Newcomerstown author Rick Maloy has published his first book of horror and suspense stories. The book, "Stranger in the Dark: 27 Tales of Horror and Suspense," features short stories Maloy considers his best work, including “Stranger in the Dark,” “Down the Goblin Hole,” “Red Moon Rising,” “Battle for the Grave,” “Morgana’s Revenge,” “Man of Straw” and more.
Maloy is well known for his stories, some were published in the Coshocton Tribune, in the former Newcomerstown News each Halloween and he won multiple times in a writing contest sponsored by the Times Reporter.
A high school class produced the first story Maloy considered successful.
“We were in a two period English class, and our teacher had assigned us to write during the first period a story about the Trail of Tears, about the Indian migration,” Maloy said.
Maloy didn’t think his story would get much notice.
“There were some heavy hitters in my class,” Maloy said of the writing talents of his classmates.
His teacher started to read aloud the story that stood out from the others. Maloy couldn’t believe it when he realized she was reading his story.
“When she got done, she asked who wrote that story,” Maloy said. “I finally raised my hand and jaws hit the floor.”
Rick Maloy's new book is featured between two of his framed poems.Teri Stein
In 1981, Maloy collaborated with a friend on a writing project. It was never finished but he had a blast writing it and was hooked. In 1988, he began submitting the stories to the Newcomerstown News each Halloween until they closed. He also had stories published in anthologies published by the Tuscarawas County Writers Guild and entered story contests online. He served as president of the writers’ guild.
Thinking or as Maloy calls it – wool gathering – is important to his process of writing.
“The wool gathering part can take a little bit of time, just putting all the pieces together in your mind,” Maloy said.
In his job, Maloy makes deliveries, which allows time for wool gathering.
“One time I was in Zanesville, I'd made my delivery, then I had to go all the way to Dover,” Maloy said. “On the trip from Zanesville to Dover, I came up with a whole story. I got home and as they say, the words poured out. I wrote that story in about a half hour, because I knew it all. It was all put together in my head.”
Story ideas come from everywhere. One story idea came from a line of music in the Wizard of Oz movie.
“They're singing ding dong the witch is dead. And there's a line in there that says she's gone, where the goblins go below,” Maloy said. “That turned into the story of Down the Goblin Hole.”
Another time he was driving home from Coshocton to Newcomerstown at night.
“There was nobody around, just me, and way back in the distance I see a little, tiny pair of headlights,” Maloy said.
For some reason, he immediately felt that he did not want that car to catch him.
“That turned into a story called A Blazing Black Eye,” Maloy said of the story that features the Grim Reaper.
Copies of Stranger in the Dark by Newcomerstown resident Rick Maloy are now available on Amazon.Teri Stein
Maloy credits his mother, the late Rosalie Maloy, for encouraging him in his writing. He wrote in the acknowledgements that she always believed in him and gave him her honest opinion of his stories and poems. He credits his poetry writing to his grandmother.
Horror and suspense became his area of interest because he grew up watching Twilight Zone, the Night Gallery, Ray Bradbury theater and Alfred Hitchcock. His readers appreciate how he brings his stories to life and the twists that they don’t see coming in his stories.
Copies of Maloy’s book are available on Amazon in three formats – hard cover, paper back or as an e-book.
