You know that’s some good storytelling. The name conjures up visions of headless horsemen and chain-rattling ghosts. My fellow suspense writer from the Pacific Northwest has some massive literary shoes to fill in living up to his name and he’s making a fine job of it.
I included his story, “The Sixth Street Shelter,” in a compilation released earlier this year by Kydala Publishing, And Then There Were Nine. The story chronicles an adventure in the life of Drake Glover, a 1930’s Seattle private eye.
Here’s a short excerpt from the story’s opening:
It’s times like these I think people might take me more seriously if I got used to carrying a gun.
I’d ducked into the shelter off Sixth Street, which operated at half capacity most of the year, but as soon as Seattle starts freezing at night, they fill up quick and then some. The crates I was currently hiding behind were full of cots awaiting those winter months.
None of the boys on the other side of the wall of crates had any problem with guns, but every time I held one, I thought of my dad laying halfway out of his fleabag apartment with two holes in his chest, or my war-hero brother using one to blow the side of his own head off.
“You’ve got to come out of there sometime, Glover,” one of the mugs shouted.
That was true.
A bit about Ebenezer leads to a bit about Joslyn
Ichabod Ebenezer is the author of countless short stories in Horror, Sci-fi, Fantasy and Mystery, occasionally winning awards for them. Recently, I interviewed Ichabod about his writing life and I’m posting part of that interview here so readers can get to know this versatile writer a little better.
His memories of the first story he wrote stirred echoing memories of my own, including one amusing anecdote I’ll share with you in video form at the end of this post. It’s less than a minute long and you won’t want to miss it!
Here’s the interview:
Where did you get the idea for the story in this collection? How did you develop it?
The first line of the story came to me fully formed, but without context. While considering it in terms of story, I realized it was exactly the sort of thing Drake Glover would say. I imagined the situation he’d be in while saying it and how he got there. At that point I started writing, and I just let Drake tell it in his own unique style. The rest just flowed.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote? Tell us about it.
My first story was around 3rd grade–an assignment. I mashed up the sorts of things I was reading which was A Wrinkle in Time and Narnia. It was pure plagiarism. I even named a character Edmund. But my teacher liked it and entered it into a contest, and it won.
What are you working on next?
As usual, I have a lot of brands in the fire. I’m currently editing a modern fantasy novel, but I’m also writing a novella to round out a horror short story collection. My next novel is going to be dark fantasy a la Game of Thrones.
How can readers get on your email list?
Before I tell you how, I want to mention some reasons why readers might want to sign up. If they like my stories, they’ll learn about them before anyone else and get exclusive discounts. Readers who join get a free novella and a chance to help me make decisions about covers, titles, and what to write next. I like to involve my readers.
To sign up, follow this link https://bit.ly/2QWIHmP
I’m glad I got the chance to work with Ichabod. I had a lot of fun.
And now I’ll share my own childhood writing memory
I recently saw my sister and she reminded me about this happening when we were grade school kids. We laughed pretty hard over it. I hope you enjoy it too!
How about you? Do you love private eye stories set in Seattle? Care to share an anecdote about your childhood reading or writing? Tell us about it in the comments.
