I've been a great admirer and fan of Joanna Penn since discovering her website, The Creative Penn, in the summer of 2011. Penn is both an author and indie publisher and has enjoyed tremendous success in both fields. Soon after I discovered her, I featured her in a post called 5 Blogs Every Indie Writer Should Bookmark.
So, when, a few weeks ago, Penn asked if I'd be interested in writing a guest post for The Creative Penn, I jumped at the opportunity.
Not long before that, Penn had read my novel, Inside the Outside, and, along with all the very kind things she had to say about it, she was interested in my ability to write dark fiction. For the guest post, she asked if I would offer my thoughts on dark fiction, why people love it, and why writers like she and I engage in it. When it was complete, I called the article "Violence, Brutality, and Death: Dark Fiction and Why I Love It."
Here is an excerpt:
"The entertainment is the catharsis involved, the ability to give ourselves over to our greatest fears in a safe environment where we know we’re not going to die. This point, I believe, is also true for why I write dark fiction, as it gives me an active role in working out some of my own deepest, darkest fears, exorcising them on the page and leaving them to haunt the imaginations of my readers."
You can read the rest of my guest post for The Creative Penn HERE.