I asked fellow Tales from The Hanging Tree anthology contributors to share some things about themselves prior to publication and those generous enough to do so will be appearing here for the next week or so.
Each entry gives a taste of their contribution, a little about them, how to contact them, how their story came about, and definitely a link to Tales from The Hanging Tree (which you should purchase because it would make each and every one of us happy.
you do want to make us happy, don’t you?
i mean, considering what we wrote, you want us to know you’re a good person, right?).
C.R.’s contribution is Therion’s Heart. Here’s a taste:
Water dripped from her favorite pink open-toe shoes with the sparkling rhinestones. Her wet copper brown hair clung to her cheeks, giving the appearance of cat whiskers, and her legs swung back and forth, carried by momentum. Her head arched back as she gazed at the sky where clouds which moments ago rained down on everyone in the park, thinned and parted, giving the sun a window. A rainbow appeared, stretching across the sky, and coming to a rest at her feet. A symbol of good luck. It calmed everyone to watch her. Her peaceful face. No one spoke, no one knew what to expect next. So, they waited. The oneness sensed her arrival ten days ago, when the sun bathed everything in its warmth, but then the rain came. I too remember the day she gazed upon my magnificence for the first time and my leaves quiver at the memory.
How the story came about:
Human behavior doesn’t change. It’s the same now as in ancient history. Human behavior is built upon individual ideology, personal goals in life, and a fundamental need to belong. Individual actions are hardwired to emotions, and threats against one’s beliefs creates an uncontrollable fear. And fear drives people to a higher rate of irrational and sometimes horrible actions than anger. No one is immune.
Stories are built on human nature and their reactions to events unknown and known. Oh, what a boring world we would live in, if it weren’t for the unstable acts of human nature.
A frenzied mob stands in the torrential rain, panic-stricken by illogical fears until they carry out the ultimate unspeakable action, murder of an innocent. The image that started it all. In my short story Therion’s Heart, I knew the rain was more than symbolic to this fictional mob. This simple act of nature, terrified them. It and the person responsible for it threatened their beliefs, and something had to be done. I rarely plot out my stories, I enjoy letting the characters take the wheel, and this was no exception. I hope you enjoy my story Therion’s Heart as much as I enjoyed writing it.
About C.R. Johansson:
C.R. Johansson writes gripping thriller, science fiction, and fantasy stories with a genetic twist. Her characters explore universes where the unknown prevails and the impossible is possible akin to her life with congenital heart disease. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and comical pugs. When not writing, she enjoys listening to the river nearby, working in her garden, paper mache’, knitting and sitting on the couch drinking tea. Find her on Facebook, GoodReads and Amazon.
You can find and follow C.R. on Facebook, Goodreads, and Amazon.
See all Tales from The Hanging Tree stories here.
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