In the Valley of the Sun, a completed horror/suspense story, and the full text prequel

MedleyMisty

Lilith Parker is working at the local paper, announcing births and birthdays and deaths. One morning her boss Shannon gives her a more exciting assignment – research the local haunted house and write an article on its history. Nice flavor for Halloween, right?

But then Shannon turns up dead the next day, the local townspeople seem intent on keeping the story of the haunted house a secret, and Lilith is being haunted herself. Will she survive?



If you want to start from the beginning, you can click on Beginning and click through the story from there - look for the link to the next bit at the bottom of the post.

I also made a story index.

UPDATE

Just wanted to let any Valley readers know that I am somewhat consistently updating 10, the story of Seth as a teen, now.

Here's the blurb for it:

Seth Morrigan is a loner. He has his herb garden, his alchemy, his experiments and tinctures. These are enough.

Until he is beaten up by bullies. Until Caitlyn Wilson takes an interest in him. Until the perfection of time and space begins to crack.

10 Story Index

Oh, I also changed the theme and the header on the blog.

10 is not a Sims story, because Valley did everything I wanted to do with the medium. I can't top it and I don't want to try. So I moved on to new challenges and am learning how to write without pictures.

This one is a bit more...adult than Valley. Seth may be 15, but I am trying for a realistic 15 which means the occasional cursing and so on. If it was a movie, it'd be at least PG-13.

/UPDATE

Valley Chapters

Beginning
Morning
Meeting
Sunset
Legend
Nightmare
Static
Breakdown
Trip
Help
Fog
Rocks
Shadow
Flame
Ashes
Night
Dust
Daydream
Silence
Suspect
Rotten
Fire
Death
Alone
Water
Diary
Waffles
Alive
Strings
Dark
Seeds
Watcher
Angel
Interlude
Empty
Light
Flood
Firewater
Ending

countthestars

I just starting reading (I've gotten as far as "Nightmare") and I absolutely LOVE it! I wanted to write all my favorite lines, but there are already too many to pick from. I will say, "The Red Checker Duo of Awesomeness and Zombie Guts" made me laugh out loud.

I'm also loving the whole shattered moonlight theme going on in "Nightmare." Beautiful descriptions, and you personified them wonderfully (if that phrasing makes sense?).

Anyway, I just wanted to say amazing job and thanks for posting this. There are probably a dozen more compliments I want to throw out, but I'll restrain myself.

pip03

Omg I've always loved this story

MedleyMisty

countthestars - Ah, Nightmare. One of my favorite chapters still. It's where Lilith first enters Seth's dark dream world and the story really gets started.

Although later on the pictures get better - I learned more about GIMP as I went on.

Thank you so much! I love Valley too - when I finished it I was heartbroken for weeks and would sob my guts out whenever I thought about it. Took me a while to recover and start something new, but now I'm coming to love 10 just as much.

That phrasing does make sense. And I've always worried about that paragraph and if it dances too close to the border of purple prose, but now I feel better about it.

Thank you for your post! And it makes me feel better about making another thread - the story-specific forum wasn't around when I first posted it, and I really wanted to share 10 with Valley fans who would be open to the idea of a full text non-Sims story about Seth. Finding new readers for Valley is a pleasant bonus.

pip03 - Awww,thank you. I was feeling a bit down about writing and having a hard time getting started on the next chapter of 10, and that really helped. *hugs*

countthestars

You weren't kidding - the effects later on were incredible! I finally finished it, and just wow. Phenomenal story. So glad we get to learn Emma's fate too!

I will definitely check out Seth's story. It doesn't bother me if there are no pictures, especially if the writings good - and you've already proven you're a great writer!

MedleyMisty

countthestars wrote:

You weren't kidding - the effects later on were incredible! I finally finished it, and just wow. Phenomenal story. So glad we get to learn Emma's fate too!

I will definitely check out Seth's story. It doesn't bother me if there are no pictures, especially if the writings good - and you've already proven you're a great writer!

Yay thank you! *blushes*

I know my beta reader didn't like the ending because he was convinced that Emma had died in the fire, but I knew what happened and went ahead with what the story and my heart told me. Perhaps one day I will write the story of what happened between the fire and the ending from Emma's POV.

10 is better than Valley, really - I'm always learning and growing, as a writer and as a person.

Thank you so much!

strelitzia19

I read your story a while ago, and I loved it. The characters, the storyline, just everything about it draws you in. Really great writing style too.

MedleyMisty

strelitzia19 wrote:

I read your story a while ago, and I loved it. The characters, the storyline, just everything about it draws you in. Really great writing style too.

Thank you! Yay happiness!!! It really means a lot and helps me put things in perspective to hear that people enjoyed it.

Okay, I am officially not down on myself about writing for now. Off to start 10.08.