What do you get when you mix 14 crime writers with a lockdown? Afraid of the Light – a crime anthology for a great cause!
Supporting Samaritans with this project was an easy decision. They are a wonderful charity, existing simply to listen to and support – without judgement – anyone who is struggling to cope. Their volunteers receive an astounding 600 calls an hour, which adds up to 5 million calls a year. And right now, in the midst of a global crisis, when feelings of loneliness are said to have doubled due to the lockdown, they’re being overwhelmed with calls.
Which is why every penny of our author royalties from the sale of this anthology will be donated to Samaritans, to support them as they support those of us who need a listening ear.
If you’re struggling to cope, please reach out to Samaritans. Call 116 123 or visit their website. They’re here to listen.
Afraid of the Light
The Afraid of the Light anthology was inspired by the following quote by 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.
With those words in mind, the fourteen of us went away and wrote a short story. The end result is a totally diverse collection of crime stories; some funny, some heartwarming, and many pretty twisted.
There’s a prison romance, tales of technology taking over, two different missing fingers, a secret hidden under a fridge, toxic friendships, new friendships, questionable gardening activities, and even some demons thrown in for good measure. I was blown away when I first read the anthology, as each story is surprising and brilliant, and no two are alike.
The stories – and authors – featured in Afraid of the Light are:
- 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
Foreword by Alex North
The foreword, written by the incredible Alex North (author of The Whisper Man, which I read and loved and recommended over here) is also deserving of a mention. I have to confess, I shed a little tear when I read it. Alex’s heartfelt words about the work of Samaritans, about turning to fiction as a source of comfort, and about the effects of lockdown, are certain to resonate with many of our readers. We all felt extremely humbled by Alex’s words, and we’re grateful that he took the time to support this project.
We hope that you, too, will take a moment to buy our crime collection, and in doing so, support a cause that can help ease loneliness and isolation at a time when many of us are feeling those things so keenly.
Afraid of the Light is just 99p if you buy the ebook, and £3.99 in paperback (it may take a week or two to reach you, given that it is non-essential), and can be purchased here.
I hope you love reading Afraid of the Light as much as we all loved writing it! And if you do enjoy the collection, please leave a review on Amazon so that it’ll reach even more people.
Thank you for supporting us, and Samaritans!
