Back to the author commentary on Pathways in the Dark. A final look at the Blackmail story in the collection so SPOILER WARNING is in effect!

The use of flashbacks…

There weren’t many options in this regard. The goal of the story was to add a layer to Myers’ character that had yet to be seen with The Medusa Coin.

From my starting point, I knew that the critical aspect of her story was her past. In order to use that to its full effect I needed to dive into the past and bring it to the forefront of the narrative.

Thus, the flashbacks worked their way into the story.

If Kenneth Myers is the center of her current conflict, why should the reader care about him? Why does Myers?

These are questions I wanted to answer, or allude to, in order to flesh out this character that has become so integral to the overall narrative of Greystone.

Flashbacks as a crutch.

They can be. I see this as the case sometimes. An easy way to deliver information to the reader. Which is why I worked at not giving away the entire story for Blackmail until the climax.

You meet Kenneth Myers. The flashbacks allow you to learn about his relationship with his daughter and how Sam idolizes him. You see his death but you don’t learn the truth in the flashback.

You learn it through the present day narrative, through actions that drive the character to relive certain moments for a specific reason.

Does it work? Is it a cheat? That’s for you to decide and I’d love to hear.

Backstory building.

Every action taken by Myers can be seen through a single lens. The blackmail against her.

It’s not mentioned at all in The Medusa Coin. It is not even hinted at, but if you go back and read the book over again you can see it there in the background. The choices she makes. Why she calls Loren even though she’s been told not to over and over again.

Every strange coincidence, every decision made, is built on from this backstory that comes to light in Blackmail.

Why reveal it now? Why reveal it this way instead of having it come to light through a present day action?

I want to tell you, I do. I want to be simple and easy to explain. There was a moment where this story wasn’t going in the collection. I think it gives away a lot of the mystery of Samantha Myers, the drama of her building relationship with Loren.

After writing Founder’s Day and figuring out the main plot of A Circle of Shadows, it was an easy decision to make. You have to know now. There’s no other time to discuss her motivations and no way to make sense of what happens next without this understanding. It simply fit perfectly here in order to reach the next step of where the story goes.

Which was the point of Pathways in the Dark in the first place.

Funny how that works out sometimes, isn’t it?