Vision of Misfortune

By CK Sorens

Part short story collection, part memoir, Visions of Misfortune is a collection of fantasy short stories. This collection has been chosen to highlight the writing journey of C.K. Sorens as she transitioned from "Sappy Endings" to dark fantasy and ambiguous endings.

 

Follow the sorceress Ice Willow as she revisits an old love to put nightmares to rest.

Meet a young woman chosen at birth to be a vampire's assistant, now sentenced to death by the master she loves.

Read a journal by an unnamed woman whose tragic tale drags her through love and leaves her with loss.

 

These stories and a few others are interspersed with letters from C.K. Sorens as she explains where each story came from, and where it led her on her author's journey.

 

Enjoy this collection as a fantasy sampler with pieces that include low fantasy, paranormal fantasy, a fairytale retelling, and urban fantasy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: CK Sorens
• Release date: Apr 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215154618

Book preview

Part One

About This Collection

Once upon a time, I was told I write happy, one-dimensional characters with happy arcs and happy endings. Which is something to work on when you want to become a published author.

So the experiments began. Forewarning. Though a few of these stories have happy endings, they are some of my first explorations into the darker themes that have become a core part of my author career. Though my deepest of hearts still loves a happily ever after, now my characters work hard for it.

I have been writing since second grade. Call it talent, nature, or nurture, but that one-paragraph story about a dog named Popcorn and the praise that came with it told me that I could write Cinderella better than the Grimm Brothers.

But it wasn’t an easy journey. When we begin writing - heck, even after we’ve written for years - there’s always the comparison game. At the beginning, this can be helpful if used right. Published, popular authors are our mentors, teaching us the gap between what we know now, and what we need to learn.

I didn’t start out with novels. I wrote poetry for a long time before writing my first short story. Most of those have gone into a file and sat there. Some stories should remain in the archives, only to be lovingly brought out when it’s time to see how far we’ve come and how much we’ve learned.

There are a few of mine, however, that want to see the light of day. And the one thing writers learn is how to listen to when a story wants to be told. For each part and each story, I’ve provided a bit of backstory into the why and even the lessons learned in these pieces.

This collection is pure nostalgia and I’m sharing it with a huge chunk of vulnerability. I completed some light revision and edits, but did my best to keep the core of the story the same. The pacing might be off, and the world building light, but they all represent a stop on my journey to writing my full-length novels.

Welcome to Vision of Misfortune, and happy reading these unhappy tales with purpose.

Part Two

Sappy Endings

One day, my AP English teacher challenged me to write with more depth (see Welcome for more details). To bring tragedy into my characters’ lives. Give them something to heal from and learn from.

The products of those are what I’m calling my Sappy Ending stories.

This is exactly what it sounds like. I might have started out strong (or at least sad), but I still was intent on my happily ever after endings. The arc is very short, so I really tried to sell these HEAs with super sweet endings.

Are they too sweet? I’ll let you decide.

About Ice Willow

I’m really proud of this one. I won an award that led to a contract with a literary agent. I still had a lot to learn, so unfortunately that partnership didn’t lead to a book deal.

Though I was frustrated at the time, I’m happy with how things turned out. I have control over what stories I write, how they are produced, and when they are released.

Like this short story collection. How fun is that?

There are more versions of this short story than any of the others in my archives. When I first wrote it, it was too long for the contest. As I got feedback outside of that, readers wanted to know the parts I had cut. I’m not going to lie - that was a nice hit of validation.

This version is a result of all that history, plus an alternate ending. Because I just couldn’t leave it the way it was, but changing it completely broke the spirit of this particular book.

I think you’ll understand once you get there.

Ice Willow

Nightmares haunted Willow as she walked through the crowd. Shadowed fighters flit across her mind, though they didn’t bother the happy city-folk going about their day. The memories were only hers to see.

Willow. She heard her name called and her ice-gray eyes flashed to see a friend from childhood. She hadn’t expected to recognize anyone other than the man she came to visit, and Willow slowed her steps.

You’ve come back, Betty stated simply, surprise clear in her voice. There was a thread of warmth in her tone that tempted Willow to lean in and rekindle a connection she couldn’t afford.

Not for long. Willow replied.

Then why did you come back?

For a confession. Willow side-stepped her unwelcome friend even as Betty called out more questions.

Willow pulled the hood of her dark green cloak over her head to avoid being recognized by another acquaintance. Six years away hadn’t been enough to wipe her from their memories. Wisps of silver hair, bleached from the use of magic, escaped from beneath the hood. Matched with her thin frame, she looked the part of an older woman, too proud to show weakness by riding a horse.

Walking through the crowded street wasn’t difficult for Willow. Without using her magic, she navigated through the river of moving pedestrians, dodged pounding hooves, and slipped by brawls without being noticed. Growing up as a palace servant had given her practice to avoid being seen. Training six years as a Sorceress had honed those skills.

At almost twenty-four years old, she’d been able to access magic for six years. Willow hated those skills, the power thrust on her in a cataclysmic way. The same attack had scarred her and the man she meant to visit on this trip. Her mark was only more visible.

Tightening the folds of her cloak around her, Willow tightened her hold on her resolve. She would speak with him, then leave. Nothing more, nothing less.

She just had to convince herself.

Willow approached the palace gate. Her form stiffened, and she consciously kept her fists unclenched. She walked to the guard who regulated traffic into the palace, and his eyes narrowed at her young, yet old, appearance.

State your name and your business, he ordered. Willow looked past him, ignoring his words. Ma’am? he called, louder this time, but it was in vain. Her ice-gray eyes had caught the smiling features and the muscular form of the