Blogs
Promo for Sexbomb's appearance in Portland Oregon at Head Bang for Head Cancer ( ok so the venue is wrong but apart from that it's cool ) They will also play a few numbers at ' Night of The Living Bards' on Thursday night ( The Buffalo Gap 5-12 pm Oct 7th.) Click the link below if you dare!!!!
Ten Questions With Welsh Horror Writer, Peter Luther - Author Of 'The Vanity Rooms'
By Ceri Shaw, 2010-09-09
... Peter Luther is an author of exquisitely crafted and electrifying supernatural thrillers. Peter, who lives in Cardiff has been referred to as the ''Welsh Dan Brown''. In 2010 AmeriCymru spoke to Peter about this comparison, and other matters including his new ( then forthcoming ) novel The Vanity Rooms Visit Peter''s website here
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Peter: In my opinion there is no better training for writing fiction than being a lawyer. You meet interesting people and encounter a lot of unusual situations.
Dark Covenant mirrors the rough and tumble of my career as a practising solicitor, but the law does spill over to my other novels. There is an understanding probate solicitor in The Mourning Vessels , and a stressed criminal solicitor in Precious Cargo .
I also think being a lawyer hones your analytical skills: my stories have very tight plot structures, with strict rules within the bizarre world I have created. I’m sure this is partly as a result of my legal training.
On a general note, I think life experience is very important for being a novelist. I tried writing in my early twenties, but when I returned to it in my late thirties my perspective was far more rounded.
AmeriCymru: All your novels so far have been set in Wales. Is there any particular reason for that or is it just familiarity with the area?
Peter: I do a lot of signings in England, and the readers I meet are always pleased to see a story set in Wales. I don’t think there are enough of them east of the Severn Bridge. It’s a beautiful, dramatic country with inexhaustible sources of inspiration.
The Mourning Vessels is set in Tenby, probably my favourite place in the whole world.
The majority of my scenes are however set in my home city of Cardiff, which is because of my familiarity with the area.
AmeriCymru: Were you a horror fiction fan? Are there any particular horror writers whose style you admired or were inspired by?
Peter: I’m not a horror fiction fan per se, but I love anything that is original and well-conceived. In this respect I was very influenced, along with the rest of my generation, by the early Stephen King novels.
The Mourning Vessels involves bereavement counsellors visiting the recently bereaved and offering to ‘solve’ their grief, which they achieve by trapping the departed in the things they coveted in life. These objects - clocks, typewriters, even a bespoke Cluedo board (or is that Clue in America?) - then turn evil and leprous. This has more than an echo of Pet Semetery. It’s sort of a Pet Semetery with antiques...
AmeriCymru: You are quoted as saying that your novels are 'human interest stories masquerading as horror fiction' - what do you mean by that?
Peter: 100,000 words of things that go bump in the night would leave me asleep on my Mac. I need to write about the things that are important to me, which have relevance to my own experience. My characters are ordinary folk with all the ordinary problems: career, money, bereavement, fertility, parenthood. This gives the books what I would describe as their emotional heart, which hopefully leaves a mark on the reader even after all the paranormal conceits and puzzles have been digested, and which saves them from being left on train seats...
AmeriCymru: Could you have written your characters, their relationships and situations in a non-genre drama or in other genres? If so, what do you think you would have to change, if anything?
Peter: That’s a difficult question. If I have a talent, it is that I can take a completely off-the-wall concept and make it believable, and so I cannot really imagine writing in any other genre. With the supernatural anything is possible, and that’s what holds my interest.
That said, I can see myself writing a legal/corporate thriller one day, but it would need to have a very unusual angle.
AmeriCymru: You described your first novel, Dark Covenant , as "a parable of materialism" and your second, The Mourning Vessels, as "a parable of bereavement" - would you describe these as moral tales?
Peter: I wouldn’t be as pretentious to suggest my novels are moral tales, but they certainly have a message. Perhaps the message is a personal one, that I’m writing letters to myself.
In Dark Covenant a struggling lawyer makes a pact with the Devil through the crossword in a lifestyle magazine built from his desires. For me, the magazine represents the contracts we all make in life. We all bargain our time, and sometimes our principles, for the things that we need. For the things that we think that we need. The story is essentially Faust with a modern twist.
The Mourning Vessels was inspired by the loss of my parents. I lost my mum on Christmas Day 2004, and my dad succumbed to grief on Christmas Day 2005. During the year he was alone he created shrines to her memory, from photographs and the little things that she treasured. I didn’t think it was healthy. The book is very much about dealing with bereavement, and I suppose if there’s a message it’s that you need to let go. Remember the ones you loved with a smile, not with pain and torment.
Precious Cargo was based on another sad time in my life: my experience with IVF. There’s a chapter in the book called ‘the imagined child’, because I believed I could see my unborn child’s face, that the child was so close. We tried four times then gave up, because carrying on would have damaged us, I think. Sometimes you need to accept the cards life deals you, and be happy. Anyway, that’s what I believe.
AmeriCymru: how did you imagine the fantastical devices and sinister 'toys' in Precious Cargo?
Peter: I honestly don’t know. These screwball ideas come naturally, if that’s the right phrase...
AmeriCymru: You have been referred to as the 'Welsh Dan Brown'. How do you feel about the comparison?
Peter: My novels have some codes and puzzles, but that’s really where the similarity ends. Mr Brown has a very readable style, but I confess that I find his historical subject matter more interesting than the plot and the characters. That could be because I now read modern fiction with an editorial, critical eye; for this reason I much prefer reading classics or history, when I can completely turn off.
AmeriCymru: We learn from your website that you are working on a fourth novel ('The Vanity Rooms') at the moment. Care to tell us anything about that?
Peter: This is the third novel with my main character Tristyn Honeyman, an ex-Baptist minister from North Wales and a sort of spiritual detective.
The demonic society he encountered in the The Mourning Vessels and Precious Cargo are now posing as an arts charity, giving struggling artists free accomodation. This is in a building in Cardiff Bay once occupied by a chapter that escaped from Revolutionary France, who were obsessed with the Roussean concept of ‘amour propre’, or self image.
The apartment comes with a mobile phone, which has some unusual functions and a strange address book. Both apartment and mobile are infested by the eighteenth century chapter, who are determined to find the true meaning of celebrity, that exclusively human need to be admired.
I know, it’s not the work of a well man...
AmeriCymru: Any final message for the members and readers of ameriCymru?
Peter: Thank you so much. I’m trying to do something a little different, and I’m writing in a very unfashionable genre: the supernatural thriller without vampires. Your support means everything to me.
A quick reminder that there is just over one day to go before the deadline for submissions for the Left Coast Eisteddfod Poetry, Short Story, Image and Video competitions. If you are planning to submit please do so in the twenty four hours. Here are the competition submission pages for anyone who wants to browse the current entries:-
Poetry
Short Story
Image
Video
We have included links to the main competition pages below. The rules can be found on these pages. A link on the competition pages will open a discussion page where you can post your entries.The organizers are pleased to note that the quality and quantity of submissions has increased this year and we would like to take this opportunity to wish all our current contestants and anyone considering submitting the very best of luck.
Diolch
Left Coast Eisteddfod Organizing Committee
AmeriCymru has been invited to circulate copies of 'Aged To Perfection' at NAFOW and Wordstock by Age Cymru. Age Cymru is the largest charity working for older people in Wales and it organiszes the annual Gwanwyn Festival which offers opportunities for greater participation by older people in the arts. Age Cymru describe the publication in the following terms:-
'This book is different from other books in two ways. Firstly writing can be a solitary pastime, however, this book enlisted the help of writing groups from all over Wales and the results illustrate the benefit to writers of sharing, nurture and support from their peers. We ignore the social isolation of older people at our peril.
Secondly it is intended that this book travels as far afield as possible, you will see the pass it on logo throughout the book. Please enjoy this book and pass it on to your friends so that as many people as possible can enjoy its contents. The book has its own Twitter page and we'd love you to Tweet us or email us with details of where you found it and what you thought. We'll be charting the books progress on the Gwanwyn website. '
We presented a copy to Tom Owen, President of the Welsh Society of Portland ( see pic below ). Tom said:-
'Alexander Solzhenitsyn in his Nobel address said that " literature is how a country talks to itself". What we have here is a way for an age demographic to talk to itself. Not that any of us are getting any older of course 
This is a good way to share the experience.'
Each of the books is numbered and Tom's copy is number 1023. Tom promised to pass his copy on when he has finished with it and for our part we will be sure to Tweet and blog each time we present someone with a copy of the book. Check back in the coming weeks for further reports.
In closing we should mention that if you are not lucky enought to come across a 'hard' copy of 'Aged To Perfection' all the stories in the book can be read on the Gwanwyn website here:- 'Aged To Perfection'
Diana Manzanilla of AmeriCymru presents Tom Owen with copy no. 1023 of 'Aged To Perfection'
The gold of stubble, the brown of turned earth
And you walk under the red light of fall
The scent of fallen apples, the dust of threshed grain
The sharp, gentle chill of fall.
Here as we move into the shadows of autumn
The night that brings the morning of spring."
Today the Great Plains Welsh Heritage Project table was absolutely surrounded by Rhys Bowen fans crowding in to get her to sign a pile of her books provided by local Portland mystery book store, Murder By The Book . Despite being right across from them, I couldn't see her at all, there were so many people.
Authors Lyn and Sharon Clarke also brought books to sell and Lyn was very generous and gave Ceri and I a copy of Gringo Revolutionary , the hard-to-find biography of Caryl ap Rhys, who invaded Tijuana flying the red flag during the Mexican Revolution, a very interesting guy and I'm sure a very interesting story. Thank you again, Lyn, we deeply appreciate it!
Last year's David Western Lovespoon winner Howard Evans very kindly and generously brought the 2009 spoon to NAFOW with him from Montana to show it off and help sell a lot of tickets for this year's spoon drawing. Good luck to everyone, David is doing this year's spoon with artist Laura Jenkins-Gorun and it is completely amazing!
I'm depending on you, not all of you obviously, some of you are in just as bad a state as myself, but I've just got to hold on for another 6 months, and then hopefully next summer I'll be able to more than make up for this year; big bearded Harley-Davidson Hell's Angels types have been seen to break down, when after knocking on the door they've realized that it's just an empty shell.
Night Of The Living Bards ( Left Coast Eisteddfod ) - Thursday 7th October 5-12pm, Buffalo Gap, Portland, Oregon
By Ceri Shaw, 2010-08-31
BUY TICKETS HERE
The Event
5.00 pm - 7.00 pm Showing of S4C production 'Other World' ( Y Mabinogi ) 2002 ( 1hr 44mins )
"On his eighteenth birthday, Lleu's world is shaken by the news that he is adopted. On the same day, his friend Rhiannon thinks that she may be pregnant, and Dan, who lives in his big brother's shadow, is as scatty as ever.
They all put their problems aside for the day when they come together to celebrate Lleu's birthday. Venturing on a boat trip along the coast they suddenly see a change in the water. They realise that, on May Eve, they have found the golden doorway to the Otherworld, which can be seen shining deep beneath the waters.
Being an independent and stubborn girl, Rhiannon doesn't think twice before plunging into the sea, and the other two are not far behind. As they swim deeper and deeper and get closer and closer to the golden gate, they are transported many centuries ago to the incredible world of the Mabinogi."..... more
"The musical score is arranged by John Cale , formerly of the Velvet Underground, in conjunction with the National Orchestra of Wales.
Ioan Gruffudd (Hornblower, The Forsyte Saga), Matthew Rhys (The Graduate stage adaptation), Jenny Livsey, Daniel Evans, Phillip Madoc, Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill) and Paul McGann (Withnail and I) are just some of the famous names who have contributed to the film."..... more
7.00 -7.30 pm Readings by Featured Authors at the Wordstock Festival
Niall Griffiths , Harrison Solow , Chris Keil , Peter Griffiths
World Premier Niall Griffiths will be reading for the first time from his forthcoming book in the 'New Stories From The Mabinogion' series. Niall was commissioned by Seren ( one of Wales' leading publishing houses ) to write a modern adaptation of two tales from the ancient text:- 'The Dream of Macsen Wledig' and 'The Dream of Rhonabwy'. The resulting title 'The Dreams of Max And Ronnie' will be published in mid October. Advance signed copies will be available for purchase at the event together with other titles from the series. The project is introduced in the following terms on the Seren website:-
"In this series commissioned by Seren, the old tales are at the heart of the new. Each author reinvents a story in their own way: creating fresh, contemporary tales that speak to us as much of our own world as of events long gone."
9.20 -11.00 pm Left Coast Eisteddfod 'Live' Narrative Competition
A live narrative competition for which we will be looking to recruit 10 contestants. There will be no restrictions on narrative style or content although competitiors must tell a story of some kind. Each contestant will have 8 minutes at the mic and there will be a first prize of $250 and a second prize of $100. There will be no registration fee although all competitiors will be required to pay the standard $6 dollar admission fee. You need not be a member of Americymru to attend or compete. If you wish to compete please email americymru@gmail.com to arrange.
7.30 -9.10 pm Left Coast Eisteddfod 'Live' Poetry Competition
A live poetry competition for which we will be looking to recruit 10 contestants. There will be no restrictions on narrative style or content although competitiors must tell a story of some kind. Each contestant will have 8 minutes at the mic and there will be a first prize of $250 and a second prize of $100. There will be no registration fee although all competitiors will be required to pay the standard $6 dollar admission fee. You need not be a member of Americymru to attend or compete. If you wish to compete please email americymru@gmail.com to arrange.
11.00 -12.00 pm Halley Weaver Portland's very own 'Zero Emissions Harpist'
...will be performing selections from The Mabinogion Suite and other works.
The Venue
