All That Chazz

How will it all end?

In 2018, I published a collection of short stories about several ways the world might go poof. Killer meteors, nukes, and pandemics, oh my! In those stories, I did not depict scenarios where big problems get solved. Instead, I focused on individuals facing the end.

What do you want to know about my new suspense novel?

There is a particular kind of fear at the heart of psychological thrillers: the fear that escape is an illusion. In Where the Night Takes Us, Dr. Simon Fethullah tries to step away from the violent world he knows. As a forensic psychiatrist working with the FBI, he used his expertise to understand dangerous minds. Simon’s testimony helped convict the Rainy Day Cannibal, but the victory came at a terrible cost.

Revisiting old work can produce a very particular anxiety: Is this how I finally discover a typo previously missed?

However, thankfully, no typos! Rereading that story after all this time was wonderful. And it pulled me into the next short story, and the next, and the next! It wasn’t mere nostalgia. Details I’d forgotten came flooding back. Not to toot my own horn too hard, but damn, that Robert in 2019 turned some good phrases and added clever twists.

So, what’s next?

There are logistics to consider, and a few minor adjustments.