{"id":18579,"date":"2024-02-02T07:00:26","date_gmt":"2024-02-02T12:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/?p=18579"},"modified":"2024-05-28T22:26:04","modified_gmt":"2024-05-29T02:26:04","slug":"what-screams-may-come-this-skin-was-once-mine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/what-screams-may-come-this-skin-was-once-mine\/","title":{"rendered":"What Screams May Come: THIS SKIN WAS ONCE MINE"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"18520\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/what-screams-may-come-jason-marc-harris\/whatscreams-column-1\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/WhatScreams-column-1.jpg?fit=830%2C120&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"830,120\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"WhatScreams-column (1)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/WhatScreams-column-1.jpg?fit=830%2C120&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-18520\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/WhatScreams-column-1.jpg?resize=830%2C120&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"banner What Screams May Come by Rick Hipson\" width=\"830\" height=\"120\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/WhatScreams-column-1.jpg?w=830&amp;ssl=1 830w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/WhatScreams-column-1.jpg?resize=350%2C51&amp;ssl=1 350w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/WhatScreams-column-1.jpg?resize=768%2C111&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/This-Skin-Once-Other-Disturbances\/dp\/1803366648\/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1HVZBBUDZWO1H&amp;keywords=this+skin+was+once+mine+and+other+disturbances&amp;qid=1706482473&amp;sprefix=this+skin+was%2Caps%2C182&amp;sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>This Skin Was Once Mine<\/em> by Eric LaRocca<\/a><br \/>\n<\/b><b>Titan Books (<\/b><b>April 2, 2024)<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"18582\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/what-screams-may-come-this-skin-was-once-mine\/skin-once-mine\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/skin-once-mine.jpeg?fit=1556%2C2409&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1556,2409\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"skin-once-mine\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/skin-once-mine.jpeg?fit=661%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-18582\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/skin-once-mine.jpeg?resize=226%2C350&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"cover of This Skin Was Once Mine\" width=\"226\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/skin-once-mine.jpeg?resize=226%2C350&amp;ssl=1 226w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/skin-once-mine.jpeg?resize=661%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 661w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/skin-once-mine.jpeg?resize=768%2C1189&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/skin-once-mine.jpeg?resize=992%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 992w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/skin-once-mine.jpeg?resize=1323%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1323w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/skin-once-mine.jpeg?resize=1200%2C1858&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/skin-once-mine.jpeg?w=1556&amp;ssl=1 1556w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 226px) 85vw, 226px\" \/>Ever since his debut publication, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(now in a second edition with bonus stories), Eric LaRocca has been blazing a trail of broken souls and butchered hearts with each new release he unleashes. After a series of highly acclaimed novellas, LaRocca published his first full length novel, <em>Everything the Darkness Eats<\/em>, with Titan Books. Clearly a match made in horror, Titan is getting set to publish LaRocca\u2019s newest collection of four riveting novellas in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I cornered the author long enough to discuss his latest publication, the importance of being an aggressor to his readers, along with digging into what has caused the floor beneath him to be ripped out plus more!<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><b><strong>(Interview conducted by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/linktr.ee\/rickhipson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rick Hipson<\/a>)<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>CEMETERY DANCE: Although <\/b><b><i>This Skin Was Once Mine<\/i><\/b><b> comes after your debut novel<\/b><b><i>, Everything the Darkness Eats<\/i><\/b><b>, when did you actually write the stories for the collection?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ERIC LAROCCA: I wrote the stories collected in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This Skin Was Once Mine <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">over a two-year period. I believe I wrote the first draft of the first story in the collection in late 2021 or early 2022. The final story we added to the book (\u201cPrickle\u201d) I wrote relatively recently. Sometime in 2023, if I recall correctly. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Everything the Darkness Eats <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was written back in January 2021, so these stories are definitely newer and fresher.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Were there any other stories you considered for this collection that we might eventually see elsewhere?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Actually, the process in which we determined which stories would go into this particular collection was quite seamless. I knew I wanted the collection to contain four lengthy novelettes\/novellas. Surprisingly enough, there weren\u2019t any additional stories that we thought might be included. I\u2019m very practical when it comes to crafting collections of my fiction. I tend to think in simple terms and want to make certain that I\u2019m publishing the very best versions of the stories I create. I also believe a fiction collection should never overstay its welcome. Admittedly, I\u2019m not a huge fan of collections that include 20-plus stories. I prefer a more organized and precise table of contents.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What can you tell us about how these four stories connected to each other and the process of putting them together with their underlying themes of relationships, and how relationships both good and bad can have such a profound impact on a person\u2019s existence?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I suppose it\u2019s no secret that most of my fiction deals with the brutal nature of humanity. Moreover, the cruelty of human beings and how we tend to pick apart the weak, the marginalized. Humans are inherently cruel, vengeful creatures. I often struggle to see goodness and fairness when I consider humanity as a whole. The truth is &#8212; <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019m quite fearful of my fellow man.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I knew I wanted to publish another collection of dark fiction and I know for certain that I wanted to explore the ways in which human relationships can become poisonous and polluted. I think the stories contained in this collection share a lot of universal truths. Even if someone isn\u2019t necessarily interested in \u201cextreme horror,\u201d they can certainly appreciate the message that I\u2019m trying to convey with each tale. At least, I hope so anyway\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>How personal were these stories for you? What experiences might you have pulled from in order to capture the emotional aspects so poignantly?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seedling\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was the most intimate story that I wrote for this collection. For those who know me offline, they know that I\u2019m very attached to my mother. She\u2019s incredibly supportive of my career and often reads the first drafts of my work. If I look back on the fiction I\u2019ve published, I don\u2019t believe I\u2019ve written a story about a character processing the inevitable demise of their mother. I\u2019ve written extensively about \u201cdaddy issues\u201d (read <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We Can Never Leave This Place<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) but I think I\u2019ve carefully avoided dissecting my feelings about the inevitability of a mother\u2019s mortality. So, it was emotionally challenging to write that particular story. Reflecting on the piece, I\u2019m very pleased with how it turned out and I believe it\u2019s one of the most powerful stories in the collection because it\u2019s so emotionally raw.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The first two stories have a strong common thread about one\u2019s father; in particular, a father who may at one time have been there but has long since been understood or overly connected with. How much of these stories were from your own life?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I suppose that harkens back to my comment about \u201cwriting extensively about daddy issues.\u201d I\u2019m very fortunate that I have a very loving and supportive father. But there are certainly elements of our relationship as father and son that are complicated and difficult to properly articulate. I think all authors embellish and exaggerate what they know from their personal lives. Of course, I\u2019m lucky in the sense that my father has always been there for me. But there are moments when I consider the alternative &#8212; <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">what if he wasn\u2019t so supportive? What if our relationship was a little more volatile? I usually draw from that wellspring when I\u2019m crafting the more complicated father\/child relationships in my work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>I imagine it would be impossible to write the kinds of stories you write with so much conviction without also hurting and struggling right along with your characters. Along with the major entertainment factor of your tales, did they also happen to hold any sort of catharsis or deeper understanding for your own misgivings when it comes to your relationship with yourself and those closest to you?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oh, certainly. I\u2019ve learned quite a bit about myself through the process of writing fiction. For instance, there\u2019s a story collected in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> called \u201cYou\u2019ll Find it\u2019s Like That All Over.\u201d I hold onto that story in my heart quite a bit because it really showed me how much of a people-pleaser I tend to be. Writing that story was very eye-opening in the sense that it allowed me to understand how I\u2019ll ignore my own misgivings for the sake of politeness or courtesy. The art of writing horror fiction is intensely cathartic because it often feels like an exorcism &#8212; <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a purging of all the bad, the crude. I think that\u2019s why so many people enjoy consuming horror media as well. People often ask me if I struggle with experiencing nightmares. I rarely do. So many of my anxieties, my worries are left on the page that by the time I must go to sleep, my imagination is desolate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Which of these four stories took the biggest toll on you to write, and why?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Well, I\u2019ve already mentioned that <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cSeedling\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was fairly challenging to write because of my own relationship with my mother. If pressed, I would say that <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAll the Parts of You That Won\u2019t Easily Burn\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was another equally difficult piece to write because of subject matter. I\u2019m intensely fearful of inadvertently cutting myself with glass. Without going into spoiler territory, some of the scenes in that particular novella made me so squeamish while I was writing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>I can\u2019t help but read your stories and not think that their purpose goes beyond sheer entertainment and uncomfortable shock value at having survived your meat grinder from one tale to the next. That alone is worthy of our eyeballs, but then your stories also force us to perceive social and emotionally-charged concepts as a way to help us better understand horrors that are not so far out of our reach if only we\u2019re willing to look where you\u2019re pointing. How important is it to you that you tell stories which stretch our way of thinking so that we take away more than just a few hours of reading enjoyment?<\/b><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18581\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18581\" style=\"width: 263px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"18581\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/what-screams-may-come-this-skin-was-once-mine\/eric-larocca\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/eric-larocca-scaled.jpg?fit=1920%2C2560&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1920,2560\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 13 Pro Max&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1674936948&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;9&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1250&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.066666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"eric-larocca\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Eric LaRocca&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/eric-larocca-scaled.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-18581\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/eric-larocca.jpg?resize=263%2C350&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"photo of author Eric LaRocca\" width=\"263\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/eric-larocca-scaled.jpg?resize=263%2C350&amp;ssl=1 263w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/eric-larocca-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/eric-larocca-scaled.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/eric-larocca-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/eric-larocca-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C1600&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/eric-larocca-scaled.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/eric-larocca-scaled.jpg?w=1706&amp;ssl=1 1706w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 263px) 85vw, 263px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18581\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eric LaRocca<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I think it would be a travesty (and a true waste of my talent) if I created art that didn\u2019t force the reader to question themselves or their role in society. There\u2019s nothing more reprehensible than art that\u2019s been neutered or de-fanged. I understand there\u2019s a need for comforting and \u201ccozy\u201d fiction, but I\u2019m afraid I\u2019m not interested in writing about such things. I want to be a provocateur. I want to provoke readers, to make them react with shock, dismay, disgust, whatever. I don\u2019t want to be a devoted friend to the reader. I want to be the reader\u2019s adversary. I want to challenge them, to disturb them, to upset them. I think it\u2019s incredibly important to interact with fiction that pushes us outside the limits of our comfort, our \u201csafe space.\u201d When I pick up a book, I yearn to be destroyed. I ache to have the floor ripped out from under me and to have my day ruined because of some shocking truth the author has revealed to me about myself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>I am so grateful to you for taking this approach to your art. What books come to mind when you think of those which did pull off ripping that floor from beneath you?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oh, that&#8217;s an excellent question. The following books immediately come to mind:\u00a0<\/span><em>Tampa<\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0by Alissa Nutting,\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Empty Houses<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0by Brenda Navarro<\/span><b><i>,\u00a0<\/i><\/b><i>Organ Meats<\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0by K-Ming Chang,\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Minor Detail<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0by Adania Shibli.\u00a0I&#8217;m sure I&#8217;m forgetting other equally impactful books. But those four titles are an excellent place to start if you&#8217;re looking for literature that will disturb you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Obviously, full-length novels, such as with <\/b><b><i>Everything The Darkness Eats<\/i><\/b><b>, affords you the opportunity to really dive into the backstories and motivation of your characters and fully flesh out details the confined space for a short story or novella can\u2019t provide. That said, what do you think a novella can do with its limited space that might be otherwise lost or at least not served as well, in a longer piece of fiction?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Novellas are the ultimate \u201cinstant gratification\u201d pieces of literature. The most rewarding thing about reading a novella is how immediate and propulsive they can be. I think it comes down to immersion in the story. You can sit down with a novella and race through the chapters in a little under two hours or so. It\u2019s a one-sitting, fully immersive experience where you\u2019re imprisoned in the world of the story. Unfortunately, such absorption is not always possible in longer novels. You pick it up, you become engaged, but then it\u2019s time to make dinner. You set the book down and you\u2019re forced to return to it later. But that feeling of full immersion is not present as much. Perhaps it\u2019s a little more difficult to achieve with a longer book, but it\u2019s still somewhat possible depending on the skillset of the author. Regardless, I think novellas are wonderful because they are so compelling, and they usually employ such atmosphere in a short number of pages. Perhaps decent characterization might be difficult to accomplish in a shorter word count, but novellas are almost always narrative-focused as opposed to intimate and richly layered character studies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>I understand the remainder of this year is going to be a very good one for those of us wishing to get a bigger fix of your work. What can you tell us about the deal you made with Titan, what\u2019s coming next, and what themes and boundaries we can expect to be pushed to the limit from you moving forward?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I have so many exciting projects and announcements on the horizon. I\u2019m very excited about sharing longer novels with my readers and I certainly hope readers will join me for the journey.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Well, I can\u2019t let that teaser go without asking if you can let us take a glimpse of what\u2019s next up on that horizon?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I suppose I&#8217;m being a little coy on purpose. I&#8217;m afraid my publishing schedule is in flux as of right now. There are a few projects I haven&#8217;t announced yet. They will hopefully be announced soon. In the meantime, I&#8217;m really looking forward to the publication of my series of books called\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Burnt Sparrow Trilogy<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The first book in the series (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We Are Always Tender with Our Dead<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) is slated for publication in Fall 2025. The trilogy is so bleak and aggressive. I certainly hope readers approach it with an open mind.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Considering the fires have been heating up somewhat as far as potentially seeing some of your work make it to the big screen, is there any news you are willing and able to share on this front?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfortunately, there\u2019s not much news to share about film development at the moment. I\u2019d love to see some of my works adapted for film, but it\u2019s such a lengthy road to the screen. I suppose all I can do is focus on writing fiction and hope Hollywood catches on eventually.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Any parting words to prepare readers for what they are about to embark on with <\/b><b><i>This Skin Was Once Mine<\/i><\/b><b>, as well as for those who may find themselves reeling by the end of their experience with your collection?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I heartily encourage all readers to read and consider the elaborate content warning we\u2019ve provided at the beginning of the book. Check in with yourself before reading and really question whether or not you\u2019d like to subject yourself to this kind of upsetting material. This book is certainly not for everyone and I\u2019m hopeful that the readers that do interact with the collected stories do so with tenderness and care.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>And finally, what do you tell someone, or perhaps even yourself, who might be struggling to find themselves through a relationship which may or may not be the most stable or supportive relationship for them to be trying to grow within?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nothing lasts forever. We\u2019re all subject to entropy and decay. Also, (and more importantly) life\u2019s too damn short to surround yourself with people who don\u2019t give a shit about your well-being and happiness. Find the people in your circle who want to see you succeed and grow. I repeat: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">life\u2019s too damn short<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I was once told this by a very insightful and kind therapist: \u201cJust because you enjoy horror doesn\u2019t mean you have to let your whole world be consumed by it.\u201d Life doesn\u2019t have to be horrifying. Life can certainly be distressing and arduous; however, we\u2019re allowed to try to make ourselves as comfortable and relaxed as possible. If that means we need to end certain relationships for our welfare, then so be it. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I tend to write about the depravity of human nature and how brutality seems to be imbedded into our very culture; however, I refuse to be a victim in my personal life. I urge my readers to embolden themselves and refuse to become prey as well. There are so many opportunities for the world we live in to devour us, to annihilate our spirit. Let\u2019s disappoint it and thrive instead.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This Skin Was Once Mine by Eric LaRocca Titan Books (April 2, 2024) Ever since his debut publication, Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke (now in a second edition with bonus stories), Eric LaRocca has been blazing a trail of broken souls and butchered hearts with each new release he unleashes. After a &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/what-screams-may-come-this-skin-was-once-mine\/\" class=\"more-link button bg-gold white\">Continue Reading!<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;What Screams May Come: THIS SKIN WAS ONCE MINE&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3062],"tags":[294,2228,307,2207,3088,3063],"class_list":["post-18579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-what-screams-may-come","tag-columns","tag-eric-larocca","tag-interviews","tag-rick-hipson","tag-this-skin-was-once-mine","tag-what-screams-may-come"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - 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