Oubliette is a mosaic of interwoven tales that are unexpected, fresh, and deliciously twisted. There are plenty of thrills and chills to be found here.
—John Stuart Wildman, Director, The Ladies of the House
Press Room
June, 2017
Official Press Release
Oubliette — A Forgotten Little Place by Vanta M. Black Receives Two International Honors
Novel about American Sisters Lured to a Mysterious Castle in France's Loire Valley Becomes International Hit
November 28, 2016
Official Press Release
Vanta M. Black Wins Two Prestigious Awards for Novel: Oubliette — A Forgotten Little Place
The Paranormal Thriller wins the General Fiction category from the Southern California Book Festival Awards, and also takes Top Honors in the Halloween Book Awards...
September 12, 2016
Official Press Release
The Dark Universe: A Panel of Horror Authors
Moderated by Vanta M. Black, the event features authors Brad C. Hodson, Lisa Morton, and Kevin Wetmore. Held at the Flintridge Bookstore & Coffeehouse, the panel keeps in the Halloween spirit...
August 15, 2016
Official Press Release
Trip to France Is Top Prize in Fan Fiction Contest
Aspiring writers are given the opportunity to win a trip to France in Oh Lá Lá Oubliette—the Ultimate Fan Fiction Contest. Presented by Black Château Enterprises, the contest invites fans to...
May 3, 2016
Official Press Release
Announcing the Beach-Bound Book Brunch: An Opportunity for Authors and Reader to Discuss Top Summer Books
Authors and readers to enjoy brunch while discussing this summer’s premiere reading material, May 21, 2016 at The Anchor in Venice Beach, California. Presented by Black Château Publishing and Sponsored by Prophecy Girl Films and Seated at the Writer’s Table. Read more...
February 21, 2016
Official Press Release
An Evening with Vanta M. Black--Presented by Prophecy Girl Films and Black Château Publishing
Vanta M. Black, the author of Oubliette—A Forgotten Little Place, will discuss genre writing and the art of the novel on Sunday, March 20th at the Secret Rose Theater in the NoHo Arts District, North Hollywood, California. Read more...
November 19, 2015
Official Press Release
Most Haunted Castle in Ireland Inspires Most-Wanted New Book
Inspired by the oubliette inside Leap Castle, the famed most haunted castle in Ireland, and driven by historically accurate events. Read more...
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The Story Behind the Story:
What Is Oubliette—A Forgotten Little Place all About?
Vanta M. Black's book, Oubliette—A Forgotten Little Place, is a based on true events and historic legends. A collection of interwoven stories that center around the oubliette of a fictional castle in France, each tale is rooted in reality or quantifiable myth.
Most poignant of all, Oubliette is inspired by the real oubliette at Leap Castle, the famed most-haunted castle in Ireland. In the 1920's it was emptied out, and the remains of over 150 different bodies were removed with wheelbarrows. A worker found a pocket watch in the remains, and it dated from the mid-1800s. This revealed how very recent the oubliette had claimed victims.
When hearing about Leap Castle's oubliette, Black imagined there must be a myriad of forgotten stories behind each soul who met their fate within it. This singular thought became the inspiration for writing Oubliette—A Forgotten Little Place.
Vanta M. Black also calls on her own experiences with entities known as shadow people, and their horrifying late-night visitations, to deliver this masterful jaunt into terror. Once dismissed as simply night terrors, Black was forced to question what the "things" that visited her were, after someone else witnessed one preparing to attack her as she slept.
Other inspirations include legends from the Knights Templar, the French Revolution, the Reformation, the Holy Roman Empire, the Paris Catacombs, and the Black Death.
If you enjoy intertwining stories like those of Ray Bradbury and Richard Matheson, epic adventures such as George R. R. Martin and J. R. R. Tolkien deliver, horror which Stephen King and Clive Barker weave, classics from H. P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe and Mary Wollenstonecraft Shelley, historical fiction in the same spirit as those penned by Philippa Gregory and Elizabeth Chadwick, and thrillers reminiscent of Dean R. Koontz and Dan Brown's, you'll enjoy devouring Oubliette—A Forgotten Little Place, by Vanta M. Black.
Popular Vanta M. Black Interview Questions
1. What is an oubliette?
2. Tell us about the REAL oubliette that inspired the book. You visited it at Leap Castle, what was it like?
3. How did the night terrors and your real visits from alleged "shadow people" influence the book?
4. What are some well-known legends about shadow people?
5. All of the story lines in Oubliette have some degree of historical accuracy, can you elaborate on the Plague, the French Revolution, the Inquisition, the Knights Templar, and any others?
6. A scene in the book references the Paris Catacombs, you went there to do research, can you describe what it was like?
7. The relationship between the sisters in Oubliette feels so real. Does that have anything to do with your relationship with your sister?
8. Do women like horror? Is writing a horror novel with equally strong female protagonists as male, challenging? How did you shatter those stereotypes?
9. After experiences like yours, and writing a horror novel like Oubliette, you must believe in ghosts, right?
Bio of Vanta M. Black
Vanta M. Black, author of Oubliette—A Forgotten Little Place, enjoys uncovering the dark mysteries of our Universe. In addition to writing, she enjoys traveling to provocative places and studying all things esoteric.
Black has degrees in English, communication and art. She resides in Southern California with her husband and pug-mixes, and spends her time in support of causes that empower women and advance science and technology.
Oubliette — A Forgotten Little Place copyright © 2016 by Vanta M. Black.
Website, art, cover, and jacket design copyright © 2016 by Black Château Enterprises.
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