Edward Lee: Mangled Meat

Afterwords are often unnecessary, and even more often boring, yet due to a publishing intricacy, I feel the situation warrants a tad more verbosity from Edward Lee. When Necro Publications began production on their excellent DAMNED Anthology, the publisher teamed up with Tampa’s Camelot Books to jointly produce a super-fancy (and super pricey) “deluxe” edition for hardcore collectors. Only thirteen copies of this deluxe edition would be sold, and to enhance its uniqueness, I was contracted to write a story that would be exclusive to that edition. The story was “Room 415,” but with a condition: that I could publish an alternate version later. When I was writing the piece, two different endings immediately occurred to me. One ending—a longer one—was what I’d call more commercial yet very negative, while the other ending was downright nihilistic. The latter ending wound up being the one I wrote for the deluxe inclusion. My favorite ending, however, is the one you’ve read. While it’s by no means a “happy” ending, it’s not as dark and soul-dead as the deluxe. Why, then, is this my favorite? I think because I may be turning into a candyass as I get older. A wimp, but a happy wimp no less.

So. It seems that I’ve just penned about a thousand words to explain what would’ve sufficed with two sentences. Ah, the economy of language, and the disciplined skill of the true artist! I’m nearing the three-million-published-words point in my jubilant and unseemly career so, really, what’s an extra thousand? This only to assure those thirteen hardcore souls who laid down serious coin that the version of “Room 415” in their deluxe does indeed remain exclusive. And as for those of you who’ve purchased this version, thank you. It’s a story I like very much, and I hope you did to.

Edward Lee has authored close to 50 books in the field of horror; he specializes in hardcore fare. His most recent novels are LUCIFER’S LOTTERY and the Lovecraftian THE HAUNTER OF THE THRESHOLD. His movie HEADER was released on DVD by Synapse Film in June, 2009. Lee lives in Largo, Florida.

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ISBN: 1-936383-78-0

Copyright © 2011 by Edward Lee

Cover art copyright © 2011 Suzzan Blac

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