Oubliette:
A Forgotten Little Place
Vanta
M. Black
Genre: Fiction, Thriller,
Paranormal, Historical Fiction, Genre-Fiction, New Adult, Horror
Publisher: Black Chateau
Publishing
Date of Publication: March 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9964488-2-6
ISBN: 978-0-9964488-1-9
ISBN: 978-0-9964488-0-2
Number of pages: 566
Word Count: 247,912
Cover Artist: Black Chateau
Enterprises
Book Description:
Veronica knows the monsters
aren’t “just in her head”, but no one listens to the headstrong ten-year-old as
they tie her to a hospital bed every night.
Years later, after being dumped
by her business-partner/boyfriend, Veronica finds herself on the verge of
bankruptcy. Then a late-night call promises the perfect solution — a job
opportunity decorating a castle in France.
Will Veronica risk what little
she has left to chase a fairytale?
When the shadowy things that once
terrorized her come back, Veronica must decide how much she’ll sacrifice for
them, for her sanity, and for her life.
This epic book consists of
interwoven stories with paranormal twists. A horror-filled historical fiction
adventure, it spans nearly two millennia.
You'll be transported to an
ancient Pagan ritual, Roman-ruled Gaul, the bloody Inquisition of the Knights
Templar, France as it's ravaged by the Black Death, the duplicitous
Reformation, the Paris Catacombs, and the gory French Revolution, while you
unravel Oubliette’s cryptic layers.
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/y0NMLzBnxKg
About
the Author:
Vanta M. Black, author of
Oubliette—A Forgotten Little Place, enjoys uncovering the dark mysteries of our
Universe.
In addition to writing, she enjoys traveling to provocative places and
studying all things esoteric.
Black has degrees in English, communication
and art. She resides in Southern California with her husband and two pug-mix dogs,
and spends her time in support of causes that empower women and advance science
and technology.
Interview
Where are you from?
Southern
California. I live and love in Los Angeles!
Tell us your latest news?
Black
Chateau Enterprises is about ready to officially announce the Ohh La La
Oubliette Fan Fiction contest and giving away a trip to France!
I
traveled to Paris, the Loire Valley, even the Catacombs when researching Oubliette—A Forgotten Little Place. The
contest is going to give a lucky winner the chance to explore just like I did!
I
think this is incredibly exciting. I love Fan Fiction, and if you’re a reader,
that means there’s also a writer inside you. This contest gives those who are
brave and bold enough to put their ideas into a story, the ultimate opportunity
to go on a magical vacation to France.
Here’s
the link for more details and the rules: http://vantamblack.com/oubliette-fan-fiction-contest.html
When and why did you begin writing?
I
wrote my first real short story when I was 13. A friend from another school
needed an original short story for a class assignment and asked me to write it
for her. (Yes, I helped her cheat—bad Vanta, I know!)
I
wrote about a chicken hawk that accidently raises a baby chicken. The story was
derived from one that my late father had told me.
My
friend not only got an “A” on the story, but her English teacher kept urging
her to get it published and encouraged her to become a writer.
Though
I could never confess to being the author, that teacher who I never met, helped
inspire me to be the writer I am today.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
When
I first held Oubliette—A Forgotten Little
Place in my hands. The years, the tears, the endless hours I put into it
all came together in that one moment as I realized I was “officially” a writer.
What inspired you to write your first book?
The
famed “most haunted castle in Ireland”, Leap Castle, served as the inspiration
for my fictional castle set in the Loire Valley of France.
You
see, I saw a documentary about how they emptied its oubliette and discovered
the bones from over 150 individuals. The idea that each of those who died in
its depths had a story, there were circumstances that led them to their tragic
end, became the motivation to put pen to paper.
Additionally
late night visitors called “shadow people” that haunted me as a child also
served as the catalyst for the main character’s struggle. As well, each of the
intertwining storylines in Oubliette
have historical settings that are very authentic. They are based on real
events, real people, or documented legends.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I
would categorize my style as being raw, real, authentic, and lyrical in some
cases, and biting in others.
How did you come up with the title?
An
oubliette literally means a forgotten little place. It was a pit, or dungeon,
where people were thrown and left to die. There was never any doubt what the
title would be, it fit naturally.
Is there a message in your novel that you want
readers to grasp?
Just
like the main character, Veronica, we all have a forgotten little place in
ourselves. Something we suppress, try to evade and hide from. Something we try
to forget.
Whether
we admit it or not it follows us forever. In the end we’ll all meet the same
fate, joined together in the great unifying equalizer—our mortal deaths.
Before
that happens, no one is superior to another. Power is an
illusion, fear is temporary, and the only thing we truly can hold onto is our
integrity no matter what.
How much of the book is realistic?
Though
the all the stories are works of fiction, I did extensive research into the
historical settings to ensure their authenticity.
For
example, these are the facts that set the stage for The Children’s Story in Oubliette:
On
Friday the 13th, 1307, King Philip IV of France ignited the Inquisition by
charging the Knights Templar with heresy.
Leaders
of the organization were pulled from their castles, keeps, farms, vineyards,
and homes. They were accused of worshiping a Pagan god. Some speculated it to
be the demon Baphomet, or a Muslim deity which the Templars encountered while
in the Holy Land.
The
Templars were also accused of keeping a magical “head” that helped them fight
the crusades. The mysterious relic was rumored to be the offspring of the
copulation between a young warrior and the corpse of his bride-to-be.
In
Sebastian’s Story, we are introduced to Empress Helena who was actually the
mother of Constantine, the emperor who made Christianity the official religion
of Rome. Her pedigree is veiled in mystery and some scholars suspect she had a
Pagan upbringing. In her later years she traveled to the Holy Land to seek out
relics associated with Jesus Christ.
For
Father Michel’s Story, the Plague or
Black Death that raged across France in 1348 was blamed on the Jews. It was a
time of chaos, suspicion, and the Church actually did turn its back on the
devout by refusing to administer last rights and cutting themselves off from
the masses.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events
in your own life?
Yes,
the phenomenon of “shadow people” has been documented throughout time. Legends
of the Old Hag, the succubus/incubus, and other late-night visitors who cause
sleep paralysis and a sense of mortal terror, are common across many cultures.
As
mentioned, I’ve experienced these visitations. My skeptical mind once dismissed
them as vivid dreams. They were “just in my head” — they couldn’t be real…right?
Then someone once witnessed one preparing to attack me as I slept, and described
it to me afterward.
The
question that haunts me: how could it be in my head if someone else saw it,
too?
What books have most influenced your life most?
In
no particular order:
Are
You There God, It’s Me, Margaret
by Judy Blume
The
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by
Douglas Adams
The
Stand
by Stephen King
A
Room of One’s Own
by Virgina Woolf
The
Handmaid’s Tale by
Margaret Atwood
A
Brief History of Time
by Stephen Hawking
On
the Road
by Jack Kerouac
The
Greatest Show on Earth
by Richard Dawkins
I
Am Legend
by Richard Matheson
The
Merchant of Venice
by William Shakespeare
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The
Telltale Heart
by Edgar Allen Poe
If you had to choose, which writer would you
consider a mentor?
Mary
Shelley. She was inspired to take the science of the day and turn it into not
only the first science fiction novel, but also a story with a moral that
transcends time.
What book are you reading now?
I
just finished The Life We Bury by
Allen Eskens. I’m nearly done with Girl
on the Train by Paula Hawkins as well as The Zombie Fallout series by Mark
Tufo.
I
have just begun The Prince of Earth
by Mike Robinson, as well as All Light
Will Fall by Almney King. Don’t Jump
by Vicki Abelson has also just been added to my reading list.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your
interest?
I
had the pleasure of being a part of the recent Beach Bound Book Brunch with
Lisa Goich, Mike Robinson, Gina Cavalier, Almney King and Valerie Alexander.
They all have grasped my interest and I am either reading, or about to read
their work.
What are your current projects?
I’m
excited about working with Prophecy Girl Films’ Minoti Vaishnav to turn
Oubliette into episodic television. Minoti is an amazing writer who is writing
the pilot and first episode, as well as outlining the seasons. Fingers crossed
we get it picked up!
What would you like my readers to know?
That
if they have ever felt something other worldly, or been terrorized by something
ominous at night, that they are not alone. And above all else, they are not
crazy. While I can’t say for certain what those experiences are, I will say
that they are something, and you
should never let them hold any power over you.
https://twitter.com/VantaMBlack @VantaMBlack
Tour
giveaway
2 $50 Amazon Gift Cards
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