I think hearing the story behind a story is interesting. For Bladham Wood, it all started with a tiny hallucination…
Years ago, when I still lived in South Carolina, I was outside on a hot summer day (that southern gelatinous-air kind of hot) cutting grass with a push mower. I must have been over-heated because as I was demolishing the grassy overgrowth in the front yard, I thought I saw a piece of paper floating by in my peripheral vision.
My first thought was that maybe some trash had gotten into the mower and was blown out with the grass bits, except there was no piece of paper or even any bits of pieces of paper. Nothing floating by anywhere. Just a trick of the eye. However, it got me to thinking. What if….?
The idea of a piece of paper appearing out of thin air was an intriguing one. But to what purpose? I was sure it would have to be some form of communication. The first attempt at using this idea was a story called “The Delia Papers.” In that story, the notes did appear out of nowhere. I never published the story or even completely finished it.
At the same time I was working on “The Delia Papers,” I was also working on another short story where a young girl on the brink of maturity goes for a walk in the woods and comes across a hole in the ground with bees coming out of it. She is offered the opportunity to go into the hole and always live as a child. (as I’m writing this out, it still sounds like a really cool story, but I did not completely finish it, either). Anyway, my fascination with bees from that story got transferred over to “The Delia Papers” which I stopped calling “The Delia Papers” as it evolved into something much bigger.
The main purpose of The Secret in Bladham Wood was to tell a story of two sisters. I also wanted to delve into the idea of our inner power and tapping into it. The Secret in Bladham Wood is really an introductory piece to a lot of ideas. The story is so much bigger than what is hinted at in this first book. The next book will elaborate on the residual effects of Sam, Lilly, and Marcus uncovering the secret and what that means for all involved.
I expect it will be a lot of fun to write!