Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Carved In Flesh: Talking With Author M.A. Church

Hey everyone! I'm happy you could all join us today and I'm pleased, excited rather, to be hosting M.A. Church on the blog today. From steamy sci-fi, to non-human, and even modern Greek gods, M.A. Church has conquered it all, but today she's with us for something of a different flavor. As part of the Carved In Flesh anthology from Storm Moon Press, coming out September 14th, she brings us another brilliant story, Faded Love. So let's pick her brain with a few questions and see what she has to say before we get to the that tasty little teaser!




~~~~ Le Interview~~~~



~ Take one of your stories and tell us what you would change about it if you could do it over again.

Oh, that's easy. The story would be Darkness Awaits, which is no longer in the market place because the publisher went out of business. And I will redo that story one day lol. It was my first story and there are things I wish I had done differently. Now that I have the rights back, I will. The main thing I want to change is the lack of smartass humor that so many of my characters seem to have.




~ What part of the writing process do you dread?

Oh Lord, rewrites. I hate doing rewrites on a story. Sometimes I have no idea what to add to a scene, and I'm just lost. I guess the other hting I dread comes after the story is done, been edited, and sent off. LOL, I hate waiting to hear if it's going to be accepted or rejected.



~Where do you get your best ideas?

*Grin* Nothing is sacred. I get idea's from everywhere: Wal-mart, shopping at the mall, going to flea markets, watching TV, a picture I found, listening to my hubby and his friends shoot the breeze, listening to my kids argue (lol) with each other or their friends... the list is endless.
But I always write about something that interests me. It could be water, my cat, science fiction, the South... They just pop up, and there you go lol.


~What length of story do you prefer to write?

I used to say around 30K. But here lately I 've been creeping towards 40K and even 50K. I don't set down with a length in mind, you know? The story is over when it's over. Sometimes it's 15K and other times it's much longer lol.



~How did you come up with a title for this story?

The title is Faded Love, which I think is perfect because scars fade, but true love doesn't. It's about a top model that's in a car accident and ends up scarred... on his face, no less. He isn't horribly disfigured, but you can imagine what that would do to someone who models? Ashley, the model in my story, makes his living from his looks and does a damn good job at it. And in the blink of an eye, it's all changed.
The Carved In Flesh antho is going to be very interesting, I think. I can't wait to see the different stories. :)




~Who is your favorite male model and why?

Josh Beech. He just has that rough edge about him.


 

~~~~




Carved In Flesh- an anthology due out September 14th by Storm Moon Press



People often say that the true perfection in the human form is in its imperfections. Scars are visceral reminders of a person's past, a sign of an event that can never fade. Whether it was gained in combat, a traumatic experience, or part of a ritual with a lover, scars are the ultimate labels. Carved in Flesh features short stories in which at least one character sports physical scars—visible to the naked eye, and prominent enough to spark a conversation.


Faded Love by M.A. Church
Excerpt:

“Will?” Ashley’s hand was gently held and pulled down. Why did Will’s voice sound so funny, like he was hoarse? “Will? What’s going on? Where am I? What’s on my face?”
“Listen to me. You’re in the hospital.”
“Hospital? Why the hell am I in the hospital?” Straining, he was finally able to make out the pale walls, and smell a scent he had always associated with hospitals: cleaners and sickness.
“You don’t remember… anything?” Will bent over Ashley, still holding his hands. God, Will’s skin was so warm, and his was so cold. “Tell me what you remember.”
“Was on my way home from that shoot. You called. I was going to call you back… Will?” Ashley’s voice rose and cracked. “Then, nothing until now. What—what… Will?”
One of Will’s strong hands managed to loosen itself from Ashley’s death grip and brushed Ashley’s hair back from his face. “You’re in the hospital. There was an accident, a bad accident. You were hit on the way home two days ago.”
“Fuck me! Two days ago?” Ashley bit his lip as pain spiked in his ribs. “How bad? Who hit me?”
“It was pretty bad. You have bruised ribs from the impact with the steering wheel, your arm is bruised—not broken—and more bruises over your body. I forgot the driver’s name. They hit you on the passenger side, slammed you into a street light. Two people in the other car died.”
“Died? Jesus.” Every time Ashley tried to lift his hand to his face, Will stopped him. “What’s wrong with my vision? Why can I only see out of one side?”
Gripping his hand, Will hesitated. “You were struck so hard your head hit the driver side window.”
Ashley gripped Will’s hand. There was more, he just knew it. What little he could make out of Will’s concerned face told him that. “And? Tell me, dammit!”
 “The window busted. There was glass everywhere. Oh God, Ashley, I’m so sorry. You were cut. On your face… and—and… there’s going to be a scar.”
“A scar?” Ashley whispered, and then his voice gained in strength as horror stabbed at him. “A scar, on my face? My face? No! Oh my God, no! How bad, Will? How fucking bad?”
Tears soaked Will’s voice. “From the hair line to under your chin. Jesus, Ashley. I’m so sorry.”
The screams from Ashley’s room brought most of the nursing staff at a dead run.

~~~

Keep in mind I picked that excerpt. Storm Moon may use something else. J
Where to find me:
Twitter @nomoretears00
Big thank you to Night for letting me take over her blog once again lol!
~M


4 comments:

  1. That was so interesting. I can't wait to read

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  2. Yay, two of my favorite authors in the same place. I think the new story sounds really great. I look forward to it coming out. Good luck on the release and Ms. Night thank you for sharing nicely. :o)

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  3. Hey! Thank you :) and big thanks to Night.

    ~M

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  4. Wow, that sounds really interesting. I can't wait to read it.

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