What's up with ColbyStream

Marredbury Episode 1 explained

In a near-future city haunted by its own dark history, evil lurks beneath the surface. Enter Marredbury, a chilling serial anthology that weaves together a tapestry of haunting tales from the past and a contemporary digital nightmare.

With Episode 2 of Marredbury scheduled to come out at the end of the month, I wanted to take a little bit of time to explain the story behind the ColbyStream. I was on the fence about describing the origins of the stream so soon into the series. Did I want to let the writing speak for itself and risk confusing readers, or overexplain and reveal a peek behind the curtain too early in the story. In the end, the reader should understand what’s going without the writer’s explanation. However, this is not the end of Marredbury, only the beginning. I am writing my first serial anthology. There are so many new styles I’m experimenting with and I’m sharing the draft of the series to receive feedback. And how can I get valuable feedback if my readers are just confused the entire time?

Two Timelines

I’m telling the story of Marredbury in two timelines. The short stories take place pre-volcano, in Old Town Marredbury. The stories occur at anytime in the past, each one showing you another strange and spooky side to Marredbury (with hints dropped here and there on why the town is so marred with horror).

Carla’s story is the through-story connecting all the short stories together. Carla’s story takes place in New Marredbury, the town that was rebuilt after the original was buried by the volcanic eruption. We are getting Carla’s story from a near-future world. It’s 2035 and a conglomerate corporations called Colby Corp builds and runs a whole city. They bring the city to the future with accessible public transportation, green lifestyles, and technology. ColbyStream is the tech that the citizens use in New Marredbury.

The Stream

Inspired by David Gelernter’s Lifestream, I envision ColbyStream as a kind of all in one smartphone experience. The news is curated by Colby Corp based on user use. Carla scrolls through her feed of texts, emails, and social media posts. She can work directly in the ColbyStream by uploading files and journaling through an embedded app. That is what I’ve created for each episode. As you go through Carla’s journey, stories of Marredbury’s past and the secrets behind Colby Corp are revealed. Every detail has been added intentionally, nothing can be overlooked! (If you’re getting 1984 vibes, then I’m on the right track!)

What did you think of the ColbyStream in Episode 1? Were you confused? Did you go along for the ride, taking in the story piece by piece? I would love to hear what you think so far! This project is just getting started and your feedback will help transform it into a finished piece.

I am looking forward to you getting to know Carla better! If you enjoy kick ass heroines, you’ll enjoy Carla and other female leads in Marredbury. While you’re waiting for the episodes, though, check out these other kick ass women written by indie authors.

Also, check out this dark short story. “My Girl,” by J.F. Garrarrd.

Would you sacrifice another baby to save your own?