Thank you, Kelsey, for hosting me today on Kelsey’s Corner with my new sci-fi release, TheBeach.
One of the
most frequently asked questions I receive is how I come up with the ideas for
my stories. While The Beach was inspired by walking the shoreline
in the aftermath of a spectacular thunderstorm, one of the story elements in
particular is far more personal—the granite outcropping from which Alan, the
main character, surveys his sandy kingdom. The underlying symbolism of his
rocky throne is especially meaningful—and horrifying.
Its real-life
counterpart is a five-foot high granite obelisk residing in the middle of a
garden courtyard in central Arizona, the beautiful setting in stark contrast to
the abominable words inscribed on the west face of the stone. While some are
touched by its profound simplicity, most who see it are left stunned at the
significance of what the sculptor so aptly conveys.
What dark
message does the stone reveal? Rather than disclose the vile omen etched deep into
the rock, I’d rather give you the gift of personal discovery, including the
opportunity to find its implications as profound as I did when I first saw it.
In the
following excerpt, Alan surveys the empty beach while he converses with the
sea. He has just started to enjoy the solitude when he notices the formation of
dark thunderheads on the horizon. Hoping to outrun the storm, he begins to jog
along the shore, heading for home. But the wind and rain quickly unleash their
fury, and without another source of shelter, he returns to the limited
protection of his rocky monolith to wait it out.
Here’s an
excerpt:
Alan
looked out over the water. “So, what will we discuss today? What secrets will
you share with me?” The ocean settled his thoughts and he often talked to it
like an old friend, his irrational personification of the sea a telling symptom
of intentional self-exile. Since his retirement, he had deliberately distanced
himself from personal acquaintances, colleagues, and former business
associates, favoring his own company—and voice—to that of others.
Although
he seldom had to wait for the waves to answer, today his confidante seemed
restless and unsettled. Instead of welcoming him with the relaxing rhythm of a
gentle surf, the water was agitated, churning with cross-currents and
rip-tides. In the distance, burgeoning thunderheads were rising from the edge
of the sea, and unlike the usual white blankets that spent the day playing
hide-and-seek with the sky until finally resting on the sun-struck horizon like
giant puffs of cotton candy, these intruders were different—threatening
harbingers, an assault force from an angered Poseidon.
“Don’t
worry,” he assured his anxious friend. “I’m sure they’ll keep their distance.”
His
thoughts were well-intentioned, but in the scheme of the universe they were
nothing more than idle chatter, and within minutes a dark rumbling umbrella
extinguished the sun.
Bright
flashes began to light the interior of the boiling cloudbank. In a threatening
display of power, jagged razors of blue fire dropped from the sky, blistering
the surface of the water.
“Sh*t.
I probably won't make it back in time to beat the storm.”
His
bungalow was nearly a half-mile away, and as he hurriedly jogged along the
shoreline, he regretted not being able to enjoy the pleasant, even roll of the
surf, its normally soothing turquoise-trimmed waves now a chaotic frenzy of
foaming white caps.
The
wind arrived with the rain, the fierce gale driving the downpour sideways. As
the drops stung his face he cursed his bad luck, slinging insults against the
storm—and anyone else who might presume to ruin his day. “I’ll give you a
minute or two, that’s all. Then you will
move on, leave my beach.”
As
if mocking Alan’s pretentious attempt to challenge its dominion, the tempest
howled in defiance, stripping sea grape trees of their leaves and wrapping
shredded fronds around the sodden trunks of swaying palms.
He
looked around for the nearest shelter. There was only his familiar granite
megalith some one hundred fifty yards behind him. Although it wouldn’t keep him
dry, he could sit out the deluge with his back against the stone, on the side
opposite the wind and waves.
As
he hunkered in close to the rock he felt the latent warmth of the sun, absorbed
from an earlier cloudless sky. Irritated by the sheeting rain streaming down
his cheeks, he formed finger tunnels around his eyes and peered through the
curtain of water. He recognized the green blur of a plastic chair as it tumbled
across the sand.
“Damn
storm. It’s crapping all over my beach. It’s got to stop soon, before the trees
snap.”
If
Alan had ever enjoyed the slightest preference from nature, this torrent
confirmed his loss of favor. Unrelenting, the blowing wall of water
strengthened in intensity, the whirling gusts clotting the air with saturated
grit.
As
the swells pushed the storm surge even higher, the huge projection of bedrock
could no longer shield him from the reach of the sea. Wet and cold from the
breakers that washed up high enough to touch him, he barely felt the bump of
something solid against his leg. At first glance he thought it was a small
Thermos. But as the receding surf moved it slightly outside his reach, he could
see the cylinder-shaped object was covered with unusual markings—quite different
from the bright patterns and bold graphics that typically decorated an
insulated beverage bottle. He leaned into the wind, grabbing the oddity just
before the retreating swells could return it to the ocean.
Even
through the rain, Alan was impressed with his catch, the color alone making the
object interesting enough to reward him for the reach. As the forces of nature
jousted for dominance, Alan imagined how the piece would look on the front
porch railing, or among his collection of shells lining the pea-gravel driveway
next to his house.
Alan
loves the beach. More than a weekend respite, it is his home, his refuge, his
sanctuary. And for most of the year, he strolls the sand in blissful solitude,
letting nature—and no one else—touch him. But
spring has given way to summer, and soon, the annual invasion of vacationers
and tourists will subdivide the beach with blankets, umbrellas, and chairs,
depriving Alan of his privacy and seclusion—the fundamental touchstones of his
life.
Resigned to
endure another seasonal onslaught of beach-goers, Alan believes there is
nothing he can do but prepare for the worst.
But
fate has other plans.
Delivered to
him on the crest of a rogue wave, the strange object appears to have no purpose,
no practical use—until Alan accidentally discovers what waits inside. Now he
must attempt to unravel an
ageless mystery, unaware that the final outcome will change his life, and the
beach, forever.
In the
companion novella Short Time, you’ll meet a respectable but bored
middle-class executive, who exchanges his future for six months of
excess and extravagance, only to find out the price he must pay for his
hedonistic indulgence is beyond anything he could have imagined.
Author
Bio: Jaye Frances is the author of The Kure,
a paranormal-occult romance novel, The Possibilities of Amy, a
coming-of-age romance, The Cruise-All That Glitters, a humorous
adult satire about looking for love at sea, and The Beach, a
sci-fi fantasy about a man who is given the opportunity to receive his ultimate
wish and lives to regret it. She is also a featured columnist for the NUSA SUN
magazine. Born in the Midwest, Jaye readily admits that her life’s destination
has been the result of an open mind and a curiosity about all things
irreverent. When she’s not consumed by her writing, Jaye enjoys cooking,
traveling to all places tropical and “beachy” and taking pictures—lots of
pictures—many of which find their way to her website. Jaye lives on the central
gulf coast of Florida, sharing her home with one husband, six computers, four
cameras, and several hundred pairs of shoes. For more information, visit Jaye’s
website at www.jayefrances.com, or
Jaye’s Blog at http://blog.jayefrances.com
The Beach is available now in kindle eBook on Amazon at a special Introductory Release Price of $0.99 until September 15, 2012
GIVEAWAY
Jaye has so graciously offered to give one (1) Kindle version of The Beach to a lucky reader of my blog! Open internationally and ends September 3rd. Just
fill out the Rafflecopter form below!!
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