eldritchhobbit

Halloween Countdown 2017, Day 17

2017-10-17T12:03:20Z

Just a couple of weeks ago I had the very good fortune to be part of A Long-Expected Party 4 at the exquisite Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill.

(You can see my photos from the event here and from the last ALEP three years ago here.)

While I was there, I heard some wonderfully spooky ghost stories, several of which revolved around faces seen in the topmost windows of the West Family Wash House (1842), shown below, the building in which I gave my presentations and workshops for the event.

Since then, I’ve indulged in Shaker Ghost Stories from Pleasant Hill, Kentucky by Thomas Freese (2005) and learned some more spooky lore from the place. Here is one of my favorite anecdotes from the book, which is about the Meeting House and told by Bill Bright, a former Pleasant Hill employee:

Since I was a bit bored, I walked over to a spot between the two front doors to sing a little. I was next to a gap in the wall benches, facing the back wall. I started to sing sets of three (triads). Since I had spent plenty of time in high school band, I figured that it’s be a neat exercise to try the acoustics in the large room of the Meeting House.
As I was singing, something appeared in the middle of the benches to my right, on the sister’s side. For lack of a better explanation, it looked like a human form, very similar to the special effect done in Star Trek when they beam up somebody. It seemed to rise up from the floor to my height. At that point, the hair on the right side of my body stood on end, while the left side was not affected. I immediately got cold chills, like I had just walked into a meat locker. I just wanted to get out of there. I left the building immediately…
When I saw Randy [Folger, the music director], I told him about the experience and he simply asked me if I knew what I had been doing. At that point I had no idea. Then Randy asked me to sing as I had been singing in the Meeting House. After I sang for him, Randy explained to me that I had unwittingly been singing the “Angel Shout.” The Angel Shout was a set up notes that were sung like: “Lo…lo…lo…” and were sung in descending thirds. The Angel Shout was supposed to call the Shakers to meeting.

This photo is from the Shaker graveyard at the village (1811).

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What's so "Tolkienian" about Star Wars?

2017-10-12T12:24:01Z

My guest scholar talk (from the recent A Long-Expected Party 4 celebration) on the relationship between J.R.R. Tolkien and Star Wars storytelling is now up in full for free here on the latest episode of the StarShipSofa podcast.

If you listen, I hope you enjoy!

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ConGregate 4/DeepSouthCon 55 or Bust!

2017-07-16T13:24:43Z

I’m looking forward to being a literary/scholarly guest this weekend at ConGregate 4/DeepSouthCon 55!

I’ll be on several panels and wearing my moderator hat. Here is my schedule.

JULY 14 • FRIDAY

5:00pm – 5:50pm: Writing in Multiple Tie-In Universes

Moderator: Amy H. Sturgis

Guests: Alexandra Christian, Barbara Hambly, Melissa McArthur, Richard C.

Our panelists have written official novels for Star Wars, Star Trek, and Beauty and the Beast, as well as Sherlock Holmes pastiches. Given that they also write a lot of other fiction, the panelists discuss the differences between writing original fiction and writing for pre-existing franchises/worlds.

6:00pm – 6:50pm: Writing Sherlock Holmes and Other Icons

Moderator: Amy H. Sturgis

Guests: Nicole Givens Kurtz, Misty Massey, Melissa McArthur, J. Matthew Saunders

Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Superheroes… What are the challenges with writing these iconic characters? And if you change them, how do you make sure to capture their essence? When writing an iconic character, how do you determine what makes them iconic? Is it Sherlock Holmes being a detective, or Bond working for MI-6? What happens if Holmes is a demon, or Bond is set in a fantasy world?

JULY 15 • SATURDAY

9:30am – 10:20am: Mixing Historical Research with Genre Fiction

Moderator: Amy H. Sturgis

Guests: Barbara Hambly, Kim Headlee, Tally Johnson, Linda Robertson

Given that historical fiction itself is a demanding genre requiring a lot of effort if one wants to do it right, our panelists discuss the challenges they’ve faced and choices they’ve made in blending historical work with the fantasy and mystery genres.

1:00pm – 1:50pm: Writing from Different Perspectives

Moderator: Amy H. Sturgis

Guests: Samantha Dunaway Bryant, Barbara Hambly, Larry N. Martin, Michael G. Williams

Authors often try to write about protagonists who are different from themselves. Our panelists discuss why they feel it is important to capture these characters’ perspectives; the challenges faced in trying to be authentic, respectful, and sensitive in their portrayal; and what they think about current debates and controversies about the importance of diversity, authenticity, and representation in fiction.

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