Photographs
by James Garcia Jr
Date of Publication: March 3rd 2020
Publisher: James Garcia Jr
Cover Artist: Maria Zannini
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Tagline: One night, two exceptional women meet; one black, one white. Both carry broken hearts and one has been dead sixty years.
BLURB
One night, two exceptional women meet; one black, one white. Both carry broken hearts and one has been dead for sixty years.
In 1956, film actress Allison Belle abandoned the glamour of Hollywood for Fresno, California, and an idyllic new life.
In 1959, she disappeared altogether.
Sixty years later, real estate agent Joanna Johnson steps unsuspectingly into the old Belle house and a story long forgotten.
A devastating personal event opens a hidden door into the actress’s world. The mystery behind what broke Allison’s heart and what ultimately happened to her is revealed slowly by a series of long lost photographs the agent uncovers; the relationship she builds with the actress’s ninety year old husband; and through a series of “dreams” she has where she relives the moments captured by each photograph - herself a participant in them.
The closer Joanna gets to the truth, the closer she gets to suffering the same fate.
Excerpt:
“In these daydreams and dreams that I have glimpsed, I have seen the best of a woman who was so pleased to have left her past life.” She held out her hands and motioned around her. “She loved this place and everything about it. I have seen her happier doing yardwork than she appears in any red-carpet premiere photo on the Internet, and I’ve seen many of those. I have heard her laugh and shared sweet moments with her.”
“So, what happened to her?” John asked.
Joanna grew silent. “I wish I knew.” She sighed and thought it over. “I believe her last moments were spent in isolation. Richard appears in fewer and fewer of the memories toward the end. I’m not sure why. He’s in Hollywood now, so perhaps the pull of that life tugged him back. One of the last moments I spent with her, for lack of a better explanation, she was sitting by this window.” Joanna turned and pointed behind her.
“What was she doing?” John asked.
Joanna stared at the spot. “Nothing. Well, drinking. Drinking pretty heavily, actually. In the end, I think it was all she had.” She turned back around, and her gaze settled on the pool. She lifted a hand to her face.
“What is it?” Shelly asked.
“The first night I stayed here, I found an old bottle of Scotch in a cabinet that would not open to me. When it finally did, that’s when I found the first photo. It was her booze. I had entirely too much of it and ended up in the pool.”
“Why?” Shelly asked.
“I think I was trying to kill myself.”
“Oh, my God,” Shelly said. “Because of your engagement?”
Joanna shook her head. “No. I think it was Ally. I saw an outline of somebody standing on the ledge of the pool. When I came up for air, she was gone. But she had been there. I really don’t understand it myself.” Both faces were glued to hers. “I found the previous renter.”
“The zoo guy?” John asked.
“Director Eggars,” Shelly added.
Joanna nodded. She looked into Shelly’s eyes. “He really didn’t want to talk to me once I told him about the house. Know what he said to me?”
Shelly shook her head.
“He said, ‘Please don’t tell me you ended up in that pool.’” Joanna looked from one to the other and back at the pool. “His wife ended up in the pool, too. I get the feeling it had happened more than once. That last time, he got her and their kids out of here and never came back.”
“Is the pool haunted?” John asked, turning around to face it.
“I don’t think it’s the pool,” Joanna answered. “But I wonder if Ally tried to kill herself and every woman who stays here feels the same compulsion. Perhaps that’s what she was staring at when I sat with her. Maybe she was preparing herself…” She grew silent while she contemplated this.
“Maybe she didn’t try,” John said. “I know it sounds creepy, but maybe she succeeded.”
“John!” Shelly recoiled.
“I told you it was creepy,” he defended himself.
“It would explain much,” Joanna said. “Except what happened to the body.”
Author Info
James Garcia Jr. was born in Hanford, California. He moved up the road to Kingsburg with his family as a child. After graduating KHS, he attended Reedley College where he met his wife. The family still makes its home in Kingsburg which is typically the setting of his fiction.
He was the 1994 winner of the Writers International Network/Writers Inter-Age Network writing contest in the horror category. He is the author of the Dance on Fire edgy vampire series and the stand-alone paranormal, Seeing Ghosts.
During the day, he is a manager at Sun-Maid Growers of California.
How would you describe your style of writing to someone that has never read your work?
A) I would say edgy or crossover paranormal fiction. My first novel was about vampires. I never meant it to be, but that’s what happened. I was as surprised as anyone when that fanged character stepped out of the shadows and into my crime thriller. *laughs* In any event, even back then in the 90’s, when I started it, I thought we needed another vampire story like a hole in the head. With that in mind, I had to find a way to breathe new life into the genre, so I ultimately went with a Christian twist. It is most definitely not Christian fiction, but the reader will follow the character’s journey as he discovers whether he can be used by God for good. Most of my fiction is like that.
Do you feel that writing is an ingrained process or just something that flows naturally for you?
A) It really just flows out of me. I try my best not to question how it works. Since I work a ten-hour day job, I really don’t start a project until I can picture the entire thing. I feel like a cook in the kitchen with several pots simmering. Once I decide which one smells the most enticing, I focus on that one. I let it simmer in my mind. Only then do I begin outlining. It is very general, providing just enough detail so I see the movie in my head. I try not to overdo outlining, so that I leave enough room for surprises. That first draft usually comes very quickly after that.
Do you have a character that you have been working on for a long time that still isn't quite ready, but fills you with excitement to work on the story?
A) Actually, that is a fantastic question. My new novel Photographs contains a character I first discovered 30+ year ago. She was in a horrible little horror novella that I wrote which shall never see the light of day. You’re welcome! *laughs* In any event, she needed rescuing, so I have finally done so, and I couldn’t be happier.
Do you have a character that you have been working on that you can't wait to put to paper?
A) I need to get back to my vampires as soon as I can. I need to work on book 4 in my Dance on Fire series. The first one took place entirely in my small hometown here in central California. The second, grew from there. The third, Oregon and most of California. This fourth one will go world-wide.
Can you share your next creative project(s)? If yes, can you give a few details?
A) Sometime this summer I will begin the second draft of my next novel. I have a troubled young woman in high school who accidentally loses the scales from her eyes, allowing her to see angels and demons. I intend it to be an argument that troubled people who hear voices are not ill but are being terrorized by what we cannot see. This girl will discover this and either use it to her advantage or buckle under its weight. I want to be very careful with this one because too many have lost loved ones and I don’t want to make light of it. I want to be respectful and hopeful.
Where would you spend one full year, if you could go ANYWhere, money is not a concern? What would you do with this time?
A) Now you’re talking! Actually, my wife and I have just started traveling. In 2017, we visited Italy. Last summer we were in Scotland and Ireland. This year we will visit Germany and Prague. To answer your question, I think we would go back to Italy. The food, the history, the beauty. Such a fantastic place!
The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with James Garcia Jr. . . .
How would you describe your style of writing to someone that has never read your work?
A) I would say edgy or crossover paranormal fiction. My first novel was about vampires. I never meant it to be, but that’s what happened. I was as surprised as anyone when that fanged character stepped out of the shadows and into my crime thriller. *laughs* In any event, even back then in the 90’s, when I started it, I thought we needed another vampire story like a hole in the head. With that in mind, I had to find a way to breathe new life into the genre, so I ultimately went with a Christian twist. It is most definitely not Christian fiction, but the reader will follow the character’s journey as he discovers whether he can be used by God for good. Most of my fiction is like that.
Do you feel that writing is an ingrained process or just something that flows naturally for you?
A) It really just flows out of me. I try my best not to question how it works. Since I work a ten-hour day job, I really don’t start a project until I can picture the entire thing. I feel like a cook in the kitchen with several pots simmering. Once I decide which one smells the most enticing, I focus on that one. I let it simmer in my mind. Only then do I begin outlining. It is very general, providing just enough detail so I see the movie in my head. I try not to overdo outlining, so that I leave enough room for surprises. That first draft usually comes very quickly after that.
Do you have a character that you have been working on for a long time that still isn't quite ready, but fills you with excitement to work on the story?
A) Actually, that is a fantastic question. My new novel Photographs contains a character I first discovered 30+ year ago. She was in a horrible little horror novella that I wrote which shall never see the light of day. You’re welcome! *laughs* In any event, she needed rescuing, so I have finally done so, and I couldn’t be happier.
Do you have a character that you have been working on that you can't wait to put to paper?
A) I need to get back to my vampires as soon as I can. I need to work on book 4 in my Dance on Fire series. The first one took place entirely in my small hometown here in central California. The second, grew from there. The third, Oregon and most of California. This fourth one will go world-wide.
Can you share your next creative project(s)? If yes, can you give a few details?
A) Sometime this summer I will begin the second draft of my next novel. I have a troubled young woman in high school who accidentally loses the scales from her eyes, allowing her to see angels and demons. I intend it to be an argument that troubled people who hear voices are not ill but are being terrorized by what we cannot see. This girl will discover this and either use it to her advantage or buckle under its weight. I want to be very careful with this one because too many have lost loved ones and I don’t want to make light of it. I want to be respectful and hopeful.
Where would you spend one full year, if you could go ANYWhere, money is not a concern? What would you do with this time?
A) Now you’re talking! Actually, my wife and I have just started traveling. In 2017, we visited Italy. Last summer we were in Scotland and Ireland. This year we will visit Germany and Prague. To answer your question, I think we would go back to Italy. The food, the history, the beauty. Such a fantastic place!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/danceauthor
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Website: https://jamesgarciajr.jimdofree.com/
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