Behind the story of Moon Games by Shelly Frome

Shelly Frome is the author of Moon Games as well as other crime novels and books on theater and film. He is also a features writer for Gannett Media’s Black Mountain News. He all describes himself as an incurable storyteller.

Inspiration for Moon Games

When I first came to my adopted hometown of Black Mountain, North Carolina I was prompted to check out the Halloween festivities on Church Street. Oddly enough, there were no churches on Church Street and the revelers coming toward me were all dressed as demon spirits. In effect, that early evening, demon spirits had taken over Church Street.

This gave Shelly the idea for a book in which logic and what passes for reality conflicts with the occult. “There’s also a touch of madness in seeking retribution as the sins of the past finally come due.”

Stories behind the story

When Shelly moved to Black Mountain, he used a realtor to help with his relocation. “Back in Connecticut, the refined lady realtors are all dressed up, replete with high heel shoes and the latest trendy hairdo. My realtor in Black Mountain was plucky, had a short floppy bob and came dressed in bib overalls and combat boots. Hence the beginnings of my unpredictable heroine Miranda.”

Once, while in northern Mississippi, Shelly did some unintentional exploration of a historical battle site. “I got lost in the backwoods of Tubby Bottom Road and eventually came across a creek blocked off by fallen limbs whose branches looked like sharp pitchforks. I was later told I had stumbled onto Wolf Creek, the sight of a Confederate skirmish during the Civil War.”