Afraid of the Light
At the start of lockdown it was often said the people least affected, jobs wise, would be the writers. And in some ways that’s true. Every day there’s still a bank of time when I’m glaring at my computer screen (or staring out of the window) hoping for inspiration. But for the first couple of weeks as the horror statistics continued to grow, it was impossible to do anything much except watch the news. Creative projects seemed surplus to requirements, ephemeral at best, self indulgent at worst.
Anxiety, something we’re all suffering from – a global affliction alongside Covid-19 – took over. It was difficult to sleep through the constant worry about loved ones, the fear of finding another terrifying progression of the virus the next day.
It started me and a group of 13 other crime writers chatting on WhatsApp about mental health. And what we realised, alongside sharing our own antidotes for relieving stress, was how much the stories we tell reflect human fear and anguish. We had all spent time researching and sometimes delving into our own experiences of psychological stress.
We decided to begin a lockdown project, a crime anthology of fourteen stories, with our proceeds donated to Samaritans. Afraid of the Light was born, inspired by a quote from Plato: ‘We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.’
It was good to be able to focus on something other than Corona and interesting too because the stories we came up with were all wildly different. There’s a soldier suffering from PTSD, a prison love affair, a robot with evil intentions, a debt-ridden couple driven to drastic measures – you couldn’t have picked a more eclectic mix.
Best of all was being able to do something for Samaritans, a charity close to our hearts.
Samaritans says the pandemic is the biggest challenge it has ever faced. Before Corona virus hit, 20,000 volunteers were answering a call for help every six seconds. During lockdown, when it feels as if the whole world is on a knife-edge, Samaritans’ work has become more vital than ever.
Alex North, author of bestselling The Whisper Man, summed it up perfectly in a foreword to the Afraid of the Light anthology.
He wrote: ‘Whatever story you have to tell, the Samaritans do something extraordinary. They will not judge you; they will not offer advice or tell you what to do; they will simply listen to you.”
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Afraid of the Light is out today in e-book £99p and paperback £3.99 and all author proceeds go to Samaritans.
Afraid of the Light in the UK https://amzn.to/35c5jnh
And US
AFRAID OF THE LIGHT
Some people are scared of the dark. But it’s the light that exposes the secrets.
A young boy with nightmares faces up to his demons. A deathbed confession turns the world on its axis. A five-year-old watches his parents bury a body in the garden. A soldier returns from the war to find the horror isn’t yet over.
Afraid Of The Light brings the imagination of fourteen bestselling crime writers together in a collection that will keep you up all night. From a deadly campfire game to a holiday gone wrong, to an AI assistant with a motive and a love affair that can only end in murder, this is a gripping, twisty set of stories to send a shiver down your spine.
“The stories are wildly entertaining in their own right, but they also address the concerns and fears we all feel: isolation and loneliness; guilt and grief; justice and punishment. And perhaps most importantly of all: redemption and hope.” — Alex North
CONTRIBUTORS
Are you Listening? – Adam Southward
Daddy Dearest – Dominic Nolan
Deathbed, Beth Dead – Elle Croft
Loveable Alan Atcliffe – S R Masters
Sleep Time – Phoebe Morgan
Coming Home – N J Mackay
Sausage Fingers – Victoria Selman
Just a Game – Rachael Blok
Drowning in Debt – Heather Critchlow
To Evil or Not to Evil – Jo Furniss
Sheep’s Clothing – Robert Scragg
Frantic – Clare Empson
Planting Nan – James Delargy
Shadow – Kate Simants
All author royalties from the sale of this anthology will be donated to the Samaritans.
Samaritans is a charity working across the UK and Ireland to reduce the number of people who take their own lives and help people who are struggling to cope with how they’re feeling or with life’s challenges. When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year.
You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org, or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.
Category: On Writing
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