Refracted Reflections: Twisted Tales of Duality & Deception Kaye Lynne Booth (Editor)

Published September 20th 2022 by Wordcrafter Press

Refractions and Reflections…

A reflection can be revealing or deceptive. What stares back at you when you glance into the mirror?

A prison, designed to trap you and take away all that is dear to you?

A portal to another dimension? Another time?

An evil twin, luring you to the other side?

Your loved ones with a fond farewell?

A distorted version of yourself? A person you no longer even recognize?

A protective savior?

Do you dare to gaze into the looking glass?

Will what you see save you…, or haunt you forever?

If you liked Gilded Glass and Once Upon an Ever After, you’ll like Refracted Reflections: Tales of Duality & Deception.

Purchase link: https://books2read.com/u/3kPyxn

GUEST POST: Ligia de Wit (Author of Always)

Inspiration is a funny thing. I thrive on inspiration from anything around me: an exciting movie, a fantastic character, the way a tree whistle with the wind, or when my cat wriggles into position to stalk a hummingbird.

It is usually something that makes me daydream, that makes me wonder, what if…? What if I put a spin on what I saw? What if that couple didn’t meet in that bar, but on a tiny island? Because honestly, we like to fix everything, do we not? We could do it better. Or at least in our heads.

My source for stories comes from all the above and then some. I like to daydream about my stories from the moment they are a wee child—maybe before that, when they still have no shape, no plot-feet or character-head. They are just a tiny light dancing around my storytelling neurons, a dryad with moves that no one gets.

But they always involve romance. And some fantasy element because, hey, I love both genres so of course they need to blend. Because I am the writer and thus, the goddess of my creation. I am the master puppeteer. Or so I like to think.

It was a beach that inspired me for Always. Gazing at the stormy sea, daydreaming about something important, trapped in my everyday ritual. What if a portal opens? What if something unexpected turns my known world upside down?

Then, there it was, a young woman, an islander, pondering her choices until that unexpected situation moves the sand beneath her feet. And I knew who she was… She belongs in a culture trapped by four cycles: love, death, family, and hunting. Not because they fancied them, but because their environment shaped them: these cycles are present on their island and dictate their behavior. She is pondering about how tradition dictates her choices while her heart lies elsewhere. And she became Bali.

I wanted to bring to this culture something based on a certain element of my own: the Mexican fascination with the dead ones, with those we loved and who have departed. This is why Always has the soul-wanderers and the orange petals that assist them to visit their (alive) loved ones. The Day of the Dead, present in my life since I was a wee child, influenced my story.

Jacarandas had to be in this world as well, not just because they tie in with the Mexican theme, but also because jacarandas are one of my favorite trees. They bloom around March and paint my city violet. In Always, the story related the violet blooms to love–I’m sure it is because every Spring, my eyes feast on those gorgeous trees, the way they slowly bloom, and suddenly we have a splash of vibrant purple everywhere you turn. It is lovely and brings hope. It brings joy and love.

On this island full of traditions, we have three old women dressed in black and always in the background, sitting with wrinkled hands resting on canes. Funny enough, this image comes from my youth. No, sadly those wise women didn’t exist in reality, but from a comic that was placed in Corcega, so these stern women found a place and are always in the background. I adore how they tsk and shake their heads at the two lovebirds in the story.

Then there’s the oddball, the guy who stands out and who’s different from the rest, and must perform according to expectations if he wants to fit in.

But while he looks acquiescent on the surface, he does as he likes. He challenges tradition and by doing so, challenges Bali, who’s fierce at heart and devoted to tradition until that tradition pushes her away from the man she loves.

Will she take that chance? Will she jump into the unknown or what if … What if there is a third choice?

Always will take you to that island, for you to experience the cycles that the tribe respects. Inspiration is a funny thing. It makes me write about islanders that hunt and respect the tradition, based on trees that exist around me, inspired somewhat in a comic I read years ago, and in the culture that I breathe in.

That’s Always. I hope you enjoy it.

About the Author: Ligia de Wit is a bilingual fantasy writer who is an eternal romantic. This led to penning “Always”, a story about love and strange lands where anything can happen. When not concocting stories, she works at a global leading distributor company. She has been married for more than half her life, and is the mother to two wonderful kids.

You can find her at ligiadewit.com – Twitter – Facebook – Instagram

I don’t read a lot of anthologies, but I am glad I picked up Refracted Reflections. This is a very enjoyable, intriguing anthology by a variety of authors. Each story deals with a mirror or reflection of some sort. I didn’t know what to expect when I began this book, but I was both surprised and satisfied. There are nine short stories, and they are very different from one another. I always find it hard to review an anthology, as I always enjoy some stories more than others, but all of them were good and pulled me in. I don’t want to give away any of the plots, but will say just a bit about each story.

The Mirror Guardian by Elisabeth Caldwell – A present day fairytale about monsters under the bed.
The Cost of Magic by Keith J. Hoskins – Power, magic and making decisions. Payback can be nasty.
Always by Ligia de Wit – Traditions vs choice, what will be the result of your decision?
Parallel by Avily Jerome – Parallel universes, pulled through the mirror to become part of different times and events
The Devil Made Her Do It by Kaye Lynne Booth – Becoming someone else for power and money, facing the consequences
The Not So Perfect Prince by Kaye Lynne Booth – a fairytale retelling with a twist
The Nutcracker by Roberta Eaton Cheadle – a warning, mental health issues
The Elevator Ritual by Shelly Jasperson – I will never ride an elevator again without trying not to look in any mirrored walls. Will a ritual break a spell?
The Tinker’s Gift by Valerie B. Williams – set during the Civil War, if it seems to good to be true, it probably is

Refracted Reflections is coming out at the perfect time of year. If you like to read scary stories, chilling tales and fantasy in the fall, especially as Hallowe’en approaches, then I definitely recommend you pick this book up. You won’t be disappointed.

Digital Giveaway

For a chance to win a free digital copy of Refracted Reflections, just leave a comment to show you were here. Follow the tour and comment at each stop for more chances to win. Three copies will be given away in a random drawing.

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