I had so much fun writing this book. Here’s a little about my stories, followed by the images I created as title covers for each story.

Serial Awakening follows Opal and Steve’s new relationship. I’ve attempted to show how much Opal loves Steve, and what if that all-consuming feeling became an obsession in a new depth hard for us to understand. She wants to seal his life, to freeze them in time so they always care for one another, to have her be the last thing he ever sees. Repulsed by her impulses, Opal struggles to keep Steve safe from her. When I told my husband about this story, he got a little creeped out. I assured him he would be fine. This story is actually about an ex of mine. Let’s see if he ever reads this.

Pan has always been my favorite god. He is the only god who is part animal, fun fact. I first fell in love with the Pan character in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and further favored him in Jitterbug Perfume. He is always sad, lonely, and a bit lost. There’s no exception in my retelling of how Pan came to be, and what happens when he falls in love with a forbidden nymph.

Rockingham was originally a prompt for the NYC Midnight writing challenge held in 2018. It’s a ghost story about a girl and her dog getting lost along the Appalachian Trail. I reworked it to fit modern times, but it’s the shortest and most gruesome of my stories. I used inspiration from the children’s books I used to read to my kids to create the little riddles.

Silver Sisters was created because I had just visited Sedona and had read about energy vortexes, which, according to Google, “are sites where the Earth’s natural electromagnetic energy is believed to concentrate, swirl, and spiral, facilitating intense spiritual, physical, and emotional healing.” There’s no healing going on for the characters in this story. Three teams of seniors race through the desert for a chance to win a competition. Only, the vortex is not cooperating, and the land turns against them.

The Last Morning is about a young woman who wants to become an extreme-vacation-destination influencer. Let’s just say I’ve been watching too many true crimes on Netflix. Harper and her boyfriend sign up for much more than they anticipated when they visit southern Greenland to capture the first sunrise of spring.

Café Lizard was first drafted in 2019. The story was choppy and unfinished. I revamped it quite a bit to fit the theme. Though it is loosely tied to spring, it is a mysterious, chilling tale. Beth and Leonard know the myths surrounding the quaint café, but young Cheryl won’t heed their warning when the Big Tipper comes to visit.

Finally, A Little Ghost Story of My Own is a nonfiction account of a ghostly encounter I had at my friend’s parents’ house many (many, many) years ago. Get whisked back to the 90s for a story that still gives me goosebumps to tell.

Special thanks to Steph Stevenson for allowing me to purchase her beautifully haunting artwork for my cover. Find her @stephasketch or on Etsy, which is where I found her.