VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — There’s a new way to help the victims from the tragedy in Virginia Beach.
In an unconventional move, a local editor is hoping his love for horror stories helps raise money for the victims and their families. 12 people were killed and four others were injured in the May 31 mass shooting.
In the matter of 4 months, John Questore has brought together talents from all over the world to contribute to the book, titled “Dark Tides.” All the proceeds will go to the United Way Virginia Beach Fund.
“I didn’t know any of the victims, I don’t know any of the families of the victims, but I needed to do something,” Questore said.
So in hopes of keeping their names and memory alive, he combined his love for horror books and the victims’ memories in a book filled with short horror stories.
You may recognize some of the writers, such as Stephen King, but don’t expect to see any references to the victims or the shooting specifically.
“The news covered that enough, we don’t need to keep hearing about it. It’s gonna be in the back of our minds for a long long time and I didn’t think it should be rehashed,” he said.
He says there is something cathartic about knowing you’re not alone in tragedy and sadness, but also saw an opportunity.
“I want people to not forget, is really it, cause you buy the book, you see it on your shelf and you’re like ‘oh yea that’s because of …'” he explained.
He wants to make sure their families are the only ones who profit from this.
“We forget that those people who it happened to are still grieving, they’re still having trouble, they still have medical bills, they still have to build their houses and we’re going on with our lives,” he said.
And our community learns from it, as we come out of this dark tide.
“You can’t forget, because what happens, that old adage, history repeats itself and if you forget or you don’t learn from what happened, it’s gonna happen again.”
“Dark Tides” is available online.
John says he knows there could be a lot of questions about the book, so if you have any, here is a link to his Facebook page.
