Original Fic: I Ain't Afraid of Emily May (8/8 + BONUS EPILOGUE. Because I am nice.)

[ladychi]

Title: I Ain't Afraid of Emily May
Author: ladychi, or KJ Stueve if you're here via Facebook
Rating: Mature, for violence and language
Summary: Ten years ago, Nate Hannigan's cousin Callie was brutally murdered by a force he didn't understand. Now the ghost of the vengeful Emily May has been summoned again, and Nate will sacrifice anything and everything to

Comments

[jessalrynn]

I finally got to catch up, and I want you to know...

Oh. My. God. I LOVE this story!!! *hugs* The way it happens, in two or three time zones at once, the way you build it slowly to two simultaneous climaxes in series, the old story and the new one overlapping, because that's what they are. I find it fantastic, just like I find Nate to be an incredible character because he is so normal and so fucked up at the same time.

And then I have more questions, and I like that, because the good author leaves some things to the reader's imagination rather than telling the reader everything to think and know. Did Calista ever get around to killing their grandfather? Or did the town assume he killed Callie and string him up? Oh, and is Callie named for Calista?

Also, did I read it right? Was Emily May inviting Beth and Callie to join her in her psychotic rampage and that's why they found the silver dollar? She wanted them to "help" her that way?

I love the way you tipped the nature of the supernatural, that you're dealing with people who are so cussed stubborn that the gates of heaven or hell can't pull them in. It's a fantastic outlook, horrible but fantastic, but so different and fresh. It works so well with Callie's fatal assumption that they're just keeping Emily May, when really she wants to stay there so she can kill a few more people.

I also love the way you make it clear by little side mentions instead of saying point-blank (until the end) that Nate's been living his whole life to get to this point. He talked to a profiler, he learned about the supernatural, he tried to help other people... I'm very impressed with the way you handled it.

Thanks so much for sharing this awesome work with us. Are you still not going to get it published? Let me know if you decide to do. I know someone who needs a copy.

[ladychi]

I'm so glad you liked Nate! And the way that the story was layered. I felt a little like I was doing a very complicated French braid by the end of it, but I feel like the payoff was worth it.

You were indeed reading it correct! Emily May's a little... you know. Messed up.

Thank you so much for an enthusiastic and gratifying review! It's good to know that someone read and enjoyed all the hard work I put into this!