Folks, I’m celebrating today. Someone just “awarded” my new short story, An Axe in Hand, a solid 1-out-of-10 on the rating scale.
And you know what? I couldn't be happier.
Listen, right at the top of the text, in plain sight, are content warnings: graphic violence, animal injury, blood, the undead. Were you warned? Yes, absolutely. But no—this person heroically powered through the text, presumably expecting a lighthearted fairy tale about kittens and daisies, got totally rattled by the harsh reality of the Weird West, lost their peace of mind, and slapped on a 1.
Nothing screams impotent rage quite like a 1 dropped out of sheer panic or because the author managed to hit a raw nerve. In horror, indifference is death. But when a reader is grinding their teeth, foaming at the mouth, and hitting the absolute lowest score—that means the story drove straight to the liver. It means the atmosphere is thick, the grit is tangible, and the protagonist's pain actually hurts.
Thank you, anonymous hater. Your 1-star review is the highest praise a horror writer can get. It means we're doing it right.