PRE-PUBLICATION MUSINGS ABOUT THE DARK

In a few short weeks, The Dark, a novel I co-wrote with Scott Bradley (my dear friend and frequent collaborator), enters the world. I always get nervous right before a book launches, but this one is a little different. Thing is, I’ve never wanted a book to succeed this much.

Why is this one so special to me?

First and foremost, I wrote it with Scott, who I’ve known since the fourth grade. He’s my best friend; we’ve been through a lot together. So this is a pretty big deal for me. And secondly, it was edited by John Skipp, who’s a lot more than an editor on this project, but I won’t get into those details now. When the book comes out, Scott and I will share the two Afterwords for The Dark (one by him, one by me) that, sadly, didn’t make it into the finished book. These accounts will spell out the stories behind the story.

So I got to work with two of my favorite people in the world. But there’s more.

Scott and I had a few creative fights over The Dark. I won’t get into what those scuffles were about or who won the arguments or who was right. And don’t worry, we don’t offer up multiple endings in the book. My point is this: Those fights brought us closer, they made the book better, and they caused us to care more about the story than if either of us had written the book solo. Let me be clear, Scott and I didn’t fight frequently. We also laughed a lot, congratulated each other often, and had a shitload of fun!

Bottom line: I built this one with my best friend. Of course it means more to me! In fact, I’ll be interviewing Scott on his birthday, which is next Wednesday; tune in for that, ‘cause he’s going to have a lot to say on this subject. Oh, and he's turning 40.

In short, I hope you all read The Dark. It's a horror novel that's in love with being a horror novel, but for me it's so much more.

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