A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS BY DAN COXON

A Light in the Darkness
Dan Coxon introduces Out of the Darkness, a brand new anthology of horror fiction that tackles the topic of mental health head-on, helping raise money and awareness for the charity Together for Mental Wellbeing.

We’re all familiar with the setup. It goes something like this: person suffers trauma; their mind turns to dark thoughts as a result; they become the villain in the horror movie/book/TV show of your choice. We can see it most clearly, perhaps, in Psycho – Norman Bates is the poster boy for every tabloid article linking horror movies and video games with violent crime. For many people outside the genre, I think that’s the image they have of horror fans: troubled, tortured souls, who spend their evenings trying to conjure Satan and sacrificing chickens.

But my own experience – and the experience of many of those who read and write horror stories – is markedly different. I’ve had numerous conversations with horror writers who have suffered mental health issues, and have found solace and comfort in the genre. By exploring the darker recesses of the human psyche, horror stories help illuminate and make sense of the world for those suffering from mental illness – a world of anxiety, and despair, and fear. It’s by shining a light on these emotions that horror can help us understand and deal with our own issues. Horror creates a safe environment in which to face our fears, a controlled world in which the worst possible things happen, but people still somehow emerge on the other side – as we do, as readers, entertained and unscathed.

Personally, I’ve suffered with depression since I was in my teens – a fact that’s only recently been diagnosed and treated – and I’ve had a lifelong interest in horror writing in all its forms, from the subtle and uncanny to the big-budget, bestselling horror of Stephen King. It’s in these stories that I found not only escapism from my everyday concerns, but also a way of facing my fears, of becoming bolder, and stronger. I’m naturally of a nervous and anxious disposition, and horror has been a way for me to test my resolve, to imagine worst-case scenarios and see that, actually, they might not mean the end of the world after all. More than that, it’s allowed me to accept a part of my character – my tendency towards negative thinking, my interest in the weird and the strange – and accept it as part of who I am, rather than trying to deny it or push it away. Self-knowledge and self-acceptance lies at the heart of self-healing. The horror community has provided much-needed support too, and I genuinely believe that you couldn’t meet a nicer bunch of people. It’s one of the reasons why the lack of conventions like FantasyCon and the first ever UK StokerCon last year hit us all so hard.

I’m not suggesting that horror might be a cure for mental illness. To do so would be as simplistic as the arguments that aim to vilify it. But when I first came up with the idea for this anthology, Out of the Darkness, it struck me that an above average number of people in the genre community suffer from mental health issues, and it would be to everyone’s benefit to bring the discussion of those issues out into the light. Acknowledging the problem is often the first step on the road to wellness.

Out of the Darkness collects together brand new stories by Jenn Ashworth, Alison Moore, Nicholas Royle, Laura Mauro, Aliya Whiteley, Tim Major, Simon Bestwick, Eugen Bacon, Gary Budden and many more. They all deal with mental health in some way, and many are written by people who have first-hand experience of the challenges mental illness can present. They tackle the topics of anxiety, depression, obsessive–compulsive disorder and other issues, as well as the pressures mental illness can place on family members and friends – sometimes obliquely, sometimes head-on. At times that can make for challenging reading, but the authors have all actively engaged with the central philosophy of this book: that with support and open discussion, those who are suffering from mental health problems can move out of the darkness and into the light. In addition, all the authors are donating their fees and royalties to Together for Mental Wellbeing, and I will also be adding my fees to that donation, supporting the charity in helping people with mental health issues on their journey towards better mental wellbeing and independent lives. Just by buying this book, you can help make a difference.

If nothing else, I hope these stories help you talk to your friends and loved ones in a different way about your and their issues, and that the horror genre will begin to openly discuss mental health in a positive and engaged way. In the words of Bob Hoskins, it’s good to talk. The conversation starts here.


Out of the Darkness is crowdfunding now on Kickstarter, including an exclusive Kickstarter hardback edition, strictly limited to 100 hand-numbered copies worldwide, as well as paperback and ebook editions. Please show your support.

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https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/unsungstories/out-of-the-darkness-an-anthology-of-horror-and-dark-fantasy

UPDATE: Out of the Darkness has already met its Kickstarter target, in a little over 8 hours! The campaign is now chasing new targets, to add authors Malcolm Devlin and Gareth R. Rees to the lineup. Visit the Kickstarter page for further details. Also, be warned that more than half the copies of the strictly limited hardback edition have already been sold - so get on it quick!