March 5, 2017

Digging Deep For Grave Inspiration

As a writer, many of my stories start from a tiny little seed of an idea planted in my brain. Imagine these little tidbits, coming from various places, fermenting and growing in the depths of my brain until they start to germinate and sprout into something creepy.

That’s how my story, Flowers for the Dead, came to be.

HOW IT STARTED
One of my favorite things to include in my stories? Superstitions. Folk Lore. Strange and arcane beliefs that inspire people to do some curious things.

Some of these ideas seem not so strange. But others? They make you wonder how such thoughts ever came to be. I guess you might think that very thing when you read the tale. But that’s kind of why I write what I do – to keep people wondering 🙂

Flowers for the Dead grew out of a mish-mash of ideas. The first was a tidbit I read on a Victorian funeral customs and superstitions website.

“If the deceased has lived a good life, flowers would bloom on his grave; but if he has been evil, only weeds would grow.”

When I read that, my brain perked up a little. But I needed something more…

Another part of the equation came from one of my Dictionaries of Superstitions (yes, I have more than one):

“Giving people bunches of flowers (preferably odd numbers) has always been considered a loving gesture and one liable to bring good luck with it.”

The number of flowers matters? Why? What would happen if you gave them an even number?

The last bit to cultivate the story came from my idea to change the event in the story from a wedding to a Day of the Dead celebration. It still had the coming-together of a family, but under very different circumstances.

That’s when the wheels started to turn. Family. Good and bad luck. Those who are gone…and those who remain. And those flowers. A very specific number of flowers.

BAM. STORY SEED GERMINATED INTO FULL BLOWN IDEA.

I know…you still don’t get it, do you? How could all these disparate ideas turn into something cohesive, something that haunts and terrifies?

Well, the only way to find out is to read the story! And the best way to do that?

HEAD TO MY WEBSITE TO DOWNLOAD A FREE COPY!

That’s right kids! As a special treat for those visiting the humble abode of The Midnight Society, you can now use a special code to grab your very own digital copy of Flowers for the Dead!

ABOUT FLOWERS FOR THE DEAD
In a multicolored display of pomp and pageantry, the Flores Family gathers for their annual Day of the Dead ceremony.

But when jealousy arises, and the tradition hundreds of years old threatens to divide the family for good, Trina discovers that she is engaged to a man with secrets she isn’t sure she can live with.

HOW TO GET IT

Head over to the Flowers for the Dead page on my website, add the e-book to your cart and use the following coupon code to get your free copy!