Books can take readers to far-off lands of darkness, mystery and horror. Sam Flynn successfully paints that picture with his first published book, “The Mystery of the Pale King.”
Flynn is an OU alumnus and graduated in 2016 with a degree in journalism. Growing up in the small town of Willoughby, a suburb of Cleveland, Flynn had a passion for books and storytelling, specifically the fantasy, sci-fi and horror genres.
“I always had these authors bouncing around in my head,” Flynn said. “When I was a teenager, it occurred to me that I could write one of these books, so I started writing my own stories.”
Flynn wrote his first novel in high school, which helped him realize his passion for writing. He continued writing on the side while in college, but he let his studies take priority and wrote at a much slower rate. He began writing “The Mystery of the Pale King” in 2022 after his experience at the Futurescapes Writers’ Workshop.
The book blends history and fantasy, with Flynn being inspired by “The King in Yellow,” an 1895 book of short stories by Robert W. Chambers, and the historical legend of Gilles de Rais, a knight from the 1400s who was also a serial killer.
“It took me about six months to write it, then another few months of editing,” Flynn said. “I remember I started to sell it in December of ‘22 and accumulated about eight rejections until December ‘23.”
“The Mystery of the Pale King” is 116 pages long and sure to frighten readers this Halloween season. The book follows Faron as he unveils the secrets of the Hero of Harthur’s past and goes on a journey of horrors and betrayals.
Throughout the writing process, Flynn experienced several challenges. Flynn found it difficult to piece the story together as he prefers to write out of order.
“I tend to write the scenes as they come to me,” Flynn said. “I don't necessarily write sequentially, where I'm writing beginning, middle and end. Sometimes I am writing seeds at the end, so I can plant seeds at the beginning. I'm sometimes jumping around in that aspect.”
Flynn got the story published under Timber Ghost Press, a company printing and distributing horror and thriller stories. Though it was a long road to finding a company to publish the book, Flynn celebrated the success of getting the book on the shelves.
“Finally reaching that milestone was emotional and I'm still kind of processing it as we've gone through this publishing journey,” Flynn said.
Flynn learned a valuable lesson in perseverance during his time searching for someone to publish his story. By never giving up, Flynn found success and is happy to finally have his first book out. He advised young writers looking to tell their own stories.
“Look inside yourself for your stories, first and foremost, and what will satisfy and please you,” Flynn said. “The best way to ensure that your stories are read and enjoyed by many, if that's your goal, is to offer a part of yourself in your story.”
“The Mystery of the Pale King” can be found on Amazon for $9.99. If you are looking for a story to read over Halloween, Flynn’s book is an engaging and interesting story.
