The Story Behind The Story...Mind Games

What happens when fiction brushes against history?

In Mind Games, Bernice Layton leads readers beyond the city and into a secluded area near Stone Mountain, Georgia—where cabins, the whistle of a windmill, an old cotton mill, and the distant ringing of a church bell become clues in an unfolding mystery.

But our own digging uncovered an intriguing connection: Stone Mountain’s Historic Square contains authentic 19th-century structures relocated from other parts of Georgia, including cabins once occupied by enslaved people.

Was Bernice inspired by pieces of real Georgia history? Did she visit a place that sparked the setting? Or did history and imagination simply come together to create the perfect backdrop for suspense?

That’s the fascinating part of discovering, The Story Behind the Story.

Bernice, we have to ask—how much of this mysterious setting came from a real place…and how much came from your imagination?

Bernice:

In part, the setting became an inspiration later on in the book. I've visited Stone Mountain, even took the air trolley to the top of the mountain. It was a spiritual and inspiring event, once I got over the lightheaded feeling at such a high altitude. I remember looking out at what lay below. Lots of greenery but I also knew there were communities and homes and buildings below, even if I couldn't see them. While writing Mind Games, and working through the trials and troubles of Layla and Jordan's relationship, and their struggles, I saw an opportunity to weave in Stone Mountain and parts of what I imagined how a few of those communities might be.