The Occulting Light

"Stories about real life told in an assured voice." - William Wall author of No Paradiso



"Stories of raw truth ranging from buoyant comedy to harrowing loss written with consummate skill." - Eoin Lynam, editor of Shorter Stories



"A blast of cold air blasting through a warm room. These stories will hit you hard and stay with you long after you've finished reading them." - Paradoxical Magazine



"An eclectic collection which showcases McDermott's subtle skill as a storyteller, tapping the depths of human emotion while providing the reader with a reflective journey into some of life's ordinary - and extraordinary - experiences." - Lyn Perry, editor, Tule Fog Press



"This is an atmospheric, uncanny collection, with an almost sentimental cowboy feel at times and full of very Irish black humour at others." - Grainne Murphy author of Winter People



"McDermott's writing focuses on the everyday and the mundane then skews it slightly. In some stories there is a vein of dark humour, in others a beautiful poignancy, and in some a surreal quality, all mined from the small things that pass most of us by. His unique observations make each story a journey into a world at once familiar yet also strange, intriguing and arresting. His short stories are fever dreams and visions that will linger in your thoughts. This is a collection to relish." - Shane Dunphy author of Bring Her Home



"A staggeringly inventive collection both provocative and profound. The writing is immersive and arresting. These stories of the uncanny and the magical throb with pathos and the beating heart of the human condition." - Sophie White author of Where I End