Countdown to release day: TODAYS THE DAY!!!
Updated: Oct 12
Hello dear readers!!! It is officially release day!!!! Twisted Minds, Twisted Fates is now available for purchase on Amazon in hardcover, paperback, eBook!! It's so amazing to see how far this story has come, what started as a short sentence to describe my haunt character if officially a whole novel. Building this whole universe has been a labor of love and I really hope you all enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Today I want to talk about everything that has led up to this book.
The Spark
Picture it, southern West Virginia 2020. Covid was shutting everything down and I a commuter college student was doing all online classes towards the end of the semester. I was very into SFX (special effects) make up; I still am but I do it a lot less now. Anyways I came across a haunted attraction that was looking for make-up artists. So, I applied and got accepted. This was Millers Nightmare Haunted Farm; I was so excited and then not too much longer after I get an email saying the haunt would be closed for the season due to covid... (understandable but I was upset). So, what do I do? I search for another haunt; I find one much closer to home that would be open but taking extra precautions. To summarize I work at this other haunt for a season and find I really enjoy doing this, so I start toying with the idea of creating my own character but don't really go beyond that.
It is now 2021, restrictions are loosening, and Millers will be open! Emailing back and forth with the owner he asks about if I have a character (please be kind my memory is rusty). This is my chance, I (foolishly) say yes and that he wants to see a photo of said character before the season begins. This is where panic kind of sets in, I need to come up with a character and costume. Now for reference here, I am a fursuit maker. Making costumes is kind of my thing, but for a character that will be going through quite a bit of abuse, upholstery foam and fur is not going to last too long (plus if it rains and gets wet...GROSS).
I turn to Etsy; there is a bunch of bases and super talented artists on there, so I spend a few days searching and scrolling and then I find it. It was listed as a wolf skull mask, and it had a hinged jaw (mouth would open and close). It was made by 3dPlanetProps (shop is now unavailable). After a bit of work, the first version of Willow was created. (pictured below)
Every actor had to attend "Scare School" where we essentially are told what to do and what not to do when scaring. The common advice given to me from both haunts I worked at was "give your character a story." I already sort of did this, but it made me really start thinking "what would Willows story be."
The Fracture
After my first season scaring as Willow, I got the idea to write a short story about her. Originally Willow was never once human. She was simply a forest creature that had a bit of humanity. I tossed back and forth with ideas, 2022 haunt season rolled around, and I got the idea that slowly she would gain different abilities.
I thought this would be perfect for my story and the development of her species (which at this point I didn't have a name for). The longer she was alive the more abilities she would gain, starting with mimicking human speech patterns. In the early versions of the story there was a whole circus plotline. (I know a horror story that has clowns so original).
The original story had a large cast of characters: 2-3 clowns, tightrope walkers, circus medics and more. An abusive ringmaster who saw the clowns as lesser beings but adored his main acts (to a point). The story was really circus focused, but as 2022 came to an end I realized Willow didn't fit into the circus themes of the story. She had to become human.
This is where the asylum finally came into play and the second version of Willow. She got larger antlers and a very poorly made straight jacket (seriously I made it with some old, thrifted belts and a button up shirt. See the photo below.) But the story got a romance added into it, Willow was going to be in a polyamorous relationship, with a circus freak called Mostro and a circus medic named Celine. This is also where I decided to set the story in the 1950s instead of the 70s. I wanted the idea to be scandalous; Willow eventually took the name Elizabeth and the idea her family was upstanding members of the local community. So, having a daughter that was LGBT would be a huge no no, enough to send her to an asylum. There was the idea of a whole police raid at the circus where most of the members would be either jailed or sent to asylums across the east coast.
I never had another title for the book; I called it Willow's backstory for 3 years.
Yeah, that sucker was ROUGH but it somewhat did its job. It was so cold to wear though and that fake blood from a non-descript Halloween store washed out and turned the whole thing pink, so it only lasted one season. So, when 2023 haunt season rolled around i decided instead of making one myself, I would play it safe and get my much more talented friend to make me one. It turned out amazing, and I still have it and put it on display every now and then. (See photo below)
Upgrades people! Willow was in her proper straight jacket era and I gotta say that thing was awesome. I only wore it for one season (2023), but it was a knockout. (Thanks, Loomin). But this would be the last year that particular mask would be used. Sadly, toward the end of the season the Og Willow mask succumbed to the elements (literally) years of being rained on, punched, and worked on took its toll. Broken teeth, broken antlers, and almost being completely shattered the era of the old willow had come to an end. The lasting remains are carefully packed away. It was truly an end of an era.
By 2024 I had completely scrapped the circus plot of the book and wanted a story to focus on only Willow. Keeping her name of Elizabeth and the slight love story. Willow got a new look being more deer like and not keeping the straight jacket. (See photo below) I purchased the new mask also from Etsy. The seller is Furious Facades, and I ordered the blank version of this mask.
2025 brought a bunch of challenges and obstacles, on a whim I decided to move halfway across the country to North Dakota and after that move I knew I needed to work on myself and my book again. With a newfound determination I started writing again, I started this blog, podcast and YouTube channel. I wanted to create again and finishing this book was going to be the first big step to get back into content creation again. I still didn't have a title as I started writing, I'm not even sure how exactly I came up with the title. Twisted Minds, Twisted Fates just came to be, and it fit perfectly.
Actually, 2024 was my last year scare acting. I officially retired after about 5 years and as I am writing this the 2025 season is happening. It is a bittersweet feeling; I definitely do not miss the cold nights in the corn field. But I do miss all my friends and haunt family I had built over the years. After all, if it wasn't for all of them, I don't think this book would even exist.
Summary
Thank you, guys, for reading all this. I never thought this day would come and I do hope you enjoy reading Twisted Minds, Twisted Fates. It has truly been a labor of love, and I am so ecstatic to see it coming to print.
Signed your favorite emotionally unstable folklore cryptid <3
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