Dark Diary is a compilation of 24 short stories coupled with a group of 27 correlating poems that tackle the multi faceted emotion of love. Though the title may suggest otherwise, Dark Dairy is not a depressing, angry, or blaming book. The stories in the book deal with the unending quest for and/or to sustain love through the eyes, words, and experiences of many unique and interesting characters. Many of the short-stories are narrated directly by the characters, as if they were diary entries. The poetry directly following each story is related to the passion of the character who told the preceding story. The entire book is based solely on interpersonal relationships, of all sorts, and deals strictly with that platform. Dark Diary is an intelligent book, providing a realistic perspective on the many facets of love and the individuals involved. Dark Dairy encourages accountability in love relationships and makes explicit how matters of the heart and matters of the mind are intertwined. Through his varied characters and stories, Porter was able to elicit the multitude of love emotions onto the pages of Dark Diary. The poetry in the work is mainly written in the classic rhythm and rhyme scheme while the prose remains concise and uncomplicated, yet, compelling. An avid connoisseur of music, most of poetry in Dark Diary work began as a form of song. It was not until a fated phone call with a fellow author, Cynthia Graham-Ward, that Porter mustered up the courage to compile his songs, change the format, and put together his "book of pain". After compiling what he considered his best poetry works, Porter felt like the book still lacked something special and then coupled each poem with a work of short fiction and thus...Dark Diary was borne.
About the Author: Dr. O.T. Porter is a seasoned educator, lecturer, author, researcher, and analyst. He holds a Doctorate in International Psychology with a concentration of Organizations and Systems, a Master's in Psychology with a concentration of Sport and Exercise, and his Bachelor's degree is also in Psychology. He continues to use his talents both internationally and domestically in multiple capacities. Dr. Porter is involved with the local and national community. He continues to formally teach psychology courses from dual-credit high school through doctorate level students both in-person and online. He also provides inspirational lectures, mentoring, and workshops at elementary and high schools throughout the country. He has led training courses for the American Counseling Association and Houston Community College. Dr. Porter also has a strong affinity for the members of the U.S. armed forces. His doctoral dissertation is an indigenous exploratory case study focused on military service members' critical attitudes and ideas surrounding military mental health services and possible methods to enhance services. Dr. Porter has contributed internationally to multiple organizations serving as a technical advisor providing in-depth organizational analyses, recommendations for program enhancement, and technical assistance in the development of guidelines, procedures, and policies in Peru and South Africa. He helped guide a university COO in Belize on the transition of staff, team-building, communication, and staff-productivity. He also had the opportunity to lead a training course on acculturative stress to select students at The University of Peru, Applied Sciences. Dr. Porter's current professional interests include: advocating for unity and equality for all people; mental and behavioral health research and consultation; program creation and evaluation, especially military; education; organizational training and development; continuing to author books; lecturing; team building and effectiveness; interpersonal communication training, especially cross cultural; team selection and integration, and teaching psychology courses.