MC: Welcome! Start by telling us about yourself. Who is Louise Bohmer?

LB: Oh my….hmmm…well, it seems hard to put myself into words, and so much easier to put a made up character into an interview rather than myself. *winks*

Well, I am an easygoing person, for the most part. I like coffee in the morning and all that rot. I am fairly friendly and an open book. But, on the other hand, I am shy and suffer from anxiety disorder. Maybe the reason I like to write about juxtaposition, irony and dichotomy so much is because I am all those things rolled into one crazy woman! *laughs* I tell most people I am mentally unstable, but loveable, so they don’t have to worry. I’m a lot of tongue firmly planted in cheek, and I just hope my manners never offend anyone. Humor and being light-hearted, on the outside at least, is how I deal with my demons.

MC: Ann says you have pet rats. Tell us about them. Do they have names?

LB: Yes—I have two pet rats named Bubble and Squeak, and I love those little fuzz butts to pieces. *big smiles* It is amazing just what an excellent pet a domesticated rat makes! The Norwegian Fancy Rat was domesticated over 200 years ago, and was even a fashionable pet in England, during the Victorian Era, for young ladies.

I was terrified of rodents for years, until one day, spur of the moment, I turned to my hubby and said, “Perhaps, since we are living in an apartment now, and can’t have a dog, we should get a little rodent?” We were going to get a little mouse, but then I went into the pet store and saw this wee hooded fawn rattie boy, all curled up by himself. He came home with me and we named him Nicodemus. We had him for two and a half years before he passed with a stroke.

He was the sweetest little thing! Like having a tiny dog with a hairless tail. *laughs* He would fetch paper, had a special run and play area on the couch, and would go back into his open cage when he needed to use the bathroom, then come back out to fetch more balls of paper. He was a big fan of the band Anthrax too, and would sniff the stereo speakers enthusiastically when hubby played their CDs.

Bubble and Squeak are still quite young, but have already developed their own cute individual personalities. Bubble is the fawn, with stripes of white through him faintly, and he is precocious and full of hell! He is the smaller one—Tiny Bubble is the nickname we’ve given him. Hehe

Squeak is the bigger sable rattie with streaks of white. He lives up to his name and can be quite vocal when he doesn’t get his way, or his brother sticks a foot in his face when they are cleaning! They are excellent pets and very affectionate and clean. The only drawbacks to pet rats are their frail respiratory systems and their short life span—two to four years for most ratties.

MC: Who are some of your favorite authors? Books that have inspired you?

LB: The author who has served as the greatest inspiration and mentor to me is Clive Barker. I am also a big fan of Byron and Virginia Woolf, most Romantic Era poets, Tom Piccirilli, Ann Cory and Jude Mason.

Books that have inspired me….hmmmm….tough question, but the first to spring to mind is Clive Barker’s Everville and, also, his novella Cabal. Everville was the first book I had a chance to read by Barker, and his imagery, his imagination, his ability to take the grotesque and make it beautiful, just blew my teenage mind. I knew I wanted to write like that one day.

With his novella Cabal, I saw the movie adaptation of the novella first, which Barker also directed—Nightbreed. That is still one of my all-time favorite horror films. I love the creatures he creates in Cabal, and the hidden world—Midian—they live within. As a misfit teen, I wanted to be a monster in Midian! *grins*

MC: Tell us about your books. What was the first thing you published? How many have you published so far?

LB: My first novel, tentatively titled “The Black Act,” and contracted for release in 2007 from Lachesis Publishing: www.lachesispublishing.com , is based on a short tale I wrote for the “Wicked Karnival – Halloween Horrors” Anthology. I am nervous and anxious about it, and have just started on the rough draft. I was planning on moving into novel territory soon, but I sent Queen of Samhain, the story that inspired the novel in progress, to Lachesis, for consideration for their upcoming Echoes of Terror anthology, and the publisher was impressed with the story enough that she asked the editor, a friend of mine and fellow freelance editor and writer, if she’d approach me about turning the story into a novel. And I said yes, of course!

As to what I first published, the first thing I published that I was truly proud of—a story that I thought stood out from my others, when I was first learning the craft—that would have to be the first version of Feathers, which appeared in Gothic Revue before it was reprinted and reworked for the WCP FEAR anthology. It came out so smooth and seamless, sounding right for a change from my struggling work, back then, and I really felt like the stories I wrote within that time period represent a breakthrough, of sorts, in my work.

So far, I have published roughly eighteen shorts of dark fiction, seven of erotic fiction—some of these are upcoming. And I have had various poems and some articles published as well.

I also have a contemporary erotic novella in the works, a dark surreal novella that is a love story, but of a grittier shade of love and emotion, and an erotic dark fantasy pair of stories I am working on for a certain collection I have in mind.

MC: You write horror, correct? Where do you see that genre in five years?

LB: Hmmmm….I think the face of horror is changing, morphing a bit, like it did, in my opinion, when Barker first arrived on the scene and Stephen King called him the future of horror. I think you will continue to see horror branch out over the next five years, and become more speculative in nature. I think you’ll continue to see the growth of sub-genres or cross-genres—like erotic horror, dark erotic romance, and paranormal romance. I think the horror genre has to learn to bend, to grow and develop new story ideas. While I enjoy traditional horror, I think the sub-genre as a whole is stagnating for ideas somewhat, and new sub-genres like bizarro and the ones I mentioned above can breathe new life into the larger genre of horror as a whole, I believe. So, I think you might see the horror genre open itself up to a lot more options, in terms of story ideas and theme, characters and sub-genres, in the next five years.

MC: You write in several other genres. How do you balance it all and do you have a favorite? We can keep a secret.

LB: Horror, or dark fantasy, whatever you want to call what I write, will always be my favorite. J It goes back to childhood, so it is a nostalgic, comfort thing for me. As to how I manage writing in horror/ speculative, dark fantasy and erotic fiction and its various sub-genres—well, it isn’t easy! *laughs* I also work full-time as a freelance editor and I will be teaching writing workshop with the International Order of Horror Professionals, as well, coming this winter. Plus I am head of fundraising for IOHP and on their board. It is tough to manage my time, and get enough time to write. I don’t sleep great. J I get insomnia a lot, so I work when I can’t sleep.

MC: What’s coming up from you?

LB: The novel, dark fantasy with a touch of dark romance, The Black Act, in 2007. In terms of erotic works, I have a tale coming out in the LUST anthology, from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid, called Red Willow, about a country boy who loses his heart to a fiery redhead. I also co-edited that anthology with Giovanna Lagana and Emma Wildes. It is a stunning and spicy collection!

Also, in January, I have Torrid Teasers Volume 20 coming out from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid, which includes my erotic tale The Other Woman. The story of a steamy affair between a tall dark Italian and a strong-willed Financial Planner who loves her cigarettes and her Camaro; a gift from the equally feisty Aunt that raised her, and recently passed away. The story has an interesting surprise in it for readers, and I think it is a unique tale of overcoming grief and finding love. I hope readers will enjoy. I appear in this collection with Lily Graison.

Into the Dreamlands Anthology, which includes my dark faerie tale Book of Dreams, comes out in January, too. It also has fiction from some well-known dark fantasy writers, including Bev Vincent and Christa Faust, along with Gill Ainsworth. I am tickled to be a part of that collection!

Also, the promo issue of BLACK INK HORROR Magazine, including my erotic horror Dark Nectar of the Gods, will debut in February 2007. You can only get the promo issue of BLACK INK HORROR Magazine if you pre-order issue # 1 from Sideshow Press now:

http://www.blackinkhorror.com/sideshow.html

MC: Who are you published with?

LB: Right now, I have short stories with BLACK INK HORROR Magazine (www.blackinkhorror.com ), a dark faerie tale coming out from Simian Publishing ( www.simianpublishing.com ) in their Into the Dreamlands anthology, and I have a few tales with Whiskey Creek Press and Whiskey Creek Press Torrid ( www.whiskeycreekpress.com ). Two will be coming out through their Torrid line in January, and those can be found in Torrid Teaser Volume 20, and in the LUST anthology I co-edited, in addition to having a story in the collection, for their WCPT line (www.whiskeycreekpresstorrid.com ).

I will also have a short tale in BLACK INK HORROR Issue # 2, coming sometime in 2007, and then there is the novel, The Black Act, in 2007 from Lachesis (www.lachesispublishing.com ) ]

MC: Any upcoming contests you want readers to know about?

LB: Most of my contests are run through my forum, Dark Prose ~ Decadent Delights, or through my newsletter, which you can sign up for by sending a blank e-mail to: esoteric_writings-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To sign up to our forum, you can visit us at:
http://louisebohmer.proboards80.com/

and register today to participate in our new contests and features coming in 2007.

MC: What advice do you have for new authors & writers?

LB: Hmmm…..well, for starters, be prepared for a lot of grunt work. Writing is rarely landing the six-figure book deal and getting to live the dream life with your first novel published. Be prepared to get out there, both online and for conventions and book signings / readings, and promote your work a lot. Publishers only allot so much money per book for promotion, and even then, their promotional availabilities for your book will be limited. Remember, they are publishing a lot of other authors as well as you. So, as a writer, you will have a responsibility to get out there and “hoof it”, so to speak, to sell your works.

Also, constantly work to hone your talent and craft. Remember, every story could be better, no matter how good it is, and we never stop learning as writers, or as humans, for that matter.

MC: If you were to compare your work to other authors, who would you say that your work most resembles in plot, tone, or voice?

LB: Oh, geez, tough question. I have had some people compare some of my tales to Clive Barker, and he is my biggest influence, without a doubt, when it comes to horror. I have also had people pick out themes and images in my tales that are very Cronebergesque, which is also very flattering, as I am a huge fan of Cronenberg’s films.

As for my erotic contemporary works, and erotic works that are less in the veins of horror and more in the vein of dark, sensual fantasy or erotic romance, my main influences there are Ann Cory, Jude Mason, Derek Musgrave, Jamie Hill and Gracie Passette.

MC: What’s something readers may not know about you?

LB: That, at one time in my life, I was planning a career as a Certified Financial Planner. I was a life insurance agent for about six months, when I went to visit my cousin in Richmond (suburb of Vancouver City), and we went to Metrotown Mall.

A lady who read auras there was blown away by the creativity in my aura. She asked me what I did for a living, and when I said I was training to be a CFP, she freaked out, and told me I had to do something with all that creativity. Might sound nutty, but I believed her and followed her advice and here I am. Normally I would have brushed it off, but heck this woman even forgot her sale’s pitch, and I got a free reading out of the deal. She was that emphatic! *grins*

MC: How about some fun questions? Do you have a motto?

LB: Live and let live; to each their own, or what works for me doesn’t have to work for you. I am a big believer in tolerance of other peoples’ lifestyles. Irrational judgment of others is frightening…

MC: How about a favorite phrase?

LB: That’s life…

MC: Give us five words that describe you.

LB: eccentric, philosophical, goofy, good-hearted, easy-going

MC: Is the glass half full or half empty?

LB: For me I’d say half full. I am a cynical optimist. I am rational and a born realist, much to the often chagrin of my sweet, rose-colored glasses mother (but she still loves me!). I can see the terrible things happening in our world today, but I do see good things—the small press and e-book literary communities, for instance—happening as well. You just have to keep your perspective as balanced and aware as you possibly can. That’s tough, and I am guilty of not always being aware of others, but I try my best to pay attention to the world around me, both good and bad, at all times.

MC: What are your hobbies?

LB: I don’t really get too much hobby time, but when I take breaks from work during the day, hubby and I like to watch old metal videos together on YouTube. He is in the process of opening a tattoo shop out of our home, also, so in our break time we slack off and watch old videos.

MC: Favorite food?

LB: Far too much chocolate! *laughs* I also like Italian food and mashed potatoes with gravy. You could strand me on an island with endless mashed potatoes and gravy provided, and I could die happily.

MC: Favorite beverage?

LB: *twitch twitch* Anything with caffeine.

MC: Worst fear?

LB: Irrationality of others. Irrational judgment or intolerance. The lack of reasonable thinking going on in the world! The way a part of me can be so mentally abusive to myself.

MC: Favorite movies?

LB: Clive Barker’s Nightbreed; Hellraiser 1 – 3, The Shining (with Jack Nicholson), Donnie Darko, Evil Dead Trilogy, Bubba Ho-tep, A&E’s version of Pride and Prejudice, Hammer films, Highlander 1, anything and everything Cronenberg has ever made—next to Barker, he is my other god!

MC: Favorite TV shows?

LB: Six Feet Under, reruns of Cheers, Fraiser, Just Shoot Me. Weeds, Dexter, and the now defunct Carnivale *sobs* I loved that show….

MC: If you could travel to any time and place, when, where and why?

LB: Probably to the Romantic Era, so I could meet Byron.

MC: Do you have a favorite sport?

LB: Hockey, of course! Hehe I mean, it is anti-Canadian not to love hockey, right? *winks*

MC: How can readers get in touch with you?

LB: Readers can reach the crazy black faerie at:

blackfaery76@yahoo.ca

I try to answer all e-mails as quickly as I can, but at the moment I am a one woman show working two, soon to be three jobs, so please bear with a bumbled headed fae! J When I can get either an agent involved, or some other form of paid promotional backing / services, I hope to have even more free time to respond promptly to e-mails. Be patient with me, and I will get back to you, though!

Thanks, Madison! Great questions!~ J Take care~ Louise xox

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