Everything Else

Dark Angels

I wrote a story “Dark Angels.”

Is this Dark Angels?

Sometimes I write long, interconnected novels with many short stories that have references to each other.

This story isn’t like that.

Sometimes I write short, poignant stories about people in crisis with problems that mirror society’s ills.

This story isn’t like that, either.

Dark Angels is set in a cider mill, a popular destination in the Midwest, in autumn. Going to a cider mill in September and October is always a treat in more ways than one. It’s not only the food—it’s the vibe. Even if it’s raining, you’ll likely have a great time. To me, there’s something about a harvest festival that represents a coming together or sense of belonging. I grew up in a modern suburb, not a farm, so there’s no familiarity with cider mills, but I feel at home there.

This story is set on the last day the cider mill is open. Generally, places like cider mills close in the month of November. On the way home from work, the cider mill I pass closes the day before Thanksgiving, and that’s late in the year.

Though it was the last day open, I stopped in once to buy doughnuts and cider. “The last taste of autumn,” I called it. And it was delicious, but also a little sad. The food was still good but the vibe was gone.

This story isn’t sad like that.

Dark Angels lives in its own little creative corner of my mind, and on publication day, I’m happy to share it with you.

Story: https://everydayfiction.com/

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Review Dreaming Beauty

Cover Dreaming Beauty

C. Rae D’Arc’s Dreaming Beauty has all the elements of a fairy tale retelling as well as several surprises. The first in a series, Dreaming Beauty combines the fantasy and romance of a fairy tale with the snark and modern sensibility of a contemporary. This combination worked with great success in her second novel Don’t Marry the Cursed, and it again serves her well here.

Princess Emerald (“Emer”) of Somnus and her royal sisters sneak out at night to dance with other royals on an island. Sound familiar? She also has been put in a deep sleep after pricking her finger on a needle of a spinning wheel. Also, very familiar. Where we depart from the standard narrative is when the book explores what happened to Emer while she’s dreaming.

She has a vivid and astonishing dream of a world with metal ships that fly overhead, electronic boxes that tell you everything you want to know, and scandalous clothing. In other words, she lands in twenty-first century United Kingdom. She meets two travelers while she’s dreaming who are looking for adventure. Fortunately, they are rich and can afford a leisurely tour of the country while searching for a place where Emer might be transported back home.

The book takes an unexpected turn about two-thirds of the way through and events change dramatically. Until then, this fish-out-of-water tale succeeds in bringing to life both “Sleeping Beauty” and modern-day Europe. Funny and poignant, Emer’s experiences are an adventure in themselves though most of the plot doesn’t revolve around a fairytale land. The last hundred pages provide a different sort of adventure—one I believe most readers will enjoy.

The characters are charming. Emer is both a princess and utterly lost in her new world. Her main escort Caden is both a prince of a person on Earth but also guarded and conflicted. And my favorite character Charlotte is a hoot. She’s a fantastic antagonist.

The subtitle announces this is book one of a series. While most threads aren’t wrapped up in a nice bow, the book does resolve its major conflicts while leaving the reader anticipating more. The dramatic shift in the third act may leave a lot of questions, and the final chapters may pack a lot in a short space, but it still satisfies. Be aware that more stories await the reader of Princess Emer’s adventures.

Well-written and carefully plotted, Dreaming Beauty is a solidly constructed novel that starts with Sleeping Beauty but springs into a narrative all its own. I’m excited to find out where C. Rae D’Arc will take the Dreaming Princesses series next.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B4KGP4KN

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Review of The Door

Cover of The Door

On a recommendation from a family member, I read the mystery novel The Door by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Many people have forgotten this woman, but in her time, her novels rivaled Christie’s in popularity. At one point, she was called the American Agatha Christie. The Door was published in 1930 and is past its 90th birthday.

I am a fan of the Golden Age of Mystery and have read quite a few of Christie, Carr, and Queen. I have also sampled both Wolfe and Sayers, so I have read more of this particular age than the average reader. Christie makes the impossible seem simple, Carr is a master of macabre and locked rooms, and Queen’s puzzle plots require a notebook to figure out. Where does Rinehart fit into the tapestry of The Golden Age?

The Door is a simple murder mystery. A live-in nurse of Elizabeth Jane Bell’s family is murdered near her house after taking the dogs for a walk. About the same time, an intruder trespasses into the Bell home, and the narrator sees him from the waist down. Who is the murderer? Judith, the lively niece straight out of the 1920s era? James, the family member hiding what he really did the night of the murder? Wallie, a disinherited son after his father married into the Bell family? Or Mary Martins, the mysterious secretary who seems to appear and disappear when tragedy occurs?

Usually, what makes a great mystery is some small element in the crime that stands out. In this case, who would murder Sarah Gittings, the nurse, as she had no influence over the family? She disappeared at first, so what happened between her disappearance and her death? And why was she found with her shoes removed?

The plot continues with more mayhem and twists toward its final conclusion. The novel is a page-turner. As it progresses, more and more detail comes out on the fatal night. The narrator, being the most innocent in the family, opens a figurative closet door to have a cascade of family skeletons land on her.

And what of the titular door? The Door is an interesting title as the door is referenced at the start and near the end. It plays a pivotal, though very small, role in the course of events. I expected much more of it.

The writing is in the style of “If I had only known then what I know now.” This has fallen in popularity in the modern age to the point where it’s rarely used today. That said, it was fun to read such a breezy style of a bygone era. Be aware that Rinehart uses racial terms that today would be excised but were considered normal in her time period.

Overall, The Door is a delightful little mystery. As I read Rinehart’s entry on wikipedia, the claim is that this book isn’t one of her best novels. It doesn’t hold up to a novel by Agatha Christie or John Dickson Carr, but it does provide a solid narrative of a straightforward mystery. If you’re curious to read a period piece, The Door may be just the mystery you’re looking for.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E4UXAZY

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About Twisted Cypress Way

If you are reading this on July 7, 2022, go to gohavok.com and enjoy a free story by yours truly. I’d appreciate your patronage. Also, this article has spoilers! Including awesome art at the end revealing the monster in the story! https://gohavok.com

Art by Daniel Johnson

“Down Twisted Cypress Way” is my fourth publication in the excellent Havok online magazine—flash fiction, usually speculative. The next six month’s themes are vice & virtue, and this month’s is cowardice and courage. My plan is to write a story for each vice and discuss the vice a bit, in particular, how it relates to fiction.

What is cowardice? It’s not lack of fear or self-preservation but an excessive amount of worry over one’s self-being. Cowardice could lead to some disastrous results in an emergency or in war.

Cowardice to courageousness is an interesting change for people and an interesting arc for a character. When writing a story, the best research to do is to observe people. The real situations in your life lead to the ideas of the story.

In order to make your less-courageous characters interesting, consider charm, tragedy, or connecting to familiar experiences to make them appealing. Scooby Doo is a charming coward. 

Our cowardly hero, Zadie, is not based on anyone I know specifically. However, I’ve met a few women who live in fear because of trauma in their past. Zadie is my reflection of their behavior, and her arc in my story is my prayer for them. I want them to heal, to feel not alone, to understand that the terrors that they’re so afraid of, we’re all afraid of. For the Zadies out there, it’s okay to be afraid but don’t let it define you.

If you read the story, the epilogue is Zadie and Hugo end up getting married and living a wonderful life together. It’s the best happy ending I can give to one of my favorite characters.

Following is an illustration by the talented Dan Johnson of my story, “Down Twisted Cypress Way.”

Art by Daniel Johnson (artisticknack)
Everything Else

Review Havok Casting Call

Cover Casting Call

Havok’s latest anthology, entitled Casting Call, examines many common archetypes of fiction in several genres (fantasy, mystery, comedy, etc.). The magician, the wizened elder, and the sneaky rebel are but a few character types offered in a flash fiction—one thousand words or less—story. As usual, Havok’s high quality is on display across its forty-four entries.

Unlike most of my reviews, my son and I both read all of Havok’s anthologies, so you are treated to two opinions. We each rate the story from 1-10, and I also assign a 1-10 rating to how elegantly the piece is written and how well it captures the archetype. The archetype rating is new for this theme. If I can’t discern the character type, it receives a low rating. If I think the author did a decent job on the character’s archetype, it receives a 5 or 6. If the author, however, keeps within the archetype but does something new or refreshing with it, it receives top marks.

I’m included

Full disclosure. I wrote one of the stories in this anthology. I won’t reference it but will keep this an impartial review. I always review Havok anthologies no matter who are the authors. See Short Stories and Poetry

My top stories strictly based on preference were “A Handful of Twigs,” “Singing Down the Dark,” “The Bodies in Question,” “The Watchman,” “Gone Fishin’,” and “Beacon Across Time.” But the one that stood out for me was “The Good Boy” by Michael Teasdale in the Caregiver / Lover category. To me, this captures the essence of science fiction. Set in the future, it humanizes a non-human caregiver in a poignant way—a very moving piece.

My son’s top stories were “Tomorrow,” “Iron Hood,” “A Handful of Twigs,” “Shiner,” “The Wandmaker’s Offer,” “The Fears,” “Bridge Vigil,” “Save the Cat,” “Gone Fishin’,” “Beacon Across Time,” “I’ll Explain Later,” and “The Nightmare Hunters Before Christmas.” But his favorite story in the anthology was “Blink” because “it was really different.” 

This anthology holds a rare occurrence where both my son and I rated one story very high. This offering could’ve been both of our favorites. The story, “Jester’s Maze” by Lincoln Reed, is easily a standout in this anthology. This piece of flash fiction captures both the essence of Halloween and a chilling thriller at the same time, and I consider this one of the best horror short stories I’ve read this year.

Several stories received high ratings in the writing category including “Fines and Flames,” “Singing Down the Dark,” “Orf vs. the Peak-Beast,” “The Watchman,” “All I Did Was Science,” “Jester’s Maze,” “Paperbound,” and “Blink.” The runner-up for best written was “The Ruler and the Rebel” by Andrew Winch—some wonderful prose here. However, if I had to choose one, I would say you will find some superb writing in “Beacon Across Time” by Teddi Deppner. The words just flow across this engaging entry.

And how about the theme? This was the most fun part of the anthology for me. The creative ways people used the archetypes in the story often delighted me. I cannot describe some of these stories because of spoilers. For Ruler/Rebel, read “Tomorrow” and “The Ruler and the Rebel.” A unique magic “system” exists in “Singing Down the Dark.” And stereotypes are ridiculed in “The Bodies in Question.” Sometimes a fighter is more than someone who battles others as in “The Hero of Kittens.” And “Just a Hench,” told by a henchwoman looking for a job, is a wonderful study in point-of-view. “The Path Home” won me over in the Creator/Explorer category (it has both). The Caregiver role has a dark side in “Paperbound.” And “Gone Fishin’” is such an original idea, one has to read it to believe it. The innocent narrator in “Beacon Across Time” learns a valuable lesson from an unlikely alien species. A child’s wish has power in “Dandelion Wishes.” And even a hobo has to start somewhere in “Blink.”

This category has a tie for the best of the best. Both stories are about caregivers, and the two stories couldn’t be more different. The narrator of “Bridge Vigil” is an odd character until you find out her reason. And “A Wake of Vultures” starts with a dying turtle’s wish for a caregiver, but the answer is anything but straightforward.

So what will it be? A courtroom drama where “The Verdict” isn’t the final judgment? A world where “A Handful of Twigs” is significant…or is it? Should you battle giant monsters (“Shiner”) or encounter something deadly in an out-of-the-way tavern (“The Skinwalker”)? From a small girl trying to find “A Path Home” to a “Beacon Across Time” (and space) to an abandoned corn maze named “Jester’s Maze,” everyone will find something they’ll love in Havok’s Casting Call.

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B2W7F7GR

Everything Else

Review What Darkness Fears

Front Cover What Darkness Fears

An anthology that celebrates stories of darkness overcome by the light is a tricky endeavor, to be sure. The best thrillers put their audience into the depths of the pit, and readers won’t be satisfied with a cheat or treacly ending. This premise makes a promise—expect darkness, then watch it fail.

For certain, the anthology doesn’t cheat on the number of offerings and poetry. The panoply of stories offer everything from ghosts to leprechauns, and the poetry have a similar wide range. This reviewer doesn’t feel qualified to review poetry so you won’t see any further mention of the poems other than to say they were all enjoyable and creative.

Many prose entries stand out, not surprising as this book has a few Realm nominations (as of this writing). One of them, “The Forbidden Library” by Anne J. Hill, is steeped in mystery and takes unexpected turns through most of the story. Atmospheric and creepy at the start, the tale resolves with an interesting premise. This also wins the award for being a story that writers will appreciate the most.

“The Guardian of the Maelstrom” by Maseeha Seedat, describes just what a ship in the middle of a rageful tempest will encounter when it sails into the eye of the storm. The technical language, the memorable main character, and the vivid descriptions of the sea is a unique combination of Melville and Derelith.

Many ghost stories inhabit the pages of this book, each with their own flavor. “The Ghost in the Thicket” has darkness but also mystery. While set in modern day, it has an appealing Victorian tone to it that kept me enthralled throughout. I was sorry to see this one end.

While fantasy is a common genre through the book, Beka Gremikova’s “A Taste of Life” took the world building of a fantasy novel and captured it in a short story. The reader senses the history, the culture, and the tragedy through the details of this delightful entry. A beautiful tale of love lost—but not entirely—this offering will remain in your memory long after it’s done.

A few of these stories read like a Twilight Zone episode but one is more suited to the television show Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Because of its singularity, “Nightfall” by D. A. Randall makes an impression as a huis clos premise with a wonderful twist at the end. To me, this story saluted old black-and-white thrillers. I would pay to see this on the silver screen.

“The Headless Henwoman and the Kissing Curse” by Kristiana Sfirlea is so unique that it’s hard to describe. In the humor section, its laugh-a-minute narrative concerns a headless henwoman, headless hens, headless horsemen, headless horses. Oh jeez, just about everyone is headless and yet the story isn’t so grim as it is grin. But wrapped in its absurd premise is the complex character Sable and lessons on life’s (or death’s) true purpose.

Overall, What Darkness Fears is a great read any time of year, and certainly any time you desire an intriguing collection of a triumph over darkness. So go ahead and read your dark tales in October, but remember that Darkness has an enemy, and fear it, it should.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/What-Darkness-Fears-Anne-Hill/dp/1956499008

Everything Else

Review of Odriel’s Heirs

Odriel’s Heirs, the first in a high fantasy series by Hayley Reese Chow, is an exciting YA adventure with a rich world and history. In the distant past, a demon named Nifras invaded the southern portion of the country with his hordes of the undead. The god Odriel gifted three heroes with special abilities to combat the demon: one defender produces fire, one melts in the shadows, and the final heals the other two. The trio pushed back Nifras and saved everyone, and their gifts were passed down through the generations in case the demon ever returned.

This backstory sets up the novel. Kaia Dashul, a descendant of the dragon fire warrior and Klaus, a descendant of the shadow-based fighter are two of the heirs. This time, though, the threat is not from Nifras only, but a necromage named Ariston who has been raising the dead to fight the demon. Ariston can’t control his horde, and they’ve been running rampant all over the land. Meanwhile, there are rumors that Nifras himself is gathering his forces in the south.

Kaia must first find her father and Klaus as well as the fate of Jago the healer heir. With her trusty ragehound Gus at her side, she sets out to her father’s last known location which begins an epic adventure of zombies and madmen, self-confidence and loss, and romance too.

At first, Odriel’s Heirs seems like dozens of other fantasy books. The familiar beats of the hero’s journey are all there. What sets it apart is the deep characterization of Kaia and Klaus and the engaging prose. Hayley Reese Chow is a superb writer who is able to transport a reader to an unfamiliar world yet connect it to experiences and emotions of the everyday. This allows readers to be swept up in an epic tale they could never experience yet also identify with the events occurring. As an example, Kaia’s dog Gus speaks to her in her mind and serves a function of controlling her power. Any dog owner easily recognizes scenes where Gus and Kaia interact and yet no one has ever heard a dog’s voice. Wise narrative choices like including Gus populate the unfamiliar with the familiar, urging the reader to turn just one more page.

The prose moves along despite the world’s special names for its creatures and locations. Yet the plot turns surprisingly dark at certain points in the story. Not grimdark but relatable as every battle has a cost, and every wrong choice has a consequence. And though it is part of a series, this reviewer appreciated that the novel is self-contained and does not abruptly end. The only minor quibble is the changing of names of everything. Sometimes ordinary creatures may have a special talent that gives it a new name, drawing attention to the word itself (e.g. Gus is a ragehound, not a hound). Yet this is only noticeable as the novel starts and improves as the narrative advances.

Odriel’s Heirs is an exciting, adventure-filled, epic fantasy with rich archetypes and a detailed world to discover. Kaia Dashul’s story of necromancers and devils is a must-read for all who love sword and sorcery fantasy.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0838R4DTB

Cover of novel
Everything Else

Review of Moonflower Murders

Andrew Horowitz’s Moonflower Murders is a sequel to the acclaimed Magpie Murders, which in turn was Horowitz’s take on an Agatha Christie novel. One of the best writers to adapt other author’s styles (he’s done Conan Doyle and Fleming), Horowitz once again takes up the mantle to produce not one but two mystery stories. The first has a modern flair, but the other is in the style of the premier Grand Dame of Mystery herself.

Like Magpie, Horowitz has a story within a story. Retired editor Susan Ryeland is approached by the owners of Branlow Hall, a quaint inn in Suffolk, to solve the disappearance of their daughter. Why did they want to hire an editor? Because the owners believe Susan has edited a book in her past that contains the clues to both their daughter’s whereabouts and a murder that happened years ago at the inn.

Some context. When she was an editor, Susan worked with Alan Conway, a brilliant mystery writer who wrote cozy mysteries with a German detective, Atticus Pünd. Alan also visited Branwell Manor soon after a murder occurred there looking for inspiration for his next novel, Atticus Pünd Takes the Case. Not only did Alan find material for the story, he also figured out the identity of the killer. While writing the fictional story of a murder connected to his version of Branwell, Conway left subtle clues within the text pointing to the “real” murderer. The owner’s daughter read the story years later, spotted the clues, but then vanished after telling her parents she discerned the secrets Conway wrote about. The owners of Branlow Hall—known as the Moonflower Hotel in Conway’s novel—want Susan to investigate, and she agrees.

Thus begins the first mystery. About two-thirds the way through, Susan sits down and rereads Atticus Pünd Takes the Case. And that is the hook that makes Moonflower Murders stick in this reader’s memory. In the middle of this book, another story starts over—with a cover, copyright, chapter, and full novel included—allowing the reader to read the book Susan edited. Inserting the fictional novel is one of the cleverest gimmicks I’ve seen in writing in a long time, if not ever.

This review must evaluate Moonflower Murders and Atticus Pünd Takes the Case each on their own terms as they are two different mysteries.

For the Atticus Pünd novel, it effectively mimics Agatha Christie. Like Magpie Murders, I found Horowitz’s cozy mystery a delight to read. I enjoy Dame Christie’s novels and most of the Golden Age books so this should come as no surprise. The set up and solution was fun, and it could stand in that age as one of the better offerings.

But what about the modern-day murders in Branlow Hall? Again, this mirrored Magpie Murders for me as the action in the “real” world had to tie into the cozy mystery. While it does so effectively, the “actual” murders are more mundane. Also, too many coincidences occur in the “real world,” and the solution, though it makes sense, wasn’t as thrilling.

While the gimmick is top-notch, one has to wonder if it had been better for Anthony Horowitz to have just published the cozy mysteries “in the style of Agatha Christie.” He had done this in the past with Ian Fleming. I find his Atticus Pünd stories the best parts of these novels, though perhaps others who enjoy modern mysteries might disagree.

Moonflower Murders has taken the story within a story idea and elevated it to a new level. The major clue for solving the mystery at Branlow Hall is sitting within the pages of Atticus Pünd Takes the Case right where the missing daughter spots it. A fun read, though the cozy mystery overshadows the modern one. It’s two-books-in-one for mystery lovers everywhere.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084VRHJX8

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Casting Call

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09X7QBJDM

I’m honored and pleased to be included in Havok’s anthology entitled Casting Call. This book of flash fiction—one thousand words or less for those who are wondering—was released in April 2022. Havok is one of the most popular and admired in the writing industry. They publish primarily speculative fiction under themes every half-year. During the months of July to December 2021, the theme centered on archetypes such as Caregiver or Rebel. The writer had a choice of two archetypes per month and could include one or both.

When I read the theme, I scoped out October as one of my goals each year is to write a scary story in the Halloween month. I’ve always loved horror stories and was an early reader of Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, and Peter Straub. I remember reading King talking about Richard Matheson and sought him out too. I consider Matheson to be one of the pillars of the horror novel community.

Matheson was nearly perfect at taking an archetype and twisting it into an original, often terrifying, alternate. He was the first to see a monster as a plague in I Am Legend, long before Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. He was the first to imagine gremlins on a commercial airliner in “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” Murderous dolls? “Prey.” And other stories which aren’t in the public’s consciousness like “Born of Man and Woman.”

Taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary, whether in fantasy (Dorothy’s tornado transferring her to Oz), science fiction (a DeLorean time machine) or horror (a small Maine town infested by vampires) has always attracted me. I know tornados, cars, and small towns exist and can connect to them as a reader. But then the author infuses in them something supernatural like a dash of unexpected seasoning in a familiar recipe. The flavoring transports me into a world I could believe in even though I know it’s not real.

So, what scary story could I write for Halloween? I had the archetypes of Everyman and Jester. I decided on the Jester type to be central to my story, but what kind of jester? And then I thought of a stand-up comic, and the plot started falling into place.

Mimicking Matheson, I started the story in a familiar location. A park, the end of a successful first date, possibly a kiss? This could be the trappings of a romantic tale, but my goal was to transport the reader. Something familiar, turned on its head, into something memorable.

Happy reading.

Everything Else

Review of Plight of the Rokan Boy

Cover of Plight of the Rokan Boy

Gordon Greenhill’s second MG novel in his The Relics of Errus novels, Plight of the Rokan Boy, starts off quite differently from the first in the series. The initial offering of Relics mirrored the spirit of the beginning of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. This second entry starts off like Prince Caspian by describing the travails of a young boy in the portal world. Unlike Narnia’s sequel where the plot switched back to the main characters of the first book, Plight continues on from the boy’s point-of-view. No sequences of beginning on Earth, finding the portal, and traveling through it exist in Plight. Instead, the book starts right in the middle of the portal world with a runaway who is searching for his mother.

This decision works to this entry’s advantage as the boy, Romul, meets the protagonists from the first novel, Flight of the Skycricket. Back are the lovable Hoover sisters: Eli, Anna, and Rose but this time we’re observing them from Rokan’s viewpoint. Romul is an irascible misanthrope and doesn’t want to have anything to do with the three girls. Yet, he is drawn into an adventure with the sisters as they travel to a new (to them) corner of the world of Errus.

Romul is part of the Rokans, also known as the “latecomers.” A race of people the rest of the world looks down on, they survive by serving the Garlandium people. They dye their hair white and believe in a deity called the Queen of Anguish, not the gods of the Garlands. Romul has recently found out his “mother” kidnapped him as a child and is not his actual birth mother. Following the advice of a seer, he sets out for Halighyll, a busy city within Garlandium where he meets the sisters.

From there, a priest sets the foursome off to a distant city to meet an inventor on a seaside mission. Their quest takes them deep below both the water and the ground while encountering all sorts of interesting characters.

A second in a trilogy often has the feeling of incompleteness. And while this story does end, it leaves the narrative wide open to what comes next. In this way, it succeeds as the bridging narrative between book one and book two. As in the first novel, the threats feel legitimate and an inspired twist occurs near the end. The plot contains everything a reader would want in a fantasy adventure.

Comparing the books doesn’t really help decide whether to read it or not. Overall, the book leaves its audience both satisfied and wanting more. To that, I say, “bring on the third book.”

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091WXF1VY