“A Reverence for Trees” is one of my favorite short stories, and yes, it still makes me cry when I read it. I wrote it years ago for an anthology, Words of the Witches, that Berkley Books published. Most of us authors were already in an online group of writers who loved to pen paranormal fiction when we came up with the idea and then pitched it to the publisher.
Now, writing short stories is not my forte. I can start with a one-sentence concept and three days later, it mushrooms into 50,000 words. I call it being a popcorn writer—start with a tiny kernel and watch it burst wide open when it heats up in my imagination. I really had to work to keep the story short, which meant about 30 manuscript pages and three parts of the story. I plotted it on a family vacation with my then-husband (a silent driver for, like, nine hours in the car, one way) and two kids in the back seat listening to music and ignoring us.
My ex wasn’t kidding when he used to say, “You’re always plotting something” on these silent road trips. By the second leg of the very quiet road trip, I had a notebook and pen and wrote as headed back home. (The car ride was silent, but the mountain destination was enjoyable.)
This story received a lot of praise when it was published. After I got my rights back from the publisher, I re-released it under the original titles, “A Reverence for Trees,” which to me was a perfect fit. I was encouraged later to change it to “Edge of Forever” by non-witchy friends who didn’t understand that title. I’ve now re-covered the story and republished it under its original name.
You can buy it from Amazon and other bookstores, but I also make it available as a bonus for my subscribers. If you subscribe below, I’ll send you an e-copy and also show you some of the photos and music that inspired the story.
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