C.D. Allen, Author of Dark Fiction

I decided to write a little more about my work, for those of you who don't know who I am or haven't read what I've published.

First off, where I like to write is a bit strange. I think of myself as a suspense/crime writer with an interest in the supernatural and occult. I don't so much write horror, though I do on occasion, but most of my work skirt the edge of the possible. That is, certain people believe that it's very possible ghosts walk in shadows around us and can sometimes be seen. So I go there. But most people do not believe that people run around fighting demons with swords. That stretches the imagination into fantasy-land, so I reject those possibilities in my novels. (I have, however, stretched this envelope with some of my shorter stories for horror magazines and anthologies, but I don't write many of them. Even most of my horror remains with the possible.)

I don't read many short stories, to be truthful. I'm sort of hard-wired for 'roomy' pieces, so I do better work on novellas and novels and enjoy reading them more as well. That is why I've slowed down my work on short pieces and am working towards finishing my first book (which is now in editing).

I enjoy editing other's work, so I belong to +The Horror Library+. There, I analyze and critique other writer's work and strive to help them become 'publishable' as much as I can. Doing so has helped me learn a helluva lot about what to do and what not to do, faster than I've ever learned before. With any luck, my work will be on shelves sooner than I first suspected (crosses fingers).

That's about it for now, but I'll leave you with other author's reactions to stories and novellas that I've published. Have a good day everybody!

~Chas

"[C.D. Allen's The Rector House] ... had me hooked throughout, especially from the time Margret jumped from the bridge. The darker images were a bonus and when I was done, I actually wanted more--something I never really felt while reading Lovecraft."
~A. Jefferson Brown, Contributing Writer, Horror Library


"The People Of The After. I loved this story, the provocative language and images, the subject matter and the idea of the After People. I liked that it was a story about family and struggle on a large scale and of love. The end was as good as the middle..."
~SJ Finn, author

"[...The Rector House was] well-written, with nicely realized elements of the disturbing and macabre. The characters, while none are what I'd call highly sympathetic (and I'm not saying they should be), are convincingly portrayed - especially Samuel, who I found to be a particularly frightening character with his perversions and dark practices. Also, the revelation of his children's true nature was a very nice, and well-depicted, segment of the tale."
~D.C. Sowders, author