Lighting the Dark Side won the 2009 Allbooks Review Editor’s Choice Award for short story collections. An anthology of short fiction featuring three novellas. Join regular people who find themselves caught up in extraordinary situations. Some of the characters are simply down on their luck; while others struggle for survival. All are locked into circumstances rendered more complex by their own weaknesses. Each one has a dark side but also has the ability to bring light to this darkness. A closer look at the stories of LIGHTING THE DARK SIDE   Bent, Not Broken. The opening novella is about an obsessive compulsive man who falls in love. Dee-Dee challenges Dwayne to experience life instead of hiding from it. Nevertheless, Dwayne’s disorder puts a severe strain on the relationship. Jealousy, low self-esteem, anxiety, and an increasing sense of violence engulf him until he pushes his new love away and falls into old habits of avoidance. Will he overcome this dilemma for love? Or will his problems continue to impede his happiness?   In the Gray.  A seemingly mundane phone call between a grown son and his mother uncovers the reality of one man’s life. Michael Conner has estranged himself from his entire family. He has no time for his corrupt politician brother, his racist, abusive father, and his mother who seems to be more concerned with his marital status than the ugliness in her own home. Tragedy interrupts the call seconds before Michael can speak his truth and free his mind of decades of bitter animosity.      Prominent Couple Slain.  Detective Jack Staal spent twelve years working in the Major Crime Section of the Vancouver Police Department. There he saw the worst of humanity, violent murders, gang warfare, sex crimes, and the ravages of illicit drugs. Homicide investigation was once his mission in life; now with his confidence damaged, he struggles each day to face the brutality. The story finds Staal only weeks after transferring to the Police Service of a small country town called Hanson, where a detective is more likely to investigate a canoe thief than a killer. When a former mayoral candidate and his wife are found DOA in an apparent murder-suicide, Staal is thrown back onto the homicide beat.    May 18, 2010.  Is May 18, 2010 the end of the world? Trevor Woodward isn’t sure; he just wants to go home to his girlfriend, Kelly-Anne, and ignore the growing pandemonium over the approach of an earth-grazing comet called Ivan. Will the rock strike earth and destroy all life? Or is the entire thing a hoax to cover up an atomic bombing in the Persian Gulf? Experiencing increasing episodes of déjà-vu, Trevor begins to suspect that the eventful day is repeating; and with each pass, he gets another chance to repair mistakes with Kelly-Anne and his dying father.    Blessing or curse?  Who wouldn’t enjoy winning the big one? Brad Stewart isn’t certain that becoming an instant millionaire is all he dreamed it to be. With the constant hounding by charities and long lost relatives, and the distance forming between him and his best friends, Brad is beginning to believe the windfall may be a curse. Without warning, a backyard barbeque becomes his worst nightmare when his son is abducted and held for ransom. Brad must reunite with his buddies in a frantic effort to rescue his kidnapped child.   Surviving the fall.  Since childhood, James Goodal has had a soft spot for stray creatures. One gloomy afternoon, a lonely and depressed James meets Ashley, a young street girl. Impulsively, he offers her a spot on his couch for the night. Tempted by Ashley’s beauty and her willingness to please him, James struggles to live by his morals while questioning his motivations. Sickened by her life story, he can’t bring himself to send her away. But the comfort the two find in their unorthodox relationship is short-lived; shattered by violence as Ashley’s past catches up to her at Goodal’s home.        AMAZON.com  Trade Paperback $10.30 amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/1436312531/ Barnes&Noble.com Trade Paperback $17.99 search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp     BORDERS.com Trade Paperback $19.99 www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail   Read a review from ReaderViews.com www.readerviews.com/ReviewPotterLightingDarkSide.html                                                                                                                            Excerpt "SURVIVING THE FALL"- A novella. CHAPTER ONE DECEMBER 26th James Goodal jarred the oversized revolver from a dying man’s hand and then tossed the weapon across his living room. Even in the after-midnight darkness, he could see blood, soaking red the beige carpet near his feet. The man no longer stirred so James averted his gaze to the top of the staircase and to his surprise, he couldn’t see or hear her. “Ashley,” he called. No answer. “ASHLEY!” he yelled as loud as his voice would allow. Still no answer. Fear held James in place; fear of what he would find if he ascended to the second floor of his home. He thought he heard a faint, weak whisper calling to him. A shiver went through him, and he knew he had to move. He stepped over the body and charged up the stairs for the second floor, and after an instant, he found her a few feet from her bedroom. “Oh god, Ashley, no!” The teenager had both of her hands clutching her left thigh a few inches below her crotch. Blood was seeping between her fingers. James knew that if the bullet had cut the main artery in the leg she could bleed out. His mind was adrift in panic, searching for what he should do. Then it slammed into his brain. “I’ll call an ambulance.” He jogged for the phone next to his bed and quickly dialled 911. “Ambulance!” he blurted when the operator asked for his emergency. “My roommate was shot in the leg. It’s bleeding badly!” While sprinting back to where Ashley lay, he pulled off his pajama top and placed it on Ashley’s leg. “Apply pressure!” the operator said. “I am!” He kneeled next to Ashley with one hand on his portable phone and the other holding the shirt to the wound. “Is she breathing?” “Yeah, she’s looking right at me.” The horror in Ashley’s eyes sunk into him and panged his heart. He had never in his life felt so worried for another human and so utterly useless to help. “The ambulance is just a few minutes away, sir,” the operator said. Then the operator began asking about how Ashley was shot, about the kind of firearm, and who fired it. “Is the shooter still in the house, Mr. Goodal?” “Yes, I think he’s dead.” “Dead, sir?” “Yes, I killed him.” James set the phone aside and took Ashley’s hand in his. “It’s okay, Ashley. They’re coming. Just hold on, sweetie. Hold on.” “I love—you—James,” Ashley said almost silently, and then her body wilted and her eyes rolled back and closed. “ASHLEY, No!”

Professional Reviews
Highly Recommended by Reviewer: Jan Evan Whitford, Allbooks Reviews
Title: LIGHTING THE DARK SIDE (Six Modern Tales)
Author: WILLIAM R. POTTER
The book jacket claims these tales will exercise our emotions, capture our imagination, and challenge us to think in new directions. Well, I’m here to tell you all that the author delivers on all thatplus much, much more! These novellas and short stories are definitely page-turners, but what impressed me the most was their character-driven force. Potter skillfully intertwined succinct narrative and some natural, fast-paced dialogue to present characters so real, they leapt right off the page and captivated me immediately.
Lighting the Dark Side is a collection of three novellas and three short stories, including plenty of action, thrills, suspense, mystery, and even romance. We start with an engaging story of an improbable romance between an obsessive-compulsive geek and a drop-dead gorgeous woman, seemed doomed from the start. Next, there’s an artist trying his best to thrive and find love in spite of overbearing, cruel parents. Following that, Potter changes directions and we’re treated to a well-done, hard-boiled police procedural with a nice twist. An end of the world by approaching comet thriller is on tap after that, with some great flash-forward writing as well as another ingenious plot twist. Now, these are all wonderful tales, but I believe Potter saved the best two for last. The title, Blessing or Curse is self-explanatory, referring to a big lottery win. A kidnapping for ransom follows and we’re treated to some of the author’s best dialogue. It’s hugely entertaining and there are virtually no wasted wordsElmore Leonard style. And finally, Potter ends (all too soon) with a heart-warming tale of a wayward teenage street whore and a gentleman with a rescuer complex. It’s a great, intertwined plot where all the characters come together, in the same spirit of the Academy Award winning movie, Crash. Once again, Potter showcases his writing skills, this time with skillful interspersing of critical backstory in such a way as to avoid slowing the plot.
Well, you’ve probably guessed that I am highly recommending Lighting the Dark Side. As I said, all the stories are captivating but more than that, I urge you to take note of the writer’s skill at character development and I’m sure you’ll be impressed. In fact, I shouldn’t think it’d be long before a major publishing house snaps Mr. Potter up because he belongs on the bookshelves with the likes of Jeffery Deaver and Peter Abrahams.
Highly recommended by reviewer: Jan Evan Whitford, Allbooks Reviews 5 Stars


Something Very Different!
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (7/08)

"Lighting the Dark Side" contains a collection of six refreshingly different short stories. Each one is very unique and cannot be compared to the others. I really enjoyed reading the stories. They are about human nature and how we deal with hardships. Sometimes we overcome them, sometimes we obliterate them and sometimes we just make adjustments in ourselves to live with them.

What I discovered really interesting is that in almost every story, I found aspects of myself in the characters. This allowed me to feel like I could relate to what they had going on inside themselves. Some of these aspects ranged from a desire for vigilantism in situations with no other way out; a desire to help others by going way beyond what is expected; and that need to ask myself why I allow things to happen when I know the outcome ahead of time. Kind of like, why did I do that again? The examples in the stories are so much more interesting than any story that I have possibly lived.

Each short story or novella is very complete within itself, however, I found myself wishing that the stories would go on longer. I wasn't ready to leave the lives of these interesting characters. This is what made the book even more fun because I found myself thinking about the stories later on, wondering what happened to people that never even existed. The characters are very well developed and intricately woven into their plots that they seem very real. Their humanity is expressed through their shortcomings, and their need to change their situations.

This book, "Lighting the Dark Side," by William R. Potter, will definitely be enjoyed by all fans of fiction. I think that it would make an excellent selection for a reader's group or for a college course. I would love to hear the interesting discussions that will be held about these stories. 5Stars

Readers Praise Lighting The Dark Side
This is a great book!

By C. Eversole

I'm so glad I decided to get Lighting the Dark Side. (Potter) has made it easy to really connect with the characters in this book through these detailed stories. In fact, you might not notice how time flies when you're reading this one; it really is hard to put it down! 5 Stars

A Captivating Read

By Heather Shockney (Greensboro, PA USA)

I would recommend Lighting the Dark Side to everyone. They will be hooked from the start. It takes a great author to keep my attention when reading a book. Mr. Potter has done that wonderfully. I was not able to put the book down until I was done reading the last page. 5 Stars

Engaging Stories

By Cassandra Mae (Wisconsin)

The author (Potter) has written an engaging book. The characters are so well-developed that you can "feel" them.

For the life of me, I could not put this book down until I finished it in one day! This is only the second book in my 43 years that that has happened to me. 5 Stars

Reader Reviews for "Lighting the Dark Side"

Reviewed by Danica Whyte (Reader)	7/6/2008
From the reviews on Amazon I believed this one would be good. Not until I began to read did I realize just how good. I would recommend Lighting the Dark Side to all fiction readers and good luck putting it down once your start! DW

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