Sweeping Into A Story

As we head toward summer, if you're like me, you're probably searching out books to read that have plenty of action and keep you on your toes. Today's guest in My Writing Corner, Alicia Dean, brings us a book that sounds as though it might be perfect summer reading when nights are short.  Her latest book, Mister 13,  is book 3 of A Friday the 13th Series. Before finding out about the book, though, let's find out more about Alicia.

Alicia hails from Oklahoma where, she says, the wind not only "comes sweeping down the plain," but sometimes gusts, twists and ravages down the plain.  She is from Moore, which she says, is affectionately known as "Tornado Alley," though she now lives in Edmond.

She says she has always wanted to be a writer and wrote her first romance at the ripe old age of ten. In fact, she says she still has the tattered, pencil-written copy of the book, 'Just Pretend', titled after one of her favorite Elvis Presley songs. It featured a hero who looks JUST like Elvis. (Have you guessed, she's an Elvis fan?)

Other than reading and writing, she says her passions are Elvis Presley, MLB, NFL (she usually works in a mention of one or all three into her stories) and watching (or re-watching) her favorite televisions shows like Dexter, Vampire Diaries, Justified, Seinfeld, Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, King of Queens and Breaking Bad. Some of her favorite authors are Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Lee Child, Lisa Gardner, Ridley Pearson, and Jonathan Kellerman...to name a few. 

Alicia, tell us about your road to publication.

I’ve been writing since I was 9 or 10 and I wrote my first romance. As the years went on, I dabbled, then I got married and raised kids and put my writing aside. Then in 2001, I took a writing class and renewed my drive to write. I published my first book in 2007 with The Wild Rose Press and have published many more since, with various publishers, including Indie Publishing.

What do you find is the most challenging part of being an author?

I love writing, but the most challenging part is finding time to write with my busy schedule. And being disciplined enough to actually write when I do have a few spare moments. I’m trying to get better about that. 

How do you develop characters?

I like to base characters on real people, mainly celebrities. Sometimes I just use that person’s appearance and sometimes I use their personality, traits, mannerisms, etc. I usually base them on a role the actor has played rather than the actor themselves. Then I get to know them within the world of my story as I go along. I can’t really get to know a character than well until I’ve written at least a third of my story. I wish I could say the characters are ‘real’ to me and I know them up front, but I’m more a plot driven writer.

What is your latest book and how did you come up with the idea to write it?

My latest release is actually a horror short story called Mister 13. It’s part of a Friday the 13th Series of short stories where myself and 12 other authors (get it, 13 authors… set 13 stories on Friday the 13th?) each wrote a stand-alone story. They have various shared elements but are not otherwise related. I got the idea for Mister 13 because I’ve always found it interesting that there are people who suffer from a phobia called triggatriskaidekaphobia, which is a fear of Friday the 13th. My story is based on that phobia.

Let's get a blurb:

Psychologist Giselle Bishop is treating a patient who suffers from friggatriskaidekaphobia, a fear of Friday the 13th. When he was younger, his family was murdered on Friday the 13th by an unknown killer dubbed Mister 13 by the media. Since then, he’s been terrified to leave his house on the dreaded date. She understands his fear because years earlier, her roommate fell victim to Mister 13.

With another Friday the 13th approaching, Giselle convinces him to overcome his fear by facing the very day that paralyzes him, so he reluctantly ventures out. But when she sees a news report that a young woman was found murdered by someone with the same MO as Mister 13, she understands she has made a grave error and her patient is right to believe he is in danger. But he’s not the only one, because now Mister 13 is coming after her.

I don't know about you, but I want to know more! Let's get an excerpt:

      He nodded. “But not just any Friday. It’s Friday the 13th. Today is a special day. And you are going to be remembered forever.”

      His meaning sank in, and her heart stopped, then began pounding so loudly, she could hear it booming in her ears. “No, please, no, please. Oh my God. I don’t want to die.” Tears and snot ran down her face and warm liquid rushed between her thighs as she peed herself, but she was barely aware of it. Her brain was overtaken by pure, unadulterated fear. 

“Shhh…shhhh… No one is going to help you. It’s just you and me now.” He reached into his hoodie pocket and pulled something out. Her eyes widened when she saw the knife. “Here’s what I need you to do for me. I want you to count to thirteen. Loudly but slowly. Can you do that for me?”

She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. “No, no, no, no, no…”

He slapped her, hard, and her eyes shot open. “That doesn’t sound like counting to me.” He held the knife against her cheek and poked the tip in far enough to draw blood. She gasped. “Now, try again, unless you want me to carve your face up.”

“Wo-one…two…three…” A sob caught in her throat, and she couldn’t speak. He jabbed the knife more deeply into her cheek, and she cried out. “F-four…five…”

With each number, her heart hammered harder, and she wondered if she’d die of a heart attack before he killed her.

She reached thirteen, praying he’d go away and leave her alone. That it was some kind of sick game he liked to play, but he didn’t want to actually hurt her—at least no more than he already had. But that thought had barely formed when he lifted the knife and plunged it toward her chest. 

The pain was like nothing she’d ever felt—ever imagined. Her last coherent thought was that, in all the horror she’d seen and read, nothing had prepared her for the agony of her own death. 

Want to know more, dear reader? Don't worry, the buy links are below. Alicia, what are you working on now?

I am working on another story for our upcoming Friday the 13th series. (We release new stories on each Friday the 13th) and I’m also working a police procedural/suspense novel called Dead Red, the first in a new series.

Here’s the buy link for Alicia’s book, Mister 13 followed by the link for the entire A Friday the 13th Short Story Series.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BKY7H2VK?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tkin_8&storeType=ebooks 

A Friday the 13th Short Story: 13 authors ~ 13 suspenseful stories. Murder and mayhem on Friday the 13th... Find each story in the series here: 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLCZ8W66?binding=kindle_edition&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_pc_tukn 

Alicia, what advice do you have for beginning writers?

My advice for beginning writer is to write, as much and as often as you can. Don’t worry about making it perfect, just get the words down. The more you write, the better at it you’ll get. 

Thank you for appearing on my blog today. Find Alicia’s social contact information here:

Email: Alicia@AliciaDean.com

Social Media Links: https://linktr.ee/AliciaDean1835

Any questions or comments for Alicia?