Madness: Another Contract Renewed and Re-Signed

In another case of COVID-or-otherwise induced delays, today’s email included a new contract from The Great Void Books for their upcoming crime anthology, WATER TURNS RED (cf. June 18 2020). The story, “Madness” — see how the headline comment reflects its post’s contents? A tale of yuppie progression up the corporate chain, and competing necessities dwelling in subways.

In other words, madness. Well . . . maybe? The guidelines did specify just “crime related.” A dollop of lore from protagonist Kerri Stava’s family memories from the “old country.” Dreams of werewolves, and a rather odd mother. Punk rock and upper-class party planning. And, yes, subway tunnels and gatherings in secret.

And witchcraft — maybe. It’s a long story at more than 10,000 words, room for lots of different ingredients, originally published in THE WITCHING HOUR (Silver Lake Publishing, 2001). But as Editor/Publisher Aditya Deshmukh asked me, . . . I just wanted to make sure. Who was the old woman and why did she call her her daughter? Was it just her dream? The witch cult she thought she needed to find? (But actually there’s no one there, just her mental illness.) My answer: It’s not entirely straightforward.

So is it supernatural, or “true crime?” — the book is, of course, about crimes like murder. But then what about a perp’s motivations?

Maybe the only real way to find out is to read it yourself and make up your own mind.