Interview with Jeff Chapman
Author of
The Great Contagion, The Sniggard's Revenge, Last Request: Victorian Gothic, and more
Please tell me a little about your current work in progress.
I’m working on a novel in my Merliss Tales fantasy series. Merliss is the spirit of a young woman who has been trapped inside the body of a gray cat. She had been training to become a healer/shaman, so she retains some magical abilities, but she lives as a cat. The magic which transferred her spirit to the cat gives her physical body an unusually long life. We’re talking thousands of years. Merliss aids her human companions in their battles with disease and supernatural threats. I’ve written two novels in the series (The Great Contagion and Cat Sidhe) and a short story “The Water Wight.” My work in progress is The Breath of the Sea, which is set several centuries in the future from the first two novels. The story concerns an injured mermaid and a dying girl who befriends the mermaid. Merliss is drawn into events to protect the mermaid.
Where did you get the idea for this book or series?
The Merliss Tales were inspired by a cat that my family adopted off the street. Smokey arrived at our house one day begging for food. She was sick and starving. After a trip to the vet, we had a new cat. Smokey possessed several old battle scars. One of her ears was notched and two of her four canines were missing. This gave me the idea for a character based on an old soul in a cat’s body. Merliss was born.
Do you write in more than one genre?
Yes, in addition to fantasy, I’ve written weird westerns, steampunk, horror, historical, and stories that are just weird.
Tell me about something that you believe makes your writing unique or worthy of attention.
The Merliss Tales feature a cat as the primary protagonist. I call it fantasy from a cat’s eye view. Much of fantasy is written from the perspective of people at the top of the social order. Many of my fantasy stories focus on characters in less exalted positions. I’m aiming to tell the story of events from the perspective of the man in the trench as opposed to the general directing the army.
Is there anything about your personal history or personality that manifests strongly in your writing?
I’ve always found stories of premature burial especially terrifying. This fear was the premise for my historical novella Last Request: A Victorian Gothic. I also love cats. So, it’s not surprising that I’ve created a fantasy series centered around a cat and cats make frequent appearances in my other stories.
What else would be helpful for readers to know about you?
I have a couple degrees in history, and I enjoy reading and watching documentaries about historical events. My interest in history has guided me toward the fantasy genre. I love looking at the past. Fantasy gives us an opportunity to make up a new past.
Excluding your own work, what underrated author or book would you recommend that more people read? Why?
They should check out Simon Kewin’s The Genehunter. It’s a dark story about a time in the future when human cloning and human-machine integration become commonplace. Kewin gives a compelling glimpse of where humanity’s darkest desires might take us when paired with the technology to get us there.
Which of your books do you most highly recommend? Why?
The Great Contagion. The story is dark and gritty at times and told completely from Merliss’s perspective. More than a few reviewers have said it’s unlike any fantasy they’ve read before.
Which break, event, decision, or fortuitous circumstance has helped you or your writing career the most?
I wouldn’t describe the events as fortuitous, but I faced some serious health issues a few years ago which reminded me of my mortality and refocused my efforts on pursuing my writing dreams.
What question do you wish you would get asked more often?
Have you written any vampire stories?
Yes, I published a short story titled “The Princess and the Vampire.” It’s about a spoiled princess who wants to take a vampire as a lover, but first she wants him to be de-fanged, literally, as in his fangs removed. The love affair doesn’t go according to plan.
Do you have a catch-phrase or quote that you like? What is it? And why do you choose it?
I've all my wisdom teeth
Two up top, two beneath
And yet I'll recognise
My mouth says things that aren't so wise
That’s a few lines from “The Bereft Man’s Song” by the Crash Test Dummies. It’s
part of my email signature. I do have my wisdom teeth, but they don’t always
impart wisdom. Seems appropriate to place at the end of an interview.
Links:
http://www.jeffchapmanbooks.com/
https://www.facebook.com/JeffChapmanWriter
https://www.goodreads.com/JeffChapman
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jeff-chapman
https://www.amazon.com/Jeff-Chapman/e/B004YQ2ZWW
https://books2read.com/ap/n0Qjkw/Jeff-Chapman
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Thanks to Jeff for participating.
My news for the new year is from a list about last year. My story "Tokens of Moonlight and Mist" made the Tangent Online Recommended Reading List of 2024. The story is in Cirsova Magazine Issue 21/Winter 2024.
I'm between short stories at the moment, having submitted one yesterday and not having commenced another. I've also got Antonio and Rip nagging me for attention for the stand alone novella of their adventure in the islands and perhaps Mexico in search of Johnny Coyne and Catalina with the matter of the stolen ship and munitions to increase their ardor for the chase. Rip wants the ship. Antonio wants Catalina. It will be book 7 in the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series. If you haven't read the prequel to the series, In Death Bedrenched, you can find it on the first of the links below. Check out the other deals too.
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