About Curses: Chronicles of Darkness
There are all types of curses._____
Cursed places, cursed items, cursed people, cursed families.
Curses that last throughout time. Curses which can't be broken. Curses which are brought upon ourselves. Curses that will kill you and those that will only make you wish you were dead.
Eleven tantalizing tales of curses and the cursed. Includes stories by Kaye Lynne Booth, Molly Ertel, C.R. Johansson, Robert White, Joseph Carrabis, Paul Kane, Danaeka Scrimshaw, Abe Margel, and Denise Aparo.
Introduction
Welcome, this autumn we have two blog tours. The first is Curses: Chronicles of Darkness anthology of horror stories. Undawnted's author interview for the narrative, Paul Kane, The Weeping Man.
Please welcome her to Undawnted with our warm and graciously paranormal hospitality.
_____
Interview with Paul Kane
What is it about a Curse that inspires your imagination?
They’re an interesting concept to play around with, for a writer. They idea that you could do someone harm by simply ‘cursing’ them is a tantalising prospect for fiction, because you can do so much with it. It’s that thing of being able to inflict damage at a distance, not getting your hands dirty really, that makes it so unique. There are so many things you could write about concerning curses or cursed places, it’s actually hard to narrow it down.
Which type of Curse or progenitor of a Curse enticed you to write your story?
My story was based on a cursed place I came up with for a story back when I was first submitting them to small press magazines in the 90s, one which seems to have become quite popular with readers. I wanted to explore urban legends connected with cursed locations, so this is a different take on The Weeping Woman; one which sees her procuring victims for a very specific reason I don’t want to give away here. Her catchphrase, ‘My children, my children’ is also now synonymous with my spin.
If you ever had the chance to use a Curse in real life, would you?
No, I don’t think I would. I mean, like everybody I’ve thought about it in the past – when people do you wrong, it’s only human to want some kind of revenge. But curses have a way of backfiring. I once wrote a story called ‘The Cursed’ which deals with exactly that, how the protagonist curses a couple’s relationship because he’s in love with the girl. It backfires and she ends up stuck in a horrible marriage, while he lives his life on his own and realises he should have been with her all along. That he might have been, if he’d only waited for that relationship to peter out instead of cursing it without realising what the consequences would be. They’re like wishes, there’s always a catch.
Which type of Curse or progenitor of a Curse enticed you to write your story?
My story was based on a cursed place I came up with for a story back when I was first submitting them to small press magazines in the 90s, one which seems to have become quite popular with readers. I wanted to explore urban legends connected with cursed locations, so this is a different take on The Weeping Woman; one which sees her procuring victims for a very specific reason I don’t want to give away here. Her catchphrase, ‘My children, my children’ is also now synonymous with my spin.
If you ever had the chance to use a Curse in real life, would you?
No, I don’t think I would. I mean, like everybody I’ve thought about it in the past – when people do you wrong, it’s only human to want some kind of revenge. But curses have a way of backfiring. I once wrote a story called ‘The Cursed’ which deals with exactly that, how the protagonist curses a couple’s relationship because he’s in love with the girl. It backfires and she ends up stuck in a horrible marriage, while he lives his life on his own and realises he should have been with her all along. That he might have been, if he’d only waited for that relationship to peter out instead of cursing it without realising what the consequences would be. They’re like wishes, there’s always a catch.
Not that I know of, but I’ve visited plenty that were allegedly haunted or had a connection to the supernatural. Some of the things I’ve seen definitely make me believe all that’s real, like voices outside doors when you know you’re in a part of a castle completely on your own, things moving around in bedrooms or whatever, figures in graveyards.
Do you believe that in order for a Curse to work that the target of that Curse has to believe in it?
It probably helps, like the placebo effect. If the person knows they’ve been cursed by someone, then inevitably they’re going to act in a certain way – and the whole thing becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. It’s one of the reasons I’d never do that to anyone, it’s pretty cruel. Whether it’s real or not, it’ll cause the person torment; that’s an awful lot of bad Karma coming your way if you indulge in it.
What swear word is your go-to Curse?
I’m actually trying to cut down on them at the moment, but the state of the world and some of the people in it don’t make that easy. I am rather fond of a simple ‘f**k off’ though.
Anything else that you would like to add about yourself, your story, or books?
Just to say again if readers enjoy ‘The Weeping Man’ in this anthology, they might want to check out the precursor to that one ‘The Weeping Woman’ – you don’t need to have read it to enjoy this tale, but it’ll add another dimension to it. The original story was also turned into a short movie you can find online. As for my work and my books, you can find out everything you need to know – and probably some things you didn’t want to – by visiting my site www.shadow-writer.co.uk I’ve been a professional writer for almost 30 years now, with over 160 releases to my name so there’s plenty on there to discover.
_____
About Paul Kane
_____
*Giveaway*
This
tour, we’re giving away digital copies of Curses: to 5 lucky winners. Follow the tour and comment at each
stop, so we’ll know you were there. You’ll be entered for another chance
in the giveaway at each stop. Winners are chosen through a random
drawing by WordCrafter Press. We’ll be watching for your name.
__________
Support Great Artists
Writers of the stories in this dark fiction anthology deserve your support!
Make a purchase and keep creativity alive during this Halloween season.
_____
Tour Schedule
Day 1Stop 1 – Writing to be Read – About the Curses Anthology & Meet Denise Aparo
Stop 2 – Undawnted – DL Mullan Interviews Denise Aparo
Day 2
Day 2
Stop 1 – Robbie’s Inspiration – Kaye Lynne Booth & Joseph Carrabis with Readings of “It’s a Man’s World” & “Grafton’s Ghost-Child”
Stop 1 – Poetry by Mich – Meet Abe Margel & Paul Kane with a guest post about the inspiration of his story “The Weeping Man”
Stop 1 – Roberta Writes – Meet C.R. Johansson & Robert White with a guest post about the inspiration for “The Longspeth Curse”
Stop 1 – Writing to be Read – Meet Kaye Lynne Booth, Danaeka Scrimshaw & Molly Ertel with Inspiration Video about “Clover’s Mirror Box”
Stop 2 – Undawnted – DL Mullan interviews Danaeka Scrimshaw
-----~o0o~---oOo---~o0o~~-----
This post is sponsored by:
Available at these fine retailers:
"A well crafted piece of art."
"Both the descriptions and use of language here are very elaborate. The poem shows intricate crafting, the style and subjects of course, are reminiscent of Poe- this is not only a fitting homage, but stands on its own, the word choices are exact and richly expressive."
"As if Poe came right off the page. This homage is literally perfect."
"Both the descriptions and use of language here are very elaborate. The poem shows intricate crafting, the style and subjects of course, are reminiscent of Poe- this is not only a fitting homage, but stands on its own, the word choices are exact and richly expressive."
"As if Poe came right off the page. This homage is literally perfect."