Author thoughts

Having already introduced you to amandapillar, I'll let her blog today about her story in In Bad Dreams ~ Vol 1

The Letter

Short stories are meant to have twists; at least, that's what we're told. But what happens if there isn't a twist, or the twist isn't really a twist, but a revelation?

Then you get a story like The Letter.

As a writer, I tend to avoid 'the twist'. I prefer to call it a 'spin' or a 'development'. And people seem to enjoy it. At Conflux 4, I was heralded by a gentleman who had bought In Bad Dreams, and who had read my piece. He told me he had enjoyed the story but "was a bit surprised by the ending... I mean, you look so wholesome!"

Sharyn asked me to write about what inspired The Letter. To be honest, I can't actually remember. The stories featured in In Bad Dreams are stories that focus on the reality of horror. The problems of insanity, a brutal environment, malicious minds; all forms of 'horror' that read more like truth than anything else.

I don't want to give too much away about my story, as my 'spin' might be ruined for the new readers, and I certainly don't want to do that. However, trying to think back on what could have inspired The Letter leads me to the news.

Yes, the evening news.

The very world around us; it's what gives us ideas about the depravity of the human condition. It is probably one of the best resources a horror writer could have.

 I am often asked; 'How do you get these ideas?'

Well, that's easy. I pick up the paper, flick on the TV… it's all there for me. Within The Letter, I wanted to portray the main character, Iliana, as someone who you could recognise. You know a girl like her, you're best friends with someone who fits her personality, or you might even be her. 

She's young, she's clever, and she's broken. In this modern world, how many people aren't slightly damaged by their pasts? But she has moved on, created a new life, made friends; and then she discovers that her sister, the only family she had left, is dead. Suicide. How does one cope with that?

 For Iliana, the discovery of her sister's death starts a turn of events that leads to self-examination.

 At the end of the day, The Letter isn't just a tale with a 'spin'; it's a story about illusion – those that are created for us, and those that we create for ourselves.