Available in Print and eBook formats.
Twisted Knickers Publications (January 10, 2012)
RTA, Mature Content, Reader Discretion Advised
Paperback 138 pages Copyright © 2010.
ISBN-13: 978–0982214541
Fiction » Horror » Crime, Fiction » Thriller & suspense » Psychological thriller
Book Description: Rowan lives at the edge of reality. After witnessing a terrible childhood tragedy, her life has evolved into a shifting state of death and decay. Barely a night without restlessness, barely a breath without torment, she exists in the periphery, her mind merely a footfall away from the abyss. Within that abyss stirs a creature so vicious, so evil, and it lies in wait, staring back at her, waiting for her to fall. Read Chapter 1.
Midway upon the journey of life,
I found myself within a forest dark.
For the straightforward pathway
had been lost. –Dante Alighieri
Notes on a Sin Eater by Cheryl Anne Gardner.
Copyright © 2008. Print Edition Coming in 2012
Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Dante’s Divine Comedy has always struck me as one of the most profound pieces of philosophical literature of all time, but never have those particular words struck me so deeply as when I was writing And Death Dreamt Us All, originally titled: The Sin-Eater.
To say that this story was painful to write would be an understatement, for Rowan’s story crosses and obliterates the boundaries of ordinary sensibility and rational thought. Rowan steps into the shadows more deeply than any of my other characters, and in stark contrast to my other stories, she finds no light there.
I decidedly threw my inhibitions into the abyss, and the imagery I have chosen to use in this story is bludgeoning. I had no other choice but to write it as it was meant to be written, for this is a story of descent: the full rejection of love and the unadulterated embracement of evil. It is the story of a ravaged mind, where reality is the nightmare, where the demons are very real, and where the pathway is so obscured by the darkness that all light has been forever extinguished.
This is not a new concept. The fight between good and evil has raged on in literature since the Bible. However, Rowan’s fight is completely internal, and even though there appear to be antagonists on the surface, they are merely manifestations of her own inner demons. Rowan’s battle is the battle between conscious illusion and subconscious delusion. There is no victory in a battle such as this. She has been tainted by tragedy and subsequently raped by the violent world she lives in. Yes, she continually struggles for understanding, but her mind, so damaged, cannot make a hard-line distinction between logic and fantasy. Or maybe she can.
My own mind has suffered greatly over the concepts portrayed within this story. To face the darkness in this manner is exhausting; to see the world in all its wondrous and frightening intensity is, without a doubt, terrifying. And whether Rowan is gifted with paranormal vision or merely going mad is irrelevant . . . for somewhere beyond the veil lies the depth of understanding she seeks.
Reviews
Her prose are full of lyricism and imagery that you will find both stunning and disturbing.Gardner makes no apologies for the way her characters treat each other, emotionally or physically. — Amazon
If you love lyricism, poetic imagery, and superb writing, GRAB THIS BOOK! I highly recommend this book, for inquisitive readers, for those who love imagery, and for all who enjoy psychological puzzles. — Amazon
Some have called it a Horror story, some, a psychological thriller. Its been dubbed lyrical prose & a supernatural thriller. We call it a damn good read. Once started, we could not put it down. I read the whole thing in two days. The imagery is sublime, the tension palpable. It’s available as a softcover/ Kindle E-book from Amazon, as well as online through Barnes & Noble. I wish all indie authors were this good. The really cool part … Cheryl enjoys lint as much as we do! If you love dark fiction you gotta get this book! — Bolt Cutter Design
There’s no doubt Cheryl Anne Gardner can write. Her main character, Rowan, is one deliciously haunted individual, and the prose proves both dark and inviting. — Amazon
Each and every one of us is just a few thoughts away from plunging headlong into official “insanity”. Gardner unflinchingly points out the dark side every human harbors. Gardner’s writing style is so eloquent, and her knack for observation and describing the depth of human thought and emotion is so acute. — Breeni Books
Gardner’s gift for turning horror, despair, and marginal sanity into prose shines in Death Dreamt Us All. — Amazon
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