I've known Tom Piccirilli for a long time and I've always enjoyed his writing. Tom started about the same time I did, although he was always more driven. Tom also picked one of the most difficult genres to play in: horror. I think if Tom had chosen to write SF or mysteries or even mainstream fiction he'd have a lot more work published. Tom was always able to write around a plot, weaving humanity into his fiction in such a way that the characters sometimes seemed more like neighbors than fictional people. Tom also has a knack for twisting a story in ways that you just don't see coming. He's also not afraid to off his characters in unusual and bloody ways which can sometimes be downright disturbing. He's also pretty good about capturing the repetitive nature of human behavior and doing it in a way that seems real and believable. In most horror novels you wonder why the characters are being so stupid in what they choose to do, in Tom's books you wonder why they aren't doing those behaviors more often.

I thought Steve Sawicki did a fine job with his review of my novel The Midnight Road. He noted the depth of my characters and the main thrust of what I try to do with all my work, which is to engage the reader on a deeply emotional level. The personal touch in his article reminded me of the good old days when I was first starting out, as well, so that was an extra perk for me.