By loretta wheeler
The Pan Man
Paranormal Love Story
It’s Summertime…Beach time…Carnival time
And for Christy
Pan’s time…
The carnival arrives at the beach every summer, bringing with it the sounds, the lights, the music, and the mystery only a carnival can impart. But this year, it’s brought something more, this year something out of Greek mythology has traveled with it, in search of a long-lost love.
“The Pan Man” is a young adult, paranormal short story. It first resided on the LASR website after having received an honorable mention in a contest hosted by them. It was a step away from my typical genre, so receiving an honorable mention for the story was very delightful for me. This version is expanded, and therefore reads as a new story.
Author
Loretta Wheeler
I’m a southern gal, born in the north, but I got here as fast I could.
That’s a saying we have here in Texas, so I thought I’d slip it in for all you Texans. But, for the northerners’, I want to add that I have very warm memories from my childhood. In the fall, there were autumn leaves that rival any sunrise or sunset that I’ve ever seen. Come winter, we would ice the backyard with the water hose and skate on it for hours, followed by snow ball fights that lasted until we couldn’t throw anymore.
While I was still young, my parents returned to the south to be with family. From then on, family played a large role in my life. Homemade ice cream was cranked and served in the back yard at night, and all the while, the fragrance of gardenias and honeysuckles lingered everywhere, surrounding us with their essence.
It was the memories of these scents and the sultry warmth of southern nights that greatly influenced my initial writings and still hold sway in much of my work.
I began my first attempt at writing in 1998. I created a premise for an online story in which other writers were encouraged to participate. The story I held in my imagination was much different from the direction each of the writers took, but the initial plot always lingered in my mind. Finally, deciding I wanted to write the original concept, I closed the story site and began research for the novel which I envisioned.
The research took me to The French Quarter in New Orleans, and eventually to a Bed and Breakfast named The Victoria Inn and Gardens. With their guidance I was directed to a plantation named Laura: A Creole Plantation. All three of these places began to form a thread, each playing a large part in the essence of the story.
The French Quarter became my delight, evoking feelings of a place long forgotten. The Inn felt like a home away from home and always seemed to be the place I should stay when I went for research. When the owner’s discovered the subject I was researching they advised me to visit the previously mentioned plantation. It was there that I found so many coincidences existed between its history and the story I was writing.
That was how I began, and why my writing is strongly influenced by the south, and often set within its heart.
Warm southern smiles sent your way,
Loretta
Other Books
The Verandah
It’s spring on Galveston Island, and everything’s running full tilt. Spring breakers’ swim in high curling waves, turquoise umbrellas line the sand, and the Pleasure Pier is lit like a bejeweled princess, her lights flashing with temptation.
Shelby Alexander, a New York Times Bestselling Author, has come back to the island to live. She and her friends came every summer when they were young and daydreamed often of living there when they were grown. Good to their word, all of them have now returned.
But Shelby is finding that even though she’s thrilled to own a part of her Aunt Sookie’s house, the excitement’s only just begun, because a gorgeous guy has also arrived along with a scruffy dog named Charmin’. And fast on their heels is a ghost—a ghost who seems quite comfortable lounging on her verandah, blowing smoke from its cigarette—and who is always, always surrounded by a deliciously sensuous fragrance.
Sirens Call
Siren’s Call is a short and sexy story about Michael, one of the characters in the Southern Breezes series. It serves as a bridge following Southern Breezes/The Verandah, and the next story Southern Breezes/The Siren’s Shop (releasing soon). It was originally published in an anthology and then found its home inside the Southern Breezes series.
“They have been with us for centuries…beguiling us with their beauty…tempting us with their charm…seducing us…and evolving…”
Legends have been with us since the beginning of time…and every once in awhile we discover these legends twine eerily with the truth, filling us with a sense of wonder and the unsettling thought that perhaps, just perhaps, the lore may be true…
Down in the Florida Keys, Michael, a sculptor and charter boat captain, is drawn back to the same area of water, over and over again…because something is drawing him throughout the day…and long into the night…
Christmas On The Strand
Mischief & Mayhem
Misty & Mayhem
This short story is a bit different. If you’re a cat lover, you’ll rave over this little mystery that features a best-selling author who is being stalked in a story reminiscent of Stephen King’s Misery. Trust me, no author wants fans like the ones populating this story! Just when you think you know who the culprit is, the author hits a curve ball into left field. You may think you know what comes next, but you’ll be surprised again. Luckily for Whitney Chase, the beleaguered author of this story, her two cats have things under control. If you’re a cat lover, you’ll buy into the anthropomorphism aspect of this story and love this mystery short story.
– Joan Reeves, NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
The Verandah
The Verandah was an easy breezy tale about friendship, love, and letting go. The characters come to life from page one, and Loretta’s writing style shines with southern hospitality, making you feel right at home as you read about Shelby and her circle of friends; it almost feels as if you’re sitting there chatting and drinking wine with all the gals. And don’t forget the handsome architect, Boone, and a happy little dog who steals the show. With the added mystery of a couple of island spirits, this book was a fun getaway.
– Dorlana Vann
Sirens Call
From the time of Homer, sirens have tempted mariners to abandon everything for love. Loretta Wheeler tempts us as well, with a sensuous, passionate affair, rich in visual, tactile and auditory sensation, which transports us back into this watery world to experience its enduring attraction.