In a Gilded Light

by Jennifer Brozek

A series of 105 vignettes inspired by anything and everything around the author. These vignettes all involve something she considered 'freaky' or thought provoking in some way. This includes death, curses, stalkers, monsters, rituals, kidnappings and/or lots of other intriguing, provocative or taboo topics. Along with each vignette is a personal author's note of what inspired her to write that particular story. "A dark and brilliant read by a master of the craft. Jennifer Brozek's imagination is a deep well of sinister genius!'
--David H Burton, author of THE SECOND COMING

"Masterfully crafted, this collection of vignettes by Jennifer Brozek will take you on a spine-tingling rollercoaster ride that shatters any illusion that there is nothing to be afraid of in the dark. These beautifully written stories are a thrill to read, but be enter the darkness of In a Gilded Light and nothing, not even an adorable puppy, will ever look the same again."
-- Lizzy Shannon, author of Time Twist, Dragon Moon Press

"In a Gilded Light is more than a collection of horror stories. It also serves as a portrait for everything that unsettles and defines us as fans of horror and the written word. Perhaps more importantly, it is the prominent milestone of a talented writer that we're likely all going to hear about in the future."
-- Barry Napier, Author of Debris

278 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2010

About the author

Jennifer Brozek is a multi-talented, award-winning author, editor, and media tie-in writer. She is the author of the Never Let Me Sleep, and The Last Days of Salton Academy, both of which were nominated for the Bram Stoker Award. Her BattleTech tie-in novel, The Nellus Academy Incident, won a Scribe Award. Her editing work has netted her Bram Stoker Award, British Fantasy Award, and Hugo Award nominations. She won the Australian Shadows Award for the Grants Pass anthology. Jennifer’s short form work has appeared in Apex Publications, Uncanny Magazine, and in anthologies set in the worlds of Valdemar, Shadowrun, V-Wars, Masters of Orion, and Predator. Jennifer is also the Creative Director of Apocalypse Ink Productions.

Jennifer has been a freelance author and editor for over ten years after leaving her high paying tech job, and she’s never been happier. She keeps a tight schedule on her writing and editing projects and somehow manages to find time to volunteer for several professional writing organizations such as SFWA, HWA, and IAMTW. She shares her husband, Jeff, with several cats and often uses him as a sounding board for her story ideas. Visit Jennifer’s worlds at jenniferbrozek.com.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely collection of 105(!) short-short stories, macabre little gems of murder and madness, darkly designed in the best Fredric Brown tradition. There were several that made me pause and think: "Wow, that would work! You could get away with that... they shouldn't print such a how-to guide." Each story is just precisely as long as it needs to be to deliver a little twisty punch, as the best flash fiction should. I found that they're the exact length needed to read through the commercial breaks of a televised hockey game. The author provided a scorecard/appendix at the end with the vital statistics of the fate of how many characters ended up in what condition which is quite diverting, too. I had no particular expectations when I picked this one up and was most pleasantly surprised- better than a hundred times.

[Talia · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. Not for me.

[Patrick F. Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I was fortunate to meet Jennifer Brozek at Origins Game Fair, 2014. She was warm, charming, and seemed anxious to give me nightmares. Jennifer recommends only reading one or two stories at a sitting. That's not easy to do. I find myself wanting to devour this book. Jennifer Brozek is a master of flash fiction."