A Word About the Title

Hey, WYMOP readers!

"I’d like to say a word about the title of this book.

We all have darkness within us. Most of us try to keep it hidden, but it’s there, tucked up in the out-of-the-way corners of our minds, and secreted down in the shadowy recesses of our hearts. I don’t mean the darkest of darkness, the blackness you’d find within the heart of a monster: the serial killers, pedophiles, and politicians.

No.

I mean the everyday darkness, the kind we all feel and maybe even recognize.

Ever shouted at another driver sharing your road, whether they could hear you or not?

Darkness.

Ever been out somewhere and had the urge to tell a mother that maybe if she spanked that child once in a while, they’d know how to behave—and considered offering your services, if she was feeling a little squeamish?

Darkness.

Ever been in line at the store, and the customer currently at the register is taking way too long? Maybe they’re rummaging through every coupon ever printed to find the one that’ll give them another ten cents off an already discounted sale item. Maybe they’re just being loud and pushy, trying to get a little something extra, to which they clearly have no right. And maybe—just maybe—you find yourself wishing, just for a moment, that something would happen to them. Nothing terminal—you’re not a terrible person, after all—but maybe something embarrassing. Sudden onset laryngeal paralysis, perhaps? Or a gushing nosebleed? How about a case of explosive diarrhea?

Darkness.

You see? Our darkness is harmless! Sometimes—imagining the customer ahead of you suddenly browning their trousers, for example—it can even be funny! It doesn’t have anything to do with what you would find in the heart of the Dhamers, Gaceys, and Mansons of the world, right? Right.

Or does it?"

~Rob Smales, from the introduction to Echoes of Darkness

And just so you know, when I received the following paragraph from Hal Bodner, I did do a little happy dance in my chair. It was manly, but it was happy.

Advance praise for Echoes of Darkness!

"Reading Rob Smales' collection Echoes of Darkness is a lot like munching on barbeque potato chips—once you've dived into the first story, it's almost impossible not to keep reading until the end. Smales has a refreshing, clean prose style that is accessible and engaging.  In particular, I recommend this book to readers who are new to the genre as Smales comes up with some nifty and clever riffs on some traditional horror tropes."

~Hal Bodner, Bram Stoker Award nominee and author

(Available Feb 28, on Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

So . . . is it possible that anyone out there can't tell how excited I am about this?

I didn't think so.

Talk to you later!