The Dark...Reloaded: "Black Wings." Denial, Guilt...Crows.

It's time for that second promo push for my collection, The Dark is Light Enough for Me.  I'm quite proud of this collection and now can look back while looking forward, knowing that much is in motion that will take shape, well, sooner than later.  I mean, there's enough stories for another collection, which I've already got a title picked out, as well one novel getting a big push to editors/publishers from my agent, while I hope we push the another one soon as well, and a third novel is in the I-need-to-get-my-focus-and-get-the-second-draft-finished stage, which will put it close to where it needs to be.  There's...let's see...at least a handful or so shorter pieces in progress, two of which, perhaps three, should see completion soon.  Even though a couple of these are only in the pen to paper stage I sometimes start with, I know the paths they seem to want to take--really, I have an idea, but the characters will eventually do what they want anyway--including the one that may rival "Broken Teacup" as my most messed up piece of fiction to date.  If I can work it out, it will be for an anthology I would love to be in. 

Anyway...

The collection is almost six months out there and has done that hit the wall deal, so it's time we climbed over the wall and spread the word on a more heavy duty scale again.  A run-through of the stories with some comments from reviews, samples and what-not seems a good deal. 

So...

"Black Wings."  Here's an observation from editor/writer Gerry Huntman's review on Amazon:

"A very good story of guilt - and with a most interesting set of occurrences that lie at the root of the protagonist's guilt, as well as the way it manifested at the end of the piece.

The protagonist is, right from the beginning, a ruined man, and he is visited by crows, and in particular a big one. Smith skillfully reveals their meaning, as well as the protagonist's past. The flashback is finally revealed and it was surprising, and horrific.

The ending is appropriate and quite surreal."

This one is easy to write about because you can actually read the whole story in the Look Inside feature on Amazon, so please do. Here's the link. [waits patiently while you read it; ah, notices your reaction, the revulsion as you've reached That Part of the story; now your brow has furrowed into The Mighty Arch of What-The-F**k?! and now...well, the classic horror finale? Perhaps.]  So, didja like that one?  As you may know from reading my blog, there are layers to all of my stories.  What?  Yes, I just wrote didja.  Ahem...Anyway, psychological layers are my favorite and this story is steeped in them.  One of my favorite sequences is the recollection of the memory, the reason for our humble narrator's guilt, as it highlights his weariness, while his girlfriend, the ever demanding and quite pregnant Melanie, keeps pushing on and on and on and... It's got a certain drive, not unlike chapter five of "Plastic," a sequence that in both cases I allowed the momentum of events at hand to flow forth spontaneously.  Sure, as a writer, when I'm locked in, this happens--I'm sure it does for many of my fellow writers out there as well.  It's a part of the deal, of creativity being tapped and released and we are as I often say, simply the conduits for the characters.  But I can read that whole sequence and smile as it does just what it needs to do, the drive, the shifting from exhausted drunk to sober bystander for Dave; the cold shock of realization by Melanie that, no, things are not going to end well at all.

I actually had one writer respond he/she was happy Melanie got her, um...just rewards? Unjust rewards?  Hmmm...  Some writers are sick individuals! 

O.o

Read the sample up there via the link, feedback is welcome.  I will be putting actual samples in most of these Reloaded blogs, but for this one, you get the whoooooooole story!  Check it out, hope you enjoy it, buy a copy of the book, talk to me some more!  As noted way up there, I'm proud of this collection...but also know it's only the beginning!

Expect a new blog up every 2-3 days, and even some poetry or other fiction related blogs, as that's what I do here.  More talk of other writer's work as well.  I've been kind of in simmer mode, well, it's time to kick everything back into high gear again! 

Also expect a new look to the blog. I will be adding some pages here, a purchasing page and one for reviews for the book, and whatever else strikes my fancy. My GF, Alessandra, recently updated hers, just messing around and figured it all out and it looks great!  I'm just thinking it's time to shake things up, as noted somewhere here or simply in my head.  So at some point soon there will be a different look, but for now...let's roll with this post and keep moving forward!

Here's the purchasing info, though as I just said, there will be a page with this info and some more for other anthologies I have stories in soon. 

Amazon US:
http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Light-Enough-Me-ebook/dp/B0065M28L6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320955068&sr=8-1

Amazon UK:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Light-Enough-Me-ebook/dp/B0065M28L6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320958608&sr=8-1

Amazon Germany:

http://www.amazon.de/Dark-Light-Enough-Me-ebook/dp/B0065M28L6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321156971&sr=8-1

Amazon France:

http://www.amazon.fr/Dark-Light-Enough-Me-ebook/dp/B0065M28L6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321508816&sr=8-1

Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-is-light-enough-for-me-john-claude-smith/1107159029?ean=2940013567245&itm=1&usri=the%252bdark%252bis%252blight%252benough%252bfor%252bme

OmniLit:

http://www.omnilit.com/product-thedarkislightenoughforme-638242-238.html

Kobo:

http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=dark+is+light+enough+for+me&utm_source=AffiliateNetwork&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=Affiliate


And here, of course, without further adieu...Crows! A wonderful and quite surreal take on them by Sarolta Ban.  Probably quite indicative of how Dave felt in "Black Wings."

Enjoy!

And caw, caw, caw...

;-)