Twelve Steps from Darkness

by Karen E. Taylor

Something's not quite right about the neighborhood of Woodland Heights. Five years ago, six children disappeared in this suburban heaven. When Laura Wagner moves into a house that had been vacant for most of those five years, odd things begin to happen. Not that Laura, a divorced mother of two, notices. Addicted to alcohol and prescription drugs Laura is oblivious to almost everything. But when she returns home clean and sober after a forced rehabilitation, she realizes there's something very wrong. A wicked spirit begins to prey upon her friends, even her children, avid to spread its evil message of death and despair. Laura's new life and new romance with Mike, the officer who arrested her are in jeopardy. She must learn to control her own inner demons before she can subdue the malevolent forces threatening to break free.

Genres: Horror

248 pages, Paperback

First published May 11, 2007

About the author

Karen E. Taylor is the author of The Vampire Legacy Series of novels, published by Kensington Books. A voracious reader of vampire/horror novels, Karen first started writing Blood Secrets in January, 1988. She conceived of writing the novel while living across the street from a very large cemetery. It was never intended to be the first book of an ongoing series, but fans who had read the novel demanded a sequel. To date, the series stands at seven titles, and has earned a cult following. Her short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies, including: Love Bites, 100 Vicious Little Vampires, 100 Wicked Little Witches, A Horror Story A Day, and Seductive Spectres. In 2001, she was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for best short story for "Mexican Moon".

Karen E. Taylor was born and raised in the Pittsburgh suburbs. A graduate of Churchill area High School and later of Grove City College, her first love was the theater, but now she admits that writing is better; "You get to write all the lines and play all the parts." She currently resides outside of Los Angeles, CA with her husband and pets.

Reviews

[Will Jelbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘I should have stopped at one’. I could relate to the wasted days that I myself have spent drinking. Then shaming myself for my worthless behavior. Grimacing at the large tabs and the questionable booty calls. This is the story of a woman, a mother, and a wife’s struggle to face her (and other’s inner demons), and a triumph over alcoholism.
For the first time the desire to see her (Laura – the protagonist’s) daughters was greater than her desire to drink. But on her way to see them she is arrested on a DUI by a man who she will come to know well when sober.
Better off dead, better off dead, Laura thinks of herself in the bath. Are these her own thoughts or whispers from the cellar?
With a tour de force in mastering the vivid instance, the author takes through the daily conversations of rehab.
From one cell and cellar to another…and perhaps all her furnace needed was some routine maintenance to stop the ghosts playing with her circuit breakers. Or perhaps it was her own mind’s circuit breakers that needed maintenance.
This is a story of parallels of the real and the unreal of people and of ghosts, of external and internal demons.
I, having had my own issues with alcoholism could resonate with the protagonist acutely. I have heard the inner voices telling me ‘I’m better off dead’, that ‘I’m useless’ ‘Go on just have one more drink’. Eventually Laura refuses to be bullied any more by that inner voice, but not without the support and the close connection to others. She acknowledges that without that connection, it could very well be her dead instead.
Her own battle with alcoholism won in the cell and cellar of her mind, comes the haunting voices from the cell and cellar of her house. It take’s a life full of death and a great deal of courage to face the tortured souls of a house full of death, but if Laura can help, then why not.
The narrator’s voice is soothing to listen to, good intonation and emphasis so no meaning is lost from the author’s voice. I listened to the entire book over 3 afternoons as I travelled on the trains in Sydney, Australia.
Whether you are an alcoholic, recovering or otherwise, or someone who just enjoys a compelling listen, or a fan of thrillers and suspense, this audiobook will not disappoint. 5 Stars.
Review by Will Jelbert, Author of The Happiness Animal

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cellar is a good haunted house story. Karen E. Taylor makes you want to know what's going to happen next to the poor Laura character who is a recovering valium addict and alcoholic. And despite her most human foibles, Laura is still a likable character. From the time she moved into the house, the basement always spooked her. She spent as little time down there as possible. But, for some reason, things get worse. It gradually becomes clear that she is not really living alone in the house. And her housemate isn't of the friendly variety.

I could kind of see where the story was headed, but there was enough up in the air to keep me reading. I really give this 3.5 stars out of 5. I liked it. It moved along well and quickly. Laura experiences character development. My only complaint was a little with the epilog. I felt it really didn't need it. It didn't need to have all the ends tied up in a bow. And I had a little trouble suspending my disbelief as to how the characters were acting in the epilog. Still, overall it's a good story. And if you like haunted house stories, you will most likely enjoy this one.

[B. Barron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty darn good Haunted house story.

[Erin Penn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked up as part of the Modern Magic pack - 12 paranormal novels, all first novels of a series. An awesome deal!

I finished reading Cellar by Karen Taylor at midnight last night - not exactly the best time to be reading this horror-ghost-recovering-addict story in a house with a damp, dark basement and parts of the house which knock at random moments. Yeah, bad idea.

First off, this is not my normal fare. I avoid horror and mental-health/addict stories, but it was in the Modern Magic pack where I knew a number of Urban Fantasy authors so I read it. It took a long time to get to the "modern magic" part. But in the meantime a solid character study was created for Laura, the Main Character - an alcoholic whose downward spiral included backing into a police car when leaving a bar. After coming home to the empty house following the sentencing, voices whisper in her head about how worthless she is - children taken by husband, loss of job, and soon to spend a month in rehab where they would take the one thing she loved from her - the alcohol. "She would be better off dead." Again and again the whispers tell her, or is it her own mind spiraling down.

And that remains the question with each situation - it is real or her addiction altering her world? Is the depression external forces or an natural internal reaction to her situation? And the real kicker - should she even care? Every step forward she attempts is matched by a failure twice as great. But three people do not give up on her - her two daughters and one police officer who has already taken the journey back from the bottle.

Will it be enough to recover from her descent into the cellar of life with the alcohol and to fight whatever has decided to reside in her basement?

Not for the faint of heart. I'm not sure which is scarier: the "horror" story or the alcoholism whispering its siren song to her.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

**I received a copy of this novel as part of a horror anthology, Modern Magic, from Falstaff Books via NetGalley in return for an honest, fair review.**


Laura Wagner notices some strange things about her new house in Woodland Heights. Phantom hands grabbing her in the cellar. Voices urging her that she would be better off dead. Weird sounds interrupting her phone calls. Disturbing nightmares about her children. A recovering alcoholic and prescription drug addict, Laura thinks the voices and strange things she sees in her house are just hallucinations brought on by getting clean during a month's stay in rehab. But soon she realizes that there is more to what's happening to her than just her body recovering from chemical and alcohol abuse.

This story, masterfully written by Karen Taylor, is incredibly creepy. It builds slowly, delving into the personal demons plaguing Laura Wagner -- her divorce, alcohol, valium, past mistakes, losing custody of her children. Her nightmares, hallucinations and suicidal thoughts seem to be part of her addiction recovery, but slowly morphs from hallucination to haunting. Culminating in a wonderfully creepy surprise ending, this novel is a must-read for supernatural horror lovers!

I was caught up in this story from chapter 1. At first I was pulled in by concern for the main character, but the creepy factor of this story snuck up behind me, catching me by surprise. The pacing was perfect. The creepy-stuff-happens-in-the-basement plot has been used before, but Taylor makes it her own, adding a new spin on an old storyline.

All in all, a great horror novel!!

Cellar is a re-issue of Taylor's earlier novel, Twelve Steps from Darkness. The author says the story is basically the same, but has been edited and expanded, adding new scenes and an epilogue.

Learn more about this book and Karen E. Taylor on her website: www.karenetaylor.com

[Allison Evarts · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as part of Modern Magic and I have to admit it creeped me the hell out! There is no way am I going into any cellars anytime soon and I'm having some trouble with my own basement... The book kept me engrossed and waiting to see what would happen next - forcing me to subjected my family with intermittent yells of ‘No, don’t go down there!” I don’t usually read horror but I liked it!

[Geoffrey Greeley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This kind of story is not my usual fair but since I know the author, I thought I would give it a try.
Karen, this was really good. You developed the characters well and the story line was a bit creepy, but I enjoyed reading it.
Next time, you can use my name as a character in one of your books - :-)

Geoff

[Petra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creeepy ghost story. Don't read alone on a dark and stormy night.