Waaaaaaaay back when, back in 1968, before some of you Sweet Little Baby Angels were even born, I began a book.

Back then, Gothic Romances were very popular (are they still?). They featured an innocent young woman in a beautiful old house filled with people who might or might not be what they seemed. The young woman was always trying to learn more about the people and place, and got herself into trouble that way.

I decided to write a book about an innocent young man in the same position who wanted everybody to stop telling him their secrets because he just did not want to know. It was going to be a parody, and had a sinister Gayle Sondergaard type.

As I wrote, though, I got interested in the characters and they stopped being parodies and turned into people. The sinister Gayle Sondergaard type split into Mary and Ava.

Yes, that book was A DEAD GUY AT THE SUMMERHOUSE. It’s set in 1968 because I began writing it in 1968, and researching the period was easier (not to mention more fun) than updating it.

ANYWAY, the cover of A DEAD GUY AT THE SUMMERHOUSE is in competition in The Masquerade Crew’s Cover Wars this month (September 2015). You can vote every day, and I surely would ‘ppreciate it if you’d vote for it. The original art was done by Sara Marian and the cover design is by the multi-talented T. Lee Harris.Thank yuh. Thank yuh ver’ muuuch.

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: Your main character is in a competition.

MA