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Author: Brian James Freeman
Artist: Jill Bauman (interiors)
Page Count: 175
Pub. Date: 2010
ISBN: 978-1-58767-208-8

Rating:  (Rate It!)

Status: Forthcoming

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Choose Your Edition:  Trade Hardcover Edition  Trade Hardcover Edition (Signed by the Author)

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"The tone and building dread reminds me of classic Stephen King. Great velocity and impact, and super creepy. Don't go in the basement!"
— Stewart O'Nan, New York Times bestselling author of The Night Country and A Prayer for the Dying

"Spooky stuff!"
—  Richard Matheson, New York Times bestselling author of What Dreams May Come and I Am Legend

The Painted Darkness
by Brian James Freeman

Featuring an exclusive introduction by Brian Keene and interior illustrations by Jill Bauman

Update for Collectors:
The signed & slipcased Limited Edition sold out less than 24 hours after the book was announced and the Lettered Edition sold out within a week.

About the Book:
When Henry was a child, something terrible happened in the woods behind his home, something so shocking he could only express his terror by drawing pictures of what he had witnessed. Eventually, Henry's mind blocked out the bad memories, but he continued to draw, often at night by the light of the moon.

Twenty years later, Henry makes his living by painting his disturbing works of art. He loves his wife and his son, and life couldn't be better... except there's something not quite right about the old stone farmhouse his family now calls home. There's something strange living in the cramped cellar, in the maze of pipes that feed the ancient steam boiler.

A winter storm is brewing, and soon Henry will learn the true nature of the monster waiting for him down in the darkness. He will battle this demon and, in the process, he may discover what really happened when he was a child — and why, in times of trouble, he thinks: I paint against the darkness.

But will Henry learn the truth in time to avoid the terrible fate awaiting him... or will the thing in the cellar get him and his family first?

Written as both a meditation on the art of creation and as an examination of the secret fears we all share, The Painted Darkness is a terrifying look at the true cost we pay when we run from our grief — and what happens when we're finally forced to confront the monsters we know all too well.

How to have your Trade Hardcover signed by the author:
Just select the "Signed by the Author" Trade Hardcover option above and Brian would be happy to sign your book when it ships. No fuss, no muss, and no extra charge and no extra postage.

Early Praise for the Book:
"The tone and building dread reminds me of classic Stephen King. Great velocity and impact, and super creepy. Don't go in the basement!"
— Stewart O'Nan, New York Times bestselling author of The Night Country and A Prayer for the Dying

"Brian James Freeman's evocative tale about the dark corners of an artist's imagination is elegant and haunting.  This beautifully designed book with splendid illustrations by Jill Bauman is a pleasure to read and a joy to hold."
— David Morrell, New York Times bestselling author of The Shimmer

"Spooky stuff!"
—  Richard Matheson, New York Times bestselling author of What Dreams May Come and I Am Legend

"The Painted Darkness is a dark, terrifying, and deeply moving gem of a novella.  Brian James Freeman managed to both scare me and move me to tears."
— Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of The Keepsake and Harvest

"Wonderfully reminiscent of the quiet horror of Charles L. Grant, The Painted Darkness takes readers on a gently chilly walk through the forest of fears both conscious and subconscious. With Straubian lyricism, Brian James Freeman evokes not only the irrational terrors of childhood, but addresses the roots of creativity and the vital importance of art. A very impressive achievement."
— Bentley Little, author of The House and His Father's Son

Reviews for the Book:
"Freeman has written a memorable tale of how our fears contribute to our creativity and what can happen if we wait too long to confront the. It is a touching and terrifying novel that will make an impression that will definitely last."
— Barry Hunter, The Baryon Review

"Quite possibly one of the darkest, most beautifully written books I've seen this year."
— Paperback Horror

Watch the Book Trailer on YouTube:

About the Author:
Brian James Freeman's short stories, essays, novellas, and novels have been published by Warner Books, Leisure, Cemetery Dance, Borderlands Press, Book-of-the-Month Club, and many others. His short fiction has appeared in From the Borderlands, Borderlands 5, Shivers, Shivers II, Shivers III, Shivers IV, Shivers V, Corpse Blossoms, and many other magazines and anthologies. His essays, columns, and interviews have appeared in The Stephen King Library Desk Calendar series from Book-of-the-Month Club, Jobs in Hell, Hellnotes, and Cemetery Dance. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife, two cats, and a German Shorthaired Pointer who is afraid of the cats. More books are on the way.

Sample of the Interior Artwork by Jill Bauman:

Published in four states:
eBook With Bonus Features & Streaming Audio Edition (Free for a Limited Time Only at DownloadTheDarkness.com)
Trade Hardcover Edition with full color dust jacket ($19.99)
Slipcased Hardcover Limited Edition of 750 signed (by Brian James Freeman and Brian Keene) and numbered copies bound in full-cloth and Smyth sewn with a tipped-in frontispiece ($75)
Traycased Hardcover Lettered Edition of 26 signed (by Brian James Freeman, Brian Keene, and Jill Bauman) and lettered copies bound in leather and Smyth sewn with a satin ribbon page marker and a different frontispiece ($175)

Customer Reviews	Add Your Review
A Masterpiece!!!!!	08/13/2010 - by Debora Heestand from Tallapoosa, GA US
I read the ebook in less than 4 hours and it was the best thing I have read in a long time! Stephen King was my favorite author, but move over Brian James Freeman has crossed over! It's something everyone should read, it keeps you guessing and on edge to the point that you can't put it down.
You Will Not Be Disappointed	07/29/2010 - by Tim Martin from Ridge Manor, FL US
Buy this book and read it!!! You will not be disappointed or bored...Well worth a read and well worth $19.99.
Much More Than Just Another Horror Novella	07/28/2010 - by brownie from Riverside, CA US
THE PAINTED DARKNESS: Novella Review Grade: A Before reading The Painted Darkness, I had heard of Brian James Freeman before. He’d published (or is about to publish) a handful of books with Cemetery Dance publications, and is currently one of the editors of the Cemetery Dance magazine. He’s gone by several names—James Kidman, Brian Freeman, and finally Brian James Freeman. (He says he’s sticking with the latter.) But…I’d never really read him before. His other novella, Blue November Storms, has long been OOP from Cemetery Dance, and his Leisure novel, Black Fire, is stuck somewhere in the Everest that is my To-Be-Read mountain. The only work I’d read by him previous to The Painted Darkness was a short story, “One More Day”, in Shivers V—and, to put it frankly, I thought it paled in comparison to the other talent held in that anthology. Yet here in The Painted Darkness, Freeman has obviously matured much as a writer since my last encounter with his work. The Painted Darkness reads like something Stephen King would put into words; something that a well-renowned author who has had years to hone his writing would write. It reads like a master of the craft has written it. Freeman uses the novella format to tell his story, switching back and forth between the present and the past. It works great; and because the story isn’t novel-length, the constant switching never becomes tiresome. The plot tells the tale of Henry, a man who doesn’t realize just how much of his childhood is left inside of him, buried under several layers of fear and sorrow. That’s all I’ll say; since the book isn’t very long readers should go in unprepared for what they’re about to experience. As for the experience itself: well, let’s just say that Freeman knows how to slowly build his mysteries, adding layer after layer of fright and wonder into them. The final chapters of The Painted Darkness will fly by as you delve into Henry’s world of imagination and terror. So I’d never really read Brian James Freeman before. I’d never actually taken the time to dig up his works. Now, after experiencing the darkness? I can only see him going uphill from here.
The Painted Darkness	07/26/2010 - by Chris Perry from OH, US
I opened this compelling novella late one evening with the intention of reading a few pages and then getting off the computer to watch a movie. Many pages later, I was still online and reading, the movie long since forgotten. I finished the tale the next day and promptly began to seek out other fiction by Freeman. A bundle of short stories to read via Kindle software are now waiting in my laptop and I'm looking forward to meeting up with this writer again in the dark corners of the imagination. I'd recommend you do the same.
It all goes back to childhood	07/25/2010 - by Michael Sauers from Lincoln, NE US
Forests, snow, and rabbits. Basements, boilers, drain pipes and rats. Childhood and adulthood. This is an amazing read and I can't wait for the print edition so I can read it again with the illustrations.
Wowwwweeee!	07/24/2010 - by Lori Byrd from Arnold, MO US
Freeman is right up there with the best of them. King, Koontz, Bradbury, Clegg, etc. I can see this as a movie. Is anyone in the industry listening.?? Thank you for making this available for free. I wouldn't be SCARED to buy his books anymore. Great job.
Great so far	07/23/2010 - by Robert Krone from Plymouth, MN US
I am in the middle of reading a Stephen King book and a couple other books but had to take the time to dive into this story. This is the first time reading an e-book for me, and while I definitely the real thing over the digital format, the price was right for this one. I have not yet finished it, but based on what I have read so far I must give this 5 stars and say that I definitely intend to purchase the hardcover version of this book. Excellent writing and story and looking forward to finishing this story and will have to check out more of Freeman's writing in the future. I do think offering the e-book and audio stream of this story was a great idea as some people would not have experienced his work that now have. I don't know if I would have otherwise read this story and now I know I will want to read it more than once. Keep up the great work!
I thought that this was such a great book.	07/22/2010 - by Waylon Michel from Omak, WA US
I'm in the middle of reading The passage at this moment and taking the time to read The painted darkness has been such a treat. I have enjoyed this story I went ahead and purchased this for my collection. Thank you Brian and hope to read some of your earlier writings. Waylon.
A rare experience	07/20/2010 - by James Cook from Taylors, SC US
It is rare, and wonderful, to find a pice of work that can evoke such visceral images in the imagination of the reader. With a prose that is smooth and inviting, and a story that won't let you go, it's not hard to see why some very respected people are giving Freeman the praise he deserves. This is an exceptional novel that delves deep into the psyche and raises many questions that may have you examining your own life. Do yourself a favor and buy this book to support the author, or if you can't afford it at least read it and give him your honest feedback. Sometimes seeing how your work effects people can be an amazing experience.
Childhood nightmares brought to life	07/20/2010 - by Jim Duckett from Warren, PA US
The Painted Darkness grabbed me from the first scene. I finished it within two hours of the download. Very spooky stuff indeed. An express ride of a story with a wonderful and unexpected ending. You MUST get this book.
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