A Pinch of Whimsy and a Dash of Weird

About the Book

A Pinch of Whimsy and a Dash of Weird is not so much a book as it is a map of directions to take readers into a world of real and imagined lives, where anything is possible, and the unexpected and shocking are just around the corner—lurking and waiting for you. "The Possibility of Mercy Tylden" tells of an improbable friendship between two women, one of whom lived and died a century before the other, and how they become spiritual sisters through their shared experiences. "The Light at the End" is a story of pure, unconditional love between a grandmother and granddaughter that spans all of eternity. "Reunion" is about a minor Civil War skirmish, a house haunted and possessed by something dark and evil, and the woman who discovers the unbreakable bonds of family. The reader enters a darker world in "The Mall Walkers" and "The Game." It's a world where people will do anything—anything—to achieve their aims, even if it means losing a piece of themselves or even their lives. "Jeepers Creepers" and "Careful What You Wish For" are about two characters held back in life by irrational terror and unique fears, but who ultimately become strong, powerful, and—it's the reader's call—almost cruel, by means both fair and foul. And "Maybe a Ghost Story, Maybe Not"—again, it's your call, reader. Finally, "The Comfort of Geraniums" is the imagined autobiography of a girl many of us are already familiar with. Beaten down by endless poverty, grief, and abuse, she lies about a rape, destroying an innocent man's life, and nearly ending her own. She must battle prejudice, guilt, and shame in her struggle for forgiveness and redemption.

About the Author

Barbara Megie Larkin was born and raised in Lexington, Missouri and attended the University of Missouri, Columbia, receiving degrees in English and Library Science. Columbia, Missouri has been her home since 1978.