I think it’s a real honor to be featured in the Authors’ Lounge and to be asked to talk about my recently published book Whispers in the Darkness.
About Whispers in the Darkness
The book is a collection of seven short stories I have written, as I took breaks from my novel. I published this book for two reasons. The first reason was so that I could share my stories with anyone who might want to read them. The second reason was my son. I wanted to show him that if you work hard enough, you can achieve your dreams. The book has one underlying theme. That’s fear of the unknown. In the seven stories in Whispers in the Darkness, I leave the characters either questioning their fear or facing it. Considering this is something we all have to face every day, my readers could relate to the basis of these stories. It’s also fitting for me as I had to overcome my fears and publish the book.
My Inspirations
I find inspiration for my writing in several ways. Sometimes I write on impulse and just see what comes out. Other times I see or experience a real-life event, and that inspires me to write. Other times, I base my stories on dreams, and occasionally, I have used writing prompts. Anything to get me writing and I write something every day. I wrote each of the stories in Whispers in the Darkness at a time in my life when fear was prominent.
For instance, with the short story Whispers in the Darkness, the inspiration came from a late adventure I had taken when I walked home from my cousin’s house at midnight. I was alone; dark, and frightening. When I made it home, I wrote about everything I felt during the walk. These feelings blossomed into ideas for the story. Soon after, I had the first draft written.
Cat’s Eye was my latest story. It took me only a few days to write it. A real-life mystery that devastated my family when all our chickens were attacked by something inspired it. Again, I wrote the first draft in one day, and a few days and four drafts later, and I had the story complete.
The story Forsaken by Nightmares came from dreams I had. These dreams stuck with me and so I blended them all, and came out with the finished product. I think the story works well, and again it has the underlying theme of fear of the unknown. Purgatory is one of my favorites. It’s much longer than the other stories, too. It inspired me to write this one with a writing prompt. They gave me three objects to incorporate into the story. These objects were a Virgin Mary statue, a sandwich, and marbles. From that came this story, about a group of kids and a cursed statue.
My fascination with the Bloody Mary urban legend inspired Hell Mary. There were many versions of this story, and I wanted to give my take on the story. This story was done for a writing exercise. I included it in Whispers in the Darkness because it fit the theme.
I found the concept for The Green Jacket when I had been in a hurry. I was rushing through the market and was being blocked by this lady who was wearing a green jacket. The experience made me wonder what she was thinking when I was trying to pass her.
Crimson, was written on impulse. I just sat down and wrote, until I had something I liked. I tend to do this a lot.
Target Audience
While Whispers in the Darkness is appropriate for ages 15-18+, my target audience for this book was 18+. This is because I’m looking to gain some readers before my novel launches. I hope that my readers are well entertained while reading Whispers in the Darkness and if they take anything from my book, I hope it is to not be afraid of the unknown. My intention with this book was to break away from my fears and open up to the world.
The Future for Whispers in the Darkness
I hope to write a second Whispers in the Darkness, sometime in the future. You can purchase Whispers in the Darkness as an eBook or as a paperback on the Amazon store.
A Little About Me
To me, writing is a passion, and I’m always doing it. Currently, I have been busy working on my upcoming full-length novel. A murder mystery set in 1869, called Guilty Deceptions. I’m hoping to have this out by Halloween 2021. I’m super excited to share it with the world.
0 Comments