Dashes of Dark Fiction

Today, I completed the first act of my current work-in-progress,”TAA,” which places me close to the halfway point, give or take a few thousand words. This deeply in, I can state with relative certainty that this is not a horror novel. Not exactly, anyway.

Because “TAA” is all about temptation, greed, and the battle between the saintly and the sinister, strong elements of horror are a given. But there are also components of romance and urban fantasy … with paranormal highlights and dashes of dark fiction.

It isn’t that I tried to keep it from being a horror story – it’s that this book simply doesn’t require the degree of darkness my other works have. The irony of this is that the theme of “TAA” is loftier than any I’ve previously undertaken.

That said, this story retains the familiar atmosphere of my solo and collaborative Thorne & Cross novels, with references to our other fictional locales, a cameo from Ethan Hunter of my last release,THE CRIMSON CORSET and, of course, sporadic guest appearances by Tamara’s conspiracy-driven radio deejay, Coastal Eddie, down in CANDLE BAY, who always seems to know a little more than he lets on.

In short, this novel is of the same twisted DNA that spawned THE CLIFFHOUSE HAUNTING and THE GHOSTS OF RAVENCREST. As a matter of fact, one of “TAA’s” main players is Nick Grayson, a deputy from Crimson Cove who has taken a new job as chief of police in the neighboring town of Prominence, where “TAA” takes place. And he’s just in time for some mind-bending phenomena, a few soul-shattering revelations, and some very, very nasty weather.

Barring any unavoidable, unforeseen catastrophes, “TAA” will be out next year – but not before the next Thorne & Cross collaboration, due out in a matter of months now – which dives into the blackest, iciest depths of psychological thrills and stay-at-home horror.

But that’s another blog post.