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2008 Haunted Hearths and Sapphic Shades author interview with author Dayle Dermatis. See the Sacchi Green post for full book information.
Can you talk a bit about your inspiration for "Some Old Lover's Ghost"?''
Goodness, how much time do you have? :-) My stories are rarely sparked from one particular place or thing...usually several things crash together for that "aha!" moment.
One of manuscripts I'm currently writing is an urban fantasy involving ghosts, so I started watching Ghost Hunters--and I got hooked. Damn, but I adore that show! So when I saw the Haunted Hearths guidelines, it made sense to use my research for the short story, too. I wanted to write about a ghost hunter who used both technology and natural psychic talent. As soon as I started writing, Helena's voice came through loud and clear--and a little snarky--and I was off and running.
There are a lot of layers in this story: the woman getting over the death of a lover, the same woman hooking up with a partner who really isn't right for her, and both the ghost and the ghost hunter seeing this before the other women do. I also love the idea that a dead lover would want only the best for her living partner, to want to see her happy above all.
The title comes from poet John Donne: "I long to talk with some old lover's ghost, / Who died before the god of love was born."" When I'm stuck, I often turn to a book of quotations for ideas.
> Have you ever had an encounter with a ghost?
Depends on what you mean by "ghost," but yes, I have. One of my grandmothers lived with our family from the time I was born until I was in college, when she passed away. One time I woke up because I felt someone sit on the end of my bed--I felt the mattress depress--but nobody was there. Still, I knew it was Grandma, checking up on me. I've also had experiences in various places, including Tara and Kilkenny, Ireland, that felt more as though the veil between different timelines was thinner, rather than "I saw a ghost" or "a ghost saw me." I do believe energy lingers and can imbue a site or object, too.
> What's your favorite ghost story (you can pick a movie if you prefer)?
Bag of Bones by Stephen King, comes to mind, but there are so many! The Others and The Sixth Sense are great modern ghost tales. As mentioned, I love Ghost Hunters, in large part because they strive to be scientific and, more often than not, they _don't_ conclude that a site is haunted.
> What are you working on now and where can readers find out more about you?
I'm working on an urban fantasy about a former Hollywood starlet who can see ghosts. I've also got a coauthored romance in the works about a woman who gets possessed by a ghost who can communicate with her only at the brink of orgasm. ;-) Yeah, ghosts are obviously my theme right now! Readers interested in finding out more about me and my publications can check out my website (cyvarwydd) or my online journal (Blogspot). I'm also on MySpace and Facebook--stop by and say hi!
Can you talk a bit about your inspiration for "Some Old Lover's Ghost"?''
Goodness, how much time do you have? :-) My stories are rarely sparked from one particular place or thing...usually several things crash together for that "aha!" moment.
One of manuscripts I'm currently writing is an urban fantasy involving ghosts, so I started watching Ghost Hunters--and I got hooked. Damn, but I adore that show! So when I saw the Haunted Hearths guidelines, it made sense to use my research for the short story, too. I wanted to write about a ghost hunter who used both technology and natural psychic talent. As soon as I started writing, Helena's voice came through loud and clear--and a little snarky--and I was off and running.
There are a lot of layers in this story: the woman getting over the death of a lover, the same woman hooking up with a partner who really isn't right for her, and both the ghost and the ghost hunter seeing this before the other women do. I also love the idea that a dead lover would want only the best for her living partner, to want to see her happy above all.
The title comes from poet John Donne: "I long to talk with some old lover's ghost, / Who died before the god of love was born."" When I'm stuck, I often turn to a book of quotations for ideas.
> Have you ever had an encounter with a ghost?
Depends on what you mean by "ghost," but yes, I have. One of my grandmothers lived with our family from the time I was born until I was in college, when she passed away. One time I woke up because I felt someone sit on the end of my bed--I felt the mattress depress--but nobody was there. Still, I knew it was Grandma, checking up on me. I've also had experiences in various places, including Tara and Kilkenny, Ireland, that felt more as though the veil between different timelines was thinner, rather than "I saw a ghost" or "a ghost saw me." I do believe energy lingers and can imbue a site or object, too.
> What's your favorite ghost story (you can pick a movie if you prefer)?
Bag of Bones by Stephen King, comes to mind, but there are so many! The Others and The Sixth Sense are great modern ghost tales. As mentioned, I love Ghost Hunters, in large part because they strive to be scientific and, more often than not, they _don't_ conclude that a site is haunted.
> What are you working on now and where can readers find out more about you?
I'm working on an urban fantasy about a former Hollywood starlet who can see ghosts. I've also got a coauthored romance in the works about a woman who gets possessed by a ghost who can communicate with her only at the brink of orgasm. ;-) Yeah, ghosts are obviously my theme right now! Readers interested in finding out more about me and my publications can check out my website (cyvarwydd) or my online journal (Blogspot). I'm also on MySpace and Facebook--stop by and say hi!
