Prologue and Chapter One of an urban fantasy on the bayou, set in a fictional parish where Cajun, Creole, and ancient Catholic tradition push up against each other.
What pulled me in immediately was the photograph. Two children believed to be dead appearing in an image that seems nearly a century old is exactly the kind of mystery that makes you keep reading because you need to understand the rules of the world you've just entered.
I also really enjoyed the shift between the prologue and Chapter One. Danners checking the revolver and making that cryptic phone call tells us, before we know anything about Courtney, that this isn't his first encounter with the impossible. Then the diner scene changes the energy completely. Courtney's dry humour, Danners's exasperation, and that wonderful exchange about her sacred blade make the supernatural machinery of Blackwater Parish feel surprisingly lived-in.
What I find particularly promising is the collision of traditions you've set up beneath the mystery: Catholic authority, local folklore, old articles, gardiennes, rougarous—all existing alongside coroners, reporters, elections, and twenty-four-hour diner coffee of questionable legality. 😄 It gives the world a mythology without making the characters feel as though they're standing around explaining mythology to us.
I'm happily subscribing because atmospheric mysteries built around places with their own histories and legends are very much my kind of storytelling. I also write a connected supernatural fiction series called Mountain Mysteries at The Reflective State, so I felt an immediate kinship with what you're building here. If curiosity ever leads you there, I'd genuinely love to hear what you think.
So many layers of intrigue in this opening. I look forward to reading more!
Brilliant Josh.
What pulled me in immediately was the photograph. Two children believed to be dead appearing in an image that seems nearly a century old is exactly the kind of mystery that makes you keep reading because you need to understand the rules of the world you've just entered.
I also really enjoyed the shift between the prologue and Chapter One. Danners checking the revolver and making that cryptic phone call tells us, before we know anything about Courtney, that this isn't his first encounter with the impossible. Then the diner scene changes the energy completely. Courtney's dry humour, Danners's exasperation, and that wonderful exchange about her sacred blade make the supernatural machinery of Blackwater Parish feel surprisingly lived-in.
What I find particularly promising is the collision of traditions you've set up beneath the mystery: Catholic authority, local folklore, old articles, gardiennes, rougarous—all existing alongside coroners, reporters, elections, and twenty-four-hour diner coffee of questionable legality. 😄 It gives the world a mythology without making the characters feel as though they're standing around explaining mythology to us.
I'm happily subscribing because atmospheric mysteries built around places with their own histories and legends are very much my kind of storytelling. I also write a connected supernatural fiction series called Mountain Mysteries at The Reflective State, so I felt an immediate kinship with what you're building here. If curiosity ever leads you there, I'd genuinely love to hear what you think.
I am hooked on this Josh.. 👍🏻❤️
Nice first chapter. Lots of potential.
Joshua, nice start to your story. I will definitely be back each week to read more.
Are you from Louisiana my friend?
Not from Blackwater of course, but Ive driven through it a time or two. But I do live under the parish system rather than by county.
Me too. Great story I’m definitely invested now.
Thank you so much. I'm trying to build a world and tell the story as I go, but the details definitely matter.