STORIES MESMERIZE

STORIES MESMERIZE
Friday, February 27, 2026 by DARLENE CORBETT

Categories: Friday's Fiction / GUEST AUTHORS

PLEASE WELCOME

DARLENE CORBETT

FICTION FRIDAY

A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR

My latest novel, Mesmerize, a contemporary romance, swirls with many themes. Betrayal, healing, second chances, and stories. Lots of stories.

Let’s begin with my idea of using so many stories within this story.

First, does anyone remember Arabian Nights? How about Scheherazade?

If you have, you’ll understand the premise of my novel. If not, let me share.

Before the printing press, oral delivery remained the dominant purveyor of storytelling. This included Arabian Nights, a series of tales compiled over centuries. Much later, they became part of the written word.

And Scheherazade?

A storyteller and the featured performer in Arabian Nights.

You might ask what connection Scheherazade has

to my novel, Mesmerize?

Please let me share a bit about Scheherazade, and you’ll understand.

Scheherazade became the wife of a King married many times. Because he suffered betrayal by one of them, his wounds hardened him, and he became guarded. As a result, he found some cause with each new wife, including boredom, and executed them.

What made Scheherazade different from the others?

Creativity. Unlike her predecessors, she used her ingenuity and imagination to woo her husband. For a thousand nights, she mesmerized her husband with story after story.

Not only did she prevent execution, but helped the King throw off his blanket of bitterness. He fell in love with her, and they lived in bliss.

My novel involves a therapeutic storyteller, Delphina, who suffers from a broken heart. She meets a new man, Alexander, and healing and trust ensue.

However, something happens, and Delphina must use her creativity beyond the professional realm.

She tells stories of faith based on legends or actual events and hopes her creativity and heartfelt delivery will bring him back.

Before becoming a professional storyteller, Delphina understood the power of the tale. Each of her clients entered therapy with their unique story, and she came to recognize that they wanted to use this skill to go forward. Not to erase the past, but to use it to catapult into the future, a new chapter for their book of life.

The power of story, an instrument of hope from God, reminds us we are not static beings. The greatest creator blessed us with imagination, intellect, and emotion.

How do we use it?

Up to us.

Not an easy quest. Digging hard within our being requires grit, accepting fallback.

And keeping our eye on the prize, that gem in the rough, awaiting discovery?

Many surrender at the brink of success. The arduous pursuit takes too much from them to climb the last rung.

But for some…

Listening to a story might prompt them to reconsider.

Many years ago, a man approached Henry Wadsworth Longfellow about the power of his magnificent poem, A Psalm of Life. He told Mr. Longfellow that he was on the brink of suicide, but reading the poem saved his life.

Or did he hear the poem recited?

Although the written word dominates with story, the return to oral delivery taps into another realm, seeping deeper into our souls.

Delphina understands its power, which is the reason she utilizes the video/audio medium to win her Alexander back.

Jesus tapped into the potency of parables to get his message across, such as The Prodigal Son, The Good Samaritan, The Workers in the Vineyard, and many other stories.

Those of us with a Christian worldview understand the lessons threaded within the tales.

For several years, I belonged to Toastmasters. One of my favorite tasks of the night involved Table Topics.

In the role of Table Topics Master, you could use the platform to begin a story, asking several people to continue until the last person recites his or her version of the end of the story.

We laughed and applauded each member while they wove unique elements within the story, driving its direction.

Creativity sparkled with this exercise.

I’ve used the Table Topics platform at a few functions and suggested others try it as an icebreaker.

If performed with fun and animation, who doesn’t like a good story?

I don’t want to reveal everything in my novel, but the power of story shines through. From a therapist’s point of view, it can provide healing and recovery.

Stories change lives, and using the title of my novel, they can mesmerize. If you prefer to replace with synonyms of hypnotize, enthrall, or captivate, please do.

All say the same thing.

They immerse into another world.

Like Scheherazade’s ageless tale, I hope my novel touches some hearts. A contemporary romance with lots of stories within the story.

Enjoy Mesmerize, and my wish for you?

Become mesmerized.

ABOUT MESMERIZE

Set against the backdrop of Las Vegas, Boston, and Dubai, can a storyteller win back the love of her life through tales sprinkled with faith and love?

Boston-based Delphina Tulasi, a therapeutic storyteller, has shunned men. A year after a major betrayal, she accompanies her mother, Lucia, a matchmaker, to Las Vegas to help her run an exclusive speed-dating event.

Alexander O’Hara, a CFO with secrets of his own, accepts Lucia’s invitation to attend. He meets Delphina. They go out on a date in Las Vegas and return to Boston, where their love blossoms. All goes well until Alex goes on a long business trip to Dubai. A visit from someone in her past confuses Delphina, lures her back to a previous relationship, prompting her to break up with Alex.

After a few dates with her ex, Delphina recognizes the mistake she’s made and becomes determined to win back Alex. She uses her creativity, spins stories based on truth, and sends them in videos across the internet.
But will it work?

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ABOUT DARLENE CORBETT

Darlene Corbett has been serving others as a licensed psychotherapist for over thirty years. With her wealth of experience in human behavior, she decided to write down her thoughts to inspire a larger audience. This set the stage for her book, Stop Depriving The World of You, published by Sound Wisdom in 2018.

She continued writing nonfiction until she heard God whisper again. And his call prompted her to take a risk and dip her toes into fiction. Visible, a women’s fiction about second chances, was published by WordCrafts Press in the spring of 2024, and in August, she won the 2024 Storytrade Book Awards for Christian Fiction in the Contemporary category.

And right now? Her contemporary romance, Mesmerize, will be published in February of 2026, which has themes of a modern-day, Christian Scheherazade story.

When not writing or seeing clients, Darlene immerses herself in a variety of novels and tries to support other authors of faith. In addition, she loves animals, with dogs being number one. Taking care of her beloved Shih Tzu, Stevie, puts a smile on her face.

To receive her short story, a magical romance, sign up for her newsletter at h ttp://www.darlenecorbett.com