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Dublin Ghost Story Festival
I’ll be one of the guests at the Dublin Ghost Story Festival, which is taking place from 19 – 21 August 2016, at the Freemason Grand Lodge of Ireland, 17 Molesworth Street in Dublin. The Guest of Honour is Adam Nevill and the Master of Ceremonies is John Connolly. Other guests include: A.K. Benedict, Paul Kane, David Mitchell, Marie O’Regan, Sarah Pinborough, John Reppion, Lynda E. Rucker, and Angela Slatter, and the event is organised by Brian J. Showers of Swan River Press. It’s a terrific line-up of guests, and the venue should be conducive to our conversations about odd and uncanny stories. Tickets are limited, and popular, so grab…
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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…
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The Moon Will Look Strange – review
Since February is Women in Horror month, I’ve decided to post the full review I wrote of Lynda E. Rucker‘s collection The Moon Will Look Strange (Karōshi Books, 2013). My piece was published in the Green Book journal last year. I will note that Lynda is a friend of mine, but since my general policy is to avoid reviewing the work of those dear to me, this review should stand as an indication of how much I enjoyed her writing. It is easy upon reading an author’s impressive debut collection to ponder ‘why on earth is she not better known?’, and search for conspiracy. The reality is that it…
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The Green Book – issue 3
Today I received my contributor’s copies of The Green Book: Writings on Irish Gothic, Supernatural and Fantastic Literature, issue 3. The Green Book is a handsome anthology of essays and reviews published regularly by The Swan River Press, edited by Brian J. Showers. Issue 3 is devoted to examining the work of Ireland pre-eminent 19th century supernatural writer – Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. It’s the 200th anniversary of Le Fanu’s birth this year, so it’s quite right the work of Dublin’s ‘Invisible Prince’ gets a proper celebration. This issue comes with a postcard as a lovely extra – it’s a rare image of Le Fanu’s death mask (© Anna &…
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Dublin Zine Fair 2013
The Dublin Zine Fair took place in The Exchange, in Temple Bar Dublin from 17 – 18 August. Lynda Rucker and I went along on the Sunday to check out the talent and see who is producing work in this scene in Ireland. The event is organised by Sarah Bracken, who also is one of our guests at the next Laydeez Do Comics on Wednesday, 11 September. The bright, airy location was chock full of tables, staffed by enthusiastic people flogging their creations. From what I could see women were in the majority by at least 60%, and there was a very high presence of people selling indie comics. There…
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Journey Planet 15
The latest edition of the fanzine, Journey Planet, is online (issue 15). It’s edited by Hugo-Award-Winners Christopher J Garcia and James Bacon per usual, but half the issue is guest-edited by writer Lynda E. Rucker, and is termed ‘The Write Stuff’. That section is devoted to conversations with writers about the ins and outs of their profession, and includes people like Mike Carey, Lauren Beukes, Gail Carriger, Robin Hobb, and Seanan McGuire answering questions about some of their high and low points. I have a short piece in it called ‘From Fan to Con-runner to Writer – different experiences of conventions.’ Lynda asked me to write specifically on this subject,…
