Month: June 2024

The structure and writing of Days of Darkness

 

Days of Darkness proved to be a very interesting project for me in terms of the overall structure and kind of writing necessary to tell this particular story.  It is a unique story for several reasons, and as such it brings it into some rarer territory when it comes to the elements typically used in writing novels, or even feature film screenplays.

One thing that readers of the book may be surprised by is that Days of Darkness has no protagonist.  Nor is there an anti-hero.  In fact, the main character that readers follow the entire story with, Ambrose, is a very despicable individual, and any sense of an arc concentrates merely on the process of personal revelation, as opposed to a fundamental development of character like is seen with main characters in novella/novel-length fiction.

In most other realms of storytelling, it is difficult to tell a tale where the reader is not going to have a strong connection of some kind with the character whose perspective the story is being told through.  In most stories, the lack of a main character to bond with is a shortcoming.  In Days of Darkness, not only was it not any kind of shortcoming, I found, but rather a strength that was the best route for this tale.

Here, the dynamic of the story from start to finish is that of a steady, dark-edged thrill ride, and it is more the setting and the journey through it that propels the reader through the story, without the typical bond a reader typically has with a more common type of main character.  Ambrose’s encounters and interactions with the unfolding world around him, rather than a character arc, are what draws the reader in deeper and creates a hunger to see what comes next.

The nature of this story’s main character also had a strong effect on the overall structure of this story.  There are three primary phases in the novel, but they do not fall into any usual kind of three-act structure.  The first part of the story takes place in an urban setting, the second in a suburban setting, and the third in a rural setting, after which things come full circle for the climax of the storyline.

Throughout all of these phases, there is a constant escalation of action and scale.  It begins with the world as most of us know it, with nothing seeming to be out of the ordinary.  Then, things begin to gradually unravel, and as they do, the stakes get bigger in relation to the kinds of entities that begin to manifest and the chaos that breaks out and spreads within this world.

There is not really an ebb and flow, but rather a steady, expanding progression, until the reader arrives at the grand finale, which features an event that exceeds the magnitude of everything that has taken place before that.

The atmosphere, the settings, and the nature of this particular Hellscape drive the story on a continuum as Ambrose is taken along a macabre journey of revelation and ultimate accountability.

Looking back on Days of Darkness, I am confident that readers will find this book engaging, compelling, and intriguing; and even though it may be disturbing at times, there are thought-provoking themes regarding the nature and essence of evil underlying all of it.

To do this without a more typical novel structure, and without any sort of protagonist or anti-hero driving at the core of this story, has marked another stride in my writing and storytelling.  It is not the usual horror novel, but it delivers a powerful and unique kind of story that readers of the horror genre are going to love.  My wish is that readers come to enjoy it as much as I did writing it!

I am already looking forward to writing the next foray into the Hellscapes, no matter the form it may take!

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Stephen Zimmer is an award-winning author, filmmaker, and broadcaster based out of Lexington, Kentucky. His titles as an author include the Rayden Valkyrie Tales (sword and sorcery), the Ragnar Stormbringer Tales (sword and sorcery), the Hongvi Shadow Walker Tales (sword and sorcery) the Faraway Saga (YA dystopian), the Rising Dawn Saga (cross-genre), the Fires in Eden Series (epic fantasy), the Hellscapes short story collections (horror), the Chronicles of Ave short story collections (fantasy), and the Harvey and Solomon Tales (steampunk).

Stephen’s visual work includes the feature film Shadows Light, short films such as The Sirens and Swordbearer, and the Rayden Valkyrie: Saga of a Lionheart TV pilot. Stephen also co-hosts the Star Chamber Show, a weekly live audio podcast on PodBean featuring creative talents from around the world.

Stephen is a proud Kentucky Colonel who also enjoys the realms of music, martial arts, good bourbons, and spending time with family.

Author Links:

  • Website: www.stephenzimmer.com
  • Facebook: www.facebook.com/stephenzimmer7
  • X App (Formerly Twitter): @sgzimmer
  • Instagram: @stephenzimmer7
  • Threads: @stephenzimmer7
  • TikTok: @stephenzimmer7

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Days of Darkness

Ambrose awakens to find dense, rolling layers of ash-gray clouds spanning to the far horizon, shrouding the city beneath in a drab pall.  He begins his day, thinking it no different from any other.

Though it is in the height of summer, an icy, anomalous chill sifts into the air later that day, until it becomes colder than the depths of winter.

Then, the sun sets, and darkness falls.

The night does not end, as there is no sunrise to follow.

Bizarre and frightening apparitions begin appearing across a city and world shrouded in an inexplicable darkness.  It is only the beginning of an unfurling, deepening nightmare, one that will take Ambrose on a terrifying journey of self-discovery and revelation.

For Ambrose, and everyone in the world around him, the Days of Darkness have only just begun.

Print
Ebook
Coming soon to the Literary Underworld store!

 

It’s Pride!

This month Pride is being celebrated across the nation, and the Literary Underworld is delighted to share some of the work by and about LGBTQ people in our collection. We were proud to have been *technically* censored in Utah long before it was fashionable: when our new credit card processor discovered we had books with *gasp* gay people in them, they dropped us like a bad habit and labeled us pornography. (As the author told us, if it actually WAS pornography, it’d probably have sold more copies…)

Please enjoy these titles, by LGBTQ authors or about LGBTQ characters, and have a joyous Pride!

A Woman Unbecoming, ed. by Rachel Brune. A thwarted female defense attorney releases the baying of the hounds under a full moon, signaling the death of an era—and the birth of a new one under the Old Gods.

Most funerals are celebrations for the living—unless the guests decide to tempt fate and the guest of honor.

A bicycle ride becomes a contest of egos, but the male pursuers aren’t the only ones hungry for the race to end.

These women are going to cut the world and let it bleed.

Crone Girls Press presents A Woman Unbecoming, a charity anthology of horror and dark tales to benefit reproductive healthcare rights. Award-winning and up-and-coming authors share over two dozen stories and poems. If you like intense characters, powerful women, and twists you won’t see coming, then you’ll love this fierce anthology co-edited by Rachel A. Brune and Carol Gyzander.

Explore A Woman Unbecoming to revel in women’s rage, power, and agency—and support reproductive healthcare rights today.

Stories and Poems By:

Marc Abbott, Linda Addison, Alp Beck, Carina Bissett, Rachel Brune, Paige L. Christie, Ravyn Crescent, Elizabeth Davis, Angela Giddings, Nicole Givens Kurtz, Teel James Glenn, Carol Gyzander, CM Harris, Nicole Henning, Darin Kennedy, DeAnna Knippling, Tara Laskowski, Lee Murray, Bridgett Nelson, Jennifer Nestojko, Jessica Nettles, Christina Nordlander, Cindy O’Quinn & Patricia Gomes, Cristel Orrand, Jude Reid, Mike Robinson, Kathleen Scheiner, Jeff Strand, Anna Taborska, Steven Van Patten, Holly Lyn Walrath, Michael G. Williams, and Jeff Wood.

 

A Girl’s Gotta Eat by Elizabeth Lynn Blackson. What does a young woman do with the bucket of hate she carries around from her abusive childhood?

Lucy is about to find out. What does a man do when his faith in the security of his nation crumbles? FBI Special Agent Javier Torres is about to find out.

And when shape-shifting, man-eating daemons are revealed to exist, who does the succubus called “Vespid” feed on? The rich and poor alike find out, because sometimes a girl’s gotta eat.

Adventuresses by Angelia Sparrow. Take flight on an airship bound for ecstasy and California. Fall in love with a waitress. Or Medusa. Hold off the zombie invasion of Oklahoma or roll a rig through it in Kansas. Treasure hunt to save a feline lover. Enjoy a steampunk medical demonstration for curing nervous hysteria.

Ten tales of lesbian adventure take you to the far reaches of the galaxy, or the science fiction convention down the road, to Texas in our world or on a timeline when the Confederacy found a way to make radioactive bombs. Find your hat. Adjust your goggles. It’s time for Adventuresses.

Convent of the Pure by Sara M. Harvey. Secrets and illusions abound in a decaying convent wrapped in dark magic and scented with blood. Portia came to the convent with the ghost of Imogen, the lover she failed to protect in life. Now, the spell casting caste wants to make sure that neither she nor her spirit ever leave. Portia’s ignorance of her own power may be even more deadly than those who conspire against her as she fights to fulfill her sworn duty to protect humankind in a battle against dark illusions and painful realities.

Steeped in the legends of the Nephilim, The Convent of the Pure is now out of print, so snag your copy while supplies last!

West of Sunset by Dennis R. Upkins. For Brecken Everett, there’s never a dull moment. When he’s not dealing with a demanding course load and honing his magic as top student at Lightmage University, he’s working as a private investigator and using his skills to protect the innocent from the darkest fores. In two action-packed adventures, Breck demonstrates that outnumbered and outgunned is when he’s at his best. In Keepers, Brecken is enlisted to aid Jacob and Joshua Phoenix; twins, the last Pyrians, the last of an ancient race. The Brothers Phoenix are on a quest to uncover clues to their past. When they find a lost relic, a pair of demons claim it. With Brecken’s aid, the twins are determined to not only stop the threat, but have some fun in the process.

West of Sunset takes place a year after Keepers. All Brecken wants to do is get out of Atlanta. Heading to Los Angeles with his best friend, he plans a vacation of surf, sun, partying and relaxation… until the boys stumble upon a museum heist connected to a biker gang of vampires with plans to raise a most dark power. Matters get even more complicated with the involvement of a mysterious and powerful witch. Witches, museum heists, arising malevolent forces, vampire biker gangs, even Brecken’s vacations are just another day at the office.

The Night the Jack o’ Lantern Went Out by Alexander Brown. Halloween. A holiday that inspires memories, excitement, and a little bit of fear in everyone. A single day where all the ghosts and ghoulies come out to play and sometimes its hard to tell which of the creepy crawlies are human and which ones truly rise from beyond seeking unsuspecting souls.

Author Alexander S. Brown explores all the wonderfully terrifying possibilities Halloween has to offer in The Night the Jack o’ Lantern Went Out. Each month Brown delivers a new tale of terror laced with just enough nostalgia that makes us all hope Halloween comes sooner…and stays far enough away that the monsters don’t get us!

 

Glad Hands

Glad Hands by Angelia Sparrow and Gabriel Belthir. Chuck Hummingbird has a nice, safe run, from Pacifica to the Tribal Lands. Even in the fragmented United States, freight still moves between the resulting countries. When he’s tapped for a perilous run down past Heartland, the last thing he needs is a pretty blue-eyed drifter, but he can’t get Seven out of his head or his bunk.

When the Confederated States prove more dangerous than Chuck feared, they’re caught in a terrifying flight towards safety that will drive both of them and the love they’ve found to new limits. Or snag the whole Eight Thrones series for $40!