Peder B. Helland - Waltz of the Mermaids

About the BryonySeries: Beulah County Legends

Last week, I wrote an introduction to the fictional Beulah County in the ByronySeries.

Today are the seven mysteries associated with the county.

They are told through the eyes of the Munsonville's first librarian, as she reviews them over lunch during her first train ride in the early 1960s in the BryonySeries novel "House on Top of the Hill."

At noon, June Clements headed for the dining car and ordered a simple meal: a roast turkey sandwich with potato chips, crisp pickles, and hot tea. Then she pulled out her notebook and reviewed her scant research of Munsonville’s origins, legends, and scandals in order of their appearances. The more June learned, the more June questioned – and the more June wondered…

Owen Munson: Wealthy Scottish/Italian mustang runner and mill owner. Founded Munsonville in 1835 when he bought a large parcel of land from – who?

She couldn’t find a shred of evidence that Owen Munson purchased the land that he later established into a Utopian community. Nor could she find a shred of evidence of who owned this uppermost part of Michigan before Owen did. And if anyone could find elusive evidence, she could.

Strange, indeed.

June sipped and stared at the words, thinking.

Someone must have staked his claim into the land, for it escaped becoming an official territory of Michigan until after Owen’s death, when Munsonville went to Beulah County.

But who claimed it first?

John Simons:. World renowned pianist and composer, son of a highly successful industrialist banker. Raised on Fifth Avenue. Attended the once prestigious and now-defunct Wesley Music Conservatory in Connecticut. Married Bryony Marseilles, daughter of a Munsonville minister, on Christmas Eve, 1893. Bought an unknown acreage of woods, named it for himself, and built a mansion on a hill. Abruptly left Munsonville two years later after death of wife and baby in childbirth. Died at age ninety-two in 1955. Mansion and estate intact and rumored to be haunted.

And yet – why, with all the places in the world John Simons had traveled, why had John Simons gone to Munsonville? With all the women he might have married, why had he chosen the pastor’s daughter and built his home in such a remote area?

Educated, cultured music enthusiasts still appreciated Simons’ work, even though the commoners gravitated toward the current rock and roll heartthrobs.

But she had attended John Simons’ final concert in New York. He was outstanding, certainly worth the half a week’s pay the tickets cost. A John Simons ghost story could positively impact tourism – for the right tourists. Yet, time and again, Munsonville failed to acquire the estate, and the ghostly rumor persisted.

Why?

Siren Spell: Least known of the Beulah County legends, despite receiving much press shortly after it occurred. On October 15, 1894, a violent storm sprang up and drowned most of the Munsonvillian men while they fished off their boats on Lake Munson. Only one man returned,

Legend blamed the drownings on sirens, but time drowned even the legends. Why?

The Ghost of Highway 7: Yes, the most famous of the legends because it involved a lesbian ghost and notorious individuals. The lovers were Shirley Wraith, daughter of William Wraith, corrupt mayor of Thornton in the 1940s and Marjorie Mejoriak, daughter and lover of crime lord Michael Mejoriak. Shirley died instantly under a full moon on July 19, 1940, on Beulah County’s Highway 7, when the car Marjorie was driving left the roadway and plowed into a tree. Majorie’s body was found the following day in a fishing cabin in Munsonville. William Wraith subsequently bought the vacant lot at the site and named it Wraith Park. Through the years, motorists claim they’ve seen Shirley and Marjorie walking down Highway 7 toward Munsonville – especially when the moon is full. Legend says Wraith Park is exactly as it’s named: a place for wraiths to park.

Arvid Borgstrom Scandal: Arvid Borgstrom was a Scandinavian who moved to Munsonville around 1885 with his twin sons Erland and Erasmus, who were also fine fishermen. He hanged the following year, the gruesome murder of his wife Astrid Borgstrom, who had been filleted alive. Owen Munson was arrested for harboring Arvid. But those charges were dropped. Erland and Erasmus were among the villagers who drowned in the storm of October 15, 1894.

Mustang Horse Operation: Owen Munson and Clyde Fisher ran an operation that rounded up Mustangs, sent them to Fisher Farm, where they trained and then sold them to ranchers or the U.S. Army. Those that couldn’t be trained or were maimed were killed and sold for their products: leather and horse meat.

The Devil’s Moonshine: The most perplexing operation of them all. One of the barns had a distillery where Clyde prepared, and Owen distributed, “The Devil’s Moonshine” across the United States. Two of their most notorious smugglers were Douglas and Marion Copeland, a pair of newlyweds who bought Munsonville Inn with their banker parents’ money more than thirty years ago, where they remained to this day, operating the inn, instead of facing arrest and prison – even though everyone knew they lived there.

And there you have it. Seven mysteries that are still mysteries in 2025.

And we haven't even gotten into the mysteries or the notoreity that's later than the early 1960s.

For instance, in the late 1980s, the medical director at Jenson Memorial Hospital had produced convincing evidence that Dr. Rothgard had been stealing patient blood samples and experimenting with them at his home. 

During the investigation, authorities discovered freezers full of blood on Dr. Rothgard’s property. The judge ruled Dr. Rothgard mentally unfit, dissolved his practice, and ordered twenty-four hour supervision.

Because of state budget cuts, no other suitable facility could offer mental health services to elderly patients than Golden Years Retirement Home in Thornton.

And that didn't turn out well.

But Dr. Rothgard is a mystery for another blog.

Beautiful Piano Music & Calming Lake Sounds - Relaxing Music Playlist by OCB Relax Music

First Review for "Call of the Siren"

My BryonySeries super fan strikes again!

 Once again, she has left a phenomenal review on Amazon, this time for my latest novel, the second in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy: Call of the Siren.

 I've posted it below. But you may also read it here.

And for a few quotes/excerpts, see this post.

 But first, enjoy a few "bonus" comments from her that you won't find on Amazon:

"You're masterful at blending magic/horror and reality into one package."

 "This was strictly human level pain. There were no riches. There was no perceived savior or a rush to fame and fortune. Illusions were ripped away. It was so starkly and darkly human."

 "The beauty of this story is Sue is everyone's ancestor - someone who struggled - REALLY struggled - to fit in and to make a place for herself in a very cruel world. Yes, the magic is most certainly there, but it's that double-edged magic - the real thing. Bloody and ugly and vengeful."

 "It is the reality of Sue that makes the book beautiful. Even the true "fey" could never figure her out."

 And, finally, lest I sit back and rejoice TOO much, she added this: "Don't rest on your laurels, Missy. Waiting for the next fix."

 Yeah, yeah.

 But even the last comment is very BryonySeries. "Missy" was John-Peter's nickname for Karla.

 Thank you for reading this far. Here, now, is the review:

 

 "Call of the Siren" is an irresistible and terrifying novel

After I finished reading "Call of the Siren" it occurred to me that the story has so many elements of a fairy tale. There's Sue, an enchanted child, whose birth is shrouded in mystery. A vague and dangerous melody only she can hear, plays through her mind day and night. For most of her childhood, Sue appears to be in a state of fugue - sleep walking through her life as if she's waiting for something to happen

Sue's mother, Sally, is a hardworking soul - providing everything her daughter needs through her arduous work as a cook at Munsonville Inn. Though Sally provides food and shelter, there appears to be a disconnect between mother and daughter. It's as if they're two strangers forced to live together. You don't get the idea that Sue's life is filled with hugs and comfort.

Lacking a sitter, Sally brings young Sue to work with her each day, where supporting characters show more interest and love than her own mother. When Sue begins wandering to Lake Munsonville at night, Sally is alarmed. The lake is a tragic place where she lost her husband. Before Sue was born, a freak storm killed most the men fishing on Lake Munsonville. The fact that Sue is drawn to the haunted body of water terrifies Sally.

Sally, who is all about fulfilling her obligations, locks Sue in the bedroom at night while she sleeps on a couch outside the girl's room. And though Sally worries there's a strange spell on her daughter, both she and Sue accept the song and its dangers stoically.

Think of princesses before they achieve "happily after after." Sue is the very image of Cinderella, with her years of drudgery and and loneliness in the face of the unfairness of her life. Like the princesses in fairy tales, Sue is passive and submissive. Life is something that happens to her and she allows it. She's appears incapable of fighting back.

The author painfully brings home the tedium of Sue's life - the unending routine of rising at dawn, trudging through the elements to get to a job of drudgery in a kitchen of the local inn. These routines continue throughout Sue's life, with the occasional burst of excitement. Yet, if Sue minds the monotony it seldom shows.

Bursts of poignant poetry dot the book. The verses bring a sense of high emotion that clashes with the harsh reality, making their existence that much more painful.

As she grows, the song in Sue's hears in her head isolates her from her peers. She's a freak whose malady attracts the creepy denizens of the town's underworld (quite a lot of fun for the reader). The authors villains are truly the bottom of the barrel when it comes to evildoing.

Though "Sirens" is a standalone tale, reading the author's other serial books, or at least "Bryony Marseilles" will shed light on a few of the fascinating characters like Dr. Martin Parks, Dr. Gothart - and indeed, the possible origins of Sue's song. Well worth the effort, and more than likely you'll find yourself hooked on Bryony, with your winter reads all lined up.

Halfway through the book, it's clear that Sue is unlikely to ride off into the sunset with a handsome prince. After all, Sue lives in Munsonville, Michigan. Like Stephen King's Derry, Maine, Munsonville is not a "happily ever after" type of burg. Munsonville is the heart of the author's terrifying Bryony series and happiness is rare.

Though she never meets a prince, Sue does fall in love. When she comes of age, Sue takes on odd jobs in the kitchen where her mother works. It's where she first lays eyes on a man named Sam. Now, most folks would take a look at Sam and label him a scheister. That isn't really fair, but neither is life.

But,to Sue, he's the sun and the moon and the stars. The sparkle in his eyes and crooked smile reduce the song to a mere whisper. When she's near Sam the song becomes a mere whisper. Unfortunately, before she can declare her undying love (slipping forever out of passive mode), Sam calls her crazy and disappears.

After Sally's death - and the earth-shattering admission that she is not Sue's birth mother - Sue finds herself lost. Luther, a reporter for the local paper takes over in assuring Sue does not sleep walk. Each night, he carefully locks her in. Each day, she questions who she really is. Predictably, she and Luther become lovers, though her heart belongs to Sam. Still, Luther's not a bad catch, and the reader anticipates a "happily ever after, or perhaps "happily for the time being."

GOTCHA!

Do NOT - repeat: DO NOT - attempt to outfox the author. Denise Baran-Unland's complex prose - her twists and turns and dead ends - will make a fool of you every time.

"Call of the Siren" is Unland's most complex composition to date. It's not an easy read. It is well worth reading, but it will take a bit of discipline. Again, reading a few of the other books in the series will help to a great extent. However, unlike the other books in the series, this one hits where it hurts. The siren song and creepy characters aside, most of us suffer the pains of tedium, rejection and loneliness, and this book brings that home in a very painful way. As adults, we know vampires and monsters are remote possibilities at best. Living with ourselves and our frailties and fears is far more frightening.

In fact, it's painful. Most of us have been Sue. We've faced rejection and confusion. We lose sight of who we really are. We feel a sense of helplessness in dealing with life. When we finally claim our prize, it slips away, leaving us depressed and alone.

"Call of the Siren" is powerful in that it invokes the deep seated fear of abandonment and rejection that lurks in our subconscious no matter how confident we appear. As a horror novel, it's unlike the other books in the Bryony series, but it is every bit as terrifying.

32 Quotes from "Call of the Siren"

When we were getting ready to release Bryony back in 2011, my daughter Sarah (who did a lot of the marketing for me) suggested I pull thirty teaser quotes from the book that she could post on Facebook, one each day.

We did the same for the second book, Visage, which is also part of the BryonySeries.

But for some reason, I never did the same for another book.

So now I am catching up.

Here is the synopsis and chapter headings for Call of the Siren, (the second book in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy), followed by thirty-two quotes, one from each chapter.

Enjoy!

Sue Bass is haunted by dreams of her father, who died in a boating accident before she was born, alluring dreams of water and song. But then a soft-spoken outside man with an inside plan comes to town, and Sue's sleepwalking fades, only to resurface with greater magnetism when he leaves. 

Two voices beckon. Which one will she heed?

Prologue: 

Every fiber urged – now!

But she waited. She waited for the crescendo, and when it came, she jumped, just as his arms tightened around her.

And the melody swallowed them up, silencing its strains forever.

PART ONE: WATER

Chapter 1: Lullaby

In the beginning the world was without form and surrounded by darkness. But it stretched and pulled and took shape in the void and filled with warm water; and whooshing and pulsing appeared, and she rolled in the waters and the waters ran into her and out of her; and voices, high and deep, hovered over the gurgles and -lo! – a soft red glow. 

Chapter 2: Music or Madness. 

A touch on her arm.

A gentle, “Hey.”

Sue turned to touch and voice.

            

And found The Sandman crouching in front of her.

 Chapter 3: Town Mouse

Ma scowled and ground white cheese against silvery metal teeth. “’The hand that rocks the cradle!’ The hand that rocks the cradle!’ She whirled around and waved the grater, splatting cheese across the floor. “Look at your hands, Linda. Look at mine. You’ve rocked cradles. I’ve rocked Sue’s. I’ve worked. You’ve worked. But now we’re working as heads of our households.” She pointed to the door. “Look around this village. Why, the women now out-number the men three to one – or four to one - or more. I don’t see any man steppin’ up to fix it!”

Chapter 4: Country Mouse

Maudie’s disappearance, for Sue, crystallized why she loathed living at Fisher Farm, and why the very thought of staying forever filled her with unease. A resigned sadness hung in the farmhouse, and an undercurrent of quiet despair pervaded the landscape. Sue sensed it that day Ma had abandoned Sue at the farm. Sue couldn’t define it at the time; she only felt it. But the longer Sue stayed at Fisher Farm, the more she soaked up their misery, the way Uncle James, Auntie Maybelle, and, yes, even Mrs. Helsby had soaked it up and became part of the bleakness. Maybe that’s why Marigold “got with” the ‘hand. Maybe that’s why Maudie ran away – to escape the drab, gray hell of hopelessness.

Chapter 5: Water, Butter, and Wine

When Sue finally pulled herself up to the shore of endless high grasses and tall flowers of lemon yellow, chili red, and periwinkle waving in the breeze, she found a great heap of these naked fishermen, their skin shriveled on their bones, their sightless eyes gazing up at the moon, and the moon was a bloated blue head without a body, and the moon grinned back with inky lips

Chapter 6: Little Girl Lost

She loved Ailbe’s preaching. He spoke each word with a vitalizing conviction. It wasn’t that Pastor Demars didn’t believe his words or that Ailbe believed them more. But Ailbe preached from deep waters. The words flowed from him as naturally as water flowed from one part of the lake to another, because they were part of him. He didn’t prepare to preach. He simply preached. Ailbe was a walking, talking, living embodiment of faith – even as Ma walked, talked, and lived less. 

Chapter 7: The Lure of Their Eyes

But it wasn’t the uselessness of hypnotism that lay at the core of Sue’s refusal. She was afraid of what the hypnotism might uncover.

What if it pulled up impressions of him she’d wedged in her mind and sank into her heart. Like his crooked smile that always turned her belly to jelly. She loved him too much, missed him too much. His rejection hurt too much.

What if they pulled up him?

PART TWO: FIRE

Chapter 8: Flames and Frost

The only reason why he didn’t trust her further was not to dirty her with the dirtiest parts of his life. The fact she might understand and accept those dirty parts played a role. He was dirty enough. And if she were dirty, he’d rather not know.

If she were dirty, she could not restore him.

Chapter 9: Even The Sparrow

But it was number three Sue had to serve, the smoker, and her heart dove when she saw him: lean, too lean, with a long thin face and a thick scar down his left cheek, auburn hair, hazel eyes, a crooked smile that turned her belly to jelly, and a confident and mocking demeanor. He wasn’t handsome, but that didn’t matter to Sue. As she drew closer on shaking legs, his voice rang out, “I had to seal the deal!” At the sound of his voice, the singing became very, very, very faint and nearly vanished as she set the plate in front of him, her hands trembling hard.

“Hey, Sam, she’s sweet on you!”

Chapter 10: Bewitched By Her Sweetness

And so, when the time seemed ripe, he invited her to dinner at Dr. Gothart’s house with a meal prepared by Dr. Gothart himself, for Dr. Gothart could never have survived as long as he had without knowing a culinary skill or two. She didn’t cringe at Dr. Gothart’s dark, narrow dining room, with its heavy wooden walls of cabinets and closets and recesses, lit only by the candles jammed in the cracks. She didn’t cringe at his lively recounting of the Ottoman-Hungarian wars, for which the conversation always turned when Dr. Gothart imbibed enough Bikavér. She didn’t cringe at the fire in Dr. Gothart’s eyes, the heat in his speech, and the maniacal way he licked his lips when he described in vivid detail the spilling of the Ottoman blood. She merely listened, rapt, over her wine glass, eyes of cool steam.

Chapter 11: House Calls

They discussed their findings with Dr. Gothart after dinner when he joined them in the parlor for brandy and conversation. Neta set aside her weaving and opened her notes, which attracted the interest of the cats, staring white cats, that gathered around her, perched over her, and hung by a paw or a tail from the chandeliers. A hint of copper tinged the air, copper, raw meat, and a very fine tobacco, for Dr. Gothart sat by the fire with his brandy and smoked with placid steadiness.

Chapter 12: Coin for the Passage

The west window next to the back door was propped open to allow the death stink out and coax fresh air in. The curtains wafted with the cool May breeze but, to Sue’s tired mind, they moved with the clamoring of the shades from the other side, urgently steering another soul into their midst.

Chapter 13: Plaintive Cries

Neta didn’t meet him at the door. Neta didn’t even have dinner ready. Where the fuck was she? No matter, he could find his own drink.

But he couldn’t. Every bottle of every spirit in every room of the house – gone. Fine. Fuck her.

He dropped to the carpet, opened his bag, and groped for the morphine.

Chapter 14: As Sharp as Spears

Sue burst into tears. Ghost Girl took Sue by the hand and helped her into the carriage, and then – they were clip-clopping away into the enchanted stay-away land of densely packed trees and their secrets, of sturdy trunks and leafy boughs, of spindly branches and snapping twigs, of musky, greenly scents and scampering mammals, of filtering lights and lacy shadows, of rustles, of whispers, of a hidden house where nothing dwelled except sadness and memories…

Ghost Girl smiled down at her.

The singing sang on…

Chapter 15: A Meadow Filled with Skeletons

Dr. Gothart. Where the fuck was he?

“What the fuck, Neta?” he’d asked when he’d stumbled back up from the basement.

Neta shrugged.

“Is he coming back?"

"I don’t think so.”

“The bastard. The dirty, fucking bastard.”

Every item, every documentation, in the subterranean laboratory was there and in its proper place, everything except Dr. Gothart. Had someone finally caught up to him, so he fled? And left Martin holding the bag? Well, like daughter, like father.

“Martin, hadn’t you ever wanted to up and disappear – forsake everything?”

“Yes,” Martin said. “Many times.”

He sighed a deeply troubled sigh and glanced at Neta, wondering if she sensed his turmoil. But, no, she serenely passed the weft thread over and under the warp threads with measured precision. 

PART THREE: AIR

Chapter 16: Gates of Horn and Ivory

Sue picked up the book, settled into a chair, drawing her legs up and under, and gazed out the window into the everlasting woods, sipping, thinking, watching the scene turn misty and gray, and riffling through the pages until Sue found the passage that always made her think of Sam, that always made her dream he would return and speak these words to her.

Chapter 17 Ask, and It Shall be Given You

She didn’t speak as the water heated, nor did Luther. She stood at the stove, back to him, and listened to the faint rumbling of the water as it went from cold to hot, her gaze falling from time to time at the dried golden buds peeking through the tea egg in the bottom of each chipped white cup. When the lid rattled, Sue poured the steaming water, releasing a whiff of apples and meadows, picked the cups up by their handles, and turned around. Luther sat at Pa’s table, picking a cuticle. 

Chapter 18: Seek, and Ye Shall Find 

Abruptly, he wiped his mouth and turned to her, and as his brown eyes met hers, Sue recalled the first night she saw into them, when she thought Luther was The Sandman. And she almost forgot now wasn’t then; she almost reached out to finger his sandpapery cheek. 

Chapter 19: Knock, and it Shall Be Opened Unto You

It’s not like Sue never saw a tree.

It’s not like Sue never saw a field.

It’s not like Sue never saw a road or a sky so blue or wide as it stretched across the expanse and sloped low to encase it.

But to behold a tree, a field, a road, the sky in a space so foreverly open and eternally free as Sue flew past them, and into them, and on and on and on – this was a quieting thrill that defied words; she doubted even Wheeler could find the right ones. Sue passed miles of land patched green with life and brown for the lack of it. She caught glimpses of stalks, low and tall, and whiffs of wild posies, and blurs of quick color, and an occasional rebel sapling, proudly standing where no other sapling dared to sink its roots, spreading its branches out and up as if to say, “Look at me! I’m a tree!” 

Chapter 20: The Stain No Storm Could Wash Away 

Their artist was the girl in the back corner, a slender young woman, no older than Sue, perhaps less, dressed in a shapeless white dress, really just a piece of cloth with a hole for her neck and a length of tattered rope tied around her waist, huddled on a small stool in the corner. She wore a white blindfold, and her very long, very fine blonde hair fell across her face as she bent over a large piece of embroidery, nimbly moving the needle in and out.

Chapter 21: A Stone and a Serpent

They sat on the weathered bench outside the little whitewashed chapel, scarcely bigger than outhouse, and shared crullers and coffee from the Ruisch Family Bakery with the motor robe from draped over their shoulders, all the while watching the sun rise from its cloudy horizon bed and stretch its warmth across the brisk new day.

“Cold?” Luther asked, reaching across Sue to pull the blanket tighter.

Sue shook her head.

But she had never felt such peace.

Chapter 22: Treading Water

Sue’s door was still open. But Sue’s home wasn’t empty. Briana and Fiona were there, with hot tea and blankets warmed by a ready fire, ready to blow warmth into her. So Sue sat naked in warmed blankets and sipped hot tea; and Caitlin shed her wet garments and sat naked in warmed blankets, also sipping hot tea; and Briana and Fiona sat near them, sipping hot tea and warming them with their care. They talked about nonsense; they talked about things that mattered. The light caught the rose tint of the flaxen hair on all three ministering spirits and lit their cherubic faces with a heavenly glow.

Chapter 23: Last Dream of my Soul

“You’re hiding,” she accused him. “You’re hiding from something.

“Maybe I am,” Sam agreed. “The world out there isn’t…nice."

“And I’m too crazy.”.

Sam looked out to the lake and took another drag.

PART FOUR: EARTH

Chapter 24: On Solid Ground

An advantage to living in Munsonville is no one questioned anything.

Chapter 25: Ideal – and Worthy of Envy

“You should have told me!”

Sam pulled back and stuffed himself away, asking, “Would you have married me?” as casually as Sue might ask a customer if he wanted more bread with his soup.

“I don’t know!”

“So maybe no??

“Maybe.”

“Well, I couldn’t take that chance. I had to seal the deal.”

“Seal the deal? Seal the deal? What am I, one of your shady transactions?”

“No!"

“Well, you’re going to be out of a deal, buddy. I have grounds for an annulment. Fraud and inability to consummate the marriage. Wait and see. You can go fend for yourself.”

“You can’t get an annulment!”

“Yes, I can!”

“No, you  can’t. We’re not legally married. Hence, you can’t legally separate. We’re stuck with each other until death do us part.”

Chapter 26: Sue’s Diner

“So Alex Drake suggested we add an upstairs apartment to Sue’s Diner,” Sam said and then added with a crooked grin, “The vote was unanimous.”

“We’re not calling the diner Sue’s Diner. And we’re not becoming landlords, too.

“We are. I’ve already ordered the sign.”

“And we’re not becoming landlords.”

Chapter 27: In Dark Depths Lurking

Sue struggled to keep up with the orders, for, as Sue had predicted, Sam and his one good hand were little use in the kitchen. But he was outstanding at fraternizing with the customers and touting the food. Often when Sue swerved to see if the onions were sauteed, the sauce stirred, and the noodles boiled – small, but important tasks she relied on Sam to do – she only found an empty space where her husband once stood, along with charred onions, curdled milk, and mushy, nearly liquid, macaroni. Fuming, Sue would peek around the corner to find Sam hobbling about the dining room, greeting one and all as if he were Lord Barnes of Sue’s Diner. Or, even worse, she’d see him perched on a counter stool with yet another cigarette and another cup of coffee, regaling his seatmate with another bad joke. 

Chapter 28: The Abyss Beckons

“Sue’s Diner, eh?” Dr. Rothgard had asked the next time Sue met with him to explain Sam’s treat and inquire about Sam’s line of work. “I’ve heard about its wonderful food. I should stop in. It will give me a good reason to go back to Munsonville.”

“You’ve been to Munsonville?”

“Many times. My parents were friends with John Simons and frequent visitors to Simons Mansion when Bryony was alive.” He smiled, and his green eyes behind the dark-rimmed glassed glowed like a cat’s at night. “I know every inch of that mansion, that village.”

“Really? Then tell me this: why has John Simons never returned to his home?”

“But he does. All the time.”

“Well – then why hasn’t anyone seen him? Tell me that.”

“Maybe he doesn’t wish to be seen.”

“But…”

He placed his hand on her shoulder. “Enjoy your visit with Sam. I’ll be in touch.”

Chapter 29: : No Breath of Wind, No Ripple of Water

They had scarcely moved past the diner, and hadn’t quite reached the first cabin, when Sue impulsively stopped short, so Sam did, too.

“Sam?”

“Hmm?”

“Kiss me."

“What?”

“Kiss me.”

Sam leaned down, and gently touched his lips to hers. But as he straightened, Sue pressed his hands onto her cheeks and held him in place. His hazel eyes questioned, wondered. But then he closed them, leaned harder on the cane, cupped the back of her head, and kissed her with “thrilling, soulful ecstasy,” while the waves lapped behind them, and the night wind whispered past them, and the moon shone golden high above them. 

Chapter 30: Ferry and Scythe

The cataracts crashed through her; water rushed into her mouth; and she sank, sank, sank below the turbulence; she floated through magenta and navy blue flowers with flaming red petals, and golden glittering fruit, and wavy green leaves and soft purple shadows…

Epilogue

A piercing cry rent the air, followed by staccato bursts: shrill, vociferous, and earsplitting. 

Now Available: "Call of the Siren"

Never has any book, or any piece of writing, for that matter, given me so much trouble than Call of the Siren, the second book in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy.

I struggled to write every word in this "quiet" book that spans forty years, and even KDP glitched on its part at the very end, to the extent that the representative helping us on the other end on Friday night told us to delete the file and start over.

We did - and the book was live at 4 a.m. Saturday.

Why did Call of the Siren give me so much trouble?

I think it's because the story has a subtle "music" to it, so much that I struggled to convey by using the accepted "show, don't tell" or the balance of "show and tell" ways of telling the story.

For Call of the Siren, I had to find a new way to create the story the way I wanted the story told. That took time (and a bit of bravery) as I stepped into uncharted waters.

and made some subtle, but significant, changes in terms of plot at this retreat.

But the proof was in the, well, proof. The story read as I wanted it to read, and I was thrilled.

Warning: I probably didn't find and weed out all the typos. But please know I tried really hard to eliminate every single one.

And, thus, we release Call of the Siren for you today, for your enjoyment.

Isn't the cover art by Nancy Calkins (wife of Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara), beautiful? She had the painting ready and delivered to me before I had written one complete chapter. She has waited a long time to read this book. Rebekah did all the formatting for the book and cover.

Here is the back cover synopsis for Call of the Siren:

Sue Bass is haunted by dreams of her father, who died in a boating accident before she was born, alluring dreams of water and song. But then a soft-spoken outside man with an inside plan comes to town, and Sue's sleepwalking fades, only to resurface with greater magnetism when he leaves.

Two voices beckon. Which one will she heed?

Now, Call of the Siren isn't available on the BryonySeries store yet.

Nor is it available on Kindle yet.

But you may purchase the paperback on Amazon.

Happy reading!

Peder B. Helland - Blue Night

Relaxing Music with Ocean Waves Beautiful Piano, Stress Relief, Sleep Music, Wave Sounds

Two Chapters Left: "Call of the Siren"

Two chapters.

That's all I have left in a novel that's given me a great deal of trouble.since I began it in earnest a year ago.

In fact, my muse never really sprang into action around the Christmas holidays. And even then, I've struggled, although the struggle was less, and the progress was real.

This novel isalled Call of the Siren and it's the second book in the Limbo trilogy. (The first is The Phoenix, and you can find a copy of it here).

Everything in bold at the bottom of this blog is nearly ready to go, self-editing-wise.

Everything in italics shows where work is still required.

But when the editing is done, I have a couple more passes over the text to make.

One is a granular pass to ensure the new characters are properly developed.

And then I need to make a "feng shui" pass over the entire book, which is a new type of editing for me. In fact, I might have invented this type of editing. Maybe it's worth its own post.

My original goal is to have the book ready for formatting by early April. That's an unrealistic goal at this point. But late May or early June feels very possible.

Cover art is by Nancy Calkins, wife of Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara.

I'm certain this novel has close to zero value, commercial-wise.

But it's the novel I intended to write. And it's a satisfying feeling, for me, to have a vision of a story I want to write, and then write the story in my mind.

Stories can be elusive beings, clear in our imagination but defiant of precise words. But that isn't so strange when you consider all the many strands that make a story: the characters, the plots, the arcs, the settings, the moods, and so forth - and then when you consider all the strangs that make each character, each plot, each arc, each setting, each mood, and so forth some more.

It's nothing short of amazing that writers can take these threads and weave them into something coherent, much less magical.

Amazing, indeed.

CALL OF THE SIREN

Sue Bass is haunted by dreams of her father, who died in a boating accident before she was born, alluring dreams of water and song. But then a soft-spoken outside man with an inside plan comes to town, and Sue's sleepwalking stops, only to resurface with greater magnetism when he leaves.

Two voices beckon. Which one will she heed?

Prologue:

PART ONE: WATER

Chapter 1: Lullaby

Chapter 2: Music or Madness

Chapter 3: Town Mouse

Chapter 4: Country Mouse, Monday Sept. 13, afternoon (spot places to fill in)

Chapter 5: Water, Butter, and Wine

Chapter 6: Little Girl Lost

Chapter 7: The Lure of Their Eyes

PART TWO: FIRE

Chapter 8: Flames and Frost

Chapter 9: Even The Sparrow 

Chapter 10: Bewitched By Her Sweetness

Chapter 11: House Calls, Saturday 

Chapter 12: Coin for the Passage

Chapter 13: Plaintive Cries 

Chapter 14: As Sharp as Spears

Chapter 15: The Meadow of Skeletons

PART THREE: AIR

Chapter 16: Gates of Horn and Ivory

Chapter 17 Ask, and It Shall be Given You

Chapter 18: Seek, and Ye Shall Find

Chapter 19: Knock, and it Shall Be Opened Unto You (1/3 edited, 2/3 drafted)

Chapter 20: The Stain No Storm Could Wash Away (1/3 edited, 2/3 drafted)

Chapter 21: A Stone and a Serpent 

Chapter 22: Treading Water 

Chapter 23: Last Dream of my Soul 

PART FOUR: EARTH

Chapter 24: On Solid Ground 

Chapter 25: Ideal – and Worthy of Envy  

Chapter 26: Sue’s Diner (edited)

Chapter 27: In Dark Depths Lurking (edited)

Chapter 28: The Abyss Beckons (edited)

Chapter 29: : No Breath of Wind, No Ripple of Water (edited)

Chapter 30: Ferry and Scythe

Epilogue 

La sirène (1904) The Mermaid

Latest Update for "Call of the Siren"

Writing a novel, for me, is slow work.

And my latest novel has given me LOTS of trouble, until my muse finally sprang into action around the Christmas holidays.

This novel isalled Call of the Siren and it's the second book in the Limbo trilogy. (The first is The Phoenix, and you can find a copy of it here).

But I just compared this update with the previous one on January 11. And I'm truly amazed at the tremendous progress in such a short periods of time.

Everything in bold is ready to go, editing-wise

Everything in italics shows where work is still required.

But when the editing is done, I have a couple more passes over the text to make.

One is a granular pass to ensure the new characters are properly developed.

And then I need to make a "feng shui" pass over the entire book, which is a new type of editing for me. In fact, I might have invented this type of editing. Maybe it's worth its own post.

My goal is to have the book ready for formatting by early April.

Cover art is by Nancy Calkins, wife of Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara.

CALL OF THE SIREN

Sue Bass is haunted by dreams of her father, who died in a boating accident before she was born, alluring dreams of water and song. But then a soft-spoken outside man with an inside plan comes to town, and Sue's sleepwalking stops, only to resurface with greater magnetism when he leaves.

Two voices beckon. Which one will she heed?

Prologue:

PART ONE: WATER

Chapter 1: Lullaby

Chapter 2: Music or Madness

Chapter 3: Town Mouse

Chapter 4: Country Mouse, Monday Sept. 13, afternoon (spot places to fill in)

Chapter 5: Water, Butter, and Wine

Chapter 6: Little Girl Lost

Chapter 7: The Lure of Their Eyes

PART TWO: FIRE

Chapter 8: Flames and Frost

Chapter 9: Even The Sparrow 

Chapter 10: Bewitched By Her Sweetness

Chapter 11: House Calls, Saturday 

Chapter 12: Coin for the Passage

Chapter 13: Plaintive Cries 

Chapter 14: As Sharp as Spears

Chapter 15: The Meadow of Skeletons

PART THREE: AIR

Chapter 16: Gates of Horn and Ivory

Chapter 17 Ask, and It Shall be Given You

Chapter 18: Seek, and Ye Shall Find

Chapter 19: Knock, and it Shall Be Opened Unto You (1/3 edited, 2/3 drafted)

Chapter 20: The Stain No Storm Could Wash Away (1/3 edited, 2/3 drafted)

Chapter 21: A Stone and a Serpent 

Chapter 22: Treading Water 

Chapter 23: Last Dream of my Soul 

PART FOUR: EARTH

Chapter 24: On Solid Ground 

Chapter 25: Ideal – and Worthy of Envy  

Chapter 26: Sue’s Diner (edited)

Chapter 27: In Dark Depths Lurking (2/3 edited)

Chapter 28: The Abyss Beckons (drafted, a few graphs edited)

Chapter 29: : No Breath of Wind, No Ripple of Water (1/3 edited, 2/3 drafted)

Chapter 30: Ferry and Scythe

Epilogue 

The Three Sirens -,,Go to Sleep Little Baby" from O Brother,Where Art Thou?

Goals for this Week's At-Home Writing Retreat

Since vacation time at The Herald-News doesn't carry over into the next calendar year, I've decided to schedule a couple at-home writing retreats, although I've held back a few days, just in case I can get down to Raleigh this year.

The second at-home retreat actually began when I left work yesterday.

Read this post to see what these retreats typically look like.

Read this post to see what I accomplished on last month's retreat.

The goals are fairly simple, although not simply executed. I'm planning to write a decent draft of the second book in the BryonySeries Limbo series, which is called Call of the Siren.

The entire book is outlined and chunks of it is written. Those chunks do make the drafting easier. Unfortunately, I have far less actually written in the second half than I do in the first.

Just so you can see the themes and the work I'm tackling, I'm including the back cover summary, the chapter titles (the dividing line represents the work for each respective retreat) and the cover art (thank you, Nancy Calkins). 

Wish me luck and full cooperation of my muse!

Sue Bass is haunted by dreams of her father, who died in a boating accident before she was born, alluring dreams of water and song. But then a soft-spoken outside man with an inside plan comes to town, and Sue's sleepwalking stops, only to resurface with greater magnetism when he leaves. Two voices beckon. Which one will she heed?

PART ONE: WATER

Chapter 1: Lullaby

Chapter 2: Music or Madness.

Chapter 3: Town Mouse: Monday, Sept. 13 morning

Chapter 4: Country Mouse, Monday Sept. 13, afternoon

Chapter 5: Water, Butter, and Wine, Tuesday Sept. 14, morning

Chapter 6: Little Girl Lost, Tuesday, Sept. 14, afternoon

Chapter 7: The Lure of Their Eyes, Wednesday, Sept. 15 morning

PART TWO: FIRE

Chapter 8: Flames and Frost, Wednesday, Sept. 15, afternoon

Chapter 9: Even The Sparrow, Friday, Sept. 17 morning

Chapter 10: Bewitched By Her Sweetness, Friday, Sept, 17, afternoon

Chapter 11: House Calls, Saturday, Sept. 18, morning

Chapter 12: Coin for the Passage, Saturday, Sept. 18, afternoon

Chapter 13: Plaintive Cries, Sunday, Sept. 19, morning

Chapter 14: As Sharp as Spears, Sunday, Sept. 19, afternoon

Chapter 15: The Meadow of Skeletons, Monday, Sept. 20, morning

PART THREE: AIR

Chapter 16: Gates of Horn and Ivory, Monday, Sept. 20, afternoon

Chapter 17 Ask, and It Shall be Given You, Monday, Oct. 18, morning

Chapter 18: Seek, and Ye Shall Find, Monday, Oct. 18, afternoon

Chapter 19: Knock, and it Shall Be Opened Unto You, Tuesday, Oct. 19, morning

Chapter 20: The Stain No Storm Could Wash Away, Monday, Oct. 19, afternoon

Chapter 21: A Stone and a Serpent, Wednesday, Oct. 20, morning

Chapter 22: Treading Water, Wednesday, Oct. 20, afternoon

Chapter 23: Last Dream of my Soul, Thursday, Oct. 21, morning

PART FOUR: EARTH

Chapter 24: On Solid Ground, Thursday, Oct. 21, afternoon

Chapter 25: Ideal – and Worthy of Envy, Friday, Oct. 22, morning

Chapter 26: Sue’s Diner, Friday, Oct. 22, afternoon

Chapter 27: In Dark Depths Lurking, Saturday, Oct. 23, morning

Chapter 28: The Abyss Beckons, Saturday, Oct. 23, afternoon

Chapter 29: No Breath of Wind, No Ripple of Water, Sunday, Oct. 24, morning

Chapter 30: Ferry and Scythe, Sunday, Oct. 24

Epilogue, Monday, Oct. 25, afternoon

Cover art for "Call of the Siren" by Nancy Calkins