Review of DARKROOM by Poppet

DARKROOM by Poppet

An edgy, erotic thriller/horror with supernatural undertones suitable for adult readers

Coming soon from Wild Wolf Publishing http://www.wildwolfpublishing.com/

ISBN: 978-1-907954-02-3

‘You think beauty gives you rite of passage. Charm, a reason to take. Sex, a reason to lay waste, like a vampire.’ The angel Vengeance has spoken and we are terrified.

Shauna is stolen from her life and held in a darkroom, both figuratively and literally, trapped by a manic creature who believes he is an angel called Vengeance. Clad in leather armour, he captures her humiliation in digital and Polaroid snaps, the whirr of the shutter heightening Shauna’s terror. He must expunge her of sinful ways; train her to become the perfect vessel. This is a darkroom of fanaticism, a tribute to the fire and brimstone of the Old Testament, the kind that doesn’t allow light and reason. Shauna is subsequently trapped in dark room of fear very difficult to escape from...until she meets Victor, who swiftly takes on the guise of saviour.

Poppet delves into the psyche of a madman as well as his victim’s absolute fear with rare insight. The result is highly believable, this despite what is an extraordinary situation. Most of us haven’t experienced anything like to the events in this book and yet the reading takes us into a dark room with an immediacy that is almost visceral. Her descriptions are fresh and also create images like to a digital snap in time: Petrified like wood, frozen like a bug captured in amber...

DARKROOM is an apt title; intuitive and fitting references to photography are used to effect throughout and further the analogy. Because it is written in first person, the reader is immediately there, part of an intricate plot, and feels along with Shauna, Victor and Vengeance. Quotes from the Old Testament are simply hair-raising, employed as they are to underscore Vengeance’s behaviour. The narrative therefore has both a biblical feel and is gut-wrenchingly present.

On a lighter note: as a South African now living abroad, I find Shauna’s ‘interrogation’ by two South African policemen, who are clearly not comfortable with the English language, quite the farce...and highly amusing. ‘You is a loner with no alibi...do you have childhood issues with mans...?’ and more; I’m smiling as I write this, can’t help it...

I have to admit DARKROOM took me outside of my comfort zone...and I enjoyed the ride! This is a book very hard to put down; every chapter takes the reader further in. Be warned: you will feel the need to read it start to finish...perhaps you won’t even break for a cup of coffee...

DARKROOM grabs you by the gut and yanks you into a netherworld of emotion and reaction.
Let me leave you with this: ‘She is no longer the sinner, I am.’ Is this Vengeance?

Grab a copy!

Review by Elaina J Davidson
September 2010

ART for our WRITING world

I'm fortunate to know really amazing artists and every time I see their work, not only am I blown away by talent and colour and fantastic works, but also see it gracing book covers. The writer in me ever has a gleam in her eye when she sees images like to the ones on display here!

These are a small selection of a really good friend's work. Everything Shaune paints has absolute atmosphere and I'm sure you can SEE it on a book cover...go on, close your eyes and SEE it!

Here's the link for Shaune's blog: stop by and browse more of her work. Details to contact her for contracting for art for your book can be found there, or pop me an email quoting the title of this post. http://shaunesartgallery.blogspot.com

We paint with words...but, boy, sometimes art really is worth a thousand words and more!

From me to you

You know how it is. You have this to do and that to remember...and somehow you overlook something really important. To say thank you.

So this is for you: THANK YOU.

Thank you for stopping by to read. Thank you for all the great comments on my Facebook page (and support!). Thank you to those who have read my work and offered invaluable advice. Thank you to every reader on Authonomy that supported me and left wonderful comments. And thank you to everyone I am again overlooking because this saturated brain of mine can't remember!

Without you, none of this would feel quite the same. Smile, you know who you are!

Another favourite from Robert Frost

I have wished a bird would fly away,
And not sing by my house all day;

Have clapped my hands at him from the door
When it seemed as if I could bear no more.

The fault must partly have been in me.
The bird was not to blame for his key.

And of course there must be something wrong
In wanting to silence any song.

(this one always gets to me...cannot understand how anyone cannot appreciate this kind of beauty)

Amazing!

Four days of enforced NO INTERNET and it was amazing! Now, I always say I'd just die without a connection to the world out there, but I must tell you I suddenly had so much time on hand. Spent days writing without interruption, LOVED it!

And now, back on air...and quite happy, too. Quite the conundrum, isn't it?

Synopsis

I am posting a rather lengthy synopsis on The Synopsis Page. Would love feedback.

It is a work in progress and I'm also reworking Gathering of Rain into two volumes, each standalone- the synopsis, therefore, will change if I'm happy with what I achieve...will post updates...

The Divergent Path

The Road Not Taken


Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was grassy and wanted wear,

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I marked the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

Exposure!

I have posted about this before, but right now my frame of mind tells me it's time for a good old moan again. And the gripe is: when do writers actually write if they (me) spend so much time on exposure? Log into all the sites we try and maintain in the name of 'exposure', spend some time on each in the hope of a magical solution to the publishing conundrum, and then go away to write? Is that how we do it? NO. We get bogged down! And by the time we sit down to some work, the creative spark is fizzling away.

If anyone out there knows of a way to post in one place and have it appear on all our sites, please let me know. Would love to do it once only!

Moan over...time to click the publish button and get on with writing....

Tales from the Path of Shades

This is the current avatar for Tales on Facebook. The link to 'LIKE' and follow updates is in the righthand column. Go on, click!

Part 2 – THE ALPHABET CRUCIBLE

And the saga continues with...

...N is for NELLY.

LOL! You know how when you have to spell a word over the phone using other words? Yep, N for Nelly every time!

O is for OSTENTATION.

...just to prove I do know ‘bigger’ words!

...P is for POPPET.

Hello, Poppet! Can’t have a crucible without a Poppet. Never have I known someone so creative, clever and filled with energy and drive. Through everything life can throw at us- thanks for being an inspiration.

...Q is for QUERY.

The bane of writers! Query, query, query...argh, enough said.

...R is for RELAX.

Particularly relevant after sending a query out, ha ha! Have to force a state of relaxation upon the mind when waiting. Does one ever get used to it? I think even the Steven Kings of the world must wonder if the new book is good enough for public consumption...oh, to be a Steven King...

...S is for SPIDER.

Yep, spider, not Steven! Why spider? I don’t know if any of you fellow (ex?) Authonomites remember the Pet Hates thread in the forum- well, Jeff Blackmer (hello Jeff!) revealed an incident in the shower with a spider as watcher...I still laugh about that! (probably because it’s happened to me)

...T is for T.V.

Aarghhhhh!

...U is for UNDERSTANDING.

I could get very philosophical here, but won’t bore you. Suffice to say, understanding of self (and therefore our creativity) is of paramount importance.

...V is for VISTA.

No, not the operating system! Great spaces and views, the kind that fit into epics, whether movies, books, poems or, simply, what they eye beholds. Very special, IMHO...

...W is for WIMPLE.

Couldn’t think of another word in my sleep-starved state!

...X is for XYLOPHONE.

Because that’s the one we used in school for X!!!!!!!!!!!!

...Y is for YES.

‘Yes, we would love to publish your book.’

...Z is for ZEBRA.

Again, a blank, and thus relied on that school alphabet! Don’t know if you had something different for Z; I grew up in Africa...and zebra it was and probably still is.

That fills the crucible...and ends a virtual wander in the dark. Hope you had fun reading!

Just to relate this to Path of Shades, here’s a list of ABC’s to whet your appetite:
A is for ARCANA (‘Those who came before’)
B is for BEACON (a city-world)
C is for CALTIAN (a dragon slayer)
D is for DINOR (a race and a world)
E is for EPHNOR (almost sentient birds that make music with their feet)
F is for FUMA (a Deorc mind-delver)
G is for GALILAN (capital city of Valaris)
H is for HALARI (an academic and teacher)
I is for IGNATIUS (member of the Kaval)
J is for JIMINI (member of the Kaval)
K is for KALLANON (the Glittering Darkness, commonly known as Dragons)
L is for LUVANOR (the Valleur sister world)
M is for Margus (the Darak Or)
N is for NATURALISTS (pagan cult on Valaris)
P is for PHORLAN (Valleur word for ‘crossroad’)
Q is for QUILLA (feathered magician)
R is for REDLEF (month of autumn)
S is for SIRLASIN (a Valleur Elder)
T is for TORRULLIN
U is for ULTRAIN (Torrullin’s innkeeper reincarnation)
V is for VALLORIN (Valleur king)
W is for WIXEL (a site guardian on Beacon)
(if you read carefully, you’ll note there are 3 letters missing...ah, well)

All the best
Elaina

Page 100 - Shadowland

Torrullin waved understanding and headed that way.
Coming upon her from different angles, they found Lowen giggling with a bunch of women ranging in age from ten to eighty. Barring the young, the women were fortifying themselves against the cold with some stiff drinks. She saw Elianas first and patted a space beside her. He sat, accepted a drink and was soon the centre of attention and fending off some bold gropes.
Torrullin, watching unobtrusively, smiled. Elianas seemed suddenly younger, more innocent…like the young boy he had once been. Lowen’s, however, was an almost desperate gaiety. His smile slipped, looking at her.
Once he turned his back on Saska for this woman, and now he was doing the same to her for Elianas…then again, the precedent with Elianas existed in a time that was ages old.
Enchanter, where the hell are you?
At the lake, Quilla. We found her.
This place is a madhouse.
Just then a cheer was raised. A team of skaters had taken honours. Lowen looked up and saw him. Leaning over Elianas, she whispered something, and then stood up to make her way unsteadily to him. She virtually fell into his arms, and he was disappointed when she caught her balance in time. A moment later Elianas had laughingly excused himself and followed her over.
‘Lowen, having fun?’
‘Two days ago they just started packing it in,’ she laughed.
Torrullin looked around. ‘Skating competitions, angling, marathons, skiing, hiking, sailing…who’d have thought Valaris would be so popular?’
Elianas had a regretful look. ‘A beautiful world. I’ve never been here as myself.’
‘We could take a tour,’ Torrullin suggested.

Page 100 - Sacred Space

‘It is connected. All intelligence will form a picture that Torrullin will use to pin-point an entrance time.’
Silence.
‘Saska?’
She sighed. ‘It just occurred to me how easy it would be for the two of them to stay lost out there.’
‘No. Torrullin has made promises he intends to keep. He’ll be back.’
‘Then I wish she stays lost,’ Saska muttered. She threw her hands in the air in horror. ‘Ignore that. He’ll never return to me if she stays lost…and I don’t wish such a fate on her.’
They walked on in silence.


Eventually they entered a chamber that had the look of a farmhouse kitchen, one used frequently by the aromas. A big central workspace held dishes and fresh vegetables. A woodstove further back had a boiling pot of something extraordinarily aromatic- a meat stew of some kind, said Declan’s nose, and his stomach rumbled. Copper pots and pans hung from hooks, as did bundles of herbs. A large basin and counter contained all manner of clean crockery and cutlery. It was a working kitchen, and welcomed him like a prodigal son.
Saska grinned at his expression. ‘Caballa’s special and there’s bound to be enough.’
‘Thank you, Lady Goddess,’ Declan said fervently.
‘She’s probably through there.’ Saska pointed out a sunny herb garden beyond the kitchen and beyond that a sitting room beckoned with comfort.
Declan frowned, squinting. ‘I thought it was just the two of you.’ He could see far more than one form moving in the sitting room.