June 8, 2023 by Tori L. Ridgewood

When your draft post is lost…

You make the best of it with lots of pet pictures!

I was developing a lovely character appreciation post on my FB author page, when…

Since you can never have too many cat pictures, here are more photos of Sylvie for your enjoyment:

Cheers! Fictional kitty appreciation posts begin tomorrow!!

June 7, 2023 by Tori L. Ridgewood

How do you choose a favourite?

Do you remember your favorite book from childhood?

It’s so difficult, settling on just one. I think I could safely say that, for a while, before I was 8 years old, my favourite book was Little House on the Prairie, because I have the clearest memory of it. But I also really loved the Richard Scarry books, and a number of Doctor Seuss and Little Golden Books — The Pokey Little Puppy stands out to me, as well as a picture book that focused on how people lived in different kinds of houses all over the world. And at some point my paternal grandmother had given me a thick collection of fairy and folk tales that I adored. I still have it.

When I was 8 or 9, my mother introduced me to Robin McKinley’s work with the amazing fantasy, The Blue Sword. I recall her sitting down with my brother and myself to read it aloud to both of us, and after she finished the first chapter or so, I took the book along and read the rest of it myself.

I have always thought, if I could make a movie, it would be a faithful adaptation of The Blue Sword.

How old was I when I first read The Secret Garden? Anne of Green Gables? A Little Princess, or Black Beauty? It seems like I had always known them, but it had to be around ages 10 to 12, at the latest. I deeply enjoyed Calico Captive, and when I was 12, I discovered steamy romances by stumbling on a copy of a historical novel based on the life of Hatshepsut, the woman pharaoh of ancient Egypt. Oh, and The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper — I recently found a nearly-pristine copy of the Scholastic editions of those books, which is extremely satisfying.

Remember the Choose Your Own Adventure books? I liked those, but I only had so many fingers to mark the places in the journey so that if I didn’t like the conclusion, I could go back and choose differently.

It’s so hard to choose favourites… to me, perhaps because I am (possibly maybe probably) on the autism spectrum, narrowing down a favourite is wholly dependent on a variety of factors at a certain time and place. If I am feeling nostalgic for the image of perceived “simpler times”, I may say that Little House or Green Gables are my favourite, and I often do. But when I consider my entry points into fantasy, I have to go back and weigh McKinley vs Cooper. Oh, and that dovetails with science fiction: I discovered Robert Heinlein the summer I was 12 and spent a week with my maternal grandparents at their retirement village. His style then makes me think of Arthur Conan Doyle — was I eleven years old when I “borrowed” my brother’s brand-new copy of The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes and read it cover to cover?

It could be more appropriate to say I had a favourite genre, as a child: history seemed to be the overwhelming preference, sometimes mixed with fantasy or science fiction. I wasn’t aware yet of steam-punk, but I was beginning to collect satires (hello Mad Magazine!) and horror comics (mmmm Cryptkeeper, my old friend).

No, for me, a favourite is not something permanent. It ebbs and wanes on the tides of interest. Certain childhood books still have the capacity to move me to tears, while others I no longer have the patience or innocence to devour. A few I have made sure to share with my own children, while they were children. And we developed favourites together, but even those rose and fell over time.

I feel like asking about a favourite can be somewhat limiting, in fact. It can be the start of an illuminating conversation, of course. Or an annoying one, if it’s someone like me who cannot quite settle. Ask me about a specific moment in time, when I wanted to feel a certain way or learn something specific, and I will definitely pinpoint a favourite for that blip in my life.

But for now, no favourites. Only a bouquet of beloveds, each appreciated for their own merits, one at a time.

January 14, 2022 by Tori L. Ridgewood

Staring at the saddle . . .

. . . warming up the pen

(or keyboard, actually…)

Dear blog, I didn’t forget about you.

Lovely readers, I didn’t forget about you, either.

But I did procrastinate. Spent a lot of time on parenting and passion projects — moved my family into a new house in winter 2018, completed a Professional Master of Education graduate degree in spring of that 2019, and until spring of 2020, I dedicated a lot of off-hours as a volunteer focused on refurbishing and re-opening the LaSalle Theatre. Throughout all of this, I was also battling personal challenges: generalized anxiety and a major depressive disorder that have plagued me since adolescence.

Some days, periods, years have been better. I joked about going into an existential professional crisis about my career as an educator after earning the PME. However, after noting the start of physical symptoms in late summer 2019, and having to go on medical leave in June 2020 — which turned into a long-term disability leave in February 2021 — and having done months and months of therapy, rest, daily walks in the spring and summer (it’s been too cold and difficult to walk on the snowy streets for me to get outside daily in the winter), medical appointments, rest, CBT, changes in my medication, and more rest, I am able to articulate the thought I’d always had about keeping busy and involved as a means of avoiding a confrontation with my mental illness / invisible disability and its accompanying chronic fatigue. If I kept busy with my passion projects, and active at work, it helped to keep the dark clouds at bay and made being tired all the time something of a logical byproduct. Sometimes. But the longer I avoided dealing with the problem, the more my resilience wore down. I now have a much better understanding of Bilbo’s metaphor of feeling thin, spread over too much.

Did the pandemic push me into my breakdown? Or was it always coming? Sometimes I think it was overdue, and I’d put it off months or even years after it should have started.

With all of this in mind, writing fresh fiction has not happened for me since 2017. And I really miss it. Plus between the day job, the volunteer work, and then being ill, I’ve lost the thread or beat of regularly promoting my published works. It’s time for that to change.

I’m not back in the saddle — not yet — but it’s in front of me. A bit battered, but not without some polish.

Oh, and my household now includes a cat. A third bearded dragon. Did I mention the second snake? And we are fostering a turtle for a friend who had a house fire. Plus we also have two guinea pigs.

I am moving forward. Expect to see some short reads this year, as my energy allows (at some point I’ll talk about how understanding spoon theory has helped me) and some brand refreshing (is that the right term?) for the Talbot Trilogy, my debut novel series. Best wishes and warmest regards as we journey further into 2022!

And please enjoy these pictures of the majority of our (my) menagerie! I have not included the snakes, out of consideration for those who are less comfortable with slithering creatures.

This is Trixie (on the hearth) and Sylvie.

January 21, 2013 by Tori L. Ridgewood

I’m Tori! Hi!

Welcome to my blog! Thanks for coming, I do appreciate it. Grab a comfy chair, help yourself to a nice up of tea or a diet pop. I probably have something else in the fridge…

I first wrote this introduction in 2013 — it’s nearly the end of March, 2023, so high time for an update:

Tori L. Ridgewood is my pen name. I am one of many, many writers beginning to make my way in the literary community. I always wanted to be a published author, from a very young age. Currently, in my late-thirties, I’m happy to say that my dream is starting to happen! As a full-time teacher, a mother of two, and a spouse, it’s not always possible for me to write when I want to, but I keep trying.

Now I’m in my mid-forties, and I’m still making my way in the literary community. But I am a published author, of multiple books! And getting published is always such a great feeling — I have so many stories still in me, waiting to be told. As of last month, I am no longer a full-time teacher; one of my offspring is in third year of university, while the other is in high school; my spouse continues to love and support me, and I am working toward writing those stories again. And … I am developing an editing and proofreading service that can allow me to earn an income from home, to accommodate some personal challenges that have come up over the last few years.

Here’s my bio:

After her first heartbreak, Tori found solace in two things: reading romance novels and listening to an after-dark radio program called Lovers and Other Strangers. Throughout the summer and fall of 1990, the new kid in town found reading fiction and writing her own short stories gave her a much needed creative outlet. Determined to become a published author, Tori amassed stacks of notebooks and boxes of filed-away stories, most only half-finished before another idea would overtake her and demand to be written down. Then, while on parental leave with her second baby, one story formed and refused to be packed away. Between teaching full-time, parenting, and life in general, it would take almost seven years before the first novel in her first trilogy would be completed. In the process, Tori finally found her stride as a writer.

At present, on her off-time, Tori not only enjoys reading, but also listening to an eclectic mix of music as she walks the family dog (Skittles), attempts to turn her thumb green, or makes needlework gifts for her friends and family members. She loves to travel, collect and make miniature furniture, and a good cup of tea during a thunderstorm or a blizzard. Under it all, she is always intrigued by history, the supernatural, vampire and shapeshifter mythology, romance, and other dangers.
-2011

Ah, Skittles. We do miss her. She crossed the Rainbow Bridge a few years ago. A few months later, we brought a wee pup who needed a family — a lovely chihuahua-papillon named Trixie — into our home.

On to the writing!

My list of published works is as follows:

Novella: “Mist and Midnight” (now available as a separate print!)

Stalked by a cruel and relentless vampire, Charlotte is on the run. Fleeing the city, the powers of magick her only protection, she couldn’t afford to fall for the hot modern prospector Pike Mahonen. Can she avoid temptation in a small town, to keep them both safe?

Originally published by Melange Books, 2011. Out of print.

Short Story: “Telltale Signs”

Don’t stay in the Dark Lake Museum after sunset! But Kate Elliot has a deadline to meet. Working overtime, she realizes she’s not alone in the creepy old mansion…

Originally published by Melange Books, 2011. Out of print.

Short Story: “A Living Specimen”

In the clandestine world of paranormal investigators and vampire hunters, the undead are the prey, and it’s the job of volunteers like Trisha to find and exterminate them. But a living specimen is what’s most needed—and most difficult to obtain—in the unending battle between humans and the supernatural. Respected by her peers, and looking forward to a bright future as a vampire hunter, Trisha must use all of her skills to survive on the day her prey finally finds her…in a way no one could have predicted.

Originally published by Melange Books, 2012. Out of print.

Flash Fictions: “Brain Games” and “Bio-Zombie”

A Quick Bite of Flesh is an outstanding collection of 54 bite-sized tales of zombie goodness. Stories of terror, sadness, adventure, revenge and betrayal. Whether you like your zombie stories terrifying, humorous, or bizarre, you will find plenty to love in this collection.

Published by Hazardous Press, 2012.

Available from: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Barnes and Noble

Short Story: “Thy Will Be Done”

A reimagining of the Salem Witch Trials, from the perspective of a judge visited by a vengeful goddess.

Originally published in Dark Eclipse — Dark Moon Digest e-Monthly, horror magazine issue no. 16, 2012.

Short Story: “Tabitha’s Solution”

Tabitha has had the perfect pregnancy. She wants a perfect birth: all natural, with midwives, in the hospital (just in case). Her supportive husband Alex is by her side. So why does everything else have to go wrong?

Originally published by Melange Books, 2013. Out of print.

Short Story: “My dearest Father Christmas”

ALL PROCEEDS GENERATED BY THIS PROJECT WILL BE DONATED QUARTERLY TO AREA FOOD BANKS. (The hunger does not end after the holidays…many of these organizations struggle during the “off” seasons.)

Most of us have written letters to Santa. However, what would Jason Voorhees, a vampire, a zombie, or Medusa ask for? The call went out, and as usual, the horror community stepped forward with some fun, entertaining, tongue-in-cheek letters to the fat man up north. Share some of these with your little goblins and keep the spirit of giving alive year round.

Published by MayDecember Publications, 2012.

Available from: May December Publications, Amazon.com

Rayvin Woods, photographer and natural witch. She just wanted to start her life over again after a series of misadventures. She didn’t count on rekindling a lost love when she came home to Talbot…or battling a malevolent vampire and his coven for her life.

Grant Michaels, police officer. He thought Rayvin was a murderer. He will do whatever it takes to protect the community he loves from danger…but will he learn to trust his heart, and the word of a witch, before it’s too late?

Malcolm de Sade, cunning vampire, imprisoned underground for a year by Charlotte Fanning and Pike Mahonen (“Mist and Midnight”, Midnight Thirsts). His accidental release unleashes his hunger and ambition on a small, sleepy town…

Published by Melange Books, 2013.

Available from: Melange Books, Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Kobo

Originally published in Midnight Thirsts, 2011.

Republished as a novella by Melange Books, 2014.

Available from: Melange Books, Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Kobo, Barnes and Noble

What chance does one witch have against five vampires? Alone, not much. But Rayvin’s allies are gathering… The battle between good and evil supernatural forces heats up in the long, cold November nights of the former mining town. But how will Rayvin’s motley crew of spellcasters and shapeshifters cope when they discover the threat they face is even greater than they imagined?

Published by Melange Books, 2014.

Available from: Melange Books, Amazon.com, Amazon.ca

Lovers reunite, and are torn apart. Bloodthirsty fiends battle for control of an army of the undead. With the community of Talbot frozen under layers of ice and snow, the domination of the vampire coven seems certain, but in the eye of the storm, the witches and the vampire hunters search desperately for the means to bring an end to the violence that threatens to take over more than one small, sleepy town. Will Rayvin and Charlotte be able to work together, combining their skills in magick, to prevent the loss of more innocent lives?

Published by Melange Books, 2015.

Available from: Melange Books, Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Kobo, Barnes and Noble

Ethan thought he was going for an easy snowmobile ride to Quebec and home again, but looking back from his hospital bed, the only thing easy to see were the mistakes he’d made along the way. Told by a social worker to record everything that happened to him in the frozen bush of Northeastern Ontario, Ethan faces the consequences of each choice he made to stay alive and get home. But is he telling the truth? Rip Gone Wrong is a short adventure/suspense for reluctant readers about survival in late winter in Northeastern Ontario. Some adult language and extreme situations are depicted.

Published by Tori L. Ridgewood, 2017.

Available from Lulu.com, Amazon.com, Amazon.ca

Turn the locks and hit the basement light switch. Check under your bed, and close the closet door. Do you feel reassured? Safe?

So does the she-wolf in her den. So does the confident scientist in the lab. So does the loving mother snuggling with her child, and the professional setting off on a spring vacation. The child who knows his neighbourhood trails, the lover excited by his partner’s adventurousness, and the widow trusting an artist to help relieve her grief . . . all feel secure in their stories.

After all, in any situation, who can accurately predict the worst that could really happen?

In this collection of twelve fantastical, speculative, sexy, dark short stories, the worst is the opposite of what you’d expect. But don’t worry, these stories are fiction. Any resemblance you may see to someone real, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Ignore those shadows moving in the corner, too. In fact, maybe it’s better to leave the lights on . . .

Published by Tori L. Ridgewood, 2019.

Available from Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, and Lulu.com

Kate Elliot was warned not to stay alone in the Dark Lake North Museum after sunset. But she had a deadline to meet, and she knew ghosts weren’t real. So who — or what — is she encountering when the lights go out?

Kate’s Encounter is the exciting, chilling opening chapter in The Dark Lake Chronicles, a modern ghost story / urban fantasy / paranormal romance connecting to the steamy, highly praised Talbot Trilogy.

Published by Tori L. Ridgewood, 2022 (revised from original short story in Spellbound 2011, Melange Books, 2011).

Available from Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, and Lulu.com