Lenore Sagaskie is a Canadian American fantasy/horror writer and filmmaker living in self-imposed exile in Michigan. Her short film, Rage, garnered four official selections, several nominations/finalists, and four wins during its run on the film festival circuit. She is often buried in several projects at once—and is right now, in fact—but kindly carved out a bit of time just before filming a trailer for her next film, more about which will be revealed below.

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Your Four Sworn series is so wonderful in the way it really develops the characters and their surroundings in an almost tactile way (e.g., the descriptions of pottery making, of smithing, even of visions in the water). Is some of this from your own experience? How do you achieve this level of visual/tactile detail in your writing?

Thank you! I was, and still am, a multi-media artist. I called upon some of my own experiences with creative processes. I have always been a tactile learner, so I always tend to be descriptive in that manner.

What do you find is the most important part of developing a book (or series)?

The most important part of writing a book to me is to create strong, distinct characters and strong character interactions. We all have a unique way of speaking, as well as interacting and reacting to other people and situations. I try to give my characters distinct voices and personalities. It’s important to me that a reader can distinguish who the character is by the way they speak when they commit to a series. When I read a series, I feel comfortable when I can tell which characters are speaking just from the interactive dialogue.

Are you continuing to work on that series?

I am still writing The Four Sworn series. The third book, Autumn Equinox, is currently a work in progress. I tend to overwrite, and it reached a page count of over 400 pages. It isn’t even close to being finished. I want to finish it and possibly break it into two novels, hopefully before the end of this year.

So I have to ask the old chestnut, where do your ideas come from? Are they based on kernels of experience (as in “The Remaining One” [in Penumbric, December 2k21])?

Some of my writing ideas come from personal experience and some of my characters are modeled on people that I’ve known or encountered. Some of my ideas are based on “what if” scenarios as well. I often think of mundane things and wonder how they’d be affected if something supernatural or extraordinary happened to someone who was just minding their business and enjoying their life when their reality shifted.

We've spoken in a past issue (February 2k21) about the influence of music on your writing/storytelling. Do you associate (or play) certain music with/for certain characters? Do you end up with a sort of playlist for your books?

Music is so important to me. I listen to music every day. It helps me focus when I write and it helps with my mental health. I do associate certain music with some of my characters. When I’m writing chapters that are heavily focused on the main characters in The Four Sworn, I write while listening to the music I feel they would like. Abby is the metal head who also listens to Apocalyptica. Sara is into classic rock and old country music. William has a bit of an anarchist streak and has a fondness for 70’s and 80’s English punk rock like Anti-Nowhere League. Joe listens to a bit of everything but is into The Halluci Nation. They do a great remix of Keith Secola’s NDN Kars. I have playlists for family, friends, and workouts. I think I will start putting more effort into making character playlists too!

You are not only a writer but a filmmaker, with your short film Rage winning many accolades. How did Rage come to be? Is filmmaking something you’ve trained for, or is it more through experience, or both?

I’ve always been a writer and artist. I got involved in the film industry around 2011. I did some extra work in a few films and found myself working as a crew member on several independent productions, mostly doing set creation as part of the Art Department. I got the opportunity on more than one occasion to do some script writing, and I’ve co-written and ghost-written several scripts. A lot of the productions that I worked on never made it past the post-production stage, and I always wondered if it would be possible for me to write, produce, and direct my own production. When I came up with the concept for Rage, it was originally going to be a short story, but I ended up writing it as a script. That’s when I realized that it was time to make my own film and see if I could do it. I was really surprised and pleased with how well Rage was received on the film festival circuit.

I like the really intimate shots in Rage, such as when Jim is driving, chasing after the person who keyed his car. Also, really nice wounds! Was that a lot of work?

I was very fortunate that the Director of Photography, William Mosqueda, really understood the emotion and the atmosphere I wanted to convey in the film. He provided some exceptional insight and I respect his process. I was so fortunate to work with an amazing crew. Mark Foster worked as gaffer, and I enjoy working with him. He really understands how important light and shadow are to every scene. I constructed blood squibs, but Tiffany Bishop was responsible for the amazing special effects make up. She is so talented and does some incredible gore effects. I am so grateful to have an amazing crew. Their talent and precision in their craft really elevated the production. I can’t thank them enough for all the hard work they put into the production of Rage.

Was it difficult to get that much story/development into such a short amount of time?

It was a bit of a challenge to get everything done and condensed into a short film. Even though I had written a short script there were still some scenes that we had to leave out. Editing in film is just as important as editing is in writing, and sometimes you must sacrifice a scene or two to get the film to a comfortable finished length.

Filmmaking (especially indie films) is a ton of work and time. Do you find it worth it? What do you find particularly exciting about it?

Filmmaking is a lot of work and involves a great deal of time. I can’t speak for everyone, but it’s very gratifying to me. When I write, it’s like I’m writing down a daydream as it transpires. Filmmaking is returning the process back into the daydream, but it’s orchestrated by me. I get really excited about making the film, and it becomes my entire focus during the pre-production stage. I design and create set elements and some of the equipment, I do auditions, interview potential crew, scout locations, pay attention to the Farmer’s Almanac for weather for shoot days, plan schedules, buy/borrow props, etc. There’s just so much to the process and I embrace it. I become so enthusiastic, and I’m always grateful to the people that act and become part of the crew. It’s like I have a crazy vision and people not only encourage me to do it, but they also willingly participate! And they bring their absolute best with them when they do. It’s so incredible when I see what we’ve all created, and it’s even better than it was in my head. Filmmaking is the best drug I’ve ever had.

What are your literary and filmic influences?

I read everything from horror, fantasy, and science fiction. A few of my literary influences are Mary Shelley, Jules Verne, Tanya Huff, Patricia Briggs, and Robert J. Sawyer.

My film influences are Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko), Eli Craig (Tucker and Dale Vs Evil), Sam Raimi (Army of Darkness), Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai), and Dario Argento (Suspiria). I love films that do practical effects in imaginative ways. I am a huge fan of Dario Argento. He used a lot of arthouse elements and practical effects. Argento also focused on using music, not only accompanying the film, but to build the intensity of the horror. I was lucky to see Goblin perform a live concert accompanying the film Suspiria last Halloween. It was a great experience. I try to emulate Sam Raimi in some ways. I have also used my car in my film, and I plan to keep using it in every film I make.

You were in the military. How has that influenced your writing/filmmaking (if it has)? Are there any other life-influences that have influenced your creative arts?

My military experience really translated well to my filmmaking. Once I begin a film project, I maintain my focus and stay “on mission” until the production is completed. I excel at planning, logistics, and preparing for eventualities during the pre-production and production phases. As anyone who has ever made a film knows, there are things that happen you just can’t prepare for: weather can cause delays, accidents happen, and sometimes equipment fails. The military taught me how to accept the unpredictable and to pivot quickly and resolve the situation as soon as possible. My military training also gave me a sense of responsibility to safeguard the most precious assets on the set: the crew and cast. I always ensure that the people who are part of the creation process are in a safe environment, so they can focus on what they need to do without needless distractions.

You’ve mentioned elsewhere (in a 2019 interview) that you tend to work on several projects at once. Is that still the case? What do you have planned?

I do have a few projects coming up, now that you mention it. I will be continuing to write my Four Sworn series with the last two books. I’m building some new equipment to hopefully make production a lot easier. The BIG news I’d like to share is that I’ve started pre-production for my next film, Wind Witch. It is a feature length, horror-comedy about a young woman struggling to find where she belongs after the sudden death of her grandmother. The small town she lives in is run by a group of locals and a lot of things that happen in the community are toxic, especially to the people who don’t fit in. Skye works at a job she hates, doesn’t fit in, and feels stuck. A group of three strangers rolls into town. They sense something sinister about the town and investigate not only the town, but the sudden death of their friend, Skye’s grandmother. I will be doing a crowd funding campaign for the film in August, and I will be posting the details on social media and my website. I’m still looking for talent, extras and many other roles, and I will be posting those opportunities on the socials/website as well. We have fun making our films, and we always have room for more people.

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You can find the first two books in her fantasy series: The Four Sworn: Spring Equinox, and The Four Sworn: Summer Solstice, on Amazon (at amazon.com/Four-Sworn-Spring-Equinox-ebook/dp/B076KM2G41 and amazon.com/gp/product/B076DKKHZ3, respectively). Lenore is writing the third book in The Four Sworn series, and her first feature length horror-comedy, Wind Witch, is currently in pre-production.

You can find Lenore lurking on Twitter and Instagram and Threads as @lenorewrites, and on Facebook as herself.

For more information on upcoming projects and crowd-funding opportunities, visit www.ghostcatstudio.com