Nightmare Abbey 8

Hi folks,

Just a quick heads-up to let you all know that my story 'The Witch of November' is the lead tale in the latest edition of Tom English's excellent journal Nightmare Abbey!

'The Witch of November' is another of my tales of Bone Street, that strange little corner of Manchester that appears on no maps of the city, which also featured in my story in the previous issue of Nightmare Abbey, 'The Hadrian Hornpipe.'

It sits alongside stories and articles by John Llewellyn Probert, Stephen Volk, Steve Duffy, Helen Grant, Gary McMahon and many many more.

Go forth and avail yourself of a copy here!

Big thanks to Ben Unsworth and Samuel Forrest, who helped me with my very rusty Latin for this story!

  

The Lockdown (Mr and Mrs Edition) with... John Llewellyn Probert

John Llewellyn Probert's latest book is the British Fantasy Award-nominated The Last Temptation of Dr Valentine, the second sequel to his British Fantasy Award winner The Nine Deaths of Dr Valentine. He won the Children of the Night Award for his portmanteau book The Faculty of Terror and his current projects include two more titles utilising the same structure. He is also at work on two novels and two non-fiction film books while continuing to write about current releases at his site, Houseof Mortal Cinema. After all six books have been finished he intends to sleep for a bit. But he probably won't.

1. Tell us three things about yourself. (If you’ve done this previously, ideally tell us three different things than last time!) I started wearing a monocle for a bit of fun but I actually find it incredibly practical. I wear a lot more waistcoats than I used to, but not all at the same time I own more shoes than my wife does.

2. Many writers have said the COVID-19 outbreak and the lockdown have made it harder for them to create. Have you found this? Has the outbreak affected you as a writer and if so, how?

It hasn't, really. My writing has always been an escape from the real world and there's no reason for that to have changed. Obviously I'm still going to work and as work is even more stressful than ever the need for release is all the greater and so when I get home the keyboard has been on fire most evenings. Let's see if anything any good comes of it all!

3. What was the first thing you had published?

When I was in school I wrote for the school magazine (and was one of the editors for two years) so my first published piece would probably have been a review of the annual organ recital in the school chapel.

4. Which piece of writing are you proudest of?

I don't know about proud, but the writing 'thing' I'm perhaps the most pleased I've ever done is my film review site House of Mortal Cinema. I had been tinkering with the idea for some time & eventually decided to go for it, especially once Thana supplied the title. It will be nine years old this year and I still love doing it. It's made me friends and industry contacts, plus the odd book contract, as well as causing me to watch a lot of stuff I would have been on the fence about otherwise.

5. …and which makes you cringe?

On bad days everything.

On good days nothing, because if I don't love my stuff how can I expect anyone else to?

6. What’s a normal writing day like?

I rise with the wind, remembering that high fibre Jacobs Crackers should be consumed one at a time and not by the packet load. Then it's into the bathroom and...

Sorry.

7am Rise

7.02am Champagne! Champagne for Everyone!

10.30am Get off the phone to the Queen after listening to her woes.

11.00am Lunch! Champagne and Truffles for everyone!

3.00pm Sit down at computer. Decide what films to watch for the rest of the day.

5.00pm Tea! Champagne and escargots for everyone while watching creaky Monogram 'classics' from 1942. Midnight. Think I should have written but it can wait until tomorrow.

7. What work of yours would you recommend for people on lockdown and in need of a good book?

I'd suggest Dead Shift from Horrific Tales Publishing. It's an easy read (I like to think all my stuff is) and lots of fun, even though it's set in a hospital. I'm planning to revisit that world with a longer book, by the way

8. What are you working on now?

It has to be kept secret I'm afraid – all six books! One has been delivered to a US publisher and I'm waiting to hear, another that I've been contracted for I'm getting finished right now. The others are in various stages of scribble but suffice to say they're all more of the same kind of thing I've been writing for years because I'm old now & I can't change, nor would I want to. Oh, I do have a new story coming out in...oh dear I don't think I'm allowed to talk about that either. What about my 'British Kolchak' story in...no. It's all a bugger this pre-publication secrecy thing, isn't it? Anyway plenty of stuff to come and if I'm the only one who likes any of them well at least they have one friend.

The Lockdown (Mr and Mrs Edition) with... Thana Niveau

Thana Niveau is a horror and science fiction writer. Originally from the States, she now lives in the UK, in a Victorian seaside town between Bristol and Wales. She is the author of the short story collections Octoberland, Unquiet Waters, and From Hell to Eternity, as well as the novel House of Frozen Screams. Her work has been reprinted in Best New Horror and Best British Horror. She has been shortlisted three times for the British Fantasy award – for Octoberland and From Hell to Eternity, and for her story “Death Walks En Pointe”. She shares her life with fellow writer John Llewellyn Probert, in a crumbling gothic tower filled with arcane books and curiosities. And toy dinosaurs.

1. Tell us three things about yourself. (If you’ve done this previously, ideally tell us three different things than last time!)

I’m (1) a dog person (2) a tea person (3) a morning person.

2. Many writers have said the COVID-19 outbreak and the lockdown have made it harder for them to create. Have you found this? Has the outbreak affected you as a writer and if so, how?

I’ve found it nearly impossible to create anything. When the world fell apart, I was halfway through writing a Lovecraftian eco-horror piece set in Siberia. It was oddly comforting to “escape” into that pandemic-free world, but at the same time it was challenging to do the actual creative work, since all my brain wants to do is obsess and worry. I was able to finish the story (and meet the deadline!), but I haven’t written anything since, or felt inspired to. I know I’m not alone in this, and misery loves company. I’m sure the muse will return when she’s ready. I want to write about dinosaurs and spaceships and get as far away from our dystopian reality as I can!

3. What was the first thing you had published?

“The Death of Dreams" - a grim futuristic story where your dreams can be recorded and exploited by the tabloid press. I wrote it for Joel Lane, and it was published in the charity anthology Never Again.

4. Which piece of writing are you proudest of?

I'm still very proud of my first SF publication, “The Calling of Night’s Ocean”, told mostly from a dolphin’s POV. But I’m also proud of “Octoberland”, the title story in my last collection. It’s the most personal story I’ve ever written.

5. …and which makes you cringe?

I’m not sure it’s deserving of cringes, but there was that epic fanfic saga I wrote when I was 12 or so. It started off as a Star Trek / Blake’s 7 team-up, but it soon spiralled into a game of seeing how many characters from different universes I could cram into it. I’ve only recently been properly introduced to Doctor Who, but Tom Baker’s Doctor was in there, along with Leela. Also included were characters from V, ElfQuest, Robotech, the Man (and Girl) from UNCLE, among many others.The Young Ones even turned up at one point! Okay, maybe it’s a BIT cringe-worthy.

6. What’s a normal writing day like?

Let me cast my mind back to when “normal” was a thing . . . My ideal writing day would be – getting up early, sometime between 4.30 and 6 am. I love that time of the morning, when it feels like I’m the only person awake and the world is mine. A cup of Earl Grey (one of many varieties – I’m a total tea nerd), followed by a cup of green tea (again, one of many varieties – 20+ at last count), and some music to write to, usually film scores or Tangerine Dream. Then I’ll stare at the blinking cursor for ages, trying to remember why I do this. LOL

7. What work of yours would you recommend for people on lockdown and in need of a good book?

If you want a haunted house novel, you could show your love to The House of Frozen Screams. And if you prefer short stories, Octoberland has you covered!

8. What are you working on now?

I’d love to say I’m working on something, but right now I’m just trying to stay sane. (Wow, that sounds bleak.) Lest you think I’m just paralysed by fear and cowering in the shadows . . . John and I are having a lot of fun playing Magic: the Gathering and watching tons of movies and series. There are books too, of course. And jigsaw puzzles. And audiobooks and podcasts. I’m an introvert, so the isolation isn’t as hard for me as it is for others, but it’s still taken a toll on my creativity.

What's New? (Mr and Mrs Edition) Part Two: Thana Niveau

1) So, what’s new from you?

I launched three books at Fantasycon last year – my second collection Octoberland, my micro-collection Unquiet Waters, and my debut novel House of Frozen Screams.

2) How did it come about?
 
I’m not very good at staying on top of all the stories I write, and I should have published a second collection years ago! As a result, Octoberland covers quite a range and is something of a bumper crop. Unquiet Waters is smaller and more intimate, with four stories linked by the theme of water. And House of Frozen Screams was partly inspired by our search for a new flat, combined with all my primal Cronenbergian body horror fears. It’s my take on a haunted house, one that isn’t quite what it seems.

3) Tell us about the process of how you created it.  
My process is pretty reclusive. I can’t write in cafes or public places with other humans around. I focus best at my desk, where I play film scores to accompany whatever I’m writing. (Or not writing – sometimes I can just stare at the blank page for ages wondering where the hell my muse has got to.) But I have Alexa to keep me company if I feel too isolated.

4) What was your favourite part of the process?  
It’s bound to be the same for every writer: that exquisite moment when everything clicks into place and the story flows straight from your mind to the page. But other than that rare and magical experience, I really love world-building. I probably spend way too much time on it, because a lot of it never even makes it into the story. But I like to hope it enriches the writing anyway. 

5) What was the toughest part of it?
 
When I was writing House of Frozen Screams, I was very much looking forward to a couple of gruesome death scenes I had planned. I’ve written loads of violent, horrible deaths and enjoyed killing characters before, even nice ones. But in House, I found it really difficult. I’ve heard other writers describe similar experiences, but it was a first for me.
6) Is there a theme running through it?

There’s definitely a theme in House of Frozen Screams: the female body is as much a place of horror as any haunted house.

7) If you had to sum this book up in three words, what would they be?
 
I’ll do all three books! Octoberland: haunted, nostalgic, sinister Unquiet Waters: eerie, uncanny, apocalyptic House of Frozen Screams: unnatural, nightmarish, macabre

8) Where can/will we be able to get hold of it?  
Octoberland – PS Publishing
Unquiet Waters – Black Shuck Books House of Frozen Screams – Horrific Tales

What's New? (Mr and Mrs Edition) Part One: John Llewellyn Probert

1) So, what’s new from you?

I've got a short story coming out in Cemetery Dance magazine called 'Healing Hands Beneath a Swann-Morton Sky'.

2) How did it come about?

I was at the gym, which is the only place in the world I might even consider watching daytime TV. There was a piece about bacterial antibiotic resistance and the fact that no new antibiotics have been developed for many years because it's not of sufficient financial interest to drug companies. That's the sole reason. So people are dying of infections right now simply because drug companies don't see sufficient profit in researching new ones. I had been aware of this before, of course, but for some reason at that moment it focused my mind perfectly.

3) Tell us about the process of how you created it.

I got incredibly angry about the state of the world we live in, came home from the gym, and wrote the whole thing straight down in a notebook.

4) What was your favourite part of the process?

Realising I'd created something of a nature and style that I'd never done before, and done it to my satisfaction.

5) What was the toughest part of it?

People have often commented in the past about how successfully I blend humour with horror. The thing is, I don't ever actually try and do this - that's just how the stories come out. I didn't want this one to have a trace of 'funny' in it and once it was written I spent a lot of time going over it to make sure it wasn't the victim of 'inadvertent wit'!

6) Is there a theme running through it?

We are all truly doomed if we keep living the way we do now.

7) If you had to sum this story up in three words, what would they be?

Angry. Political. Downbeat. Three words I never thought my fiction would be. And who knows? It may never be again. Because you see I don't actually enjoy writing this kind of thing, it doesn't make me feel better and if anything it just makes me feel worse, whereas the whole point of my fiction is that I want it to be a pick-me-up, both for me and the reader. But every now and then you just can't help what comes out, can you?

8) Where can we get hold of it?

It got picked up by Richard Chizmar's Cemetery Dance, which I was both pleased and bewildered by, as it's the first major sale I've had to a US print magazine. God help people who like this and seek out some of my other stuff, because it won't be what they're expecting at all! Although I will add to that something Joel Lane (one of my writing heroes) said about Robert Bloch (another one), that people who thought Bloch was just being funny hadn't realised that beneath his entertaining approach was actually quite a bleak and bitter view of humanity. So maybe it's been there all along. I promise I'll keep it lighter for next time, though.

Probably.

The Inevitable 'What I'm Doing At Fantasycon' Post For Anyone Who Missed It On Facebook

Last year's FCon, with Priya Sharma, Lynda E. Rucker and Sean Hogan/

My Fantasycon 2018 Schedule: I'm a little on the busy side this year.

Friday
5.00 pm
Panel: Writing The Immortal Enemy
Simon Bestwick (m), Powder, Ren Warom, Clint Wastling, Den Patrick
A panel tribute to those villains who refuse to submit, lay down and die. Maybe you wrote an evildoer and you couldn’t let go? Maybe you’re a fan of one that we all know? Our panel talks about those recurring nemesii who we all love and hate.
 
7.00 pm
Readings (Horror)
Stephen Laws, Simon Bestwick, Tina Rath
Stephen and Tina are both ace writers. I don't know what they'll be sharing with the audience, but I'll be reading one of the tales from Singing Back The Dark.

Saturday
1.00 pm
Black Shuck Books Launch
Black Shuck's FCon releases include John Llewellyn Probert's The Last Temptation of Dr Valentine, Colleen Anderson's A Body Of Work, and Great British Horror #3: For Those In Peril. This sea-themed anthology of horror fiction includes my story 'The Bells Of Rainey.' So I'll be there.

7.00 pm
Writing Warfare
Simon Bestwick (m), Danie Ware, Andy Remic, Anna Stephens, Anna Smith Spark
From Homer to Warmaster Horus, the battle scene has been a mainstay of epic fantasy and space opera science fiction. Our panel discussion battle scenes, whether up close and personal, from a tactical  perspective or looking down from the god’s eye.

Sunday
12.30pm
Dead Bodies
Simon Bestwick (m), Steve Toase, GV Anderson, James Brogden, Simon Clark
Many good stories involve a mystery. Whether the case at hand has remained unsolved for hundreds of years, or happened in the first chapter of the book, a good puzzle provides the writer with an opportunity to engage the reader’s brain in finding the answer. Our panelists discuss unsolved conundrums, consider the role of accurate research, and look at a range of tools that are at the writer’s disposal to create intriigue for the curious reader. 

Public Service Announcement: Devil's Highway Release Date and Crime Novel News

So, breaking the silence again to share some news:

The release date for Devil's Highway has been pushed back. This isn't Snowbooks' fault; as blog readers will know, I was late getting the MS to the publisher, and that's what's knocked things out of kilter. Also, because the novel was completed at white heat and warp speed, both I and my brilliant editor, Tik Dalton (more about Tik in a second) have found a host of minor errors that need fixing.

Personally, I'd rather wait a bit longer to see the book and have everything about it spot on than see it come out on schedule with things wrong with it. I don't have the new release date yet, but I'll be sure to share it when I do.

Tik and her brood of novellas.

Tik, by the way, is the newest addition to the Snowbooks staff, and has been editing Devil's Highway for publication. I met her briefly, for the first time, at Fantasycon, where she and Emma Barnes were handling the launch of Snowbooks' horror novellas (including Cate's The Bureau Of Them, Mark Morris' Albion Fay, Ray Cluley's Within The Wind, Beneath The Snow and John Llewellyn Probert's The Nine Deaths Of Dr Valentine and The Hammer Of Dr Valentine, recovered from the Spectral Press trainwreck, and also featuring Gary Fry's Scourge and Andrew Hook's The Greens.)


One of Tik's first assignments at Snowbooks was to design and typeset all seven novellas. They all looked great, as anyone who's seen them will tell you. And she's been a joy to work with - fast, professional, patient and helpful.

In other news, I have now signed my first contract via my agent, Tom Witcomb, relating to an audiobook of my crime novel. More details in due course!

In the meantime, thanks for your patience: Devil's Highway will be here soon!

Things of the Last Two Weeks (Part One): 19th May 2016

Well, I'm back. Sorry the blog's been a tad quiet, and for the absence of The Lowdown. It returns tomorrow, all being well.

Still, there's a pretty good excuse for the long hush: Cate and I finally got married on Saturday 7th May this year. The following Monday we were off on our honeymoon to Barmouth, which we got back from a couple of days ago.

Cate mentioned a friend of hers saying 'I needed a holiday to get over the holiday!' and in the best possible way, I think I know what they meant. Returning to normality is a slow process after a week or so like that.

We were told to enjoy every moment of our wedding day, as it all went by so fast. And it did. And at the same time, it seemed to last forever - again, in the nicest possible way. My face hurt from all the smiling. Family and friends were there, and a lot of writers. God knows how many horror stories we've inspired. One day I'll have to write about it myself - make sure it's all immortalised in prose.

We took a moment, too, to remember Cate's Mum Pauline, and Joel Lane, who would have been our

best man: special thanks to Bernard, who did that job on the day, and to the one and only John Llewellyn Probert for reading a short extract from one of Joel's works. I could go on and on about all the different people who made the day so special, like our bridesmaids Amy and Becky, or... but I'm going to stop there now, because I'll end up leaving someone off! But thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who came. It was a special day.

The honeymoon was lovely too - on past trips to Barmouth we've been cursed with some grotty weather, but that week was glorious. I'm tanned several shades darker than I was before - or at least my face and forearms are! So we walked along the beach, spent a lot of times in the beautiful cafes on the Quay, like Davy Jones' Locker and The Anchor, spent even more time in various gift shops (Cate) and second hand bookshops (both of us), and spent most evenings in the restaurants - The Captain's Table and (again) The Anchor being two particular standouts. If you're ever in Barmouth, those are both great places to eat.

They're even naming drinks after my stuff now....

We made a couple of day trips, to Porthmadog and Bala, and on the second actually found a bottle of liqueur called Black Mountain, aka Mynydd Du!

The day before we left, we went to St Mary's Church at Llanaber, where my gran is buried, to pay our respects and put some flowers on the grave. Daft, I know, but I find myself talking to her, even though she isn't there. She worried, I think, in her last years, that I was never going to get married or settle down with anyone. I wish she and Cate could have met - they'd have loved one another to bits.

We walked back from Llanaber, over the railway tracks and down the full length of the prom, which, be assured, is a bloody long way, especially in hot weather. Luckily, the Quay also boasts an ice-cream parlour called Knickerbocker's, which was a pretty good motivator. On the way there, we actually bumped into the registrar who'd married us, who was spending the weekend on the coast...!

So, a lovely day and a lovely honeymoon. And I'm a very happy man. Hopefully Cate's an equally happy lady. I love her very much and hope for many happy, healthy and prosperous years with her.

Here's some music, because for some bizarre reason this seems to be the song that sums up the whole thing for me. (Cate will probably think otherwise, but even the happiest marriage has the odd disagreement.) ;)

 Peace and love to all,

Simon x

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Things of the Week 18th March 2016

Well, the past week or so has seen plenty of developments.

Today, some great news for someone other than me: Snowbooks have announced they're reissuing Cate's novella The Bureau Of Them (which I've always said is a brilliant story) along with Mark Morris' Albion Fay, Ray Cluley's Within The Wind, Beneath The Snow, John Llewellyn Probert's The Nine Deaths Of Dr Valentine (to be followed by the sequel, The Hammer Of Dr Valentine) and Gary Fry's Scourge. All good books, and it's great to see them getting another chance (except for Gary Fry's, which is brand new!)

In other news: time ticks away towards the Big Day of the Bestwick-Gardner nuptials. We've sorted the venues for wedding and reception, sent out the invites, even managed to arrange a honeymoon after all! This week, we chose our wedding rings. It's feeling realer all the time as it gets closer. It'll be weird to have a ring; I've never worn one before...

Finally - developments with the crime novel! Tom sent back the MS at the beginning of this week, with more or less the last round of edits and notes. This is pretty much the final draft; in the next few days I'll get his final edit to go through, and then - well, hopefully, the first potential publishers will get to see it in the next week or two.

That's scary, as well, in a way. Up till now it's been 'yay! I have an agent!' and 'yay! I'm preparing my novel to send out to publishers!' Both of these make you feel as though you're getting somewhere - and let's be frank, you are - but without the risk of actually submitting the book and finding out that actually, no, nobody wants it.

Yep. Meet imposter syndrome. An old friend of mine. Well, not exactly friend. More like one of those people you started hanging out with in the '90s and still find yourself in the company of today, even though you have nothing in common any more and all they do is sit around smoking weed.

We all know someone like that, right?

Oh.

Well, anyway. The novel is ready to wing its way out into the wider world (well, a slightly wider world than before) and so the question of 'what's next?' arises. 

Black Mountain is with Tom, so hopefully he'll have some thoughts on that soon. Meanwhile, I'm nearly two-thirds of the way through The Devil's Highway (productivity slightly slowed by those final rewrites.) What comes after that will depend on a host of variables: I have a number of projects to crack along with, things to finish or to start. 

In the meantime, though, I'm going to chill a little this weekend... in between writing more of The Devil's Highway, that is. Anyone interested in being a beta reader, let me know...

 

The Lowdown (Mr & Mrs Edition) Part One... with Thana Niveau

Something a bit different with The Lowdown this week, as this week's subjects are husband and wife! Today we feature the wonderful and talented Thana Niveau, while Friday's interviewee will be her worser half, the inimitable 'Lord' John Llewellyn Probert (or 'Lord Probe' as I affectionately call him, but that's another story)

Thana Niveau is [in her own words] a Halloween bride who lives in a crumbling gothic tower in Wicker Man country. She shares her life with fellow horror scribe John Llewellyn Probert, in a Victorian library filled with arcane books and curiosities. She has twice been nominated for the British Fantasy award, for her collection From Hell to Eternity and for her short story “Death Walks En Pointe”. [published in The Burning Circus.]

All her life Thana has been drawn to the darker aspects of life. She was a fearful child, plagued by

nightmares and anxiety. Horror saved her. Scary films gave her an outlet for all that darkness and fear became her friend. Jason and Freddy were her childhood companions. On the literary side, Poe was her first great horror love, followed swiftly by Stephen King and Ramsey Campbell. Their stories frightened her while at the same time inspiring her. She still had nightmares, but now they were more like visits from a slightly sadistic muse. Writing all the scary stuff down turned it from a curse into a blessing.

 
1. Tell us three things about yourself.
1. I was raised by Trekkies (we did costumes, conventions, the whole bit) and I loved SF all my life. But I fell out of love with reading (and writing) it sometime in my 20s and have only just rekindled the flame in recent years. 2. I have kissed the propeller of the SS Thistlegorm, 30 metres below the surface of the Red Sea. 3. I got married on Halloween.

2. What was the first thing you had published?
Well, not counting the poetry competition I won when I was 12 or university literary magazines and pre-Internet lit-zines (remember those?), my first proper publication was “The Death of Dreams”, a dystopian futuristic story I wrote for Joel Lane and which appeared in the charity anthology NEVER AGAIN.

3. Which piece of writing are you proudest of?
Possibly my story “The Calling of Night’s Ocean”, which was my very first SF publication (INTERZONE #255). The story concerns the infamous 1960s experiments with giving LSD to dolphins, and it’s told from both the experimenter’s and the dolphin’s point of view. It was wonderful to see things through the dolphin’s eyes and to put things into her own language. It’s a world I loved being in and I will definitely be returning to it one day – in a much longer form!

4. …and which makes you cringe?
I couldn’t bring myself to publish or share anything I thought was truly cringe-worthy, but obviously we all have some stories we like better than others. Some of my early efforts were pretty awful, though. I remember one called “The Dolls”, which was about a teenager who goes to babysit a hideous little girl named Stella, who plays with dolls. As the night wears on, the hapless babysitter gets cold and begins to go stiff, leading to a wholly predictable conclusion. I think the final line was “Stella liked her new doll.” But hey, we all have to start somewhere.

5. What’s a normal writing day like?
I’m usually awake around 6 am (I’m one of those freakish morning people). I check emails and Facebook and Twitter to get it all out of my system (yeah, right) and then I pick some music to write to, almost always film scores. Different stories demand different music, so occasionally it might be classical, Pink Floyd or Tangerine Dream. Songs with lyrics are generally too distracting, but sometimes it’s necessary. When I wrote my 1960s novella NOT TO TOUCH THE EARTH, [published in Whispers In The Dark] I had to feed my head with 60s rock to help capture the flavour.
Then it’s time to open the current document (often one of many works in progress) and either stare in horror at the empty page or reread the previous day’s prose and shake my head in despair. I have a highly frustrating habit of being unable to just get all the words down on the page and fix them later. I work very slowly, very obsessively, and I edit constantly as I go. I’m trying (so hard, oh so hard!) to train myself out of it, but for now it’s how I work. I can write for hours or for only a few minutes – it just depends how the creativity flows on a given day.
I also spend disproportionate amounts of time on research, gathering more information than can possibly go into the story. (I know I’m not alone in this!) I’m genuinely interested in whatever I’m learning, but of course it’s also a great displacement activity. It’s more justified with longer works and some of the ideas I’ve harvested for the current work-in-progress are truly fascinating.

6. Which piece of writing should someone who’s never read you before pick up first?

Well, I’d suggest my haunted house novel THE NEEDING, but it’s still searching for a home. So in the meantime, one of my personal favourites – “The Calling of Night’s Ocean” or “The Curtain”. They both have a flavour of Lovecraftian cosmic awe (even oceanic awe). Although “The Calling” was published in INTERZONE, it’s as much horror as SF. And “The Curtain” is one I wrote whilst deep in the throes of love with diving. I love being down below the surface with the brightly coloured fish and coral. It feels like coming home. So it was fun to turn my underwater dreamland into a scary place for that story.
If you want full-on body horror, head straight for “Guinea Pig Girl” [published in Best British Horror 2014] or “Antlers” [published in Death Rattles]. And if you’re after something more light-hearted, there’s my giallo-inspired story “Death Walks en Pointe” or my steampunk Cthulhu story “Tentacular Spectacular.” [published in Steampunk Cthulhu.]

7. What are you working on now?
I’m writing a novella for Spectral Press’s new SF imprint, rEvolution. It’s gone through a few working titles already, and I won’t jinx it by committing the current one to paper (pixels?), but I will say that it deals with dreams and hallucinations and draws on some of the wilder ideas of Dr John Lilly (yes, him again - he of the infamous dolphin/LSD experiments). The man was a treasure trove of trippy inspiration! 

At the same time I’m also writing a Cornish terror tale and an SF story about bees and the end of the world.