Where Once He Stood
-by Dan Coxon–
Available Now
“At this point, I’ve been a parent for half my adult life, and there’s nothing more scary than the idea of losing your children. This story started with a simple question: what would I do if my son suddenly vanished? How would I process that overwhelming desire to get him back – and would that desire leave me open to believing something that no sane person should believe?
I also wanted to ground it firmly in reality, so many of the places within these pages are real. I know the road where the main action takes place (although it has a different name); I grew up on these streets.
As you’ll see, the result is an odd mix of missing person crime narrative and Satanic horror, with some time slips and a little portal fantasy along the way. But at its heart, Where Once He Stood remains a modern suburban folk tale about disappearing houses and lost children – and the leap of faith that is sometimes required to bring them home.”
I also wanted to ground it firmly in reality, so many of the places within these pages are real. I know the road where the main action takes place (although it has a different name); I grew up on these streets.
As you’ll see, the result is an odd mix of missing person crime narrative and Satanic horror, with some time slips and a little portal fantasy along the way. But at its heart, Where Once He Stood remains a modern suburban folk tale about disappearing houses and lost children – and the leap of faith that is sometimes required to bring them home.”
Dan Coxon
“This skilful dark fantasy novella put me in mind of du Maurier’s Don’t Look Now and Clarke’s Piranesi. Unnerving and sometimes disturbing, it is nevertheless at heart a story about the enduring nature of love.”
—Una McCormack