The Evolution of a Novel: A Pale Shade of Winter

Before A Pale Shade of Winter became a novel-length story, it began as a short story challenge from a dear friend and was titled 90 Degrees North. New Orleans sits approximately at 90 degrees north longitude. A Pale Shade of Winter has become one of my best-selling audiobooks and my first attempt at writing a Southern Gothic novel. 

I’ve only visited New Orleans once, and that was several years before I wrote the book, but its atmosphere has always stuck with me. I was also inspired by the stylistic writing of Anne Rice and if you’ve read the book you’ll recoginize Lenore Kensington’s Garden District House sits at the same address as Rice’s former home.

However, I needed to create an original cast of characters, and while I toyed with the idea of vampires, I settled on a different spin on my favorite type of character–the ghost. While I didn’t set out to write a family saga type of book, what’s better for a Southern Gothic than a family torn apart by secrets? A son hellbent on revenge? A sister caught in the middle? And lies?

90 Degrees North began as a story about a pair of sibling grifters and evolved into a hauntingly beautiful love story, and I plan to have part two–the final book in the saga published later this year.

Stay tuned for updates and a blog about the book titles in the series. Pictured in the gallery are some of the storyboard images I used in creating the book.

Ghostly Encounters

Favorite Ghost Scenes: As the Moon Fell Down

The story concept for As the Moon Fell Down came from a random visit to a local Civil War Battlefield and a private tour of the main house. The house is a work in progress but is being lovingly tended to and restored. It was this tour and the interaction with an upstairs spirit that inspired the story.

As I wrote the book, I retraced my steps in the house and attempted to pull on the emotions of my main character as she began to question the odd happenings in the house while adding in that extra sense of dread. 

Excerpt:

Next to her, lay a woman, her neck turned so that her empty gaze stared directly into Ellie’s eyes. Her face was drawn and deathly pale. Her hair, as white as snow, lay in a matted mess across her cheeks. Ellie felt her chest begin to rise and lower as she struggled to capture one breath of air. On her right side, the chilled presence shifted, nudging her closer to the woman. Ellie’s limbs stiffened. She forced herself to twist her neck to the right. She’d seen this man before. She didn’t need to peer into his eyes, which stared upward to the ceiling, to identify him. Nels and Vera Pritchard now lay in their bed, and she lay with them.

As the Moon Fell Down: There were only two rules to follow.

Pictured here is the Pritchard House as it stands today.

Gothic Characters: The Clergy

With the start of Lent, I thought I’d look at one of the popular tropes in Gothic Literature–The Clergy.

“Men of the Cloth” are supposed to exemplify the highest moral standards and are the perfect group to twist into villains. Often, the Catholic clergy is the chosen group, whether that comes from the early days of conflict between Protestants, Anglicans, and Catholics is up for debate, although I figure it is a source from early Gothic literature that has carved its place into history.

As an adult convert to Catholicism, I find this trope interesting. I’ve used it in a few of my books however my priests struggle more with tending to the moral struggles of the characters who seek their advice and penance. The major corruption the priests in my books are guilty of is accepting bribes and turning a blind eye to their congregants’ behavior. As I wrap up both The Redwood Trilogy and The Pale Shade of Winter saga I will reintroduce the readers to at least a couple of priests whose journeys are not yet finished.

In Gaston Hall, I created a character who masquerades as a Southern Baptist minister. He enjoys the fruits of his leadership while engaging in adultery and (spoiler alert) murder.

I’ll admit, the first time one of my ghostly spirits may have caused the death of a priest gave me pause for thought. I even had a few folks suggest I could be banned from the Church for such a thing.

Thoughts on this trope?