Tis The Season: Verushka by Jan Stinchcomb

 

Jan Stinchcomb's novel Verushka released on July 7th. 

You can grab yourself a copy here. 

Black Tea

In VERUSHKA, a multi-POV family novel, a young woman squares off against the villain who has been plaguing her loved ones for generations.

 

Black tea is more than a favorite drink in this book: it is central to the action. There are two high-stakes "tea parties" that decide the fate of young Devon and her family.

There is no recipe! Any black tea will do, but I suggest a breakfast tea or Earl Grey. It is best served with a side of sour cherries, also important in the novel, since Verushka prepares a sour cherry cake to seduce one of her victims. (It should be noted that Verushka is one of those cooks who never seems to need a recipe.) A word of warning: be prepared in case the tea transforms in your mouth. You may need to run.

 

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Excerpt / Invitation to drink:

 

            A small circular table appears with two beautiful little chairs. There is a pot in the center of the table and two teacups. It looks a lot like Devon’s set but this one must be hundreds of years old, a real grown-up tea set, white with blue flowers. The flowers, Devon can see, are exactly like the ones that captivated Henry on his first visit to the hut.

 

            “This is how we play,” the Lady says. “I will pour the tea and then we drink. If the tea turns to blood in your mouth, you are the winner and Bear is yours.”

 

            They all sit down. Devon looks at Bear and sees the two most worried eyes in the world. She knows she cannot speak to him in front of the Lady. There is nothing left but to go forward even though this does not sound fair. The dread grows within Devon’s heart and will soon be big enough to make her burst, but surely Bear is meant to remain hers.

 

            The Lady pours a cup of black tea for Devon and then one for herself. She gives Devon her cup. She never stops smiling.

 

            “Are you ready?”

 

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What Readers Have to Say

 

Verushka is more than a fairy tale; it weaves a raw emotional tale of motherhood, adolescence, and rebellion that transcends generations while gripping the reader and never letting go. (Nico Bell, author of Static Screams)

 

Stinchcomb's debut novel is a magical, thrilling exploration of mothers and monsters, woven with the stark, secret language of the old tales and the gorgeous sensibilities of the contemporary. An exquisite story that will stay with me long after I put it down, like a dream, or a nightmare, staring through the window in the darkest hour of the night. (A.A. Balaskovits, author of Magic for Unlucky Girls and Strange Folk You'll Never Meet)

 

In this slow burn horror with a dark fantasy feel, we follow different generations in the family, gradually uncovering the story behind what's happening as we get flashbacks to strategic points in time. Rather than sticking to a chronological time-line, Jan gives us the fallout first to show the escalation of tragedies. We take a turn into dark fantasy as we learn who exactly Verushka is, and what her motives are. (Tasha Reynolds, The Sinister Scoop)

 

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Jan Stinchcomb is the author of Verushka (JournalStone), The Kelping (Unnerving), The Blood Trail (Red Bird Chapbooks) and Find the Girl (Main Street Rag). Her stories have appeared in Bourbon Penn, Maudlin House and Gamut Magazine, among other places. A Pushcart nominee, she is featured in Best Microfiction 2020 and The Best SmallFictions 2018 & 2021. She lives in Southern California with her family and is an associate fiction editor for Atticus Review. Find her at janstinchcomb.com; Twitter: @janstinchcomb; Instagram: @jan_stinchcomb; Bluesky: @janstinchcomb.bsky.social