Behind the Scenes…

…of The Puppet Master, part one!

It started with a dream, or perhaps it would be better called a nightmare.

I was home, sick from work. Tossing and turning, sweating through the sheets, the whole package. I sank into a feverish sleep and dreamt.

In this dream I was on my front porch, trying to get into the house. The lock would not budge, and I felt that terrifying, bucket-of-ice-dumping-over-you feeling of someone watching. I jiggled the key in earnest, to no avail. I thought I was alone in the woods I call home until beside me appeared a melon head – a creature of local urban legend, known for their abnormally large heads, sharp teeth, and small frame. As well as stealing personal belongings – like cars – and even people! It snatched me, and I woke with a jump.

After the initial panic subsided, a realization hit my sorry state – that would make a great book! I opened my Notes app and jotted down some ideas before going to get some soup.

“She” / “silly girl” became Vanora, and her story began to unfurl over the next few months. A name with Celtic roots, Vanora means “white wave” or “fair phantom” in Irish/Scottish/Welsh and is thought to have been derived from the word for swan. You’ll see TONS of nudges to these meanings in The Puppet Master ;). The name has ties to Arthurian legend as well, considered to be a variant of Guinevere.

Now, what to do with the melon heads? A part of local lore–aka incredibly niche. Not to mention their name seems a bit, shall we say, insensitive? To be fair, they’re said to be feral, short beings with large heads. Hence, melon head.

There’s abundant speculation as to where these beings came from. One of the more terrifying reasons is they formed a community after being experimented on in one of the many asylums we have in the state… eek! Others say they are simply a preternormal creature that lurks in the New England woods we call home. Others say they were a family of witches that were banished during the colonial period. Take your pick!

Regardless, I needed to make them…. not quite sexy, but definitely not a stumpy being with abnormally large heads. Not great for PR.

What other creatures have sharp teeth? As you’ve seen in the snip above, they were turned into…. drumroll please….

VAMPIRES!

What better to haunt the local woods than a vampire coven? Or, community, as they are referred to in The Puppet Master.

You’ll notice a nod to the melon heads in chapter six 😛

Now, some aspects needed to change in order to make them vampires. The sharp teeth could stay, but gone were their overly large heads, and they shot up in height to the size of an ordinary human. Much easier to fit in this way. I added some characteristics, such as eyes that glow red at night when light is shone into them (think like a cat), and an odd affinity for controlling mist as they’re stealing away their subjects. But, who can say what is real, as they’re an urban legend, after all.

Oh! That silly name. Melon heads turned to redeyes, and the vampires of The Puppet Master were born. Created? Reborn?

That’s all for now, folks! I know this isn’t being posted on a New Moon as promised, but the next one is in 8 days and I’d rather have part two ready for you then! Gotta lay that foundation at some point 😛

xoxo,

Carren