Tarver Nova’s story, Lingering Trinkets, is a hauntingly beautiful ghost story. While reading it, my pulse quickened and I was gripping my tablet tight! But it also left me with a refreshed feeling. This story reminds me of the ghost stories I read as a child, and of going to antique stores I was dragged to, having my parents talk to friends they were comfortable with, but I didn’t know… it’s an incredible story!
He finds tin bird figures on flowery pedestals, each no wider than James’s palm. One white bird, one black, facing each other. The white bird is moving. It dips forward and back on its pedestal, and its wings flap. With each forward dip, it pecks at a flower, which rings a tiny bell inside. Gears within the pedestal click and whir.
He smiles. “I’d get this for you, Nana,” he says softly.
Just as he turns away, the bird starts hitching, flapping in short bursts. Slow, then fast. Slow, then fast, its gears inside whining, making a strange sound. Almost like speaking.
Heeeh-mee… Jiih-meh… Ji-mmy…
A name that only one person called him.
Lingering Trinkets by Tarver Nova, featured in Tangle & Fen: A Dark Fiction Anthology (p. 66). Crone Girls Press.
Q (Crone Girls Press): What inspired your story in this anthology? Tell us the “story behind the story.”
A (Tarver Nova): I’ve long been struck by how “haunted” antique shops feel. Not just because antiques can be so unintentionally creepy (though that helps!). Every trinket has a history, a story, a former owner. I often wonder: if an antique could speak, what would it say? And how would it do so? This story sprung from that image: an antique that not only wanted to speak, but desperately needed to.
Q: Why do you write horror? What about the genre appeals to you as an author?
A: Although I’ve written more fantasy and sci-fi, my stories are often touched with horror. I like that it can be found just about anywhere. It might stalk you in the woods, but it just as likely walks by you on the street. I find that horror is helpful to explore unpleasant emotions like anger, disgust, and fear. Emotions that are natural (and in plenty abundance these days), but often taboo. Horror gives us room to breathe, lets us play with our shadows.
Q: There are a number of different flavors of horror. Where does your story fit, and what drew you to this particular category?
A: My story is most at home with the gothic and paranormal. I’m sure my love for all things creepy and atmospheric comes from my own upbringing in rural North Dakota. The Plains have their own natural horror, especially on winter nights: often isolated, cold, and quiet. Funnily, this story’s antique shop was inspired by a warm, cozy place: a health food store called Tochi Products. I let my childhood memories of the creaky wooden floors and the neighborly shopkeep be corrupted by that same rural gothic.
Q: The world has been through some turbulent times in the past few years. How have current events changed (or not!) your approach to the genre as a writer?
A: In my own writing, horror has cropped up a lot more. In fact, most of the stories I’ve written recently are horror.
Q: What’s next in your writing journey?
A: I’m still having a blast exploring short stories, and I’m working on a fantasy novel about a thief uncovering her past in a wandering city.
About The Author
Tarver Nova is a spec-fic writer and professional night owl in New York. His stories are found in Baffling Magazine, Air & Nothingness Press, Daily Science Fiction, and other fine places. He is an associate editor of the fiction podcasts PodCastle and CatsCast. Find him at tarvernova.com or show him your cats on Twitter.
Be sure to check out their story in Tangle & Fen: A Dark Fiction Anthology
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