I received my contributor copies of Legends of the Mountain State: Ghostly Tales from the State of West Virginia today. It’s a handsome volume, with an intro by Rick Hautala and a very nice blurb by Gary Braunbeck. My story is called “Screaming Jenny.” I haven’t read the others yet, but I suspect mine may be the only non-supernatural story in the collection, though it is based on a “real legend” from W. Va. I read through the first few pages of my story when I opened the package and—at the risk of patting myself on the back—I thought it read quite well. It’s been long enough since the last time I looked at the story that I can see it fairly objectively. I can’t wait to find out how it ends…
One of my favorite comments about Harming Obsession said it was “a story set on hallowe’en but owing none of its horror to that particular occasion.” That comment went through my mind as I watched House last night. It was, in effect, a Halloween episode that never once mentioned Halloween. There were ghosts, the walking dead and speculation about demonic possession, all played out to quite nice effect. I especially liked the bit about House’s “grandfather,” Walt. They could have gone for the obvious cliché but instead turned it around on itself. Bravo.
I’m about halfway through my first pass at renovating the 2001 story I mentioned yesterday. It’s coming together quite well. The original version wasn’t all that bad, especially considering when it was written in my developmental process, but it’s going to be heaps better when I get finished with it. Heaps, I say.
