Through five generations, ghosts of war haunt the Wise Women. When the
Rebellion of Glenna ends, their curse sleeps bound in the Tunnels of the
Dead, waiting for its chance to re-awaken the battle between the Wood
People and Dalthwein Clans. Claire, a distraught young Wise Woman born in
the sacred valley of the fae, unwittingly helps it escape imprisonment.
While her twin sister, Anna, receives psychic glimpses of ancient secrets
she must unravel. With her scribe teacher, Rosalind, she also struggles to
uncover the reasons behind Claire's strange behavior, ever escalating since
the death of their Guild Mother, Grianne.
The Age of the Wise Women will cease, if the curse does not end with Anna
and Claire. Perhaps inheriting the mistakes of their ancestors, and
learning the truths of their identities, will bring great suffering for
these witch twins?
Reviews for The Black Act
"The Black Act blew me away. I don't know what I was expecting, but I have
to tell you, this far exceeded anything that was nestling in the cobwebbed
recesses of my cranial dungeon. It was so magically charged, lyrical, and
filled with such stark imagery. There were times when my breath was
literally taken away. You've built a rich and beautiful world filled with
wonder, excitement, and a darkness that is as visceral as darkness can be.
Your depiction of the Fae was nothing short of brilliant, culminating in a
dark and terrible feeling of loss and hopelessness that feeds the story so
well. This is, in a very real sense, your coming out party." -- Bob Freeman ~
Shadows Over Somerset, Keepers of the Dead
"The Black Act is a beautiful tale, beautifully written. Louise Bohmer
places her pot squarely on the fire and begins cooking immediately. The
aromas in her kitchen are familiar--a hint of J. R. R. Tolkien, a trace of
George R. R. Martin, and a whiff of Ursula K. Le Guin--ah, but when you
taste this delicious stew, you'll find it's a fresh recipe with plenty of
meat and potatoes. There's a new Chef in town, and I'll be the first in
line for seconds!" -- Michael Knost, editor of Writers Workshop of Horror
"The Black Act is very, very good! It sort of walks a literary tightrope
between Octavia Butler and Orson Scott Card, IMHO. I find high fantasy of
any kind difficult to keep my attention over the long haul, and once a book
starts getting into high magicks my eyes usually start glazing over, but
this is doing an admirable job of keeping me fixed on it." — Karen
Koehler, author of the successful Slayer series
Louise Bohmer is a freelance editor and writer based in Sussex, New
Brunswick. You can read her short fiction in the upcoming Courting
Morpheus, Ladies of Horror, and Into the Dreamlands. Her poetry can be
found in Death In Common 1 & 2. Pay Louise a visit at: www.louisebohmer.com or www.theblackact.com.
Also by Louise Bohmer
Short Fiction Into the Dreamlands anthology The Sound of Horror anthology
An Interview with Louise Bohmer
By Holly Hewson for The Romance Studio
HH: Louise, thank you for talking with us at TRS. Please tell us about your featured book, The Black Act.
LB:The Black Act is a reinterpretation of faerie. It kind of takes faeries
back to their roots, rather than portraying them as Tinkerbell like
legends. I used my fascination with the old mythological races of the
Celts--the Tuatha de Dannan--to model the Dalthwein after. My faeries are
modeled off of old myths and creatures of folklore such as the horned god
Cernunnos, the Green Woman of the forest, and other nature spirits found in
folklore around the world.
It also incorporates witches, more of an olden day archetype than modern
witch. One reviewer actually compared it to Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches. It
chronicles the life of 5 generations of witch women, and the youngest
generation discover that their bloodline holds a ancient curse that could
destroy them and their peaceful lives within the Guild Lands.
HH: Where did you get the idea for twin witches Claire and Anna and their battle to end a deadly family curse?
LB: The idea for the twins first came to be with a short story called 'Queen of
Samhain.' I wrote this for a Halloween anthology in about 2004. I wanted to
do something a bit different with the theme of Halloween, so I based the
story around the old Celtic New Year: Samhain. In the short, the one young
witch has fallen under a woodman's glamour and is going to kill his queen.
She believes if she consumes the Queen of Samhain's blood she can transform
into fae.
In the novel, I decided to take this concept and flesh it out, work with it
on a larger level. The curse idea kind of comes from my playing with the
question: Why do we sometimes hold such long grudges that start wars, fuel
feuds? How can hatred be held for so many generations, and how does the
truth behind that hatred, animosity, become warped and changes as it it
passed from generation to generation.
I think THE BLACK ACT is also a story about finding oneself and making
peace with who you are. I think that is what Anna and Claire's Halfling
nature represents somewhat.
HH: What do you like about Claire and Anna and how do you identify with each of them?
LB: Anna is the rock, the foundation. I definitely identify with her the most out of the twins. Claire is spontaneous, impulsive, selfish, but she tries, I think. I can relate to her want to just be wild, free, without the encumbrances of responsibilty and deadlines, sometimes. What I like about Anna most is her devotion to her sister and her witch women. She's a very loyal creature. What I like about Claire is her connection with nature, her wildness. She's far closer to animal than human, that girl.
HH: How did you go about creating their world in your story?
LB: The world was intensive--definitely the most time consuming part of the
story. I wanted it to feel alien--wanted the reader to feel they really had
stepped onto another planet, had arrived on a different world.
So, I started out with notes and roughly drew up a map. I mapped out the
world again later when I finished the novel, and my husband created the
final maps you find in the book. Having a visual of my imaginary land to
refer to on paper was actually a huge help.
HH: What can readers find at the web site for this astounding book? <g>
LB: Thank you! *smiles* Well, lots of pictures that illustrate my depiction of
the fae, the maps you'll find in the book, and I even have some
pre-recorded readings I did from THE BLACK ACT. You can also read the short
story that inspired the novel there, and I'll be adding more treats soon.
The site is due an update asap.
HH: What else do you have in store for lucky readers?
LB: I'm working on a novel called GYPSY WAGON and a series called NETHERWORLD SYNDICATE. GW is contemporary. It's more of a murder tale mixed with a ghost story, but it will have some interesting elements and quirky characters too.
NW is an all out fantasy, surreal horror tale that basically takes all the old myths--gods, goddesses, demons, what have you--and puts them in a melting pot of debauchery, creepiness, and fun. Think the Mafia with supernatural creatures, but add a twist that incorporates a human disease. Put it that way.
HH: How much time do you devote to your writing career with writing, promotion, appearances...?
LB: These days I am trying to devote more time to writing and promotion of
myself. I've quit my work with Lachesis Publishing, and that will free up a
lot of writing time for me. Right now I devote less time that I'd like to
writing, but let's say at least 2 hours a day is devoted to writing and
promotion. It is getting back to everyday, but I'm struggling a bit still
to flow back into that routine after editing and managing Lachesis for 2
plus years.
HH: What is your greatest accomplishment thus far?
LB: Probably moving on and up a bit in the editing and writing world. Not a
huge leap, or anything, but I landed a few editing gigs with better pay,
and I've been asked to write the series for a publisher, plus a short tale
for the same publisher, so at least I'm bringing in the work fairly
consistently. Releasing my first novel has been a huge accomplishment, but
I'll be a bit more satisfied when THE BLACK ACT is settled with its new
publisher: Library of Horror.
HH: What goals have you set for youself at this point in your career?
LB: This year I want to write more and spend less time on message boards.
*grins* My goal with writing and editing is to learn more, climb higher,
always strive to be better. I like to set high standards for myself, and
keep raising the bar higher. Of course, I'd ultimately love to be a NY
Times bestseller one day, but wouldn't everyone?
HH: What are you doing this summer?
LB: This summer I'm starting my new editing job with a horror small press, hopefully pulling in more freelance editing work, and I'll be churning out
a big chunk of Gypsy Wagon and Netherworld Syndicate's first installment. I
hope to get some more book signings in come fall, once I settle THE BLACK
ACT with its new publisher.
