So as of... like, now... I've got a new short story out. It's in 18th Wall's Sockhops & Seances, which is a collection of 1950s-era paranormal stories. Mine, "Son of the Wolf," kicks things off.

I've sent in a mini-interview for 18th Wall's blog concerning the story itself, the inspiration at large, etc. So I'm going to leave that to their site when it comes out. For now, I do want to spend a little more time talking about the real-world pair of coasters that inspired the general concept of the story, although in the modern day rather than in the 50s: the Big Bad Wolf and Verbolten.

Leaving as much as possible to the publisher interview (and, you know, the actual story), things kick off with a long-standing roller coaster being torn down and replaced with something new. In the story it's for the sake of getting the jump on the new trend of steel over wood; for the real-world counterparts, it was mostly decreased ridership and the need for something new.

I can't remember how old I was when I first rode the Big Bad Wolf. It opened in 1984, when I was three years old, so it had existed since before I was tall enough to ride. I do know I went on it at a relatively young age, prior to developing a phobia of coasters (which I later got very much over). Honestly, it was pretty tame. Not wimpy, but one just about anyone could do. Rather than being on top of the track, the cars hung off it and were sort of boat-like. So you were securely in place on all sides. There were no loops, and its top speed was about 45 mph. Fun, but not necessarily the "speed of fright" it was advertised as when you stood in like.

The Big Bad Wolf operated for a good 25 years before it closed down in 2009. I went on it each time I went to the park to ride coasters, because I went on them all. And the line was short. And it was a good start-up or wind-down. It got a little bumpy over time because that happens; it got less fun towards the end, since my head would knock against the overhead harness and my ears hurt for the rest of the day. But all things considered, it was a favorite. Just, I guess, a favorite people liked to know was there rather than actually take advantage of.

I think there were petitions to save it in 2009 when it was announced to be closing. They did basically no good. Verbolten came next... and frankly, I'm not mad.

No offense to lovers of the Big Bad Wolf, but Verbolten was worth it. It opened in 2012, right at the height of the "twisted fairy tale" trend that brought us Grimm and Once Upon a Time. And that was the theming. And I love theming.

The line to the ride runs you through what's ostensibly a motor tour agency in Germany. But as you get closer and closer to the ride itself, the forest begins to take it over. Whatever is in the forest, it's malevolent, and it probably wants to eat you and your car.

The car-shaped... uh... cars... are launched around the track, eventually taking you into a dark building where you'll discover that the horror within the forest is one of three things (randomly circulated through each ride). There's a lightning storm, an enchanting forest spirit who lures you into her grasp, and a wolf... the Big Bad Wolf, to be specific.

Once you drop out of the show building, Verbolten rockets you along the final part of the track, which traces the same path as the coaster's predecessor. Just. You know. A lot faster.

Here's a POV video for the curious, with the forest spirit storyline in the show building:

Those who read "Son of the Wolf" will probably see where a good portion of the inspiration came from with all this in mind. It was a fun story for a lot of reasons, but in particular I loved getting to pay tribute to a pair of rides I really enjoyed and to finally play with the idea their stories gave me.

You can pick up a copy from 18th Wall. I'd love to know what you think. There's stories by ten other great authors in there, too!