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Umbra - Book Tour and Giveaway

1/27/2021

53 Comments

 
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Umbra
by Yana Barbelo
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Horror 

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"A chilling and deeply psychological horror work that forces us all to face the deepest fears of our souls…" ~ K.C. Finn, Readers’ Favorite



Ohno Hoia is a custodian of a mysterious collection of seeds and a lonely soul tormented by her hideous, malignant shadow. What world did she come from? What century? She can't remember. She is a stranger to herself, a God's mistake.
Driven by the desperate wish to break free from the shadow and save the seeds, Ohno arrives at present-day California's desecrated shores. There she plants a garden the likes of which had not been seen since the days of Eden. While the garden's extraordinary power shocks humanity out of despair and transforms the land, Ohno's shadow grows fiercer and soon begins to threaten everything she holds dear. Now Ohno has no choice but to follow her tormentor as it takes her into the surreal, terrifying wilderness of her own soul - The Forest of Everlasting Night.
There she must meet the demons of her own making and ask the question she is dreading most: Who am I?
A spellbinding blend of horror and satire perfect for fans of Clive Barker, "Midian Unmade," Haruki Murakami, Angela Carter, Neil Gaiman.




"Dark fantasy at its best, Umbra is a story that is symbolic, fertile in the interpretations it allows readers... A spellbinding story that had me enthralled and completely pulled in. This is a story for readers who are seekers." - Romuald Dzemo, Readers' Favorite

"I never read anything so beautiful and unnerving at the same time.
Yana Barbelo crafts a tale that is imaginative yet intriguing, delighting readers and frightening them at the same time. The writing is incomparable... You need to read this story to discover its beauty." -Ruffina Oserio, Readers' Favorite


Goodreads * Amazon ​


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Yana Barbelo is a Russian-American writer, illustrator, psychiatrist. She is fascinated with fringes, edges, brinks, and all manner of liminality. She writes Literary Horror/Weird fiction, which explores the darkest contradictions of human nature.


Website * Facebook * Instagram * Amazon * Goodreads ​


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What the Hell is Visionary Horror? (Pun intended)
By Yana Barbelo

In its first incarnation, my novel Umbra was a pile of papers drifting aimlessly around my home, year after year, until it suddenly occurred to me that this odd collection of scribbles and drawings had something of a story to it. Excited like a kid on Christmas morning, I promptly typed it up and sent it to a beloved friend. (One of the biggest mistakes of my life. Don't you ever do it!)

Her reply was swift. She never read anything so appalling in her life. It was pure darkness, and I was the emanation of hell. She would pray for me. And should I ever decide to embrace the light of the One, she will be there for me. Until then, she would stay away from a soul so dark as mine. Wow, I thought. Didn't see that coming. I suppose a first review is like a first kiss, a total gamble.

Years and hundreds of iterations later, reviews from a bigger world started to arrive. "A monumentally original work of art" (my favorite). "This book just seemed to go nowhere. It just went in circles!!!!" (second favorite, 2-star on Goodreads). "A book worth burning" (heartwarming!). But I could not, for the life of mine, exorcise that very first one. Because paradoxically, it was accurate. There was something deeply disturbing in my telling, exhilarating for some, intolerable for others. I didn't know the name for this kind of story until another reviewer wrote "a simmering work of Visionary Horror." It dinged. That was it! Visionary Horror.

But what the hell was this Visionary Horror, and why I never heard about it? I went on digging and soon arrived at the scarcely known but massively insightful essay by C.G. Jung, "Psychology and Literature." In it, he distinguishes two modes of literary creation - psychological and visionary. The visionary mode is "a primordial experience that surpasses man's understanding...". So far, so good. I gave up to ever fully understand Umbra myself. Furthermore, "It arises from timeless depths; it is foreign and cold, many-sided, demonic, and grotesque. A grimly ridiculous sample of eternal chaos." If this is not a description of Horror I don't know what it. "It bursts asunder our human standards of value and of esthetic form... and allows a glimpse into the unfathomable abyss of what has not yet become." Visionary.

Visionary Horror.

I was ecstatic. My baby got a home. And impressive, although not very populous, pedigree. Greek Mythology and Old Testament, Dante's "Divine Comedy" and Goethe's "Faust ." Classic tales. But what about contemporaries? I asked almighty Google, and I got nothing but noise in response. There were no Visionary Horror books on the world wide web. I couldn't believe it.

I went back to Jung's essay. A relentless explorer of the depths of the unconscious, he left us clues by which we could identify a visionary work by the effects it has on us, readers.

We are astonished
Confused
Taken aback
Enchanted
Disgusted
Embarrassed
We may repudiate this kind of writing.
We demand an explanation.
We marvel.
Most of all, we perceive it as an experience, genuine, wholesome, and strange. Through the artist's imagination, we glimpse an alien enormity of his vision, and we are left to wonder.

When I applied these criteria, several novelists came to mind. Cliver, selected works of Murakami, Yashiguro, John Crowley's "Ka." I'm sure there are more, walking around in disguises - Dark Fantasy, Magic Realism, New Weird. I would love to bring them together in a list. But I can't read everything there is to read, can I? So I'm asking you, reader. If any book of this sort comes to mind, kindly drop a title in the comments.

Why is it important? Jung insisted that visionary art always "contains what may truthfully be called a message to generations of men." It seems to me that the discontent and poverty of meaning in our lives are caused, at least in part, by the lack of such messages.

The visionary creation draws from the depth of the collective unconscious. In a way, Visionary Horror is a collective dream, or nightmare, of humanity. And just like individual dreams, it contains a tremendous amount of energy, coiled like snakes behind each image, each word. If we are to harness this energy, we need to pay attention, welcome the vision, let it unfold, and inform us of things our waking mind can never conceive. Things that may be vitally important if we are to survive in this beautiful but gravely injured world.


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53 Comments
Bea LaRocca
1/27/2021 03:32:13 am

I like the book cover, synopsis and excerpt, this sounds like a thrilling read. Thank you for sharing your guest post and book details and for offering a giveaway, I have enjoyed reading about you and your work and am looking forward to reading your story

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Wendy Jensen
1/27/2021 11:10:45 am

The book details make this seem like a very dark book.

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Rita Wray
1/27/2021 12:18:01 pm

Sounds like a great read.

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Susan Smith
1/27/2021 01:30:08 pm

Sounds like a great book. I like the cover.

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Beyond Comps
1/27/2021 02:52:57 pm

Great cover!

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wendy hutton
1/27/2021 02:57:08 pm

very nice cover, congrats on the release

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Barbara Montag
1/27/2021 04:10:51 pm

Dark Fantasy, Horror - that's going to be an eye opener!
And an ominous cover to match.
Thank you for sharing the review.

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Jon Heil
1/27/2021 04:29:50 pm

What does the future have behind its door

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bn100
1/27/2021 07:30:28 pm

interesting

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Sherry
1/27/2021 07:45:07 pm

I really like the excerpt and think the book sounds interesting.

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Amy F
1/27/2021 08:01:24 pm

Love dark reads. The cover is awesome!

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lynn clayton
1/27/2021 08:27:53 pm

oh nice cover looks like a great read

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Victoria Alexander
1/27/2021 11:29:20 pm

Sounds like a good book!

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Debbie P
1/28/2021 06:47:29 am

this sounds like a very interesting book.

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beth shepherd
1/28/2021 05:33:12 pm

I like the cover and the blurb

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Lisa
1/28/2021 06:25:43 pm

Really beautiful cover.

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David Basile
1/28/2021 07:12:19 pm

Dark and good

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Mary Cloud
1/28/2021 08:25:22 pm

Sounds interesting - the cover is nice - thanks for sharing

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David Hollingsworth
1/29/2021 01:24:51 am

The story sounds dark and interesting.

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kelly tupick
1/29/2021 03:43:05 am

It looks and sounds like a great book, thanks for sharing!

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Angela Heerde
1/29/2021 03:51:27 am

i like book details

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Cynthia C
1/29/2021 09:44:57 am

The excerpt is interesting. Thank you for sharing it.

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Ginger Hafer
1/29/2021 11:24:58 am

The cover has a dark and mysterious look. Sounds like an interesting story.

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Debbi Wellenstein
1/29/2021 01:07:35 pm

I enjoyed the excerpt. Thank you for the giveaway!

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Ann Fantom
1/29/2021 01:43:07 pm

This sounds like an interesting book and I also like the cover.

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Thomas Gibson
1/29/2021 01:46:22 pm

The cover looks so good.

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Ellie Wright
1/29/2021 03:45:04 pm

Sounds like a great book. I'm looking forward to reading it.

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Robert Young
1/29/2021 05:47:55 pm

Nice Cover!
Good Luck with the Book!

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Terri Quick
1/29/2021 08:48:03 pm

Cool cover

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Marcy Meyer
1/30/2021 01:59:10 pm

I like the simplicity of the cover. Very eye catching.

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Abigail Gibson
1/30/2021 02:46:56 pm

I can not wait to read this!

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Jamie Martin link
1/31/2021 06:39:47 am

Any writer's block tips?

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Monica McConnell
1/31/2021 05:31:40 pm

sounds very interesting, i can not wait to read it .

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June S.
2/1/2021 10:49:43 am

Umbra sounds like a great new book to read.

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Laura Rubenstein
2/1/2021 03:10:08 pm

this sounds amazing

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Danielle Day
2/1/2021 07:42:24 pm

It sounds good!

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Emily B.
2/4/2021 02:53:09 pm

I like the mysterious, elegant look of the cover.

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Serge B
2/8/2021 06:45:20 am

Love the dark cover!

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Karin
2/11/2021 06:38:17 am

Great cover art!

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Christy R
2/18/2021 01:10:01 pm

Very artistic and beautiful cover. I wish you best of luck with the book.

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Nancy
2/21/2021 04:00:44 pm

I think that the cover of your book is interesting and intricate.

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Allison Swain
2/21/2021 09:25:11 pm

The cover art is beautiful. I also enjoyed reading the excerpt, and about the book! It made me want to read more. Thank you for the chance to win :)

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Daniel M
2/25/2021 06:47:29 pm

like the cover

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Karen M
2/25/2021 07:47:08 pm

Great cover!

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Heather Mahley
2/26/2021 11:30:24 pm

The book sounds so good

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Arthur Begly
2/27/2021 12:26:05 pm

a neat sci fi

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jose rosado
2/27/2021 01:53:21 pm

What do you think of the book details? Do you have any questions for the author?


The blurb seems very intriguing , i like it

THX

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Betty Curran
2/27/2021 02:03:44 pm

Sounds like an intriguing read.

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latisha depoortere
2/27/2021 08:39:23 pm

Thank you so much for sharing!

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Leigh Nichols
2/27/2021 09:35:15 pm

The cover is beautiful, the story description is enticing. Can't wait!

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megan allen
2/27/2021 09:49:46 pm

Thank you for sharing! Happy release!

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Jerry Marquardt
2/27/2021 10:03:18 pm

I would like to give thanks for all your really great writings, including Umbra, and wishing the best in keeping up the good work in the future.

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Stacey A Smith
2/27/2021 10:13:06 pm

the cover is a trip but in a good way.

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