that can alleviate fear, at least temporarily. I mentioned this earlier, but I tend to deflect fear and avoid dealing with my own moments of horror, fear, depression, etc. through sarcasm and humor. A lot of people do. But I really do believe that moments of humor, moments that lighten the mood, can increase the horror of a piece of media because they keep the “fear response baseline” pretty low. Moments of fear and tension heighten emotional responses and certain physiological processes (quickened heart, faster breathing, increased cortisol, etc.), so moments of humor function to release the building pressure, dropping those levels down to closer to normal, and allowing for another buildup—while giving me the space to increase the level of fear and horror each time.
Destiny nodded and sighed. “Fair point. The great private investigator and budding magician who sent Faust’s undead ass back to Hell, Samantha Blake Hain, wouldn’t be as close to being on time without the support of her favorite emotional support German, Destiny Ilsa Grimm.” With a proud smile and a dramatic bow, she added, “And today, fair maiden, I, Erethriel Goldenleaf, infamous elven rogue, will keep you from bad food, crappy beer, and the leering gazes of gross and smelly nerd men whose breath is fouler than that of an ancient green dragon.”
So, this brief snippet is from the opening scene. Sam and Destiny are at a Renaissance Faire in costume. After the dangerous and nearly soul-damning events of the past few cases, I felt they deserved a moment of calm. And to add to the moment of levity, we have a bit of Destiny humor, which begins with a jab at Sam’s habit of being late (something that annoys Germans) to some of the more unsavory aspects of nerd culture but done with a dramatic, nerdy flair as Destiny dressed as one of her D&D characters.
Yes, I know the “smelly nerd” is a stereotype and a cliche at this point, but those of us who went to Cons in the 80s and 90s remember the reek of Con Funk. And as someone who has played Magic: the Gathering since it launched, I can remember the days when tournaments and play days at LGSes were filled with the reek of unwashed male nerds (sometimes female nerds, but more often than not male nerds) to the point that for the longest time, M:tG nerds were dubbed the “stinkiest fandom.” Yes, I’m poking fun at my own group, because I’ve smelled it (and beaten those stink bombs with my own decks!).
But the scene in question is one with a moment of levity. Two friends having fun and enjoying a Saturday. No worries (at the moment), no fears (other than those of living in the world), only happiness, calm, and platonic love.
And that makes what is about to happen to them all the more horrific.
So, that’s where things are. Remember: Carmilla’s Gambit releases on 3 June, and Wolf in the Sanctuary releases on 10 June. When books are available for pre-sale, I will post a link on my website and alert you all here.
If my dark fantasy novelette series interests you, please consider either supporting my patreon or purchasing it from my website (the Cursing Raven Shorts link on the site)
-Robin
cursingravenbooks.com 