Showing posts with label #fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #fiction. Show all posts

Sunday, July 8, 2018

Our Guest Today is Joanne Van Leerdam #OurAuthorGang

Welcome, Joanne! 



Joanne Van Leerdam is a poet, blogger, writer, thinker, puzzler, teacher, traveler, photographer, and generally nice person. Despite having lived all her life in Australia, she has, thus far, avoided being killed or consumed by any of the deadly wildlife, which is probably a good thing. Other than Australia, Canada is her favourite place in the world. 

In addition to writing powerful, thought-provoking poetry and short-but-incredibly meaningful stories, she keeps teens enthralled in her senior high school English, History and Drama/Performance classes. She is an active member and performer in her local theatre company and has directed high school musicals for ten years.  

Her poetry is contemporary, sensual, moody and easy to read - and it will get you in the feelings. Her horror fiction is deliciously creepy and macabre and should not be read in a graveyard unless you're incredibly brave. Joanne has also written two "reimagined" fairy tales, published in a fabulous collection with stories by five other writers. 


You may reach Joanne at:
Website:  http://www.jvlpoet.com

The Silver Feather by [Van Leerdam, Joanne]

A hauntingly macabre tale.

When Phil loses the girl he loves, life as he knows it comes to a screeching halt. 
Little does he realise that there is so much more yet to be lost. 

"The author deftly uses a talisman to spin a story incorporating gruesome horror as forces representing good and evil beyond the grave confront each other." - Reviewer

This eerie tale will please all lovers of horror and dark fiction.
COMMENTS

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Eva Pasco via Google+

6 months ago  -  Shared publicly
Joanne Van Leerdam Author & Poet originally shared this
 
Thank you for featuring me!
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Ruth de Jauregui

6 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Welcome to our blog!
 
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Ruth de Jauregui via Google+

6 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Welcome poet and horror writer Joanne Van Leerdam to #OurAuthorGang!
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Joanne Jaytanie

6 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Nice to meet you, Joanne. Thanks for being here today.
 
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Eva Pasco

6 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Besides enjoying your poetry, I've become a diehard fan of your stories in the genre of horror.
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Toi Thomas via Google+

6 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Today, we welcome author and Jill of many trades, Joanne Van Leerdam, as she shares The Silver Feather. #OurAuthorGang
 
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Thank you for featuring me!
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Grace Au

6 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Thanks for being with us today!
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Erika M Szabo

6 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Nice to see you on our blog Joanne :)
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Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Inspiration - part two - Nature #OurAuthorGang




When I struggle to find something to write about, my inspiration often comes from the visual side of life. As a photographer, I suppose that is only natural. Nature has always inspired me. I live in the Suffolk countryside and am surrounded by fields and wildlife. I only need to look out of a window to see or hear something fascinating and beautiful.


One of my short stories, Scarecrow, from the anthology, Glimmer, was based on a rundown smallholding I went to look at when searching for a new house. The dilapidated interior, weathered outbuildings, and surrounding fields gave me an idea for what became a tale of a runaway girl and a lonely old man.

“Stumbling and falling, she headed towards a low privet hedge at the end of an overgrown meadow. When she reached it, she stopped and peered over the picket fence. The girl saw a house half hidden behind two large fir trees. The garden was overgrown, and the lawn strewn with rusty barrels, ripped tarpaulins, and dented oil drums. She climbed over the fence and looked around. There was a dilapidated outbuilding a few feet away with a large stack of wood propped up against it. The girl ran towards the building and ducked down behind a water butt attached to a cracked drainpipe.
When her breathing slowed and the pounding in her chest eased, she tilted her head to one side and listened. A strange shuffling noise like someone brushing up dead leaves made the girl hold her breath. It was not leaves, though, but footsteps heading her way.”

Once, I found a complete skeleton of a bird. I took a picture of it and the skull became the cover for my second anthology of short stories - Crow Bones. It didn’t inspire a poem or a piece of prose, but it did give me an eye-catching book cover.




The moon has been a favourite with writers for years. Whether in poetry or prose, it has a special meaning and been the subject of folklore, superstitions, and female empowerment. Apparently, it can even drive you mad or turn you into a werewolf. Not surprising it is used frequently in literature. Indeed, our beautiful celestial orb has given  authors something to write about for thousands of years.  One of my favourite moon quotes is by the 17th Century Japanese poet, Matsuo Basho: 

"The moon lives in the lining of your skin."   


It has a strange face that seems to stare at us in wonder at what the heck we humans will do next. Does she judge us from afar? Or merely condemn us with her round-mouthed, wide-eyed look?

In my Dystopian novel, A Silence Heard, the moon is a source of inspiration for the heroine, guiding her with its light, and giving her hope that she will win the battle ahead:

“The moon shone bright. A shock-faced ball in the black sky that looked down on the three of us as if to shout, “Prevail. Stand steady.” The wind whipped around our feet and legs and a swirl of ash and dry earth spiralled up before us. I coughed and spat out the filthy soil that bore the taste of Agro boot.”

But it’s not just the moon that inspires me. Recently, a herd of red deer stumbled into the field opposite my house. They stayed there for about an hour just staring at the cars that went past. They didn’t move until the alpha stag raised his head and let out a hoarse-like moo sound, and as quick as a blink, they were gone leaving heart-shaped indents in the churned up earth. Now, there has to be a story in that.

To end this post on Inspiration, a photograph of my cat Storm, because his beauty, grace, and quirky face will always give me pause for thought.


If you want to know more about my work, please visit my Amazon page:

All photographs are by Nicola McDonagh.

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