My Favorite Things with Danielle Ackley-McPhail

They might not be raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but that doesn’t mean that we love them any less. Welcome back to My Favorite Things, the weekly column where we grab someone in speculative circles to gab about the greatest in geek. This week, we sit down with Danielle Ackley-McPhail, whose Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn — co-written with Day Al-Mohamed — comes out from eSpec Books on April 28th!

What does Danielle love when she’s not writing steampunk fairy tales? Spoiler alert: funny homages to sci-fi classics, an animated film she’ll always pick to watch, baking that’s simply magical, having fun with wolves, and a restaurant that caters to “meatitarians.” Curious? Read on to learn more!

Such a difficult task, choosing just a handful of favorite things. Not only are there so many, but I keep myself busy enough I lose track of time. Hours. Days. Years. They all blend. ☺ I have been a fan of all things speculative from a very early age. What complicates things even more…sometimes I’m late to the game! So, I’m not going to worry about time for this first one.

All-time favorite movie ever…Galaxy Quest! Never before have I laughed in a movie harder. I swear, I spent at least half of the time absolutely splitting my sides, the other half trying not to. See, my husband is a serious Trekkie…or do I mean Trekker… oh, I hope he doesn’t see this. I don’t remember which one makes him puff out his chest and which one makes him glower in offense. Anyway, long before I ever went to my first convention, he lived the adventure.

More than half of the fannish characters in that movie could have been him. From the costumes to the schematics to standing in line to see the stars to cramming 20 people in a hotel room just to make sure everyone could afford to go. I can’t tell you how many times I just looked sideways at my husband during the movie and just cracked up! Never have I enjoyed a movie more because of the authentic way it captured the culture, the gentle fun it poked at it, and the absolute tribute to fandom it represents. And so many awesome lines! We still quote this movie to this day….

And that brings me to my next favorite: The Orville. This is what happens when classic Trek and Galaxy Quest collide. It masquerades as a good-natured spoof produced by the ultimate fanboy, all while hiding some serious steel beneath that seemingly soft exterior. And McFadden does it with such fine precision. The humor and the drama coexist and flow together into a stunning production that leaves you in awe, amused, and bemused all at the same time. Eagerly awaiting more!

Favorite animated movie: Kubo and the Two Strings. Let me start out by saying while I enjoy animation, I wouldn’t call myself a fan. I like to see certain things and enjoy the artistry and storytelling, but most of the time I prefer live-action fare. This one is different. It is so unique and so masterfully done, that it gripped me and made me excited to sit down and watch. From the lore to the imagery to the turns of phrase. I tremble eagerly when I hear the line “If you must blink, do so now…” One of just a few select tales where storytellers take the center stage, and they did it so well. Rarely will I walk into the DVD room and chose an animated movie to watch (my husband already has that covered) but whenever I do chose animated it is this movie or anything by Miyazaki.

Favorite book: I rarely have what I would call a favorite. I read so much, it takes a lot for any title to hold my attention for long once the reading is done. However, one book stands out because it has such a unique premise and such engaging characterization: The Confectioner’s Guild by Claire Luana. This is the first in a series and I enjoyed it enough to pounce on the sequel, The Confectioner’s Coup, when it was available. Such a unique voice and perspective, a delightfully tasteful and original approach to common intrigues and tropes. Definitely an author on my watch list.

Authors, however, are a very different creature. Right now, my favorite is Patricia Briggs. Her Mercedes Thompson series is one of the few I will let myself buy at full paperback price. Believe me, an indulgence. I don’t usually let myself buy treats that are just for me, but this author/series is one of them. All the same tropes that are in the genre in legion, but with unique spins and vivid characterization that makes you not care. She draws up unusual aspects of myth and lore and just has the best fun with them. Given that I have a fascination with mythology and love to include in my writing myself, I am definitely drawn to myth/lore-based fiction. She can tell me stories any day!

Favorite restaurant: Fogo de Chao, hands down every time. I am a meatitarian. Carnivore all the way. No restaurant has ever consistently put me into food nirvana than Fogo. While my absolute favorite thing is when they bring around the lamb of any type, I don’t think I’ve had anything there that I haven’t enjoyed. I will make myself get one plate from the salad bar before I can have any meat because I know when they start to bring that I won’t be interested in anything else. And the service has always been beyond impeccable. In fact, once I make it known all I’m really interested in is lamb, they always keep a steady stream coming. If this was Demolition Man I would make sure Fogo de Chao won the franchise wars.

Well…I can’t say those are all of my favorites…but that is at least six. Thanks for letting me have some fun!

Award-winning author and editor Danielle Ackley-McPhail has worked both sides of the publishing industry for longer than she cares to admit. In 2014 she joined forces with husband Mike McPhail and friend Greg Schauer to form her own publishing house, eSpec Books.

Her published works include six novels, Yesterday’s Dreams, Tomorrow’s Memories, Today’s Promise, The Halfling’s Court, The Redcaps’ Queen, and Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn, written with Day Al-Mohamed. She is also the author of the solo collections Eternal Wanderings, A Legacy of Stars, Consigned to the Sea, Flash in the Can, Transcendence, Between Darkness and Light, and the non-fiction writers’ guide, The Literary Handyman, and is the senior editor of the Bad-Ass Faeries anthology series, Gaslight & Grimm, Side of Good/Side of Evil, After Punk, and Footprints in the Stars. Her short stories are included in numerous other anthologies and collections.

In addition to her literary acclaim, she crafts and sells original costume horns under the moniker The Hornie Lady Custom Costume Horns, and homemade flavor-infused candied ginger under the brand of Ginger KICK! at literary conventions, on commission, and wholesale.

Danielle lives in New Jersey with husband and fellow writer, Mike McPhail and two extremely spoiled cats.

To learn more about her work, visit www.sidhenadaire.com or www.especbooks.com

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