-
Spooky Girl in Respectable Horror
I’m pleased to say that my short story ‘Spooky Girl’ will be appearing in a forthcoming anthology from Fox Spirit Books, called Respectable Horror, which is edited by Kate Laity. I’ve admired the work of Fox Spirit Books for some time – a more recent British small press, set up by Adele Wearing, which quickly began winning awards for its range of interesting titles. More importantly to the likes of me, it has a reputation for professionalism. Kate Laity is an audacious polymath of wide-ranging expertise, and it’s always fun and enjoyable to be in her company. So I’m looking forward to working with both of these forces for good…
-
A story in Obsidian
In 2016 NewCon Press celebrates its 10th anniversary, and to mark that achievement it’s releasing a number of publications next year, including an eBook-only retrospective anthology of horror short fiction written by women that NewCon published during its first decade. Thus we have Obsidian: A Decade of Horror Stories by Women, which is now available to pre-order on Amazon. You can get it at a specially discounted price which will go up once the book launches on 29 January 2016. I’m delighted that editor and publisher Ian Whates is including my short story, ‘Valerie’, in this anthology with such a strong line-up of talent. The story originally appeared in NewCon’s…
-
The Ghost Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore
Back in 2012 I had the fine fortune to write a section of an anthology horror play called The Hallowe’en Sessions, which had a run in the West End in London. I worked with fellow writers Kim Newman, Anne Billson, Sean Hogan, Paul McAuley, and Stephen Volk, Well, the creative sparks behind that production now have another stellar horror portmanteau play scheduled for 2016: The Ghost Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore. Featuring segments written by acclaimed authors Christopher Fowler, Lynda E. Rucker, Stephen Gallagher, Lisa Tuttle, Robert Shearman, and Kim Newman, alongside a wraparound story by director Sean Hogan. Remember those horror portmanteau movies of the past, such as Tales from the Crypt, From…
-
Old Weird, New Weird, or Just Plain Weird
You can hear a recording of the ‘Old Weird, New Weird, or Just Plain Weird’ panel, which I participated on during the 2015 World Fantasy Convention in Saratoga Springs, NY. It’s hosted on the Project Radio web site. The line-up was: moderator: Thomas F. Monteleone, and panellists: Ellen Datlow, Michael Kelly, me, Anya Martin, and Scott Nicolay. http://www.projectiradio.com/?powerpress_embed=88215-podcast&powerpress_player=mediaelement-audio It was an interesting discussion, but not a surprise considering the range of talent on the table and our passion for the subject.
-
World Fantasy Convention 2015
I'm attending the World Fantasy Convention 2015 in Saratoga Springs, NY.
-
Kildare Readers Festival 2015
I’m very pleased to be part of the Kildare Readers Festival 2015, which is taking place in Newbridge from Thursday 8th – Sunday 18th October. At 8pm on Thursday, 15 October Kim Newman and I will be talking about ‘Things That Go bump in the Night… and why we love them!’ at the Riverbank Arts Centre. Horror fans, and those who appreciate monsters, do come along and celebrate all that’s spooky – it will be a good time of the year to be chatting about fiendish stories. There is also an array of talented writers taking part throughout the week, so there will be plenty to interest you at the…
-
Cassilda’s Song anthology
Check out the gorgeous cover for Cassilda’s Song, the anthology of stories inspired by Robert W Chambers The King in Yellow mythology, and edited by Joe S. Pulver. The artwork is by Steve G Santiago. The book will be published by Chaosium Inc. in time for the 2015 NecronomiCon Providence convention in August. Here’s the Table of Contents: Black Stars on Canvas, a Reproduction in Acrylic … Damien Angelica Walters She Will Be Raised a Queen … E. Catherine Tobler Yella … Nicole Cushing Yellow Bird … Lynda E. Rucker Exposure … Helen Marshall Just Beyond Her Dreaming … Mercedes M. Yardley In the Quad of Project 327 … Chesya…
-
Reviewing Cell
Writer Mark West began a intriguing project in 2015, a blog called King For A Year, in which a reviewer discusses one of Stephen King‘s works each week. 52 Reviewers, 52 novels, 12 months. Mark asked me to participate, and today you can read my exploration of King’s 2006 novel Cell. There are extensive spoilers in the piece, just so you know…
-
La Femme cover
Today I received an email from Ian Whates at NewCon Press revealing the cover for the paired La Femme and Noir anthologies. My story ‘Valerie’ is appearing in La Femme. The writers appearing in this volume are: Frances Hardinge Storm Constantine Holly Ice Ruth E.J. Booth Andrew Hook Stewart Hotston Adele Kirby Maura McHugh Jonathan Oliver Stephen Palmer John Llewellyn Probert Benjanun Sriduangkaew The books are being launched at Eastercon in Glasgow, at 6.00 pm on 18 April, 2014, and both paperback and hardback editions will be available.
-
She Walks in Shadows
Within genre circles (sf/f/h) there are some debates that keep rising from the grave, like brain-lusting zombies. You chase the brutes about, slice off their heads, throw them back into the pit, and tamp the soil down hard upon their twitching limbs. Yet, they keep digging their way out of the earth. This is particularly tiresome if the debate is centred around – say – the ability of an entire gender. Since we are 50% of the world’s population, it should be no surprise that women come from lots of different backgrounds, which makes it difficult to make definitive pronouncements about the abilities/interests/desires of such a large group of people.…
