Writers Thomas E. Sniegoski and Jeannine S. Acheson have a new project out this week that is a little different from the comic work they’re best known for. Published by Bad Hand Books, NIRA: A Constance Evermore Story is the first book in the new fantasy series, which also features a handful of gorgeous interior illustrations by Thomas Brown throughout the novella’s chapters.
Sniegoski and Acheson chatted with The Beat to introduce us to Constance and her magical, mysterious world.
DEANNA DESTITO: How did this project come about?
THOMAS E. SNIEGOSKI: This project came about through my previous collaboration with artist, Tom Brown, who I had worked with on the graphic novel The Raven’s Child, several years ago. He contacted me a while back and said that he had been working with a new publisher, Doug Murano at Bad Hand Books, who was looking for novellas to publish. Tom asked if I’d like to come up with something that he could do the illustrations for. I talked it over with my writing partner, Jeannine, to see if she might be interested in joining me on this endeavor, and she said yes. I then made sure if this was okay with Tom Brown, which it totally was.
JEANNINE S. ACHESON: From that moment on, Tom and I went to work on developing Nira. We searched our files and found a tiny little germ of an idea about a woman born “in the caul.” People born with either a full or partially intact amniotic sac covering their faces are purported to be gifted in the ways of the supernatural. And thus, Constance Evermore was born. We first sent a pitch over to Tom Brown, who then sent it along to Doug over at Bad Hand, and within a matter of a few days, we had a green light for the project!
DESTITO: Constance is a complex, complicated character. What influences did you draw from (if any) when crafting her personality, history, etc.?
ACHESON: We had lots of conversations about her, to start, even before we began writing. The first thing we agreed on was that the character reminded us of the actress Tilda Swinton. We’re both huge fans of hers, and we saw Constance as sort of androgynous and quirky, much the same way Tilda Swinton is.
SNIEGOSKI: Constance’s history is so much a part of her, and it affects the way she lives her life. She carries immense guilt from the annihilation of her world and people, thanks to her, and for the thousands of millennia since then, she has worked to atone for her mistake. Jeannine and I would often talk about what it would be like to live that long, with that kind of guilt. It would really shape you into something–interesting.
DESTITO: This is the first in a series. How extensive is this universe, and how many books do you foresee in the future?
SNIEGOSKI: We’re hoping to see many more Constance Evermore adventures. Right now, we have plans for three books total, but we’re open to writing as many as Bad Hand Books will let us.
DESTITO: Why did you choose to incorporate art throughout the book?
ACHESON: Well, the book itself sort of started with the art, so thanks are certainly due to Tom Brown for reaching out. You probably know that Tom S. and I also write comic books, and that type of storytelling is an equal marriage of words and art. But this time out, we found that our words had to do most of the heavy lifting in describing places, people and the actions taking place. The brilliant illustrations by Tom Brown help to highlight certain scenes in the novella, really making our words “pop” and adding so much to the story.
DESTITO: If readers are on the fence about picking up the series, especially if dark fantasy isn’t their usual choice, how would you pitch it to them?
SNIEGOSKI: The dark fantasy elements are certainly a large part of Nira, but there’s also quite a bit more to it. There are elements of horror, humor, and some truly complex characters and situations. Don’t let the word “fantasy” fool you into thinking this is a story about fairies or dragons–though some might show up in the not too distant future!
ACHESON: Yeah, listen to Tom on this one. We think that there’s something here that everyone with a taste for the bizarre might enjoy.
DESTITO: What can you tease about the series, the universe (without spoilers, of course)?
ACHESON: Oh, we’ve got many more adventures planned for Constance! The evil that has become her mission to stop is ancient, incredibly versatile, and takes many forms, and future Constance stories will deal with these evils and how they are attempting to take root in this current version of the world.
SNIEGOSKI: Future Constance stories will delve into all sorts of supernatural nastiness. Remember, Constance has been around for a really long time and has made quite a few enemies–some who might even still be alive. Also, we might be seeing a certain little girl main character from this particular story again.
English (US) · 