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A Short Stay in Hell

Mindy Kinnaman

Okay, readers, you know that one book that, no matter how long ago you read it, will stick with you for the rest of your life? Well, I just read that book – novella, actually – and I absolutely have to talk about it.

Please know that this is not necessarily a recommendation (you’ll understand why shortly). This is simply me processing this incredibly well-written and haunting piece. Also, be warned that it is somewhat spoilery. I won’t blame you if you want to read it before checking out my musings.

I frequent several book-related subreddits on Reddit. In the HorrorLit subreddit, the Books That Feel Like This subreddit, and the Suggest Me a Book subreddit, I have seen multiple people recommend A Short Stay in Hell by Steven Peck. Of course, there’s always the caveat that the novella caused them to experience an existential crisis, which I can now say is absolutely true.

A Short Stay in Hell tells the story of Soren Johansson, a Mormon who has recently passed away. Excited for the opportunity to join his loved ones in the afterlife, he’s confused to find himself in Hell. There, he learns that the one true religion is Zoroastrianism (this is reminiscent of comedy skit “Heaven is for Presbyterians” by The Frantics), and everyone present has to experience Hell until they are able to move on to Heaven. Of course, each person’s Hell is different.

Soren finds himself in a Hell based upon the short story “Library of Babel” by Jorge Luis Borges. The library consists of every book that has ever been written. Soren must read through the books until he finds the story of his life. At that point, he will then be allowed to move on to Heaven. 

Doesn’t really sound like Hell, does it? Except every book ever written is more like the Infinite Monkey Theorem. You know, the one that says give an infinite number of monkeys typewriters, and eventually, they’ll produce literature such as Hamlet. Each book has 410 pages with 40 lines of 80 characters on each page. Oh, and did I mention that the total number of books in the library is 951,312,000? That means the library that is now Soren’s home is 7.161,297,369 light-years wide and deep. 

In other words, it will literally take Soren eons to find his story.

Fortunately, Soren is not alone in his journey. There are others in this version of Hell. Of course, it’s a homogenous group of white people from America who died in about a 50-year range of time. 

The time spent in Hell teaches Soren a lot about himself and the religion he once held dear. He realizes that his wife, who in the Mormon religion is his wife in the afterlife, is not necessarily his one true love. And when he does find that one true love, Rachel, who he spends a thousand years with, she’s cruelly taken from him. He vows to continue searching for her, but as the millenia pass, that doubt grows.

The book starts off so positively, but the situation that leads to the loss of Rachel turns the book into the existential nightmare that readers comment upon. The heartache and despondence you the reader experience while reading A Short Stay in Hell stays with you long after you close the book (or e-reader).

What adds to the haunting nature of the book is Peck’s beautiful writing. You can find a sample of quotes that stood out to readers at https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/18985342. He does an excellent job of posing questions to the reader in such an insightful way, which contributes to the fact that this book will follow you wherever you go.

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Falling in Love Again

Mindy Kinnaman

I started reading when I was three. It started small – my mom, while driving down the highway, noticed that I would read billboards (especially McDonalds’ billboards). She thought that someone had read them to me, and I subsequently memorized them. I mean it’s possible. “Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame-seed bun” was a particularly catchy jingle around that time. But then she realized that I was reading other things as well.

Despite the fact that we were poor (or because of that, you’ll see why in a sec), my mom nurtured that ability. She encouraged me to keep reading, thinking that a smart kid could get free – or at least greatly reduce – college tuition. Spoiler alert: it definitely helped.

When I got to first grade, my teacher, Mrs. Hiles (who has been mentioned in this blog before), also pushed me to read. With access to a library at school, I took full advantage of this gift that I had been given. And ever since then, I have been a huge book nerd.

I always knew that I wanted to do something adjacent to books. I loved immersing myself in other worlds, so it was only natural to want to be a writer. In high school, I excelled in English, was on yearbook staff, and was president of the Writing Club. When I went off to college, I joined the yearbook staff immediately, dove into my English major and took multiple journalism classes, all in an effort to be a better writer.

Telling stories was a big part of my life, and I continued to immerse myself in the stories told by others. But most of what I read was fiction. Don’t get me wrong, I did read newspapers and magazines, especially as I worked out that I wanted to be a features writer for a magazine. I am a girl who loves to be entertained, and I wasn’t finding that in journalism the way I was with authors like Christopher Moore and Stephen King, who told the most incredible stories.

But then my life went in a different direction. I discovered higher education as a profession and began moving toward it. Journalism and storytelling was pushed to the back burner. Occasionally, I’d have a job that had a tangental connection to journalism – creating newspaper-esque newsletter at UTSA, advising the student newspaper at FRCC. I did also spend 8 years writing for The Kansas City Star. That was nice, but I wasn’t telling the stories I wanted to tell. So, as my 30th birthday approached, I decided to start telling those stories instead.

For the last 15 years, I have focused on my writing pretty hard core. I’ve also spent that time reading a library’s worth of books (again, mostly fiction). But a couple years back, I stumbled across an article online that did something huge: it reminded me of my love of journalism and long-form storytelling. The recent surge of true-crime podcasting helped as well. With shows like Serials, Up & Vanished, and The Coldest Case in Laramie, shows that spent an entire season dedicated to one person’s story, I started to fall back in love with non-fiction.

For the past three years, I’ve been diving back into the deep end of the non-fiction pool. I’ve been reading a lot of books (mainly about working in the death industry, thanks to the little part of me that always wanted to be a medical examiner). But I’ve also been diving back into long-form journalism. It started when I read the Pulitzer-Prize-winning Tampa Bay Times article, Angels & Demons about serial killer Oba Chandler and how he basically destroyed a family when he murdered a mom and her two daughters, who had been vacationing in Florida.

And it evolved from there. As time went on, I read more articles (my favorites of which I’ll share shortly). This last year, I discovered Texas Monthly and their true crime articles, which then evolved into their other articles as well. Trust me, they’re damn good. I’ve loved them so much that I wound up subscribing to the magazine (best $10 I ever spent, quite honestly). Since then, I’ve come to realize that there are so many great storytellers working in journalism, but we don’t always get to hear from them all.

So, with that, I want to share a few of my favorite pieces, as I want you to discover these incredible stories as well. As you check out these stories, I hope you’ll share some of your favorites with me. I’m always on the hunt for new, incredible storytellers who deserve exposure for their writing skills.

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What’s Going On?

Mindy Kinnaman

Kids, let me tell you: aging sucks. Lately, it’s felt like every time I turn around there’s something new going wrong in this aging body of mine. For a while, everything was going fine – well, as fine as it can be when you have a chronic medical condition that requires you to take three medications and other supplements daily.

For the most part, the migraines had been under control, but slowly, they’ve been increasing in frequency. I’ve gone from having one migraine a month to one a week. The positive is that their lifespan is a lot shorter than they used to be. The longest I typically have them is a day or two. Seriously, when you have migraines that span the course of a week, going down to a day or two is sweet, blessed relief. But because they’re picking up in frequency, it’s time to go back to the neurologist to see if it’s time to adjust my medication. But there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that I’ve got a neurology appointment scheduled. The bad news is that it’s not until June. So, I may just complain a bit over the next four months.

Sadly, though, the migraines aren’t all that’s going wrong in this aging body of mine. Back in 2021, my doctor had me do my yearly blood test and found that I had minial liver damage. He wanted to keep an eye on things but told me I need to cut back on things like cheese and lunchmeat. Last year, my new doctor saw my liver results in a blood test and also wanted to keep an eye on things. So, when I recently had my blood drawn, she decided it was time to take action. Tomorrow, I have to get an ultrasound of my liver. Cue panicking. Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well.

But wait! There’s more.

*cries*

My OB-GYN is concerned about my irregular menstrual cycle. I just thought that I had entered early menopause, but my recent blood test revealed some irregularities with my pituitary gland. So now, I’ve got to get a brain scan. It’s not been scheduled yet, but I can guarantee you that I’ll be freaking out from now (well, from last Thursday when I got the call from my doctor) until the scan’s results come in. I did do some Googling to see what could be the issue. I found a few things that could be impacting me that, fortunately, can be cleared up with medication. One could also require surgery (cue panicking).

So, why am I telling you all this? Really, as a reminder to take care of yourselves. We’re aging every second, and the ride is not always pleasant. Thank goodness, though, that modern medicine is ever-evolving. Because that helps soothe me a little. So, until I have answers for you, take care. I know I’m going to try to distract myself by writing Do No Harm. Really, that’s all I can do.

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Best Book of the Year … So Far

Mindy Kinnaman

Anyone who knows me knows that I am prone to hyperbole. Cheese? Best thing ever. My cats? Also the best things ever. My husband? You guessed it: best thing ever.

So, yeah, when I say that I just finished the best book of the year, I recognize that it’s only February 11. There is plenty of time for me to read books that will surpass what I am now calling the best book of the year. However, if I do read better books, then those are going to be some damn good books, because one of the books I finished reading this week was sooooooooo fricken good.

This week, I read The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill. Sure, I’m a little late to the game – this book was published in 2022 – but, holy crap, this book is one I’m going to be recommending to everyone. And yes, I’m a little annoyed that I’ve had this book in my to-read list pretty much since it was published, but I’m glad I finally got to read it. Now, I’m going to recommend it to you, because, seriously, everyone should read this book.

Four strangers are sitting in the reading room of the Boston Public Library when a woman’s scream sounds out from somewhere nearby. The strange situation brings this foursome together, and what follows is a great reverse locked-door mystery. Why? Because one of these four people is a murderer.

That, alone, is a great premise. If they’re all sat at a table together, how could one of them possibly murder the woman who screamed? Well, that’s why you have to read this book.

But this book is so much more than a murder mystery. There’s another component to this novel, which I won’t spoil for you, but it, combined with the mystery, keeps you turning the page. I knocked out the book in a couple of days, but, to be completely honest, this is one of those books where I would have stayed up for a whole night just to finish reading it. The story is so compelling that I hated having to close it at night so I could get a good night’s sleep before work. But trust me, the minute I got home from work, I jumped right into reading.

If you’ve read this book, I’d like to hear what you think. Feel free to leave me a comment with your thoughts. If you haven’t read it, buy it, check it out from your local library, or download it to your favorite e-reader, then let me know what you think.

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Ch-ch-ch-changes

Mindy Kinnaman

This week, I started a new job at my university. As of Thursday, I’m the new assistant director for equal opportunity, access, and Title IX coordination. This job will be an interesting challenge for me, as it will be one of the few times I’ve worked outside of student affairs. Not only that, but I’ll be conducting investigations, leading our Equity Advisor program, making sure our hiring practices are equitable across the university, leading trainings, and making sure our institution is compliant with federal regulations like the ADA.

I’ve spent more than 20 years in higher education, and I’ve learned so much over my career. I’ve worked at two-years, four-years, public and private universities, and even a private housing company. But one thing I’ve never done in my career before now is move to a different department in the same institution. Saying goodbye comes anytime you leave a job, but it’s different when you’re just moving upstairs. I’ll miss the day-to-day conversations with my old colleagues, but I won’t have to rely on social media to keep up with them.

Another positive to moving upstairs is that I don’t have to carry the same level of first-day jitters. I knew most of the people in my new office space. That made things so much nicer. Everyone is friendly and welcoming, but they’re not meeting me for the first time. Odds are good they’ve already heard that I’m a dork who works really hard.

The only nerve-wracking thing about moving upstairs is that I’ve left the Dean’s Office and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Office for the Chancellor’s Suite. The Chancellor, himself, is on the other side of the office. I haven’t seen him since starting my new role, but I’m sure our paths will cross at some point.

So, that’s what I’ve been up to. What about you?

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Shadow of Doubt

Mindy Kinnaman

A lot has happened since my last update, but probably the biggest thing is that I finished writing the second book in my Pine Bend series. That’s right, I wrote a sequel to Closer Than You Know.

This new book, Shadow of Doubt, tells the story of Cara, an evidence technician with the Pine Bend Police Department, and her ex-boyfriend, Jackson, who left Pine Bend after graduation to join the military.

When Jackson’s older brother is accused of a murder he didn’t commit, Jackson returns to clear his name. Problem is, the one person who can help is the woman whose heart he broke sixteen years earlier. Can he make things up to her and save his brother?

Currently, my critique group is reading through Shadow of Doubt and offering feedback. It’ll take probably six months or so before they get through the whole book, but I’m excited to hear what they have to say. I’ve written four books now, and Shadow of Doubt is my absolute favorite. I can’t wait for the day you get to read it and see what makes these characters so special to me.

Closer Than You Know

I WON!

Mindy Kinnaman

A while back I had reported that Closer Than You Know was named a finalist in the Colorado Gold Rush Literary Awards. This morning, I found out that I won!

That’s right, Closer Than You Know won the award in the women’s fiction, romance category!

I have to admit that I am absolutely in shock. I love this book. I wanted to write about a world I know by focusing on Charlie’s story as a professor at a small university and how things are thrown into disarray when a murderer sets his sights on her. And of course, there’s the romance between Brian, the detective investigating her case.

Writing this book meant a lot to me, but I had no idea that it would get this sort of recognition. I feel like I’m an okay writer, but I have worked hard to get here. I’ve taken classes, written several unpublished things, and let others critique my work so that I could lean and grow. And it’s paid off. WHICH IS CRAZY!

I’m hopeful that this award will play well into the query process and that I’ll be able to get both an agent and a publisher and that you all will get a chance to read it soon enough. My hope is that you’ll come to love Charlie and Brian just as much as I do.

Mindays

The Sunburn

Mindy Kinnaman

The new year starts tomorrow, and as a result, we spent the past week preparing for students’ arrival on campus. Wednesday was the big day. Hundreds of first-year students descended on campus as they moved into their residence halls.

Move-in is a big day on campus. Staff and faculty come together to help students unload their vehicles and cart their items to their rooms. For the big day, I spent hours driving a golf cart between the various halls, helping students and their families move in.

It was a lot of fun. Of course, I didn’t prepare quite as well as I had thought. Yeah, I wore shorts and a school t-shirt, but being that I was spending four hours in a covered golf cart, I didn’t think to put on a layer of sunscreen. At the end of my four-hour shift, as I hiked back over to my office, I noticed that my left leg, from mid-shin to mid-thigh was a violent shade of red. My right leg, from my knee to mid-shin was a bit pink. And my left forearm was a little sunburnt as well.

Now, I am no stranger to weird sunburns. I once went to a Royals game, which I spent leaned over with my elbows on my knees as I watched the game with interest. By the end of the game, my forearms and legs, minus two large circles where my knees had sat, were cherry red.

Not to mention, on multiple occasions, while wearing my hair in pigtails, I’ve gotten a nasty red stripe down the middle of my scalp. Of course, when it peels, it looks like a monster case of dandruff, which is very unpleasant, to say the least.

But nothing will ever top the sunburn I got back in 2004.

In May of 2004, I headed back to San Antonio to witness the graduation of one of my former students, GiWon. It was also an opportunity to catch up with friends and eat delicious food. I was pumped.

My mom came along on the trip, so we decided to take her car, a Pontiac Sunfire. It was a nice, comfortable car. But as we drove, the heat from the sunroof was oppressive. We had to blare the air conditioner to counter the hot, Southern sun beating down upon us.

I didn’t think anything of it, though. Until we stopped in Denton, Texas, at Rudy’s BBQ (the absolute best Texas barbecue joint, in my opinion). When I climbed out of the car, my mom’s eyes widened. I looked in the mirror, and what I saw still cracks me up to this day. The entire left side of my body – my face, neck, arm, and legs – was beet red. The sunroof had baked my poor skin for seven hours.

Walking into Rudy’s, everyone stopped and stared. Of course they did. I mean, I looked like a jester, only it was my skin with the harlequin pattern instead of my clothes. And it was a brutal sunburn.

When we arrived in San Antonio, we made a trip to the store so I could get some aloe vera, but it did nothing to temper the violent red of my skin. Even when I put on foundation, it failed to mask the color my inflamed skin. I spent the entire long weekend walking around with the entire population of San Antonio staring at me.

With time, the sunburn faded into a lopsided tan. I then spent the rest of summer trying to even out my skin tone. But I was so glad when I no longer looked like Lokai from Star Trek.

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International Cat Day

Mindy Kinnaman

We love holidays here in the Kinnaman-Tilma household, and today, we’re celebrating International Cat Day. Currently, Bitteh is cuddled up beside me, while Nevaeh is cuddled up beside Jeff. It’s the perfect holiday to spoil these two babies. Especially coming so soon after their birthdays.

In July, Bitteh turning 8, and Nevaeh turned 19. We gave them Churu, meat sticks, and this weird kitty meat soup that both went crazy for. Anything for my babies.

Bitteh, a grey tabby, lays on her scratch pad. She’s got a mad case of airplane ears going on.
Nevaeh, a chimera tortoiseshell kitty looks up at me, wondering when I’m going to take the photo.
Closer Than You Know

Pardon Me, There Seems to be Something in My Eye

Mindy Kinnaman

Yesterday, I met up with my writing mentor for our weekly check in. She’s currently about two-thirds of the way through my book, and as always, she’s offered me some great advice for how to strengthen Closer Than You Know.

But then she said something that hit me right in the feels. She said she’s planning to attend my book release party because she has no doubt that Closer Than You Know will be published.

BRB. Got something in my eye. Gonna go ugly cry for a bit.

I’ve been writing my whole life, but it’s been about 13 years since I first sat down and said, “I’m going to write a book” and then actually did just that. And while that book hasn’t seen the light of day, knowing that the past 13 years of working hard to improve my skills is close to paying off is…well, it’s a lot.

Go me.