There is a boutique hiding out between the fractured, narrow storefronts lining New Gotham’s foggy docks. The shingles are ribbed and black. Washed, peeling paint and displays offering views into wicked leather and lace studded glam. The mannequins are ghoulish beauties stitched together from whatever was left from the last fool to cross one of the sinister witches.
Welcome to Sinister Stitches
“…apparel
for a wicked fairy tale.”
A
spicy trinity of black magic sisters breathe star-dusted dreams to life with
their gothic apparel boutique. They are schooled in the old ways of
“fabric-bending” by the Needlewitches of old. With this knowledge, they’ve
created an entire line of clothing that all share the same basic design
element: one-size fits all. Each garment will magically tailor itself to its
wearer once worn. Last time the Witches-Who-Stitch, hosted a literary catwalk,
heroines were called from all walks of life and genres to challenge their
seamstress skills. This time, their men have joined the fun—apparently, they’ve
been sent to the boutique. (Whether they like it, or not.)
The
witches were NOT expecting men. Their expertise is usually limited to DEMANDING
their husbands NOT wear that in
public, and, of course, the fashioning of fantastic clothing for all of
literature’s heroines. (New Gotham’s men usually get their goods from Rumpel’s
Twisted Threads, BUT that’s beyond the point, the girls put a quill to their
interview, changed some bits, and rose to the occasion.)
To
enjoy the hilarity, please check out some of the questionnaire Jennifer Blackstream’s Etienne from Before
Midnight (Blood Prince Series) lifted from Brenda’s hand with a smile after
he swaggered into Sinister Stitches.
THE
WITCHES WHO STITCH QUESTIONNAIRE
Please provide the witches with your name: Etienne
Please provide the witches with the following:
Hair Color: Brown
Hair Length: [ ] Short and Sharp, [x] Shaggy and
Sexy, [ ] Lush and Long
Eye Color: Grey
Skin Tone: [ ] Ghoulish, [ ] Snow White, [x] Cina-baby,
[ ] Mochalicious, [ ] Dark Chocolate, [ ] Other:__________
Please provide the witches with your measurements and body-type.
a.) Height: 5’10”
b.) Body Type: [ ] Skeletal, [ ] Lean and Tender,
[ ] Lean and Tough, [x] Ripe and Edible
Do you have any extra extremities? Place an “X” to all that apply.
[ ] Horns or [ ] Halo
[ ] 20 ft. of Hair or More
[ ] Gills and Fins or [ ] Hooves
[ ] Wings (Span: )
[ ] Tail (How many: )
How many heads do you have?
One
Do you have arms and legs? If so, how many?
Two of each, thank Fenris.
How dead are you? [x] Living, [ ] Undead, [ ]
Astral Form
What are you? (Species/Breed)
Lycanthrope
What is the occasion? (Ideas
include: Wedding, Funeral, Sabbath, etc. Oh, and seduction is a valid occasion.
The more details, the better.)
A ball. I want to recreate the ball my
family held the night I met my wife. Her evening was ruined the first time. I
want to see that she gets the experience she should have had.
What’s the occasion setting? (Beach, haunted
castle, grand ball, etc.)
Royal ballroom
Will you be fighting for your life at some point in the evening?
Not if I give in and let her bring the wolves inside. She can call
them puppies if she wants to, but they’re the size of small ponies and we are
past the point where we can successfully hide them under the tables.
Will you be set on fire? Better yet, will you be setting other
people on fire?
No. My in-laws are dead, so I anticipate
a peaceful evening.
Will you be grave-robbing? (Dirt is a dressmaker’s
tedium.)
Is that a joke? Because I’m a werewolf, you think I’ll be out
digging up old bones?
What are you wearing right now? Who picked that outfit out? (Basically, who let
you leave the crypt in those?)
Nothing, and I apologize for that. For
some reason the horses wouldn’t come near this place. The pixie swore nudity
wouldn’t be an issue, and carrying clothing in my teeth when I shift to wolf
form is an inconvenience I don’t bother with if I don’t have to.
Do you hope to be naked at some point in the evening? (All
right, dirty birds. Such questions are actually intended toward the weres and
shifters in regards to their transformations.)
Yes. If one of my wife’s “puppies” gets
loose, I’ll be rounding them up. Regardless, my wife and I will likely shift
for a run before we retire tonight.
Describe your last brush with Death in two sentences. (Helps
us plan for the unexpected.)
In-laws from Midguard. Is a second sentence necessary?
Do you need a secret compartment for gigantic swords and guns,
condoms…eyeliner, maybe?
No. My weapons don’t require pockets.
What are your three favorite colors?
Green, blue, silver (no comments from
the peanut gallery)
What two colors ninja your brain, sweetie?
Orange, pink
Please pick a style that you feel embodies you the best. If none
apply, feel free to surprise us by providing your own brilliant description in
the “other” slot.
[
] Dark Angel: This is for the spoonfuls of
charming. The good-natured and naughty boys next door types. Thoughtful and
sensual. Loyal and intelligent. More often than not, his head is in the clouds,
but those dreams and that smile holds hope for all of us. Our
philosophers.
[x] Beast
King: This
is for the warlords and alphas. The type of men who walk into a room and their
presence hushes out the sun. They live in their bodies, but their minds are
searching for the next challenge. Hands for fighting and these boots for
ass-kickings. Our protectors.
[ ] Smooth Criminal: This
is for the bad boys. You know, the types---mother’s worse nightmares. The kind
of man that makes your skin itch every time he devours you with that hundred
yard stare. Chances are his senses of humor is as wicked as his tongue. To hold
him, isn’t to catch him. Our scheming rogues.
[ ] Black Knight: This
for the mysteries. The ones no one can quite make heads or tails out off. He’s
a mixture, a melting pot of strong, sinister, and sweet. He might be Dark Angel
one day, and a Smooth Criminal other days. Our brothers.
[ ] Other: _____________________
Who is your favorite fairy tale villain?
I don’t like villains.
If you could be any comic book hero, who would it be?
Wolverine
Now, tell us who you love the most.
My wife, Loupe
Anything else you’d like to add…
After many barrels of chocolate, a dash of magic, and furious
sewing…
Sinister Stitches’ Leather Queen
Brenda Dweyer presents Etienne’s
Completed Threads
“Black Night”
Next
to a gleaming, gold antique resister, Brenda the She-Wolf is posted on the
counter in a snake-skin cat-suit and a pair of vicious fuck-me red pumps. Eyes
shielded behind a pair of Black Pearl Aviator shades, and waves of curls pulled
up and tight on top of her head in a slick and shiny ponytail. Shiny, wet and
skin-tight. To look at her hurts. To touch her hurts even more. When the
gentleman standing in the middle of her mother’s gothic boutique brushes his
eyes up and down Wonder Woman’s body, she answers with a sharp crescent of
teeth bowing in sultry smile:
Wow,
you have got to be shitting me. Why on earth are you here, babycakes? This is
Sinister Stitches. I mean, I know we fashioned a dress for your wife—but,
seriously, she’s girl. She came to the right place. Your ass is straight up
lost. I ain’t got a problem making you something this time, but next time, you
best carry that fine tail to Twisted Threads, where all they do is outfit the
fools. Actually, you should know right now that the only reason I’m not naked
with my ass in the wind is because I’m here. Mostly, for Loupe. When she
dropped by, she did mention to Gillian what a terrible time she had at that
ball, so I agree—you better get shit right this time. Or else.
Now,
let’s start with the top—you’re a hard ass. I can see that. The best thing for
hard asses is simplicity. I’ve spun you a double collared, long-sleeve out of
Neverland moths and spider web. Gillian, my sister, took the time to embroider
the fabric with arboreal hamadryad designs. No one gives a shit about the pants
until they come off, but we did do something different, and go denim for you.
Yes, dear, I know you have no idea—
A
fat orange tabby cat with a white-striped tail and razor sharp, draconic green
eyes fades into existence above the mantle place: My god, look what the cat dragged in. Still ugly as ever,
aren’t you…Brenda?
The
cat fades into nothing, and Brenda’s butcher axe eats a wicked wedge into the
wood: Anyways, like I was
saying, we decided to go Oblivion denim for your trousers. You play kind of
hard, and rough, so we wanted to make sure the outfit would stand up to being
used more than once. Oblivion denim is pressed with incubus tears, the illusion
effect will make the trousers look like regular cotton, and cashmere blends
while indoors. Otherwise, it will revert to “denim” phase.
Now,
we did want to give you the option to shift whenever you want, so I took the
tip to capture a few white, and black will ‘o wisps, grinding them into dust
and ironing their remains into the fabric. Call your outfit by its name “Black
Night” and it should hurry on along to wherever you’re currently located. Given
you won’t be shifting at the occasion; we’ve also thrown the patent leather
dress shoes from Sinful Soles.
Now,
put on your new dancing shoes, and show the—what are you doing? Why are you
getting naked? Listen, asshole, if I can’t be naked, you can’t be--Goddamn it,
he’s gone. We didn’t even get to take a second picture.
With a heavy sigh, Brenda stalks
to the front door and holds it open just long enough to hear a wolf howl in the
distance. The clothes left crumbled on the floor glide from Sinister Stitches by
an unseen hand, and Brenda slams the door shut after him: Men.
IMPORTANT BULLETINS from
THE PIXIES:
For more information about Jennifer Blackstream and Etienne’s adventures in the Blood Prince series, please check out her author website.
Care to check out the last round of Sinister Stitches interviews? Check out Sophie Avett and Jennifer Blackstream’s
paranormal den, the Brimstone Pub. All SS interviews are retired there after
their tour until the release of the SS e-book.
Fancy a tour of New Gotham? Check out New Gotham’sSurvival Guide! It might save your life!
For more information about Sophie
Avett’s New Gotham Fairy Tales, the Sinister Stitches series, and recent releases, please check out her website.
Image Credit(s): Curaphotography
Image Editing Credit(s): Elaina, For the Muse Design
Cry Wolf
A New Gotham Fairy Tale
Sophie Avett
Genre: Dark Fantasy Romance (MM/New Adult)
Publisher: Skeleton Key Publishing
Date of Publication: May 1, 2014
Number of pages: est. 22 pages
Word Count: est. 10, 000
Cover Artist: Elaina, For the Muse Design
Book Description:
There’s a wild animal on the loose in the black forests surrounding New Gotham...
Not that anyone cares.
Well, Peter doesn't care.
Peter Ume is more interested in finding a way to alleviate the skull-numbing boredom of a city wide shut down. So far his ideas for excitement hover between stealing an unwary idiot’s underwear (soul works, too), setting someone’s eyebrows on fire, or stabbing the next person he meets in the eye with a hot French fry.
It turns out, he’ll be able to save assault and theft for a rainy day. As luck would have it, this naughty kitsune is about to meet the big bad wolf.
And man, is the wolf in for a surprise...
Warning: This story can be read as a standalone, but you will want to smack Sophie for it. (Or so the ravens have said.) So, do keep in mind that there is a part two. (And it will be a freebie. Sophie’s Pixies will carrier pigeon everyone more information soon.)
About the Author:
Sophie Avett is kind of a nerd. Like not even one of the cute, hip ones everyone brags about nowadays. More like the socially awkward hippie who eats way too much bread and dreams about being a dragon from behind towers of mythology books. Um...yeah. Picture old, tattered paperbacks and comic books--mostly Batman and Wonder Woman--dwarfing a tiny desk, with just barely enough room for the troll who writes there and the 70 pound hell-hound that insists on laying it's wet nose on top of her bare foot.
Granted not the most exciting existence, but she tries to make up for it by writing romances populated with her own peculiar ilk of paranormal beasties. Trolls, wyverns, the obscure Nordic brownie--she likes to keep things interesting. And bloody. (And mostly naked--but, we'll keep that bit between us.)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SophieAvett
Sinister Stitches Boutique Blog: http://sophieavettsinisterstitches.blogspot.com/
Newsletter Post-Its, the Blog: http://sophieavett.weebly.com/post-its-the-blog.html
Brimstone Pub, the Blog: http://thebrimstonepub.com/
1 comment:
Hi Creatively Green! Thank you so much for hosting me! Everything looks absolutely fabulous! I hope you enjoyed Etienne's interview! Jennifer and I had a blast writing it! :)
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