Black and white photo of a man with a beard and slicked-back hair, wearing a plaid shirt over a dark t-shirt, standing with one hand on his chest and the other gesturing, in a dimly lit indoor setting.

Sam Hval

Author & Educator

A smiling man with short hair and a beard, wearing a checkered shirt, sitting in front of a wooden bookshelf filled with books.
Book cover for 'The Deep Dark Place' by Sam Hval featuring a dark, mysterious lake scene with a dock and a cabin surrounded by dense pine trees.

The Deep Dark Place

COMING FEBRUARY 12th, 2026, from Cloaked Press!

Fathers should leave memories, not monsters.

When Maggie Prosper returns to her family’s remote cabin after her father's strange death, she uncovers more than old wounds—she finds a legacy of darkness buried in the lakebed, and a presence that never stopped watching.

Reality bends. Time slips. And the water is no longer still.

Some legacies are better left forgotten.

About the Author

A person standing on stage reading from a paper with a microphone stand nearby, in a theater or performance space, with an audience watching.

Sam Hval is an author and English teacher. He writes fiction of all stripes, primarily focusing on horror, mystery, and thriller fiction. He believes there's nothing better than finishing a book and pondering what lurks in the darkness. He graduated from Eastern Washington University with a B.A. and M.A. in English. Originally from the much cooler temperatures of the Pacific Northwest, he has now found home in the heat of Odessa, Texas, teaching college writing and literature courses.

His debut psychological horror novel, THE DEEP DARK PLACE, releases February 12th, 2026, from Cloaked Press.

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