A Terrible Place and Other Flashes of Darkness

by D.L. Winchester

Recipe for A Terrible Place and Other Flashes of

A few of D.L.’s favorite things.

The slightly demented mind of a writer
A splash or two of horror.

Combine D.L.’s favorite things and the horror in the writer’s mind. Jumble up until combined, and write down the results. Edit until the slightly demented mind is in danger of becoming fully demented, then publish.

109 pages, Paperback

Published July 12, 2024

Reviews

[Lez_be_readin_ya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly, this book provided an engaging reading experience. The mini stories were intriguing, however, just as my interest was piqued, they concluded, leaving me with a desire for more.

Star rating. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Milt Theo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike the author's previous collection, this one is purely made of horror tales, which, though a bit too short, are great fun to read and, at least a couple of them chilled me to the bone! They're all easy reads, confidently written, darkly humorous, and haunting. Some of them take place in cemeteries or emphazise the issue of death, others are set in the Wild West, and several focus on sports as their theme or setting. I also appreciated the, often heavy, sarcasm. My only complaint would be the placement of the story notes: either at the end of the book or after each story is fine, but surely not first thing in the beginning!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are all creepy and creative stories. I tried to read one every night but they are so good that I decided to read the rest tonight. The way many of the stories have social commentary woven into them made for an even more interesting reading experience.

[Paige Garland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable book, in my opinion. I enjoyed the author's Story Notes, it made each story feel very personal and I could tell from these notes that the author had a great time writing the stories. There were times when I was a little unsure of whether I would like a story, but each time, the story ended up going into a very interesting direction. I found each story to be well thought out and well-written; it is a great collection of short horror and does not disappoint. These stories were also great to read on breaks at work!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am biased on this one, but these are quick, fun stories ranging from creature features to revenge narratives to ghost stories. It's like a tasty sampler platter of horror subgenres. This title is a brother of D.L.'s other collection released this year, Shadows of Appalachia. So if you liked that one, get this one, too.

Stats:
Flash Fiction stories
Chapbook length (80 pages)
Horror subgenres

Reader advisories: death, murder, gore, kidnapping, assault

[Ali O · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book of short stories! They are all pretty enjoyable and entertaining. The stories are very short, but I actually enjoyed that. It made for a fun, fast and exciting quick read. I think the stories are well written; with some being pretty creepy, and others are more grossly funny.

[Nikkole Bowser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun, quick read! I love the little touch of the authors notes for each story. Every story in the book was short but unique and kept me engaged throughout the book. I really enjoyed reading these stories and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next!

[Joan Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you looking for a quick break before you go on to reading a novel. This collection is awesome. Many are spine tingling good

Ghost Flight was my favorite story. It's about a missing plane and the passengers on the plane.

The only thing is I wish the explanation for the muse of the individual stories for
me would work better after the stories.

Several of the stories I wish were a lot longer.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it but it also pissed me off only because I wanted a majority of the stories to be longer! Great writing!