Truth is Stranger Than Fiction
Dear Macabre Muser,
Happy Fall! It is the best time of the year. This year, it is made even sweeter by the fact that I recently submitted my YA novel manuscript to my extraordinary agent, Jennifer Lyons, who is pitching it to publishers as I write these words. I also submitted a pitch for a sequel! If you have any positive juju to spare, it would mean a lot if you could send it my way. I’ve also been plugging away at my poetry collection and have several short pieces in the works. On top of that, I recently started my day job as a neuropsychological test report writer, which I love. Whew!
I recently had a wonderful conversation with Travis Bruce over at Horror Realm. It was a delightful conversation in which I fangirled over several of my favorite female horror writers, including Tanarive Due, Lee Murray, and Ananda Lima. We also played Bloody Mary (with some scary results!) and Maeve made a cameo to show off the makeover she had given herself. It was a great time, and we will be doing it again in December! Head over to the channel to watch the interview for yourself, and make sure to hit that subscribe button!
And now, on with the content!
Most of my fiction and poetry has been mined from real life. At the heart of all of my stories and poems, there is always some kind of truth nugget—sometimes it is from my own life, and sometimes it is a fact or story that I have heard. Here is a round up of some strange things that have sparked my imagination (though I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried!):
1.) Salish Sea Feet. Since 2007, at least 20 pairs of shoes—with the feet still in them—have washed up on the shores of the Salish Sea near Vancouver and Seattle. Theories have ranged from a serial killer, to mob hits, to accidental drownings, and even a possible sea monster that devours everything except sneakers. Strange, right? What do you think is causing the feet to wash ashore in this particular region?
2.) The Codex Gigas. The Codex Gigas, often known as “The Devil’s Bible,” is an enormous, illustrated Medieval manuscript that dates back to the early 13th century. Legend has it that a monk named Herman the Recluse was imprisoned for breaking his vows, and so he declared that he would scribe a book over the course of a single night that contained all human knowledge and glorify his monetary in exchange for his freedom. When he realized that the task was impossible (excuse me while I flash back to pulling an all-nighter in order to finish a paper…sheesh…), he asked the Devil for help. The Devil granted his wish and, lo, the Codex Gigas was created! While the legend itself lists the Devil as the co-author, the book actually received its nickname because of the intricate drawing of the Devil within its pages. While historians, of course, do not put much stock in the fact that this book was written with the Devil’s help, they do agree that the text appears to be the work of a single scribe. It is extensive and detailed and filled with ornate lettering and illustrations. It has been estimated that it would take a single person 25 years of nonstop work to create such a text. So, what do you think? Did the Devil do it?
3.) The Green Children of Woolpit. In the 12th century, two mysterious children appeared in the village of Woolpit in Suffolk, England. They appeared to be brother and sister, and they both had green skin. They spoke in an unknown language and only ate raw broad beans. Eventually, the boy died, and the girl lost her green coloring and learned to speak English. She said that she and her brother came from a subterranean land where the sun never shone, but where a river flowed right down the middle of it. They had found their way out by following the sounds of bells and cattle. The girl eventually became integrated into society and married a nobleman. There is, of course, some controversy surrounding the veracity of this story, but it’s a pretty cool one, nonetheless!
4.) Emilie Sagee and her Doppelganger. Emilie Sagee was a teacher who lived in France in the 19th century, and she had a legitimate doppelgänger—or spectral duplicate—that followed her everywhere. The doppelgänger never spoke or made any noise, but she was never far away, and frequently mimicked Emilie’s movements. While Emilie herself was never able to see the doppelgänger, it was such a distraction to others that Emilie was unable to hold down a job for long. Some of her students even claimed to have touched the doppelgänger, stating that it felt like passing a hand through a tangle of cobwebs. Wild, huh? What would you do if you had a doppelgänger?
5.) The Dyatlov Pass Incident. In 1959, nine Russian students went on a hiking exhibition in the Ural Mountains for research purposes. They never returned. When a search party was dispatched, they found a baffling scene: several of the hikers’ bodies were scattered outside of the tent in various states of undress and without their boots, while others were found in a nearby snow den with their skulls and chests badly crushed. One hiker’s eyes were missing from their sockets, and another was missing her tongue. As radiation was discovered on the hikers’ clothing, theories about this tragedy have ranged from a weapons testing disaster that has been covered up, to a yeti attack, to extraterrestrials. To this day, the mystery surrounding the students’ deaths remains unsolved.
So….what do you think of these stories? Are there more that you think I should cover in future newsletters? Be sure to keep an eye on my TikTok where I will be discussing a true crime story that has gripped me. Until then, I would love to hear from you! Feel free to reach out! If you like what you see here, please encourage others to subscribe!
Enjoy Spooky Season!
Yours in Terror,
Brooke MacKenzie