I Love Horror Novellas Blog Hop Day 1

Fading Beauty

Someone once shared a quote with me, and unfortunately I cannot find the direct source, but the simple yet astute passage went as follows: “Vanity is for the youth.”  Until one begins to notice the fine lines becoming not so fine, the figure transforming from its tight, muscular form into something not so tight and muscular, and the outcropping of wiry gray hair replacing the sleek, colorful locks, one cannot fully appreciate the sentiment.

I interviewed a fellow author who supplements her income by working at a cosmetics counter at her local Macy’s, asking her to tell me a little about her experience with customers desperate to erase the years from their aging faces.  This is what she had to say:

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   The cosmetics industry exists solely to make women feel bad about who they are and what physical cards they were dealt, and then sell them the “cure.” These companies basically break your leg and then sell you a crutch. My line, which markets itself as an all natural skin care and makeup line, has tag lines such as, “Life puts wrinkles in. Nature takes them out.” 

      What I've learned is that there is a lot of money to be made in capitalizing on women's insecurities. It makes me feel bad, because there will be these older women who come to my counter expecting a miracle, and they'll walk away with two hundred dollars worth of beauty supplies and a head full of hope. These women have usually tried “everything else,” from Chanel and Dior to the drugstore brands, and are hoping that the “natural” brand will be the alternative they're looking for….  It's super sad. 

When I think about my own humbling vanity, I’m drawn to a particular horror film based on the old Snow White Grimm fairy tale titled Snow White: A Tale of Terror.  In the film, similar to other stories based on the story, the evil stepmother is haunted by her own fading beauty and feels the need to preserve her own standing as “fairest in the land” by doing away with the young and breathtakingly beautiful Snow White (named Lilly in this adaptation).  The consequences are terrifying, especially in this version.  For those who have not seen the film, here is the trailer:

This concept of fading beauty, and the irrational fears society has instilled in me personally as I find myself around the corner from forty, were the basis behind Carrie’s character in my novella, The Hidden Valley: Carrie’s Story.  Carrie is the forty-something mother of teenage twins, one of whom is a lovely young woman who is far too broken to appreciate her youthful body.  Carrie finds herself possessed by a creature that inhabits the town she and her family recently moved to, and—much like the Evil Stepmother in Snow White—interacts with the dark entity via a mirror.  While Carrie becomes a hapless bystander in her own life, it takes losing all control to the creature for her to be able to appreciate what she had … and that beauty truly is only skin-deep.

About The Hidden Valley:

Deep in a hidden valley, there is a ghost town that has experienced a miraculous rebound.  It is separated from the rest of the world by a mountain pass, but it's found a dark and deadly lifeline….  Carrie and her husband Grant are moving wayward teenage twins John and Jane across the country for a fresh start.  South Bend seems like the perfect place for it.  Maybe just a little too perfect.  When they become aware of the trap that has been set for them, will it already be too late for any of them to escape?

In addition to being a ghost story, The Hidden Valley is an experiment in structure.  The reader will find that nearly every chapter is, in itself, a work of flash fiction.  Each main character’s story may be read individually for a surprisingly different effect.  Read The Hidden Valley by character; read The Whole Story in Kindle or paperback (coming soon); or read the weekly flash fiction serial here at The Cerebral Writer.

This post is part of the week-long Horror Novella Blog-Hop, hosted by Precious Monsters.  Make sure to check out the other participating blogs:

Precious Monsters
Independent Paranormal
Vanessa Morgan (horror author/filmmaker)
Paul Stansfield
Bob @ Beauty in Ruins
E. A. Black
Vala Kayes "Other World"
Paul Stansfield
Lindsays Scribblings
Zach Sweet's Blog

Thanks for stopping by!  Check back in tomorrow for more on The Hidden Valley: Carrie's Story.