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Book Review: Holding Smoke by Steph Post

Holding Smoke by Steph Post.

Polis Books, 2020

ISBN-13: 978-194799388

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition

 

Very few authors succeed in producing the slow burn thriller with a story that culminates in a fiery treasure. Holding Smoke is one of those literary treats that fulfills on the buildup and strong characters.

Monster Librarian interviewed Steph Post a year ago about her stellar standalone novel Miraculum, which cemented her status as one of the brightest stars in the mystery and thriller genres. She returns to conclude her Judah Cannon trilogy here, bringing it to a close in a blaze of glory. This is pure, dark noir. Steeped in rural Florida, the setting is so authentic, the oppressive humidity nearly fills the lungs.

Readers do not need to have read the first two books, Lightwood and Walk in the Fire, but it’s recommended to grasp the scope of this mesmerizing story of a family mired in tragedy and crime. Judah is released from prison to the waiting arms of his girlfriend, Ramey, to walk the crooked trail that the Cannon family has tread for several years. Somehow, the charges against Judah and his family have disappeared, the murders behind him, yet he remains wary with every step he takes.

Judah and his brothers, Levi and Benji, find themselves pulled into a heist that might set them free or sink them deeper into a spiraling life of crime in the Florida panhandle.

Sister Tulah, the charismatic antagonist with scores to settle, nearly steals the show here as the enigmatic, and possible sociopathic leader of a Pentecostal Church. Her swampland schemes and pulpit theatrics show off a charismatic antagonist. Brother Felton, who disappeared into the swamp, has emerged a changed man after a spiritual encounter that guides him back to Tulah’s fold.

Judah walks through the scenes a conflicted man, not a hero yet far from a villain, a piece of a crumbling family aiming to find salvation before their luck runs out. His journey, from the first book through the finale, has been a pleasure to devour.

A solid character study where nobody is truly innocent, Holding Smoke is filled with people who breathe life into a crime novel that builds upon itself, page by page. Post doesn’t waste one sentence, nor a character, even if he or she lives for a brief moment. This is how crime noir is done, classic in tone but with a modern flair.

If you haven’t cracked open a book by this author, start here and enjoy the smooth writing that stands with the giants of the genre.

Highly recommended reading for 2020.

 

Reviewed by David Simms

Interview with Steph Post

Steph Post

Monster Librarian reviewer Dave Simms recently had the opportunity to interview Steph Post, the author of the recently published book Miraculum, reviewed here.

Steph is also the author of A Tree Grown Crooked (Polis Books, 2018), a semifinalist for the Big Moose Prize, and the Judah Cannon crime novels Lightwood (Polis Books, 2017) and Walk in the Fire (Polis Books, 2018). Her short fiction has appeared in a number of publications and anthologies, and her short story “The Pallid Mask” was a nominee for the Pushcart Prize. She has published many book reviews and author interviews and is currently the writing coach at Howard W. Blake High School in Tampa, Florida.  You can visit her website at stephpostfiction.com.

This is a really fun interview, so definitely take the time to read it and enjoy! You also might want to check out her website now, as she is running a contest for art from the book through March 31st.

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DS: Miraculum was written between two of your Judah Cannon books  Why is this your third/fourth book and not second? Crazy publishing world or by design– or both?

 

SP: Definitely the crazy ins-and-outs of the publishing world, but I think the timing actually worked out perfectly. I sort of exist between different genres, so I think it worked out in my favor to establish a base with the crime fiction community before jumping over to fantasy/literary/historical/whatever we’re calling Miraculum today. Also, from the writing standpoint, I like to switch genres with every book I write. That way, there’s no chance of getting bored! I just finished up the last of the Judah Cannon books this past year and now I’m back to a novel that much more resembles the style of Miraculum, so I’m sticking to my zig-zagging path.

 

DS: Your art related to Miraculum is fascinating. Any thought to doing something professional with this? Art show? Illustrated version of the book? Booth at a local carnival?

 

SP: Thank you! I don’t consider myself a professional artist by any means, but I do love painting and printmaking. I especially love that it’s not a career in the way writing is for me. I can just mess around, without any of the pressure I put on myself when it comes to my novels. I’ve sold paintings in the past, and will be selling these Miraculum pieces as well, but mainly this project was a way for me to reconnect with a book I wrote three years ago, and also to connect with readers and fans. I wanted folks reading Miraculum to see some of the additional layers in the story that might not be obvious between the actual covers of the book. In a way, the paintings are a peek behind the curtain. I’m running a contest on Instagram right now— anyone who sends in a photo of the book (audio, Kindle, library book, doesn’t matter)—is entered in a drawing to win their choice of paintings. The contest ends March 31st and once the two winners (plus a winner of a custom piece) have chosen their paintings, I’ll put the rest up for sale. The contest is also a way to interact with readers and so I’m loving the project all around.

 

DS: I absolutely love your tattoos – and Ruby’s. The symbolism of her ink gives the novel a very cool dimension of character. Which of yours means the most to you?  I intend on getting one for every novel  published. Two down so far.  What’s your view on them?

 

SP: Well, thank you again. Speaking of… that reminds me. I need to make a tattoo appointment…. There’s no way I could pick one tattoo of mine that means the most to me—I don’t even know how many I have! My most recent tattoo is a quote from ‘The Little Prince’ in honor of all the dogs I’ve loved who have passed away. Every tattoo is hugely important to me, whether in what it means or in where I got it (I like to get tattooed when I travel), or in why I got it. I think everyone has different reasons for getting tattoos, no one reason better than another, but for me, it’s like a record of my life. A visual story, in a way, that only I understand, but that keeps me grounded.

 

DS: Ruby reminds me of a badass version of Ray Bradbury’s The Illustrated Man. Where did the inspiration for her come from?

 

SP: See above…. I think the tattooed part of Ruby comes from me. What I love about her tattoos, though, is that they are a doorway to discovering herself and her power. They’re a mystery, but a Pandora’s box once unlocked and opened.

 

DS: A Tree Born Crooked, Lightwood, and Walk in the Fire live in the crime genre. Was there a conscious decision to jump back in history for Miraculum‘s semi-historical realm? I understand that you’re going further back for the next novel. Do you think this could be a trend for you?

 

SP: Oh yes. The novel I’m currently working on is set in the 1890s. I love studying history and I think time periods of great change (such as the 1920s, the 1890s, etc.) are especially fascinating. Above all, though, the story has to rise above the setting of the novel, and this is something I’m really having to learn to balance, the farther I go back in time to write. I’ve got a long way to go on this new book, so I haven’t yet seen the book that will follow it. But I really like playing around on the fringes of fantasy/history/horror/adventure etc., so we’ll see how it goes.

 

DS: Influences? Who has shaped your writing, personality, and soul? Beyond writers, what musicians or artists impacted your creativity?

 

SP: Oh wow, that’s a weighted question. I’m going to just stick to those who have influenced my writing: definitely Michael Ondtje, David Eddings, Sheri Reynolds and Dorothy Allison. I’m sure there a million more, but I was reading those writers back when I first started to consider the idea of one day becoming an author myself, and so I think they had a huge impact on defining my direction.

 

DS: What’s next for you? Don’t feel obligated to stop at books, although what I read about the story set in 1890 sounds intriguing.

 

SP: While I’m still promoting Miraculum, of course, most of my energy is now going into the new book, which will most likely consume me for the next nine months. When I’m working on a book, I tend to get hyper-focused, and so I’m not one of those talented authors who can juggle a dozen creative endeavors at once. But when I do come up for air, I’m busy with dogs, chickens, gardening and, of course, art projects.

 

DS: You are very active on social media promoting other writers, both new and established. That is amazing – and not something that’s common enough in writing. We’re good with the support overall, but to publicly do so is refreshing. Writers’ groups and organizations rarely help much (although ITW has done wonders for me and others).  Your thoughts on this?

 

SP: When I was first starting out, I reached out to a few other writers, on social media, because I had absolutely no physical writing community. I don’t have an MFA, I’ve never been part of a writing group, I’m a very lone wolf when it comes to the actual writing process. I didn’t know the ropes at all and I started asking to interview writers as way of making connections and trying to learn what the hell I was doing. And I was stunned by how many writers, famous writers, were so warm and kind and open. They instilled in me the need to always, always, support other writers first. Not just because it will usually come back around to help you one day (and it has for me), but because it’s the right thing to do. There is not a finite amount of author success out there in the world that we need to scrabbling over. When one of us succeeds, we all succeed. And we should use any bit of success we might be fortunate enough to find to help pull up other writers, just as we ourselves were pulled up.

 

DS: What do you want readers to take away from Miraculum?

 

SP: I hope they get lost a little bit in the magic of storytelling. There’s a million layers to Miraculum and from what I’ve seen, all types of readers are taking away different things. But I hope everyone who reads it is reminded of why storytelling in and of itself is so vital. And so much fun.

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review: Miraculum by Steph Post

Miraculum by Steph Post

Polis Books, 2019

ISBN-13: 978-1947993419

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition, audiobook, audio CD

If readers haven’t yet discovered the magic of Steph Post’s enthralling writing, Miraculum is a fine place to start. This novel should put her on the map. Post’s style falls somewhere between Gillian Flynn’s and John Connelly’s, yet she has carved out a mark all her own.

Who doesn’t love a carnival? Pontillar’s Spectacular Star Light Miraculum  comes to a town on the Louisiana-Texas border, where snake-charmer Ruby, the daughter of the owner of the Miraculum, lives out a curious existence. Ruby has been tattooed in a manner that leaves her a bit of an oddity even in the freak show,  but doesn’t talk of the strange backstory of the wonderful, yet twisted, markings on her flesh.

One night, after a tragedy, a strange man joins the crew as a “geek” (don’t ask – just read). Daniel seems to be anything but the typical carnie type: well dressed, well-spoken, and with something a bit askew about his origin. Also joining the group is Hayden, the only man who ever held Ruby’s heart. A muralist and roughneck, he aims to find his place in a world away from the one that has shunned many members of the carnival. Both men play a crucial role in Ruby’s life as the carnival begins to unravel, the Big Top caught up in a storm brewing from a place darker than the patterns drawn onto Ruby’s body.

Post has drawn both Ruby and Daniel as exquisite characters who are not who they seem to be. They have important parts to play in humankind’s history, even though only one is aware of that fate. Ruby left home after her mother died mysteriously, and emerges from the shadows of New Orleans with her disguise in tattoos in a manner that would cause Ray Bradbury’s Illustrated Man to blink and wonder. She trusts no one, and for good reason, but gravitates towards January, a dancer, Samuel, the mysterious right hand man of her father, and of course, Hayden and Daniel.

Post unfurls Daniel’s secrets like sleight of hand trickery: hia character wields such a power that Daniel keeps it hidden like an ace up his sleeve. He slips into most carnies’ graces, charming the staff, while the few who suspect otherwise and aim to peek behind the curtain encounter an unexpected darkness. To say more would ruin the story.

Miraculum is a pure wonder, both of story and style. It’s deceptively dark Gothic yet also draws from genres of horror, fantasy, and thriller. Steph Post guides the mark(the reader) into the midway’s shadows, leading them by the hand into a world that feels both familiar and fresh.  Darker than pitch, Miraculum has a heart that, while damaged, still beats, resulting in a read that is sure to be one of 2019’s best.

 

Reviewed by Dave Simms