Dreams are but our brains reflecting what they have seen, experienced, and imagined. These images can be distorted, reversed, warped, and deformed into something terrifying. Delve into stories born from nightmares and contorted into journeys dark and fearsome, the corrupt dreams of a darkened mind.
Life for me and mine was set. Wood Women, witches to many, had a cycle. There were only two Wood Women alive at a time, a mother and her daughter. As the daughter beget her own, her mother would cease to be. But that wasn’t the only circle that justified our life.
The town was ours and we belonged to them. The crops flourished and the seasons changed, as was our want. We wove the tapestry of the town, trimmed the frayed threads, added the new ones, removed those that had faded, and kept the picture beautiful and trapped within a bubble of our making. They knew only of which we wanted them to, no more or less,.
As stories are often about a change, a disruption, so is this one. The circle of the lives of the Wood Women, the life of the town, and the sphere we had built to keep it all contained in was challenged, attacked, and eventually severed. There was another darkness in the night, untouched by moon and fire, and it held the secrets that would be our undoing.
“I am a Wood Woman. One from a long line of Wood Women. We are the forest, from and of, and we are the caretakers of the town. We see and we mend, we care and we tend.”
“I don’t understand.” His eyes were narrowed as he searched my face. As much as he complimented me on my observations, he was a bit keen, himself. “If you are saying what I think you are saying, I am unsure how to proceed.”
“Would you burn me at the stake for healing the sick? For helping women birth babes? For making sure the harvests are good and rains come when needed?”
“No, not for those things.”
“But for other things? Do I sacrifice the young and eat their hearts?” I couldn’t help but laugh, a deeper laugh than I had ever felt any time before. His face was frozen but then cracked, his lips widened into a reluctant smile. “I assure you that all I hunt in the forest is small game, not humans, and that I prefer my meat well cooked. Stews are nice and keep for days.”
“I see. Do you not have a being you pray to, though? An entity that holds your hand and controls your heart and mind?”
“Only myself, Zariah. There are no devils or demons here.”
Life for me and mine was set. Wood Women, witches to many, had a cycle. There were only two Wood Women alive at a time, a mother and her daughter. As the daughter beget her own, her mother would cease to be. But that wasn’t the only circle that justified our life.
The town was ours and we belonged to them. The crops flourished and the seasons changed, as was our want. We wove the tapestry of the town, trimmed the frayed threads, added the new ones, removed those that had faded, and kept the picture beautiful and trapped within a bubble of our making. They knew only of which we wanted them to, no more or less,.
As stories are often about a change, a disruption, so is this one. The circle of the lives of the Wood Women, the life of the town, and the sphere we had built to keep it all contained in was challenged, attacked, and eventually severed. There was another darkness in the night, untouched by moon and fire, and it held the secrets that would be our undoing.
Coming late Spring 2018, Sever the Circle by Amanda Leanne. A dark tale of witches, will power, and nightmares that are much too real. Will be available on most major ebook retailers and in paperback from Amazon.
I have been planning and creating like a mad woman. N.I.C.D. Book 1 is being written and I keep having to stop for various reasons. For one, I still do some outside work for the necessary survival funds, but for another, the world is complex. I have the Arcanus (all beings not human) and they have history, politics, education, systems and so much more. My main characters, Mara and Kai, have intricate lives that require me to plan parts of the world a bit better. In comes the binder.
Today was spent working on the various descriptions and explanations behind the various Arcanus. I have also been filling out more of Mara and Kai’s respective backgrounds. I can’t wait for the eventual reveal on their insane lives!
In the process of working on this first massive book, I have begun to contemplate the world I am constructing. My readers may want to know how the Arcanus witches were involved in the witch trials or about the great Pirate and Mermaid War or perhaps how the N.I.C.D. was formed. When and why did the Arcanus create such a bureau, the Nonhuman Investigative and Compliance Division?
With these thoughts came the idea of supplementary reading. Standalone books to fill in historic events, character backgrounds, and other tales from my world. These books will get the same depth and tone as the main series, but won’t need to be read in any particular order. They may not be as long or exstensive, in fact some will be novellas, but they will be the fancy frame for the picture I am creating.
I am all ears for questions or information about my upcoming books. Thank you for keeping up with my journey!
Shadows are often benign, nothing to truly fear, and yet our minds create from them. We see them twist and form into something sinister, something eerie, something that makes our skin crawl or our heart race. As the fog manipulates the landscape, so does it change the shadows. With our minds, we further pull from the blurry images and a tale is formed. From vengeful women to those that welcome death to haunting moments, these stories are a mixed bag of random dark tales from the mind of Amanda Leanne. Written over the past decade, this is a small compilation of stories pulled from the shadows in the fog.
This collection of dark and eerie stories contains eleven tales to wet your appetite. The Other side of the Mirror and Something’s Changed were certainly my favourites. I could easily see these being developed into fuller stories. I’m sure each reader will find something to appreciate and their own favourites. I especially liked that each story brought a new voice and direction with it. I would recommend this to all readers who enjoy dipping into dark tales, like me! -Sarah Northwood
Amanda Leanne 