And Now a Word From Our Sponsors

Some months ago, I was hanging out with friends and fellow writers Donnie Light and Terri Reid. We were talking about writing as we always do (probably to the complete and utter boredom of our spouses, but that's never stopped us!), and Donnie said that he had been kicking around the idea of putting together an anthology based on songs. Being us three particular writers, he of course skewed the songs he had in mind to the dark side. I'll bet you can name at least three pretty dark songs without even half trying: things like "Don't Fear the Reaper," or "Season of the Witch," or "Hazard," or anything else along that line.

Terri and I immediately took to the idea and by the time the evening was over, the anthology was more than just a blip on Donnie's radar. He set to work almost right away and within weeks I received an invitation to submit a story as well as a list of guidelines. He even sent out updates regarding the list of authors participating and their choices of songs so that none of us would duplicate any of the selections already picked. Thanks to his unending enthusiasm for this project, his ability to herd writers -much like herding cats but with more wailing and gnashing of teeth involved- and his formatting and cover art expertise, Lyrical Darkness was born.

This blog piece is to let you know that the anthology, which includes the work of ten different writers, is available TODAY at Amazon, both for Kindle and in print (don't let the image I copied and pasted fool you. You can buy the paperback). For a number of reasons, I have only been able to advance-read two of the stories that are in the book, and both of them were amazing. If just the two are any indication, there will be something for everyone in this collection. And the best part is picking a story, listening to the song that is behind it -if you're not familiar with it or if it's been a long time since you last heard it- and then seeing what the author does to make those lyrics into a narrative.

I will admit that I was honored to be invited to the party. Writers Terri Reid, David McAfee, and Andrea Jones, in addition to Donnie himself, all have a story in Lyrical Darkness. To me, that means I got to sit at the grown-up table! It also means a lot of fun reading while glancing over my shoulder to see what's sneaking up on me from the shadows. 

Check it out and see what you think. Although I admit that short stories are not always what I am looking for, this is one anthology I am going to enjoy.