Guest blog on the concept behind two stories found in "13 Broken Nightlights," a short story collection by Barry Napier
My collection 13 Broken Nightlights is the literary equivalent of one of those cardboard hearts filled with candy that we’re all accustomed to on Valentines Day. We know what’s waiting inside (in the case of my collection, it’s primarily dark fiction) but are never really quite sure what to expect. (Did you hear me restraining myself from making a Forrest Gump reference there?) 13 Broken Nightlights was put together with the purpose of creating a collection of my short fiction that had been published in print and online publications over the past 4 years. More than that, there is a wide range of dark fiction to choose from: from character driven mild sci-fi to twists on traditional myths; from whimsical supernatural dramas to over the top B-movie horror; from coming of age ghost stories to what-the-hell-did-I-just-read? To cover that vast selection, I have selected two stories to represent the collection. And just like the Valentines boxes, some have th...