Amontillado Publishing

01/02/2022

We recently sat down with gothic horror writer Angela Darling and asked some questions about the upcoming release for her newest novel, Diabolical.

AP: What was the first novel that changed your life? I say “first” because I’m sure there has likely been more than one…

AD: (Laughs) Oh, absolutely there has been! Years before I read Walden, there was Hardy. And a book of his entitled “Tess of the d’Urbervilles.” It’s been a book that has expanded in its importance even in my later years, as it’s settled into the nooks and crannies of my own life. Tess was a victim of a society designed to limit her, hamper her, and yet she was a hero. I found the story tragic and beautiful, but even more so the fact that a man, Thomas Hardy, wrote such a poignant tale of what it was to be a woman during that time period. I think he was truly the first male feminist in an era where that was not the norm. Transcendental book, for sure.

AP: What was your hardest scene to write?

AD: Oh, by far that last scene in The Dybbuk. It was the most terrifying scene I’ve ever written in my 30+ writing career. It hurt my heart to put my characters through that hell. It just didn’t make me feel happy writing it, which I guess was entirely the point! (Laughs)

AP: Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

AD: I play a lot of video games and LOVE finding the Easter eggs. Of course I have little references and characters that I throw into the mix, even themes, that only a few readers might get. Like for example, Edgar Allan Poe himself shows up in a gala scene in Fallen. There are also a lot of themes that are reminiscent of the fear of being buried or entombed alive that was rampant in society during Poe’s era. Or in The Last of the Delacroixs, blink and you’ll miss mention of a fleur de lis branding on several slaves. This was actually common practice and a seedier bit of the history of the fleur de lis and its predominance in Louisiana.

AP: You definitely seem to love blending bits of historical potpourri into your tales.

AD: I really do love it. I’m a bit of a history and genealogy nerd.

AP: Why gothic horror?

AD: I’ve been asked this question a lot, actually. Mostly by people who know me outside of the writing world, because I’m actually a very bubbly person in real life. But there’s a dark romance to gothic horror that has always lulled me in. Even when I was a little girl, I was devouring Poe stories, draping myself in dark tales from Shirley Jackson, Wilkie Collins, Shelley, Stoker, Walpole…

In short, gothic horror has it all… history, romance, horror. I’m not talking about gory horror, or “jump out and scare you” type of horror. I love the unsettling horror, that slowly creeps into the crevasses of your mind, haunting you long after the story is through…

One thing I adore about gothic fiction is the passion. The love in these novels is often flawed, tragic, doomed... It’s Catherine and Heathcliff on the moors; it’s love transcending death. It makes you hurt. But, best of all, it makes you FEEL.

Above it all, though, my favorite component of gothic horror: The House.

Looking back on every single gothic horror novel ever written, the house is an entity in itself. In some cases, the house is a silent spectator, witnessing the terrors that happen within. But a lot of times, it’s an evil force, not just watching, but participating, patiently waiting, manipulating the poor souls that happen to be harbored within. 'Silence lay steadily…'

Indeed…

How many other genres can go from a tale of a fiery, undying love to the macabre depravity of man with just a few turns of the page?

THIS is why I love gothic horror.

AP: Tell me about the book you’re working on now, Diabolical. The cover looks wicked.

AD: Thank you! I take that as a compliment. (Laughs) Diabolical is about a woman who moves to a new town and begins to be stalked by someone or something. I really don’t want to give too much away but I’m really excited about this one. It will be my first full length modern day horror since 2019’s The Dybbuk. That novel really ended up being one of my most well-loved so I’m trying to give my readers a bit more of what they want.

AP: Do you find it hard to be a horror writer? Is it difficult to get in and out of that mindset to write?

AD: Actually, yes, it’s extremely difficult. I think this has lent to how I write and my process a bit too. I’ve never been one of those people who can write a little bit here, a little bit there. I usually have to lock myself in a room and just escape into the story for days. I become a bit obsessed, if I’m honest. I get weird when I write. (Laughs) That’s the only way I can describe it. I just get weird. It’s hard to be in that space. If I wrote romance, im sure it would be a different story.

AP: What’s on the horizon for you?

AD: I’m thankful in that I have a long list of projects I’m working on; there’s nothing worse than needing to write but not having anything to say. I’ve got a couple of series I’m focusing on.

Clown, the second interactive horror novel in the Can You Survive series will be out later this year, as well as Saul, the next book in the Rogue River series as well. And then im going back to Victorian gothic and writing a prequel series for the Thorne Family Saga; Hawthorne, Dacre and Baelfire.

I wish I had more hours in the day.

AP: Isn’t that the truth? Thank you so much for your time and we’re looking forward to speaking again!

AD: Thank you so much! Stay healthy and safe!

Diabolical will be released in February 2022. To learn more about this author, visit: www.angela-darling.com.

09/21/2020

Coming soon! The Complete Unabridged version of The Thorne Family Saga, by the Queen of the Macabre, Angela Darling!

New foreword and additional material that was edited out of the initial release! Experience the grotesque Thorne depravity yet again!

Sign up for the newsletter to stay up to date with new releases!

www.angela-darling.com

07/09/2020

Q: “Why gothic horror?”

AD: "I’ve been asked this question a lot, actually. Mostly by people who know me outside of the writing world, because I’m actually a very bubbly person in real life. But there’s a dark romance to gothic horror that has always lulled me in. Even when I was a little girl, I was devouring Poe stories, draping myself in dark tales from Shirley Jackson, Wilkie Collins, Shelley, Stoker, Walpole…

In short, gothic horror has it all… history, romance, horror. I’m not talking about gory horror, or “jump out and scare you” type of horror. I love the unsettling horror, that slowly creeps into the crevasses of your mind, haunting you long after the story is through…

One thing I adore about gothic fiction is the passion.

05/16/2020

There was a man standing near the river.

I crept forward slowly, careful to avoid the dry twigs sprinkled at my feet, but unable to take my eyes off him. For some reason I felt if I took my eyes off him he might disappear. A bird above ruffled the branches of the trees and took off, squawking loudly, as if trying to give me away.

The man did not move or give any indication that he had heard.

He wore an ill-fitting black suit. His hands were incredibly pale and protruded long and gnarled from beneath the too-short sleeves of his jacket. He was tall.

Too tall.

Abnormally tall.

Rogue River flowed on lazily in front of him, the water building in a crescendo to the anticipation of the rocks further down the bend. The man’s back was to me and I could not see his face.

Suddenly the smell wafted to my nose. It was light at first, merely drifting to my nostrils on the mild gust of wind in the gulley. One final, forceful breeze brought the smell to me fully, and I froze in my tracks.

The smell of rotten things. Spoiled eggs.
Sulfur.

A smell that brought back a childhood memory, one that I had tucked far back in the annals of my mind, pushed behind happier memories, even fantasies that I had created in order to avoid thinking of the truth.

Remembering.

Those lost 18 hours.

And the man who held my hand and led me away...

My hand slowly strayed low to the piece at my side, my fingers tracing the familiar metal as I pulled it from the holster.

That smell. I had smelled it once before. An unfamiliar car, littered with trash and beer cans as I crouched low in the backseat as I had been instructed to do.

Those lost 18 hours.

The man began to turn, as if sensing that I was there. I heard him make an odd sound; one that seemed out of place.

Sniffing.

He was sniffing me out.

Finally his face turned to mine. There didn’t seem to be anything out of place with his features. I tried to search his face for a glimmer of recognition of any kind but found nothing. He did not look familiar.

Yet his eyes.

Those eyes were beady and not right. And then his lips curled, the corners of his mouth snarled upward obscenely.

A moment later, he was gone.

Vanished.

And there I was, weapon in hand, shivering with fright over childhood demons.

Not sure who he was.

What he was.

Or if he had anything to do with the body of the dead little girl we had found lying two hundred yards away…

04/15/2020

Soon. 🖤

03/14/2020

Foreword to Two Miles, slated for release on March 20th, 2020!!

https://amzn.to/3b0pSVv

FOREWORD

I remember walking up to that area for the first time, all of my senses on heightened alert, trying to get a feel for whatever it was that haunted this land.

I walked up to the guide, the shop littered with souvenirs and bumper stickers, and smiled.

I told him I was a novelist and was writing a book about this area.

I told him I was the world’s biggest skeptic.

I told him to make me a believer.

The place I’m referring to is the Oregon vortex. A small patch of woods in the Oregon wilderness that has defied explanation for centuries. A small piece of earth that the local Native Americans called “forbidden.” Their horses would refuse to enter. The few animals that wandered into the area behaved strangely.

And then there was the physics.

This place seemed to defy the laws of quantum physics for decades.

In 1904, it was used as a base hub for a mining company that later dispersed, leaving crooked and sliding buildings in their wake.

In 1930, it became a roadside attraction for its claim that the laws of height and magnetic forces no longer apply here.

A geologist moved to the area and was in awe of what he found. A man by the name of John Lister bought land in the area in the early 1900s and spent the rest of his life studying the land from a scientific standpoint.

It was rumored that, towards the tail end of his life, he remarked that “The world isn’t ready to hear the truth,” and burned his research notes, dying before he could tell anyone what he meant.

We went on a tour guide group, performing little experiments of our own with yard sticks. Two people of differing heights would stand opposite each other, and then switch spots. There was a pronounced height difference.

I wandered into the gift shop afterwards, not entirely convinced, but not entirely unconvinced either. I got into my car and noticed the quiet. Deep in the Oregon woods, the sounds of the freeways or airplanes overhead, everything is gone. With the exception of the birds, the sounds of the animals in the forest in this area were non-existent. Precisely as the Native Americans had declared. I didn't see any squirrels, any birds, nothing.

But this place; there was something wrong with the land. The silence was almost hampering. Oppressive.

Most people were fascinated by the optical illusions of the place.

But I was more fascinated by its history. Over the centuries, there have been unexplained mysteries, wars raged between local militia and Native Americans, reports of Indian burial grounds emerging during rampant flood waters.

There’s a magic to this land that is undeniable.

I can’t say that I’m a believer.

But I’m definitely no longer a skeptic.

~ Angela Darling
Amontillado Publishing

It was a Tuesday when she disappeared.She was out of milk for a casserole she was making for dinner. Helen grabbed her keys, threw a goodbye over her shoulder, and left.And never came home.Five years have passed since his wife’s disappearance, but John never gave up hope. The search for He...

09/19/2019

We recently sat down with gothic horror writer Angela Darling and asked some questions about the upcoming release for her newest novel, The Dybbuk:

AP: It’s been a few years since your last release? Why the delay?

AD: It’s been a very trying few years for me. Quite frankly, other things in my life took precedence and were re-prioritized. But I’m back and eager to wrap up my first completed novel in almost five years!

AP: What makes The Dybbuk special from your previous works?

AD: This is quite possibly the darkest novel I’ve ever written. It’s also one of the more commercial works I’ve done as well. Most of my previous books have been Victorian gothic horror, a depraved little dark romance niche kind of genre. The Dybbuk appeals to a broader audience, I think.

AP: Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?

AD: Oh God, yes! (Laughs) But I also wanted to be an architect, a rock star and a princess. In the end, the writer dream panned out the best for me.

AP: Running low on eligible princes, aren’t we?

AD: (Laughs) Sadly, yes.

AP: Where did you get the idea for this book?

AD: When I was in my early 20s, I made the mistake of playing with a Ouija board. I’d never done it before and haven’t done it since. That experience was enough for me to know that it’s sometimes better to let things lie.

AP: What happened?

AD: I talk about the experience in the foreword to my book. Let’s just say it terrified me.

AP: Rumors are you already have a screenwriter interested in this book. Which actress would you consider casting as Bree?

AD: Oh, wow, I hadn’t thought about this one. I had a perfect Gabriel figured out for Fallen. But I could see Bree as I was writing her; her face, mannerisms, personality, everything. The actress would need to have an alarming amount of depth to pull off the hell she goes through. It would probably need to be an incredibly talented unknown.

AP: What’s next for you?

AD: I have a lot of projects on the horizon. I’m wrapping up the New Orleans series I started writing a while ago, and also getting started on a prequel trilogy to Fallen. I’ve got a couple of other series in the works as well.

AP: You’ll definitely be kept busy. And maybe, if you have time, keep looking for that prince?

AD: (Laughs) Perhaps.

The Dybbuk is available for Kindle pre-orders on Amazon. Release date on all mediums September 30, 2019.

www.angela-darling.com

https://www.amazon.com/Dybbuk-Angela-Darling-ebook/dp/B07WRSTPKB

05/03/2015

Resharing one of my favorites...

03/24/2015

For all my modern writers... ;)

02/27/2015

Newest blog entry on the music that inspired The Last of the Delacroixs Saga...