Newspaper journalist and now author Jason NahrungWhat makes a boy from the bush have an obsession with the ‘dark side'?

This was the question UniNews put to dark fantasy novelist and CQU Alumnus Jason Nahrung after the recent success of his debut novel The Darkness Within.

Having grown up on a cattle property south-west of Maryborough, in Queensland, it was hardly the genre one would expect. However Jason believes it could have been the perfect location to give birth to a world of fantasy.

"Perhaps being an only child on a cattle property had something to do with my love of the fantastic; all that space to be filled with wild imaginings," Jason explained.

"A major influence on my gothic leanings was Bram Stoker's Dracula, which I read for the first time in high school when I donned the cape for a school musical. The spookiness, the imagery, the sexuality made it a compelling read."

This intriguing novelist, who is a newspaper journalist and book reviewer for The Courier Mail by day, not surprisingly reads a lot of speculative fiction (fantasy, horror and science-fiction) for his own entertainment. The all time classic Dracula is regarded as his sentimental favourite.

The Darkness Within was conceived when Jason, living in Brisbane, was courting his girlfriend Mil Clayton, who then resided in Melbourne. Their constant emailing led to Mil inspiring him with the opening scene which resulted in a 40,000 word novella, totally unscripted and unplanned as the pair set out purely to entertain each other with plot twists and suspense.

What eventually transpired is a supernatural thriller that could only be described as a "cracking good read".

The story surrounds the character Emily Winters, a would-be photographer, who must protect her family from a predatory coven of magicians. Early in the story, Winters discovers her magical heritage which is teased out with visitations and visions from deceased relatives. What unfolds is a fresh look at the ever-entertaining human, witch and vampire story.

The debut novel by Jason Nahrung, The Darkness Within.Jason is in the throes of finishing 2 more uncontracted books, 1 a standalone supernatural story (no vampires) set in the outback, and the other a supernatural thriller in the same Australian milieu as The Darkness Within.

The Darkness Within is distributed by Hachette Australia, 2007. RRP $32.95

Customers can order Jason's book here:

http://bookshop.cqu.edu.au/bookweb/details.cgi?ITEMNO=9780734409713