Writing Blog – The Literary Underworld

Homecoming

By Dennis R. Upkins

They say you can never go home again. They also say home is where the heart is.

If both statements are simultaneously true, then perhaps it means that you can never return home if home is always with you. Perhaps periodically we could all use the reminder that home isn’t so much a location, but the cherished people and experiences that define us.

Said reminder came in the form of me reconnecting with my high school bestie Joshua after two decades. In doing so I’ve discovered how far I’ve come into my own. More than that, this Catholic Herald is reminded that not only is he highly favored, but since the beginning God has sent her best and brightest to bless him and his journey. Said reminders come in the form of a Starbucks date that I’m on at the time of penning this piece. Enjoying a Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino and the company of a handsome silver fox, I’m reminded to appreciate some of life’s true treasures.

In order to know where you’re going, you have to retrace your steps and remember where you’ve been, how far you’ve come, and what you’ve overcome. This also applies to one’s artistry. Which brings me to a little novella of mine entitled Stranger than Fiction. As my first professional published piece of fiction, Stranger than Fiction holds sacred space for me. Not only because of the story itself, but the story behind the story.

Strangely enough, Stranger than Fiction actually came to be as a result of a challenge from author Todd McCaffrey. Some years back I was at Dragon Con with a buddy who is a huge fan of the Dragonriders of Pern series. I was curious to learn more about the series and I’m always eager to learn about an artist’s creative process.

As the panel went on, I inquired about becoming an author and what advice Mr. McCaffrey would give. He inquired whether or not I’ve begun submitting my work to publishers. I confessed I hadn’t because I was working, in art school, and was waiting for a more opportune time to pursue writing.

That’s when he explained there is no convenient season. He encouraged me to go home and start writing. He challenged me to write a short story in two to three months and begin submitting it to publishers. What I remember most is that he spoke positively with conviction and certainty that I would be published and he would hear about it, and he was so happy to see a young author at the beginning of his career.

The result of that challenge was Stranger than Fiction. Submitting the story to various markets wasn’t without its challenges. While I received the usual rejection letters, the worst came from a specific publication’s editorial assistant. Insulting both the story and my skills as a writer, the editorial assistant wanted to emphasize that this was one of the worst stories she read and I had no business being an author. Nevertheless I persisted and continued to submit my novella. My labor would ultimately pay off. Stranger than Fiction became my first official sale when it was originally released as an audio short for Sniplits. The novella would regularly be featured as story of the week during that website’s seven-year run.

More than that, I was compensated for more than twice the amount a certain other publication would have paid me. More than that, said publication went out of business.

I returned to Dragon Con the following year and gave Mr. McCaffrey a copy of Stranger than Fiction, and thanked him for igniting the spark that launched my career as a speculative fiction author.

Last year I re-released Stranger than Fiction in print for the first time, and it’s been well received by a new audience and a surprising success. The experience taught me that while betting on yourself is a scary risk, it can also result in achieving the impossible.

Achieving the impossible feels like home.

DENNIS R. UPKINS is a proud Atlanta, Ga. native. A voracious reader, a lifelong geek and a hopeless comic book addict, he knew at an early age that storytelling was his calling. In 2011, his debut novel, Hollowstone, was released by Parker Publishing. His sophomore title, West of Sunset, was also released by Parker Publishing in 2014. Upkins has also worked as a freelance artist and a digital photographer. His artwork and short stories have appeared in Drops of Crimson, Sniplits, and a number of other publications. Upkins regularly critiques and analyzes the representation and portrayal of minorities in comics and media and has served as a contributor for Ars Marginal, Black Girl Dangerous, Prism Comics, Nashville Geek Life, and Comicbook.com. In an effort to help enlighten society about the cultures of the African diaspora and promote a more accurate and positive image, Upkins launched the Black Folks Being Awesome initiative in 2013. When he’s not out saving the world and/or taking it over in his spare time, Upkins’s hobbies include drawing, modeling, acting, photography, cosplay, rollerblading, martial arts and of course writing. His website can be found here.

The Elsie Lind Chronicles

By J.L. Mulvihill

One night I had a strange, terrifying but magical dream. That dream turned into a 180,000-word story. Eventually it was cut down drastically and became my first novel, The Lost Daughter of Easa. I had no idea what I was doing except writing a story that I wanted to share with others. Once I finished the novel, I had to figure out what to do with it.

I remember I was at work one day and was getting coffee in the kitchen when I saw an ad in the paper for a convention that offered workshops for writers. The conference was called MidSouthCon and was only for a weekend so I convinced my family we should go. It was the most amazing thing I had ever done. While my family went to do all the fun things they had at the convention, I went to every single writing panel I could squeeze into my schedule. I remember I was up late and exhausted, but I was determined to learn the business of writing inside and out.

With the things I learned at that convention and with writing that novel I found a link to another world. Of course, that world was always there, always looming in the back of my mind drifting in and out of my thoughts, but it was never really something I understood when I was younger.

As a child I read a lot for escapism. I didn’t have a very nice childhood, but I found that I could climb a tree with a book and run away with the characters in the story. My mind didn’t stop there though, because something else was going on in my head. Stories of my own were formulating and I found that if I didn’t have anything to read, I could escape into a story of my own making. As I grew older, I started writing these stories down along with poetry and songs. The silly thing is that I should have realized then that I was a writer, but I just didn’t get the hint.

The novel Lost Daughter of Easa was published in 2011 and had its debut at DragonCon that year where it sold out. I was riding on cloud nine and was ready to continue the story. However, I moved on to another project for a few years and wrote another adventure, all along knowing that Elsie’s story wasn’t finished. When I finally had time to sit down and continue writing Elsie’s story, I found it easy falling back into her world. The next novel in the series, for I now realized that this would eventually become a series, was called Return to Easa.

I was still working a full-time job and raising a family with my husband, but all the while I remained connected to that link in my mind. I never let go of the storyteller inside, but instead tempered her and kept at an even pace. I managed to write five other novels over the years to a total of seven while still working. I also wrote short stories and had them published as well.

In all this time I have never let Elsie Lind go; she has always been with me. I don’t think it is because it was my first novel, but more than that I am not done telling her story. There also might be a bit of me and my feelings and life in that story as well. Of course, all my stories have a little something of me in them – after all, you do write what you know. I am still writing the Elsie Lind Chronicles, not just to share her story, but to offer a world to escape to for my readers as I had done when I was young.

Though the novel was labeled young adult, I never started writing the story as a YA novel; it just kind of came out that way. I did, however, create the character in such a way that readers could identify with her. She does not start out as anyone very special, but she eventually finds her own potential and strengths within her to become a strong young woman. That part was intentional, because I believe we have within us the strength and power to overcome the obstacles life throws in our way.

In the beginning of the novel, Elsie Lind falls through a giant spider web that is a portal to another world. This was something I often fantasized about when I was a child, kind of like Alice in Wonderland. I wanted to go to another world to escape the life I was in, and I believed that if I could just find that portal, I could change everything in my life. I did find that portal, sort of, when I write my stories, because I go into that world I am writing about in my mind. As any good writer will tell you, I live it, breathe it, I feel it.

When Elsie wakes up in the other world, she has amnesia. I wrote this because what I had hoped was that a person could forget the bad things in their life and start fresh and maybe be a new person, start a new life. This experiment, however, enlightened me. I found that as I wrote the story, Elsie still had the thoughts and feelings inside, and she could not understand where they came from. Her emotions from past “baggage” if you will, were still guiding her and she could not grow until she faced these emotions. She had to find out who she was and where she came from in order to change the bad feelings and emotions within and become a better person. Elsie is still working on this, and I probably am too.

I think perhaps all my characters in all my novels are the kind that most kids and even adults identify with. It’s an understanding of growth and it is a form of therapy. I always encourage anyone who is going through, or has gone through stressful times to write, even if you’re not writing a novel just write your feelings because it really does help. I feel so grateful to be able to share my stories and get the therapy I need at the same time.

People always ask me what research I do for my books. Since The Elsie Lind Chronicles are fantasy novels, it is a bit difficult to research a made-up world, but not impossible. Even though it’s a fantasy world it needs to be believable. I like to research historical elements such as castles, swords, battle skills, clothing and things like that. I also research folklore, especially Scandinavian folklore that really seems to fit into my world beautifully. I have my own private collection of books on these subject matters and use them often. If there is something I do not have, I tend to go to a library or bookstore to find what I need. I am not against modern technology, and I will do some research on Google, but I prefer to use books so that I can be accurate.

The Lost Daughter of Easa will always have a special place in my heart, and I do hope to continue the story until there is no more to tell. Right now, I am writing full-time, so I will have lots of time to spend with Elsie Lind in her world. I hope that if you who are reading this now, you might give The Lost Daughter of Easa a try. See if you don’t manage to escape if only for a little while.

If you are a writer, give your characters the chance to speak to you. Let them in your head, feel their pain and accomplishments because really, they are a part of you. Share your story, because I promise you someone out there will identify with you and will appreciate the story you have written.

A California native born in Hollywood, California, J.L. MULVIHILL wanted to be a rock star. After several years of modeling, acting, and singing, she decided to marry, have a family, and moved to a quieter life in Mississippi where she has lived for the past twenty years. Finding she has a gift for story telling she began to write young adult books, including the Steel Roots series and The Lost Daughter of Easa. She is very active in the writing community, a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Gulf Coast Writers Association, Imagicopter, the Mississippi Writers Guild and Clinton Ink-slingers Writing Group. She continues to write fantasy, steampunk, poetry and essays inspired by her life in the South.

Pick up the first edition copies of Lost Daughter of Easa and Return to Easa at the Literary Underworld!

Disability Pride

By Diana Morgan

It’s Disability Pride Month, and now more than ever, it’s important for disability representation in literature and media.

Disability Pride Month celebrates the landmark passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (AMA) in July 1990. The AMA has been essential in protecting the rights of people with disabilities, ensuring access to jobs, transportation, and more. It has helped create a culture of pride and visibility in disability communities all over the country.

One place where this visibility is important is through our stories. Disability representation in media is often overlooked when talking about marginalized communities. It is often portrayed in stereotypes or exaggerations. Disabled characters frequently serve to support a non-disabled person or as inspiration for the audience. Frequently in science fiction and fantasy, magic or superpowers “cure” the disability, reinforcing the idea that being able-bodied is the only goal – that living with disability is shameful, or only something to be overcome.

There’s a long history of shame and concealment when it comes to disabled people. In the late 19^th and much of the 20^th centuries, many cities had “Ugly Laws” that targeted disabled people, making it hard for them to appear in public. You could be fined, arrested, and even institutionalized if you were found to be too unpleasant or distressing. These laws were based on eugenics and creating an “ideal society.” Freak shows and carnivals often exploited them for profit, putting them on display for entertainment.

Many of those laws weren’t officially repealed until well into the 1970s. This is why legislation like the AMA and policies like DEI that protect the disabled and other marginalized communities and break stigmas are so important.

I am a disabled author with ADHD and autism, and I often include characters with similar experiences to my own. I’ve also spent time learning about representation and trying to help other writers as a sensitivity reader and speaker. I am not an expert on every disability, but I feel representation in media and fiction is important to the disabled community.

Early disability representation was often villains, angry over being disfigured, or victims who needed to be pitied and rescued. Much of this came from the fear and misunderstanding caused by stigma from things like the Ugly Laws.

Representation has improved over the decades. Characters like Geordi LaForge on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Daredevil, and Professor Xavier in Marvel comics have led the way for more disability representation and better visibility for the community.

More recently, characters like Nessarose in the Wicked movie, played by Marrissa Bode, a wheelchair user, brought even more authenticity to the character. On Broadway, the Wicked musical just cast Jenna Bainbridge, another actress who is an ambulatory wheelchair user, to play the role on stage for the first time.

Supporting disabled writers and actors is how we continue to break the stigmas around disability. Letting disabled writers tell their stories and be involved in media is the best way to ensure that we continue to have authentic representation that breaks stigma and normalizes disabled people being a part of society.

Disability is not a monolith. There are many different types of disability. It can be physical, neurological, or developmental, cognitive, or intellectual, or a combination of factors. Not all disabilities are visible, and not all conditions disable every person in the same way. People can also have multiple disabilities that impair them in multiple ways. Some people are born with disabilities, but others acquire them from accidents, disease, or chronic conditions.

Disability is the only marginalized community that anyone can join at any time. Everyone is one accident, one sickness, one twist of genetics away from being disabled.

Even within a single disability, things are often on a spectrum. Autism affects each person in very different ways. We are not all Sheldon Cooper or the Good Doctor—many of us struggle in very real ways. Very few blind people see total darkness—many have some visual acuity. Same with D/deaf people. They may have some ability to hear within a certain range. Some people use adaptive aids like cochlear implants, and some use sign language. Some wheelchair users are ambulatory and able to walk short distances, while others have little to no ability to walk.

Remember, disabled characters are not just their disability—they are real people with real interests. Matt Murdock/Daredevil is blind, but he is also a lawyer with friends and family and real problems. He’s also a superhero with extrasensory powers that allow him to fight and help him navigate the world without his sight. He’s a full character.

Be careful about having technology, magic, or superpowers that “cure” your character’s disability. Daredevil’s powers don’t restore his sight, but they do help him fight and navigate the world without it, and many blind people find that problematic.

When Daredevil was first created in 1964, many cities still had ugly laws on the books, and disability representation was often in the form of villains seeking revenge for their “disfigurement” or victims meant to be pitied or rescued. Daredevil was something different. He was a hero. Matt Murdock wasn’t a victim or a pitiable invalid. He was a lawyer, and he was charming and funny. He had a best friend and a girlfriend. It was rare to see a disabled character fitting into normal society. He was far from a perfect representation of a blind person’s experience, but it was still something many audiences had never seen before.

More recent versions, including the recent Netflix and Disney+ TV shows, have tried to make improvements in representations. Charlie Cox, who plays Matt, worked with blind people to learn how to move and work as a blind person. It’s still not perfect, but there are a lot of moments where he uses adaptive aids like screen readers or reading braille. The other characters describe things to him. Ultimately, they are showcasing one person’s experience with blindness in a fictional setting.

This is why it’s essential to listen to people with disabilities about their experiences. Ask disabled people about their experiences – hire a sensitivity or authenticity reader if you can. Sensitivity readers are people who belong to the marginalized community you’re writing about and usually have experience with writing and editing. They can read your work and consult with you on how to navigate problems and make your story more authentic.

Things are happening in our country that make the fate of many disabled people’s lives uncertain. Attacks on DEI, healthcare, and the rising stigma around things like autism and mental health have made it harder for disabled people to get help. Now more than ever, Disability Pride is important. Sharing our stories and being represented is one way we can fight this and protect our rights and our ability to live and work in a world that isn’t always built for us.

I will continue to include disabled people in my stories and share my own experiences. For information about neurodivergent disabilities and ways to be more inclusive of disabilities in your writing, you can see my resources page at DianaMorganAuthor.com.

DIANA MORGAN is a superhero by day, writer by night. Okay, not really, but when she’s not writing books, she’s a librarian at a local library, which is kind of a superhero. Her superpowers include always knowing what kids like to read, being able to read more than 10 books at one time, and the ability to eat more pizza than anyone.

Diana has always loved science fiction and fantasy. She grew up watching Quantum Leap, Power Rangers and Star Wars. She can’t remember a time when she wasn’t making up stories.

She was a geek before being a geek was cool, and she loves hanging out with other geeks and sharing her love of all things space and magic and books.

Pride

By Angelia Sparrow

So many places I could start this. It’s June, and hence Pride.

Maybe we should make it Veterans’ Month.

When’s Straight Pride, hurhurhur?

It’s Men’s Mental Health Month and you all need mental help.

Maybe we should drop the TQ+, they are scaring off allies.

And Donald Trump Jr. announced on June 16 that the transgender movement is the most violent domestic terror threat in the world.

These are a few of the recurring things I’ve seen this month. There is a saying that the comments on any post about feminism prove the need for it. Ditto Pride. After all, homophobia is just misogyny’s rainbow-clad twin.

In 2024, the ACLU tracked 533 anti-LGBTQ laws through the state legislatures. This year it’s 597. And 937 anti-trans bills have been proposed. Over 100 have passed. 26 states have passed bans on gender-affirming care.

Across the country, feeling the shift in the zeitgeist, corporate sponsors are pulling out of Pride parades and festivals. San Francisco, New York and St. Louis are some of the bigger ones.(Memphis Pride got rained out HARD, lightning strikes and flash flooding. The parade was postponed.)

And this is why Pride is more necessary than ever. Twenty percent of GenZ (1997-2006) are LGBTQ+. For reference, that’s my two youngest kids, age 27 and 25. Their grandfather’s generation, before 1946, has about 2%. But they were one of the hardest hit by AIDS.

Overall, about 9 percent of the population is some shade of queer. In demographic comparison, that’s all the Asian, Pacific Islanders and Native Americans, put together. It’s two-thirds of the Black population. It’s the same number as all the non-Christian religious folks in the country: Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, pagan, etc.

Yet, right now, that 9 percent is under attack by state and federal government. According to Project 2025’s aim to “Promote Life and Strengthening the Family,” all “trangenderism and woke gender ideology” must be removed. To this end, they want:

The Department of Justice to treat anti-gay discrimination as a free speech issue (We reserve the right to refuse service);
The Department of Defense to remove trans soldiers from the military;
The Department of Health and Human Services to remove a focus on LGBTQ+ equity;
The Supreme Court to quit applying Bostock (Title VII gender equity ruling) to matters of orientation and gender identity.

And that’s only part of it.

My wife is trans. And the laws make her public existence a minefield. She is very cautious about going to the restroom in public. She ignores the dirty looks we get in restaurants (I tend to glare down the offenders). While all her ID has her real name on it, her driver’s license still says M. Because Arkansas decided emergency action was needed against all 200 people who had an X, and all the trans people.

I am scared for her all the time.

While you personally may not be part of the QUILTBAG, you may not be out of the woods. In February, Oklahoma introduced an extremely broad obscenity bill (SB 593),which could be applied to anything someone believes is obscene. If you write so much as a kiss before closing the door, and someone takes offense, it can be prison time, massive fines for the author, the publisher, and any book seller or librarian. And if you write LGBTQ+ characters, that will be the first target if this passes.

Oklahoma already passed HB 1217, which criminalizes “obscene performances,” especially drag, around minors. This is a slippery slope bill. First, they make drag illegal/obscene. Then they arrest trans women for wearing dresses to the grocery store and charge them with exposing minors to obscenity. Immediate prison and registry on the sex offender list. And if Project 2025 gets its way, executing them. Over going out for a box of Cheerios.

Some of us who know how this picture (Cabaret) ends are fighting it every step of the way. Others don’t think it will get that bad. And a small minority think their wallets will protect them.

“No one ever talks about [extermination]. They just do it. And you go on with your lives, ignoring the signs all around you. And then, one day, when the air is still and the night has fallen, they come for you.” The 2000s X-Men movies are a gay metaphor and Magneto’s assertion has only become more salient since.

And this is why we need Pride. To come together in public, in joy and color and happiness. To wave at all those who cheer. To cheer for those who march. And most of all, to dance our defiance of a tinpot fascist who thinks we can be eradicated and no one will care.

In the darkest days of the AIDS crisis, the saying “Bury your friends in the morning. Protest in the afternoon and dance all night,” came into being. We dance. Well, others dance. I no longer can. So I make things and I write.

This year, all my amigurumi was in Pride colors, rainbow, lesbian, nonbinary and other.

And yes, I am writing. One of the tenets of Primali Paganism is Divine Defiance. So, I write. It’s slow going through the COVID brain fog, but I continue. Whether an Orc lord marrying for political gain, or Santa and Krampus having some (ahem) VERY private time between holidays, I’m still making words happen.

“There was a cabaret and a master of ceremonies, in a city called Berlin in a country called Germany. And it was the end of the world.” — Joe Masteroff, Cabaret

From Cemetery Dancers, the fourth of the Withycombe and Doyle books, in progress.

[His father] looked sharply at Charlie. “You never seemed to have much interested in dating or courting. Has that changed?” When Charlie glanced down, he nodded. “I see. It hasn’t.” Mr. Doyle lowered his voice. “Is it Edward? You try to keep your letters casual, but you adore him, and it comes through in every line.”

There it was, the big secret, the one that could get him arrested or deported. And his father had seen it without him even telling it.

“Yes. And it’s so illegal.”

“I can’t say I approve. We would like to see you married, although, your Ma would prefer you live nearby so she can spoil the grandbabies rotten. Having them across a whole ocean would be a trial to her.”

“I wasn’t asking for approval of Edward. I was asking about how to get married when it looks as if the marriage is going to be arranged for me.”

His father shook his head. “That’s a hard one, son. The best you can do is be kind and sweet to her. But that’s your nature so it shouldn’t be hard. Remember she is in the same position and no easier with it. You don’t have to love her right away. But do try to be her friend. That may grow into love. There is more to love than the swoopy, giddy feeling.

“When Ma smiles at you, is it still like the sun coming out?” Charlie asked.

His dad smiled. “Every time.”

My writing work can be found on Amazon or the Literary Underworld as Angelia Sparrow or Nick Rowan (NOT the one who writes the Silk Road travel books). My links can be found at these pages: Angelia Sparrow or Nick Rowan. My crochet work is available at The Traveling Tinkers.

I remembered I was an artist

By Elizabeth Lynn Blackson

I need to tell you a secret: I am a fraud. I’m a complete fake. I don’t have a degree in English. I have no piece of paper declaring myself competent. Nothing.

I’m no author.

That’s the voice of my harshest critic: me.

Stephen King has been quoted as saying “If you wrote something for which someone sent you a check, if you cashed the check and it didn’t bounce, and if you then paid the light bill with the money, I consider you talented.”

Damn. That quote is a powerful tool against my raging Imposter Syndrome, and frankly, it’s something I occasionally dearly need to hear.

There is this long, terrifying space in the process of writing. Not the slap-dash first draft. Not the hours of honing, or reading and rereading, looking to spackle plot holes closed. Not going through dialogue, looking for opportunities to strengthen character through their voice. Not researching absurd facts, like whether a Glock 17 has a last-round hold-open on the slide.

When you buff and polish, and format and publish and then…

Then you wait. And you hope for positive feedback. And you get… not much. Sometimes none. If you’re lucky enough to have a few reliable beta readers, whatever momentum you got from their enthusiastic cheering fades, and you wait.

I finished an entire trilogy of urban fantasy/horror novels collectively known as “The Suffering Sequence.” And then…

Nothing.

I don’t know how to market. Maybe worse, I do not wish to learn. I HATE the face-forward portion of this process. If I felt fake calling myself an author, I feel doubly so trying to be my own hype-woman. “Read my stuff. I’m amazing.”

I hate the ‘elevator pitch’ and the ‘back cover blurb.’ I hate selling myself as an author, but unless I plan to magically find funds to hire someone else to do it, I’m… stuck.

I’ve written over a million words of fiction: seven entire novels, co-authored two other novels, only four of which ever saw the light of day. I’ve DNFed several more novels around the halfway mark. I have written three other novellas, which are frankly fan-fic, but (I feel) important building blocks to longer works. I have also written a fair bit of short fiction, enough at least for several collections.

Minus one novel written with Scrivener, all of them have been created in simple word processing programs. I’m writing this using Google Docs, which is what I used to write the entire “Suffering Sequence” trilogy.

I have had issues with finding cover artists, editors, publishers, and at every turn it’s felt like the world conspired against me to place barriers to completion. Add frustration, impatience, and lack of funds to the Imposter Syndrome.

In the early 90’s, I was working with a friend on small press comics. While sitting at a booth, selling our wares, there was another artist next to us, and we struck up a conversation. The topic wandered to the parts of the process that are in our control, and the difficulty of the whole process. He said, paraphrased, that it was a lot of effort even to make garbage. That notion has stuck with me. Even in the age of print on demand, creating a finished book is a lot of work.

After having a cover artist’s delay in getting his assignment completed, I became gun-shy of farming out ANY part of the process.

That’s when I remembered something that I frequently shove aside in the mad dash toward monetization of any skill: I make art. I write. I create fonts. I draw and I paint.

I remembered that even if I was reduced to a physical spiral-bound notepad and Bic pen, I would still write and draw.

I painted the cover image of my latest collection with poster paint from Dollar General. I might complain mightily, but I still create. It seems to be an innate part of me, and budget constraints are only limiter as to what tools I use.

When I pulled my head out of the mire of depression, I remembered I was an artist.

ELIZABETH LYNN BLACKSON grew up in a small town in Eastern Ohio, living on a steady diet of comic books, horror movies, and Stephen King novels, while playing D&D and listening to heavy metal. It twisted her into the maniacal creature you now see before you. While certain she was going to be a comic artist, life pulled her in a different direction, and she ended up in the St. Louis metro area, where she lives with her hubby and two cats. Check out her work on the Literary Underworld!

This is Your Brain on Story

By Kathy L. Brown

The Story of Us

Unless we are some sort of Zen master of mindfulness, for good or ill most of us walk around all day immersed in the story in our head. We converse with ourselves or imaginary people. We react to events, parse their meaning, and fit them into patterns of our own creation. Each of us stars in our own story for an audience of one.

The late neurologist Oliver Sacks has written extensively on the subject. We seem to be hardwired to find patterns and impose sense on this narrative we call life. We unconsciously amend the objective facts to make a “better” story: More dramatic, more interesting, or just to “earn the ending.” Events really can’t be random and meaningless, right? And that pattern-finding instinct comes into play as we see images in random patterns, from clouds to grilled tortillas.

We Love Some Oxytocin

Human brains produce oxytocin, aka “cuddle hormone,” when we feel trusted or receive a kindness. It increases our empathic abilities–insight into other people’s emotional states–and thus makes cooperation more likely. (Fun fact: Oxytocin triggers the let-down reflex for nursing mother’s milk flow.)

Dr. Paul Zak’s brain chemistry research at Claremont Graduate University took blood from test subjects before and after they heard a narrative. Character-driven stories were associated with increased oxytocin levels. And more oxytocin is associated with more cooperation. Researchers have found stories—”experiential products”—provide happiness, just like real-life experiences.

“Collaborate or Die”

Proto- and early humans had to get it together, literally, or die. An individual naked ape had little chance in the wild. One thesis of social development cites the power of empathy—internalizing another creature’s observed experience and reacting to it as one’s own.

This instinct lead to banding together and cooperative behavior. It helped all member of the group get “on the same page,” as it were. Early cave paintings hint at an oral tradition of storytelling that harnessed the group’s experience: A powerful bonding tool.

The Power of Story

As biologist Nathan Lents points out, “We cannot feel empathy for data.” A character-driven, emotional rich narrative is remembered more accurately later and is more likely to change behavior. Marketers and educators tap this aspect of human psychology. When I was in graduate school, I used a case study for a presentation on health behavior principles. My patient had worked hard as a coal miner all his life. He’d played hard, too. He loved the nightlife, beer, and cigarettes. When we meet, he had end-stage lung disease. Medicines were barely helpful, and the disease would slowly but inevitably destroy his lungs, each breath a labored gasp. But then, he was put on the wait list for lung transplant.

See what I did there? This expository piece turned into a story about a poor dude who couldn’t breathe. Maybe it’s a little more interesting now, as the oxytocin-driven empathy kicks in.

Because story links directly with our emotions, the connection is stronger and faster. The facts don’t have to convince us of the superiority of a particular brand of chewing gum: when we see a sweet, one-minute story about a man, his growing daughter, and the bond between them symbolized by a chewing-gum wrapper collection, we not only want gum, we also want the “gum experience” of love and family devotion.

This blog was originally published on 6/7/2019 at The Storytelling Blog.

Kathy L. Brown lives in St. Louis, Mo. and writes speculative fiction with a historical twist. Her hometown and its history inspire her fiction. When she’s not thinking about how haunted everything is, she enjoys hiking, crafts, and cooking for her family. Montag Press published the first novel in her Sean Joye Investigations book series in 2021. Follow her social media platforms: Instagram at kathylbrownwrites, Facebook at kbKathylbrown, and Twitter at KL_Brown. The Storytelling Blog lives at kathylbrown.com.

Wearing many hats as writers

By Diana Morgan

For years, I’ve struggled to maintain a consistent blog or newsletter. Between having ADHD and feeling like I have nothing to say, it’s seemed an impossible task. But there is one other thing besides fiction writing I’ve always wanted to do: write media reviews and commentaries.

As writers, we often wear many hats to connect with our readers, we’re selling ourselves as much as our stories. We’re publicists, social media influencers, activists, and so much more. Our jobs are often to sell so much more than just our words. It’s difficult and overwhelming at times. We’re always looking for new ways to connect to our readers and share our passions with the world.

One way I’m doing that this year: I’m launching a Patreon. Regular content includes movie and TV show reviews and a general blog. Eventually, I’ll add paid content, including serial fiction, short stories, and other sneak peeks at my writing.

I’m still hard at work on Lost Colony book 2, now titled, Retributions. Keep reading for a quick teaser or check out my website for further details.

Saving the Colony hasn’t made life easier for Livia Icini. But when a soldier turns up dead, Livia is the prime suspect, and the entire Colony is ready to see her banished. But the murder is just the beginning; an old enemy has found her, and he’s brought the Aveeys with him to bring the universe crashing down around her.

Jacob Moorland doesn’t care about Livia’s past. He just wants her to run the hospital so he can use his skill as a surgeon to help as many people as possible. When Aveeys attack, he ends up a prisoner to pirates, he has no choice but to adapt and survive in ways he never thought possible.

Revenge is served cold in space.

Follow me on Patreon for more.

Diana has always loved science fiction and fantasy. She grew up watching Quantum Leap, Power Rangers and Star Wars. She can’t remember a time when she wasn’t making up stories.

She was a geek before being a geek was cool, and she loves hanging out with other geeks and sharing her love of all things space and magic and books.

How art can be a protest

By Alexander Brown

While art is primarily for the artist, it can be a Trojan horse for the audience. Although works produced for commerce can still evoke emotion in the consumer, nothing is as raw as an artist who creates to reflect the horrors of society. As the general public suffers under an administration that only cares for its own well-being, and an audience that screams that the smallest fraction of diversity in entertainment is “woke,” wokeness in art has existed since the dawn of time. Yet, the general public has refused to acknowledge its existence.

To give a popular reference that the majority should be familiar with, there is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. This gothic classic deeply resonates with classism, feminism, race, and even queer culture. Consider Frankenstein’s “monster,” who began as docile and only wanted love and acceptance. But rather than having gained that, he was literally feared for no other reason than his identity. Sound familiar?

Another fine example is Toni Morrison’s Beloved. This Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, which takes place shortly after the American Civil War, explores the horrors of slavery and racism through a paranormal lens. And since the ghost serves as a vehicle to remind us of a traumatic past, what better way to focus on these subjects than to present it as a ghost story? To show the impact of this novel, even in 2021, Republicans tried to use it under the guise of propaganda to justify their prejudice against the critical race theory.

Another fine example is Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho. This splatterpunk classic reflects the horrors of the 1980s, where the monster of Corporate America was projected onto the ruthless antagonist, Patrick Bateman. In this shocker, not only did he murder those who were his competition, but he brutalized women, minorities, and those who were underprivileged for an extensive amount of page time. Meanwhile, he continued to financially thrive in a society of Reaganomics. What better way to humanize Corporate America by giving it the traits of a sociopathic narcissist?

Other great examples can be seen in the work of Octavia Butler and her series known as the Xenogenesis trilogy, which focuses on colonization. Then there’s Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, which warns against totalitarianism. Also, we have Poppy Z. Brite’s Exquisite Corpse, which explores the suffering of those in LGBTQ+ community when they are shunned.

Something all of these books have in common, aside from being outstanding literature, is they are all Trojan horses that comment on society in one form or another. For the most part, the general public has accepted them as a form of entertainment and nothing more. Yet, if one were to look harder, they would see that these pieces, and many others, have acted as a protest against a world where movements are few and far between. The reason why one has to look hard for these subjects is that a good artist knows how to show and not tell. In other words, they present without proselytizing or pandering.

If done right, art can be a protest; the artist a protester and documentarian. A source that can act as a creative liver. One that processes vital subjects into a format so its consumers can develop a deeper level of sympathy for those who are different from themselves, or empathy for those who feel alone in their struggles.

To create good art, not only should it entertain, but it should also evoke emotion, whether that emotion be positive or negative. The only way to do that is to produce unforgettable characters in a concept that reflects our own reality. Regardless of what medium one chooses to express themselves in, what better time than now, 2025, to create something that reflects the external horrors of everyday life? Don’t be afraid to be woke with your art; use it as a protest, even if the end result is just as nihilistic as the ending of a Bachman book.

ALEXANDER S. BROWN is a Mississippi author whose first book, Traumatized, was published in 2008 and later re-released by Pro Se Publications. Brown is co-editors/coordinator of the Southern Haunts anthology series published by Seventh Star Press. His horror novel, Syrenthia Falls, was published by Dark Oak Press. His short story collection The Night the Jack O’ Lantern Went Out, published by Pro Se Press, reached bestseller status in three literary categories on Amazon.com upon release. Brown is the author of multiple young-adult steampunk stories found in the Dreams of Steam anthologies, Capes and Clockwork anthologies, and Clockwork Spells and Magical Bells. His more extreme works can be found in the anthology Luna’s Children, published by Dark Oak Press; Reel Dark, published by Seventh Star Press; and State of Horror: Louisiana Vol. 1, published by Charon Coin Press. Brown is also an actor and producer in the short film The Acquired Taste, inspired by a story in Traumatized and directed by Chuck Jett.

Welcome to the new age, and I’m radioactive…

By Angelia Sparrow

I’m writing this on Jan. 21, my sister’s 53^rd birthday, the day before my mother would be turning 79.

Yesterday, That Man (Southern for “the Enemy”) was sworn in again as president. He wasted no time in decreeing that there is only male and female, and the sex you are born is the sex you must present all your life.

Fascists always go after trans folks first. The very famous Nazi book burning photo was taken at the Magnus Hirschfeld Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, that is the Institute for Sexual Science, which was doing research on all branches of sexuality and had done some of the earliest gender-affirming surgeries.

The rest of the QUILTBAG is on the hit list, along with ethnic and racial minorities, women, and non-Christian religions. It’s not a good time to be an openly queer author who writes explicit same-sex romances.

Amazon has started hiding such books from the search engine. Pre-emptory compliance.

It’s all of a piece with Don’t Say Gay Laws and book censorship in schools and libraries. Now, bear in mind, when I say censorship, I’m not referring to the library purchaser’s decisions on what to buy for the collection. No library can afford all the books published in a year, and not every book is needed for every collection. An engineering college will need much different books than a general public library.

I am talking about outside forces telling a library they may not keep a book on their shelves. Usually because someone must Think of The Children.

It’s a scary time right now. We don’t know what is going to happen exactly or when. We know things like this can move very fast. The Hirschfeld book burning took place May 6, after the January 30 inauguration. The first concentration camp opened 2 months earlier, in March.

Some writers I know have quit writing, and quietly pulled their books. They have stepped away from social media, some even deleting theirs. They have families to worry about, jobs and more. That’s fine. We do what we need to do to survive. Many members of my church are planning to relocate to Minnesota this summer, for much the same reason.

I’ve considered it. I’m in a position professionally where Nick Rowan and Dean O’Bedlam (my drag persona) could vanish into the ether. I can write cozy mysteries about bakery owners finding dead bodies while walking their dogs. Or whimsical fantasy. Or anything without sex.

But personally, I am in a position where I can’t. I’m queer. I am out, proud and a little loud. A lot of people don’t like the word, but it’s the only one that works. My wife of 35+ years is a trans woman. My husband of almost 10 years is a trans man. My daughter-in-law is part Hispanic. My grandsons are Native. Both of the active priests in my church, plus many of the congregation are trans. We are all squarely in the crosshairs.

And I have forgotten the cardinal rule: Don’t draw fire, it annoys everyone around you.

One of the tenets of my Primali faith is Divine Defiance. It is my sacred duty to stand there, in the crosshairs of this regime, stick my tongue out, waggle my hands in my ears and sing scurrilous songs. The Bardic Right of Ridicule has never been revoked.

I haven’t published anything for a couple of years. I’ve written a few things. But after the election, my writing seemed to kick into high gear and I am hard at work on a super-spicy piece for next December and a couple of novels. Nothing terribly exciting to share yet, but you will hear when it happens.

For now, keep your eyes open, your ears sharp. Stay alert. Hinder where you may.
And remember: Granny Witch Loves You.

Angelia Sparrow is opting to stand tall. (as if she actually has any options on that front). You can follow her on Facebook here. There is also her crafting partnership, The Travelling Tinkers. She is valarltd on Pinterest, Threads, BlueSky, Mastadon and LiveJournal; WitchGrannyAngel at TikTok.

The Big Cinch!

I’m Kathy L. Brown and delighted to join The Literary Underworld team! I write speculative fiction with a historical twist. My hometown— St. Louis, Missouri —and its history inspire my fiction.

A Sherlock Holmes story collection captivated me as a ten-year-old. If every tale must have a maker, I resolved to be a maker, too. I immediately wrote a knock-off Sherlockian story, which was greeted with wide critical acclaim (by my teacher). I was hooked, really. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had ruined me for honest work.

However, I came of age in a tumultuous time. Despite the nascent women’s liberation movement’s encouragement, I convinced myself I had nothing to say to a world in upheaval. Thus, as a new college graduate, I landed a job as a book editor, an ideal pairing of my desire to read all day and a personality that picks at small details. Those skills served me well in a subsequent (and better paying) medical research career.

However, the need to make stories never truly left me. The haunted 1920s world of my book series, The Sean Joye Investigations, was conceived in a beginners’ creative writing workshop.

My supernatural noir stories’ gestation and birth took years. Meanwhile, I earned a creative writing certificate and wrote various fantasy stories for magazines and anthologies. Under my own imprint, I published two short Sean Joye adventures while working on a novel, The Big Cinch. Montag Press Collective published The Big Cinch in December 2021, and it is now available through The Literary Underworld website.

Currently, I’m polishing the next Sean Joye novel, The Talking Cure. We live in an exciting time for stories, and I want to be part of it all. My goals include produce stories in more formats, such as serials, audiobooks, and games. Check out the Sean Joye short stories and novellas at my website, kathylbrown.com.

The Big Cinch

The Big Cinch embeds readers in a magic-laced St. Louis, once known as Mound City, home of the indigenous Americans’ Mississippian ancestors. Little evidence of their civilization survives in 1924, apart from the popular Piasa monster image, invoked to sell plows as well as ornament civic pageants.

Sean Joye, a recent Irish immigrant, tried to avoid fae attention and ignore his magical abilities since childhood. A young veteran of 1922’s Irish Civil War, he aims to atone for his assassin past and make a clean life in America. Sean helps a wealthy, powerful, magic-dabbling family—founders of the most exclusive club in town, the Piasa Lodge—with a discreet inquiry or two. Sexually involved with a secretive, high-society flapper, he falls hard for her fiancé, a Great War flying ace with a few secrets of his own.

But Sean asks the wrong questions about a kidnapped toddler and missing Native American artifacts and becomes a suspect in his lover’s bludgeoning and a tycoon’s murder. Can he master the paranormal abilities he’s rejected for so long in time to protect the innocent and save his own skin?

The Big Cinch will appeal to a wide range of readers:

Fans of a wise-cracking mage, such as in Ben Aaronovitch’sThe Hanging Tree, Steven Blackmoore’s Dead Things, and Jim Butcher’s Skin Games
Lovers of secret societies who worship mysterious, supernatural forces, such as in Matt Ruff’sLovecraft Country, Victor LaValle’s Ballad of Black Tom, Cherie Priest’s Chapelwood, and China Mieville’s The Last Days of Paris
Supporters of fiction that reflects cultural and sexual diversity, such as in Anne Bishop’sLake Silence: The World of the Others and V.E. Schwab’s Shades of Light

Kathy L. Brown lives and writes in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Her hometown and its history inspire her fiction. When she’s not thinking about how haunted everything is, she enjoys writing elaborate notes about her tabletop roleplaying games. Her supernatural noir novel, The Big Cinch novel won the 2022 Imadjinn award for best urban fantasy novel. Other stories in the Sean Joye Investigations world include The Resurrectionist and Water of Life. Kathy’s blog lives kathylbrown.com.