Category Archives: Interviews

Awards, Causes, Family, Interviews, Life Stuff, Mental Health, Métis, Poetry, Short Fiction, WFH (work for hire/tie-ins)

MID-YEAR ROUND-UP

Writing

HAPPY PRIDE!!!

It’s been so long since I’ve updated this blog, you probably wondered if I was even still writing, LOL. I am! I have stuff to talk about! I’ve just been floundering in the Sea of Overwhelm, so actually sitting down to recap All The Things has seemed nigh impossible (this is why you should definitely follow me on social media – I post updates there much more regularly).

Some things:

I sold a poetry chapbook! I can’t give you all of the deets just yet, but the poems revolve around my experiences as a Métis woman and was blurbed by Montana Poet Laureate Chris La Tray (who also happens to be my cousin, but you can’t be a Métis person from Montana and not be cousins, so…). Anyway, I’m super excited about this, since it’s been a goal of mine for a long time now.

I have a SF story, “The First Gate,” coming out in Permutations: A Well World Anthology, slated for March 2025. My story features the Betareds, which are basically giant teddy bears with red eyes and fangs. Seems on brand, no? You can read more about that here.

I have an alternate history story, “Our Lady of the Gatling Gun,” coming out in the Shifting, Swirling, HERitage anthology. In my timeline, the Métis women lead their people to victory at Batoche, forever altering the history, culture, and geography of western Canada and the US, and ultimately the entire world. The story features my own Métis ancestors, Charlotte Adam(s) LaFountain and Madeleine Ross LaFountain, as well as relatives by marriage, Madeleine Dumont (wife of Gabriel Dumont) and Marguerite Riel (wife of Louis Riel).

I will also have another story, “The Curious Incident of the Blog in the Night-Time,” coming out in the IAMTW’s Multiverse of Mystery anthology. This story features an Indigenous Holmes, a Pinkerton Watson, and a monster…or does it?

I was a contributor to WordFire Press’s upcoming Shadows & Verse: Classic Dark Poems with Celebrity Commentary. Which I guess makes me a celebrity? LOL

I made an appearance on Russ’s Rockin’ Rollercoaster, doing an episode on tie-in writing with fellow tie-in authors Jennifer Brody and Dayton Ward. You can watch that here, if you’re so inclined.

I was also interviewed over on the Horror Writers Association website RE: the intersection between horror and mental health.

Oh, and I just found out my poem, “Tapping on the Void,” was selected to be in the SFPA’s Dwarf Stars Anthology, which also means it’s been nominated for that award. So, yaay!

Anyway, I think that’s everything.

Everything Else

Kids. Pets. Health. Mental health. Genocide. It’s been, and continues to be, a LOT. But today is National Cancer Survivors Day, so hug ’em if you’ve got ’em, and remember to donate to your favorite cancer charity (mine is Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation).

AWARENESS = FUNDING = CURE

Appearances, Interviews, Novels, Poetry, Reviews, WFH (work for hire/tie-ins)

Hungry for Some MZ: The Hunger Links? Feast Your Fingers!

Writing

Lots of Marvel Zombies: The Hunger-related stuff:

-an interview with Paul Semel
-a review from Amy Walker over at Trans-Scribe
-an appearance on “My Favorite Horror” with Erik Smith
-an interview with Rob Ribar & Guido Sanchez over at Dear Watchers

I also have a poem up over at Eye to the Telescope: “Frybread at the Colony Powwow,” a SF haibun about the legacy of internalized colonization.

Finally, Jeff and I will be attending TusCon 50 in Tucson this upcoming weekend. My schedule is as follows:

Friday, November 10
8-9 PM, Panel Rm 1
In a world of hybrid vigor, do genres actually have meaning?
Diana Terrill Clark, Jeffrey J Mariotte, Marsheila Rockwell, Sharon Skinner

Saturday, November 11
3-4 PM, Ballroom
Kill your darlings. How do you keep character death meaningful?
Diana Terrill Clark, Marsheila Rockwell, Thomas Watson, Frankie Robertson

Saturday, November 11
4-5 PM, Autograph Area
Signing
Hal C F Astell, Janni Lee Simner, Jeffrey J Mariotte, KJ Kabza, Marsheila Rockwell
(I will have some copies of The Hunger!)

PLEASE NOTE: The Open Mic Poetry Slam is scheduled opposite my autograph session (i.e., from 4-5 PM), and is being held in the Ballroom. As a Rhysling Award winner, I feel like it’s important that I attend the Slam, even though I was for some reason not scheduled for it, so I will most likely only be at the signing table for the first ten or fifteen minutes. But it’s a small con; you can track me down if there’s something you really want signed.

Everything Else

I am available for editing work and I also do cultural consultation work, so if you’re in need of either, HMU!

Comics, COVID, Family, Interviews, Novels, WFH (work for hire/tie-ins)

I FELL OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH & LIVED TO TELL THE TALE

Writing

She lives!!! LOL

It’s been a minute since I posted last. Q3 started out great, with a family trip to Europe (in which I got to celebrate the full moon inside the circle at Stonehenge; I bask in your jealousy), but I contracted Covid a few days before we came home and it’s just been one illness/injury after another since.

Picture taken from the inside of Stonehenge, looking out through two pillars at the heel stone.
Inside Stonehenge

I’m still not at 100%, but there are a couple of things coming up that I need to let you know about, so here goes:

First, I have a new interview with the guys over at Dear Watchers which drops on Monday, where we talk about Marvel Zombies: The Hunger, formative horror movies and novels, and our shared love of the spooky season in general. You may remember I did an interview with them for Sisters of Sorcery last year that turned out to be their most listened-to podcast of the year, so be sure you listen to this one and let’s try for a two-fer!

Second, Marvel Zombies: The Hunger releases THIS Tuesday, October 3rd, so be sure and swing by your local bookstore and pick up a copy!

I’m sure there’s more that happening during The Q3 from Hell, but hopefully you follow me on social media and saw anything important there.

Writing

We also unexpectedly lost our beloved ginger catdog, Jonesy, and that devastated the whole family. I don’t know if it was more salt, yet another wound, or both, but it still hurts, and I still miss that little pest like the dickens. He went to the vet for an ultrasound and never came home. So if you’re lucky enough to have a furbaby of your own, give ’em a hug for me.

Ginger cat laying on low interior wall looking at camera
Beloved ginger catdog

Jonesy
May 25, 2019 – August 25, 2023

Comics, Interviews, Novels, Poetry, WFH (work for hire/tie-ins)

SEKRIT PROJEKT REVEAL!

Writing

Well, the big news has finally broken, and my sekrit projekt is no longer secret!

[INSERT DRUM ROLL]

I am writing a Marvel Zombies book!!! The Hunger will be out in August of 2023. Here’s the teaser:

“The Incident has infected the planet, creating zombified Super Heroes who destroy everything they swore to protect. Doctor Strange realizes the plague cannot be allowed to spread to other realities, but his Hunger is irresistible…

Now Earth’s only hope is the Sanctum Sanctorum librarian, Zelma Stanton. She knows every spell in the book, but she’s no fighter. Enter witch Nico Minoru, monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone, and Deadpool. They plan to trap the zombies in a time loop, but it goes horribly awry (thanks, Deadpool), crushing a million butterflies, and the timeline unravels, making the original Incident look like a cakewalk. It’s going to take magic bullets, bloodstones, and brains to fix this flesh-eating nightmare.”

No cover art yet, but for now:

Placeholder cover for Marvel Zombies: The Hunger by Marsheila Rockwell.

Yeah, so, that’s been keeping me pretty busy, and will continue to do so into the new year.

Also, just a quick note that the December issue of Penumbric is out and you can read my poem “Soiled Dove” here.

I also have a poem (“Child Bride,” a reprint) in Mine: An Anthology of Body Autonomy Horror from Creature Publishing, which released on December 1st. All proceeds go to NARAL.

And you can listen to the Graymalkin Lane podcast where I get to blather on about Sisters of Sorcery and how little I know about Gwen Stacy here. Also bonus Tristan Palmgren’s cat licking itself during recording! LOL.

Everything Else

Chances are good I won’t post again before 2023, so Happy Whatever You Do Or Don’t Celebrate & may next year be better than this one for all of us!

Appearances, Awards, Comics, Family, Interviews, Mental Health, Novels

FEED ME IN MY EARHOLES!

Writing

Lots of things for you to listen to this month!

First, the SFPA has been recording some of the Long Category Rhysling Award nominees, and “Erasing Myself from the Narrative” was included (I opted not to have “Reservation Fairy Tales 101 – Final Exam” recorded because it it written in a multiple choice format that doesn’t lend itself well to reading aloud). Go give it a listen – Diane does a great job!

Then I did two podcasts. One was an interview with Rob & Guido over at the Dear Watchers podcast. That one bounced around and was a lot of fun and I think you will enjoy it. Pop over and check it out!

The other was not quite so fun. It was actually a serious panel discussion with some wonderfully compassionate ladies (and the host, Chad) about the ramifications of mind control in comics being used largely as a tool for sexual assault. Like I said, not a fun conversation, but a necessary one, and hopefully a healing one. You should head over to Graymalkin Lane the Podcast to hear that one.

Last but not least, I have my TusCon 49 schedule! The con runs from Nov 11-13, and my stuff is all on the 12th:

Autograph Session, 1-2 PM, Autograph Area
Gloria McMillan, Jay Smith, Jeffrey J Mariotte, Marsheila Rockwell

Killing Off Characters, 4-5 PM, Ballroom
Some authors love to do it. Some authors hate to do it. But you have to do it. Characters must die. But why? And how do you do it well?

Carolyn Kay, Jeffrey J Mariotte, Jennifer Roberson, Marsheila Rockwell, Marty Ketola, Thomas Watson

Writing Realistic Women, 5-6 PM, Ballroom
Striking the balance between having your female characters still female, but not insulting can be a challenge.

Beth Dolgner, Diana Terrill Clark, Heshe Leontess, Marsheila Rockwell, Sharon Skinner

I think that’s it. Hope to see some of you there!

Everything Else

Our son David and his long-time partner, Becca, have gotten engaged. We are so happy for them and can’t wait for them to start this new phase of their lives together!

Appearances, Causes, Family, Interviews, Novels, Preorder Link, RPGs, WFH (work for hire/tie-ins)

ALERT!!! NEW RELEASE DATE!

First off, I know everywhere still says Sisters of Sorcery is slated to release Sept 20 (next week), but I have been informed that the release date has been pushed back to SEPTEMBER 27. So you’ll have to wait just a tiny bit longer for your copy. Sorry about that!

Also, it will be the day of dueling releases here in Marcyville, because my husband, Jeffrey J. Mariotte, ALSO has a book releasing that day – The Squad, the first book in his new Major Crimes Squad: Phoenix series. So pick that one up, too!

It was great seeing everyone at TCC, but I got food poisoning from Denny’s pancakes on Saturday, so that ended the con early for me. Apologies to everyone who was hoping to get a signed book on Sunday. We’re planning on attending TusCon 49 in November, so hopefully you can pick one up there!

I also have an adventure in Coyote & Crow’s latest crowdfunded effort (which looks like it will be very successful). It’s my first ttrpg credit and I originally pitched it as a Scooby Doo episode, so you really don’t want to miss it!

I was also involved in Part Two of Gwendolyn Kiste’s Pro-Choice Horror Roundtable, which you can read here.

Oh, yeah, and I recently signed a contract for a Super Sekrit Project that you guys are going to LOVE. But I probably won’t be able to talk about it until next year – gotta love those NDAs, heh.

Everything Else

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. You all know this is a very important cause for me, given that my youngest son was diagnosed with neuroblastoma when he was only 4 months old. I’ll leave you with some facts and a link to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a pediatric cancer charity started by a young girl who eventually lost her battle with neuroblastoma. Please consider donating something if you can. Less than 4% of federal research dollars go to pediatric cancers, and Big Pharma has no incentive for research, given that childhood cancers are “rare” in comparison to adult ones – the ROI isn’t large enough for them to bother. So research money has to come from private sectors – that means US.

Appearances, Awards, Family, Interviews, Novels, Preorder Link, WFH (work for hire/tie-ins)

TCC, SCRIBE AWARDS, OTHER STUFF

Writing

It’s funny, I’ve been thinking I really needed to write a blog post to catch everyone up, and now that I’m here, I’m not sure what I have to catch people up on, LOL.

There are a few things, though. First, I somehow completely missed this when it was published back in May, but I have an interview up over at author Nico Bell’s website, so you should go check that out.

Next, I’ve been officially announced as a Featured Author Guest for Tucson Comic-Con.

Featured Authored Guest at TCC 2022

And speaking of TCC, there is a decent chance I will have early copies of Marvel Untold: Sisters of Sorcery there, so you can hopefully come pick up a copy and get it signed! (Of course, if you can’t make it, pre-orders are always MUCH appreciated.)

Filed under “This is not news,” my short story did not win this year’s Scribe Award, but you can check out the list of winners here.

I also have some other writing-related things going on that I’m not yet able to talk about, but hopefully soon(ish).

And that’s all she wrote, kids.

Everything Else

We took a very short trip to Sedona before school started for the youngest and now we are getting back into the swing of that whole routine, with the fun new addition of trumpet practice. Whee!