I am reading this book for the second time. Rarely do I do that. I really like the story. I like Addie. I could never be as brave and resourceful as she is. 

Addie is a woman who knows, back in 1714 small-town France, that she doesn't want the ordinary life of a wife and mother, especially the wife of someone she is being forced to marry. To escape, she sells her soul to the Devil and in return is given freedom to do as she pleases and take all the time she wants. But life isn't easy because of the form this freedom takes, and the Devil shows up in her life from time to time urging her to surrender her soul so she no longer has to face the grueling situation she is in. But as difficult as her life is, it is also filled with wonder and beauty. Think of all the things you might experience as a first if you lived for 300 years. Addie is a fighter and she won't surrender.

I found the story fascinating because history is something that happens real-time, and if you were to live through it and continue to live for hundreds of years, it would be a memory, a part of your life, not something separate from you in history books. Also, you would know that the events you are experiencing today will soon be history to someone not yet born.

I also love the ending of the book, but I won't go there.

When I check out the one-star reviews, I agree with the complaint about repetitiveness. And sometimes the descriptions are over-long and often too abstract or esoteric; you know, when a writer become enmeshed in their own choice of words. I want to be able to see the scene the author is painting, or at least feel it. The author didn't always get me there.

I don't mind the jumping back and forth between time periods, however, which some reviewers hate. I think it's rather clever, actually. The story wouldn't be nearly as engaging if it were simply linear.

So, I guess this book is a matter of taste and according to the reviews, most people love it. Count me as one who can ignore its shortcoming and get into Addie's experience. I love thought-provoking and this story is that for me.

Thank you to my niece, Hayley, for loaning me this book and sharing enough of its story so that I read it in the first place. 
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​Because the plots of horror stories are often improbable, the author needs to construct their characters, dialogue, and settings with as much realism as possible. Published in the New Yorker magazine in 1948, author Shirley Jackson attained convincing realism with her iconic story, “The Lottery.” Everything appears normal at a small-town gathering until a woman gets stoned to death to assure a good harvest.
When writing fiction, a compelling imagination is essential. When writing horror, a compelling, weird imagination is vital. I write all types of fiction and nonfiction, but due to the way my mind is wired, the horror genre has enticed me into its frightening web. All those scary movies, Stephen King novels, and staying awake when I was a kid, agonizing about the boogieman in my closet, has paid off.

​The premise, fear of the unknown, has always intrigued me. For my first horror story, “The Door,” Tommy Stockton knows there’s something hideously evil behind a locked door, but he doesn’t discover what it is until―you guessed it―the ending. Knowing something horrifying is just around the corner, but not knowing what it is, is a sure-fire technique in creating what I call―the fear factor.
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The horror writer explores the malevolent and the inexplicable. Using the proper atmosphere, they arouse fear by building a heightened sense of suspense, mystery, and surprise. (Predictability to a horror writer is like an iceberg to the Titanic). As the successful writer builds suspense, they employ longer sentences. For action sequences, they employ a short, staccato-like structure.

​Okay, brace yourselves, get comfortable, and dim the lights. I’m peering into my crystal ball to offer advice on how to write horror stories. The truth is, it’s pretty much the same as writing any fictional story: sharp dialogue, realistic characters, and intriguing narratives. All elements of good writing must be present, but there’s an additional component which makes horror writing even more challenging: the story must be scary.
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For horror stories to give readers a suitable amount of gooseflesh, the author has to establish the sense of fear. There are many types of fear. I have a fear of heights but not everyone identifies with acrophobia. The horror writer must generate a universal fear. The majority of people have a fear of being isolated in a dark, strange place, which can be delightfully effective. Most importantly, just about everyone identifies with the fear of dying, which happens to be the crème de la crème in horror writing. And, of course, snakes, rats, spiders, and other creepy-crawlers can give just about anyone a case of the shivers.

​So I (Roberta) wrote this short story inspired by a trip to Leadville, Colorado I took with my sister’s family eleven years ago. My niece was 15 at the time and she really was the fifteen-year-old from hell. She is the narrator of the story and I portrayed her as she was on that trip. I submitted the story to a speculative fiction podcast that specializes in everything from hard science fiction, to urban fantasy, horror, steampunk, superheroes and more. My story was rejected. They found my narrator off-putting and suggested I tone her down.  Well, I found her off-putting in real life, so why didn’t I tone her down when I wrote the story in the first place? I’ve done a rewrite per the editor’s suggestion, but I am dragging my feet about submitting the story elsewhere. I could just include it in my next collection of short stories titled Distorted 2.  Oh, btw, my niece is a sweetie now. Headstrong, yes, because she’s turned out to be a bit of a perfectionist. She is also intelligent, beautiful, and kind. The fifteen-year-old terror was a phase.

Our writers club, High Desert Branch of the California Writers Club, has a lot of wonderful writers with a diverse array of topics to share. They are available for speaking engagements. Here is a short video put together to let people know about ontopicspeakers.com.  

Last night Mike and his wife and my husband and I went to a friends' house for hamburgers off the grill and a movie in their movie room.  We decided to watch the 1979 movie, The Changeling, staring George C. Scott.  I actually saw it at the show way back when, but the only part I remembered was this old-time wheelchair coming down the stairs on its own. It had a great story and, of course, George C. Scott is a great actor. So I got to watch a movie with a ghost. Next time Mike gets to pick and he likes Zombies.