Celebrating
Women in Horror Month (Part 2)
By
Kelli A. Wilkins
Hi everyone,
Valentine’s Day is officially over, and if you’ve had
your fill of love and romance for a while, why not curl up with a horror story?
As you may know, February is “Women in Horror” month. To celebrate, I’m blogging
about my “disturbing” novella, Nightmare in the North, and sharing
a bit about my short mysteries, Silent Sentinel and More
Than I Bargained For.
Nightmare
in the North is a cautionary tale about traveling alone in the winter and trusting
strangers. Here’s the summary:
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NIGHTMARE IN THE NORTH
Stranded during a
violent blizzard, Mark hikes to the only house nearby. George, a well-mannered
University professor, welcomes Mark and gives him shelter from the storm.
By morning, Mark
suspects that everything isn’t what it seems. George’s adult daughter, Kate,
who also lives in the house, shares a disturbing and unsettling tale. When
questioned, George insists that Kate has a psychological issue and can’t be
trusted to tell the truth.
Mark quickly finds himself caught in a game of
cat and mouse. Who should he believe? Is Kate’s desperate plea for help
sincere? Should he be suspicious of George? Or are both of them plotting
something together?
Isolated from
everyone, Mark is forced to wait out the storm—and find a way to escape—if he
hopes to make it out alive.
***
So… how did this novella come about? Believe it or
not, I wrote a version of this story for my eighth grade English class. The
assignment was to write a short story – and boy, did I! The original version
was much shorter and less detailed, but the basic premise was there. I’m not
sure what my English teacher thought when she read it, but I got an A.
I grew up in upstate New York where winters can be
brutal and last a long time. It can be an isolated place, and sometimes you
could be snowed in for days. I decided to use that as the backdrop to the
story, throw in some strange characters, and add a little mystery. After I
submitted the story for my English class, I pretty much forgot about it.
Then, in January of 2018 I drove to Vermont in a
snowstorm. I was in the car for 12 hours, and naturally, my mind started to
wander… I wanted to write a new horror story, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted
to write. As I was driving, I thought back to the original story and decided to
rewrite it – to tell the story the way it needed to be told.
I changed the opening, moved the setting to Vermont,
and filled in all the details and backstory that set the tone. The ending of
the new version is slightly different from the original, but it’s not off by
much. I added an epilogue (of sorts) to the end, and spent about twenty minutes
getting the last line just right. After reading Nightmare in the North,
my husband said it was well written and it drew you in, but it was “twisted”
and “disturbing” – I consider that high praise!
Nightmare
in the North is a lot of things, but it’s not gory. My
horror stories tend to be more psychological/spooky than bloody. I love writing
horror, and after writing romances for so many years, I find it refreshing to
embrace my darker side and write something creepy. (In fact, I’m returning to
writing horror/speculative fiction. I just finished writing a thriller about a
serial killer. I have a few more horror stories in the works.)
Order Nightmare in the North here:
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G9QD45X
All
other platforms: https://www.books2read.com/u/m2vqOk
If you’re looking for two quick
reads that are more mystery than horror (but still have paranormal elements)
check out Silent Sentinel. This 4,100
word mini-thriller blends a crime story with the unusual.
Silent Sentinel - A Mini-Thriller
One afternoon, Valerie visits a flea market and meets a
peculiar man who tries to sell her an ancient statue of Anubis—the
Egyptian god of the dead. Despite her protests, the man insists that she must
have the statue. Valerie gives in and brings her new “guardian” home.
Later
that night, Valerie awakens to discover an intruder has broken into her house.
She’s forced to fight for her life and relies on Anubis to save her.
When
the police investigate, they make a shocking discovery about her attacker and
his motive. Only then does Valerie realize how lucky she was— the statue was
the last thing she wanted, but exactly what she needed.
Order it here:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JB57751
All other platforms:
https://books2read.com/u/mgExB0
More Than I Bargained For is a mini-mystery that blends
offbeat humor with the paranormal.
More Than I Bargained For
- A Paranormal Mini-Mystery
Katie doesn’t like going to estate
sales. Why? Because she sees dead people.
When Katie reluctantly attends an estate
sale with her friend Diane, she gets more than she bargained for. The deceased
former owner of the house, Grace, realizes that Katie can communicate with her,
and she has a lot to say.
As Katie pretends to shop, Grace tells
her the story of how she was murdered—and reveals that her killer is still in
the house.
It’s up to Katie to uncover the murder
weapon and get it to the police… before time runs out.
Order it here:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09CG4J8B2
All other
platforms: https://books2read.com/u/me9jzl
Read reviews here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/more-than-i-bargained-for
If you love to be scared (or at least slightly creeped
out) be sure to visit the horror section of my site https://www.kelliwilkins.com/horror and visit my Amazon page www.amazon.com/author/kelliwilkins
for a full title list, links, and more!
Happy Reading!
Kelli
A. Wilkins
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has
published more than 100 short stories, 20+ romance novels, 7 non-fiction books,
and 5 horror ebooks. Her romances span many genres and settings, and she likes
to scare readers with her horror stories.
Her latest novel, In Another World, was
published in early 2022. This contemporary mystery/romance
is set in the world of the paranormal.
She released two horror shorts, More
Than I Bargained For and Silent Sentinel in 2021.
Like to write? Check out Journaling Every Week: 52 Topics
to Get You Writing. This fun and innovative guide to
journaling is filled with hundreds of thought-provoking prompts designed to get
you writing about your feelings and emotions.
Follow Kelli on her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and visit her
website/blog www.KelliWilkins.com for a full title list and social media links.
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