Breaking Point (16 page)

I also enjoyed the challenge of a voice that wouldn't swear, just to prove I could do it.

The Debt

I know we shouldn't play favorites, but we do. And I have to say that The Debt is my personal favorite tale of the four in this collection. I enjoyed just about everything about writing this piece – the voice, the setting, the sense of creeping dread... bliss.

The idea came from serious consideration of a hypothetical moral dilemma which, to my shame, I can't locate the root of (it may have just bubbled up organically – such thoughts do, from time to time). The dilemma was this: Would you kill a child you did not know to prevent serious harm – but, crucially, not death – to your own kid?

As someone who had at the time of writing this story recently become a parent, it was a deeply uncomfortable question. The obvious moral answer kept butting against that ominous phrase 'serious harm'. It started to really bug me. And I found myself trying to render the hypothetical concrete, trying to figure out how, exactly, someone comes to be in that position in the first place. The Debt was my attempt to make sense of that conundrum, to make it real. I think I succeeded in that – again, reader feedback suggests so.

I'm also particularly happy with this one because it manages to cover small p-political ground without being remotely preachy. I'm a politically active person, but there is little I despise more than message fiction – of any stripe – it feels almost sacrilegious to me to bend a narrative, or worse, buckle reality itself, to serve some wider point. I see my job as a writer as one of entertainer, first and last, and like my idols, what I most want is for you, the reader, to
feel.
If I can make you think, that's a bonus, but it's not the gig, and I don't try and kid myself that it is, for that way lies that most mortal of all possible sins – boring writing. That said, there's a lot about the world that makes me angry, and I got to talk about some of that honestly with Del's story, and I am well satisfied with that, especially as that anger drives the story, gives it shape. The political is always personal, they say, and Del, as flawed as he is, felt like a good person to get personal with.

A word on the ending; that, I didn't plan. Or rather, I planned something different. But when I got there, and looked at the elegance of that final sentence, I realized the way it threw the dilemma back at the reader was just too good an opportunity to pass up. Some days you just get lucky.

Genesis

And so we come to the joker of the pack. Genesis was written in late 2014, as a prequel to my then-unpublished novel GodBomb! It was written as a response to an anthology call for the 'At Hell's Gate' charity series. Volume 2 was called 'Origins Of Evil', and as you might expect was themed around 'patient zero' type stories – literally in many cases, as many of the authors involved had on-going zombie series, and wanted to tell a tale set in their world.

It occurred to me looking at the call that I could do something a little different, and write a story that would serve either as an advert for GodBomb!, or a fun ancillary piece – a bonus track, if you like. And really, that was the challenge with writing it – I wanted it to work in such a way that it would enhance the novel for those who'd already read it, while also hopefully enticing those who hadn't yet read it to give it a whirl. Also, it had to stand alone well enough to be a satisfying read in its own right.

Reading it again for this collection, I'm most struck with how well it fits thematically with the other three stories. We went through about a bazillion suggestions for titles for this collection before settling on 'Breaking Point', but having done so, I was startled by how snug a fit this piece was. I also learned something else very useful from this one – sensory deprivation is creepy as hell.

I also can't deny that, for all my soapboxing earlier about psychopaths and the banality of evil, it felt good to scratch the itch and take a peek behind the mask of the protagonist of GodBomb! I spent many, many hours in that church with him over the two and a half years from first word to publication, and one of the side effects of that (IMO still correct) decision to keep 'Issac' away from being a point of view character was that a lot about him went unsaid. Again, I personally think that's a strength of the novel, but at the same time, it meant that I had to keep a lot of things in my head. It felt good to get them out.

So there you have it. I hope some of the above proved either interesting or entertaining. Even if it did neither, thanks again for coming this far with me. When I write a first draft, it's always for myself, but by the time the work is out in he world, it requires you, dear reader, to give it life and meaning. So I'm grateful for your company. Hopefully, I'll see you again, further up the trail.

Kit Power

13/3/16

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I had a lot of help and support in getting these stories to you. For the original editions of these tales, I'd like to thank Melissa Saxby, who took the red pen to the first three stories and got them into market shape, and also Ingrid Hall, who did a further edit polish and ebook formatting for Lifeline – couldn't have done it without you. Special thanks also goes to Cameron Trost, editor in chief of Black Beacon Books, who took a flyer on The Loving Husband and The Debt, and this totally unknown author, purely because he dug the stories. That early support and validation meant the world, and I thank you for it. Thanks also to Greg Chapman who did the original cover art for both titles. I'm also grateful to the tireless Shana Festa, who organized the Hell's Gate anthology series and invited me to participate – again, it was a massive vote of confidence that I remain hugely grateful for. And always, always, The GingerFather himself, Jim Mcleod, who took me on as a regular writer for The Gingernuts of Horror website in 2014. I never take that kindness or platform for granted, and remain incredibly grateful for your confidence in me. I'd also like to thank every single person who read and reviewed these early stories – again, your support and willingness to take on an unknown author’s work was a source of encouragement when I needed it most.

For this edition, I'd like to thank my partners in crime at The Sinister Horror Company for having me back into the fold after GodBomb! Special thanks to Jorge Wiles and Vincent Hunt for the outstanding cover art, and J R Park and Daniel Marc Chant for the editing and formatting work. As much as I am a huge fan of ebooks, I can't deny there's a special pleasure in seeing your words in print, and it's an honor to be in such good company.

I'd also like to thank all my beta readers, past and present – every single one of you helped make these stories better.

Finally, I'd like to thank my wife – confidant, supporter, encourager, enabler, and voice coach for The Debt. I couldn't do any of it without you. It's all for you, my love.

KP

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kit Power lives in Milton Keynes, England, and insists he’s fine with that. His short fiction has been widely submitted, and occasionally published, including in Splatterpunk magazine, The 'At Hells Gate' anthology series, 'The Black Room Manuscripts Vol. 1' anthology, and most recently 'Easter Eggs and Bunny Boilers', an Easter themed anthology complied by THE Matt Shaw. His debut novel 'GodBomb!' was published by The Sinister Horror Company in 2015, and his forthcoming collection 'A Warning About Your Future Enslavement That You Will Dismiss As A Collection Of Short Fiction And Collected Essays By Kit Power' will be released in 2016. 

He also blogs and occasionally reviews for The Gingernuts of Horror website, primarily via his monthly series 'My Life In Horror', which periodically goes viral, to his utter bafflement. If you want to know, among other things, why Robocop is the greatest movie ever made, please see http://www.gingernutsofhorror.com/my-life-in-horror.html

He is also the lead singer and chief lyricist for near-legendary rock band The Disciples Of Gonzo, who have thus far managed to avoid world-conquering fame and fortune, though it’s clearly only a matter of time. They lurk online at  http://disciplesofgonzo.com/.

North Devon, England. 1995.

A born-again revival meeting in a public building. The usual mix of the faithful, the curious and the desperate. And one other… an atheist suicide bomber.

He’s angry. He wants answers.

And if God doesn’t come and talk to him personally, he’s going to kill everyone in the building…

“‘God Bomb!’ is a truly unique novel... ... as eloquent as it is brutal.” -
Chris Hall, DLS reviews

“This is storytelling at its very best.” -
Confessions of a reviewer Book Blog

“
I found Godbomb! to be a totally engrossing read from the very first word … It's a book I think everyone should read, just so you can say you were among the first.” -
Frank Errington, Cemetery Dance Online

“Twists, turns, shocks, death, saints, angels, devils and bastards. Whether you’re a believer or not, I thoroughly recommend GodBomb!” -
Nathan Robinson, Snakebite Reviews

“This is a top notch piece of dark story telling with very few rays of light allowed to penetrate its lean and literate text.” -
Andrew Freudenberg

“[GodBomb! is] a scalding hot pot-boiler with economy and a real finesse. I cannot recommend it strongly enough” -
Dion Winton-Polak, Geek Syndicate

“G
odBomb! is a must read, a perfectly written novel that will draw you in and refuse to let go” -
Andy Taylor, The Undead Review

Confessions Of a Reviewer’s Novel of the Year 2015

Dawn Cano’s Novel of the Year 2015, Gingernuts Of Horror

The Sinister Horror Company is an independent UK publisher of genre fiction founded by Daniel Marc Chant, Duncan P Bradshaw and J R Park. Their mission a simple one – to write, publish and launch innovative and exciting genre fiction by themselves and others

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