- Sandra (Sandy) Tillman – 32-year-old real estate agent – Quite ordinary, unassuming, and happy to not be in a relationship beyond that shared with her best friend, Melissa. Sandy did not have a grand plan beyond hosting a Halloween party at the Hawthorne House, willed to Melissa when her grandfather died three years earlier. The party was on track until she ran across an ancient tome titled Mirror Mirror, found in the library on a pre-party planning visit. Her curiosity opened the heavy, leather-bound tome to an inscription that terrified her, and she became deeply haunted by an unknown power after possessing a book that ultimately possessed her. The possession became more terrifying when an ordinary dressing mirror became a portal for an entity from the eleventh dimension, further complicating an unwanted and terrifying possession. She should never have selected that book. Her comfortable, ordinary life was no longer in her hands, and she would soon be launched into extraordinary adventures beyond the boundaries of her known world.
- Melissa (Mel) Merriweather – Sandy’s longtime friend and roommate who would do anything for her friend… and did… running interference from law enforcement and being a trusted sounding board when Sandy’s multiple conflicts began. They had an intimate relationship that represented a very strong bond despite her skepticism that Sandy alone heard and communicated with a voice from an ordinary dressing mirror… or any mirror, for that matter. Melissa was not unkind, but she thought the voice Sandy heard was simply crazy imagining… until it wasn’t.
- Phillip (Fantastic Phil) McCorkle – A self-indulgent, self-absorbed 29-year-old narcissistic prick who attempted to assault Sandy previously on their last date. He planned to finish the assault because he felt she owed him that satisfaction. At the party, he was appropriately dressed as the devil. High on drugs and alcohol, Phil died a fantastic death the instant he laid hands on Sandy to collect what he felt she owed.
- William (Wil) Jameson – Followed Phil and dressed as the Grim Reaper at the party. Wil was the kind of man who needed a leader to think for him. Wil was the epitome of a sheep, but every bit as evil as Phillip, and followed him to his death. He represented no loss of consequence to humanity; however, in Sandy’s murder trial, Wil and Phil were described as “innocent boys” cut down in their prime of life.
- The Entity from the 11th Dimension – Initially, the entity was a pleasant male voice with no visible form that only Sandy could hear. Eventually, the voice became Paul at Sandy’s request. The relationship Sandy did not want, nor did Paul, grew gradually from borderline hatred into a weak partnership sparked by the bizarre circumstances they shared. Paul was pure energy in his dimension and had no physical form but manifested as a reflection of a man when interacting through the mirror… any mirror, as it turned out. He did not want a relationship because of an earlier possession that crashed and burned when the human fell deeply in love with him, ending very badly. Paul was reluctant to accept Sandy’s request to take a name because of his history, and having a name felt like the beginning of something he hoped to avoid… until he couldn’t… and accepted the name, Paul.
- Marcus T. Hawthorne III – Melissa’s grandfather, who died three years earlier, willed the entire Hawthorne Estate to her. He was a recluse, disliked by almost everyone, and rumored to be unscrupulous. He died under mysterious circumstances three years earlier, found dead in a secret room adjacent to the main library with a hole in his chest. His death remained unsolved.
- Other Marcus T. Hawthorne III – In Sandy’s initial time travel experience six months in the past, to retrieve the book impounded by law enforcement, Hawthorne was alive and well. Her exchange with the Other Marcus validated that parallel universes and timelines were not what they might appear to be, despite things appearing to be the same… until they weren’t. Sandy was confounded, but speaking with a man who died three years earlier was terrifying.
- Another Marcus T. Hawthorne III – When Sandy returned to Hawthorne House on her next time travel experience, in a different timeline three years earlier, she found Marcus quite dead in the chair where he died in her attempt to avoid arrest. Paul, who orchestrated Sandy’s time travel, had sound logic on his side, but not to Sandy. She thought Paul was reckless, and the added terror of finding a dead man in the light of her cellphone was too much to bear and did little to promote a trusting relationship. The connection of Hawthorne’s demise by Paul’s actions further eroded any chances of trust.
- Sandy’s Other Self – Lived in a parallel universe and owned and operated a bookstore called Boundless Bindings. Paul’s warning to avoid making contact with your other self was paramount… until it happened. Sandy demonstrated agility and quick thinking that impressed Paul as she used the portal mirror in the secret room as her other self closed in.
- Other Mel – Lived in a parallel universe but was still Sandy’s best friend and roommate, and she owned and operated an art supply business called Perfectly Framed. During Sandy’s first time-travel experience, they connected by accident as Sandy arrived at their condo through the mirror portal in Sandy’s loft bedroom. Melissa was at home, and she should have been at work… in the original timeline and universe, that is. Other Mel was who she should have been, but Sandy was not. It was a Saturday on the new timeline, and confusion reigned in a conversation that should have been missed completely, and with Paul’s guidance, Sandy barely slipped by without questions.
- Detective Daniel (Danny) Becker – Lead Precinct Homicide Detective was a hard charger ready to kick a door in to make an arrest. He had several opportunities, but never got a chance, deflating his macho male ego. His interactions with his partner were a love-hate relationship of mutual toleration, as long as they stayed in their own lanes.
- Francine (Frankie) Hanson – Level 2 Forensics Detective – Very competent and an effective counterbalance when paired with Detective Becker. Their exchanges are as humorous as they are cutting and disrespectful, with several middle fingers shared. Both were persistent in their dogged pursuit of Sandy as she evolved from a person of interest to a suspect indicted for second-degree murder.
- Martin Talbot – County Coroner – was a Veteran military medical professional who confirmed the fatal injuries suffered by both men were made by a weapon he had never witnessed during his time as a field surgeon in the Middle East. Upon close forensic inspection by Francine Hanson, the rib bones were not only separated around the holes in their chest, but the ends had been melted by extreme heat. Talbot knew of no weapon capable of inflicting that kind of wound and was forced to label it as unknown.
- Sarah Thompson – Public Defender representing Sandy. At first, Sandy had no faith that a PD would be strong and capable enough to defend her, only to find out how much moxie Sarah brought to the trial. As bizarre as the trial would be, Sarah felt it would be the trial of the decade, and she wanted to be in the middle of it. She fought a powerful defense against a prosecutor who spun a powerful closing statement.
- The Honorable Phyliss Patterson – The no-nonsense judge who presided over the trial. She ran a tightly controlled court and wasn’t bashful, shutting both prosecution and defense down without hesitation. When the gallery came off the rails when Sandy testified in her own defense, the judge wielded her gavel like a weapon and threatened to clear the courtroom.
- Blanche – The Jailor, a toxic troll who was as wide as she was tall, possessing no hips, had plenty of animus toward Sandy from their first encounter. Turns out Sandy had a little moxie of her own in their shared dialogs, showing no fear despite Blanche’s reputation for wielding a wicked baton. At every opportunity, from serving cold meals to pushing a shackled and stumbling Sandy toward her courtroom appearances, Blanche showed no quarter.
- Thurston W. Jenkins – Lead Prosecutor – 300 pounds of very southern, overly dramatic performer, the kind of man easily disliked. He was very competent, but made a critical error in his opening statements that Sarah caught, and rewarded Thurston with a dirty, sweet smile of gratitude. Their objections drew battle lines that were quite entertaining, despite the severity of what was at stake for Sandy.
- Mirror Mirror – The book itself is treated as a character because of the inscription on the first page –Whoever possesses this book shall have exclusive control of all reflective powers that flow forth when called upon in good stead by the righteous…The inscription became the hook that launched Sandy into the terrifying adventures she did not want. The contents described the reflective powers, how to call them forth, and definitions around good stead and righteousness that gave Sandy pause. What she wanted to do to Phantastic Phil was anything but righteous. Was she even qualified to possess such a book? The real question was how soon she would realize the book possessed her. How long would it be before she realized the book and the entity’s voice in her head were connected?
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“Mirror Mirror: Halloween Party of the Century” – https://bit.ly/3C4qWqK
Mirror Mirror Goodreads Reviews – bit.ly/4sSgsn5
Video Trailer – https://bit.ly/3GTztmG
Author Website – Learning by Living – https://learningbyliving.blog
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