By Sara Coppler
She sees a pregnant woman. She thinks, How nice for her and her family! But she also thinks, What if her fetus starts talking to her in German and she realizes he is the reincarnation of a genocidal tyrant who plans to meet up with his cadre of reborn followers to control the world?
What kind of brain thinks like that?
Frances Hogg
Meet the brain of Frances A. Hogg, author of the Poisonous Morsels series of disturbing stories.
“I invent stories about things that interest me (archeological discoveries, circus freaks, taxidermy, exotic foreign places, etc.) or have some connection to my childhood. I grew up in a reportedly haunted house where 75 years before, the homeowner had hung himself in the stairwell. My father was a museum curator and our house was filled with weird stuff. My aunt once complained to another family member that spending the night in our Victorian home was like staying with the Addams family. When a boyfriend admitted that he always wanted to own a human skull, I gave him one. I had three to choose from.
“To me, it’s natural to look at a situation and try to build a story plot around it. It’s the simple mechanics of storytelling. You develop an interesting character, put him or her in an uncomfortable situation, and then figure out how they can get out of it or adjust to it. There is the boring way—the woman gives birth to a beloved child—or the other way. The other way is more interesting and more disturbing. I usually choose the disturbing path.
“Some of my stories are true horror stories. Some of them have been compared to The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits. There is a twist at the end. I hope that people who like my stories will buy my books for friends and family. If you have a short attention span, these short stories are for you!”
On Monday, October 29, Franny will launch the first two books, “Miss Webster’s Little Arm” and “Fingers”, in her Poisonous Morsels series. Each volume contains twenty-five illustrated stories. Paperback copies and e-books can be purchased through Amazon, or may be ordered in advance at a special price of $12 each, or both volumes for $20.
The books will be available for pick up between 4 to 6 p.m. at the launch party at the Astoria Grill on the northeast corner of Presidente Borrero and Presidente Córdova.
