T.R. Toth's Blog, page 2

Book Beats: Laugh in the Dark

Liz was looking forward to starting her summer job at Lakewood Amusement Park. The small-town attraction was a place every kid in Seraphim Falls grew up going to. They would go with their parents when they were younger, would eventually go to school picnics with their friends, and even a lot of first dates happened there.

It wasn't a surprise that Liz ended up working there, just like her mom did when she was a teenager.

While Liz was excited about the job, there was a just one thing she was afraid of. It sat in the back of the park, surrounded by trees and seemed to wait until the time was right and it would just swallow the whole place, visitors and all. It was the "Laff in the Dark" dark ride. She hated ever since she was a kid. Her friends would often tease her about not being able to go on a ride that was so cheesy that even kindergartners wouldn't be afraid.

But, Liz never went on it. Just the way it sat there, in the only dark part of the whole amusement park made her feel uneasy. There was something so sinister about it that she didn't want to get any closer than she had to.

Things changed when, as luck would have it, Liz was assigned to the "Laugh Team" for the summer. With no choice, Liz had to face her fears. But, she didn't have to face it alone. Armed with her playlist of music that reminded her of carefree, Summer days, Liz would go to work.

What songs were on Liz's playlist? Take a look below.

Learn more about Liz and her fellow "Laugh Team" members in the story "Laugh in the Dark" that is part of the bigger picture that is "Seraphim Falls" available in paperback and e-book formats wherever books can be bought online starting May 8.

Don't see the book at your favorite small bookstore? Request a copy. They can order one for you and you help patronize a small business. Win/Win!

* Some songs contain explicit lyrics.*

Flash Fiction Friday: Icarus

Each Friday, I will blindly pick a picture card from the board game Mysterium , and set a timer for fifteen minutes. When the timer goes off, the story is done.

Michael couldn't believe it. Here he was, only a freshman at Sierra University and he was going to be inducted into one of the most prestigious fraternities, not only on campus, but in the world as well.

The Icarus were known to propel a lot of people in their careers, fame, and fortune. But, this was all hearsay. Since Icarus was a highly, secret society, no one knew for sure what they did or who was a member.

As he walked through the tree lined streets at night, he gripped his flashlight tightly, while he checked the address of the meeting place one more time to make sure he was in the right place.

Michael glanced up at the building he had stopped at and it sent shivers down his spine.

It was a giant, gothic church. It had tall spires, complete with gargoyles glancing down menacingly at him. The dark streaks that cascaded down the sides of the church made it seem like the building was silently weeping.

Michael put away the paper, and carefully walked up the crumbling stairs that led to two huge doors with intricate woodcarvings of the fleur de lis.

He knocked twice, like the instructions told him. The heavy doors groaned as if they were being awoken from a deep slumber and person in what looked like a monk's robe wearing a mask made of feathers and bone opened the door.

"Brother, Michael, are you ready to become a member of the Brotherhood of Icarus," said the monk from under the hood.

Michael could feel the sweat pour down his face before he said yes.

The monk moved to the side and gestured, with a wide arm for him to go down a hallway that was lit with torches.

As Michael got closer he could see more hooded figures wearing the same type of mask lining the hallway leading to a large set of double doors at the end.

"Proceed to your destiny, but don't get too close to the flame," said the Monk that let him inside but was now standing behind him.

Michael swallowed hard as he walked toward the doors. His shoes made a clicking noise on the marble floor that seemed to fill the entirety of the cathedral.

The brothers stood in silence as they lined the hallway, but Michael could feel their eyes blazing a hole into him.

I just have to make it through this one form of hazing and then I will be a brother. Doors will open for me everywhere.

When Michael reached the end of the hallway, two of the brothers bowed deeply to him and opened the heavy doors wide.

"Proceed to the middle of the room," said one of the brothers.

But, before Michael could tell them he couldn't see anything, they slammed the doors behind him.

The only thing to keep Michael company was the darkness that surrounded him.

Michael reached down and turned on his flashlight. It flickered in the darkness and he began to tap it on its side.

He shone it around the room, but couldn't see much. It looked like there was furniture covered in sheets along the sides. When he shone it up toward the ceiling it looked like a massive chandelier was hanging above him. It reminded him of the prop from "The Phantom of the Opera."

"Okay, guys. What am I supposed to do," he said speaking out to the nothingness.

Just as if they heard him, torches, like the ones that lead him to this room flickered to life. They even sparked the candles that were around the huge chandelier.

With this new light, Michael looked around and saw that his earlier assessment about the furniture covered in sheets was wrong. He looked closer and saw what looked like bodies wrapped in a sticky type of thread were standing sentry along the walls.

Michael laughed to himself.

This must be part of the hazing to scare me.

"Okay guys, you got me, You can open up now," he said.

Michael's fists pounded on the door and echoed across the room.

Just as he was getting ready to do another series of pounds on the door, he could feel something. Nothing was actually touching him, but he could sense something. It made his hair on the back of his neck stand up and the nerves in his body were electrified.

Michael turned around slowly and his skin went white as he dropped the flashlight that he was holding.

Above the chandelier was a giant spider. Larger than anything he had seen before. It was probably larger than the VW Bug that he drove.

Its hairy body slowly descended from the ceiling like an aerialist.

It advanced, creeping and ambling toward Michael, as if was building tension for this moment. He was like a cat that was playing with it's food.

Michael turned around and pounded even harder on the door as she screamed for help. He only got the first part of the word out before the room was filled with muffled screams and the sounds of something being drug over the marble floor.

From the other side of the door, the brothers stood and bowed their heads.

"Let's all give thanks to our brave brother, Michael, who became the ultimate sacrifice so we could continue our works."

Be a spark.

No matter your walk of life or current situation I'm sure we can all agree on one thing: the world has been a hard place since 2020. There is a lot of stuff going on that breaks your heart.

A lot of us adults can bare a lot of tragedy because, in most instances, we don't have much of a choice. We have to keep moving forward and doing our best each day.

In my opinion, it's the children that are hit the hardest. They don't understand a lot of what is going on. They just know their world has been turned upside down and they can't do things the way they had done for their entire life.

Now, imagine a kid who is going through a health crisis. Add scary doctors appointments and hours spent at the hospital and childhood for these kids can seem pretty bleak.

For those of you who know me in real life, or from things you might have gathered about me online, I am a huge fan of Walt Disney. His stories have created worlds for people to escape to, characters that we can see ourselves in, and gave a lot of us a reason to believe in magic.

For kids, a visit to Walt Disney World is nothing short of magic. Especially, during this time, a little magic can go a long way.

Not to burry the lede, but the whole reason for the blog is to ask you to join me in creating a little magic for some very brave kids.

For the first week that "Seraphim Falls" is on sale (May 8-15) $1 from every e-book and paperback book purchased will be donated to Give Kids The World, a non-profit organization that gifts critically ill children and their parents a magical vacation, at no cost, to the family.

According to a press release, "The Village is an 84-acre, nonprofit resort near Central Florida's world-famous theme parks and attractions. Children and their families are treated to weeklong, cost-free, dream vacations, complete with accommodations in the Village's whimsical villas, donated attraction tickets, meals and much more."

(Photos courtesy of Give Kids The World)

Give Kids The World was created because of a little girl named Amy. Amy, who had leukemia, wanted to visit some of the theme parks that made Orlando so popular. A request was made on her behalf to a local hotel to donate the room for her and her family to stay. The hotelier agreed. Unfortunately, because travel arrangements took too long, Amy passed away without ever having her wish come true.

Henri Landwirth, the hotelier who helped donate the room for Amy and her family, promised that no child in need would miss out on their dream. So he created Give Kids The World.

Through this organization, he is able to call on his colleagues to help him secure a wish within 24 hours if needed.

The organization has grown to an 84-acre resort with 166 villas, entertainment options, whimsical venues, and fun events specifically designed for children with critical illnesses.

Because of donations from both individuals and corporations, Give Kids The World has created magic for over 160,000 families from all 50 states and over 75 countries.

https://youtu.be/PKHyDZo7OFs

(Video courtesy of Give Kids the World)

While "Seraphim Falls" deals with a lot of scary things, nothing is as scary as what a lot of these kids and their families have to face.

Together we can be a spark that can ignite a little magic for these kids and their families.

Book Beats: Redneck Rendezvous

Danny dreamed of being far away from where he was. The gas station he ran was too lonely, plus he wasn't that into the family business. To while away the hours between the few customers he had, Danny would dream of all the places his favorite country singers would croon about.

Below is just a sampling of some of the music Danny from "Redneck Rendezvous" would listen to.

In the story, set among the winding back country roads of the Pacific Northwest, Danny's life changes when he meets two strangers on a road trip. Their chance meeting has the opportunity to turn his world upside down and put a strain on already tumultuous relationships.

Read more about Danny and the other residents of Seraphim Falls when the book is out May 8 wherever you can purchase books online.

Flash Fiction Friday: Red Crystals

Each Friday, I will blindly pick a picture card from the board game Mysterium , and set a timer for fifteen minutes. When the timer goes off, the story is done.

Anthony's head went under the water. It was too dark to see where he had gone. Cassidy had prepared her mind for the worst.

Her chest started to get tighter.

Her pulse escalated to where it felt like it would pound through her ears.

Right before she was going to scream out his name, Anthony's head reappeared above the water again. Well, at least that is what she thought it was. It was hard to tell because the moonlight, the only light source, was hiding behind a cloud.

The splashing got closer and Cassidy sighed and let her shoulders relax for a brief moment. He was fine. Not only was he fine, but he was going to be returning with the prize that he brought up from the bottom of the lake.

Anthony swam over to the boat and pulled himself up. Slung across his body was a netted bag that was glowing red. No moonlight needed.

"I can't believe you pulled this off," said Cassidy reaching for the bag Anthony just took off his shoulder.

She passed bag between her hands getting a better look at the treasure Anthony brought up to the boat.

"There's even more down there. Thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands, down there. We are going to be rich, Cassidy," he said while reaching for a towel and started drying his hair. "It's your turn now."

Cassidy looked at him. He must of hit his head on a rock down there if he thought she was going to go into the water.

"Nope. That's your job. I got the boat and you do the diving," she said crossing her arms across her body.

Anthony got closer to her. The moon had come out in full force and she could see his eyes clearly. They looked dark and threatening. This wasn't like him. She wasn't sure if she should cross him, the way he was looking at her read that she should get into the water if she valued her life.

This was a look she had never seen from him before.

"Fine," she said before she went into the boat's cabin to shimmy into a wet suit before returning to the deck.

When Cassidy returned, Anthony was throwing the rope ladder over the side of the boat so she could climb into the dusky water below.

"You better appreciate me," she said before she shot Anthony a look and gingerly climbed into the water.

The icy depths enveloped her as she sunk into right above her chest. She took several deep breaths and tried to warm her body. Cassidy swam over to the spot where Anthony had come back up with the crystals. She took a deep breath and started to go under the water.

She looked around under the current and tried to get her bearings. She looked around and saw the faint red glow from the depths. She pushed off and swam deeper to the bottom of the lake. Cassidy was surprised that the crystals seemed to be closer than she thought.

As she got closer, she noticed something she hadn't seen in the ones Anthony had brought onto the boat. It looked like something was moving inside of the crystals.

Cassidy crept closer. She thought the lack of oxygen from holding her breath was causing her to see things. But, she swore it looked like someone was trapped inside of the crystal trying to swim for help.

Cassidy reached out to touch the gem and she felt electricity surge through her body. She felt like she was floating above herself. She tried to swim forward but found she couldn't. It was like she hit a wall. A bright, red wall. She spun around and she noticed she was trapped on all sides.

That is when she saw it.

Herself, well, her body, swimming away with a bag full of red crystals.

The Power in Staying

Something you may not know about me is I live in a small town. Actually, it is the same small town I have lived in my whole life.

When I was in high school, I had dreams of going to a university in New York City to study journalism. Then, I was going to get a job writing for Rolling Stone where I would interview Paul McCartney for a cover story. (Before you ask, no I haven't seen the movie "Almost Famous.")

That was the dream of a 17 year old. It was a dream that really didn't happen. I got close to it when I did the entertainment magazine for a newspaper. I interviewed some really cool people, but it was short lived because, well, we know what is happening to newspapers in this day and age.

I went to a small school with an amazing Communications program. I made the best friends that anyone could ever ask for. I never regretted my decision to not go off to a big school in a big city.

That brings me to my point. It's okay to bloom where you are planted.

Some people might look down on staying in the same town you were born in, but it isn't always bad. Just ask Zac Brown, he wrote a song about it.

One of my first jobs out of college was working for a company that was revitalizing our downtown area. This was an awesome job, and it often would call on me to promote our small town to other people. This caused me to take a better look at our local community. Because of this I found out a lot about where I grew up and lived.

When something tragic happens in our community, everyone takes on the burden. There are so many spaghetti dinners and fundraisers to help people who have received a devastating medical diagnosis or who have suffered a house fire.

Whenever a new restaurant opens in town, you can bet that you will see every single person you have ever known will be at that restaurant within a week. This is nice for catching up or seeing familiar faces.

I love that my kiddo has teachers in school that I used to go to school with, and that there are some teachers still teaching that my mom used to teach with.

I guess the point that I'm trying to make is that dreams change, and that is okay. If I would have left my small town, then I wouldn't be able to be an author, which is a dream that I had since I was little. We wouldn't have the support from our families that have been so integral in all stages of our adult life. Plus, I wouldn't have had a lot of the inspiration I did when it came to writing "Seraphim Falls." It's based on a small town and a lot of the stories came to me while doing things in my small town.

If you live in a large city and love it, that's awesome! I love to visit large cities, but for me, it will always be a small town that has a place in my heart.

Everyone, sing it with me: "Just a small town girl...."

Book Beats: Return to Sender

Jonas Emmerson dreamed of online stardom. His video viewership was climbing and he and his friend Adam would do almost anything to keep the subscriber numbers climbing.

With the release of "Seraphim Falls" on May 8, I'm releasing Spotify playlists for characters from the book.

This week's playlist introduces you to Jonas from "Return to Sender."

When he isn't working at Seraphim Falls local amusement park, Lakewood Jonas is working toward building a career that very few people are able to obtain. However, this kind of dedication doesn't come without a price.

Jonas listens to music when he is up late at night editing his videos. After trying so many different stunts to gain viewership, Jonas is looking for something different that will really pull people in.

That's when he and Adam decide to purchase a package from the dark web.

To get Jonas's full story pick up a copy of "Seraphim Falls" on sale May 8. Signed copies can be purchased from this site by hovering your mouse over the more option at the top of the page and select signed copies. Physical books and e-books of "Seraphim Falls" are also available wherever books are sold online.

*Some songs may contain explicit lyrics.*

Flash Fiction Friday: The Birch in the Fog

Each Friday, I will blindly pick a picture card from the ,board game Mysterium , and set a timer for fifteen minutes. When the timer goes off, the story is done.

Bombs were dropping all around Alistair. He would run to the left and another would drop on his right, making a large crater in the ground and spew dirt into the air like a man choking on food.

Alistair kept running despite the fact his lungs felt they were going to give way at anytime. Through the smoke and English fog he could see a building coming into view right in front of him. It was tall and had several windows. He could imagine how they glinted when the sun hit them full on.

The closer he got it looked like some sort of country estate. Judging by the size of the place it seemed like it was owned by someone who is very wealthy.

Alistair didn't like the thought of running into such a large, unknown building. In fact, all of his army training had told him this was the worst thing he could have done. But, the screams of men in agony behind him propelled him forward.

There might be help inside. If only I could get someone to help us, then I can save my men.

Alistair was now on top of the house. And it looked even more foreboding. It looked like it had three floors and was of a French provincial style. A large white flag with a black X across it waved high above. It almost seemed like the house was surrendering. Alistair scanned his memory to think what country this flag belonged to, but he couldn't come up with anything.

He ducked under the windows so he could peek through them without being detected. Alistair looked in one and saw what he assumed was a parlor. There was a couch, a piano, and a the room was lined with bookcases. But no one was in the room.

Staying low, Alistair crept toward the front of the house. He looked through the window to see what he would have guessed to be the front hall. Beautiful woodworking, a large grandfather clock and an opulent stairway leading into the darkness of the second floor, but no people.

He continued his crouching until he got to the other side of the house. Here he didn't have to look into the windows because he found where all the people were. They were in the back garden of the house, or what must have been a garden in its prime. About 20 people were standing, with their backs toward Alistair. They were surrounded by burnt out shrubs and browned grass covered in ash. A nearby fountain had been cracked in half and lay in a pile on the ground.

Maybe everything isn't as good as I thought it was.

Alistair had to make a decision. He either needed to talk to these people to ask for help, or he had to return back to his men and die alongside them.

Alistair stood straight up and quietly walked toward the group of people. The ground under his feet crunched and crumbled in its dryness. Scattered through out grass were everyday objects like spoons, knives, and forks.

As he crept closer, Alistair saw the fog that he had walked through became thinner and thinner until it was completely gone. The clouds in the sky were gone too and the sun shone above. He took in the rest of his surroundings and noticed that the house guests didn't seem to be moving. They were stuck in place. Like time had paused just for them as the world continued all around.

"Excuse me," said Alistair in a gentle voice not wanting to startled them or interrupt if they were doing something important.

When no one acknowledged him, Alistair began to feel fear climb up from his stomach and into his throat. There was no more time to be gentle about this.

"Excuse me!" he shouted as his voice seemed to echo into a void.

Still no one moved.

Alistair walked up to what looked like a man in a deep burgundy smoking jacket. He tapped him on a shoulder. The man didn't move, so Alistair grabbed his shoulder and turned him toward himself. Alistair dropped his hand quickly and backed away. The man had what appeared to be netting covering his face. In three different places, the netting was tacked down with what looked like ruby hat pins.

Alistair's heart beat into his chest. He looked at all the people and they looked the same way. Faces bound with netting, tacked down with jeweled pins.

Alistair didn't think they were dead, they had felt too warm for that.

He followed their gaze to see what they were all staring at. As he made his way up front he saw on the ground, surrounded by a circle of six Birch trees there was a brown top hat with a red ribbon. Coming out of the hat was a noise he had heard before. It started like a low rumble and began to grow into a roar.

Alistair crept closer. He couldn't help himself. It was as if he was being pulled toward the hat.

He found himself inside the circle of trees reaching for the hat. The noise came rushing in his ears as he placed the hat on top of his head.

Then there was just darkness.

Book Beats: Mr. Winston's Deal of a Lifetime

Mr. Carl Winston loves music. It has been there for him when times were tough and also there to help him celebrate the best of times. It was also one of the things he and his girlfriend Pauline O'Claira liked to do. They would listen to music while they sat on her porch swing watching the sunset.

With the release of "Seraphim Falls" on May 8, I'm releasing a Spotify playlist for characters from the book.

This week's playlist introduces you to Carl Winston from "Mr. Winston's Deal of a Lifetime."

Mr. Winston is mourning the loss of his longtime girlfriend Marjorie. Just when he thinks he will never be happy again, he runs into Pauline O'Claira at the grocery store. The two strike up a conversation, and the rest is history.

Just as Mr. Winston feels like he will get his happy ending, the bottom drops out and he starts to suspect Pauline might not be who she seems.

Find out what happens to Mr. Winston and the other residents of "Seraphim Falls" on May 8.

"Seraphim Falls" Book Trailer

As you can probably tell, there isn't a Flash Fiction Friday for this week.

However, I have a good reason.

I'm sharing that "Seraphim Falls" is going to be released on May 8! I'm so excited. What started out as a few short stories in my head are now going to come together in "Seraphim Falls." I'll do a future blog post about the book and how it came about. But, for now I wanted to share the book trailer featuring the cover!

I am still figuring out all of the ins and outs, but the book will definitely be available through Amazon (e-book and paperback). Plus, I will be selling signed copies from here!

I'll keep you posted.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/66b1e1_e8ecc5062c2945bba50b7fa0f6bf86d0/360p/mp4/file.mp4