Exploring Dark Short Fiction #1: A Primer to Steve Rasnic Tem

For over four decades, Steve Rasnic Tem has been an acclaimed author of horror, weird, and sentimental fiction. Hailed by Publishers Weekly as “A perfect balance between the bizarre and the straight-forward” and Library Journal as “One of the most distinctive voices in imaginative literature,” Steve Rasnic Tem has been read and cherished the world over for his affecting, genre-crossing tales.Dark Moon Books and editor Eric J. Guignard bring you this introduction to his work, the first in a series of primers exploring modern masters of literary dark short fiction. Herein is a chance to discover—or learn more of—the rich voice of Steve Rasnic Tem, as beautifully illustrated by artist Michelle Prebich.Included within these pages are:• Six short stories, one written exclusively for this book• Author interview• Complete bibliography• Academic commentary by Michael Arnzen, PhD (former humanities chair and professor of the year, Seton Hill University)• … and more!Enter this doorway to the vast and fantastic: Get to know Steve Rasnic Tem.Table of Contents includes:• Introduction by Eric J. Guignard• Steve Rasnic Tem: A Biography• Hungry (fiction)• Hungry: A Commentary• The Last Moments Before Bed (fiction)• The Last Moments Before Bed: A Commentary• In These Final Days of Sales (fiction)• In These Final Days of Sales: A Commentary• The Giveaway (fiction)• The Giveaway: A Commentary• Rat Catcher (fiction)• Rat Catcher: A Commentary• Whatever You Want (fiction)• Whatever You Want: A Commentary• Why Steve Rasnic Tem Matters by Michael Arnzen, PhD• In Conversation with Steve Rasnic Tem• The Subject Matter of Horror: An Essay by Steve Rasnic Tem• A Bibliography of English Language Fiction for Steve Rasnic Tem

ERIC J. GUIGNARD is a writer and editor of dark and speculative fiction, operating from the shadowy outskirts of Los Angeles, where he also runs the small press, Dark Moon Books. He's twice won the Bram Stoker Award, won the Shirley Jackson Award, and been a finalist for the World Fantasy Award and International Thriller Writers Award. He has over one hundred stories and non-fiction author credits appearing in publications around the world. As editor, Eric's published multiple fiction anthologies, including his most recent, PROFESSOR CHARLATAN BARDOT'S TRAVEL ANTHOLOGY TO THE MOST (FICTIONAL) HAUNTED BUILDINGS IN THE WEIRD, WILD WORLD and A WORLD OF HORROR, each a showcase of international horror short fiction. His latest books are LAST CASE AT A BAGGAGE AUCTION and the short story collection THAT WHICH GROWS WILD: 16 TALES OF DARK FICTION (Cemetery Dance). Outside the glamorous and jet-setting world of indie fiction, Eric's a technical writer and college professor, and he stumbles home each day to a wife, children, dogs, and a terrarium filled with mischievous beetles. Visit Eric at: www.ericjguignard.com, his blog: ericjguignard.blogspot.com, or Twitter: @ericjguignard.