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Out of the Darkness
By Lesli Richardson

Ancient evil forces a woman to fight for her life - and true love.

Man may forget horrors, but the land remembers. Built on a cursed patch of ground, George Simpson’s house of evil has ruined many lives over its hundred-year existence.

Author Steve Corey rents the place as an early anniversary surprise for his wife, hoping it might repair the deep rift his alcoholism has created in their marriage.

Before they moved to the Simpson house, Samantha Corey thought getting Steve sober was the hard part. But the house's dark nature has turned her thoughts to Matt Barry, Steve’s best friend and agent...and her old love. Can they overcome the ancient evil threatening them all from OUT OF THE DARKNESS?

Warning: Love, sex, violence, and a Labrador retriever who's no Lassie.

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The fact that this story started out as a creative writing project is what initially piqued my interest. I had to read it, simply because I wanted to know what would keep a person working on a project, not for months, but for years. Why would the storyline hang around and not be replaced by another?

Because the story needs to be told. I read this story several months ago, and I can still recall it, very clearly. I bent my own rule to tell you about it, since the pub date is January 2009. But I’m fairly certain it was being edited in 2008 so we’ll go with that.

The characters are fully fleshed out, real people, dealing with painful issues. You don’t just walk away from people you care about when they have problems, and Sami is a strong protagonist who does her best to work through the challenges brought on by Steve and their marriage. Who could expect the coming turn of events?

A little romance, a few paranormal elements, a bit of horror to spice things up, and plenty of thrills keep things moving along at a breakneck pace. Ms. Richardson does a masterful job of weaving all the elements together to create a powerful story. Before I knew it, I was captivated by the characters, by the house, the history and everything it stood for. The plot drew me in, and kept me turning pages, long after dark.

If you want to read a story that will make you shiver, even though it’s ninety degrees outside, this is it. For all of you Stephen King fans out there, I highly recommend this story.