Blood and Petals, approximately 56,000 words, is a queer gothic fairytale set in the shadows of 1950’s America. After her best friend is sent to a maternity home where unwed mothers “surrender and forget,” Pauline follows Annie in a desperate act of love. But Annie has made her own sacrifices and the mystical entity in charge of their fates, transformed Pauline into the man she’s always wanted to become. Now, Paul must help the woman he loves remember who she is before they both disappear.
In his final bid to save Annie from her own cruel wish, Paul realizes only Annie can defeat her inner demons, and empowered by his support, Annie overwhelms the monster and delivers them both from the dream-scape of Mrs. Bespatikos’ world. Their reality permanently changes to reward them with a much-earned happy ending, though the two never forget their strange experience.
Influenced as much by unfortunately real and recent history as mythic stories, this little novel tackles the rites and rituals of feminine compliance. The horror comes not from jump scares but from how a person will erode herself for the convenience of others. But, because I am an optimist, Blood and Petals also is about resilience, recovery, healing through love, and the transformative power of the stories we tell ourselves.
An early beta reader who told me my ideal audience was ” a queer femme who reads literary horror, writes sad poetry, collects ghost stories, and has strong feelings about vintage wallpaper and girlhood betrayal.” (she happened to be all of the above).
L.J. Longo 