Author Lori Titus Explores Southern Horror in Green Water Lullaby

Although she's best known for her web serial, The Marradith Ryder Series, author Lori Titus is far from a one-hit wonder. In addition to her ongoing web series and her editing jobs for Flashes In The Dark and Sonar4 e-zine, Lori also has a brand new e-book titled Green Water Lullaby. I recently go the chance to chat with Lori about her new project and her answers provide a tantalizing glimpse of what Green Water Lullaby is all about.

What inspired you to write the stories in Green Water Lullaby?

Green Water Lullaby was a project that happened almost by accident. I needed a little break from one of my other projects, and decided to write a short story a month. The first story set up the town of Chrysalis, and from there, the rest started to flow.

All the stories in Green Water Lullaby are set in the fictional town of Chrysalis, South Carolina. What is it about Chrysalis that sets it apart from other small towns in the south?

Chrysalis is a sort of place where all kind of things go wrong. What I like about it is that it seems very normal on the surface.

I chose South Carolina as the backdrop because I don't see much written about it in terms of horror, but the scenery makes an interesting setting. There are patches of forest cutting through residential neighborhoods, and unpaved roads in the city.

I love the title Green Water Lullaby. Can you tell us what inspired it?

One of my vivid memories of South Carolina was a lake my stepfather used to fish in. I remember going out with him and seeing how the water looked green, reflecting back the images of the trees. Sometimes, the sky would turn an odd shade of yellow green, when storms were coming. I'd never seen that before and the image stuck with me.

Green Water didn't seem enough for a title. So I added the word lullaby. The stories were like scary bedtime stories, and that seemed to fit the mood I was looking for.

What about the characters in the stories? Are they victims of where they live or do they have some sort of historical connection to the town itself?

I like to think of the characters as people who just happen to live there. But very few of them are newcomers- mostly they come from families that have lived there for generations. The fact that Chrysalis is a place where odd things happen is a sort of open secret. You just go about your business and hope that you won't fall prey to something bad.

Are you planning more e-books set in Chrysalis?

I am planning to write a book about the characters from Brotherhood, which was the first story that I wrote for the collection.

Of all the stories in Green Water Lullaby, which is your favorite and why?

The title story is my favorite. I can't say very much without giving away the ending, but there is something very touching about the relationship between the characters in that piece. Hopefully readers will feel that as well.

Green Water Lullaby just recently became available. Where can fans buy a copy?

The book is available at Sonar4 Publications, through this link:
http://www.sonar4publications.com/green.html

Is there anything else you'd like to tell us about the collection and the stories in it?

I hope that everyone will enjoy it! The stories are good old-fashioned horror. You will feel for these characters and what the go through, while being quietly thankful you're not in their shoes.