June Story Spotlight - I Killed Dorian
"A little gift, Det. Fiennes, for old time's sake. Yours, Dorian."
This month the spotlight is on "I Killed Dorian", a slasher police procedural thriller.
Behind the Story
When I decided to make 'Whispers from the Dead of Night' an independent short story collection rather than an omnibus, it of course needed more stories than the original three I conceived.
'I Killed Dorian' is perhaps the story with the oldest roots. I first began writing it around a decade ago, a gritty crime thriller with elements of horror and erotic fiction. After only a few scenes, I put it aside in favour of another project.
Yet that nugget of an idea remained and I decided to see where it may lead, resurrected as a slasher with a mystery at its heart, wrapped in a police procedural shell. Now, the plot fell neatly into place and I felt excited about it.
'I Killed Dorian' was the first of the seven short stories that I wrote as I began the long process of the first draft, during the Christmas break in 2018. In finishing the story I was able to prove something to myself - that I could still do this. It was a breakthrough and an achievement, driving me to complete the following six stories over the course of the next thirteen months.
In the best of the slasher sub-genre, the killer's origins are very human, transcending to something almost supernatural, some in more subtle ways than others. I wanted to create something with that spirit, where the solution may or may not present as unexplainable.
Online dating has increased in popularity to the point it almost feels unusual to connect with anyone in the flesh without first doing so online - from casual hook-ups to marriages. Yet it's not without its horror stories. Though communicating via a screen seems to present an illusion of safety, doesn't it? So swipe away, but be warned - you may be just one match closer to a killer who preys on the lonely...
___
"The second killings had proved as seamless as the first. But tonight would take more finesse."
A killer who preys on the lonely…
Detective Fiennes is called to the scene of a brutal murder, a message addressed to him scrawled in the victim’s blood.
As the killer continues their campaign of terror, it becomes ever more apparent the detective is being taunted.
But can Fiennes identify his connection to the killer and avert more bloodshed before their endgame reaches its bloodthirsty conclusion?
___
Opening Scene
Ed lay on the bedcovers, quietly dozing, a contented smile on his face. It had been good sex – no, great sex, probably the best he’d had with a stranger yet. It was the thrill of the unknown, the excitement of a new body to explore, that gave him his pleasures with a stranger. But a stranger did not know what he liked, the best spots to touch, how his body worked. If he was lucky, they’d make a good guess, while the more conscientious lover would put effort into working it out.
Unfortunately, in his experience, the majority of strangers were in it for themselves. But he had hit the jackpot on his lucky dip tonight.
He had been surprised by how much he enjoyed the conversation, too. #613 had insisted on dinner, which they’d decided to consist of a takeout and a bottle of wine. They’d got on really well, much laughter preceding the moment when they found themselves kissing, shortly followed by the sex for which they had arranged to meet. He supposed it may have been due to the weeks they’d spent messaging, known only to each other as #972 and #613, but it felt as if they knew each other. He had never ‘made love’ to a stranger before. At that thought, he scolded himself with a frown.
He listened to the humming drifting through the wall, masked by the thundering of the shower. The flow of water abruptly switched off; he heard the shower door being pulled back, his lover exiting the shower cubicle. In the silence, he imagined him wiping the condensation from the mirror with the flat of his palm, combing his dark hair back from his face, pummelling himself dry with a towel.
The silence continued. Ed wondered if he had now become bashful, so different to the man he was when desire coursed through his body. Rising from the bed, Ed shrugged on one of the white fluffy robes provided by the hotel and passed the easy chair beside the wall, rounding the corner and walking the short distance to the bathroom door. He knocked.
“You okay in there?”
No answer. He knocked again.
“Everything okay?” He pushed open the door, greeted by a cloud of steam.
Stepping in, he slipped on the treacherous tiles...
___
Available as part of the original "Whispers from the Dead of Night" short story collection in ebook and paperback and the deluxe collection in ebook, paperback and hardcover.
Order "Whispers from the Dead of Night"
Order "Whispers from the Dead of Night - The Deluxe Collection"
Visit me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram
This month the spotlight is on "I Killed Dorian", a slasher police procedural thriller.
Behind the Story
When I decided to make 'Whispers from the Dead of Night' an independent short story collection rather than an omnibus, it of course needed more stories than the original three I conceived.
'I Killed Dorian' is perhaps the story with the oldest roots. I first began writing it around a decade ago, a gritty crime thriller with elements of horror and erotic fiction. After only a few scenes, I put it aside in favour of another project.
Yet that nugget of an idea remained and I decided to see where it may lead, resurrected as a slasher with a mystery at its heart, wrapped in a police procedural shell. Now, the plot fell neatly into place and I felt excited about it.
'I Killed Dorian' was the first of the seven short stories that I wrote as I began the long process of the first draft, during the Christmas break in 2018. In finishing the story I was able to prove something to myself - that I could still do this. It was a breakthrough and an achievement, driving me to complete the following six stories over the course of the next thirteen months.
In the best of the slasher sub-genre, the killer's origins are very human, transcending to something almost supernatural, some in more subtle ways than others. I wanted to create something with that spirit, where the solution may or may not present as unexplainable.
Online dating has increased in popularity to the point it almost feels unusual to connect with anyone in the flesh without first doing so online - from casual hook-ups to marriages. Yet it's not without its horror stories. Though communicating via a screen seems to present an illusion of safety, doesn't it? So swipe away, but be warned - you may be just one match closer to a killer who preys on the lonely...
___
"The second killings had proved as seamless as the first. But tonight would take more finesse."
A killer who preys on the lonely…
Detective Fiennes is called to the scene of a brutal murder, a message addressed to him scrawled in the victim’s blood.
As the killer continues their campaign of terror, it becomes ever more apparent the detective is being taunted.
But can Fiennes identify his connection to the killer and avert more bloodshed before their endgame reaches its bloodthirsty conclusion?
___
Opening Scene
Ed lay on the bedcovers, quietly dozing, a contented smile on his face. It had been good sex – no, great sex, probably the best he’d had with a stranger yet. It was the thrill of the unknown, the excitement of a new body to explore, that gave him his pleasures with a stranger. But a stranger did not know what he liked, the best spots to touch, how his body worked. If he was lucky, they’d make a good guess, while the more conscientious lover would put effort into working it out.
Unfortunately, in his experience, the majority of strangers were in it for themselves. But he had hit the jackpot on his lucky dip tonight.
He had been surprised by how much he enjoyed the conversation, too. #613 had insisted on dinner, which they’d decided to consist of a takeout and a bottle of wine. They’d got on really well, much laughter preceding the moment when they found themselves kissing, shortly followed by the sex for which they had arranged to meet. He supposed it may have been due to the weeks they’d spent messaging, known only to each other as #972 and #613, but it felt as if they knew each other. He had never ‘made love’ to a stranger before. At that thought, he scolded himself with a frown.
He listened to the humming drifting through the wall, masked by the thundering of the shower. The flow of water abruptly switched off; he heard the shower door being pulled back, his lover exiting the shower cubicle. In the silence, he imagined him wiping the condensation from the mirror with the flat of his palm, combing his dark hair back from his face, pummelling himself dry with a towel.
The silence continued. Ed wondered if he had now become bashful, so different to the man he was when desire coursed through his body. Rising from the bed, Ed shrugged on one of the white fluffy robes provided by the hotel and passed the easy chair beside the wall, rounding the corner and walking the short distance to the bathroom door. He knocked.
“You okay in there?”
No answer. He knocked again.
“Everything okay?” He pushed open the door, greeted by a cloud of steam.
Stepping in, he slipped on the treacherous tiles...
___
Available as part of the original "Whispers from the Dead of Night" short story collection in ebook and paperback and the deluxe collection in ebook, paperback and hardcover.
Order "Whispers from the Dead of Night"
Order "Whispers from the Dead of Night - The Deluxe Collection"
Visit me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram
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