I asked fellow Curses 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 Curses (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?).
And now, Danaeka Scrimshaw’s The Lamp:
Sebastien stared at the lamp in his room. His mom said it’s just a lamp, despite Aunt Judy’s ramblings about spirits and demons every time Sebastien visited her. The first time he’d brought the lamp out to her to see if she’d light it, she wailed, “Don’t open it… never open it,” all night and mumbled, ‘Cindy! Two become one.’ Sebastien didn’t know who Cindy was and never mentioned it again, but his aunt’s dismay continued during each visit. And now, after they had to put her in a home, the lamp sat on his dresser.
How the story came about:
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.
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About Danaeka Scrimshaw: Danaeka Scrimshaw has been writing in the speculative fiction genre for seven years. They have three short stories published and are a finalist in the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold Literary Contest for a YA portal fantasy, Worlds of Fire and Glass. The story is a funny, riveting tale about a young, hard-of-hearing girl trying to prove to herself that she can save her best friend from evil mages in parallel dimensions. They live with their three Boston Terriers in Castle Rock, CO. You can find him on Facebook. |
See all Curses stories here.
And for our finale, a teaser to the anthology on YouTube.
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