Day of The Dark Authors Part 2 By E. B. Davis

We are visiting a second week with Kaye George's Day of The Dark authors. The questions I posted to the authors in the first half of the anthology can be found here. This week I have posted questions to the authors in the last half of the anthology. 

When I contemplated the subject of the eclipse, my thoughts turned to SciFi, but the authors wrote in various genres--traditional/cozy/historical mystery, psychological thriller, romance, fantasy, and SciFi/horror. I hope you'll pick up a copy of Day of The Dark. It's highly entertaining and will provide the perfect short stories for summer reading fun.

Please welcome the authors to WWK.        E. B. Davis

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“Awaiting the Hour” by Joseph S. Walker

Loved your foreshadowing. Do you love to write stories in which you can “turn-the-tables” on the bad guy?

Thanks for the kind words!  I had a lot of fun writing this story.  I like writing stories where the tension builds until a final confrontation that takes what I hope is an unexpected turn.  The bad guy in this story is a desperate man, but he doesn’t realize that the hostage he’s taken is just as desperate, for entirely different reasons.  In a way a story like this is like the eclipse—the elements are all there, and it’s just a matter of lining them up right to see what is revealed.  Ultimately, doesn’t reality turn the tables on all of us?

“A Golden Eclipse” by Debra H. Goldstein

Did your MC, Agent Lana, learn from this con artist what tipped her hand? Is every event, man-made or natural, an opportunity for the con?

Yup – throughout time, con men, gamblers, and hustlers all have used different versions of “There’s a sucker born every minute” and “There’s a mark born every minute, and one to trim ‘em and one to knock ‘em.” A Golden Eclipse illustrates how in every situation, there is an opportunity to go after a little piece of the action, but the best know how to read others and when to put aside greed and fold. In this case, Agent Lana will never know what aspect of her naiveté tipped her hand, but it won’t matter. She’ll never be an innocent again.

“Picture Perfect” by LD Masterson

Will Sam get ousted from the photography club? In the long-run, Joe isn’t a loser is he?

Everyone loves Sam. And what's not to love? He's friendly, always ready to lend a hand, and just naturally good at whatever he does.  He's everybody's buddy. Isn't he? On the other hand, Joe seems like a total jerk, but he’s really just an average…er, Joe who lets his obsession with a hobby, and a rival, take over his life.  The truth and the future for each of them will be revealed through the lens of a camera.

“The Darkest Hour” by Kaye George

You betrayed your wonderful MC. Will you rewrite it using insulin instead?  What made you think of creating the eclipse anthology?

Oh no, no rewrites at this point! You really think she’s wonderful? She has her good points, but her intentions are not exactly pure.

Deciding to go off on a tangent and do my own anthology was a moment of temporary insanity. I’ve always been interested in stars, meteors, and things that happen in the sky. The upcoming eclipse captured my attention and, I guess, my brain. I’ve been astounded at the reaction, though. There are a LOT of people who are very interested in this eclipse, a lot more than I thought there would be. I had no trouble getting submissions or a publisher. I thought I might not get enough stories to make a whole book and also thought I might have to self-publish. I’ll admit, this has been a fun project from the very beginning.

“Baby Killer” by Margaret S. Hamilton

Traumatic events skew even the sharpest minds. Did finding the documents help Florence or not? Are these characters from your novel?

The documents and photo hidden in the fireplace cache reassure Florence that she did indeed have a son, who lived, but was taken from her and adopted by another family. The solar eclipse sparked her memories not only of childbirth, but the pregnant woman who disappeared into the woods and was never found. Florence hid the victim's necklace in the fireplace cache.

The story takes place in Jericho, a small Ohio college town that is the setting for my Kings River Life stories and my debut novel, Curtains for the Corpse. Mandy will probably appear in a future book in the series in her remodeled Craftsman bungalow.

“Flying Girl” by Toni Goodyear

Who is Flying Girl? Were you ever lost in the woods?

Who is Flying Girl?: She's a symbol of the need to go high, to reach for the
sky, the stars, to believe, to have hope and courage. Though she's a
children's book character in this story, it's a character that speaks to the
magical, mystical heart of all children.

Were you ever lost in the woods?: As a bit of anomaly -- someone who loves
hiking and camping but has trouble finding West even at sunset -- I've spent
my fair share of time, shall we say, respecting the woods! I've been
followed by a bear more than once. Um, really? Er, well, you don't always
see them, you know...

“To the Moon and Back” by Kristin Kisska

https://thehomeschoolscientist.com/total-eclipse-sun-2017/ 

Does everyone have phantoms? Does adversity make or break you?

I believe everyone has phantoms, though they may present themselves in different ways: regrets, grief, guilt, fear, denial, or even remorse. That said I suspect whether or not the phantom breaks a person depends on the magnitude and severity of the problem.

My short story, “To the Moon and Back,” was inspired by a sweet ten-year-old girl from our community who lost her battle to cancer less than six months after being diagnosed.  At the time, she was the same age and grade as my youngest child. Following her tragic journey and watching this beautiful child wither away broke my heart.  As an author, I’m always questioning, “What if…”  In this case, I asked myself, what if this had been my son? How would I have coped had he died? The answer wasn’t easy or pretty. But writing this story has helped me empathize with parents of these health-compromised little angels.

“Rays of Hope” by Harriette Sackler

Was it wise or hurtful that Julie wasn’t told the truth at a younger age? What were the rays of hope for Julie?

What a terrible decision it would be to share information with a young child that could result in trauma and possibly have lifelong repercussions.  For that reason I do think that Julie's grandparents made the best decision they could by waiting until Julie was a teenager to disclose the truth about her parents' absence from her life.  Although Julie, needless to say was shocked and traumatized, she was probably better able to understand

Julie's Ray of Hope was an ability to put closure on the circumstances that took her parents away from her.  Loving childhood memories of her father and his relationship with his wife allowed Julie to maintain her conviction of his innocence.

“Women’s Work” by KB Inglee

Were articles published on women’s rights as early as 1875? Writing articles about women’s rights or putting them into action, gaining respect—were both necessary or was one better than the other?

Fredrick Douglas published a moving article on the rights of women in support of the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848. In 1872 Susan B. Anthony was arrested for trying to vote. Writing and action are inseparable and neither would work without the other.

“Open House” by Bridges DelPonte

Was your MC Catholic? Ukrainian curse, guilt, or both?

My main character Keefe’s faith is intentionally left open-ended.  Yet the Roman Catholic faith retains a strong influence in the Boston area--so burying a St. Joseph statue to quickly sell your home is a well-known practice.  I’ll let the reader decide the true cause of Keefe’s misery.  I have always greatly admired Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart, so Keefe’s guilt over his stealing at open houses is definitely connected to his misfortunes.  Yet I don’t underestimate the power of Ukrainian curses and cursed religious objects to wreak havoc on ordinary lives.  

“Relatively Annoying” by John Clark

Why didn’t your MC report the problem immediately? Your story seems fantastic, and yet would you agree that the reality is: The ignorant cause problems and aren’t held accountable for their crimes?

As it was, he had difficulty being taken seriously until the game warden saw the photos of the desiccated animal carcasses. Given that, would anyone in authority have been concerned until the mutation happened? Up to that point, the issue was his loss of imported insects and his frustration with his cousin acting in a way that messed up his experiment. As for the ignorant causing problems and not being held accountable for their crimes, I give you one heck of a lot of elected officials who act in exactly this manner.

“Ascension into Darkness” by Christine Hammar

What plant did the women use? Is champagne the perfect accompaniment for murder?

The plant used was Hemerocallis fulva Daylily. Although they smell nice and quickly give an uninhabited house a fresh and lovely odor, they may be poisonous. The word "lily" seems to cover an astonishingly wide variety of plants, most of which are indeed poisonous.

Researching Daylilies I found that the Hemerocallis species are toxic to animals (cats, dogs & horses) and ingestion may be fatal. Humans do eat the flowers and the potato-like tubers found in the roots, but one should be certain to consult a professional to positively identify the plant before using it for nutrition.

I took literary liberties and made the Daylily poisonous from flowers to the potato-like tubers, because the word Lily raises a red flag in my mind. I would never, ever use any parts of any lilies in cooking. I'm sticking to potatoes and safe greens. If I wanted to murder someone, I'd use Lily of the Valley.

Champagne is the perfect accompaniment for anything and everything! Nibbles & snacks, luxurious baths, chocolate, hors d'oeuvres, picnics, murder and of course meatballs.

(The Evening Standard April 2016: Balls and bubbles: A Champagne and meatball restaurant is coming to London. http://searcys1847.co.uk/menus/ )

https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/best-places-to-view