Tale of a Story: Within the Plum Attic

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anthology, CS Boyack, DP Reisig, ghost story, Judi Lynn, Julia Donner, Mae Clair, Murder They Wrote, mysteries, Rachel Sherwood Roberts, Self-published, stories

Earlier this year, a person from my writers’ group decided to get authors together and publish a mystery anthology. Introduce fans of certain authors and genres to a wonderful world of words they might not find otherwise.

And she asked me to contribute! Not that I have “fans”…seriously, some of the authors in this anthology have several books out. But a chance for me to put more of my weird out into the ‘Verse was tempting.

However, as I prepared to e-mail back a “yes, I sure will”, I paused. For the word MYSTERY stared at me with its little beady eyes. Mystery? I don’t do mysteries. To help connect the different genres and styles, we would use the game of Clue as inspiration, each choosing a color, murder weapon, and room.

How could I pass up the opportunity? I told her I would try to come up with an idea, claimed purple (Prof Plum) and a candlestick in an attic (because creepy lives there), and my brain chewed on all sorts of thoughts.

But that darn mystery part.

I don’t read, watch, or write mysteries, so have no idea how to plot one, not that plotting is really my thing anyway.

As my creative gears began to turn…I wondered if maybe I do watch mysteries…

I love horror. Horror everything. It’s October right now and my house is covered in skulls. I watch many horror movies, some of my favorite include haunted houses…ghost stories.

And aren’t those mysteries? A spirit remains, a secret trapping them in a pocket of emotion, wrapped in an unresolved moment of their life. The 1980 film The Changeling (really good movie!) did an excellent job of giving clues to solve the mystery of the ghost.

So…all I had to do was create a past and present, two timelines linked by similar stories and emotions. Because I love when everything ties together! Once I knew who died and how, all I had to do was leave clues in a very ghostly manner for the poor twin teen girls who visited the attic, well, were drawn to the attic…

This was my first attempt at dual POV, wanting to give the tale from two different perspectives. One twin connected to the ghost and overcome by the leftover emotions that mirror her own. The other, the protector, the one fighting for freedom from what resides in the attic, and maybe freedom from something else as well. As they learn what happened in the past, they start to deal with new feelings and thoughts that had crept into their minds after they moved. But can they rid the attic of the ghost before the ghost sinks its invisible teeth into them?

I’m not telling.

And here it is!

Blurb from Amazon: Murder comes in 7 different genres. By 7 different authors. Are you a fan of courtroom drama? In the anthology’s first story, Abraham Lincoln defends a friend’s son against a charge of murder. For lovers of speculative fiction, Jason Fogg dissolves into mist to sneak through open windows and snoop for clues. How about a cozy? Jazzi, Jerod, and Ansel discover a dead body while renovating a kitchen, dining room, and half bath. Have a craving for a Regency? Lord Peregrine and his wife, Elizabeth, use their sharp minds and quick wit to solve a murder at a garden party. Need a bit of literary fiction? A young, lonely widow must deal with the theft of a valuable butterfly collection. And what about a little psychological horror? Twin sisters discover that their attic is haunted by not one, but two ghosts. Last, but never least, the anthology concludes with a historical mystery. A young, newly married knight is accused of murdering his obnoxious host at a holiday gathering in his castle.

Go get it for your Kindle on Amazon here.

I struggled to write this story. And I worried that my ghost story sitting among tales penned by more established authors would cause readers to ask what the heck that story was doing in there?

A few reviewers have chosen mine as one of their favorites, which surprised and delighted me. Thank you to everyone who picked up this book and enjoyed the seven tales of murder. Seven very different tales. I finally sat and read them and found each story, from cozy, to regency, to a little paranormal fogginess, to historical, held a new, engaging voice and a fun tale of whodunnit. There is something for everyone in Murder They Wrote.

Tale of a Story: UNTIL…

Tags

Jolene Haley, October, Snow White and Rose Red, Spooky Showcase, Twisted fairy tales

Once again, it’s time for the Spooky Showcase on the wonderful Jolene Haley’s blog. Every fall she sets a theme and invites authors and artists to write and draw anything they like and, throughout the month of October, Jolene posts them. And we all read and enjoy and celebrate all the art. This is the eighth year for the showcase and my seventh year participating. Links to my stories are on my blog’s SHORT STORY ACHIEVEMENT page.

This year’s theme was twisted fairy tales.

Through October, a new story or work of art will be posted to make the month more fabulous.

Today is my turn!

With the theme announced last summer, I immediately thought of a story I wrote years ago. One that received a place in an anthology, now out-of-print, and one that never became what it could be.

That story was “Together”. Based on the tale “Snow White and Rose Red”, the story explored someone with a voice in their head, one that certainly wasn’t real. As the story unfolded, Rosalie learns to accept Red’s voice and becomes stronger. It was fine, but there was always parts of it I didn’t like. So, here was my chance to rewrite it!

The original “Snow White and Rose Red” told the tale of sisters, who were always nice and, in the end, were rewarded for their continued kindness even in the face of evil.

So to twist it, I added in a little darkness. Because being nice is fine, but what about those moments when you can’t…or won’t be kind.

Rosalie’s mom always says to be nice, be kind, be good. If you aren’t you’ll be punished. So Rosalie tries because she’s scared by something in her mother’s voice, some terrible secret that lurks in her mom’s past. But there’s that voice in Rosalie’s mind. One she knows is real. One that takes over…because her fingernails are painted red and she didn’t do it, because her car radio is tuned to loud music and Rosalie didn’t do that either.

As the voice grows stronger, telling Rosalie to stand up for herself, to fight, Rosalie resists, insisting to be good. That she has to be nice.

Until…

And there is a deep dark secret in Mom’s past. But you’ll have to read it to find out.

Being kind matters. But fighting for yourself and others does too.

Go read “Until…” on Jolene’s blog, then go read the others. Follow on Twitter at #SpookyShowcase.

Jolene is one of the best people I know. She’s always supportive and always ready to fight for you. Participating in her showcase each year has been a pleasure and honor. Joining the spooky showcase means being a part of the writing community at its best, sharing words and ideas, spreading the joy. Everyone is welcome.

Maybe next year, you can add something.

Now go, make the world a better place.