Memories of winter storms, snowbound homes, and inaccessible roads came to mind when I sat down to write Icy Silence, book 3 in the Megan Scott/Michael Elliott Mystery series. With so many images to draw from, it was easy to paint the weather as a formidable adversary in the story.
An isolated private collage school during an ice storm offered the perfect setting for Icy Silence—one that I created based on the actual 1998 Canadian ice storm that affected millions of people and killed dozens. The massive storm system damaged ice-encrusted trees, buildings, and electrical infrastructure, and resulted in widespread power outages and road closures. Lasting up to several weeks in some areas, it meant no communication with the outside world and limited means of travel in Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes, and New York and Maine in the US.
In Icy Silence, Megan and Michael visit the fictitious Verdell College School located in a rural area about an hour’s drive from the closest city. They’re prevented from leaving the next day when the ice storm hits. That teens from affluent families attend the elite boarding school exacerbates the situation once everyone realizes their cell phones no longer work. And if they thought that was bad...
In a previous blog, I highlighted the cascading events that led to a “do or die” situation at Verdell College School: lack of heat and electricity, shortage of food and water, and no help from the outside world. Not to mention two dead students and an elusive murderer in their midst!
Here are several passages from the viewpoint of main character Megan Scott as she describes the ongoing storm effects:
“Clusters of majestic fir trees lined the road, their branches glistening with ice as they huddled against the biting wind.”
“A thunderous crash outdoors startled me, and I ran to the window. Branches of a gigantic maple tree had split off and fallen, blocking the road in front of the dorm... I slipped under the covers and finally fell asleep to the rhythmic sound of ice pellets hitting the window.”
“Long spikes of ice dangled from towering tree branches and threatened to fall at any moment. I steered clear and walked along a narrow path between the trees, taking care to avoid shards of ice scattered on the ground.”
“Even the hazy light entering the ice-frosted windows couldn’t soften the students’ anxious expressions as they huddled in groups in the atrium... With little food and no heat, Verdell was fast approaching a desperate situation.”
Here’s a peek at another setting in Icy Silence—one that is no less daunting—as Megan discovers an abandoned mine beneath the private school:
“Seconds later I heard a sound above me.
What was that? A bird?
Impossible. Birds don’t live in abandoned mines this far below ground.
Clicking sounds.
Crickets?
A beam aimed at the ceiling revealed the source.
Bats in hibernation. Hundreds—maybe thousands—of them bunched on the ceiling and walls.”
Icy Silence has received favorable reviews, including a five-star review from Readers’ Favorite, a professional book review site. If you haven’t yet read it, visit my Books page to find out where you can get your copy.