Kaye Lynne Booth's Blog: Writing to be Read, page 2
October 6, 2025
Writer’s Corner: The Evolution of a Story
It started with a simple idea, sparked by one of Robbie’s “In Touch with Nature” segments on the South African elephants and their plight due to illegal poaching. Who wouldn’t love to give the elephant a chance to get even? To rise up and slay the cruel poachers? That would require something like a zombie elephant. An elephant that was a zombie, now that would be a formidable foe.
So, taking the idea of a vengeful zombie elephant, I began to research. The story would need to take place in South Africa, where one can find both elephants and poachers. First, I looked at the beliefs held there about how a zombie could be created. Robbie suggested I go with the beliefs of the Zulu people, and steered me toward the legend of the tokoloshe, which are turned into zombie creatures, controlled by the sangoma or shaman who created them.
Tokoloshe are squat, troll-like creatures which are said to be found near bridges. The have small hands, large, hairy feet and long penises, which are often slung over their shoulders. They have small squinty eyes, protruding brows and long, stringy hair. (Now, I know you’re probably asking, what about the females? How do they procreate? But as far as I can tell, all tokoloshe have long penises, so they must all be male. As to the procreating thing, I don’t have a clue. Information on Zulu culture and traditions is not abundant, here in the U.S., and I am thankful for the information sent to me by Robbie about these creatures of legend.)
An idea began to form as to how I could incorporate this Zulu legend into my story, and I began to outline my tale, with a working title of “Zombie Elephant”. This required even more research, and I learned that there are two types of shamans in the Zulu culture, the sangoma, who is in touch with the Zulu ancestors and more likely to be found using dark magic, and the inyanga, which is more of an herbalist or healer, and that they are chosen by the ancestors, and go through rigorous training to fulfill these roles.
My idea involved two Zulu boys, Nelwazi and Nhlanhla, who acquire some of the zombie powder, made from crushed tokoloshe bones, from a powerful sangoma and create a zombie elephant by accident. The sangoma sends the tokoloshe after the two boys. From that, I was able to complete an outline and start writing.
I wrote this story while my computer was down, so it was written in longhand and then digitized after I got my new laptop. Both of my stories for the Curses anthology were written like this, and they changed a lot when I typed them out on the keyboard. Oddly enough, this story changed very little when transferred into digital form. What was amazing about this story was that I had so much fun writing it through all the stages. I even had to chuckle during the final reading on the last edit. I just couldn’t help it.
You see, somehow, the tokoloshe and their long penises stole the show. I found that these little guys were always up to mischief, and they made appearances when I least expected. And who knew the boys would come across an unenchanted tokoloshe, not under a sangoma’s control? But there he was, becoming a character in his own right. The zombie elephant was still there with her own part in the story, but I had imagined a story with her as the star, or at least playing a major part. Actually, she still did play a major role, but the darn tokoloshe were bigger than life. (When I looked back, all of it was there in my outline, but I guess the writing of the story just brought it all to life for me.)
Each posed different problems that Nelwazi needs to solve. He must not only disperse the tokoloshe that are sent after them by the sangoma, but he must find a way to undo the curse he inadvertently placed on the poor elephant, and Ngobizitha, the sangoma he ticked off, is the only one who can help him. These unusual problems required me, the writer, to come up with some creative solutions. When the story was finished, “Zombie Elephant” no longer seemed to be the right title. And while the tokoloshe stole the spotlight on several occasions, it didn’t seem right to switch to “Tokoloshe”, because the story encompasses so much more.
I was shocked to realize that my final word count was over 15,000 words. That’s three times the maximum word count of 5,000 set for the story submissions for the Midnight Oil anthology, which is the intended destination for this story. That’s almost novella length. I wasn’t sure if this story belonged in this anthology anymore. There wasn’t time to write another story, so in the end, I decided to include it, but it is a strong enough story to be a standalone.
And that is the evolution of “Sangomas, Tokoloshe, & Zombie Elephants, Oh My!”, which will be featured in its entirety in Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares. Scheduled for release on October 28.
About Kaye Lynne Booth
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and book 1 in her Time-Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders and The D.I.Y. Author writing resource.
Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press, where she edits and publishes two short fiction anthologies and one poetry anthology every year amidst her many writing projects. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
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This segment of “Writer’s Corner” is sponsored by the Robbie’s Inspiration blog site, where you can find ideas on writing and baking with hostess, Robbie Cheadle.
October 5, 2025
“Curses” & Robert White on “Joseph Carrabis”
Meet the contributing authors and learn about their stories in Curses: Chronicles of Darkness.
https://josephcarrabis.com/2025/10/05/robert-whites-the-longspeth-curse-in-curses/WINNERS: The WordCrafter “Curses” Book Blog Tour
We had a great tour for the release of Curses: Chronicles of Darkness last week, with readings from Joseph Carrabis of both his stories “It’s a Man’s World” & “Grafton’s Ghost-Child”, a video from Molly Ertel about the inspiration of her story, “Clover’s Mirror Box”, and guest posts from Paul Kane on “The Weeping Man”, Robert White on “The Longspeth Curse”, Denise Aparo on “Mohawk Monster: The Curse of the Herkimer Diamond”, and me on both of my stories, “The Death Clock” & “Caverna Del Oro (Cave of Gold)”. And, of course, there was a giveaway for all of those visitors who commented and supported the tour, the anthology, and all of the contributing authors for one of five digital copies of Curses. So, without further ado,
(Drumroll please…)
And the winners are:
Teagan GenevieveMeelosmomAuthor Jan SikesLiz GaufreauD. Wallace PeachTour ScheduleIn case you missed out on all the fun, you can visit each stop through the links in the schedule below. I hope you’ll take the time to stop in and check it out.
Day 1
Stop 1 – Writing to be Read – About the Curses Anthology & Meet Kaye Lynne Booth and Denise AparoStop 2 – Undawnted – DL Mullan Interviews Denise AparoDay 2
Stop 1 – Robbie’s Inspiration – Meet Kaye Lynne Booth & Joseph Carrabis with readings of “It’s a Man’s World” & “Grafton’s Ghost-Child”Stop 2 – Undawnted – DL Mullan Interviews Joseph CarrabisDay 3
Stop 1 – Poetry by Mich – Meet Abe Margel & Paul Kane with a guest post about the inspiration of his story “The Weeping Man”Stop 2 – Undawnted – DL Mullan Interviews Paul KaneDay 4
Stop 1 – Roberta Writes – Meet C.R Johansson & Robert White with a guest post about the inspiration for “The Longspeth Curse” Stop 2 – Undawnted – DL Mullan interviews Robert WhiteDay 5
Stop 1 – Writing to be Read – Meet Danaeka Scrimshaw, and Molly Ertel & Inspiration Video about “Clover’s Mirror Box”Stop 2 – Undawnted – DL Mullan interviews Danaeka ScrimshawJoseph Carrabis Promotional PostsIn addition, each of our contributing authors are being featured on the Joseph Carrabis blog through the 8th of October. You can access all of those posts through the links below, but please note that the links will not work until the post has gone live.
29 Sept 2025 Abe Margel’s “Uneasy Spirit” – https://josephcarrabis.com/2025/09/29/abe-margels-uneasy-spirit-in-wordcrafter-press-curses-anthology/
30 Sept 2025 Denise Aparo’s “Mohawk Monster: The Curse of the Herkimer Diamond” – https://josephcarrabis.com/2025/09/30/denise-aparos-mohawk-monster-the-curse-of-the-herkimer-diamond-in-wordcrafter-press-curses-anthology/
1 Oct 2025 Molly Ertel’s “Clover’s Mirror Box” – https://josephcarrabis.com/2025/10/01/molly-ertels-clover-in-wordcrafter-press-curses-anthology/
2 Oct 2025 Paul Kane’s “The Weeping Man” – https://josephcarrabis.com/2025/10/02/paul-kanes-the-weeping-man-in-curses/
3 Oct 2025 Kaye Lynne Booth’s “The Death Clock” – https://josephcarrabis.com/2025/10/03/kaye-lynne-booths-the-death-clock-in-curses/
4 Oct 2025 Kaye Lynne Booth’s “Cavern Del Oro (Cave of Gold)” – https://josephcarrabis.com/2025/10/04/kaye-lynne-booths-cavern-del-oro-cave-of-gold-in-curses/
5 Oct 2025 Robert White’s “The Longspeth Curse” – https://josephcarrabis.com/2025/10/05/robert-whites-the-longspeth-curse-in-curses/
6 Oct 2025 Danaeka Scrimshaw’s “The Lamp” – https://josephcarrabis.com/2025/10/06/danaeka-scrimshaws-the-lamp-in-curses/
7 Oct 2025 Joseph Carrabis’ “It’s a Man’s World” – https://josephcarrabis.com/2025/10/07/my-its-a-mans-world-in-curses/
8 Oct 2025 Joseph Carrabis’ “Grafton’s Ghost-Child” – https://josephcarrabis.com/2025/10/08/my-graftons-ghost-child-in-curses/
October 4, 2025
“Curses” & Kaye Lynne Booth on Joseph Carrabis Again
Meet the contributing authors and learn about their stories in Curses: Chronicles of Darkness.
Kaye Lynne Booth’s “Cavern Del Oro (Cave of Gold)” in Curses
Undawntech: Broken Promises, A Future Unknown
Just like the Industrial Revolution of the 19th Century, Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) is overthrowing established doctrines and creating a brave new world. Humans are entering a dystopic futuristic phase planted in present apathy. Do you know who reads the book of your life? Do you care? From spying on your every move, balancing your checkbook, making medical decisions for you, and helping you commit suicide, A.I. has the capacity to run and ruin your life.
Excuse me?
AI Isn’t Magic, It’s Being Used to Spy on You, Experts Warn https://futurism.com/the-byte/ai-magic-spy-on-you-experts-warn
How artificial intelligence controls your health insurance coverage https://theconversation.com/how-artificial-intelligence-controls-your-health-insurance-coverage-253602
New Social Security Bank Access Rule Means AI Crawlers Will Be Searching For These Transactions
Evaluation of Alignment Between Large Language Models and Expert Clinicians in Suicide Risk Assessment https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ps.20250086?ref=404media.co
The family of teenager who died by suicide alleges OpenAI’s ChatGPT is to blame https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/family-teenager-died-suicide-alleges-openais-chatgpt-blame-rcna226147
Even though A.I. is created by human algorithms, its creators have little accountability for the monster they bring into existence. This technology is in the Wild West phase of development, where anything goes as long as the corporate part of human governance gets there first. No real laws. No real answers. No protections.
To illustrate, A.I. is cataloging vast amounts of user data from chatbots to every day activities. Data consolidation like the United States government’s Fusion Centers (https://www.dhs.gov/fusion-centers) give Artificial Intelligence a foundation into your lives, activities, and behaviors. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and Section 702 (https://www.intel.gov/foreign-intelligence-surveillance-act/fisa-section-702) are allowed to collect American citizens’ data from phones, emails, social media for 72 hours and be perused without a warrant.
Let’s take this example into the real world: you were taken to the Emergency Room for a spider bite. That medical information is uploaded into the Fusion Center nearest you, and dumped into 702 data collection. Your interaction with the medical industrial complex is then intercepted by A.I. The phone calls you made to work, school, parents, spouse, children, etc. were recorded and placed in data collection. The scans, medications, and recommendations you were given are also uploaded. Next, you return home to convalesce. Your phone, computer screen, and television are riddled with advertisements about pest control, spider bites, hospitals, and emergencies.
Would that be relaxing to you? Or, is this to stoke the inner hypochondriac?
Isn’t that what your medical, home, car, and life insurance policies will be monitoring before your next scheduled policy purchase? How much will all your plans increase based on what you do and do not do during the interim?
Thanks to government and technological overreach, humans don’t have control of their lives; there is no privacy; and your protected rights aren’t so protected.
When is apathy no longer an excuse to stay silent about the real issues? The crux of the technological nightmare is Digital I.D. and currency. With these two factors as the umbrella centralization of information, governments can take all your choices and privacy away from you forever.
Reimagining Digital ID https://www.weforum.org/publications/reimagining-digital-id/
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) https://www.federalreserve.gov/central-bank-digital-currency.htm
What are you waiting for? For A.I. to take your creativity away, as well?
Musicians Vs. Machines: First Ever Record Contract to AI Music Creator Prompts Panic, Protest
‘Hunger Games’ Screenwriter Billy Ray Warns ‘Existential Threat’ AI Is to Hollywood: ‘Bad Movies, Bad TV Shows, and a Lot of People Out of Work’
AI Studio Chief Says Talent Agencies Rushing to Sign AI Digital Movie Star Tilly Norward
It may already be too late.
But if you would like to endeavor on changing this timeline for the better, then be heard: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Only you can be the change you are looking for…
——-~o0o~—oOo—~o0o~~——
For a Halloween trick or treat, purchase The Descent: a darker breed of poetry.
Available at these fine retailers:
www.undawnted.com/p/the-descent.html
“A well crafted piece of art.”
“Both the descriptions and use of language here are very elaborate. The poem shows intricate crafting, the style and subjects of course, are reminiscent of Poe- this is not only a fitting homage, but stands on its own, the word choices are exact and richly expressive.”
“As if Poe came right off the page. This homage is literally perfect.”
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DL Mullan holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology.
Her lecture, Spacescapes: Where Photography Ends; Imagination Begins, debuted at the Phoenix Astronomy Society, which then led to her Sally Ride Festival lecture invitations. Her presentation, Bridging the Gap between Technology and Women, won her accolades at a community college’s Student Success Conference. She has been a panelist at speculative fiction, science fiction, and other regional conventions. Her digital exhibition pieces have won awards at convention art shows, as well as garnered her Second Premium at the Arizona State Fair. Currently, Ms. Mullan’s artistic renditions are seen on book covers, blog sites, and various merchandise. As an independent publisher, she uses her technical background to innovate the way she perceives the creative arts.
As a writer, DL Mullan loves to stretch her imagination and the elasticity of genres. She writes complex multigenre stories in digestible and entertaining forms, be it poetry, short fiction, or novels. Her science, history, mythology, and paranormal research background is woven into her writings, especially in Undawnted’s Legacy Universe. Ms. Mullan’s creative endeavors are available in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. She is also a record label owner, an electronic musician and award-winning poet.
Be sure to subscribe to her newsletters and follow her on social media. For further information, visit her at www.undawntech.com and www.undawnted.com.
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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
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This segment of Undawnted is sponsored by WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services .
Whether it’s editing, publishing, or promotion that you need, WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services can help at a price you can afford.
Stop by and see what we have to offer today: https://writingtoberead.com/readings-for-writers/wordcrafter-quality-writing-author-services/
October 3, 2025
“Curses” & Kaye Lynne Booth on Joseph Carrabis
Meet the contributing authors and learn about their stories in Curses: Chronicles of Darkness.
https://josephcarrabis.com/2025/10/03/kaye-lynne-booths-the-death-clock-in-curses/Wrapping Up the WordCrafter “Curses” Book Blog Tour
Today we’re wrapping up the WordCrafter Curses Book Blog Tour. I want to thank each of you who have joined us by following the tour and commenting to enter the giveaway, to help us send-off this themed dark fiction anthology, Curses: Chronicles of Darkness. We’ve had a great time meeting the contributing authors and learning about their stories. I hope you’ve learned enough about the stories in this collection to entice you to buy the anthology, and maybe found a new favorite author or two along the way. If you missed a stop, you can go back and check them all out through the links in the schedule at the bottom of this post.
Today we bring you a brief guest post by Danaeka Scrimshaw and a video post about their story inspirations her on Writing to be Read. Then over at Undawnted, DL Mullan will bring use her interview with Danaeka, as well. Don’t forget to leave your comments and questions for both stops on the first blog stop. We still have one more digital copy of Curses to giveaway.
GiveawayWe’re giving away 5 digital copies of Curses: Chronicles of Darkness.
All you have to do to enter is
follow the tour and leave a comment.
About Curses: Chronicles of Darkness
There are all types of curses.
Cursed places, cursed items, cursed people, cursed families.
Curses that last throughout time. Curses which can’t be broken. Curses which are brought upon ourselves. Curses that will kill you and those that will only make you wish you were dead.
Eleven tantalizing tales of curses and the cursed. Includes stories by Kaye Lynne Booth, Molly Ertel, C.R. Johansson, Robert White, Joseph Carrabis, Paul Kane, Danaeka Scrimshaw, Abe Margel, and Denise Aparo.
Pre-Order and Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/CursesChroniclesofDarkness
Meet Author Molly Ertel
Molly Ertel’s short stories have appeared in Akashic Books, Jerry Jazz Magazine, the Midnight Garden anthology and the Dark City Crime and Mystery Magazine among other publications. Additionally, she worked as a reader/editor for the Silver Blade Anthology. Her character-driven stories came out of her days as a photojournalist at the Airway Heights Corrections Center where she interviewed and wrote about the lives of inmates and the work of correctional officers.
Current projects include editing her second historical fiction novel for middle grade (8-12 year olds) that takes place during the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 and possibly delving into the world of creative non-fiction for children. Animal Olympics anyone?
Molly’s story, ” Clover’s Mirror Box”, is about a woman cursed with bad luck and her quest to break her curse. How do you break a curse? Well…, Clover uses a mirror box to break her curse. If you want to know how, you’ll have to read the story.
Inspiration Video for “Clover’s Mirror Box”
Meet Author Danaeka Scrimshaw 
Danaeka Scrimshaw is a speculative fiction author writing novel length and short form for the past seven years. Between short stories, they’re working on the first book of a new trilogy called Ghedia of Duisternis.
Danaeka’s story, “The Lamp”, is about a cursed object; a lamp handed down through generations with a curse locked within.
Inspiration for “The Lamp”My story, The Lamp, came to me subtly last October when my writing group wanted to do Halloween stories. It started with the memory of my great grandma’s old wicker lamp when I was seven. This one was ordinary, and we got to light it sometimes and watch the orange flames flicker as we blew across the open top, casting shadows on the walls.
While I was still going through my divorce, I had lost the muse and didn’t finish in time, stopping when Sebastien discovered the lamp was open. About a month after I started living alone, I felt invisible, just as this anthology opportunity came up. I had felt invisible throughout my childhood as well. This idea of being the forgotten child made its way into the story.
You can learn more about Danaeka and her story, by visiting the second stop on today’s tour, over at Undawnted, where you can catch Danaeka’s interview with DL Mullan.
Don’t forget to leave your comments and questions for both tour stops here for a chance to win the final copy of Curses: Chronicles of Darkness.
Tour ScheduleDay 1
Stop 1 – Writing to be Read – About the Curses Anthology & Meet Kaye Lynne Booth and Denise AparoStop 2 – Undawnted – DL Mullan Interviews Denise AparoDay 2
Stop 1 – Robbie’s Inspiration – Meet Kaye Lynne Booth & Joseph Carrabis with readings of “It’s a Man’s World” & “Grafton’s Ghost-Child”Stop 2 – Undawnted – DL Mullan Interviews Joseph CarrabisDay 3
Stop 1 – Poetry by Mich – Meet Abe Margel & Paul Kane with a guest post about the inspiration of his story “The Weeping Man”Stop 2 – Undawnted – DL Mullan Interviews Paul KaneDay 4
Stop 1 – Roberta Writes – Meet C.R Johansson & Robert White with a guest post about the inspiration for “The Longspeth Curse” Stop 2 – Undawnted – DL Mullan interviews Robert WhiteDay 5
Stop 1 – Writing to be Read – Meet Danaeka Scrimshaw, and Molly Ertel & Inspiration Video about “Clover’s Mirror Box”Stop 2 – Undawnted – DL Mullan interviews Danaeka ScrimshawOctober 2, 2025
“Curses” & Paul Kane on Joseph Carrabis
Meet the contributing authors and learn about their stories in Curses: Chronicles of Darkness.
https://josephcarrabis.com/2025/10/02/paul-kanes-the-weeping-man-in-curses/Day 4 of the WordCrafter “Curses” Book Blog Tour
For the first stop on Day 4 of the WordCrafter Curses Book Blog Tour, we’re over at Roberta Writes, where Robbie Cheadle introduces contributing authors C.R. Johansson and Robert White, with a guest post about the inspiration for his story “The Longspeth Curse”. Please join us in sending off Curses: Chronicles of Darkness, from WordCrafter Press. Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a free digital copy of the anthology, and then drop by our second stop to catch DL Mullan’s interview with Robert White over at Undawnted.
Roberta Writes – Day 4 WordCrafter Curses Book Blog Tour #fiction #reading community
October 1, 2025
“Curses” & Molly Ertel on Joseph Carrabis
Book Cover: Curses: Chronicles of DarknessMeet the contributing authors and learn about their stories in Curses: Chronicles of Darkness.
https://josephcarrabis.com/2025/10/01/molly-ertels-clover-in-wordcrafter-press-curses-anthology/
Writing to be Read
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