MJ’s is an award-winning author and her stories are gripping, fascinating thrillers.
I’m a big fan of MJ LaBeff. It’s an honour to have her return for a guest blog this week.
Her first visit was in 2019 and you
can read her 4Q interview and an excerpt from Cold Case #2 HERE.
Thank
you so very much for having me as a guest Allan. It’s always nice to have an
opportunity to share what goes on behind the scenes before I start writing a
book. This gives you a look into the mind of a thriller writer— mine!
Truth
or Dare?
It’s a harmless game played with friends. How many of
you remember it? I do. At nearly every sleepover I went to in grade school and
high school we played Truth or Dare.
The stakes got higher as we got older, more brazen and adventurous. What’s that
expression? Young and dumb. How about? Live fast, die hard, leave a beautiful
corpse. Hey, we were kids who thought we were cool, invincible. We also had
another saying. Take it to the grave. A simple pact- innocent enough, right? I
mean, what could a group of high school kids really do that was that bad? Let
me tell you.
Last Spring’s Stranger book 4 of the Last Cold Case
series explores exactly what happens when a prank goes horribly wrong.
Have you ever heard of Pack Mentality in humans? It’s
a scary but interesting phenomenon. I’m reminded of a pack of coyotes, and how
they operate in the wild, luring, cornering, and then ripping their prey to
shreds. Pack Mentality occurs when people make decisions based on the actions
of others. A person can also be lured into Pack Mentality when he/she want to
fit in. Things that otherwise rational people would not do- get done.
Consequences, be damned. Take it to the grave. Remember the pact, or dare I say
pack. But, the truth always finds a way of coming out. Doesn’t it? Humans also have
this thing called a conscience.
These are the thoughts that ran through my head while
plotting Last Spring’s Stranger. People often ask me where I get my ideas so I
thought this might lend a bit of insight. The game of Truth or Dare isn’t in the story, but it initially spawned the idea
for it. That, along with some myths from the small town I grew up in.
There was the legend of Albino Man. He lived in the
woods and was frighteningly tall, bald and ghostly white. I remember being a
little girl and a bunch of us gathered in the neighborhood, wanting to go into
the woods in search of him. We were at an age where defying our parents still
scared us as did going in search of a person as scary as Big Foot. So, we
requested that one of the girl’s ask her dad if he’d take us hiking through the
woods. Eh, eh, eh, sneaky little girls that we were, it wasn’t until we were walking
the trails did we tell Mister Whitney the truth. I’m sure our squeals, giggles
and loud whispers never tipped him off, ha, ha, ha. We never did see Albino
Man.
Thinking of that adventure had me drawing on others,
including pranks. Often meant to be harmless but could be hurtful too. Remember
what it was like being a teenager. You gave and you got.
It starts with a prank that ends in death. There was
my premise. Next, I began thinking about fictitious myths and legends. The
Legend of Verch’s Hollow was born. It’s a separate piece of writing that I
thought would be fun to share here.
The
Legend of Verch’s Hollow
The
untimely demise of the Verch family occurred forty five years ago. Legend has
it that their restless souls rise up and haunt the property every year during
the spring equinox. Despite the no trespassing signs, teenagers cross the
covered bridge to the overgrown mound where John Verch sacrificed his family in
a grisly murder and then resurrected their slaughtered bodies like scarecrows
before taking his own life days later.
The property remains vacant until 1999 when one of
Verch’s descendents, Lenny Verch decides to reclaim the land. A decision he and
his wife Ursula will regret after their teenage daughter Tina is brutally
murdered. Her death fuels the legend of Verch’s Hollow. Teenagers hold séances.
Young and old alike believe that every year during the spring equinox Tina
Verch rises from the thawing ground seeking revenge for her death.
It’s been over twelve years since her brutal murder.
No evidence. No suspects. No arrests. Case closed.
Then another teenage girl is murdered in the hollow. Laurel Adamsen is on the school newspaper staff, an
athlete, and liked by her peers. Who
hated this young girl so much to have wanted her dead? Is this a sick copy cat
crime? Why would someone want to kill an innocent fifteen year old girl? Was
this a teenage prank gone wrong?
Don’t
ask me why the character’s name is in red. Maybe I was thinking about changing
it. I don’t know. This is the original piece and as you might’ve guessed it’s
hard to say what was going on in my head. Such is the life of a writer.
So,
what’s it gonna be? Truth or Dare?
I do
hope you and your readers have enjoyed this peek into my writer’s mind and that
I’ve piqued your interest about this story. Last Spring’s Stranger it is
available for preorder. The book release is January 12, 2021.
Thank you MJ, for sharing your thoughts and an Excerpt from your
new novel. I’m looking forward to reading your story. Wishing you continued
success.
For you wonderful visitors wanting to discover more about this talented author and her stories, please follow these links:
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FKMRYY8
Apple
https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1527136329
Kobo
https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/last-spring-s-stranger
Barnes and Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/last-springs-stranger-mj-labeff/1137460833?ean=2940164659028
For more about the Last Cold Case series please visit www.mjlabeff.com. I can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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