Through The Eyes of a Storm Meeting

Excerpted from a secret and recent Writers Anonymous meeting.

Johnny Worthen: Hello everyone. I’m Johnny, I’ll be leading today’s discussion.

All: Hello Johnny.

Johnny: Today we’re going to share with the group some of our darkest most disturbing tales of rainy night writing. I want you to open up. You’re safe here. Everything said here is confidential.

Sakina Murdock: Then what’s with the tape recorder?

Johnny: Who wants to be first?

Sakina: You didn’t ans–

Johnny: Tommy. Tommy B. Smith, you go first. Tell us about your voyage Through the Eyes of a Storm.

Tommy never goes anywhere without his cat.
Or is it the other way around?

Tommy: Hello, I’m Tommy B. Smith, the writer. I drink dark coffee and write dark fiction.

All: Hello Tommy.

Tommy: My story for the anthology was On the Rainy Highway. On a long stretch of highway in the midst of a storm, you might encounter anyone — anyone at all. On the Rainy Highway is a story about wanderers with secrets to keep. It’s a mix of grit, adrenaline, and shadowy intents that should appeal to fans of my horror novella, Poisonous.

Johnny: That was inspirational. Hey do you remember when you came by the Blog Mansion before and we got wasted? Glad we're over that.

Tommy: Over what?

Johnny: Okay, who'd like to go next? Susan Dorsey, would you like to go next?

Susan: Hello, my name is Susan.

All: Hello Susan.

Susan Dorsey having too good a time
writing with blood, guts and gore.

Susan: I am a cozy mystery writer. This anthology was my chance to really mess about with all the blood, guts, and gore that you horror types are so good with. I must say, I probably enjoyed it a bit too much. It was very satisfying to think about what would drive a stay-at-home mom to the edge of sanity. It was even better to imagine what she would do when she got there. My short story, Rainy Rachel, deals with rage, bone crushing hatred, and sweet revenge. Who doesn't love that?

Johnny: Brings a tear to the eye. Susan dropped by the Blog Mansion before too. She talked local history, Jane Brooks books and hairdressers. I think I tried to get her drunk too.

Sakina: Maybe you have a problem. Ever think of that?

Johnny: Nope. Never. Robert DiBella, do you have something to say? No? I think you do. I saw you whispering with Sakina during Susan’s talk. I think you should be next. Come on. Stand up. Don’t make me get my ruler.

Robert: My story…

Johnny: State your name for the records… err, I mean the group.

Robert: My name is Robert.

Robert DiBella has a thing for lepers

All: Hello Robert.

Robert: Hey Johnny, the ruler won’t be necessary, happy to be here. My story is about a young man who contracts leprosy in the 1870s. He gets sent to the leper colony Molokai, an island in Hawai’i. When he gets to the island he finds that the island is cursed.  My darkest time during rainy night writing was doing the research for the short story. Molokai was an actual leper colony from the mid 1800s to the 1960s. It was really disturbing to see all the images of the grotesque disease and the horrific way that the people were treated. I’ve never been so glad not too be one of my characters.    

Johnny: That was nice. It felt good to open up didn’t it? Now who’s next? Tammy? Tammy Maas, would you like a turn? I haven't talked to you in a long time. I think we drank then too. Hurm... Anyway, who’s that with you?

Tammy Maas
is a good judge of character

Tammy: Hello, my name is Tammy and I’m an alcoholic. Sorry, wrong meeting.

All: Hello Tammy.

Tammy: Hello. I apologize but I had to bring my son with me. I’m a domestic goddess not a magician who can make children disappear. (Don’t cry honey, Johnny’s a bad man, don’t even look at him.) My story in the book is about an abused child with a genetic condition called albinism. The child grows up and is hell-bent on getting some old fashioned retaliation on his father.

It seems I have an addiction to genetic disorders as my books, A Complicated Life in a Small Town and God Save Us All feature a person with Prader-Willi syndrome.

Johnny: Amazing. I hope your little friend signed the “Waiver of all rights and proceeds” document.

Sakina: What? Is this some kind of cheap way to make money on –

Johnny: Monique! Monique Snyman. You look lovely today! How about you go next. Tell us all about your trip Through The Eyes of a Storm in your best, most marketable, and profitable way. For the group.

Monique Snyman -
You can't understand a word she says.

Monique: Hello, I hope you can understand me. I’m Monique.

All: Hello, Monique.

Monique: It was a rough ride, Johnny.  The tide was high, the boat shook violently, and the rain continued to come down mercilessly.  At one point, I thought that we would all die in the disastrous Hurricane-Editor-Sakina’s clutches, but luckily she let up before we drowned.  In all honesty though, Through the Eyes of a Storm is a remarkable anthology that brought together the authors of Rainstorm Press.  Before it, I hardly knew anyone there…  I also reviewed the book, and I must say it was a good read and perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon.  Each author brought his/her uniqueness to the table, and our wonderful Sakina made it all work with her red pen.  If the book’s good, you don’t have to work as hard to make it sell, and Through the Eyes of a Storm is a good book, so that says it all.

Johnny: That ought to sell a few copies. Of your book... Of Through The Eyes of a Storm. Yes, that. What was that, Jane? Jane Issac, was that trumbling? Not good. No. We’re all positive here. We’re all writers cutting our teeth, sharing our goals and ideals, if not proceeds with each other. It’s not about any single individual, it’s about me. And the group. That too. You go next, Jane. Open up.

Jane Issac
should read BEATRYSEL, don't you think?

Jane: Hello I’m Jane Isaac.

All: Hello Jane.

Jane: Apologies, Johnny, I think you mistake my trumbling for wonderment? It's such an honour to be in the company of such talented authors!

My story, After the Rain, concentrates on the debris that a storm throws up. It's a murderous tale of secrets and deceit with a generous spoonful of suspense, and a nice little twist at the end to keep you guessing.

Johnny: Now don’t you feel better? I know I do. When I wrote my debut BEATRYSEL, now on sale on Amazon in trade cover and eBook, which is incidentally getting great reviews, I said to myself, “Damn, I’m great.” Don’t we all feel like that sometimes? Don’t we? Isaiyan? Isaiyan Morrison, would you like to go next?

Isaiyan Morrison -
Nearly got struck by lighting
(gotta wonder what she did)

Isaiyan: Hello, my name is Isaiyan.

All: Hello Isaiyan.

Isaiyan: So, this one time, at band camp . . .Just kidding.

Usually when it rains I like to go outside, sit on the porch, smoke a cig and watch.

But one night I'd just finish my daily zombie killing spree on Call of Duty: Black Ops. I turned my computer on and went to work. At that time I had just finished some character profiles for my novel, Deamhan. I was so preoccupied that I didn't notice it'd become dark very quickly. I heard thunder and looked outside. Dark clouds came in out of nowhere and I thought "I'm going outside to watch." So I do just that. I don't think I was outside for five minutes before the rain started to pour. A flashing bright white light blinded me followed by a loud BOOM. I was blind for a few seconds. I literally couldn't see. When my vision returned I noticed that the limb from one of the trees across the street was on fire. Yeah, that was the last time I went outside during a lightning storm. The end.

Does that qualify as a disturbing tale of rainy night writing?

Johnny: I couldn’t have said it any better dressed like that if I tried. Really. That’s quite an outfit. Your journeys have been amazing. I think we all learned a lot today. There’s coffee and a box a donuts in the chapel kitchen.

Sakina: I want a turn.

Johnny: No time. Besides what could you add after so many wonderful tales?

Sakina: My story. Plus, I edited the collection.

Johnny: Okay, but stay on topic. We don’t want to hear any of your crazy conspiracy theories about how someone might use this candid and private gathering of talented writers to get traffic to his blog to advertise his new debut horror, BEATRYSEL available on Amazon when he himself doesn’t even have a story in the Through the Eyes of a Storm collection. That’s just tin-foil hat stuff. Really. But okay, if you promise to be good, you can have the floor.

Sakina Murdock
believes weird conspiracy stuff

Sakina: Hello, I’m Sakina.

All: Hello Sakina.

Sakina: My story has an environmental message, as well as one which warns of the terrible depths to which money can ruin the world Johnny. (Gives Johnny a hard stare). It’s set in the 60s, in the same town where my novel is based, and similarly, it tells the tale of a policeman who attempts to uncover the truth about a series of disappearances during some terrible storms. Please don’t yawn like that, Johnny, it sounds the same, but it isn’t. Without spoiling it for anyone, I’ll leave it at that.

Johnny: I thank everyone for coming out tonight. Don’t forget to drop a little something in the collection jar. Those day-old donuts aren’t free. They’re half off, but not free.



Through the Eyes of a Storm is available now on Amazon.

To find out more about these authors visit them here:

Sakina Murdock – http://soulsubsistence.wordpress.com
Tommy B. Smith -  http://www.tommybsmith.com
Susan Dorsey – http://www.susandorseybooks.com
Jane Isaac – http://www.caffeineisntacrime.com
Isaiyan Morrison – http://www.isaiyanmorrison.com
Monique Snyman - www.charmingincantations.com/blog
Robert DiBella - http://www.amazon.com/Memoir-Variable-Robert-DiBella/dp/1937758362
Tammy Maas – http://animaasity.weebly.com

Other Through the Eyes of a Storm Participants who were at the meeting but didn't speak:

Nate Burleigh – www.natedburleigh.com
Ronald Stefano – www.ronalddestefano.com
Amy Durrant – http://www.amydurrant.com
Diane Lefer - http://dianelefer.wordpress.com/

BEATRYSEL is available on Amazon as well. To learn more visit: www.beatrysel.com. Go on, do it. Do it now.