Foreword
\nI have often been asked how I weave such bizarre ideas and unexpected twists into my writing.
\nTo be honest, many of my best plot lines have arisen from what I like doing best, talking to
\npeople, and I have found that indeed truth is stranger than fiction. After listening to these strange
\ntales my imagination takes over and I weave and embellish the tale I’ve just heard by asking
\n“what if?”. Like the curious tale gleaned from the concierge at Victoria’s Empress Hotel. Some
\nguests had checked out only one day into their stay. Apparently, when unpacking after exploring
\nthe hotel, the wife found all of her husband’s clothes gone and what she described as “ghost
\nclothes” in their place. Upon hearing this, the “what if” took over, and Francis Rattenbury made
\nan entrance into The Mystery of Ms Teak, the “what if” prompting the thought that perhaps the
\nghost had materialised into our time and needed to change out of his conspicuous garb. Of
\ncourse, like most writers, many of my storylines have also been based on my own life and
\nexperiences. I believe you will find many examples of both that and “what if” within these pages.
\nFor those of you who may be interested, I have written a few short lines on how each of
\nthese stories found life.
\nNight Muses Stalking was written in tribute to my son Rory after he passed away. My
\nway of saying I\u2019ll meet him in Valhalla one day and we\u2019ll shoot the shit around a campfire.
\nBy Life\u2019s Seaside. This came about from attending several self-discovery courses run by
\na group called Context. If they are still around perhaps check them out. You will unravel your
\ntruths and beliefs and begin making realizations on how to improve and change your life. It did
\nwonders for me and many others I knew.
\nWes\u2019 Echo Harp was written a long time ago during these courses, about meeting a
\nfellow and wondering why he kept such odd trinkets and why they meant so much to him.
\nWere-Lovers of the Ethereal was a rather off-beat tale about meeting a wolf, only it
\nturns out not to be merely a wolf, but so much more. This garnered second place in The Spooky
\nTales Contest: New Canadian Magazine.
\nThe Eyes Don\u2019t Lie. As a teenager my two buddies and I would hang out in a twenty
\nfour hour truck stop, sipping free coffee, read books, and just hang out until the wee hours of the
\nmorning. The waitresses didn\u2019t mind as it kept them company and feeling safe, especially with
\nsome of the strange men that came in.
\nDon\u2019t Cry Jack, Daddy Will Save You was based on some studies of multiple
\npersonalities. For those interested read When Rabbit Howls. It is amazing what the human mind
\ncan do and perform when needed to protect itself. Why send several people to Mars if you can
\nsend only one who had the minds of several?
\n10
\nThe Doctor to the Rescue! My dentist, who I knew very well and who loved my
\nwritings, once asked me how come dentists are never featured in any books or television shows. I
\ntold him that\u2019s because you\u2019re all dweebs! He agreed and said give me a story. So that afternoon
\nI thought what if? and wove a story about a strange patient that shows up in his office. The
\noriginal is called The Myzsterious Mr. Jones and is in Volume Two, What I\u2019d Say To Einstein
\nIf I Met Him On The Dance Floor (a teaser for you, now you\u2019ll have to buy that novel as
\nwell!). I later wove this into a contest regarding putting myself into a certain popular television
\nseries.
\nHavens of the Heart. I don\u2019t normally attempt poetic pieces but wrote this after
\nattending a place called The Haven by the Sea. A course on improving your life and getting what
\nyou want out of it inspired me to write this piece and I left a framed print of it hanging on their
\nwall.
\nWindsong’s Calling was pulled from my novel Raven\u2019s Lament (the first in the
\nStillwaters Runs Deep series) for a novella contest and contains incredible scenes which many
\nreaders have told me is reminiscent of a being’s next step of evolution and travelling through the
\nearth via trees.
\nA Scratch in Time Saves Nine was written for a contest involving furry creatures.
\nA-Hunting We Will Go was pulled from my science fiction\/spiritual series, Seeds Of
\nAscension for another contest.
\nSylvia\u2019s Sun-Catchers. Voted number one by the readers in an anthology of over three
\nhundred entries. Most don\u2019t guess the ending. It is set in the Sylvia beach hotel in Oregon with
\neach room dedicated to an author and decorated in such a style. There was even a knitting bag in
\nthe Agatha Christie room and I’m sure Miss Marple would have been amused by the many
\nvisitors who added a row or two. Unfortunately the original, beautiful, bewitching hotel is no
\nmore, and I can no longer relax on the plush sofa in the softly lit upstairs lounge drinking mulled
\nwine whilst staring at the tumbling ocean and letting my muse take over. New owners have
\nremoved the heart and soul of this wonderful oasis of calm and serenity. The themed rooms are
\nno more; all the same minimalist modern furniture and dull “greige” d\u00e9cor. They have kept the
\nrooms names, but all that is left of each author is a generic sign on the door. Sometimes evolution
\nis not a good thing.
\nI have also tried my hand at creative non-fiction in a series of articles that were published in RV
\nWorld Magazine, plus a short story entitled Trust Me, I Didn\u2019t Make This S**t Up which is the
\nbasis for my first upcoming non-fiction novel.
\n11
\nAnd if I left you hanging and still wondering “What Would I\u2019d say to Agatha Christie If I Met
\nHer At the Knitting Circle” I\u2019d ask her if she really didn’t remember what happened when she
\ndisappeared\u2026
\n(The story below as it appeared on Facebook and in other journals)
\nIn 1926, Britain was shaken by a mystery straight out of a detective novel: a car was found
\nabandoned on a country road\u2014with a woman\u2019s fur coat left behind. The car belonged to none
\nother than the world\u2019s most famous crime writer, Agatha Christie.
\nAnd she was missing.
\nScotland Yard launched a nationwide search. Suspicions quickly turned to her husband, Archibald
\nChristie, who had recently asked for a divorce and was spending that very night with his lover in
\nthe countryside. The public was furious. Newspapers called for his arrest. His mistress vanished.
\nHe was publicly shamed and disgraced.
\nEven Sir Arthur Conan Doyle got involved, allegedly consulting a medium in an attempt to find
\nher.
\nThen, eleven days later\u2026 the case took a wild turn.
\nAgatha was found staying under a false name\u2014Theresa Neele\u2014at the luxurious Swan
\nHydropathic Hotel. Which by the way was the name of his lover. She had been relaxing, dancing,
\nenjoying spa treatments, playing piano, and drinking fine wine.
\nWhen questioned, she claimed amnesia brought on by grief. But psychologists weren\u2019t convinced.
\nHer behavior seemed far too composed for a woman in mental distress.
\nMany believe it wasn\u2019t a breakdown.
\nIt was a masterfully executed act of revenge.
\nShe humiliated her cheating husband, derailed his plans to remarry, and gave his mistress a front
\nrow seat to scandal and disgrace. And instead of poison (which any mystery writer could\u2019ve used),
\nshe served cold, calculated silence.
\nLater, Agatha would divorce Archibald and marry a charming archaeologist\u201415 years her junior.
\nWhen asked about the age gap, she replied:
\n\u201cIt\u2019s so lovely to be married to an archaeologist. The older you get, the more he values you.\u201d
\nAgatha Christie didn\u2019t just write mysteries.
\nShe lived one.
\nThe post link below for credits.
\nhttps:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WeeSurvived\/posts\/pfbid02cptzMmVx3TbRQtAtorwhBWTmLtxto9
\nKGsEr6r6syFvBG7LNWMyx1zEhHz2d7txbXl
\n12
\n13
\nNight Muses Stalking
\nDowntown streets of Victoria come alive in the dark where muses stalk the concrete and, in the
\nabsence of light, darkness reigns. Only not all darkness is bad, nor is all light good. Drug dealers
\ncruise dressed nonchalantly recognizably in expensive leather shoes looking for those who need
\na fix, and artists of all genders and afflictions seeking inspiration or other carnal rewards of a
\nshoddy ilk seek the inspiration to set their own brushstrokes to murals in their minds. Or them,
\nthe unknown, the muses that avoid sunlight like a plague swelling in the darkness, waiting for
\nanother meal.
\nIf muses walk the night, do birds sing at midnight? Rory thought as he breathed deeply,
\nonce again inhaling the heady hypnotic fumes purchased from the dealers of the suede shoes
\nsundering him from his realm and joined her, his mused affliction, in hers, and got into his
\ngaming avatar’s head, Xephos.
\nShe would lead him again into the blood-crazed domain of a warrior born with the other
\nmembers of his most famous guild. Where he was hers and he hated that, yet something
\ncompelling made her irresistible. Maligning good with bad, hungering on the taste of nectar\u2019s
\nsweet blood licked from her own fingers. How he never tired of that craving, to suck from those
\nhands.
\nArmor clinks into place. Faces tensioned for the battle. Knowing theirs might be one of
\nthe ones called to the halls of Valhalla. Each stare at their souls and at each other. Eyes reflect
\nthe terror about to come and the knowing that they would give their life for the others.
\nXephos stared at his companions. This battle, as many others, challenged soul, mind,
\nheart, stamina and courage. But above all else, courage. None of these were questioned, he and
\nhis battle-hardened companions were meld of the same hardened steel stamina. Still, a trickle of
\nfear, of knowing. Instinctively does a warrior know when Death’s scythe, stilled for so long,
\nwhistled, calling from its razor’s edge.
\nThe hunger of the muse would dominate. Her calling, her needs, paramount. He knew her
\nvengeful price must be met one day.
\n14
\nHis eyes glared at the others. She knew his hunger all too well and fed it. Time and again.
\n“Xephos?” the others questioned their leader.
\nHe gritted his teeth. There was only one way to go down. As a warrior born. Fighting.
\nHe clapped them on the back. “We will win! Victory will be ours!”
\nA tear streamed down his face. They stared in utter shock. “The cost will be high, as it
\nalways is.”
\nHe planted his sword in the ground before him. “I will not waver!”
\n“I will not surrender!” The others thumped their chests in response.
\nXephos cried to himself, to this demon inside. Sweat poured from his body as he mounted
\nhis stallion.
\nAgainst insurmountable odds. The guild of the famous strode into the forefront of the
\nassembled horde. Skrillex and Funker lost in their own haze of blood, and lust led the others as
\nthey charged into the battleground behind their leader.
\nXephos, somewhere ahead, they lost in a haze of battle drums pounding, horses
\nscreaming, and men raging in fearlessness before he was gone, swept by a wave of incoming
\nwarriors.
\nThe two, blood streaking their bodies, stood at the hilltop looking for him as the
\nvanquished before them ran away in defeat. Life below sang to the call of the scythe as it cut life
\nlike wheat before it.
\nThe rest of the guild raged after them, taking down the weak, the chaff.
\nThe two looked around expecting to hear the familiar laughter of Xephos and his kind
\nvoice. Only they stared in shock, for before them on the hill his horse nudged a still body. “NO!”
\nThe one they would have named King.
\nSkrillex leaped from his horse as he thundered down the hill. Funker did the same. “He
\ndied alone.”
\n15
\nAround him, a dozen he’d slain lay in a dismembered heap in homage to his berserker\u2019s
\nstifled rage.
\nThey lifted his body limp, already going cold, eyes closed. Overhead the wind gurgled
\nlike a muse beside herself with amusement, with a new one to entertain her for eternity. “We
\nshould have been beside you. The Guild always stick together,” Skrillex said as he clapped his
\nhand to his chest in homage, as did Funker.
\nThe two knew now the fear he had cringed earlier was his own. They screamed their
\npanic and heartbreak to the unhearing heavens as Ohealno came riding up. She fell out of her
\nhorse, tears streaking her armor. Knowing she’d never feel his heat against her, nor hear that soft
\nlaugh or witness his sly smile when the two were alone together ever again.
\nXephos opens his eyes as a breath wafts its cooling warmth into the darkness.
\nI turn to answer the call from inside.
\nA cry rents stillness. It is not possible.
\nThe pad of feet issues no reassurance that I shall leave here alive.
\nIf, in only one piece.
\nIf not all.
\nComing here, not wise.
\nChill surges upward, mists snake through the trees like a river of calling.
\nAsking for those that will speak to it.
\nDenying touch, sound, and taste.
\nNumbness remains its only way of being.
\nLeaves tremble, falling.
\nMoistness, dew drips. I take another step.
\nThe calling begins.
\n16
\nTo her, as she has done my whole life.
\nThe curse, the thrill, the temptation that paled everything else into disbelief.
\nThis muse that would always stalk my soul.
\nXephos smiles as she caresses him. His knife springs free. Blood splatters them both as he
\nslashes her lovely throat. “I’m yours, but I don’t go down without a fight. Never have, never
\nwill.”
\nSomewhere in Valhalla angels sing and the devil snorts back a fat rolled one as she
\nsplutters her last words. “You, silly boy.”
\nThe muse gasped on her final breath, knowing she would be back and wherever he went,
\nshe’d find him once again.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Short Story Anthology Volume Three:<\/strong><\/p>\n What I’d Say To Agatha Christie If I Met Her At The Knitting Circle<\/strong><\/p>\n Many of these stories have some bizarre twists and reasons for being written. Which as many people have said to me, \u2018I have no idea how you sleep at night and come up with such bizarre ideas and unexpected twists\u2019.\u00a0 To be truly honest, I get many of my best story lines from people I meet. As I\u2019ve often said, \u2018You can\u2019t write the stuff that some people have lived\u2019. As a writer I always ask this question after hearing a great bizarre story. Like the title proclaims What If!<\/p>\n A couple of more literary, profound stories from my younger days. Another about meeting something much more than a wolf. What if Nasa decided to send someone to Mars with multiple personalities in order to cut down on the number of people needed. I get to star on a TV show. Yes, really!! Just ask the doctor, \u2018what you ask?\u2019 The proper question is \u2018Who\u2019. Some of my published non-fiction stories and so much more. And you\u2019ll find I do answer the question, What I\u2019d Say To Agatha Christie If I Met Her At The Knitting Circle.<\/p>\n Reviews<\/strong><\/p>\n Stillwaters Runs Deep, Book One: Raven\u2019s Lament<\/strong><\/p>\n Damn! I’ve been reading this book for three hours, can’t put it down, and I have to get up for work in the morning. Your writing flows so well, I\u2019m drawn completely into your novels while time goes by effortlessly reading them. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Barry Harris<\/strong><\/p>\n Seeds of Ascension, Book Two: Gateways<\/strong><\/p>\n Love your amazing imagination. You take what I see on History Channel to the next impossibly believable level and make me believe! Sometimes you make me laugh out loud and other times when I\u2019m reading, I close my eyes and visualize the scene unfolding before me. Your writing flows that effortlessly. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ingrid Siltala-Mort<\/strong><\/p>\n Autumn\u2019s Summer<\/strong><\/p>\n I thought I\u2019d have a quick peek at Autumn’s Summer and then finish the book I was currently reading! I was entranced and spellbound from that moment, my current read neglected! Couldn’t put it down, read it in one day. Yes, the love scenes were intense, passion blossoms in many forms! I enjoyed this immensely!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Shelley Walsh<\/strong><\/p>\n The Ainsworth Chronicles, Book Two: The Mystery Of Ms. Teak<\/strong><\/p>\n Do not read this book! Seriously, do not read this book – unless you are prepared to deal with a rift on your personal timeline. You will find that this book causes you to postpone activities that you would otherwise be doing.\u00a0 You will be transported into a world of history and mystery, crime and grime, Spirits and other worldly time travel, with the delectable Detective Carol Ainsworth.\u00a0 An amazing tale, which I thoroughly enjoyed.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Paddy Kopieczek<\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":4100,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[26,15],"product_tag":[],"class_list":["post-4099","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_cat-books","product_cat-uncategorized","desktop-align-left","tablet-align-left","mobile-align-left","first","instock","taxable","shipping-taxable","purchasable","product-type-simple"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatcreators.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/4099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatcreators.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatcreators.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatcreators.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4099"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatcreators.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatcreators.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatcreators.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=4099"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatcreators.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=4099"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatcreators.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=4099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}