Burning Down the House with Chrys Fey

6:00 AM Elizabeth Seckman 35 Comments

Did I ever tell you guys about the time I saved my family home from burning down?

When I was but a wee little girl, barely tall enough to reach the sink faucets without the aid of my step stool, I exorcised my house of a cursed object that was certainly channeling the fires of hell that it planned to unleash on my family as we slept.

In truth, my dad was given a cutesy, cartoony devil that was wearing a tee-shirt that said, "horny little devil". I hated that damned thing. I wasn't fooled by its happy smile. It had horns and a forked tail. As far as I was concerned, a devil was a devil.

So, I threw it away. Repeatedly. It had a diabolical way of making its way back to my dad's book shelf every single time.

Finally, I took it to my mother and told her of its evil and she disposed of it.

Years later, I realized that my childish motivations might not have been rooted in logic, so I asked my mother why she listened to me. She told me she figured she'd taught me to trust in angels, it was only reasonable that I feared devils.

And besides, she was a big fan of the horror genre and she knew that people who ignored the instincts of dogs and children usually died, and we were NOT that foolish. We were not the sort of people who were guided by something as irrational as reason.

That's my fire story. Now, here's Chrys Fey with her fire story.

Chrys is promoting her new book, which I just know will be a good read!

Now, here's Chrys!

Many scenes in Flaming Crimes (Disaster Crimes #4) came from real life. For this short blog tour, I am sharing my memories as a ten-part continuous story, so hop along for the entire experience.

Series: Disaster Crimes #4Page Count: 304 Digital Price: 4.99 Print Price: 16.99

Rating: Spicy (PG13)

BUY LINKS:

Amazon / Barnes & Noble

The Wild Rose Press

FLAMING GUEST POST PART TEN:

Days later, my family and I drove around our neighbor, seeing exactly where the fire had been. While we wound our way from street to street, I saw a flicker in the woods. A single flame wavered in the middle of ashes. My dad got out of his truck and stomped on the flame with his work boots.

To this day, fire terrifies me. I keep all of my notebooks and writing essentials in a backpack in case I ever have to evacuate due to a fire. And if I see smoke rising toward the sky as I drive home, that same fear I experienced so long ago returns.

I pray that another fire will never be right next to my house.

But in Florida, when the ground gets dry, and there’s no rain, there’s never any telling which areas would be safe from fire and which areas would be impacted. And the city I live in now is the city I lived in then, which happens to be a place that becomes very active with fires each year, especially during the month of April…my birth month.

THE END

FLAMING CRIMES EXCERPT:

Beth’s drive from city to city was smokier than it had been the day before. While on the highway, she saw three plumes of smoke on the right and two on the left. Five fires burning within miles of each other. More fires were active in other cities farther way. In Palm Bay, there were ten fires burning alone. That was about an hour drive where she lived now. You couldn’t drive anywhere without seeing the sign of a fire. You couldn’t even turn. She wondered if someone was taking a joy ride through Central Florida, tossing lit matches from their car window every ten miles or so. Did they pull over to watch each match ignite? Did they relish the sight of the fire growing from a single flame to a brush fire? Or did they just toss and drive with the goal of setting as many fires in the shortest timespan?

There was no way all those fires were caused by the hot sun and the dry ground. But what did someone have to gain from starting the fires? What was the purpose?

The story will continue on these blogs:

1/8 – Circle of Friends Books - Part 1

1/9 – Sandra Cox – Part 2

1/10 – Elements of Emaginette – Part 3

1/11 – Julie Flanders – Part 4

1/12 – I Think; Therefore, I Yam – Part 5

1/15 – Alex J. Cavanaugh – Part 6

1/16 – Just Jemi – Part 7

1/17 – Sandra Dailey – Part 8

1/18 – Fundinmental – Part 9

1/19 – Elizabeth Seckman – Part 10

About the Author: Chrys Fey is the author of the Disaster Crimes Series, a unique concept blending romance, crimes, and disasters. She’s partnered with the Insecure Writer’s Support Group and runs their Goodreads book club. She’s also an editor for Dancing Lemur Press.

Time for my small things check-in. Thanks to our hosts Lexa, L .G, and Tonja Drecker for this weekly reminder to look for the good things in life!

We had some trouble with some rented college textbooks from Amazon and long story short, we thought we were going to be out a few hundred dollars, but a call to Amazon customer service and the problem was solved. It's hard to beat Amazon's customer service.

Son #4, Conner, only had to suffer through a day and a half of school this week, thanks to snow, ice, and freezing temps.

I'm down to the last few chapters of my next book. But that just means that as I close in on adding, "The End", my mind is already filling up with all the changes and plot tweaks that need to be made. But it will still be great to have the first rough draft done.

35 comments:

Alex J. CavanaughJanuary 19, 2018 at 6:30 AM
Fire makes me nervous and I've not been through what you've been, so I don't blame you for being so prepared, Chrys.
Funny story, Elizabeth. Your mom was right - listen to you or that little devil figure just might come to life!
Natalie AguirreJanuary 19, 2018 at 7:10 AM
I can see why you would be so nervous about fires, Chrys. They make me nervous and I've never been in one. Thanks for sharing your fun story, Elizabeth.
Author R. Mac WheelerJanuary 19, 2018 at 11:10 AM
You were a very assertive child. Good for you.

Congrats, Chrys
Chrys FeyJanuary 19, 2018 at 12:06 PM
Thank you for having me on your blog for the final day of my tour, Elizabeth!

That was a cute story. I like that your mom threw it away after you told her it was evil. I think mine would’ve told me I was being silly. lol
Susan Flett SwiderskiJanuary 19, 2018 at 12:29 PM
Chrys, this blog tour was nothing short of inspired. Best way I've ever seen a writer use blogs to promote a new book. Great job! (I bought your book, but it's still impatiently waiting its turn.0

Elizabeth, your mother sounds awesome. Not many pay that much attention to their children's concerns. Um, on the other hand... way to make me feel old! My husband has that same "horny little devil," and I gave it to him. :)
The Cynical SailorJanuary 19, 2018 at 1:02 PM
Liz - I love your devil story. Very cute and so cool that your mom listened to you.

Chrys - Great wrap up to your blog tour. All the best to you with the new book. It sounds fabulous.
Tamara NarayanJanuary 19, 2018 at 2:13 PM
That's so cute that you didn't want that little devil around. So many horror stories can't be wrong though. Plus, from experience, I know my kids have me beat hands down when it comes to sight, hearing, smell, and memory, so it does make sense. Sort of.
Pat HattJanuary 19, 2018 at 5:25 PM
lol well you avoided one horror movie trope that way at least.

Guess you are just on fire, it being birth month and all, let's hope it is never literally for anywhere around you.
Rawknrobyn.blogspot.comJanuary 19, 2018 at 7:01 PM
I once walked into the kitchen when my brothers accidentally started a fire on the stove. I casually, swiftly, tossed backing soda on it, and it went out. I then walked back to my room, casually, swiftly. My brother's best friend, who was there, still remembers it. He says he'd choose me as a partner for Survivor Island. I really don't blame him. I'm pretty impressed (though I don't remember doing it.)
klahanieJanuary 20, 2018 at 6:50 AM
Hey Elizabeth and Chrys,

Elizabeth, that was one devil of a story. And of course, it's awesome to see Chrys' travelling show on your blog site, Elizabeth. Yep, like some kind of starstruck groupie, I've been following along. All the best to the both of you.

Yes indeedy, I, as per usual, have shared this post on some of those gosh darn fun social "notworking" sites.

Penny's human dad,

Gary :)
Tammy TheriaultJanuary 21, 2018 at 2:08 AM
Fires are scary! Especially when all can be lost just like that.
NasJanuary 21, 2018 at 4:09 PM
Fires are scary but good on you Chrys to be prepared. Congratulations on the new book!
J.L. CampbellJanuary 22, 2018 at 5:49 PM
Smart, Mom, Elizabeth.
Chrys, here's to your success with Flaming Crimes.
Kelly SteelJanuary 22, 2018 at 5:56 PM
Congratulations on this new book!
LisaJanuary 25, 2018 at 7:40 AM
Great post! Chrys is a great story teller, and I liked your story too, Elizabeth!
Murees DupèJanuary 25, 2018 at 7:54 AM
Elizabeth, way to go on getting rid of the devil. If something gives you a bad vibe, its good to follow your instincts and get rid of it.

Chrys, how scary. I'm so sorry you had to experience that. I cannot even imagine how horrible it must have been for you, and still is. We have wildfires here too, but I've never had a fire get close to my home yet, and hopefully never will. I hope you never have to deal with fire ever again. You are brilliant for taking a bad experience and using it in your writing. You go girl.