It’s been a while since I last put a book out on my own. Almost half a year in fact since Everything’s Gotta Be Love or Death. During that time I worked on numerous anthology shorts, and published the latest Ensuring Your Place in Hell 2 Collection alongside Otis Bateman and Erica Summers, but now a new book is on the horizon.
Beneath The Rot, my follow up to last years The Rot, is due out on April 9th with Pre-Orders available now. It will be out on Ebook, Paperback, and KU.
It’s a longer book than the first as I attempt to add more myth and world building in to the character of the Rot. While the first book was an introduction and mystery, the follow up is more about the country now having to deal with this malevolent force destroying the population. It’s not the conclusion of the story as more books are planned, but I hope it works as an expansion of what’s already been told and poses new questions, threats, and absolute terror.
The horror in this one isn’t the unknown, it’s the known. It’s being infected by the Rot and knowing exactly what the vile parasite is capable of. For me, this concept was a lot of fun to play with. The unknown is scary as fuck, but knowing you have the worst thing imaginable and there’s fuck all you can do about it is a hundred times worse.
Imagine being a teacher and the Rot infecting your soul while you have a classroom of young children. Or being a movie star appearing in front of the world when your face starts to change and the sinister urges settle in. Could anything be more frightening for a parent than seeing the Rot smothering your kids face?
There’s some dark stories in this one, just like the first, but with the added scare of the knowing. As a huge horror fan the unknown is so often the fear factor in people’s work, but in recent years i’ve thought more and more about the idea of knowing the horror that’s after you. How much scarier that could be? How effectively that could be used? How all hope is lost in that situation. When ignorance isn’t bliss, and you’ve got nowhere to hide. When you know you’re fucked!
The first Rot is a book that changed my career. Up until that point no-one really knew who I was. The three books beforehand had done ok, especially as a new author, but the Rot was the one which increased my readership. Made more people aware of who I was. We’re not talking big numbers here, i’m still very much small fry, but it remains my most profitable book to date with only Hack anywhere near it.
My wish is for this book to do something similar again. Take that next step and introduce more readers to my work. Whether it will happen or not, I don’t know at this point, but I know i’ve given myself every opportunity within my control. I spent more time writing the book, the quality could be my highest yet, I have a fantastic cover (by Christy Aldridge) and great editor (Christine Morgan), and the first book is already liked.
My last three solo releases haven’t faired to well in all honesty, despite being some of my strongest writing. Something somewhere has been missing, hasn’t clicked. Sales have dropped and reviews have dried up, but i’m too stubborn to change what I want to write. I will always tell the stories I want to tell, the exact way I want to tell them, i’m just hoping my ambitions and the readers wants align this time. If not, so be it, but like I said, hopefully this one stands a chance of getting some more reads.
So here is Beneath The Rot. The cover and synopsis, with the pre-order link available below. I’d love to see this one smash my embarrassing low pre-order record of 7 sales (Which incidentally was the first Rot) and go on to be a book that loads of readers give a chance too, but whatever happens, i’m proud of this book and how my writing is evolving. My aim is always to make the next book read better than the last. To show improvement in the craft of writing. I feel i’ve done that, and for me, that’s a good place to start with every new project.
Beneath The Rot Synopsis:
The Rot.
No longer dismissed as urban legend.
No longer blamed on mass hysteria.
It’s real.
It’s real, it’s evil, and it’s stronger than ever.
Infecting people. Driving them to acts of violent, sadistic depravity. Turning them against their nearest and dearest. Causing widespread terror and panic. Plunging an entire nation into chaos.
Striking at random, without warning. With no way to know who might be next, or what atrocities will be unleashed.
Unless someone can find a way to stop it, before it’s too late.
You Can Pre-Order Beneath The Rot Here:
Thanks to anyone who read the first, and a massive thanks to any of you who pre-order, or end up reading the sequel. If possible, if you’ve done any of those things could you leave a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads and help me get this book more notice. Any review helps, positive or negative. It’s time for me to push on with my career and my hope is this book can be the start of that.
Stephen.