Behind the Scenes

Hello readers:

Hope you’re all having a great weekend. As promised the first few chapters of The Raven are down below. I really am thrilled with how the story is developing. I passed the 6k word mark this morning and plan to have the story completed sometime early next week. The word count limit for the anthology The Raven is for is 10k so hitting that mark this week should not be a problem.

What you will find below are chapters that are completely raw with no editing. Once I’ve completed editing the story I will feature the mostly complete (the anthology editor will have some edits to share) story with all of you, which will give you a glimpse into how the story develops over time.

In other news, I decided this week to put all my effort into The Raven. The reason is very simple: I don’t like missing deadlines and since The Raven needs to be submitted by September 1st, I need to give myself enough time to first, finish writing, then second, tidy up the plot, add vibes and little nuances, and third, give it a good edit before submission. This also means I need to hold off on Adam and Eve for a few weeks, even possibly a month since I also need to write a new novella for the Broken Spine group of authors, I am part of. Broken Spine is the group of authors where Web of Malevolence came from. The theme for this series is, Echoes from the Deep and I have been brainstorming a story for the past few weeks and that brainstorming process just stumbled onto something I am really looking forward to putting together. I’ll have more on that story in the upcoming months.

I will 100% be back writing Adam and Eve in September. I love the story and want it finished to send out to the world.

I will be back in a few weeks with your Ezra’s Secret ebook and another round of behind the scenes.

Enjoy your summer.

With gratitude,

PD Alleva

The Raven

1

Halloween 2023

Westchester County, NY

7:30 AM

Catastrophe often begins with simplicity. A subtle gesture or a crude comment that drives the heart to pick up its rhythm or the mind to conjure a thought that leads to nefarious belief. Often the simplicity is so nonchalant the recipient isn’t even aware it occurred. Not in the moment at least, but in hindsight the simplicity becomes highlighted as the catalyst to the catastrophe.

It is only after the fact that we are prone to either accept what happened or refuse its nature. The same holds true for Sadie Hartman. Now in her fifties, she and her husband Bob were running late on this fateful Halloween morning. The power had gone out sometime during their slumber and both had to scramble to find candles to take their cold morning showers.

“I’m sure the power company will have it back on soon,” Bob had told her. “I’ll call them on my way to work. Last night’s storm was a doozy. I’m certain it was just a blown transformer. They’ll have the problem fixed in no time.”

Although Sadie didn’t agree. Not entirely, although she concluded the eerie sensation crawling across her skin had to do with the nightmare she’d had last night. The one she could barely remember, except for the blood. Blood she understood was not hers. Her shaking hands had been covered in it.

Then the doorbell rang and Sadie’s eyes narrowed. She looked through the second-story window to the van parked outside her colonial home. The words across the van revealed the power company’s prominent logo. Her hands cupped in front of her.

“Power companies here,” she shouted to Bob, but received no response. With the shower running and the door mostly closed she wasn’t surprised. Instead, she rushed out of the room then took the wooden stairs down to the first floor.

Another ring from the doorbell while she walked through the living room to the front door. Through the vertically frosted glass window beside the door, the electrician had his back to her. She opened the door, eager for the power to return. She had many chores to complete before meeting her friends for lunch and it would be best if she could use the heat. Cold autumn air greeted her, the sky bruised above the trees across the street with twilight and the arriving sun. The street was barren, the High School bus moved down the street.

The employee turned to greet her, holding a clipboard. He dawned the typical power company attire with a yellow hard hat that covered his head. He was a skinny man, frail and emaciated as if he hadn’t eaten in a day’s age. His dark eyes gave way to a thin slopy nose. His lips pressed tight together.

“Can I help you?” she asked. “When can we expect the power to come back on?” Her voice was abrupt. Sadie hugged her torso to keep warm from the breeze that flitted across her bare arms.

His voice was slick like silk but with an edge to it that hid the sinister clucking of his tongue as if his words were rehearsed a million times over. “Soon, mam. The company is working on a blown transformer. I’m here to assess how the outage occurred, going from property to property and checking meters. We believe this neighborhood was directly responsible for the outage.”

He stepped forward and Sadie’s skin constricted.

“I just need your signature to approve my request then I’ll be out of your hair in a jiffy.”

Sadie’s brow furrowed. His eyes were beady. His breath carried to her nostrils with a hint of stale caffeine. She heard Bob’s footsteps on the floor above.

“Whatever,” she said, “just get it back on soon. I can’t be inconvenienced with such things. I’ve got a busy day.”

His lips parted in a grin, his teeth were yellowed, rotting and foul. “So do I.” His head shook with the slightest gesture. He handed her the clipboard, and she studied the names and addresses listed on the sheet with several signatures already prominent. One signature stood out among the list. Her eyes narrowed. Two houses over lived Carmela Antwan, a good friend of Sadie’s. The signature looked… off.

The sun gleamed through the trees across the street. Sadie’s blood curdled in her veins. Her jaw fell open as she raised her head

The gun was against her forehead before she could even blink.

“I am The Raven, Sadie, and this is your wake-up call.”