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Dean and Allison Weir have appeared together in various publications compiled / edited by Trevor Kennedy. It was a no-brainer that she would be involved in the Short Sharp Shocks! Series at some point. Book 15 (Blood, Bears & Dolls) by Alli is a profound (and seemingly very personal) piece of work. Recently they sat down to talk about the book...
DEMAIN PUBLISHING: Blood, Bears & Dolls is more than a worthy inclusion in the SSS! Series – so well done. Can you tell our readers a little more about it? ALLISON WEIR: I wanted to draw on some of my real life experiences when I was abroad a few years back – some of it was just inexplicable in the verbal form so I felt I had to clarify it in the written. DP: Yes, there are at times – and I mean this positively – such an onslaught of images, themes...did you find that (or anything else to that matter) particularly challenging? AW: I would have to say one of the challenges was the word count. I was so absorbed in developing the story that I sometimes forgot how much I’d written! I also found some of the medical scenes a constant battle to try and etch from my memory whilst at the same time, recall them for Shona’s showpiece. DP: I get that but I believe you were more than successful so again a massive well done. I guess then that there is a lot of Allison Weir in Blood, Bears & Dolls? AW: There is definitely some of Shona in me! Not the hypochondriac parts ha ha. A good chunk of it was based on a terrible time I had. Her huge phobia with dolls stems from the fact that mine was one of needles, which are pretty hard to hide from when you’re admitted to hospital =/ DP: I bet...and I’m with you on that, needles aren’t my thing at all...for those that aren’t familiar with your work would you say you have a specific writing style? Do you find writing challenging? AW: I guess I do have a certain style, yes. But it’s difficult to pinpoint which one exactly. Perhaps it’s true to say that I write with dark humour. Or sometimes in riddle. I like to keep readers guessing as to where the story could go next. As much as this may sound chaotic it is definitely not predictable, which is what I think a good story should seek to avoid. DP: I agree – I love the unpredictability of a good story. (As a slight aside) I don’t know if you are familiar with the NETFLIX series, The OA at all...I watched Season 1 and enjoyed that but when a month or so ago Season 2 was advertised I wasn’t that bothered as I was watching so much other stuff, however, I decided to give it a go and I have to say I wasn’t disappointed – it was totally (as far as I was concerned anyway) unpredictable but there are certain points which I found incredibly profound...especially the Old Night character...I won’t say anymore but if you haven’t, check it out. Who are Allison’s influences? Reading anything interesting right now? AW: I’m going to blow you away here and say I barely read books these days…! I run my eyes over the odd thing here and there, mostly in Spanish and German, but I don’t have a favourite author. I do like short stories by Harlan Ellison and Philip K.Dick’s stuff has always fascinated me. He has the ability to write about pretty much anything. DP: Yeah I’m a great PKD fan though I haven’t yet seen The Man In The High Castle – need to check that out when I get five. You working on anything new right now? AW: Well, I’ve just finished a non-fiction piece for a good friend of mine. He’s at an exciting stage in his life and I was happy to pull off the editing for him! DP: That sounds exciting, good for the both of you. You ever suffer from writer’s block? AW: I used to suffer from it terribly - I’ve found because my daytime job is so demanding nowadays, my brain instantly reaches for the storytelling stuff as soon as it’s 5pm! My creative juices are flowing more often than not, put it that way. DP: Good to hear – I’ve been talking a lot about this with writers recently: do you do an outline before you start a new piece of work or are you somebody who just goes for it (probably the latter from what we’ve spoken about previously)? AW: Yes and no. I find brainstorming helps me set the exact scene but sometimes I would just scribe and see what happens. That’s the fun part =) DP: Indeed it is – what’s your favourite genre? Also – did you learn anything from writing Blood, Bears & Dolls? AW: Ooh, that’s a toughie! I still love to write sci-fi and fantasy fiction the most. I feel there’s more freedom and no treading on anyone’s toes with what you can come up with there. Things learned from this story? Doctors don’t always get it right but they’re a Godsend when they do! DP: That is so true my friend, so true. Okay, so imagine you had to pitch your story to a film producer...how would the pitch go? AW: When you’ve perfected the role of the poor pathetic invalid for so long, just remember your turn to fight back may come sooner than you think. DP: Oh I like that, it sums up the story perfectly. Perhaps slightly trickier then: if you were writing a synopsis of Blood, Bears & Dolls how would it read? AW: Shona Whiting is a loner of a lass. She means nobody any harm yet people are still wary of her because she is so very different. Medically she is screwed. The teenager suffers from what is dubbed ‘vampire disease’ and some generally ugly flashbacks that mirror her shockable experiences with ill health. So she must live her life as carefully as possible, with the help of her good friend, Cassie and dog Rolo. One fateful night, two joyriders lose control of their cars causing a huge crash between their vehicles. Whilst Cassie looks worse for wear, Shona ends up being admitted to hospital once again. Disoriented and highly medicated, she awakens from the incident with no recollection at first. She believes the medics are her enemy and she sets out to defeat her biggest fear: dolls. And they’re running about the hospital, taking down teddy bears as well as humans. Shona simply cannot escape the madness in her head and in real life. What is real and what is not? She just doesn’t know anymore - but one thing’s for sure: the blood transfusion that would supposedly save her will now turn her life upside down… DP: You nailed it! Final question then, will you tell us something about you which your readers might be surprised to discover... AW: I can write ‘legibly’ with my left and right hand – I’m naturally left handed but I trained myself to be dextrous with both! Now that is pretty cool. Thanks a million for your time Allison – all the best with Blood, Bears & Dolls. If you wish to connect directly with Allison: Twitter Address: @Alli22235324 https://www.facebook.com/alli.martin1
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8/3/2022 07:43:31 am
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CategoriesArchives
November 2023
AuthorDean M. Drinkel |