Upcoming Novelette: "Reflections"

The idea for "Reflections" came from a dream. I really don't remember the details of the dream, just one scene from it, in which an avenging golden angel stood in a mossy forest, and every raindrop in the forest reflected the face of the angel. It was eerie and beautiful and completely mesmerizing.

(Side note to Dr. Who fans: I think this may have been influenced by the Weeping Angels, whom I have placed at the very top of my Most Scary Dr. Who Villains list, ahead of the Silents and the Vashta Nerada.)

When I woke up, I decided to write a story about the angel.

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As it turned out, it became a novelette incorporating eighteen characters (sort of, but not really) and taking place in four worlds. As each group in the four worlds reacts to the events, you begin to see that they are far more connected that you ever imagined--and you begin to realize who is hunting them, and why.

It's the sort of creepy horror story that I would have loved to read as a teenager. And, since much of the suspense involves reflections, it probably would have made me a little afraid to look in my bathroom mirror.

But it's not just creepy for the sake of being creepy. I never saw the point of those kinds of stories. Maybe it's because I believe there are real, active forces of good and evil at work in the world, and they aren't purposeless. They are very precise in their aims.

I had been planning to submit something to the Writers of the Future speculative fiction contest, so I chose to send "Reflections" because the story seemed to fit the style.

Several weeks later, I got this reply in my inbox:

Dear Contestant,
Your story has been judged and did not place in the 3rd quarter of the Writers of the Future contest which was between 1 April and 30 June of this year...

Ah well. It was worth a shot. So I let "Reflections" sit, then designed a cover, and decided to offer it as an e-book.

Did it deserve to be cut from the contest? Do you think it should have been spared? What's your opinion? I would love to know what you think once I make it available on YaashaMoriah.com on November 15th.

(Note: I will charge $2.99 per copy, and for a story that length, you can hardly lose. However, my short stories will continue to be FREE.)