When Fiction and Reality Merge

The other day I took a ride down a road located in my area.  This particular road I've mentioned before in earlier posts.  The name of the road is the same as the name of my series - Todd Hollow.  

It was a bright summer day producing deep well defined shadows.  Driving down the winding roadway, through what can look like a tunnel of tall trees, the shadows were quite pronounced.  The smalls lakes were high from the rainfull.  Some of the water had become discolored probably by growing algae beneath the surface.  The road produces a polarizing effect in that there are some really nice homes, but not far from these are small shacks, and what looked like abandoned trailers.  An abandoned horse trailer, rusted, dented, some of the brownish paint showing through gives a sense of not only abandonment, but also a sinister air of perhaps evil wrongdoing having been committed. 

Images of submerged bodies float through my mind.  I think of the stories I can write, and the fact that horrific events can occur along any road inhabited by ordinary folks. 

Yep, that's the way the mind of a writer works, at least my mind.  

Within our subconscious I think writers already create ahead of time their stories where they can germinate, percolate, and eventually come to fruition.  

The what if's fly fast and furious.  

We as writers don't just see through the boughs of trees, we see past them, into another dimension where roles are played out as good and evil battle it out.

 

Who remembers Pet Cemetery?  

Who remembers the road Stephen King writes about -- a back road in Maine -- similar to this road I talk about where fast moving trucks barrel by, some filled with newly cut timber?  And who remembers what happens to the main character's pet cat?   I was an avid Stephen King fan and so I continue somewhere in my psyche to become inspired by this genre.

A sense of impending doom fills me to some degree whenever I take the time to drive down Todd Hollow Road.  

Yes, I am inspired.  Story ideas queue up inside my brain, triggering those innermost cells to store the images so that when I sit down at my computer, I draft up a storyline that serves as somewhat of a catharsis or release for my own fears of the unknown.  

The third story in Todd Hollow is doing just that.  I know it is.  I feel this energy swirling inside me, plus an anticipation as well.  I want to get started.  In fact  I know before the distractions of these summer months I did start the third book.  The characters are waiting for me.  One in particular who must drum up the courage within himself to return to a place that had stolen from him his most prized possession.   Do I know what that is yet?  Somewhere in the nucleus of the cells of my brain, the part that stores memories from past times, I do.

Tonight I will again remember to lock my doors! 

One sight that greets the eye along Todd Hollow Road.

Yes, the truck on the right reads PHANTOM TRANSPORT.  This was taken last spring.  It is no longer there as of yesterday.  I'm thinking it disappeared, and just maybe might be found at the very bottom of the pond that is now covered with a thin coat of algae. 

Through these boughs I envison not only the lake waters, but something 

sinister ... something that will ensure I keep my doors locked at night. 

DEADLY GAMES and DEADLY AFFAIRS can be found at DAMNATION BOOKS  - The first two stories in my TODD HOLLOW SERIES. 

Creating New Worlds

While working on the eighth story in my mini series The Pleasure of Our Company I realized I had indeed created a new world, a fantasy world in which my mind will dwell for as long as I write this series.

For those who have read the first seven stories will easily see that what I've done with each story is to introduce characters.  Each character has their own story to tell.  It is like going into a new town and getting to know the people that live there.  Slowly, we start to form a sense of connection not only with the characters but the venue in which they exist, which is an escort service that provides pleasures in all forms for their clients.

Why an escort service?  I felt it provided an intriguing background for these characters, especially since such characters present a complex psychological makeup that allows me to create stories that can push the envelope.  Also the fact that good vs. evil is the common denominator here.  Who will win out?  Or will this become a never ending battle between the two, as it is in life.

The story line has been a constant challenge in the fact that I live with these characters in a way that will have me guessing each of their outcome.  Rhonda Barrett's story is the last one as far as introductions go.  This tells me that I've completed Book One in the series.  Book One is the initial phase where we get a glimpse of what is to come.  Deputy Jonah Church expresses it more succinctly in my last story when he tells a fellow co-worker we are in war!.  She assumes he means Afghanistan, but he clarifies that the war may take place right there in Westin Cove.

These revelations are what has been happening to me starting with Tanya's story, who is not the Master of her coven but we discover is only second in command.  Damon controls, orchestrates, and pretty much calls the shots.

From the start as I introduce these characters, each one has enough power within themselves to wreak havoc in the lives of those who form some connection with them.

The community they all exist is called Westin Cove, a fictitious town set somewhere within the boundaries of the state of Nevada.

Yes, I've created this world, and will continue to write these stories that can bring the mind to places of extraordinary circumstances.

The Pleasure of Our Company can be found at Amazon.com
Look for my Listmania or follow the links below to each story:

TANYA'S STORY

KACIE'S STORY

MARCIE'S STORY

JANINE'S STORY

JADEN'S STORY

ADRIANNA'S STORY

STEPHANIE'S STORY

RHONDA'S STORY - Scheduled for a September 2010 Release

A Reader Just Made My Day!

As writers we often wonder how much readers enjoy our work, or if they enjoy it at all.  Today Smashwords sends me a notification of a review done by a reader on one of the stories in my mini series The Pleasure of Our Company, specifically Kacie's Story. 

The review is short and to the point but it tells me a whole lot.  It tells me I'm on track and that I need to keep writing stories for this series.  Not a problem!   I'm having too much fun writing these stories, developing these characters, and creating plots that not only keep the series going, but create hopefully a fan base of readers who are looking for more.

The review reads: 

Review by: ROBIN STILLWELL on Aug. 17, 2010 : (no rating)
If your looking for real erotica this is an awesome story.
This is the best book out of the series.
I loved it.

Thanks Ms Stillwell.

Kacie's Story can be found at Amazon.com and also Smashwords

We're Halfway into August already!

As I sit here typing this I'm looking out of my side window at the western sky. It appears somewhat ominous out there with dark clouds coming in. Considering what they predicted --t-storms for this afternoon, I've kept a close eye on the western sky.

The last ones that came through brought with them a tornado, which is not a usual occurrence here where I live. In fact, in this part of the country we don't usually have  tornadoes hit us yet lately they have been mentioned in weather forecasts.

In fact I'm in one of the counties just mentioned on the TV where severe storm warnings have been issued.

I'm ready to once again grab my Peekapoo puppy, who sits close by side and head down into the basement beneath a desk where I already have a blanket, a flashlight, and other things to keep us comfortable. Scary yes!

Once the storms have passed I hope to get back to working on the eighth story in the mini series The Pleasure of Our Company.   Rhonda's Story is forthcoming.

For those who have followed this series up to this point, Rhonda as you may be aware is a newcomer, and right now is one of the clients of TPOOC's escort service.

That will change.

Things are really beginning to heat up in the town of Weston Cove. So far I ended the last story with one of the characters in limbo. Mainly because I needed to contemplate exactly what was going to happen to Nick Carter. He entered this state of limbo while experiencing pleasures with his favorite escort Adrianna, who knows not only how to push his buttons, but also how to push the envelope.

All this has been ruminating inside my brain. This is what happens to writers, and why a writer's mind is somewhat different from those who don't spend hours creating fiction.

We tend to get lost inside our worlds, even while performing mundane tasks that require not much thinking.

I know I often get a faraway look on my face.  Most attribute this look to pure bouts of daydreaming. That is what writers do more often than not -- daydream our way through a story from start to finish.

I've found that my mind works on aspects of a story on a  24/7 basis where eventually I am aware of where I must go not only with the plotting of the story, but also with what misadventures must occur.

Sometimes I don't always like what is revealed to me during these revelations. Yet I know even if unpleasant outcomes occur, then so be it.

I tend to write dark stories that delve into that side many deny exists within themselves. Some may call it the dark side of the soul. And it does exist. Some may even be born with this propensity to walk the line between what is regarded as good and what is labeled as evil.

Both series Todd Hollow and Weston Cove depict a reality that changes, presenting a venue where most things aren't what they appear to be on the surface. Many of my characters possees this inherent evil, or what Dr. Scott Peck in his book People of Lie, refers to as, "...that which kills the spirit. Evil is real and palpable in our lives and must be recognized as such. For only when we recognize evil in its many forms, and call it by name, are we able to heal it."

Yes, a certain evil exists within my characters who work at TPOOC. As I write these stories, I am constantly wondering myself who will win, and whether or not good or evil is the victor?