Podcast Episode 46: A Line in the Ice

A Line in the Ice by Haley StokesThis week I chat with Haley Stokes who, as Pepper Espinoza, is half of the writing duo that goes by the pen name Jaime Craig. Craig’s latest book is the science fiction/horror/romance novel A Line in the Ice, which was released last month. We talk about the plot, Shakespearean and Buffy/Angel influences, collaborating with a writing partner, pseudonyms, the benefits of using Antarctica as a backdrop, the definition of urban fantasy, writer’s block and more.

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Duration: 26:40
File Size: 30.6 MB

NOTE: This Episode Is Part of a Blog Tour for A Line in the Ice:

Please vote for my blog in the traffic-breaker poll for this tour. The blogger with the most votes wins a free promotional twitterview and a special winner’s badge. I want that to be me! You can vote in the poll by visiting the official Line in the Ice blog tour page and scrolling all the way to the bottom.

Learn more about this author duo by visiting their website, blog, Facebook or GoodReads pages or by connecting with them on Twitter.

Mentioned in this Episode:

shakespeare Shakespearean Influences
Shaekespeare had an influence on A Line in the Ice. The male protagonist is Lysander, inspired by a character from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the land the creatures are coming from is called Illyria, inspired by the location from Twelfth Night.
Illyria
In the final season of Joss Whedon’s TV series Angel, the body of Fred Burkle (played by Amy Acker) was taken over by one of the legendary Old Ones, pure demons from the Primoridum Age, called Illyria. In her original form, Illyria was somewhat Lovecraftian with five tentacles on either side of her torso. So it was somewhat understandable that she had some difficulty adjusting to her new slender human form.
Illyria from Angel
Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell
This science fiction novella was first published in the August 1938 issue of Astounding Stories under Campbell’s pen name Don A. Stuart. In 1973, the story was voted by the SFWA as one of the finest SF novellas ever written. The story has inspired three films to date: The Thing from Another World (1951), The Thing (1982) and The Thing (2011), which is a prequel to the 1982 film.
Lovecraftian Monsters
The creatures of H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos have been described as frog-like. They are ocean dwelling and often pictures with numerous tentacles. Cthulhu himself was described as being “an octopus, a dragon, and a human caricature” with a “pulpy, tentacled head surmounted a grotesque scaly body with rudimentary wings.” Lovecraft’s descriptions have influenced many artists, including Jean “Moebius” Giraud and H. R. Giger.
cthulhu
Purple prose Purple Prose
Commonly found in romance, the term “purple prose” refers to writing that is so extravagant, ornate or flowery that it can break the flow and draw attention to itself. This type of writing is often sensually evocative beyond the needs of its context. Romance novels with a lot of purple prose, often with covers featuring a scantily clad woman being grabbed by the hero, came to be known as “bodice-rippers.” This term is considered derogatory and offensive to many in the romance industry.
Yellow Cross
During World War I, mustard gas … a chemical agent created from sulfur mustard … was used during warefare. Also known as Gelbkreuz, it was made from a mixture of sulfur mustard and a solvent such a s tetrachloromethane or chclorobenzine. The term Yellow Cross was also a generic marking the Germans used during World War I to identify artillery shells containing chemicals that affected exposed surfaces of the body. The common reaction to exposure to mustard gas was large blisters.
Mustard gas
Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton and the Endurance
One of the principle figures in the “Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration,” Ernest Shackleton is often studied as an example of excellence in leadership. During one of his expeditions to the Antarctic, he and his crew were trapped in the Antarctic for about a year. Amazingly, everyone lived to tell the tale.

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About the author

As The Genre Traveler, Carma Spence loves to view the world through Genre-Coloured glasses. In other words, she sees the world through a lens of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, where trash cans can be Daleks in disguise and neighborhood forests can harbor faeries and sprites. Magic realism is real! Or at least you can choose to see the world that way to add to the fun and awe of life.

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