Bram Stoker Award® nominated and Splatterpunk Award-winning author Eric LaRocca‘s latest anthology novel, “The Trees Grew Because I Bled There: Collected Stories” is, in our opinion, one of the most cohesive and complete short story collections in recent memory, with stories spanning the gamut from profoundly poignant, meditative narratives, visceral and provocative body horror, through to fast-paced suspense thrillers; each delivering its own particular meditation on the human psyche.
Originally published in 2021 as ‘The Strange Thing We Become and Other Dark Tales’, this Titan Books re-release collection comprises eight dark literary tales with a prologue by celebrated bestselling author Chuck Wendig. Exploring the darker nature of love, these are all tales that meditate of grief, obsession and manipulation. Compelling reflections on trauma and tragedy all told in raw, poetic prose. The anthology features stories in which a woman battles nightmarish imaginations whilst looking after her young niece; online posts chronicle a cancer diagnosis; a couple spending a leisurely day in the park with their young child meet a stranger with terrifying repercussions; a toxic relationship reaches a terrifying resolution…
In anticipation of Titan Books publishing “The Trees Grew Because I Bled There: Collected Stories” on 7 March, CinemaChords sat down with LaRocca to discover the genesis behind the underlying themes in this collection of haunting and heartfelt tales before going on to speak about his next eagerly-anticipated release: his debut novel “Everything the Darkness Eats” in which an insidious darkness threatens to devastate a rural New England village when occult forces are conjured and when bigotry is left unrestrained.
Our full review of “The Tress Grew Because I Bled There: Collected Stories” is here and you can order a copy of the book here.
