Guest Fox: Louisa Bacio

                                                  Welcome, Louisa!
                                                          By Jeff Salter 

            This week marks the beginning of our second full year here at Four Foxes One Hound.  So I guess that means I’ve hosted 52 Thursday columns, so far. 
            Can’t think of a better way to begin our new blog-year than to have as my Guest Fox the vivacious and talented Louisa Bacio.
            I no longer even recalled when or how we ‘met’ — so I asked Louisa.  She says we ‘met’ on the group mail of Chick Lit Writers of the World.  She was already a four-year-veteran by the Spring of 2010 when I first joined that chapter.  Louisa was very kind to this ‘newbie’.  Soon, we also became FB buddies and visited each others’ blogs.
            It’s understandable that I don’t remember when we met, however, because I feel like I’ve always known Louisa.  She has that kind of personality which could melt an iceberg.
            And my iceberg imagery is apropos … because our theme this week relates to weather.
            Be sure to read Louisa’s bio blurb at the bottom … and check out the links to her sites and books. 

                                             Stormy Weather Ahead
                                                          by Louisa Bacio 

            While in my undergrad studies, the concept of symbolism became ever so prevalent that I rebelled. Why couldn’t a story just be a story? How come every little thing had to mean something else?
            The situation came to a head during a creative writing workshop where my monster-behind-the-wallpaper morphed into an evil entity during the Nazi’s reign, and the victims symbolized those killed in the Holocaust. The interpretation stemmed from the choice of words such as “cobalt,” which I had no idea meant “goblin” in German. I threw my hands up, swore to take writing at face value and graduated.

Classics
            Then I read Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, and the symbolism of atmosphere conditions hit me atop the head. In the classic tale, Ethan is trapped with an ill wife in a wintery landscape. Everything is dark and dreary. That is until his wife’s niece Mattie comes to live with them. When Mattie comes into a scene, the sun breaks through the clouds, and brings literal light into his life. Alas, their illicit love cannot be, and the novel comes to a tragic end.
            Such an overt use of the weather perfectly matched the tone of the story. One could say that the light suddenly went on for me. While stifled in his marriage, Ethan also succumbed to the bleakness of the environment.
            Wharton certainly isn’t the only author to tap into seasonal patterns. In Lynsay Sand’s holiday novella “The Bite Before Christmas,” small-town cop Teddy gets snowed in with a sexy vampire, who also happens to be his lifemate. Literally, there’s nowhere for Teddy to escape. Laura Kaye’s hot new ‘Hearts of Anemoi’ series ties into the elements, starting with the stormy North of Need.

Frankenstein
            Gothic masterpiece Frankenstein by Mary Shelly also illustrates the union, using the contrast between the warmth and happiness, to the despair.
            “We returned again, with torches; for I could not rest, when I thought that my sweet boy had lost himself, and was exposed to all the damps and dews of night; Elizabeth also suffered extreme anguish. About five in the morning I discovered my lovely boy, whom the night before I had seen blooming and active in health, stretched on the grass livid and motionless: the print of the murderer’s finger was on his neck.”
(http://www.literature.org/authors/shelley-mary/frankenstein/chapter-07.html)

Physical environment
            As a writer, part of setting includes that physical environment. What season does the story take place in? And, how does that potentially tie into the storyline? In my recent erotic paranormal, The Vampire, The Witch & The Werewolf: Chains of Silver, I used the elements to set scene and mood:
            “Mud caked underneath Lawrence’s fingernails, and the skin began to peel away. He worked in darkness. His vampire-enhanced eyes adjusting to the dim lighting. With a grim realization, he thought about all those vampires buried alive who tried to dig themselves out of a grave before they starved to death, and here he was attempting to crawl into one as if his life depended upon it.”
            Would robbing a grave in the brightness of a summer day have quite the same feeling? Probably not.

Questions
            So tell me, how have you seen atmospheric conditions used? Do you pick up on this sometimes subtle, and other times obvious, connections?

            Thanks for stopping by. Here’s a little bit about a recent release:
            The Vampire, The Witch & The Werewolf: Chains of Silver 
            Adopted at birth, Silver Ashe discovers her blood-brother Trevor Pack is a werewolf, with a vampire and witch for lovers. All her teachings about the evils of the paranormal Others come into question. She runs to a family friend, Nick, for help.
            Nick Stake takes his hobby as a vampire hunter personally. He strives to rid the world of evil bloodsuckers. When his best friend’s “kid” sister comes to him for advice, Nick discovers Silver’s more than grown up. He battles his growing desire for Silver and blindly holds true to his convictions.
            Once Silver reaches her sexual maturity, she’ll inherit her full genetic heritage and turn into a werewolf. When death comes calling, Silver and Nick must face their darkest fears in order to break free from the chains that bind. 

Available via Amazon, (http://www.amazon.com/Vampire-Witch-Werewolf-Chains-ebook/dp/B006C34LRC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1327981865&sr=8-3)
Ravenous Romance(http://www.ravenousromance.com/fantastica/the-vampire-the-witch-and-the-werewolf-chains-of-silver.php?keyword=louisa+bacio) and other Online retailers. 

The author
            Louisa Bacio enjoys soaking up the sun in Southern California, and spending time with her family. In her “other” life, Bacio teaches college classes in writing and English, and edits for magazines. http://www.facebook.com/louisabacio 
http://www.twitter.com/louisabacio 
http://louisabacio.blogspot.com