We are very happy to welcome Cornelia Grey
to the Smoocher’s Voice blog today. Cornelia’s latest novel Circus of the Damned is available on
Riptide Publishing. Circus of the Damned is
the second novel in the A
Deal with the Devil universe.
Cornelia Grey is a creative
writing student fresh out of university, with a penchant for fine arts and the
blues. Born and raised in the hills of Northern Italy, where she collected her
share of poetry and narrative prizes, Cornelia moved to London to pursue her
studies.
After graduating with top
grades, she is now busy with internships: literary agencies, publishing houses,
and creative departments handling book series, among others. She also works as
a freelance translator.
She likes cats, knitting,
performing in theatre, going to museums, collecting mugs, and hanging out with
her grandma. When writing, she favors curious, surreal stories, steampunk, and
mixed-genre fiction. Her heroes are always underdogs, and she loves them for
it.
Connect with
Cornelia Grey:
· Website
· Twitter
· Facebook
Jodi: Thank
you Cornelia for joining us on the blog. Tell us a little about yourself and
why you decided to write in the m/m genre.
Cornelia: Hello everyone, and thank you so much for
having me here today.
I'm
currently writing to you from Tokyo! After spending the past six years bouncing
between my hometown in Italy and London, where I was attending university, I
decided to take advantage of the freedom of movement granted by having a job
that I can carry with me anywhere – as long as I have a laptop and WiFi! - and
the fact that I don't need to attend classes in order to work on my PhD. Japan
is my third stop, after some time spent working in Wales and Spain. While for
the moment the grand plan is to settle down and work at the university once my
research is done, I thought it would be nice to try living in a few different
places first!
I have been writing m/m since I was a
teenager – long before I knew it was an actual genre or that other people were
writing it beside myself. It wasn't a conscious decision... it just came
naturally. Those were the stories I wanted to read, and there was nobody
writing them, especially not in Italian (back in the day I still barely spoke
English!). So, I just set about writing them for myself. I was really glad to
finally meet the m/m community and, beyond that, books that feature different
genders and orientations. I eagerly wait for the day they will be widely
available and accepted in the realm of mainstream publishing, and I hope to
give my little contribution to this progress!
Jodi: I was intrigued by the plot of Circus of the Damned and the characters.
The setting and concept of the circus is unusual. What was your inspiration for
the idea of the actual circus of the Damned?
Cornelia: As
with most of my stories, it wasn't one specific source of inspiration, but a
few different elements seemed to come together just right. I knew I wanted to
write a story set in a circus; I was thinking about an urban magician, scraping
by in the alleys of a gritty metropolis; I had in mind a dark, gloomy,
Victorian-esque atmosphere; and, finally, I realized that Farfarello, the cocky
devil from Devil at the Crossroads, still had a few tricks to play...
The pieces fell together smoothly. I don't remember
exactly the moment I decided it, but soon, I knew that a creepy circus of
damned performers was just perfect for this novel!
Jodi: This is not the first book you have
written with a circus at the core of the story. Do you have an appreciation for
circuses or do you find them perfect settings for mayhem?
Cornelia: To
be honest, I've only been to the circus twice, when I was very little, and I
don't really remember anything about it; and I'm very critical about the
presence of animals in actual circuses. But, as a child, I was always
fascinated by tales of nomadic artists, travelling with their caravans across
the country, without a place to call home. Often, they were shunned by the
'proper' citizens and the authorities, both religious and secular, with nobody
to rely on but each other.
As a grown-up, I'm aware that such a hard life was
hardly the romanticized adventure my beloved books made it out to be; but the
fascination with the gothic atmosphere of Victorian circuses remains, so I
decided to manipulate reality a little, and build the Circus of the Damned
according to my own rules. Instead of being handled by an unscrupulous ringmaster
who exploits the unlucky 'freaks' for his gain – as was all too often the case
in reality – the Circus of the Damned became a sanctuary of sorts for its odd
performers, who find in it a refuge from the hostile outside world. And with
such a crew of colorful outcasts, whose dark past and struggles we are not
privy to, the Circus truly is a barrel of gunpowder, just waiting for a
spark...
Jodi: Have there always been the same
number of performers at the circus? Is that part of the original deal with
Farafello?
Cornelia: The idea is that yes, the number of
performers never changes: the original troupe agreed to the deal with the
ringmaster, and the new performers joined one by one when needed, and it's hard
enough to find one replacement at a time. As a matter of fact, I would like
eventually to write extensively about the former members of the Circus of the
Damned and how the deal originally came about. I had the chance to mention a
couple of them in the novel, but I know they have much more to tell...
However, it is technically possible to add
more souls to the deal – the devil won't say no to an extra soul or two! - and
that is what happened when Bobbie and Ethel joined, the young conjoined twins
with a talent for music.
Jodi: You mention in a recent interview
that “Farfarello is an odd devil, a trickster of sorts.” What was your
inspiration for his character?
Cornelia: I
have been interested in tricksters for a few years: as a matter of fact, I have
already written a book featuring a kitsune, the fox trickster from Japanese
mythology. For the past couple of years, I have been researching the figure of
the trickster in Italian folklore, especially in the Commedia dell'Arte,
the traditional form of Italian street theater (as a matter of fact, I've been
toying with the idea of writing a story set in Venice next, featuring Harlequin
and his colourful associates...).
I
borrowed the name Farfarello from Dante's Inferno in the Divine Comedy:
he's part of the gang of devils called the Malebranche, who inhabit the eight
circle of Hell. In Italian legends, devils often have a different slant than
the traditional Christian one. Rather than plain evil and scary, they can be
complex, ironic, perplexing, even ridiculous at times. They seem eminently
human characters, much closer to the challenges of mankind than the more aloof,
detached angels.
Farfarello is still very attached to the human world:
while it's late for him to change how he behaved in life, he never misses a
chance to meddle in other people's lives, nudging and stringing along and
teaching the occasional lesson when he gets the chance. Tricksters are fond of
toying with the arrogant and prideful, and he is no exception.
However, despite his centuries of
experience, he's nowhere near as omniscient or omnipotent as a supernatural
creature should be, and he still gets a lot more involved than he would like.
Looks like, all too often, it's the flawed, young humans that end up teaching him
a lesson or two...
Jodi: Jesse has a lot of responsibility.
When we meet him, he seems so conflicted and tired. What has motivated him over
the decades to keep going on this journey?
Cornelia: Originally, I had written a lot of
material about Jesse's past – his story, the original deal, his relationship
with Farfarello, how the Circus of the Damned was born... but eventually I
decided to cut it, leaving only teasing hints of information here and there.
Jesse's past is a whole other novel in itself, and this was not his story –
this was Gilbert's.
Jesse wasn't alone when he decided to seek
out the devil. He had a small gang of friends, hardened by life on the streets,
starved and angry at the world that rejected them. Their original desire for a
safe shelter was darkened with that anger: they wanted a revenge of sorts, and
the promise of glory under the limelight of the Circus was all too tempting.
When Jesse traded in his soul, he was a
very different person than the one we meet when Gilbert joins the Circus of the
Damned – a dark, angry, somewhat misguided person who we might not necessarily
like. As the years went by, he grew, he matured, and his motivation changes as
he begins to value the Circus mostly as a safe haven for the strays they took
in along the way. But as he grows wearier and more tired, doubts begin to creep
in. The Circus might be a refuge for the performers in this life... but what
will happen to them when the devil comes to collect his due?
Jodi: Were all of the circus performers
as skeptical and resistant as Gilbert when they were first drafted?
Cornelia: Not all of them, no. I actually have taken
a lot of notes about the backstories of the other performers – what their lives
were like before they found the circus, what hardships they had to endure. I
won't lie, a few of their stories are quite brutal – the world doesn't take
kindly to 'freaks', as proven by the accounts of the lives of real circus
members from the past. However, in the end I chose to lighten the tone of the
book a little, and the darkness of these backstories was omitted. I still have
the notes saved, and I might write them down at some point and release them as
a bonus freebie.
Mr. Humphreys, for example, had an
especially hard time, and was therefore very relieved to be found by the
circus, after a moment of sheer terror and mistrust at the beginning. Hugo,
instead, stubborn and temperamental, reacted with fury and was a force to be
reckoned with for a while, even attempting to set the circus on fire on one
memorable occasion...
Jodi: What was your inspiration for
Rueben’s character? He seems to be the personification of evil.
Cornelia: I'm afraid my 'bad guys' will be forever
influenced by the mafia that plagues Italy. It is one of the faces of evil in
this country, and I grew up reading about their criminal activities and the
efforts of the people to break free: needless to say, I feel very strongly
about the topic, and my understanding of evil has been shaped by it.
Reuben is much like any mafia boss. He has
no empathy, and no regard for anyone but himself and his interests. People –
including his associates – are nothing more than tools to be discarded once
they are no longer useful. This perception might sound two-dimensional to some,
especially considering how the mafia has been at times romanticized in foreign
movies, portraying conflicted, compelling characters: but in Italy, there is
nothing to romanticize, and no deeper layers to be found. There is naked greed,
and complete lack of empathy, no mercy: and no excuses whatsoever to be made.
Jodi: Gilbert makes the ultimate romantic
gesture at the end of the book. Will he tell Jesse what he has done? Will there
be more books in this series?
Cornelia: I took quite a lot of notes about the
scene in which Gilbert would reveal his decision to Jesse, but I decided to
leave it off-screen. It would be a very, very long conversation, there would be
yelling, and it would by no means be all: it was clear that Jesse wouldn't let
the matter drop for quite some time – after all, he has quite the temper!
But
the conflict and drama were finally over for the Circus of the Damned, and I
wanted to close the story as they finally enjoyed some well deserved peace and
quiet: it wasn't the time to open a brand new can of worms. For the moment,
that conversation will have to remain in your imagination... and in my notebook
:)!
There will indeed be more books in this
series, but they will not be precisely sequels. The first story in the series –
Devil at the Crossroads – and The Circus of the Damned are
stand-alone stories, even set in different universes and belonging to different
genres: Farfarello and his deals are the red thread that connects them as he
travels between planes of existence, meddling around in the characters' lives.
I have a few plans for upcoming Deal
with a Devil books. One will feature a steampunk inventor in his mansion
high on the mountains; another might be set in an alternative Venice at the
time of the plague; and who knows where Farfarello might travel next...?
Circus of the Damned
Magician Gilbert Blake has spent his entire life
conning drunkards in the seediest pubs in the darkest towns, careful to hide
the true depths of his power. But when he spends a little too much time in
Shadowsea and the infamous slumlord Count Reuben gets wind of his abilities,
hiding within the Circus of the Damned may be Gilbert’s only chance at
survival.
But there’s more to the Circus than meets the eye.
Every time a performer dies, a new one must take his place, or the entire
circus suffers the consequences. And while the handsome ringmaster Jesse isn’t
one to coerce unwilling performers into giving up their souls to the devil, a
recent death in their ranks makes Gilbert exactly what they need.
Yet the longer Gilbert stays with the Circus, the more
danger he seems to bring them. Being with Jesse is more than Gilbert could have
hoped for, but as Count Reuben’s men continue to search for Gilbert and the
Circus loses another performer, they all face running out of time long before
the Devil claims his due.
Buy Links
Gaslamp Fortnight: A Steampunk Book
Tour – October 27th – November 7th
Authors L.A. Witt, Alexis Hall, and
Cornelia Grey come together on a Steampunk book tour to celebrate the releases
of Precious Metals, Prosperity, and Circus of the Damned.
Join us on adventures through the
lawless, untamed, kraken-infested skies! Trek the snowy wilds of the Klondike
in the company of a Mountie! Visit a soul-stealing circus where entertainment
is at your own risk! Riptide's Gaslamp Fortnight will tempt you with the steampunk
and gaslamp worlds of Cornelia Grey, Alexis Hall, and L.A. Witt.
And Gaslamp Fortnight is featuring a
fabulous giveaway! Comment on the tour stops for a chance to win a $250 gift
certificate to Harlots and Angels Steampunk Corsetry and get your own custom
corset or personalized steampunk gear.
Giveaway
$250 gift certificate to Harlots and Angels Steampunk Corsetry and get your own custom corset or personalized steampunk gear. Each new post you comment on earns you an entry into the drawing, so be sure to check out the rest of the tour schedule too!
Harlots and Angels Bio
Hello I’m Sharon Ince and I own Harlots and
Angels. We are a UK based company that
creates unusual sewing and crafting patterns, clothing, corsetry, props and
accessories with a wide range of themes from Steampunk, Sci-Fi, Victorian,
Gothic and Burlesque.
We have produced work for a large diversity of
clients, including The Disney Corporation, the BBC costuming department, Sky
TV, Working Title films as well as several Hollywood production companies and
local theatre and film productions.
I have always loved to design and I’m self-taught.
In fact I started at the early age of about 5 years old and have never stopped.
I love to work with leather, sew natural fabrics, sculpt, and build my house with
stone and wood; though my real passion is to design.
When I am starting out on a new design the hours
fly by and I’m lost in the perfect bliss of experimenting, mathematical
calculation, followed by the thrill of seeing the idea become reality.
My love of Gothic literature, mad inventors and
scientists and all things Victorian has always filtered through my thoughts and
designs, so when I first discovered the emerging Steampunk community some years
ago many of my creations found their family niche.
This is probably my favorite blog post about Circus of the Damned. Such intetesting insight into the amazing world you've created. I like that you pulled back on the before and after. I don't need all loose threads tied up since it gives me space to wonder, and also for you to fill in later. I'm all for more stories!
ReplyDeleteCarolyn
caroaz [at] ymail [dot] com