SHADOW REFLECTION
Book 4 in the Haunted Series
by Bibiana Krall and Veronica Cline Barton

Congratulations on publishing Book 4 in the Haunted Series, Shadow Reflection.

How did you two get started with this series?

VCB: Thank you, Sandy for having us as guests on your blog! This series stemmed from a visit to Savannah, Georgia back in January of 2020. We had the chance to meet up in person for the first time after becoming friends on Twitter. I still remember our early morning conversation, sitting in these fabulous baroque chairs at the Kessler Mansion by the fireplace, just chatting away as if we’d known each other forever, LOL. We started talking about the haunted history of the city (Bibiana gave us a fantastic tour) and so began the ‘inklings’ of the series. Little did we know at the time the world was about to shut down…

BK: It’s great to be here with you both. Thank you so much, Sandy! Our first meeting downtown Savannah was the coolest! We had no idea that day how the world would change and also how much this paranormal series would expand and grow. It’s been an amazing four years of creative collaboration. I’m deeply grateful that we had each other to lean on and this dynamic project to keep us focused and moving forward.

You’re two writers who have vastly different writing and publishing styles, how did you come up with the concept and plan for the series?

VCB: Loads of conversations (some at extremely strange times, LOL). At the beginning, I don’t know if we thought about a four-book series at the time. We had no idea how long the lockdowns would last (remember the promise of 2-weeks?) The Hearth Fires project was a creative outlet for us during very scary times. We saw a lot of people shutting down. We wanted to keep positive and maintain a creative flow ‘til the end…We talked about and agreed upon a theme (paranormal suspense vs horror, we didn’t want to get into the blood and guts world). Three stories each were the deliverables (with suggested word count limits). We wanted to release it in time for Halloween, so we set Monday of the Labor Day weekend as the publishing date. We talked all through the year to keep each other up to date. Sent each other our story content. Had an editing plan. And came up with a spooktacular cover design. Then, the writing began…

BK: A central theme for each anthology was chosen, this year (Shadow Reflection) speaks on introspection and what lurks in the shadows as we reflect on an unsettling experience. During the pandemic I missed the freedom of travel and noticed people on social media struggling with being stuck inside and dreaming about the way things used to be. The series has a strong focus on immersion, so each story has a deep sense of place and offers world travel without leaving home. It is a way to leave the mundane and take our readers with us to the mysterious and alternate universe that we wanted to share. People are reading less, and shorter text is more popular. The Haunted Series is composed of short stories, but they are written in a unique way that they are complete stories, not a dramatic scene. The development of how we would do this had much to do with the things we missed during lockdown, while adding relatable themes of struggle, metamorphosis or change that modern readers will connect with. Fear of the unknown is an enormous part of this series. We don’t speak on or write about the pandemic, but uncertainty and the human factor is interwoven into the subtext of the narratives.

Bibiana, you’re a prolific writer with a variety of stand-alone books and series. How did you adjust to collaborating with another author on a joint project?

BK: It wasn’t my first creative collaboration. I studied screenwriting at Wilkes University with director Ross Klavan and enjoyed working with him and my cohort. You learn a ton when you work closely with another person or a group of creatives. It’s awesome to have people you can trust and bounce ideas with. Veronica is a talented writer and a terrific person. She has a slightly dark (cozy mystery) sense of humor that I truly appreciate. We have a natural and easy flow with each other, mutual respect is paramount when you’re stuck or need to offer critical feedback.

Some of my earlier collaborations with others were not so great. Over time I’ve realized how important it is not to say yes to every project. Use your intuition and learn from the past. The primary understanding must be that everyone is working together for the good of the project, and there’s no room for ego, pettiness or grand-standing. If you get a strange, uneasy feeling in your gut when considering a new collaboration, don’t ignore it.

Veronica, you write a regal cozy mystery series—was it difficult for you to move to a paranormal suspense genre?

VCB: Crossing over to another genre was a challenge, but I’ve always loved tales of the bizarre. I grew up watching shows like Twilight Zone, Dark Shadows, Night Gallery, and Outer Limits and loved the haunted elements of the shows/storylines. Anything can be made a scary topic; the challenge was to settle on a concept that challenged me as a writer that resulted in a ‘complete’ haunting or macabre tale. The hardest part for this collaboration, quite frankly was the switch from writing a novel (85K-95K wordcounts) to short stories (5K-7K). It’s much more of challenge than it seems, LOL.

What makes these stories different from thousands on the paranormal shelf on Amazon?

VCB: I think each story in the current book (and the series) gives a bizarro snippet of the emotions and drama we were exposed to during the lockdowns. We channeled those experiences into haunted tales for the Halloween season—we didn’t want a rehash of real-life events, we’ve all had enough, LOL. Transforming the experiences into Gothic tales, campy short-takes, and creepy situations gives a reader a unique escape valve for all the pent-up drama we’ve been exposed to. Plus, it’s a fun way to celebrate the rustic charm and mystery of autumn and the Halloween season (we even include yummy recipes). We call all the books in our series a ‘Halloween party in a book’…you can savor it slowly, each day, or week, or go for the binge read!

BK: The short version is that these eclectic and haunting stories come from our unique perspectives and they are not bog-standard, paranormal stories. We channeled our fear during the pandemic, turned it into spooky fuel and faced it head on. The unknown became our creative juice. Allowing the “ghosts” to remain in the room with us made them into something powerful and unsettling that stay with a reader long after they finish the story. As a teen, I loved watching, Twilight Zone, Dark Shadows and Tales From the Crypt. A radio drama with Vincent Price called Mystery Theater also influenced me as a storyteller. It was suspenseful, dramatic and psychological, never gory or extremely violent, but it had me on pins and needles. I couldn’t get enough of it!

How did you choose the stories for this year’s anthology, Shadow Reflection?

VCB: I had the story concepts for Mask, Flipside, and Hijinks early on, but as all writers understand, sometimes the stories need to sit and percolate a while before their essence emerges. A few of the stories took their sweet time, LOL, but finally they all met the deadline. The setting for Mask came to me immediately last year, during a cruise through the remote towns of Alaska located on islands located in the Inside Passage. Flipside emerged when CERN restarted their particle beam experiments and bizarre, incessant, daily events started unfolding (and the strange hits keep comin’, even now…). In each of our books in the Haunted Series, there’s one, not-so-scary tale I contribute. This year in Hijinks, I had the pleasure to combine my two favorite holidays (Halloween and Christmas) in a fun, campy tale (we’re allowed, not everything has to be scary) that I hope will give you a few giggles.

BK: Writers say this often, but I didn’t choose them, they chose me. Billy haunted me until I wrote his bizarro story. Last October I was in Vermont looking for haunted bridges. It has gorgeous woods, lots of mist and can be quite spooky. It is the perfect atmosphere for composing classic, ghost stories. White Raven makes you feel like you’re adventuring in Tanzania and climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, which I finally did with my husband this past June. Obelisk feels very modern and the ending is quite shocking. It explores our mysterious connection with the stars and answers an important question.

What’s next for your projects?

VCB: We’d love to start exploring book-to-screen options for the tales in the Haunted Series. There’re so many possibilities for the tales in each book—it’s just a matter of getting to the right person with our vision! On the cozy mystery front, I’ve started book 9 in My American Almost Royal Cousin Series with Gemma and her family and friends coming to America in this next, exciting tale. Figgy and grits, I cannot wait to see what Max has to say, LOL… I’m also drafting a new book for a MG/YA (still haven’t quite decided which way this will go) cozy mystery series that I intend to query in 2024. I love the Indie publishing path, but I’d like to participate in the traditional publishing world too. It’s a new challenge I’d like to take on–wish me luck!

Thank you kindly, Sandy, for having us as your guests! Wishing everyone a spooktacular Halloween season!

Veronica Cline Barton: https://www.veronicaclinebarton.com
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Veronica-Cline-Barton/author/B079XYHYPF

BK: There may be a TV series in the near future, think a female-driven Twilight Zone with an edgy and modern feel. We are working on our pitches and envisioning how to get it there. Having the chance to share these stories on-screen is pretty exciting. I am also working with a film director in Spain on a book-to-feature film collaboration. It’s taken longer than I expected, but the result has been fantastic! I prefer to have at least two or three projects going at the same time and am finally finishing up a novel I tucked away in a drawer. After its edited again, I will query and attempt to find the right fit. I always have my eye on the future.

Thanks again for hosting us on your wonderful blog, it was a lot of fun! Happy Halloween and happy reading! Shadow Reflection arrives September 4th, 2023. “Reflections shift, unleashing the shadows within…” We can’t wait to share these stories with you!

Bibiana Krall: https://www.bibianakrall.com
You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1fsdRyMJyibd7L-Pp7gycA
The Haunted Series: https://www.amazon.com/The-Haunted-3-book-series/dp/B08HQ2XSP8