I can’t offer a magical answer, but I’ll attempt to share how a project I never intended to be a short story became one.

My initial spark was two-fold: My husband invited a friend to dinner one winter evening when we lived in the Boston area, and the story of said friend’s Dominican childhood in a land where Voodoo is familiar yet taboo proved to be too interesting to forget. Soon after, I was haunted by the image of a teenage girl (with an unusual family background) living in a much warmer Texas.

While mulling over concepts that could sustain young adult paranormal series potential, I was drawn to this special girl I’d named Mia, but figuring out how to expand her world into a trilogy never panned out for me, so I shelved her. She didn’t appreciate being abandoned, so when it came time to decide what to write for the Something Wicked anthology, she made it clear to me she wanted a chance to live, so I gave it to her.

Mia Vargas would love to share her story Through A Glass Darkly with you this October.

And as a special thank you, I would like to share a creepy Halloween treat with one lucky Something Wicked reader: Pixie, a NEW IN BOX Living Dead Doll. For Spooky Kids Ages 15 and UP!

Stealing the souls of children

is all part of her game

She dresses up to lure them

into her secret domain

Devouring their innocence

one lost child at a time

This playful Pixie doesn’t

even know it’s a crime

For a chance to win the purple wearing Pixie, please leave your name in the comment section of this post and send a picture or scanned copy of your Something Wicked receipt in an email to: trulymadlydearly [at] gmail [dot] com. This contest will remain open during the month of October to give all of those attending Castle and Quill at the end of the month a chance to enter, and I will announce the winner here at the Book End Babes on the first Monday of November.

You can purchase the anthology in paperback at Amazon, BN, and the Buzz Books Store. ($1.00 off coupon code MFVSBH4A can be used at checkout when purchasing the paperback directly from Buzz!) Ebook purchases can be made at Amazon and BN.