Nancy Kilpatrick Writer: Get to Know Photographer...
STEPHANE LORD
Stepha...: Get to Know Photographer... STEPHANE LORD Stephane Lord NK - You've been a photographer who has sold his work since ...
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Get to Know Photographer...
STEPHANE LORD
Stephane Lord
photo by Luc Lauziere
photo by Luc Lauziere
NK - You've been a photographer who has sold his work since 1996,
but did you have an interest in photography prior to that? What's your
background?
SL - I started by studying professional photography in 1983
for 3 years but my interest in the "dark and mysterious" only came in
1996. For several years I kind of took a break from photography after I
finished college because I couldn't find a decent job in that field.
NK - With all its sub- and sub-sub genres, what is it about the gothic-rock scene that appeals to you?
SL - Apart from the music, I love the mysterious, romantic,
stylish side of the scene. I like Victorian, medieval and fetish style as well
but it's also something that attracts other Goths, especially if you look at
the German Goth scene.
NK - Besides musicians, you have also created gorgeous photographs
of the most delicate-looking females who may or may not have wings. Faeries,
really. Why are you attracted to that type
of image?
SL - I love
faeries... I collect all sorts of figurines and illustration books. I like their
beauty but also the romantic and mysterious side of them. I have tried to infuse interpretations into
some of my pictures, and some results were better than others; when I started
in the late '90's, I was shooting with film so nothing from the film days has been
Photoshopped.
NK - You are a bilingual Quebecker but have traveled every
year for decades to either England or Germany or both. What appeals to you
about those two countries specifically that inspires your photography?
SL - The first time I visited England was in 1988. I
immediately fell in love with the country. My first year of traveling in the UK
was very much "music-oriented". I made a few contacts and met some
wonderful people but this was during my break in photography. It was only 10
years later, two years after I started doing photography again, that I did some
sessions in the UK, mostly in London. The old buildings, the overgrown
cemeteries, the vegetation, the ivy...that was fantastic! There have been times when I was doing more
sessions in a few weeks there than all the rest of the year in Montreal. I love the Goth scene over there and through
the years I've made several friends which is another reason to return...and
English ales, of course!
My fascination with Germany came later. I loved the vibrant
nightlife that I found in Berlin years ago, but everything changed when I
discovered the Wave Gotik Treffen festival in Leipzig. It attracts between 20,000
and 25,000 Goths. You can see so many extravagant styles that you'll never see
in Montreal. As everybody is running from one venue to another to see their
favorite bands, it's almost impossible to try to organize a session, so I’m
not going there in hopes of doing photo sessions...a few snapshots, maybe.
NK - What is your latest photographic project and where can
we see it?
SL - Amanda Rogers, an American singer that I've known for
years, used a picture from a session we did in Montreal for her new album
cover. It was actually just a test shot before removing her coat on a cold
autumn day. You can see the cover here:
The Hallow
The Hallow
Photographs
Model - Isabelle
Model - Manon Verret
Model - Victoria Fenban
Model - Lucas Lanthier of Cinema Strange
Model - Amanda Rogers
Model - Fannie Langlois
Magazine & Book Covers
More Photographs Here: Dark Fairies
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Nancy Kilpatrick Writer: Get to know Writer... SUE DENT...
Nancy Kilpatrick Writer: Get to know Writer...
SUE DENT...: Get to know Writer... SUE DENT Sue Dent NK - You have published four successful novels, the first of whic...
SUE DENT...: Get to know Writer... SUE DENT Sue Dent NK - You have published four successful novels, the first of whic...
Get to know Writer...
SUE DENT
SD - Not only do I live in the ‘Bible Belt,’ my
grandfather was an ordained Southern Baptist Minister who ordained my brother.
My Great Grandfather founded Wood College in Mathiston, Mississippi. A
Methodist college.
I never really saw any connection with readers of Christian fiction. It’s just that the first ‘traditional’ publisher that showed an interest in my work was a Christian publisher. I know, right? But it is the Bible Belt, after all. They called their work Christian fiction and thus, Christian readers started reading it where they might not have picked it up at all otherwise. Those readers started calling my work Christian Fiction, a label used by “evangelical publishers” to represent their extremely targeted fiction which I DO NOT write and which they WILL not publish. Several of their coveted writers such as Eric Wilson of “Fireproof” and Bryan Davis of the “Dragons in our Midst” series gave me contacts to their publishers and told me I should call them. I did. The publishers responded by saying, “Our readers won’t read your work.” It didn’t seem to matter that their readers are some of my most ardent fans.
NK - What's up next for you?
Books
SUE DENT
Sue Dent
NK - You have
published four successful novels, the first of which raced out of the gate to
great reviews, made the Bram Stoker Award preliminary ballot; two novels were
on the Pluto Awards long list, one of which make it to the short list; and one
novel was on the long list of the British Fantasy Awards. How did that feel,
being so successful so quickly?
SD - It gave me confidence and made me feel A LOT better about
hiring a professional editor to help me with my first novel.
NK - You have
a supernatural series, which includes vampires and werewolves and more. What
inspired this series?
SD - I
grew up with Dark Shadows and that was my inspiration. That show fascinated me
to no end and gave me nightmares. I know I awoke one night age 9 or 10 and
stared into the hall to see the corpse-less head of Judah Zachery in its case.
That’s how vivid my imagination is. I saw it!
NK - Your
background is in visual arts—you design the covers of your books. How did you
make the switch to writing?
SD - The writing came first. Doing my own covers came when I saw
what folks were charging to do covers and realized the process wasn’t that
complicated, at least, not for me as I have a background in computers and art.
Nicholas Grabowsky of Halloween 4 fame and Black Bed Sheet Books publisher did
some covers for me when he published me. They were awesome!
NK - Why did
you start your own publishing company?
SD - I wanted to buy a block of ISBN’s from Bowker and at the
time, you had to be a ‘publisher’ to order them in blocks. So I became one. Now,
however, you can get an ISBN from Amazon, Smashwords, etc . The first few
numbers of an ISBN point to the publishing house though. I wanted my ISBN’s to
point to my publishing house as the publisher and not to Amazon or Smashwords,
etc.
NK - You live
in what's called 'The Bible Belt' in the U.S. Your horror novels appeal to
Christian readers but they are not specifically written for that audience. Never Ceese was the Book Club Choice of the month
at the American Christian Fiction Writers Association. How do you see that
connection?
I never really saw any connection with readers of Christian fiction. It’s just that the first ‘traditional’ publisher that showed an interest in my work was a Christian publisher. I know, right? But it is the Bible Belt, after all. They called their work Christian fiction and thus, Christian readers started reading it where they might not have picked it up at all otherwise. Those readers started calling my work Christian Fiction, a label used by “evangelical publishers” to represent their extremely targeted fiction which I DO NOT write and which they WILL not publish. Several of their coveted writers such as Eric Wilson of “Fireproof” and Bryan Davis of the “Dragons in our Midst” series gave me contacts to their publishers and told me I should call them. I did. The publishers responded by saying, “Our readers won’t read your work.” It didn’t seem to matter that their readers are some of my most ardent fans.
NK - What's up next for you?
SD - Just as Dori from “Finding Nemo” (my son’s first visit to
the movies) might say if she were an author, “just keep writing, keep writing,
just keep writing . . .”
Books
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Nancy Kilpatrick Writer: Get to Know Visual Artist...JIMMY KERASTJimmy Ke...
Nancy Kilpatrick Writer: Get to Know Visual Artist...
JIMMY KERAST
Jimmy Ke...: Get to Know Visual Artist... JIMMY KERAST Jimmy Kerast NK - You are reluctant to talk about yourself. Why? JK - It'...
JIMMY KERAST
Jimmy Ke...: Get to Know Visual Artist... JIMMY KERAST Jimmy Kerast NK - You are reluctant to talk about yourself. Why? JK - It'...
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Nancy Kilpatrick Writer: Get to Know Blog Tour Guide andSpecialist ...MAIA...
Nancy Kilpatrick Writer: Get to Know Blog Tour Guide and
Specialist ...MAIA...: Get to Know Blog Tour Guide and Specialist ... MAIA GOMEZ Maia Gomez NK - You're a self-described 'country girl',...
Specialist ...MAIA...: Get to Know Blog Tour Guide and Specialist ... MAIA GOMEZ Maia Gomez NK - You're a self-described 'country girl',...
Get to Know Blog Tour Guide and
Specialist ...MAIA GOMEZ
Specialist ...MAIA GOMEZ
Maia Gomez
NK - You're a self-described 'country girl', with
deep generational roots in your hometown, Fredericksburg, Texas. How did it come about that you started a
highly successful Internet business in book promotion?
MG – Well,
quite frankly, I had two babies within a year's time and decided to be a full-time
stay-at-home mom with quite a bit of spare time on my hands! Between juggling
the kids and many sleepless nights, I was able to commit a lot of hours into
creating my dream job and thoroughly enjoy every minute of it. Plus, being
stuck out in the boondocks with Internet and not much else to do seems to help
a bit. lol
NK - What do you like most about promoting books
for authors?
MG – Finding new and exciting books and
connecting with new authors! There's quite a few authors out there that have
some 5 star AMAZING books that just need the extra boost to get discovered.
I've also made quite a few good friends and still stay in touch on a regular
basis with many of the authors I've toured with in the past.
NK - Your business offer to writers is, pay-what-you-want, an almost unheard of
business practice today. Does it work out for you?
MG – While it seems quite unorthodox, yes it
really does work! I believe that some of these other companies charge way too
much for the “average” author to be able to pay to get sufficient promo.
Authors are very grateful that I'm actually affordable to any and all budgets
and still provide quality tours with everybody getting the same level of
attention no matter what they end up paying me. While some are only able to pay
a little, most authors pay me very well and let's just say I make more now than
I ever did at a “regular” job.
NK - What is the first book you read and loved?
MG – Wow, I've been reading my entire life and
can't really remember my first book—I was reading at a 6th grade
level in 1st grade and they had to put me in an advanced reading
class. I was the kid in class that teachers yelled at to STOP reading instead
of the other way around. Back then I really loved the Goosebumps and Fear Street
books though. And later when Harry Potter
came out of course I was head over heels for those too! I remember when the
third HP book came out I got it as a birthday present and stayed up the entire
night and finished the book. I had a major book hangover after that one.
NK - There is a rumor that you have a 'book cave' filled with thousands
of books. Have you read them all?
MG – I have read almost all of them! I'm a
fanatic about series and prowl the local thrift stores for castoffs—I frequently buy later books in series and then slowly find the others and
eventually when I have a full set I binge-read them. So there's some works in
progress, but they all get read eventually. As for time—my only peace and quiet
is late at night after the kids go to sleep—I stay up until past midnight
escaping to new worlds and enjoying the peace.
NK - Many people peripherally involved in the
larger world of writing hold a secret desire to write fiction. Is that you?
MG – Oh absolutely! It's a longtime dream of mine
to be an author myself one day—I know I have the talent in me, and have even
started a few books in the past. My only roadblock is time, I just don't have
the time (or peace) to commit to serious writing. I'm thinking once the little
ones go off to school that might change though...
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