A little while ago I finished writing an paranormal/dark fantasy short story set in contemporary Melbourne, Australia. I was inspired by the changeable weather in Melbourne and fascinated by the strong winter storms that are drawn inland from the southern ocean. These storms can be very unpredictable and wild as the storm front meets the warm inland air between the coast and the Victorian Alps. This volatile weather causes many natural disasters and is associated with both life-given rains during a drought and lightning strikes beginning bushfires. Thunderstorms are an emotionally volatile situation for people waiting to see if blessing or curse results from the storm. I visited Melbourne during the winter months when storms were just as volatile and at a time when societal uncertainty was quite high. The unfamiliar city, social unease and wild weather was potent combination. The story focuses on a newly created ghost and her union with a mythic hound hunting the demonic force that took her own life. The storms are a peripheral landscape to the city itself while the hunt to rid Acedia (an early demonic personification for sorrow) from the city takes primary focus.
[…] kick this off with my paranormal story “Hunting Shadows” published in 2020 by Black Hare […]
[…] This paranormal anthology features my short story “Hunting Shadows”, in an eternal battle between good and evil, a poltergeist makes an unlikely union with the demon-hunting hound seeking to banish a demon from Melbourne. You can read about my research for this story here. […]
[…] am thrilled to announce that my dark fantasy story “Hunting Shadows” will be included in Lockdown Phantom #3, a series of speculative […]