Mirror Mirror Author and Story Setting
I am a recovering Performance Consultant choosing to redeploy my remaining trips around the sun, writing fictional thrillers like my first novel on Amazon, Mirror Mirror – Halloween Party of the Century. I deflected retirement but am now primarily unsupervised, of questionable discipline as a Writer of Things, and susceptible to being sucked into a story by the relentless Wench Muse who manages to remain just out of reach. No complaints, though; we’re writing our seventh.
Mirror started as a short story until the Muse snatched me out of neutral and whispered into my ear, “Finish this one, honey!” So we did, and I have added another addiction to my list – writing thrillers.
Sandy Tillman, the protagonist in Mirror, coasts comfortably through life until a phone call from a past abuser invites himself to her Halloween party. The short story version of Mirror Mirror shows the chaos at the party and the confrontation between Sandy and Phantasic Phil as he boasts of himself. The story ends with Phil getting smoked by a burst of energy emanating from a large floor mirror. That was the end of the short story.
Clearly, it was not the end when Wench Muse planted her knees on my chest, leaned down, locked my wrists to my sides with her ankles, and whispered, “Let’s finish this.” Mirror Mirror was published in February 2023 as my first official novel.
The adventure accelerates when Sandy found the hidden room in the library, and when she picked a random book off one of the library shelves, Mirror Mirror. Choosing that book triggered the release of a lock, and a section of shelves swung inward, revealing a small room with a single armchair and a large oval floor mirror.
A lot goes down in that secret room over several dimensions that stretch time to the limit. Things happen in the present, and as the story progresses, things happen in two subsequent visits…in the past. Time travel? Only a little, and both times…well, three times…it was necessary.
Time as destinations appear to be accidental in this story; potluck may be a better descriptor, courtesy of the entity Sandy met in the mirror. He managed her travels, mostly, and as it turned out, the entity managed Sandy merely because she possessed the book Mirror Mirror. Why had she chosen that one?
A double murder later, Sandy meets the entity that changes her life, and bizarre things happen when the 3-dimensional world Sandy Tillman connects with an 11th-dimensional world entity she named Paul. Their relationship comes together over several adventures and establishes something neither wants to refer to as a relationship. A strong dependency grows between them, but is it only one way?
It’s a journey worth risking. No spoilers will be revealed here, so I encourage you to read Mirror Mirror. Peace! G.
https://www.amazon.com/author/garygwise
Rachel Jackson Review –
Title: Mirror Mirror Author: Gary Wise
Date of Review: 10/04/2023
Published: February 2023
Amazon: “Mirror Mirror”
📚Review: “Halloween, a season woven with threads of the supernatural and mystical, finds its narrative embodiment in Gary Wise’s tale. With adept finesse, Wise melds elements of fantasy and mystery—two genres that personally resonate—into a captivating narrative, offering an intriguing premise that encompasses crime, time travel, and interdimensional entities. The story serves as a comprehensive entertainment package, inviting readers to embark on an engaging journey. The narrative commences by acquainting us with the central figure, Sandy Tillman, whose life is shadowed by the horrors of an abusive past.
Initially cocooned in the ordinary, Sandy’s trajectory transforms as she arrives at the estate owned by her friend Mel, inherited from her grandfather. A veil of enigma descends upon the tale with their arrival, as Sandy encounters a cryptic book, “Mirror Mirror,” that becomes her conduit to an interdimensional sentinel of righteousness, Paul. This juncture marks the inception of her tumultuous escapades, an odyssey into the realms of the unknown. The narrative entices readers to delve into the labyrinth of intrigue it unfurls. Gary Wise deftly orchestrates the age-old dichotomy of virtues and vices, employing the instrument of a magical tome to weave a moral fabric within this otherworldly tapestry. The chapter titles function as alluring signposts, hinting at the thematic undertones that await exploration.
Amidst the suspense that keeps readers in a perpetual state of anticipation, the fantasy elements continuously engage the faculties of imagination. The denouement, delivered with tantalizing precision, concludes on a precipice, effectively leaving the audience yearning for more. The narrative technique, adopting a third-person perspective, breathes life into a cast of characters whose motivations and aspirations mirror the diversity of real life. Whether it is Sandy, Mel, or Paul, each character resonates as an individual persona. Sandy’s character arc is particularly notable, a journey that ensnares readers in its emotional gravity.
Rachel Jackson: reads.rachel2@gmail.com
