John French: Writing in the Ruins

John French is a retired crime scene supervisor with forty years experience. He has seen more than his share of murders, shootings, and serious assaults. As a break from the realities of his job, he started writing science fiction, pulp, horror, fantasy, and, of course, crime fiction.

Tell us about your latest work.

My latest book is In the Ruins of Caerleon. It’s a collection of stories about Conor of Scotia, a knight who begins as a sword for hire and gradually becomes a hero. Some of the stories were previously published, such as The Good, the Bard, and the Ugly, which is a tribute to the late, great C. J. Henderson. Others were written to round off the collection and tell a more complete tale of Conor’s journeys.

Any upcoming projects you’d like to plug?

Oh yes, a few. I have two collections coming in 2024. One is a companion piece to my book The Last Redhead, which collected my stand-alone crime stories. This one is called When the Devil Drives. This is a collection of my weird stories — horror, supernatural, and the just plain strange — and will be published by Bold Venture Press. The title comes from a Facebook poll I did on a few groups in which I gave the readers the titles of some of the stories and asked them to pick the one they liked best. “When the Devil Drives” beat out “Pajama Skulls” and “Chuckles in Hell.” 

The second collection is coming from Padwolf Publications and is called The Last Ride of Cadillac Jack. All the stories are set in a future version of my Harbor City and are a mix of crime, capers, and the strange. The title story features a “gimmick crook” who commits car-based crime for fun, profit, and the amusement of the crowds.

I also have stories in the upcoming anthologies Zorro: Swordplay and Romance (Bold Venture Press) and A Cry of Hounds (eSpec Books).

For more information, visit: 

No website I’m afraid. But my books are available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble as well as my books’ publishers. I’m on Facebook and my email is jfrenchfam@aol.com if anyone has any questions, comments, or offers of six-figure advances and/or movie deals.

Ef Deal: It Began with a Library Card

Ef Deal was the first 4-year-old to get a library card in Audubon, NJ, and that should tell you exactly why you need to know her and her work.

Tell us a bit about your latest work.

Esprit de Corpse released in 2023, a steampunk adventure set in 1843 France, featuring a pair of genius twins, Jacqueline Duval and Angélique Laforge, who discover a plot to animate automatons with the spirits of the skulls found in the Paris Catacombs. Since then, Jacqueline and Angélique have appeared in a few short stories found in A Cast of Crows, Other Aether, and A Cry of Hounds, as well as in Noir at the Bar.

What are the themes and subjects you tend to revisit in your work?

All of my works feature strong female protagonists, some who have been victims of harsh assaults, others just facing the world’s slings and arrows. Religion, as opposed to faith, is another undercurrent in my novels. A recurring theme in all my works is bifurcation; my fantasy works feature a half-human MC, and the twins are divided by their callings: science vs art.

What happened in your life that prompted you to become a writer? 

I grew up on the same street as the town library, which I discovered when I was 4 and visited daily. I was the first person under 6 years of age to get a library card, and I read like a fiend. When I got older, and school took up more of my time, I began writing my own stories because I couldn’t get to the library.

What inspires you to write?

I don’t have any external inspiration. Stories come to me, characters come to me, settings come to me, and I just go with them.

What would be your dream project?

I’m living the dream! I have four books completed in the Steampunk series, with a fifth on the way. Meanwhile, the twins’ teen years make for some wild short stories that I hope to have in a collection one day. They keep me busy!

If you have any former project to do over to make it better, which one would it be, and what would you do?

My fantasy heroine has a whopping great story, and I wish I could get that published.

What writers have influenced your style and technique?

I’m not sure I’d say “influenced.” I was fortunate to be in a workshop for several years with some of the top writers in the genre; every session was a master class in writing. Their critiques helped me learn how to better frame and present my stories, but I don’t think they influenced my style or my voice. Rather, they helped me find it.

Where would you rank writing on the "Is it an art or it is a science continuum?" Why?

Composing sentences for the best method of communication is a science; it can be learned with handbooks on grammar, syntax, and punctuation. Creating “clean copy” is a science. Creating and presenting stories is an art; I’ve taught enough creative writing courses to know that artistic presentation is an innate talent. 

What is the most difficult part of your artistic process? 

Finding the purpose of the story and keeping it in the forefront of the writing. A lot of writers talk about getting halfway through writing a piece before they discover the real story within all the words and deeds. Sometimes I don’t find mine until the very end. But once I do, I can edit to make the whole piece work.

How do your writer friends help you become a better writer? Or do they not? 

I have a circle of writers for whom I am grateful because they are willing to read and critique my work. They are able to help me refine my characters and deepen the plot. Sometimes they see things I just don’t.  I also love to sit down with them and talk about writing in general, or to “talk out” plots or other issues I’m having. And I have an editor/publisher who is just the best in sharpening up my laziness.

What does literary success look like to you? 

Success is when some random influential actor reads my books, enjoys them, and decides these would make a great TV series or movies.

Any other upcoming projects you would like to plug?  

Yes! Book Two of the Twins of Bellesfées series is due out in 2024: Aéros et Héroes. A Cry of Hounds comes out at the Tell-Tale Steampunk Festival in April, and I think Other Aether is also going to be released there too, two anthologies featuring the Twins.

For more information, visit: 

• efdeal.net 
• efdeal.blogspot.com