by Brett Savory
But every morning, I’d come into the office, and no one had opened it; no one had touched a thing.
Last night, after work, I opened my bottom drawer, leaned over and pushed down with both hands, shoved it all as far back as possible.
Let them try now. Let them work for it. Let them sweat. Courage takes work.
PUBLICATION HISTORY
“Messages”—originally published in Realms of Fantasy (February 2006)
“Scenario B”—original to this collection “Apology”—originally published in Brutarian(November 2004)
“Freshets”—originally published in Queer Fear II(Arsenal Pulp Press; December 2002)
“Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event”—originally published in Denying Death (Prime Books; November2003)
“Jimmy Dale”—originally published at Gothic.Net(April 2001)
“Jewels”—originally published in The Asylum . . . Bedtime Stories for the Criminally Insane, Vol. 1: The PsychoWard (Darktales Publications; 1999)
“Water-song”—original to this collection
“Danny Boy”—originally published in The Asylum . . . Bedtime Stories for the Criminally Insane, Vol. 2: The Violent Ward (Darktales Publications; April 2002)
“Slipknot”—originally published in Borderlands 5(Borderlands Press; November 2003)
“Silica”—originally published at Gothic.Net (January 2000)
“A Diamond of Skin and Love”—originally published in Vivisections (Catalyst Press; March 2003)
“Subliminal Verses”—originally published in Trunk Stories (November 2005)
“The Collective”—originally published in Denying Death (Prime Books; November 2003)
“The Time Between Lights”—originally published in Brainbox II: Son of Brainbox (Irrational Press; December 2001)
“Running Beneath the Skin”—originally published in Outsiders: 22 All-New Stories From the Edge (Penguin/Roc Books; October 2005)
“Marching the Hate Machines Into the Sun”—original to this collection
“Landscape”—originally published in Trunk Stories (November 2003)
“Wall”—originally published at Ideomancer.com(December 2005)
“Bottom Drawer”—originally published in Vestal Review (January 2005)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brett Alexander Savory is the Bram Stoker Award winning Editor-in-Chief of ChiZine: Treatments of Light and Shade in Words, is a Senior Editor at Scholastic Canada, has had nearly 50 short stories published, written two novels, and writes for Rue Morgue Magazine.
In 2006, Necro Publications released his horrorcomedy novel The Distance Travelled. September 2007 will see the release of his dark literary novel In and Down through Brindle & Glass.
In the works are three more novels, and a dark comic book series with artist Homeros Gilani.
When he's not writing, reading, or editing, he plays drums for the hard rock band Diablo Red, whose third album, Lower the Troll, was released in late 2007.
He lives in Toronto, is married to writer/editor Sandra Kasturi, and can be reached through his website at http://brettsavory.com.