There are many reasons I love Twitter.  The personality of people, the breaking news updates in the publishing world, book promotions, and not to mention the fact that sometimes you can catch an author looking for a book reviewer. The ladder is how I snagged a copy of Troy Blackford’s short story collection entitled, “For Those With Eye’s To See.”  

When he asked if there was anyone who wanted to review a short story collection, I asked, “What sort of short stories?”  To which Troy replied, “Mostly horror, but all completely weird.”  Yes, this was our twitter conversation.  Mr. Blackford, you had me at weird.  I’d also like to mention that in his introduction, Troy states:

“The short story isn't the most respected or read form of writing right now, but I don’t see why that should be the case. If tawdry romance can make a literary comeback, then I think the short story’s time is due.”

I couldn't agree more.  I love short stories, reading them, writing them, drooling over them – and they are the perfect thing for someone to read who has a busy day.  Catch a story in between tasks at work, at lunch, or on the bus ride home.  So, for anyone reading this who hasn't given the short story a chance, I would suggest doing so, and if you’re into the weird, the macabre, and the twisted – like me – I would definitely suggest picking up Troy Blackford’s “For Those With Eye’s To See.”

These stories are fiendishly twisted, beautifully described, and never fail in sucking the reader right into the thick of things.  Each story is vastly different from the next.  His scenes are subtle, and he knows when he needs to show or to tell, and how to blend everything in between.  Blackford’s imagination is fun, original, and will no doubt in a few instances have the reader going:  “Seriously, dude, what the hell goes on in that head of yours?”

It is excellent and refreshingly original, not to mention it’s something you can read on the go.  I foresee many good things coming from one Mr. Troy Blackford.  Be careful though, wildly creative talent and addictive fans often lead to stalkers – which may only fuel more of the authors imagination.

"For Those With Eyes To See," by Troy Blackford gets FOUR ½ out of FIVE stars from me for being engaging, not having the same repetitious crap in one book, and I’ve only shed the half star because in the story “All In Your Head,” Mike knew the name of all the surgical equipment after doing crazy research, but Victor in “Promising Candidate” - a veteran trucker well versed in the lingo - never once referred to a refrigerated truck as a reefer unit.   However, that’s just my own little peeve because my daddy was a trucker in his younger days.  Don’t let that little tidbit deter you at all.  Trust me this is well worth the read if you enjoy the dark side of literature.

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About The Author:

Troy Blackford is a 29 year-old writer living in the Twin Cities with his

wife, two cats, and a son on the way.

His stories have appeared in places like Bewildering Stories, Roadside

Fiction, Roar & Thunder, the Glass Coin, Rose Red Review, and

Inkspill Magazine.

He has three other publications available on Kindle and in Paperback.

You can find out more about him on his website:

http://www.troyblackford.com

or follow him on Twitter: @TBlackford3

As a writer, I try to create a vast variety of characters so that they’re not all carbon copies of each other.  I’ve made plenty of characters that have gone through tumultuous situations that I’ve never seen or had an inkling of before.  Most of the time I think that’s all right, because human reactions vary from situation to situation as well as person to person.  Many times the phrase has been said, “There’s no right or wrong way to feel about a situation.”  It’s how we handle those feelings that dictates our next move, our next decision, and the path that we take.  There’s so many roads, so many journeys for characters to take, but what if that journey takes you somewhere that you’ve never been?

CE Murphy posted on twitter for her followers to tell her one thing about themselves.  The first thing that popped into my head was, “I was born and raised in Florida.  I’m almost 30, and I’ve never seen snow."

I don’t shun the stuff, but I’ve just never had the opportunity to see it.  The first time I went to New York was in the middle of March.  It didn’t snow, but it was the coldest environment I’d ever been in, and the result of not knowing how to deal with it was walking Pneumonia.   Still, I’ve never seen the white stuff, never felt it, or had a snow flake on my tongue, gone sledding, or any other reindeer games that come along with the snow experience.   So can I realistically write it?

There are plenty of plot environments that come straight from the imagination.  Worlds created that have new textures, geography, and so much more, but in a fictional world unlike our own, it’s much easier to simulate something, because it doesn’t have to be exact to our own.  People who’ve never been to India send characters their all the time, but is the same as someone who has actually been to India? Someone who has been to the country knows the intimacies, the crooks and crevices that Google may not be able to find.   I can use adjectives like crisp, frigid, bitter, but the truth is, I don’t personally know how that feels. 
   

As a writer it’s our job to convey the atmosphere, the tone, and emotions within the story.  Our imagination has to be wide enough, vast enough, and creative enough to draw the reader into our simulated literary world.  Each word we use has to be precisely picked; especially when it comes to something we’ve never experienced ourselves.  Delving into research, asking those around you who have experienced something you’re writing about can help.   Readers experience the world through the author’s world.  Sometimes, the writer needs to imagine the world through the eyes and experiences of someone else.