I never intended to write anything like this here now that I’ve changed my blog up to supporting stories, but sometimes I need this to be my platform. My oldest child started Kindergarten at the end of last month. It’s been a big month of changes, from having to get up earlier to having to go to school earlier to having to eat lunch with peers instead of mom and sister to missing out on his much loved quiet time. It’s been a big adjustment for me, too. I’m used to having my babies with me almost all the time. I’m used to being the one to be there for…
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Gates to Asphodel, Chapter 13
Recap: Corey’s parents had an argument about her and were found dead the next morning. Corey then meets Detective Skylar Adams. She is later adopted by Helen and Andy. Two years later, Corey is in school and meets a friend, Terese, and the class bully, Sandra. One day, two students are found dead and Corey meets Detective Adams again. Corey starts 2nd grade, which brings her face to face with a terrifying new teacher. As you can expect, her teacher does not last long. And then neither do her adopted parents, but things look up as Corey may have found a forever family. Corey moves in with Detective Adams and his…
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Gates to Asphodel, Chapter 10
Recap: Corey’s parents had an argument about her and were found dead the next morning. Corey then meets Detective Skylar Adams. She is later adopted by Helen and Andy. Two years later, Corey is in school and meets a friend, Terese, and the class bully, Sandra. One day, two students are found dead and Corey meets Detective Adams again. Corey starts 2nd grade, which brings her face to face with a terrifying new teacher. As you can expect, her teacher does not last long. And then neither do her adopted parents, but things look up as Corey may have found a forever family. Corey moves in with Detective Adams and his…
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What You Can Do About the Stigma Around Mental Health
Note: I am not a mental health professional in practice, but psychology was the focus of my college major, I have a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology, and have worked in the mental health field. By now, the world knows designer Kate Spade committed suicide and battled depression, Dutch Queen Maxima’s sister battled mental health issues and committed suicude, and Anthony Bourdain’s death followed not long after. Many articles and blog posts have been dedicated to these tragedies and the number for the suicide hotlines have probably gone around the world. But it won’t stop suicide. It might help some, but it will never help everyone. Why? The stigma. The…
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Gates to Asphodel, Chapter 8
Recap: Corey’s parents had an argument about her and were found dead the next morning. Corey then meets Detective Skylar Adams. She is later adopted by Helen and Andy. Two years later, Corey is in school and meets a friend, Terese, and the class bully, Sandra. One day, two students are found dead and Corey meets Detective Adams again. Corey starts 2nd grade, which brings her face to face with a terrifying new teacher. As you can expect, her teacher does not last long. One and a half years later Corey huddled on her bed, arms wrapped tightly around her teddy bear, face buried in the bear’s fur. Outside, the…
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Gates to Asphodel, Chapter 1
Darkness was rapidly falling. House and porch lights flickered on, casting shadows left and right. Light posts came to life all along the quiet, tree lined street, illuminating all that lay beneath them. The light pooling in the street streamed through the windows of a little girl’s room, where the girl sat on the floor, back to the windows, playing with a handful of stuffed animals. Four-year-old Corey Fallon sat in the dark, her auburn curls falling just past her shoulders, shining in the faint light coming through her windows. Her small, pale hands toyed with the arms of a large stuffed bear while a white rabbit rested in her…
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Gates to Asphodel, Chapter Eleven
In which we hear more from Dimitra and Skyler. And if anyone knows anything about detective work, I’m all ears! Or, more accurately, eyes. It was midnight when Dimitra found her husband ensconced in the small room across from Corey’s that he liked to call his study. He had painted it a hunter green and hung burgundy curtains that were usually tied back to reveal the backyard full of the small gardens she lovingly tended. Half of the room was taken over by a mahogany desk and swivel chair. Across from the desk was a tall bookcase packed with an assortment of books, from fiction to non-fiction and a few…
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Gates to Asphodel, Chapter 8
One and a half years later Corey huddled on her bed, arms wrapped tightly around her teddy bear, face buried in the bear’s fur. Outside, the summer heat was stifling, even at night. The moon was bright as it neared the midnight hour and a gentle breeze wafted through Corey’s bedroom. It was late, but Helen was still awake, still waiting for Andy to get home, even though she knew he was likely going to yell at and hit her again. Andy had lost his job six months before and, now with their finances in chaos, he had been getting drunk almost every night since. Drinking made him violent and…
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Gates to Asphodel, Chapter 5
The phone rang just as Helen was ushering Corey out the door the following morning. Corey’s steps were lagging as she followed her mother out the door for the third day of school. She didn’t want to go. Something bad had happened. Inside, Andy answered the phone and she could hear his “hello” ring out through the house. “Hurry up, dear,” Helen said, smiling encouragingly. “Let’s not make you late today.” Hades forbid I be late, Corey thought. She immediately blinked just after she thought that, wondering just where the Hades part had come from. She was familiar with Hades; her biological mother had read a few mythological stories to…
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Gates to Asphodel, Chapter 3
“Welcome to your new home,” Andrew Marks said as he swept open the front door to Corey’s new home. Corey gave him a timid smile and followed Andrew and his wife Helen through the front door. Her small feet met soft carpeting as soon as she entered and she looked around at soft blue walls. There were vases of pussy willow in the front hall, flanking a long dark brown table filled with pictures and a basket of keys. Three months after her parents’ untimely deaths, Andrew and Helen Marks had come to adopt her. She had been curious about the blond woman and dark haired man. They had apparently…
