Blog Archives
The Past Still Has The Power
Stony Place delves into the aftermath of a catastrophic event in the harmonious community of Cadence, forcing its citizens to confront the limits of peace and the persistent specter of racism in a transformed world. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I get my inspiration from what’s going on in the world, from past and current events. The great world leader, Winston Churchill, once wrote, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” And that is what the characters in Stony Place learn. The tragic massacre that occurred in 1921 forced the community into hiding for 100 years—The Rightful Future (A Cadence Mystery, Book 1) is the foundation book of this series and tells the origin story of the fictional town. The survivors thought the country would evolve and equality would be the norm by the time 100 years had passed. Unlike the way this country has never truly acknowledged its racial history, the people of Cadence are forced to confront the community’s tragic past. They learn the past still has the power to affect and define current events and people’s lives.
How did you navigate the challenge of balancing an extensive cast of characters while maintaining a cohesive narrative?
Lots of notes and keeping track of details! And getting to know my characters so intimately they appeared in my dreams. But the underlying theme of A Cadence Mystery series is the concept of community and the greater good, and even though this community is small, even small towns have a diversity of individuals who interact regularly. Like Louise Penny who has a rather large cast of characters in her Gamache/Three Pines books, some characters are in most scenes and the story is largely about them, and then other characters may come into focus and be part of the story then fade into the everyday life of the community, so you may see them again in another book in the series.
Can you discuss the significance of the 1921 massacre in the United States and why you chose to incorporate it into the story?
It’s important to understand that our racial history shaped and molded who we are as a country today. The transgressions of hatred, oppression, and violence committed over hundreds of years by powerful men, who were often motivated by their greed and self-interest, were codified into law and an economic model that benefitted only some and disadvantaged others. The systems they created still exist systemically and institutionally through inequities like voter suppression, red lining of real estate, unequal distribution of resources, the justice system, and gentrification. And like the characters who live in the fictional world of Cadence discover in the last chapter, we must accept how the past still influences the present and future, especially if we’ve practiced turning a blind eye to certain painful aspects of our history.
I endeavor to study the history of race relations—and sometimes finding the truth is difficult because the ones in power shape and control the historical narrative. A lot of people may not know that the Tulsa massacre was just one of many racially motivated massacres that took place across the United States after the Civil War and during a resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan after World War I. Black soldiers fought in the war, but when they came home in their uniforms, many were beaten or killed just for wearing the uniform and that didn’t only happen in the segregated South. The months of April through September 1919 are known as the Red Summer because white supremacist race riots, mass murder, and acts of terror happened in thirteen cities and one rural area in Arkansas over those months. Tulsa was not the only place with a thriving Black community that was decimated by race massacres in the history of this country: Colfax, Louisiana; Atlanta, Georgia; Elaine, Arkansas; Wilmington, North Carolina; and Rosewood, Florida were other areas where Black communities were viciously attacked and destroyed.
Currently, the FBI has named domestic terrorism as the biggest threat to homeland security, and many racially motivated mass shootings are still occurring today. Recall the mass shootings in Buffalo, New York and El Paso, Texas and at The Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and the historically significant Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
As the community of Cadence discovers, history can and does repeat itself.
What do you hope readers will take away from the thought-provoking dialogues and ethical dilemmas presented in the book?
We watch coverage of mass shootings on the news and social media sites—the repeated video clips, the number of emergency vehicles called to the scene, the count of lives lost and those injured, the interviews with community members who are often suffering from shock and post-traumatic stress, and the even more difficult interviews with family members who lost loved ones. But what conversations take place inside the homes and communities of those who suffer that kind of large-scale devastation and loss? How do individuals and communities put their lives back together? Is there a path to healing, and what does it look like? How does an event like this change individuals and communities? That’s the personal world I wanted to open for readers.
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Honored To Be His Son
Those Darn Stripes shares with readers parts of your life focusing on the connection you had with your father. Why was this an important book for you to write?
My father was my best friend, and his death left a hole in my soul. Writing stories about him became a way for me to fill the emptiness that enveloped me after his passing. And recounting these events also kept me connected to my dad because I relived the memories as I typed them.
But the book, in all honesty, is an act of love — a means for me to pay homage to my old man. Honored to be his son, I wrote Those Darn Stripes to honor him.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
Chapters 21 and 22 proved to be the toughest section to complete.
“The Red Oak”, which describes the last walk I ever went on with my pop, was extremely hard to compose. We revealed such painful and powerful things on our stroll. I vividly recall bawling right after I pressed the final period. In fact, I continue to cry every time I read that chapter.
“So Long, Squeak” was very difficult to finish, too. To put down Pop’s cat—his loyal companion of nearly two decades—just days after he died devastated my already fragile condition. The thought of petting Squeak at the vet, in her fading moments, haunts me to this day. I still catch myself staring at the ceiling in the wee hours now and then.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
Love was a central concept I wanted to cover. Be it between son and father, formed among friends, or found at first sight, I sought to share the varying types of love I experienced.
Loss was another one of my key themes. Saying goodbye to a partner, a parent, and a family pet took an emotional toll on me. I lost my confidence and felt like I was losing my mind at times. My reactions were raw, and I intended for readers to appreciate them in their purest form.
Laughter consistently made it onto the pages as well. Because it was important for me to incorporate humor, I often tried to poke fun at myself or joke about certain situations. My goal was to make people crack up as much as they teared up.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your story?
My dad was always his authentic self, no matter who or what he faced. I really admired that about him, which is why I aimed to author Those Darn Stripes in a style he would be proud of. Whether I was furious, confused, joyridden, or grief-stricken, it was crucial for me to convey the wide range of emotions I encountered during this pivotal juncture in my life. I want these genuine feelings to come through and, hopefully, readers can relate to them.
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The days slowly start to look brighter for the writer nevertheless. He unexpectedly finds love again. He eventually finds work that is meaningful. Just when he turns the corner, though, Nelson runs into another awful trot: he learns his best friend is going to die.
Those Darn Stripes captures an intimate and intense period which precedes and succeeds the death of Ty’s father. Using his bond with nature—a connection he learned from and shared with his dad—the author pictorially sets the scene of each vignette, taking his readers to meet memorable gals and gents, on foreign jaunts, to old haunts, and through moments that continue to haunt him.
They Just Wanted To Be Happy
Ellie Cat Wants To Know How To Wake Up Happy Everyday follows a curious cat who wants to figure out how to bind happiness each day. What was the inspiration for your story?
I had heard my daughters talking that they just wanted to be happy… not sure how to be happy. I wondered why that was a question, and so I penned out my thoughts of my simple response that was going through my head, which seemed obvious to me, but apparently not to my beautiful girls. Then I went on a step further to camouflage my little thoughts by weaving it into a children’s story so it would appear innocent and cute thus perhaps more readily acceptable than just plain advice.
What were some educational aspects that were important for you to include in this children’s book?
A simple stance, to be remembered and thus applied often.
Assurance in self talk and confidence.
Ability to know all is achievable, and that it starts with you.
What were some goals you set for yourself as a writer in this book?
Firstly, writing in an unambiguous manner to ensure the child immediately absorbed the story.
Secondly, endeavouring to create a warm relationship with the child whilst encouraging them to embody the premise of the book, that they “can do it”.
Thirdly, installing pauses, allowing their thoughts to arise.
The fourth goal was that I decided not to use my name and rested with the pen name Sam Rice. Sam was neither typically male or female therefore could not indirectly influence the reader/child, and Rice reflected a neutral nutritional aspect. The pen name Sam Rice felt quietly balanced leading to the merit of the book focused on the story itself.
What is the next children’s book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
I have 3 drafts already scribed to create the Ellie Cat series. Each book shall focus simply on the strength and joy of children’s characters.
Author Links: Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
A cute, curious, cat who through many tries, finds her “I can do it” attitude. This delightful and simple story will have you both constantly reading on how she becomes aware of her inner guidance, for ages 2 – 8 years.
This soothing and relatable story will have you also chatting about what you would do and the wonder of achieving your own self confidence.
A motivational “just try” and meaningful story to play with imagination, resulting in being happy with your own talents.
What Are The Real Choices
THE BODY POLITIC follows one strong and courageous woman who returns to her home-world and sparks a remarkable journey of empowerment and resilience. What was the inspiration for this installment in the series?
Good question, thanks. My stories are about the women, but not in the romance genre. How do women solve real world problems using the tools at hand?
I was concerned with how women make-do in a crisis zone. Not allowed to fight or open a business, corralled into refugee camps with too many orphans, no champion for their cause except photographers doing the pity tour.
What are the real choices for tribal women with no education and who don’t speak the language of the oppressor or the peace-keeping force? At what point do individuals hand off the kids and pick up a weapon?
How did the idea for the characters’ motives come to fruition for you?
Women operate in a network of relations. They will go to a mentor or female relative for suggestions on how to handle a crisis, and then take that projected solution to the husband. I feel that powerful real world element needs exploring in all types of stories, not just in the open structure of sci-fi.
In hero stories the women operate as archetypes and isolated from each other. They exist to show the hero is sexually active, by reflection. I keep wondering, “where are her sisters, aunties, cousins, BFFs, sorority sisters, convenient neighbors, or even the wives of her husband’s colleagues?”
Was it important for you to deliver a moral to readers, or was it circumstantial to delivering an effective novel?
I’m not certain about a moral, but maybe a fresh method to approach difficult shared problems. By stepping up to the fight, women must take the risk of pushback, and pay the cost of convictions. A success is more delicious when we are active participants.
Of course, that means adjusting some domestic issues such as child care, sources of income, and gaining support from other women who have similar struggles.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Kelly visits a neighboring planet Cicero where her aunt Carline Bryant takes over her education. While returning to Dolvia, Kelly meets the Australian adventurer Hershel Henry who has signed on for a tour of Dolvia as a photo-journalist. Henry takes an opportunity to interview the khalif on the opposing side of the tribal wars.
Pulling The Lens Back
Transformation Summer follows a teenage boy into adulthood who reflects back on the experiences he had at a camp and how those experiences impacted his life. Where did the idea for this novel come from?
This is probably going to sound like something out of a paranormal/sci-fi TV series, but it really did happen: One winter morning, I was returning to Boston from a visit to upstate New York and driving east on the Massachusetts Turnpike through the Berkshires. There’s usually not much traffic on that part of the Pike, certainly not at that time of day, so you can kind of unlatch your brain. And I just had a flash of inspiration, of two people having an encounter of some kind in one of those wooded mountain vistas I was seeing through my windshield.
I couldn’t even tell you what that original “flash” entailed, because I immediately started trying to pin it down, pulling the lens back to lend more context. Who are these people? Why are they there? How do they know each other? I just kept going through different possibilities and scenarios.
By the time I got to Worcester – roughly 45 minutes from my exit – I’d hammered out some basics: These were two people at an all-ages camp of some kind, not an ultra-wilderness setting or a vacation resort but a locus of activity with a purpose to it. Yet I didn’t want this camp to be affiliated with a specific organization or faith tradition or behavioral/personal-growth philosophy, either. I thought of it as being a grassroots, DIY-driven initiative that drew people from many different backgrounds.
In the weeks that followed, I decided the story would work better as a memoir, of somebody – Seth, our protagonist – remembering his time in that place (I thought “Toward Transformation” was a good 1970s kind of name for it) when he was a teenager; and that this experience was during a period of great emotional upheaval for him. Seth had not gone there willingly but at the behest of his mother, and at the outset was very skeptical about the whole business. And years later, he’s still trying to process it.
Was there anything from your own life that you put into the characters in your novel?
Not specifically, although I do remember the 1970s (when, like Seth, I was in my teens) as being awash in various personal growth-type programs and opportunities. You’d read or hear about them through TV, movies, magazines, or word of mouth, and it’s fair to say it wasn’t just “hippies” or people into alternative lifestyles who were involved, but middle-class Americans, too.
That said, I did reflect on the weekend youth programs I’d participated in as a teenager that were run by the Quaker meeting my mother and I attended (just to clarify, I did not formally become a practicing Quaker). At these programs – which dealt with aspects of personal growth – you’d see a lot of the same people, develop friendships or closer relationships over time, and you’d have your shared customs, rituals, in-jokes, etc. You also cultivated a set of behaviors and expectations around these gatherings: unlike at school, you felt you could truly open up and “be yourself,” and not suffer any consequences.
So I thought of those programs as the essence of an “intentional community,” a concept we normally associate with, say, housing cooperatives, collective households, communes, and the like. But I stretched the definition to include those instances in which we withdraw, temporarily, from the larger world into a setting that is its own ecosystem: a camp, a retreat, even an annual music festival.
So that’s how I envisioned Toward Transformation, and how Seth experiences it. In fact, he sees that the kids there his age, most of whom have been attending since they were in grade school, have formed their own intentional community within the larger adult one. Even as he’s struggling with his issues, and is wary about his mother’s involvement in Transformation, he’s intrigued by what he observes around him.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Certainly one theme concerns the hold that a memory can exert on us, even years after the fact. And implicit in this is the question, can a memory become an end in itself, ultimately more important than the actual people, places, or events it evokes? Can a memory keep us from moving on, moving forward, even as it enriches us?
Another salient theme in the book is how, at some point in our youth, we come to realize that adults – especially including our parents – are fallible, imperfect, even vulnerable. We may find this revelation perplexing, unsettling, and empowering, maybe all at the same time. That’s certainly true for Seth and some of the other characters in the book.
Yet another theme relates to what I said about intentional communities, specifically those that are formed around short-duration gatherings: After you’ve gained some fresh insights and ideas, or you’ve simply reveled in being in the company of like-minded others, how do you go back to the real world? Can you incorporate the qualities of that special community, that experience, into your everyday life? If you try to explain what it was like to a co-worker or classmate, will they get it?
This theme is more in the background, but I think it’s also worth considering: the downfall of a unified vision, of consensus. Through Seth, we can see that things are starting to come apart at the seams at Toward Transformation. People are expressing dissatisfaction with the camp’s direction or questioning some of its basic tenets. There’s also the suggestion of more deep-seated differences, notably in personal beliefs and political outlooks, that may further jeopardize its future. Was all this inevitable? Is there a way ahead?
What is the next book that you’re working on and when can your fans expect it out?
Well, I have two unfinished novels, one of which I started before Transformation Summer. That particular one is about a young man fresh out of college who goes to work at a weekly newspaper in early/mid-1980s Central Massachusetts — which, by an amazing coincidence, happens to resemble my life trajectory. It’s a coming-of-adulthood story, I suppose, exploring how we become our own, independent selves, however tentatively or shakily. I also try to depict the days and works of a small-town reporter in what now seems — sadly — like a long-ago-and-far-away era for journalism. I really want to finish that one, and I’m about two-thirds of the way through; I just have to decide how happy I want the ending to be. Wish me luck.
The other unfinished novel is a love story set in early-1980s Boston, which is where I lived while finishing up my undergraduate degree – another incredible coincidence. I already have the ending figured out, more or less, so I have to clear the path that will get me there.
I also took a short story I’d written and expanded it into a novel; technically, it’s finished, but I think I want to go back in and make some changes, because it has some similar elements as Transformation Summer (e.g., 1970s teenage boy with divorced parents). And believe it or not, I recently started mulling over an idea for another novel; I’ve tried to chase it out of my metaphorical yard, but the idea keeps coming back to the door.
It would probably be easier to pursue these various projects if, you know, I didn’t have full- and part-time jobs, both of which involve writing. But then again, I never – and I mean never – expected to finish writing, let alone publish, a book. Yet here we are. I welcome any and all encouragement.
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But Seth finds unexpected camaraderie with other kids there: brash, self-appointed leader Rafe; gorgeous, daunting Diana; quirky, endearing yet unsettling Morgana; and enigmatic Grace, with whom he forges a strong, emotional connection. He’s also heartened, intrigued and sometimes disturbed by what he encounters at Transformation, which after 10 years is showing signs of dissension among its participants. Well into his adulthood, Seth continues to process what happened during those two weeks at Transformation, and long afterwards.
Sean Smith’s Transformation Summer is not just a coming-of-age novel, but an exploration of how we experience memories of youth — from the perspective of accumulated years and wisdom, or as if we were still that same young person trying to make sense of the world. This poignant and thought-provoking book invites readers to consider the enduring influence of our past experiences on our lives.
Having Exciting Adventures
Drifters Realm follows three siblings and their friends with magical abilities who are part of an ancient prophecy and must prevent an impending war. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I love stories with mystery, as well as magical elements set in strange, faraway places in different time periods where the unexpected is possible and adventure lurks around every corner. The idea came to me years ago watching my kids lug around their backpacks, making their way to school, or to a friend’s house. The thought of teenagers living together and having exciting adventures has always fascinated me. Throw in a major conflict that on the surface seems clear but when you dig deeper it’s not, and a map, because no journey is complete without one, and then add a few twists and turns, stirring in characters you can relate to, heroes and villains alike, and voila, the book Drifters Realm was born.
What was the inspiration for the culture of your characters? Is it modeled after any particular society?
Inspiration for the culture in Drifters Realm came from my desire to capture a simpler time, without electronics and technology. The culture is not modeled after any particular society of which I am aware; rather it’s an amalgamation of ideas I wanted to explore.
Adding a culture of magic was essential. It was also important to expand the cultural aspects through the names of places within the story. I had a bit of fun naming everything in Drifters Realm to instill hope—Bliss, Eden and Paradise Farms—as well as drama—Misery Mountains, Impossible Lake, Desolation Mountains—as a backdrop to the story. Although some of the geography in Drifters Realm is similar to places on the West Coast, Drifters Realm and its culture is purely a work of fiction.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Drifters Realm is essentially a story of hope, despite the drama and impending threat to the characters’ way of life. The themes of family, friendship, and overcoming adversity are essential to the story. As the plot evolves in the next two books, Drifters Realm will continue to be a story of hope, family, forgiveness, friendship, and triumphing over the impossible.
Is this the first book in the series? If so, when is the next book coming out and what can your fans expect in the next story?
There are three books planned for the Drifters Realm series. Be on the lookout for the second book in 2024. In the second book, pieces of the prophecy become clear, and at the same time, a mystery unfolds involving the discovery of the Shadow Stone, the Mirror Tree, and the Ghost of Ruin trapped in an underground library. Meanwhile, there is something strange going on with the powers of each character, which defies anything that has ever happened in the history of Drifters Realm. These new happenings are key to understanding why the events in Drifters Realm are taking place, and hold the answers Roe, Theo, Ori, and the others need to restore peace and harmony to Drifters Realm!
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In Drifters Realm, twelve-year-old twins Ori and Roe, along with their older brother Theo, set out on a perilous journey in search of the truth about their father and the threat posed by the Menace to their way of life. As they journey, they must decide whether to fight against each other using their powers or to join forces in order to stop Quinlan and his daughter, Tora, who seek to destroy their peaceful existence.
Along the way, they encounter conflict, twists and turns, and complex characters, both heroes and villains. With the help of their unique backpack magic, transforming into a lion, or following a glowing ring to a magical blue pool under the stars is possible. In Drifters Realm, AnneMarie Mazotti Gouveia tells a compelling story of survival and the power of friendship and family.
Champions Of Our Humanoid Species
Earth’s Ecocide: Desperation 2647 has an intriguing setup to a novel that is high in social commentary. What was your moral goal when writing this novel and do you feel you’ve achieved it?
My moral goal was to raise awareness about the realities and convergence of climate destruction and artificially intelligent robots, and how it might end. We humans are committing “ecological suicide” by our inaction, debates, delays, and naivety. And no, I have not achieved my goal.
A more practical goal was to encourage movie producers and their firms to fund and make emotional movies on these topics. They are the masters of establishing “an emotion connection” between people and Earth’s biosphere. Many actors already support sustainability and climate mitigation initiatives. Movie producers can make the visual products that help create champions of our humanoid species and its home.
I call such emotional champions—champoids. What is a champoid? A champoid™ is a person who champions our humanoid species and supports and protects Earth’s biosphere. Through their beliefs and actions, champoids support all life forms and what we call non-life, including Earth’s rare, balanced, fragile, and priceless biosphere.
Some events in the book were chillingly similar to real life events. Did you take any inspiration from real life when developing this book?
Yes, some scenes in the novel reflect what is happening in our world today. Every day, I read about AI and Earth’s changing climate. In 2647, I use the Paris family’s trials and tribulations in a dystopian world as a mirror reflecting humanity’s potential future. Vela, Livia, Kutter, and an insightful home service robot named NILA sacrifice their well-being for the good of humanity.
One point on this reality issue. I could have written a science fiction book series with no relevance to issues of the day. Writing the Earth’s Ecocide book series was risky because of the controversy surrounding climate change and artificial intelligence. But I didn’t choose the easier path because of my sincere passion and love for this planet and all things in it. The following quote embodies the approach I follow in past academic and novel works. “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” (Source: Unknown)
I did my best to write adventurous and entertaining stories on these complex issues that I believe foretell human extinction. Professionals in film and visual arts can use the novel series to create captivating visuals that will make us cry for our one-and-only home planet. We must establish “a strong emotional connection” between people, and our species and the planet’s well-being. Champoids will push for AI and climate related laws and regulations to enhance our survival.
I hope you enjoy the stories in the book series, and they inspire you to protect our home planet, so future generations can enjoy its majesty.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
- Humans versus technology and nature.
- Personal autonomy and sacrifices versus helping humanity avoid extinction.
- Orb believers (e.g., alien protector, God) versus nonbelievers (e.g., atheist).
I hope the series continues in other books. If so, where will the story take readers?
At the end of Earth’s Ecocide: Extinction 3147, humanity no longer lives on Earth. The Imperium robot nation aided by climate destruction now controls Earth’s biosphere (called the upside). Intelligent robots are better suited for life on Earth than the human species. The collective robot society eradicates humanity with “no agony, no sympathy, and no apologies.”
Ceva is the name of the planet that orbits a star in the massive Antoinium galaxy, 49 billion light years from Earth. For a variety of reasons, the Cervian civilization has no hierarchical social classes, no national borders, a global and integrated economy, strange bodies and planet terrain, and common goals of well-being and survival. Past human families learn from the Cevians how to cherish and protect a planet’s biosphere and live in Plato’s world of forms. In Earth’s Ecocide: Ceva, humans reclaim Earth from the diabolical Imperium robot nation with the help of a cryptic orb.
Author Links: Atmosphere Press | GoodReads | Twitter | Website | LinkedIn
What will life be like if global average temperatures increase 2, 4, or 8 degrees Celsius? What will life be like if sea levels increase 1, 10, or 70 meters? What if both happen?
Create Their Own Ghost Story
Gothic Revival takes some inspiration from the creation of Frankenstein. Where did the idea for your original take on this novel come from, and how did it develop over time?
I’ve always been a fan of the classic, gothic stories like Frankenstein, Dracula, Jekyll & Hyde, House of Usher and such. Sometime last year I came across a reference to Mary Shelley and the Villa Diodati and started poking around, refreshing my memory of that fascinating story.
In researching the novel, I dove into more of the genre and time period, including re-reading Frankenstein (of course!) and the collection of German stories translated to French then English, titled Fantasmagoria. This was the book Byron read to his guests that summer, inspiring them to create their own ghost stories.
My last novel is a modern-day retelling of Hamlet, so I found myself starting there. What would a retelling of this real-life event be like? Of course, Gothic Revival is not a retelling. The host character, Eric, inspires his old friends to write ghost stories, which proved to be a good set-up for my readers. I knew I could write about adults who got MFAs in Creative Writing long ago, because I’m one of them.
Was there anything from your own life that you put into the characters in your novel?
I fictionalized certain dynamics from my marriage, and I borrowed from experience when crafting the different ways the characters tackle (and procrastinate from tackling) the task of writing a short story. Also, at times Chris is a kind of a skewed exaggeration of what I know about being an independently published author.
What scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?
The one I can talk about without spoilers is the first night at the villa in which Eric reveals his obsession to his friends/guests. His plan for the weekend comes out in a creative way. (One of the other characters actually figures it out beforehand.) His pitch and everyone’s reaction to it were definitely fun to write.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I’m writing my next novel which is titled Owned. It’s another psychological thriller in which a poor, impulsive decision made by a group of friends attracts the attention of a serial killer the media is obsessed with. The story is based on a screenplay I wrote years ago, so the project has become a reverse adaptation of sorts. Some interesting challenges have already come up. If I could have it out by summer 2024, that would be great. But there’s really no way of telling.
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Chris, Anne, Fiona, and Lauren were inseparable friends while earning MFAs in Creative Writing. Years later they’ve grown apart and are surprised to receive an invitation to a reunion from the fifth member of their group, Eric, a successful screenwriter. Eric flies them to a remote lake villa where he reveals his new obsession: their group is a modern version of the famous one from Villa Diodati in 1816, the iconic literary event during which Frankenstein was created. Chris and Anne are their Percy and Mary Shelley. The free-spirited artist Fiona is like Claire Clairmont. Instead of Dr. Polidori, they have Lauren, PhD in Victorian History. That leaves Eric, the Hollywood player, as Lord Byron. Like Byron, Eric proposes they write ghost stories, an homage to their famous predecessors. Laughter, creativity, and reminiscence are soon replaced with deceit, suspicion, and fear. What is the self-proclaimed clairvoyant Fiona seeing and hearing? Why does Eric lie? What does the creepy old housekeeper know about their host? Tensions grow as relationships are tested until a shocking discovery reveals the true intention for the reunion.
Fans of Gillian Flynn, Alex Michaelides, Lisa Jewel, and Alice Feeney will love the suspense and intrigue of Gothic Revival.
LITERARY TITAN 
