The Road to “The Loneliest Road”
When I learned of the opportunity to write a story for April Grey’s music-themed anthology Hell’s Bells, I decided to write a story about a guitar, for at least two reasons: One, because it’s the only musical instrument I know how to play, and two, because I’ve wanted, for a long time, to take another stab at a story with a guitarist as its focal point.
Nearly ten years ago, I wrote a science fiction/horror novel called Flying Saucer. The novel’s protagonist is a singer-songwriter-guitarist who finds herself tangled in a web spun by a madman employee of Area 51. Looking back on it, I’m convinced the novel, while built on a promising premise, doesn’t totally work. The novel is supposed to be about a guitarist and her song, yet music is nowhere near the center of the story.
So I wanted to try again.
“The Loneliest Road,” my Hell’s Bells story, is a return to the territory I first explored in Flying Saucer, though here, I tried to hit the music head-on. “The Loneliest Road” is a story about the creation and performance of music. Specifically, it is about the role the instrument plays in the creation process. The story suggests that an unwritten song, when waiting to be born, can only enter this world through one certain instrument. It also suggests that the artist’s instrument of choice during a performance has a tremendous impact on that performance.
In short, the instrument is everything.
But why?
Does the artist possess the instrument, or does the instrument possess the artist?
“The Loneliest Road” does not offer an answer, only a few thoughts. It might be a story about music, but it’s also a horror story. It’s about music, but it’s also about murder. It’s written to unsettle and entertain.
And so, I prefer to leave just a little bit for the reader to decide.
Bio:
Mitch Sebourn is a writer, English teacher, and lawyer. He lives in Arkansas with his wife and cats. He is the author of several horror novels, including Lamentation, Toklat's Daughter, and most recently, Folklore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter: @mnsebourn
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