Horror Month: Ken Mooney presents his flash fiction piece THE FALL OF BACCHUS

Drum roll please....... all votes have now been verified, and the winner of the signed paperback of Godhead is...
Laura James! CONGRATULATIONS! Please contact me with your address so I can get the book posted out to you.

Okay, so on with tonights show. Tonight we have an amazing flash fiction piece from Ken Mooney, and trust me when I say this, you are in for a real treat!
 
Enjoy.

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The Fall Of Bacchus Flash Fiction Piece 

She looks in the mirror once more, smoothing the non-existent creases across her white bodice, feeling the intricate embroidery on her fingertips. She tries to hold a pose, dignified steel in her eyes, but can’t resist the smile that spreads across her lips, the wonder and glee in her eyes.

This must be what her parents had seen on birthdays and Christmas mornings, a little girl brimming with delight at what her future could hold.

“They’re waiting for you.”

“I know, papa. Just…”

She thinks she sees tears threatening to fall on his red cheeks, knows they won’t be the first of the day.

“You look beautiful. Like always. It’s time...”

The smell of his last cigarette, of the morning whiskey they had all shared fills her nostrils as he kisses her on the cheek and leads her to the door.

She expects a flittering silence; she expects the organ to start uncertainly, its pride building slowly but graciously. There should be faces turning to look at her.

But there is another woman in her place, tall and blonde and everything she is not. Their eyes are on her, not on this entrance.

Fear builds in her chest as her jaw clenches, as her mind races with questions: was all a lie, the ring, the love-poems, the promises?

Her eyes search the small chapel, but she can’t see him. He isn’t the only one. What sits in front of her are only vacant, lifeless shapes: there is no life here, not any more.

This Other Woman, she drops something: her father steps in front of her, hoping to shield her from the sight, but she sees the priest’s withered face, his bulging eyes and desiccated skin as he falls on marble floors.

“You have no place here, Aphrodite.”

The voice she hears is her father’s, but it is different, deeper. In this chaos, it makes her feel safe.

“These people...my daughter…they’re not a part of this.”

The Woman turns, and she expects some monstrous face full of sharp teeth and dark eyes. Instead there is warmth, a love that makes her feel at ease, that tells her that this is release, not punishment.

There is movement, too fast to comprehend as the Woman rushes forward, as her father gurgles and falls backward.

Something strikes her chest, a warm splatter against her face.

She lowers her eyes to see red streaks down the front of her perfect white moment, a lifeless head with no body lolling on the floor, eyes staring up at her, wide with fear and apology.

“Papa…”

Something escapes her throat, but the Woman is holding her face in her hands, pushing herself closer, forcing her to look away from death and destruction.

She loses herself in those white eyes.

“I am sorry, child. I know this is not what you wanted. He may have been your father, but you are not his daughter. This bloodshed is not your fault, nor is it yours to remember.”

She feels cold fingers slipping through her skull, feels the world around her fade.

She feels them slipping away from her; her father, her fiance, her friends and their love.

The Woman is gone, and all she can do is look at death around her.

She feels nothing.

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Let's Get To Know Ken A Little Bit More

Mr. Ken Mooney Author Of Godhead

Name:Ken Mooney

Website:kenmooney.com

Other contacts/social media sites:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/kenmooney

Tumblr/Blog: kenmooneybooks.tumblr.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7010042.Ken_Mooney


Link to your Amazon page and or any other place that your books can be purchased:

http://www.amazon.com/Ken-Mooney/e/B00BW49AKO


Where did you grow up?

Dublin, Ireland

What made you start writing?

 I've always wanted to do it. I think I started with something that would best be described as "fanfiction" now, though I hate that word. That's right, Power Rangers fan-fiction. I went there…(I was eight…)

Is it something that you have always wanted to do?

Yep, absolutely. I can't think of a time where I've ever not wanted to, or where it wasn't on the cards in some form.

What is your favourite genre to read, and do you have any favourite books or authors you would like to recommend?

I love all sorts of genres, and it's one of my pet peeves to generalise by genres: there are amazing genre books, and there's an awful lot of trash out there. But the same goes for literary fiction and the classics.

On the fact of it, I guess I like horror, fantasy, sci-fi thrillers, but usually ones with a real-world focus. I'm a big fan of writers that can write a traditional novel but with a genre twist, writers like Chuck Palahniuk, Bret Easton-Ellis, Douglas Coupland.

Though I think that could say more that I'm a fan of broken characters rather than specific genres.


Do you ever base your characters on anyone that you know, or are they solely from your imagination?

I'd love to say no, but I think that would be a lie: I think all writers take elements of the world around them when building a world or the characters within that world.

Strictly speaking, that's still a no. But there are expressions, turns of phrase, relationships between characters that I have…borrowed from real life. Perhaps two characters might interact in a fashion similar to a couple I see on the bus, or a character might look lik someone I used to work with, but that's only one small aspect of that character or what makes them. I don't think I'd ever be brave enough to base a character fully on anyone I know.


             About your book‘s.                                                                               


  Tell us about your latest book. The story/plot.

The latest release is called Godhead, and it's a dark fantasy that brings the Greek gods to the present day.  It's a story of gods and demons, with humans stuck in the middle of an epic struggle that they could never truly comprehend.

The gods of Olympus have been betrayed by Aphrodite; the city's been destroyed and the gods are left roaming the earth, trying to fit in with humanity. Thousands of years later, some of their descendants try to continue their work, and Godhead follows a handful of these descendants, only some of whom know who and what they are. Into the middle of this mix, Aphrodite rears her head once more, thinking he might have found a way home. And that our characters' inexperience may be the key to getting her there.

What gave you the idea?

I've always loved classical mythology and religion, and I've always been a big fan of any story where  good fights evil: it's a perfect backdrop for the greater stories about what makes us tick and why. I can't pinpoint a specific time or place that Godhead came about, since it was actually born from a couple of different ideas coming together.

  What genre is it?

It's a dark fantasy, but set in the present day, so there's a lot in common with contemporary and urban fantasy, along with a healthy dose of classical and comic-book references.

  Who is your favourite character? And why?

When I was first writing the book, I thought my favourite character was Megan: she was an easy character to get into her head, and while I treat the book as an ensemble, she's probably the major character during the book's opening. But then a few drafts later, I'd fleshed out Aphrodite and her motivations, and her character and…there's just something about her that I can't put my finger on, but I absolutely love. She's a villain, but her motivations are pure, and come from a place of very human emotion.

  And worst?

Least favourite character? Oh, that's a tricky one? I find Hannah a bit frustrating to write, all for much the same reasons as I like Aphrodite: Hannah's pretty stuck in her own world, completely and utterly wrapped up in what she considers to be important. She's so anal that it's difficult to get through to her, either as a friend, a reader, or a writer. Mind you, that's exactly how she's supposed to be, so I can't really complain, can I?

  What are your hopes for it?

I just genuinely want people to read it and enjoy it. I love to obsess over books, and so far, a few readers have obsessed over the book, which has been pretty cool.

I've quite a visual idea in my head of how everything looks, and I would love to see the day where Godhead gets turned into a comic or a movie or TV series. But it's not for the money or the fame: it's just to see all this cool stuff play out in that visual style.


What’s the project that you’re going to be working on next?

I'm currently working on the sequel to Godhead; it's called The Hades Contract, and I'm hoping to have it out in early 2014.

There's also an unrelated project called The Magician's Kiss that I may revisit if I have the time.

And there's also a non-fiction book too, that I can't really talk about at the moment…but it'll fit in with the general feel of Godhead…


What’s the best piece of advice that you have been given in regards to your writing, and by whom?

I attended a writing seminar in 2012, around the time when I was trying to decide if I really wanted to write something or not, if I truly wanted to do this. It was presented by Vanessa O'Loughlin, though she also publishes as Vanessa Fox. There were two things she mentioned in passing that have run through my mind when writing and editing: the first was to know what your characters' weaknesses are, to know what they're afraid of. I don't think it even needs to be on the page, but you need to know in your head.  Also, in terms of description…you should know where the light is coming from. When you're writing a fantasy book, that's especially interesting, because you also know where the shadows are…

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If you haven't checked out his novel yet, then I hope that I've convinced you too. Be sure to leave a review in all the correct places after reading too.
 
Happy reading
 
Claire ♥