Edition 7 2025, July
Written by Harlan Finch – Observer of Small Mysteries I went there. Not because I thought I’d find something – but because it would have been wrong not to try. Widow Creek isn’t on any road you take by chance. It's on the edge of something. And the Lynch farm is one step farther. The house sits quietly in the countryside, as if deliberately hidden. No sign, no mailbox, no sign of life—but no sign of decay either. More like a kind of abandoned everyday life.
How I turn the story in my head into an actual book It starts with a list. Or rather: a collection of things that absolutely have to be in this book. Non-negotiable. Some have been on that list since Book one, others are new—because Space Time suddenly opened doors that hadn’t even existed before. And then there’s everything that at least needs to be prepared—for later books, trilogies, ideas. I know the first scene—the opening, the point of view, the first sentence. I know what happens in it, where it leads. I also know what’s at stake—for the characters, and for the big picture. That’s my anchor. That’s where I start telling the story.
Back when they were still on the same team St. Paul’s School, Concord. I remember this rink well – and the Raptis twins on the ice. Today, I’m standing at the edge of the rink again, this time with a notepad instead of a stick. St. Paul’s had invited guests to the U14 championship ceremony – this year’s team went undefeated through the regional season. The stands are full, the applause loud, as Abel Raptis steps onto the ice.
Excerpt from the “Nearly Complete Guide to Multiverses, Quantum Choices, and That Feeling It Could Have Gone Differently” Parallel Worlds Noun | /ˈpærəˌlɛl wɝːldz/ A state of potential simultaneity with an uncertain point of reference. They may exist. Or not. Or both.Often described as coexisting realities – in truth, more likely skewed, delayed, or overlapping. Those who perceive them are part of them. Those who don’t, possibly too.Used in quantum physics, science fiction, and whenever someone wonders if there’s a version of themselves who’s slightly less irritated.Caution: Parallel worlds may increase existential pressure.
What it feels like to let go of a universe (even though it hasn’t let go of you) The beta phase has begun. The German version went out last week, the English one just four days ago – to my wonderful beta readers.And now? Now the wait begins. Or rather: the restless circling of my inbox. Because anyone who thinks a book is finished when the last scene is written has clearly never experienced what it feels like when someone else starts reading it – with fresh eyes, their own thoughts … and maybe the realization that you, as the writer, are still too close. Because honestly – it doesn't feel finished yet. Not wrong, not incomplete – just: not finished enough.
Hollywood says: Mutants live in secret, wear tight suits, and solve their problems in slow motion. But what if that’s just the official distraction? Like aliens. Or gluten-free cookies. The Truth™ is: People with special abilities are real. They don’t fly, they don’t glow – and most of them work in seemingly ordinary jobs. Or let’s say: inconspicuous ones. If you’ve ever stood in a break room wondering how that one colleague always knows when the printer breaks – or why the finance guy says “Hi Lisa” as you enter the office, even though Lisa’s out sick and you haven’t even turned the corner yet – you may have just had contact.
There’s a sentence I say to my wife several times a day … yes, that one too, but that’s not the one I mean 😉 I mean the one that sometimes really gets on her nerves. I say, “Tell me something.” Some days, it drives her nuts. She asks what she’s supposed to tell me—there’s nothing new. Yeah, I know – or at least I know she thinks so. But that’s not what I mean either. When I say “Tell me something,” what I mean is: I want to communicate. Not about anything in particular, not to learn something … but because – well, why, actually? Why do we have the need to communicate?A need so strong that, in the absence of someone to talk to, we end up speaking to pets, trees, or our household appliances.
What remains when the spell breaks Elantris, the first book I picked up after a longer reading break, was also my first novel by Brandon Sanderson. And it captivated me quickly – with its unusual premise, something like a fall from paradise. What fascinates me most: The reason for the fall of Elantris isn’t a curse, or a sin, or divine punishment. It’s a bug. A tiny flaw in the foundation of a great system – and suddenly, gods become broken, light turns to stench, a city of hope collapses into decay.