I asked fellow Midnight Oil anthology contributors to share some things about themselves prior to publication and those generous enough to do so will be appearing here for the next week or so.
Each entry gives a taste of their contribution, a little about them, how to contact them, how their story came about, and definitely a link to Midnight Oil (which you should purchase because it would make each and every one of us happy.
you do want to make us happy, don’t you?
i mean, considering what we wrote, you want us to know you’re a good person, right?).
And now, Chris Barili’s The Snow Globe:
The cold December drizzle glazed the grave markers and made the soft earth smell musty and dank. Iron clouds formed a coffin-lid on the world that trapped everything inside, even the pallid daylight trying to slip away for the night.
Larry walked among the mounds. His steps were long and heavy, and though he tried to go gingerly, he often left deep prints in the rain-softened soil. He always worried he’d step on one of the mounds and leave a footprint on the dead. So, he placed his feet carefully, very carefully, as he made his rounds.
How the story came about:
I honestly don’t remember how I came up with The Snow Globe. It was an undergraduate story, so I’d imagine I was walking through a graveyard one day, when a story idea hit me.
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About Chris Barili: Chris Barili will retire later this year after forty-two years in the US Intelligence Community, so he can write full-time. He writes all kinds of stories, and has published fantasy, science fiction, horror, western, paranormal romance, and crime. He is author of the weird western Hell’s Butcher series, and also writes under the pen names B.T. Clearwater (Supernatural romance) and T.C. Barlow (western). Chris holds a degree in English from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (Genre Fiction) from Western State Colorado University. Chris is also a contributor to the WordCrafter Press Ask the Authors series: Ask The Authors and Ask the Authors 2022 and served as presenter and panelist for the 2020 Stay in Place Virtual Writing Conference and the 2021 New Beginnings Virtual Writing Conference, hosted by WordCrafter Press. His story, “Shaken”, is featured in Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories (volume 1, Midnight Anthology Series, 2023), from WordCrafter Press. You can fine Chris at www.authorchrisbarili.ink or .com, on Facebook: @authorchrisbarili, and X: @Authorcbarili. Buy Shadow Blade |
See all Midnight Oil stories here.
And for our finale, a teaser to the anthology
One Response
Chris Barili’s “The Snow Globe” has endearing characters, making the horror aspect more pronounced. The theme of Death is multi-faceted. The protagonist, Larry, is a graveyard caretaker, but those around him (living and dead) are all managing death in their own way. He is surrounded by death, grief, and yet also love. This story will chill you with fear and compassion!