Authorpreneur Dashboard – Ernest Gordon Taulbee
A Sibling in Always
Literature & Fiction
When a severely deformed corpse lands on his embalming table, skilled mortician, Horace Carver is forced to confront his apathy towards life and the dark secrets hidden within himself, his family, and his hometown of Always, Indiana. This stylized novel uses mythology as a base for a narrative that examines the nature of life by exploring the ways we die.
Book Bubbles from A Sibling in Always
Melody Mourns
At this point, Melody is being witness to her sibling. She never met Aquila Rose in life, but has become Aquila Rose's protector in death. In this section, she is the loan mourner at the funeral. It continues with the myth. The "sibling" was Melody's myth.
A Song
Psychopomps lured and eased the dead into the underworld. One way they did this was with song. Back in 2009, I started writing poetry again, after several years of not doing so. Free verse had it's time, but -- to me -- free verse is far less creative. I think poetry is best when it has a form and is bound by meter and rhyme. I started working on the poetry for this book in 2010. I abandoned rhyme because I wanted the poetry to have a rough look about it, but I insisted that each of Horace's poems be tightly and uniquely metered. This is how Horace shapes his subjects.
The Dark River
As the story plays out, Dr. Ellsworth's mind goes to more and more troubling places. By the end he is consumed with his hatred for Clifford Paul, and he longs for a time when he can become the one who tortures Mr. Paul. Going along with the mythological theme, Ellsworth envisions dying as crossing the great, dark river. He hopes when Mr. Paul makes his crossing those waiting for him will not give him a warm reception.
Horace at his trade
Writing this book meant doing a great deal of research about death and dying. Since Horace is an embalmer and undertaker, I had to extensive research on the embalming process. This is Horace continuing to meticulously ply his trade.
Della
Della and Aquila Rose begin to connect. Dr. Ellsworth fears that Della is developing the bond with Aquila Rose out of her memory of losing her baby in a late miscarriage. Della is dying of cancer, and, in the process, she and Aquila Rose are becoming one.
Horace Considers His Craft
In the Interludes, fact and fiction become quick enemies. There are elements of truth to the interludes, in regards to history, but much of it is my own invention. Like Always is a fiction town, the world where Always exists is fictional too. It history departs from our own and the interludes are an example of that.
Horace Learns the Truth
This part was completely influenced by the Osiris myth and the one of the few glimpses into Owen as a man. Of course, we come to question whether or not it is true. This book asks many questions, but offers little answers. Characters you love become characters you view with suspicion. Nonetheless, it is about seeking truth.
Two Souls Reduced
This was a hard part to write. It was about inflicting pain and wisdom into Ellsworth to start his descent into madness. Also, it was about allowing Aquila Rose to truly commune with another human being. Still . . . it felt like it created some worthwhile prose.
Ellsworth's Warning
I wrote this after I had let the relationship between Aquila Rose and Dr. Ellsworth become very dark. Dr. Ellsworth gave a grim warning to Clifford Paul that someone would have to pay. He hoped it would be Paul. It also borrows from mythology and the Greek idea of passage into the underworld. In essence, much of the novel borrows from mythology. The Aquila Rose and Dr. Ellsworth parts create the stories own, original mythology.
Dr. Ellsworth Asserts Himself
When I started writing this, I had a character that could not be developed, Aquila Rose Paul. I needed a way to interact with this character and Dr. Ellsworth became a way to do that. By the time, I had a few of the letters written, the doctor had become a strong character I wanted to explore and his story intertwined with Aquila Rose's. In essence, Dr. Ellsworth became a secondary narrator and I am quite proud of his sections.
The psychopomp
Horace Carver is a psychopomp. He leads the dead to their grave. With this role, he must know the dead in a personal way. Throughout the book, Horace encounters the dead and must find a unique way to lead them all to the hereafter. This is his announcement. He makes one at each of his distinct six chapter sections. This is Horace stating his reluctant purpose and going to task to fulfill his duties.
