In Search of Perdition

Many moons ago I had the honour of hosting The Prediction, a weekly flash fiction challenge which was the brainchild of horror author extraordinaire Lily Childs who hosted it for years before I became involved. Lily would post up three words and ask guests to write a 100 word story with those three words somewhere within the prose. After I hosted it, Colleen Johnson picked up the mantle alongside Rebecca Kovar and, in turn, it passed to Sandra Davies who runs it to this day. I enjoyed running The Prediction but I found I didn't have the time to commit to it in the long run. What I saw in my time of hosting was some fabulous talent. I also saw authors using it to get out of a rut in their own writing. The slumps we all go through from time to time. This evening, a good friend of mine posted about being in one of those slumps. Therefore, for one time only , I am running a Prediction round on this site. The rules are simple: I give you three words. Take those three words and inc...

Rowan Fortune provides a round up of books which stood out for him in 2019 and I was delighted to see my collection Broken on the Inside appear. As Rowan puts it, " I will also always associate 2019 with a set of indie horror fictions that I read throughout the year; these are books that left deep impressions on me. Such fiction engages with a horror that is deeply concerned with personal and social realities, and it does so with creativity and flair."   I would highly recommend the works Rowan has picked out and the full list can be found here .

Absolutely delighted that The Woods has made Ginger Nuts of Horror's Books of the Year Part 1. I've been fortunate enough to makes Jim McLeod's list of best books in previous years but this is the first time as editor of an anthology. The Woods contains superb stories from Cate Gardner, James Everington, Mark West and Penny Jones alongside an offering from me. I loved each and every story sent to me and it was wonderful to work with such talented writers. Plus a huge thanks to Peter Mark May for asking me to helm this for his Hersham Horror Books imprint and his coming up with the theme. Here is a link to Jim's Books of the Year Part 1. There's some fabulous works on there showing just how strong horror is currently as a genre. Very much looking forward to seeing what else Jim has picked out for his next selections. https://gingernutsofhorror.com/fiction-reviews/ginger-nuts-of-horrors-books-of-the-year-jim-mcleods-picks-part-1

Firstly, for anyone who passes by this blog from time to time, apologies as I have been neglectful in my duties and have left the weeds to grow. This has mainly been due to life with a major family illness and a lot of change in my day job. However, I have been busy writing in the background when the time allows and also a bit of editing. Peter Mark May of Hersham Horror Books was kind enough to ask me to be editor for the latest in his fantastic PentAnth series. The connecting theme is five writers coming together on a single themed anthology (hence the Pent and Anth). Peter asked me to wrangle writers together on the subject of The Woods. Fantastic! I love the woods in general, spending lots of my free time either with family or on my own walking in the woods and exploring nature, so this was a perfect theme for me. I am delighted to say that I was able to find some fine, fine writers to be part of this anthology alongside my good self (the editor always puts in a story in the Pe...

It's been about a month since Broken on the Inside , my micro-collection from Black Shuck Books, was released. There's always a nervous feeling when you launch a new book, your baby out there in the world. Will people like it? Will they hate it? Will they even read it? With Broken on the Inside I lined up a number of reviews with different sites in the genre and I've opened each review as they've been published with excitement and trepidation. I needn't have been apprehensive. Suffice to say I have been blown away with the love being shown. And thank you to all the reviewers for taking the time to read Broken on the Inside and give their thoughts. Here's a few links to show what people have been saying: Jim McLeod, Ginger Nuts of Horror : "Broken on the Inside, is a magnificent collection of stories. Writing about mental health issues is never easy, it can result in some clumsy, heavy-handed writing that does nothing to address the issues that the ...

As usual, have been a bit quiet on here. Perhaps one day I will get good at this blogging lark! Anyway, it is with good reason as I have been busy on the writing front and with something to show for it. Over the next two months I have three writing related ventures out in the wider world. To start with I have my first solo collection out with Black Shuck Books. Steve Shaw approached me at FantasyCon 2017 to ask what my plans were for the next year and offer me a deal to pull together a mini-collection. Naturally I jumped at the chance. Steve has been doing some great work and building a respected name under the banner of Black Shuck Books. My collection, Broken on the Inside, will be the sixth in the Shadow Series which has featured such names as Paul Kane, Joseph D'Lacey and Thana Niveau among others. What a line up to be alongside! Broken on the Inside features previously published stories Discomfort Food, The Man who fed the Foxes, There was an Old Man and Virtually Famo...

Onwards into the unknown! Okay, that was a mildly more exciting title than it needed to be but I've had a multitude of food, booze and cheer and so it was the best I could do in these trying circumstances. What I wanted to say was 'here is what I am up to in 2018' but it's less snappy and filled with wonder and unknownness. 2018 is one of those years where I'll look quite busy (and I invariably will be) but a lot of the initial legwork has been done in 2017. Plans for writing work to come out are: La Vacation - this is a novella length French folk horror story as part of a small anthology being edited by Dean M Drinkel who has published a number of my stories previously. It follows Frank and Elizabeth, a middle-aged English couple, as they take a trip to France the latter half of the last century. Think Hammer horror with a touch of Gallic flare. My first dip into folk horror so will be interesting to see what people think. I've about three charity antho...