ATH readers, please welcome author and podcaster Jayme Beddingfield!
She's one of nine amazing writers contributing to the MAGIC UNVEILED anthology (which you can pre-order for only 0.99¢).
This is going to be good! If you're into shows like Supernatural, Constantine, and love reading Neil Gaiman, you're going to devour these tales that merge magic with the mundane.
Nine magical stories. Nine talented authors.
And one of them is here to share a little about herself :)
Author Interview: Jayme Beddingfield
Tell us about your story in the upcoming Magic Unveiled
anthology, and why it's going to affect readers?
Journey to a New Home
is the tale of a girl’s close
relationship with her dying mother. As she's on the way to her mom in hopes of
catching her before she passes, Beatrice draws her mother in familiar woods.
This story speaks to the closeness we share with others, untethered bonds we
create with those we love, and the uncertainty of death and what happens after.
What's your definition of magical realism (as a genre)?
What gives it a unique quality?
Magical realism to me is the pieces of magic we catch in small
moments or turn of events that are unexplainable. We all get those inklings [that]
there is more to the universe, that there are things we don’t understand. Magical realism is the
unexplained and wondrousness of the world that most need to believe, and only
some pay attention to.
What was the most difficult part about writing or
fine-tuning your story?
Trimming the unnecessary pieces is a hard one for me, so much
emotion and heart goes into every word I write. Wrapping my head around the
parts that don’t drive the
story forward can be hard.
It’s
important to pay intention to how a story flows, so cutting out unneeded words
and sentences are crucial to making the story the best it can be. Being able to
see the unnecessary parts and remove them is tricky. Once the story was in its
edited form, I felt good about what was cut and saw Beatrice and Emily shine.
What are the benefits to producing an anthology with other
authors?
There are so many. Being in the company of other writers presents
a wonderful opportunity to learn from others, and [making] strong contacts are for
sure on top of the list. I am happy to have Journey To A New Home in such
fantastic and talented company.
If you could choose to be a character in your short story,
you would be…
Oh gosh, both Beatrice and Emily have some uncertain paths ahead,
and being either of them wouldn’t
be easy. If I had to pick one, I would pick Emily, so I could see what she does
first hand.
Pick two of your co-authors to have over for dinner. Why?
Well, I would have to say, H.M. Jones, of course, seeing as I
already had dinner with her and she is charming company. I could always go for
a dinner with H.M. I would also be delighted to dine with Alesha Escobar. I
feel like we would have some fun and there would certainly be exciting
conversation about plots and characters and books.
Would you rather have immortality or immense power
(financial, political)?
Oh, that’s a
tough one. Immortality is attractive, but immense power is as well. Though I
have no idea what I would do with such power, so I guess I would go with
immortality, and once everyone I cared for passed, I would take to moose-laden
woods and start a new life.
What can we expect next from you?
There is quite a bit I’m excited about. I have co-written a high fantasy novel with author
and friend, Rebecca Clark, called The Shadow Bearers. We have it currently
entered in the Geek & Sundry contest. I am also working on a five book
dystopian series with some really exciting and promising leads. H.M. Jones and
I are also working on an anthology of weird Washington shorts expected sometime in
late 2017.
Where can readers find out more about your books?
You can find out all you need about my projects, podcast, and forthcoming books on my site:
You can also read
my column ‘In The Matters of Kindness’ on Feminine Collective.
~~~
Thanks, Jayme! We can't wait to read MAGIC UNVEILED.
