Cupboard of Skeletons

In these collected stories I've tried to explore the lives of dysfunctional characters, some based on case studies that I read from the works of psychotherapists, particularly Alfred Adler and Sigmund Freud, while I was reading for my degree in philosophy and psychology but, more so, from my observation of troubled people in true life, though via an imaginative leap to the fictional characters.

In places, sometimes remote, there is a distinct sense of 'presence' if not ghosts but the 'Cupboard of Skeletons' is more a euphemism for people with dark or embarrassing secrets which haunt and test their lives and how the characters challenge fate and, against all odds, find something of their dreams.

Cupboard of Skeletons reflects my fascination with dysfunctional characters in family life who may find that if life is a struggle, however dire it may become, it really is still better to try and fail than not to try at all; so that if the end to a novel is not happy - in a sentimental sense - the book judged as a whole should be affirmative of life, uplifting.

Reviews:

"The author gives great voice to his characters, describing well their idiosyncrasies. A good story must either go deep or wide, and with Nickford's background in psychology he goes deep within the human condition. For some adults, the ability to relate to a child does not come naturally, and requires enormous if not awkward effort. This is an often overlooked subject worth exploring"
- Stephen Valentine - author of Nobody Rides for Free

"The characters, the settings, the story; emotional, intriguing, full of human interest."
- Andrew Wright, author of Sanctuary's Loss

The complete collection is available on :

https://www.amazon.com/Cupboard-Skeletons-Storm-Clouds-Pass-ebook/dp/B00BTJZYI4/