The story behind my story...

 Allan Hudson, Monique Thébeau, Chuck Bowie

Yours truly, S C Eston, Angella Cormier

Pierre C Arseneault, Sandra Bunting, Jeremy Thomas Gilmer

...in the thrilling new collection, Winter Paths...

In September, I was able to reveal the cover of a fabulous new anthology, Winter Paths.  You can read that post Here.

Today, I'm delighted to say that the book is now available in both print and e-format.

My tale this time is historical, but it tells the story of Marguerite, her family and her son, Eric.  And if you've read The Bookseller's Secret Octavo from the Autumn Paths collection, published last year, you'll recognise that last name.  Eric is the bar/restaurant owner in the village of Beauregard in central France.  

It is Eric who tells Alice, the central character in The Bookseller's Secret Octavo, that her father is renovating an old house at the edge of the village… And that story develops from there.

When we - The Seasonal Collective - decided to create the follow-up anthology Winter Paths, I knew there had to be a link back to the first story.

To begin with, I needed to figure out how I could do that.  But the more I thought about it, the more I realised that in small villages in rural France, the bar or local restaurant is always central to the life of the community.  That realisation accepted, it took a couple of hours to work out who Eric was, when he was born, where and who his parents were.  As the decisions were made, more questions floated to the front of my mind and were answered.  By the end of the afternoon, I had a whole family tree, some intrigue, the historical backdrop, and what I hoped were an interesting set of villagers.  Come and meet Marguerite, mother of Eric and the central character in my story in the Winter Paths anthology…

 MARGUERITE

The village of Beauregard, 1981

 

IN THE MIDST OF A FIELD OF GRAY OSTENTATION, a single, plain gravestone stood sentinel, the recently carved and silvered characters gleaming in the cold winter sunshine. Marguerite stared at the words and numbers that would, henceforward, define the life of the most recent person to be laid to rest in that place.

        “So, there you are, Maman. Just a name, some dates and eighty years of memories in the minds of others.” She wiped away a tear with her gloved hand but remained transfixed as if some inescapable, transparent bond were keeping her shackled to the spot. Marguerite put the dark red rose that she was carrying close to her face and, taking a deep breath, inhaled the heady, sweet scent.

        “It’s time to tell the truth, Maman,” she said. She gazed up at the sky, the glare from the sun causing her to squint. “All of the lies have to stop. And they will. Today. I will make sure of that,” she whispered as she finally tore herself away.

        In the stark cold of that December morning, Marguerite made her way along the central path to a smaller, darker corner of the cemetery. The place was quiet, as always, and the sun provided no warmth against the barely zero temperature. In the shade, the hoarfrost clung to the grass and the bare branches of the trees – a fragile protective skin.

about the book… Nine writers – Seasonal Collective - from both sides of the Atlantic, including best-selling and award-winning authors, have created a second miscellany of stories.

From the frozen north, across continents, space and time, these stories will mystify, enlighten, intrigue and perhaps bring a tear to the eye. With a linking theme of winter - in all its guises - experience the warmth of friendly hearts, find companionship and place, encounter battles, uncover secrets, meet ghosts and witness the strength of maternal love.

There’s a story for everyone in this thrilling new collection.

You can get the book using the link below

https://mybook.to/WinterPaths

You can read more about the other authors and their stories in the series of books Here Here  Here and Here