Author of HWA nominated Brother Lowdown, Dumford Blood, Borderland, Nightmare, The Moons of Summer, The Neighborhood, Green Lake, Black Night (written as S.J.Strayhorn) and Kansas Blue (written as Dylan Harson.)
On Twitter: Follow @SKEpperson
The Rift
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FD0ETY
Ten years ago I played an exciting though unwitting part in what I now believe to have been a hoax perpetrated on the members of a popular paranormal forum. I was among the first to respond to a terrified poster who claimed to have driven out of our world and into another, where strange creatures and oddly-shaped bizarrely colored plants existed. Soon another interested party posted, supporting the story with details of a mysterious book written about just such a place. So convincing were these posts that many like me were curious for more details, which whetted the appetite of the person (who I came to suspect was actually several of the people) doing the posting. Intensive searches for information on the details provided came up empty and what seemed like deliberate baiting, elusiveness, and similarities in word choices and writing styles of the various personae began to catch my eye. I presumed someone was having a great deal of fun at the expense of a lot of fascinated people. With well over two thousand posts the thread still exists today on the forum. People have written articles in blogs about its existence and no doubt the person responsible still congratulates himself on the thread’s length and longevity. Though I am certain he would absolutely love it if it were, this story is not about him or the forum. The Rift sprang from the possibilities the very first post, the one that started it all, suggested to the imaginations of those of us who became captivated. SKE
