Newly published in Occult Detective Magazine Issue #8, “Becoming Art Deco” by Cristina L. White is a story of transformation. Occult Detective Magazine describes itself as “…the home of determined meddlers.”

Solas Bierman, a registered psychic investigator with the Leon Institute of Psychic Phenomena, is one of those determined meddlers. He is called in to investigate the mystery of a larger-than-life sculpture of a seated woman—a sculpture that seems to have materialized out of thin air.

The architect who had intended to commission a work of art for the very spot where this sculpture has appeared wants to know who posed for it and who the sculptor is. And how in the world did it get there, since no one saw it installed? Solas Bierman seats himself beside the sculpture, takes the same position as the sculpted woman, and has an image of himself writing. Through automatic writing, he receives a transmittal from a woman calling herself Nicole, a fine arts photographer who disappeared while visiting South Beach nearly three decades ago. Her disappearance has never been solved.

This story by Cristina L. White was inspired by her visit to South Beach: “…a narrow strip of paradise, elegantly encumbered by Art Deco architecture, embraced by the azure ocean to the east, the ultra-blue Bay of Biscayne to the west. Exquisite morning light… Latin jazz nights, and endless white beaches.”

You can learn more about Cristina’s work at her website. Her blog zen crunch is at www.cristinawhite.wordpress.com and you can follow her on Twitter @zencrunch.