Robert E. Stahl Delivers Debut Collection, ‘Show Me Where It Hurts’

North Texans can prepare to confront what lurks beneath the surface. Show Me Where It Hurts, the chilling and evocative debut by Dallas author and filmmaker Robert E. Stahl, is now available from JournalStone Publishing. A gripping blend of psychological unease, supernatural tension, and raw emotional depth, this collection of 30 short stories and poems explores pain—both seen and unseen—with unflinching honesty and startling imagination.

A former bartender with a gift for storytelling rooted in the grind of everyday life, Stahl crafts characters who grapple with monsters both literal and metaphorical: grief, obsession, self-destruction, desire. From cannibals and Bigfoot to dead-end jobs and fractured relationships, the collection pulses with horror grounded in humanity.

Robert E. Stahl ‘Show Me Where It Hurts’ book cover

Says Richard Thomas, author of Incarnate and Spontaneous Human Combustion:

“There is something here for everyone. Zombies and cannibals, witches and ghosts, Bigfoot and Halloween… follow these stories into the shadows. Something awful awaits you there—monstrous, full of awe, and shimmering with hope.”

Book Tour Dates:

August 9 – Barnes & Noble (Prestonwood), Dallas, TX 1pm-4pm
August 23 – Alexandre’s Bar, Dallas, TX 4pm-6pm
September 6 – Local Habit Coffee- Nash 1pm-4pm
September 13 – TMC Nightclub, Dallas, TX 3pm-6pm
October 11 – Barnes & Noble (Firewheel), Garland TX 12pm-4pm
October 15 – Liberty Lounge, Fort Worth TX 7pm-9pm
October 18 – Talking Animals Horror Fest, Grapevine TX 2pm-6pm
October 19 – Half Price Books (Northwest Highway), Dallas, TX 1pm-3pm