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WORK TITLE: Godfall and Other Stories
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://writerodell.com/
CITY:
STATE: WA
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Married; children: two sons.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and store manager. Dragon’s Hoard Games, Silverdale, WA, manager.
AVOCATIONS:Reading.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Sandra M. Odell is a writer and store manager based in Washington state. She manages her husband’s shop, Dragon’s Hoard Games. Odell has written collections of short stories in the horror and fantasy genres.
The Twelve Ways of Christmas
In 2012, Odell released her first book, The Twelve Ways of Christmas. Inspired by the classic song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” the volume contains twelve stories, each featuring a decreasing number of characters or items.
The story corresponding to the tenth day of Christmas finds ten lords leaping, but the lords appear during a cattle drive. Another story tells of a group of revelers celebrating Christmas in a zero-gravity chamber. Odell wrote each of the stories during the holiday season of 2011.
Godfall and Other Stories
Godfall and Other Stories, published in 2018, includes twenty-two works of fiction. In the titular story, “Godfall,” deities on Earth begin perishing. It is discovered that their bodies contain natural resources, so people begin mining them and benefitting from the gods’ deaths. Children and parents make difficult decisions in “The Home for Broken.” In “Black Widow,” set in the future, a group of soldiers must endure harrowing battles. Dogs are among the characters in “Good Boy,” while tattoos are a theme in “Ink.” “A Troll’s Trade” is one of the lighter-hearted stories in the collection.
In an interview with Mary M. Jones, contributor to Publishers Weekly Odell discussed the main message for readers to take away from her book. She stated: “Ask the next question, and the one after that … until you understand. Too often people will only ask one question, or only ask questions until they get the answer they’re looking for. That may not be what’s really happening; that may not be the truth.”
Godfall and Other Stories received favorable assessments. A Publishers Weekly reviewer suggested that the works in the book “showcase both style and substance.” The same reviewer concluded: “Odell’s excellent work marks her as a writer to watch.” Bob Pastorella, critic on the This Is Horror website, noted that the volume would appeal to readers “on the hunt for a fresh voice on the scene that’s a little different from the ordinary.” Writing on her self-titled website, Maria Haskins commented: “There are a wealth of great stories here, each showcasing Odell’s fierce originality as a storyteller. For each story, she also supplies a story-note, talking about the background and inspiration for each tale. These notes are a fascinating look into the creative process, and an added bonus for the reader.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, March 12, 2018, review of Godfall and Other Stories, p. 44; April 9, 2018, Mary M. Jones, author interview, p. 58.
ONLINE
Maria Haskins website, https://mariahaskins.com/ (April 3, 2018), Maria Haskins, review of Godfall and Other Stories.
Sandra M. Odell website, http://writerodell.com/ (August 6, 2018).
This Is Horror, http://www.thisishorror.co.uk/ (April 5, 2018), Bob Pastorella, review of Godfall and Other Stories.
About
My name is Sandra Odell.
I am:
A) A full time mom of two boys with special needs, and the manager of The Dragon's Hoard GamesOpens in a new window, my husband's game store.
B) A sexual abuse survivor, an advocate for families with special needs, a lover of audio fiction, a sufferer of severe PTSD and other mental health issues I wish I'd never heard of, and made it through a stroke in 2011.
C) A shark aficionado, an avid reader, compulsive writer, and rabid chocoholic.
D) Cute.
E) A all of the above.
QUOTED: "Ask the next question, and the one after that ... until you understand. Too often people will only ask one question, or only ask questions until they get the answer they're looking for. That may not be what's really happening; that may not be the truth."
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Print Marked Items
Asking the Next Question: PW TALKS
WITH SANDRA M. ODELL
Mary M. Jones
Publishers Weekly.
265.15 (Apr. 9, 2018): p58.
COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
In Godfall and Other Stories (Hydra House, Apr.), Odell assembles a kaleidoscope of voices. Each story
brushes against multiple genres and is informed by the author's life.
Who or what are some of your influences?
Harlan Ellison is perhaps the biggest influence, because when I first read him as a child he taught me that it
was okay to be angry. Not hateful, not hurtful. It's not "I'm angry so I'm going to go kick sand in your face."
No, it's being able to express that anger in a constructive manner. Being able to educate and entertain with
it. So he is vital to my growth as a writer. Ursula K. Le Guin was an incredible influence. Octavia Butler, an
incredible influence. Robert Frost--I have a copy of "The Road Not Taken" hanging on my wall. I see the
world very differently, not only because I have whatever issues I have, but because I'm a writer. And having
chosen to say, "This is what I want to do, this is how I express myself, this is my joy and my passion"--it's
taken me down different roads. Some people ask, "Where you do you get your ideas?" All I want to do is
look at them and say, "How can you not get ideas?"
How have the ideas of inclusion and diversity influenced your writing?
I hadn't realized growing up just how casually racist and sexist my family was. When I was better able to
step back, I started to educate myself, and that was really my introduction to a wider world. If I am going to
be a part of that world and help celebrate that world, celebrate issues that I consider important to me, then I
need to learn. I don't want to read stories about me. I don't want to read the same stories written by the same
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people about the same issues in the same way. I want to celebrate your story. I want to celebrate my friends'
stories. There are too many wonderful facets to this world to just say, "No, I only want to write straight
white cis female stories." We also have to recognize our history and the damage that colonialism has done.
What would you like readers to take away from the anthology?
Ask the next question. Don't stop wondering. Don't stop asking. Always ask the next question. Theodore
Sturgeon said that. I've got it tattooed on my arm. Ask the next question, and the one after that, and the one
after that, until you understand. Too often people will only ask one question, or only ask questions until they
get the answer they're looking for. That may not be what's really happening; that may not be the truth.
Always ask the next question.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Jones, Mary M. "Asking the Next Question: PW TALKS WITH SANDRA M. ODELL." Publishers
Weekly, 9 Apr. 2018, p. 58. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A535099960/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=678103ac. Accessed 15 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A535099960
QUOTED: "showcase both style and substance."
"Odell's excellent work marks her as a writer to watch."
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Godfall and Other Stories
Publishers Weekly.
265.11 (Mar. 12, 2018): p44.
COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* Godfall and Other Stories
Sandra M. Odell. Hydra House, $15.95 trade paper (200p) ISBN 978-0-9979510-0-4
Odell's powerful second collection (after The Twelve Ways of Christmas) is a diverse assemblage of short
stories that demonstrate both versatility and mastery of the craft. The tone is often dark, ranging from the
psychologically horrific "The Poison Eater," in which a young man stuck in a small town undergoes a
terrifying transformation, to the existential terror of "Godfall," in which the world's pantheon of deities dies
off, one by one. Each story is carefully crafted to showcase both style and substance. "The Home for
Broken" condemns full-time caregivers who treat their disabled charges as inconveniences; it's balanced
perfectly by the thoughtful hope in "Telling Stories." The standout tale is "Ink," an explanation of
transformation's cost that is infused with both joy and pain, presented subtly and with true emotion. The
collection features a kaleidoscope of voices; each story brushes against multiple genres and is informed by
some kernel of the author's life, as explained in the fascinating author's notes ending each segment. Odell's
excellent work marks her as a writer to watch. Agent: Caitlin McDonald, Donald Maas's Literary. (Apr.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Godfall and Other Stories." Publishers Weekly, 12 Mar. 2018, p. 44. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A531285103/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=d033a3e7.
Accessed 15 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A531285103
QUOTED: "on the hunt for a fresh voice on the scene that’s a little different from the ordinary."
Look Out For … Godfall and Other Stories by Sandra M. Odell
April 5, 2018
Godfall and Other Stories by Sandra Odell - cover“If you’re on the hunt for a fresh voice on the scene that’s a little different from the ordinary, Godfall and Other Stories by Sandra M. Odell is probably an excellent place to start. “
A new collection featuring 22 stories, some previously published, others new to this publication, shifting from dark fiction, weird fiction, horror, and some places that dwell in between those genres, diving into the darkness of the human, and not-so-human, heart. Stories about gods that fall dead from above, a young boy would has the ability to talk to time, a tale questioning why a cactus can’t marry a gila monster, and many more.
Why we’re excited about this book:
If you’re on the hunt for a fresh voice on the scene that’s a little different from the ordinary, Godfall and Other Stories by Sandra M. Odell is probably an excellent place to start. Odell is a graduate from Clarion West and her work has been featured in Jim Baen’s UNIVERSE, Ideomancer, Fear of the Dark, TRIANGULATIONS: Last Contact, and Deep Cuts. Godfall and Other Stories is her first collection, and releases through Hydra House 18 April 2018 and is available for pre-order now.
BOB PASTORELLA
QUOTED: "There are a wealth of great stories here, each showcasing Odell’s fierce originality as a storyteller. For each story, she also supplies a story-note, talking about the background and inspiration for each tale. These notes are a fascinating look into the creative process, and an added bonus for the reader."
Book review – “Godfall and Other Stories” by SANDRA M. ODELL
April 3, 2018Maria Haskins
“Godfall and Other Stories” brings together 23 stories written by Sandra M. Odell – many have been previously published in various venues, but there are also several new ones. The collection is edited by Cat Rambo, and I was lucky enough to score an advance reading copy.
Short version of this review: this is a fantastic collection of speculative fiction, and it’s a thrill to read.
Long version of this review: One of the (many) things that struck me as I read “Godfall and Other Stories”, is what a versatile writer Odell is. The collection includes stories of fantasy, horror, and a dollop of science fiction, and they feature a wide range of settings, moods, and characters. No matter what the setting or genre, Odell has a knack for getting under your skin, digging into the uncomfortable, sometimes painful, truths that hide beneath the surface. She deftly twists each story off-kilter, giving you an unexpected (and sometimes unsettling) point of view.
Godfall-cover-for-web
Her stories can be darkly funny, like the excellent “A Troll’s Trade”; they can squeeze your heart, like the devastating “The Home for Broken”, a story about parents, children, and hard, hard choices; and sometimes she explores ideas that strike you with sheer awe, like the fallen and decaying gods being mined for their natural resources in “Godfall”.
On every page, Odell’s writing feels rooted in real feelings, real lives, and real people. In her work, she often looks at the world from underneath – through the eyes of working people, or those who find themselves on the outside of “polite society”, or the supposedly weak and broken (who often turn out not to be as weak as you might think). She doesn’t glorify any of her characters, and no matter how fantastical the setting, her stories always feel vivid and alive.
A case in point is the harrowing, action-packed “Black Widow”, a scifi story about a squad of fighters, set in a war-torn future. Two other stories I want to mention in particular in this excellent collection are “Ink”, a powerful and uniquely imagined story about tattoos, trauma and healing; and “Good Boy”, a deeply unsettling tale about dogs and fighting, with a twist that turns the world, and what you think you understand and know, inside out and upside down.
There are a wealth of great stories here, each showcasing Odell’s fierce originality as a storyteller. For each story, she also supplies a story-note, talking about the background and inspiration for each tale. These notes are a fascinating look into the creative process, and an added bonus for the reader.
Godfall and Other Stories is set for release on April 18th, and will be available from Hydra House Books, and online retailers. You can pre-order it from Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
Sandra M. Odell’s work has been published in Jim Baen’s Universe, Ideomancer, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, The Drabblecast, Pseudopod, Tales to Terrify, Cast of Wonders, and elsewhere. She is a graduate of Clarion West 2010, and associate member of the SFWA. You can find her online on Twitter at https://twitter.com/WriterOdell, and support her work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/writerodell/posts
The awesome cover art for this collection, is by British artist David Whitlam (https://www.davidwhitlam.com/)