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Solstice salute
After the long, dark night the light returns, and grows.
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Re-Animate Europe
I’m pleased to say that I’m part of the jury for the 2017 Animate Europe comic book competition, organised by Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. This is the third round of the competition and its theme this time is ‘Re-Animate Europe’. Here’s what it’s all about: After many external crises and internal shake-ups, from the migration crisis to Brexit to a lack of trust, the once strong and confident body of the European Union seems tattered and tired. The European heartbeat has lost its rhythm. How can we help to get Europe back on its feet? Who or what will be the healer, who can find the magic potion for…
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Octocon 2016
It’s time for Octocon, in the Camden Court Hotel, again! It’s one of my favourite conventions in the calendar. Here’s the schedule of events in which I’ll be participating this year: Saturday, 15 October Space X Time; Plot in Graphic Novels Dave Ferguson, Maura McHugh, Anthea West, Leeann Hamilton, C.E. Murphy, Paul Bolger 11:00, A. Tivoli/Yeats Development in a Static World Maura McHugh, Diane Duane, Peter Morwood, Michael Carroll, Allen Stroud 12:00, A. Tivoli/Yeats The Arc of Women’s Fandom Fionnuala Murphy, Ruth F. Long, Maura McHugh, Celine Kiernan 14:00, E. Wexford Sunday, 16 October Interview with Guest of Honour, Rhianna Pratchett Rhianna Pratchett, Maura McHugh 15:00, A. Tivoli/Yeats To Every…
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Think of A City: we live side by side with the past
Some time ago artist Alison Sampson asked me to be part of her and Ian MacEwan’s on-going project: Think of a City: a mass storytelling project ‘to experience this city of the imagination, told page by page, by storytellers from around the world.’ Artist and writers are matched up and given time slots in which to produce the work. Alison hooked me up with Pablo Clark, a half-Scottish, half-Spanish illustrator and comic book artist. I offered him a variety of four ideas, and the one he engaged with most was my favourite, which was an immediate pleasure. The concept was to evoke how we move through the past in cities…
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FantasyCon 2016
This weekend I’ll be attending FantasyCon By the Sea, in Scarborough. I’ll be involved in the following events during the convention: Holding Out For a Hero Is the Rise of the Superhero Medium Boosting Genre Fiction? From 10:00 am – 11:00 am on Saturday, 24 September in the Palm Court Ballroom – The Grand, St Nicholas Cliff Maura McHugh, Mike Carey, Alasdair Stuart (Chair), Peter Sutton, Natasha Bardon Book Launch – NewCon Press Ten Tall Tales From 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm on Saturday, 24 September in Main Ballroom (Grand Hotel), St Nicholas Cliff With Ramsey Campbell, Edward Cox, Simon Clark, Andrew Hook, Paul Kane, Maura McHugh, Lynda E Rucker,…
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Ten Tall Tales
I’m happy to say that my dark fantasy story ‘The Fruit of the Tree’ will be in the Ten Tall Tales anthology from NewCon Press, edited by Ian Whates. You can pre-order it online now. The book will launch at 3.00 pm on Saturday, 24 September at Fantasycon in Scarborough, and I’ll be there (along with many of the other authors). The ToC is: Introduction – Ian Whates Ten Twisted Limericks – Ramsey Campbell The Power Of… – Paul Kane We Know By the Tenth Day Whether They Live or Die – Simon Clark One Little Mouth to Kiss You Goodnight – Lynda E. Rucker The Fruit of the Tree…
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Jennifer Wilde – the Computer Game
I’m pleased to announce that Outsider Games is partnering with Irish comic book publisher Atomic Diner and Northern Ireland Screen to adapt the comic book Jennifer Wilde as a Point & Click Adventure game. I’ll be writing the script for the game, which is based on the original comic book series I wrote for Atomic Diner. Here’s the official blurb: At the start of the Jazz Age in Paris in 1921, young French artist Jennifer Chevalier becomes embroiled in death, espionage and revolution which takes her across the three nations of France, England and Ireland – ably assisted by the ghost of Oscar Wilde. Jennifer believes the recent death of…
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Uncertainties in two volumes
I had a terrific time at the Dublin Ghost Story Festival (19-21 August): it was a well-organised and fun event, with just the right number of people attending so you felt you got the chance to chat to everyone. We also had the launch of the Uncertainties anthologies of supernatural fiction in two volumes, edited by Brian J. Showers, and published by Swan River Press. My story ‘The Light at the Centre’ is in volume 1. Here’s the table of contents for volume 1: “Foreword” – John Connolly “The Faerie Ring” – John Reppion “From the Archives of the Westmeath Examiner” – Derek John “Wellaway” – Martin Hayes “Last Love”…
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The Madness of Dr. Caligari
It somehow slipped my mind to mention that my short story ‘A Rebellious House’ will be in The Madness of Dr. Caligari anthology, edited by Joe S. Pulver, and published by Fedogan and Bremer (the cover is by Harry O. Morris). Here’s the impressive Table of Contents: Ramsey Campbell – The Words Between Damien Angelica Walters – Take a Walk in the Night, My Love Rhys Hughes – Confessions of a Medicated Lurker Robert Levy – Conversion Maura McHugh – A Rebellious House David Nickle – The Long Dream Janice Lee – Eyes Looking Richard Gavin – Breathing Black Angles S.P. Miskowski – Somnambule Nathan Carson – The Projection Booth…
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Working the Blue Rose Case
I’m pleased to announce that I’m part of the autumn season of lectures organised by the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies in London. MIHS is a ‘community-based organisation that offers university-level history, theory and production-based workshops for people of all ages. The Miskatonic is a non-profit endeavour through which established horror writers, directors, scholars and programmers/curators celebrate horror history and culture with a unique blend of enthusiasm and critical perspective.’ Here’s the blurb for the autumn schedule: Mark Pilkington (Owner of Strange Attractor Press, writer/director of MIRAGE MEN) launches the season in September with his lecture “Rituals in the Dark: Evoking Magic on Film”. From the grit of medieval grimoires and…
