My thanks to Steve Berman at Lethe Press for taking on another one of my books. Thanks to my literary agent, Elizabeth Copps, for all she does for me.
If you spent a few minutes staring lovingly at the cover of this book, you can thank Jim and Ruth Keegan for the original paintings that adorn the front and rear covers. It’s an honor for me to have worked with them.
Thanks to Ronald Malfi for the Introduction, for being a shoulder to cry on, a drinking buddy, and a pal. Appreciate you, brother.
I need to give a shoutout to Mitch Hull, Steven Duane Allison Junior, Joshua Poblano, and Jeff Terry, who are the founders and administrators of the Fracassi Freaks Facebook group, which has been so supportive of me and my work these last few years. They’re also stellar beta readers. Thanks, guys.
I want to say a big thank you to all my Patron supporters, and give a special mention to all those incredible Sabbath Residents, who drank the milkshake and lived to tell about it:
Erik Rios, Phil Haagensen, Anna Aquino, Mark Hazelden, Jeff Fischer, Joel Sundquist, Erik Mann, Zachery Long, Roberto Hull, Michael Runner, Juan Trilleros, Sean Ford, Cristina Mancini, Rob Dolan, Brandon Sharp, JJ Murphy, Jason McDonald, H Michael Casper, Anthony Farana, John Fahey, Twan Van Gastel, Frank Scott Valeri, Alexia Simms, Aaron D Barnett, Kyle Davis, Hans Curtis, Alex Berman, Kevin Heimann, Shaun Rosel, William Karl Stansell, Noel Badger, David Perry, Andrea Della Gatta, Roger Geis, Scott Griffin, Austin Carroll, Anthony Vincent, Steven Duane Allison Junior, Daniel Benoit, Chase Callaway, James Boyer, Thomas Finnegan, Christine Warwick, Alex Sierra, Paul Miller, Parker McMillan, Shawn Jones, Mike Hughes, David Swisher, Timothy Bedwell.
Lastly, I want to thank my wife, Stephanie, for all her love and support. Writers lead combustive lives, often windmilling madly between the very good and the very bad, between wild elation and crushing disappointment, with a lot of solitary time in-between. Having a partner in crime for this life has allowed me the freedom and the support to do what I do, what I love, and to create these stories for you to read.
I think that covers it, so I’m gonna get back to the grind. Until next time, friends, keep reading, be kind to one another, and don’t be scared.
PF
Los Angeles
March 2024
PUBLICATION CREDITS
“The Wish” first appeared in Assemble Artifacts #1, October 2021
“The Last Haunted House Story” first appeared in 13 Haunted Houses, March 2022
“Murder by Proxy” - Interzone Magazine 294/295 - January 2023
“The Rejects” - Amazon Kindle Single (reissue) - 2019
“My Father’s Ashes” - Hybrids: Misfits, Monsters, and Other Phenomena - July 2022
“Aquarium Diver” - Humans are the Problem - November 2021
“Serial Numbers” - Dark Murmurs: A Compendium of Horror - October 2022
“Overnight” - Unnerving Press - 2018
“Over 1,000,000 Copies in Print” - New Maps of Dream - August 2021
“Autumn Sugar” - Close to Midnight - October 2022
“Marmalade” - The Bad Book - August 2021
“The Guardian” - Black Static Magazine - November 2020 (Issue 77)
“The View” - Southwest Review Magazine - Sept/Oct 2021 (Issue 106.3)
“Row” is original to this collection
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Philip Fracassi is the author of the story collections Beneath a Pale Sky (named “Best Collection of the Year” by Rue Morgue Magazine and a finalist for the Bram Stoker award) and Behold the Void (named “Best Collection of the Year” by This Is Horror). He is also the author of several novellas, including Sacculina, Shiloh, and Commodore.
His novels include Don’t Let Them Get You Down, A Child Alone with Strangers, Gothic, and Boys in the Valley. His upcoming books include the novels Sarafina and The Third Rule of Time Travel.
Philip’s books have been translated into multiple languages and his stories have been published in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Best Horror of the Year, Nightmare Magazine, Black Static, Southwest Review, Centipede Press, and Interzone.
He has published deluxe editions of his work with respected publishers such as Zagava, Cemetery Dance, Thunderstorm Books, Earthling Publications, and Lividian Press.
