William P. Robertson's Horror Website
đź”— http://www.thehorrorhaven.com
Story Behind The Book
My grandmother, Bernadine Johnson, is really responsible for me writing THE DEAD OF WINTER. At an early age she regaled me with Swedish folktales of trolls and haunted swamps until they became totally embedded in my brain. When I began writing my own tales of terror, I retold all of her old stories and put my own twist on them. As a matter of fact, my first published story was one of Grandma B's. Entitled "Wide Spot in the Road," it appeared in the March 1982 issue of VEGA MAGAZINE, Bloomfield, NJ. Likewise, my first overseas publication was based upon her take on trolls. "The Weight" was released in THE GLASGOW MAGAZINE #3 in 1984. After that, I spent the next three decades spinning scary yarns when I learned that 80% of my horror stuff got published in periodicals compared to just 10% of my general interest material. The best of these chilling tales can be found in THE DEAD OF WINTER. Had she lived long enough to see it, I think that Grandma B would be very proud of the effort I put into this anthology.