Twice Upon a Time...

Decadent Publishing is pleased to welcome authors/artists/friends/cool people S.L. Carpenter and Sahara Kelly. Scott and Sahara are currently involved in two projects at Decadent Publishing, the Twice Upon a Time anthology, available now in ebook at Decadent Publishing, and a co-authored bawdy romantic fiction story called Princesses Gone Wild, coming soon!

What kind of Fae WOULD you be if Fae COULD you be?

Sahara: Hoo boy. That’s tough. I’d love to be a faery...to flit around in cute outfits, scattering faery dust and making trouble now and again. LOL I think I might enjoy being a water sprite. Playing with dolphins, dancing on the waves, hiding from the storms at sea in cozy caves...do those sea shell bras come in my size, I wonder? LOL

Scott: A Fae of laughter. I love making people laugh. Do water sprites get to play with Mermaids? That might be fun. Of course it would have to be the fairy tale mermaids, not the real life ones that are butt ugly, ewwww.

Faerytales; anti-feminist clap-trap or fun, fanciful escape? (THIS is meant to be a FUN question, not an in depth Gloria Steinem exam)

Sahara: Well, darn. There goes my dissertation on the sociological gender biases of fantasy-based myths and legends. LOLLOL They’re mostly fun. Although I remember a couple that gave me nightmares when I was little. I often wonder how they got to be accepted bedtime reading. I mean...some of those Grimm tales...they’re flat out GRIM!

Scott: All I remember is Fairy tales were always about dreams and fantasy. I read them to my kids and they were all escapes and usually had some underlying meaning. Disney's basically taken all the good ones and made cartoons out of them.

Is writing your sole source of artistic gratification or do you have other outlets?

Scott: Writing is a lot of fun for me. It's how I get all my goofy stories out of my head. I write a lot with Sahara and have a bunch of books myself. My main outlet is cover art though. I love creating something from nothing. Taking an author’s story and giving it an image to go with it is really exciting.

Sahara: I’ve dabbled a bit in cover art myself – nowhere near as proficient as Scott, though. He’s my art GOD. LOL  I do love making costumes, too. I’ve always sewn, so patterns don’t  intimidate me too much. These days, it’s threading the damn needle that’s the real issue. LOLLOL


What sort of genres do you typically write about when you are not writing comedy about hoochie princesses or modern-day faerytales?

Sahara: When Scott and I write together – we really don’t have a typical genre. We’ve done a lot of contemporaries, since we’re both very comfortable with those. But we also did a paranormal ghost story and we’ve talked about a variety of different settings. One thing you can be sure of, there’s gonna be some laughs in there someplace. We just can’t resist the urge to slip one or two jokes in, no matter how intense the plot. <g> I think Scott’ll agree with me on that...since he’s most often the one cracking me up with his one liners...

Scott: Whatever she said.

Sahara: I can never make up my mind if I like when he says that, or if it makes me nervous. LOL


Sahara, you are now a Queen. Tell us about your plans for reigning terror...eerrr, I MEAN SPLENDOR....at RT?
Sahara: Well, let me see. First my co-Queen, Amanda McIntyre and I will review our troops, then we’ll probably raise a goblet or two of mead at a banquet...you know the sort of thing. LOL Actually, we’re both fans of the Tudors TV series, so I’m thinking we’ll count ourselves lucky if we keep our heads for the entire night. <g> Seriously...the Faery Ball is the culmination of so much hard work by so many people – it always awes me to see it come together and to know that almost every RT guest will be there sharing the fun. And yes, I will admit that one of the biggest pleasures is taking my shoes off at the end of the night. LOL Anything to add to that, Partner?

Scott: Yes dear. Foot massage? Yes dear. Everyone at the Fairy Ball only has to deal with her for a week; I get it all year. 3000 miles away and I feel the hair standing up on the back of my neck when I say something to ruffle her feathers. Scary. Gives me shivers.

Sahara: (grins) It’s good to be the Queen. And I have dibs on a foot massage again this year...

Scott: Honestly, I like all the fun themes and the way all the writers get so enthusiastic at the RT party. It takes all year to plan everything you ladies do. I know I wouldn't be able to do it. Especially wearing a corset.


About Tina Gerow, Fellow Fae. Tell me something special about the inspiration behind this project.
Sahara: I first met Tina in Orlando at the debut Faery Ball. She was such fun; together with Isabella Clayton, the two of them had us in stitches. Since that time we’ve shared every Faery Ball and it was devastating to hear of her illness – she’s so young and always so vibrant.  It’s not often that one gets chance to actually DO something in circumstances like these. We hurt, we send our prayers and hope for the best. But this time, circumstances allowed nine of us Fae, both present and former, to actually help in a practical way. It says a lot about Tina that we never hesitated. And Scott was right there as well...

Scott: When I heard about what happened it was heartbreaking. Tina is such a sweetheart. From the first time I met her she was just so fun and sweet to me. She's cute too. But when I heard about this project, I didn't hesitate to offer any help I could. So I offered to do the cover. Everyone has been great to work with on the project. Which shows how much Tina has touched people. It was a project from the heart.

See Scott Carpenter's magnificent cover for Twice Upon a Time and purchase it HERE. This one-of-a-kind anthology includes the literary talents of Eden Robins, Amanda McIntyre, Sahara Kelly, Taige Crenshaw, Vijaya Schartz, Janet Miller, Joy Nash, Liddy Midnight and Kayce Lassiter...and a contribution from you--the buyer of this book! Every author is donating 100% of their royalties to the fund established to assist Tina with her medical bills.

Another wild romp by Carpenter and Kelly, Princesses Gone Wild--coming soon from Decadent Publishing!

Read more about how Decadent Publishing Gives Back HERE