OBSESSION
In the run-up to the book Birthday of my latest release, RED, I decided to review and analyse my stories to see how they have aged, consider if there is anything I would change, and generally share my thoughts. First, we have my debut release, Obsession…
REVIEWERS BLOG
A huge thank you to Fiza Pathan for taking the time to leave this review.
‘Obsession’ by exemplary horror writer Daniel Lorn is a short story that speaks to the lurking demon within us. Sometimes, it surfaces and enters our otherwise mundane lives, but most of the time, it lies hidden beneath layers of conscious and unconscious social conditioning. Daniel Lorn, through his deluded protagonist, brings alive this aspect in ‘Obsession’, which is inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe classic ‘Tell-Tale Heart’.
THE BACKGROUND OF OBSESSION
While struggling to finish my first novel (it’s still not finished), I tried to eliminate my writer’s block by crafting a new story. I had the seed of the idea but wasn’t quite sure where I wanted to go with it, so… I just went with it!
Instead of encouraging a jump-start of momentum for me to complete my novel… Obsession swiftly blossomed into life. The story's atmosphere excited me, and I knew I had stumbled upon a writing style I was finally comfortable with.
I wrote the first draft of Obsession in just a few hours, then spent a week editing it, as I just loved the concept of the story and couldn’t wait to see if I would find any readers.
I released Obsession in April 2022.
RECEPTION
On Goodreads, Obsession currently has 37 ratings and 19 reviews, with an average score of 4.16.
On Amazon, Obsession has 19 ratings, with an average of 4.2.
Obsession (an earlier draft) has over 20,000 views on the fantastic Dr Creepens YouTube channel.
Overall, this is a story most reviewers enjoy, and I am glad I went with this as my debut release.
MY HONEST THOUGHTS
I read through Obsession recently and was tempted (significantly) to tighten up a few areas, but I decided against that. I love the story's atmosphere, and if I were to make any changes, I would probably need to completely rewrite the whole thing and risk losing the story's original voice. My writing has improved since releasing Obsession two years ago, and I value having this story out there as an imperfect gateway into my world of horror. If you enjoy it, there is a high chance you will love my other work.
WHAT NEXT?
Although Obsession is a stand-alone story, I have plenty more psychological horror stories planned in this particular style. I would love to see Obsession reach 50 ratings on Amazon and Goodreads, and this would be a mind-blowing achievement for me.
IN CLOSING
In closing, I am blown away by the average score of 4.2 for Obsession. I will always encourage new readers to check this out first, as it is a perfect introduction to my work.
If you want to know anything else about this story, please feel free to get in touch.
Yours in horror,
Daniel Lorn