A warm welcome to author Ginn Hale joining us today to talk about a brand new anthology “Devil Take Me”, and her contribution to it.
Welcome Ginn 🙂
Wonderful, Wicked Words for Nearly Any Occasion
When Rhys Ford invited me to contribute a novella to her anthology, Devil Take Me, I had to say “Yes!”—because that’s what you say to Rhys, unless you hate having a great time. And I knew that I had to come up with a unique take on the theme of ‘a deal with the devil’ because my story would be read alongside the works of outstanding authors—Jordan L Hawk, TA Moore, C.S. Poe, Jordan Castillo Price and the mighty Rhys Ford, herself!
So, I looked to that proverb about the ‘devil you know’ being the best choice and decided to return to the devils from my steampunk world of Wicked Gentlemen. But before diving right in I realized that I needed to brush up on my Victorian slang. In doing so I discovered no end of wonderful, weird and telling phrases. Some seemed just too amusing not to share—even if they didn’t make it into the final draft of the novella— so here is a sampling. (I encourage everyone to employ a couple of these turns of phrase whenever it seems appropriate.)
Disguised—Drunk.
After six tots of whiskey Mr. Hobbs was so well disguised that his own mother wouldn’t have recognized him staggering down the street.
Spring like a ha’penny knife— Floppy, dumpy and lacking any resilience.
Archie popped Charles once in the nose and discovered the fellow was sprung like a ha-penny knife. Agatha resorted to smelling salts to bring him around.
Ratbag— A scruffy scoundrel.
Archie felt every inch the ratbag after wasting another afternoon in the gin palace.
Tabby—A pesky, nosey old maid.
We’ll have to watch out for Miss Marple when we break into the house; that tabby is always on the look out for miscreants.
Cats-meat man—A street vendor specializing in inferior cuts of meat intended for domestic animals. (A pet food salesman)
Laying in the gutter, Archie deemed himself hardly worthy of the attention of local rats and the passing the cats-meat man.
Bags of Mystery—Sausages.
Agatha would rather have eaten bags of mystery sourced from a cats-meat man than endure another dinner in Lord Granville’s odious company.
Pig Together— Sleep two or more to a single bed.
To Archie’s secret delight he discovered that he and Mr. Hobbs would need to pig together in the rented room. Mr. Hobbs didn’t appear at all adverse to the proposition.
Low Tide— Very little money, (High Tide is just the opposite).
Even at low tide Mr. Hobbs held his head high and sported waistcoats flashy enough to brighten up his dim rooms.
Barking Irons—Pistols.
Nurse Fuggas possessed a sharp tongue and keen wit but on certain occasions she let her barking irons win arguments for her.
Swell—An elegant and stylish gentleman. (Swell of the first water is the very highest class, often noble.)
In genteel ballrooms and at court, Archie passed for a swell of the first water but when left to his own devices he all too readily declined into the realms of the disheveled and unkempt—he became shabby!
Make a Stuffed bird laugh—a preposterous idea or suggestion.
The notion of the frail, gray-haired Mrs. Molly overpowering Mr. Hobbs would have made a stuffed bird laugh, but somehow he still found himself descending into the ash pit—again—to retrieve her cat.
Bag of Nails—An utterly confused situation or state.
The author’s office was a complete bag of nails with crooked stacks of books littering the floor, dirty cups abandoned in chairs and an exotic-looking snake draped across the ornate arms of the pendant lamp.
Wiggle Off—Depart.
It’s been fun, but I’m afraid that Mrs Hale must wiggle off now!
10/10/18 – My Fiction Nook: Jordan L. Hawk
10/11/18 – It’s About the Book: TA Moore
10/12/18 – Love Bytes Reviews: Ginn Hale
10/13/18 – Joyfully Jay Reviews: C.S. Poe
10/15/18 – Two Chicks Obsessed: Rhys Ford
10/16/18 – The Novel Approach Reviews: Jordan Castillo Price
Devil Take Me Blurb:
Temptation lurks around every corner in worlds sometimes dark, sometimes lurid. Giving in is both dangerous and satisfying, though never in the ways one expects. While these enticements offer a vast range of benefits and boons, the cost is a soul and the devil expects his due. Sometimes suave and charming or calculating and cruel, these devils have schemes and desires of their own. They can be creatures to run away from… or toward.
Join the most unique and celebrated authors of LGBT urban fantasy and paranormal fiction for a fast-paced and unpredictable ride, from a city on the other side of reality, to a world suspended in dusk, to a twisted version of the 1960s and 70s.
Meet devils in top hats and waistcoats, a defrocked motorcycle-riding priest, and a genderfluid antihero—among many more. Full of humor, romance, horror, action, intrigue, and magic, these stories have one common element….
They’re one hell of a good time.
Counterfeit Viscount Blurb:
When Prodigal devils begin disappearing, Archie Fallmont, Viscount of Granville, finds himself in the unenviable position of being required to investigate. He has, after all, sold his soul to the handsome devil—and flashy dresser—Nimble Hobbs. Now Archie must join Nimble, sleuthing out the knotty secrets of noble families and an infamously exclusive club.
But as bullets fly and top hats fall, Archie begins to fear he and Nimble are up against much worse than just dreadful poetry recitals. Not only is a murderer on the loose, but Archie is growing disturbingly fond of having a devil around.
Purchase Links:
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Ginn Hale lives with her lovely wife in the far northern reaches of the Pacific Northwest. She spends the many cloudy days observing fungi and she whiles away the rainy evenings tinkering with words. Her first novel, Wicked Gentlemen, won the Spectrum Award for best novel. She is a Rainbow Award winner as well as a Lambda Literary Award finalist. Her most recent publications include the Lord of the White Hell and Champion of the Scarlet Wolf as well as the Rifter trilogy: The Shattered Gates, The Holy Road and His Sacred Bones.