Interview: “Shadows in the Mirror” by Jason A. Adams
A missing girl, a house full of mirrors, and a sheriff who knows better than to trust what he sees—some reflections don’t just look back.
In “Shadows in the Mirror,” Jason A. Adams blends small-town grit, Southern folklore, and supernatural menace into a fast-paced ghost story packed with heart and tension. Sheriff Larry Crabtree’s quiet Sunday shatters when he’s called to a mansion where mirrors don’t simply reflect—they reveal. Witty, eerie, and sharp-edged, this story captures the intersection of folklore, justice, and the deep, strange roots that haunt even the most familiar places.
Interview Questions
What does “haunted” mean to you—and how does that idea show up in your story?
For me, haunted means something haunting. Some place that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. A ghost may or may not be involved. Some of the most haunted-feeling places I’ve ever been just had a totally wrong feeling to them.
Did this story start with a particular place, moment, or image that stuck with you?
It started with the trope of the supernatural stuff happening in a completely ordinary environment. I mean, what’s creepier than haints interrupting your Sunday morning routine?
Is the haunting in your story something to fear, understand, embrace—or maybe all of those?
The haunting in this story is more a cry for help from the other side. And a warning that the other side isn’t necessarily where the problem is.
“Shadows in the Mirror” blends paranormal horror with deep-rooted family ties and Appalachian culture. What inspired this story?
I was the kid who stared into mirrors waiting for the kid on the other side to act up. I’m (mostly) over it now, but when I was young I did not trust mirrors even a little bit. As far as the Appalachian stuff, my family is full of natural-born yarn spinners, and haint stories fly thick and fast at family gatherings. Some are of the campfire story variety. Others are family stories that are told by people as serious as a heart attack that every word is true.
The mirror as a portal is a classic horror motif, but here it’s tied to power and memory. What drew you to that image?
Again, I think all sorts of stuff goes on behind those sneaky panes of glass. I am a huge Alice in Wonderland buff, and dearly love Through the Looking Glass. The backwards world runs all through mythology, horror, and fantasy, from the Upside Down in Stranger Things to Alice to Heinlein’s “And He Built a Crooked House” and on and on. I think most of us wonder what’s going on back there!
Granny Pearlie is such a memorable character, even though she only appears in dreamlike sequences. How did she evolve during the writing process, and do you see her as a guide, a ghost, or something else?
Granny Pearlie is loosely based on my actual Great-Grandmother Pearlie, a classic mountain herb-woman born before the turn of the 20th century. She was full of advice, charms, and instructions on how to deal with warts, husband-hunting, a “belly full o’ pizen,” and a whole bunch more. I can totally see her sneaking into dreams to make sure us young’uns got the right of any particular situation.
Skinner is awesome! Is he modeled after a real-life dog?
Skinner is based on our very sweet redbone hound, Gosamer. We lost him to age a few years back, but he’ll live forever in Larry and Pearlie’s world.
This story hints at a larger world—past hauntings, future consequences. Do you see more stories unfolding in this world or with these characters?
I’ve written several stories with these characters, spanning the timeline from Granny Pearlie’s young girlhood right up to this story. The very first Sheriff Larry story, and the second story I ever published, is called “To Catch a Thief.” People can find that first outing at To Catch a Thief, and also in my collection Tales from the Squirrel Garden.
What are you working on now—and what’s fun or exciting about it?
Right now I’m working on another story in my Atlanta Leprechauns series, all about the fairy mound/office complex under Stone Mountain, GA, and all the shenanigans Andrew the Human has to sort out for his Good People bosses. That world is just pure fun for me, and I can’t wait to see what happens in the end!
About the Author
Jason A. Adams writes stories spanning nearly every fiction genre. During the day, he is a recovering Air Force brat and unapologetic IT nerd, with over 30 years dealing with recalcitrant technologies (and people).
Outside of the IT world, Jason is a student of ancient and medieval history, world mythologies, and arms and armor from past to present. He loves to travel the world, especially when with his best friend, Kari.
After living all over the US and Japan, he now resides in the Appalachian Mountains of far Southwest Virginia. Jason lives up at the end of the road with his beautiful wife Kari Kilgore (also a writer, check out her fantastic stuff!), a gaggle of dogs and cats, plus assorted wild visitors from the nearby forest.
Find Jason at: JasonAdams.info
Read the Story
“Shadows in the Mirror” appears in Haunted Places, available now from Blackbird Publishing.
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