Kitchen Sink Gothic available in paperback

Artwork by Joe Young

Kitchen Sink Gothic is now available in paperback.

amazon.co.uk   £8.99

amazon.com  $11.99

Coined in the 1950s, Kitchen Sink described British films, plays and novels frequently set in the North of England, which showed working class life in a gritty, no-nonsense, “warts and all” style, sometimes referred to as social realism. It became popular after the playwright John Osborne wrote Look Back In Anger, simultaneously helping to create the Angry Young Men movement. Films included Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, The Entertainer, A Taste of Honey, The L-Shaped Room and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. TV dramas included Coronation Street and East Enders. In recent years TV dramas that could rightly be described as kitchen sink gothic include Being Human, with its cast of working class vampires, werewolves and ghosts, and the zombie drama In the Flesh, with its northern working class, down to earth setting. In this anthology you will find stories that cover a wide range of Kitchen Sink Gothic, from the darkly humorous to the weirdly strange and occasionally horrific.

Stephen Bacon (Daddy Giggles)
Franklin Marsh (1964)
Andrew Darlington (Derek Edge and the Sunspots)
Gary Fry (Black Sheep)
Benedict J. Jones (Jamal Comes Home) 
Kate Farrell (Waiting) 
Charles Black (Lilly Finds a Place to Stay)
David A. Sutton (The Mutant's Cry)
Walter Gascoigne (The Sanitation Solution)
Mark Patrick Lynch (Up and Out of Here)
Adrian Cole (Late Shift)
Shaun Avery (The Great Estate)
Jay Eales (Nine Tenths)
Craig Herbertson (Envelopes)
Tim Major (Tunnel Vision)
M. J. Wesolowski (Life is Prescious)
David Turnbull (Canvey Island Baby)
 

The James Herbert Award for Horror Writing

This is great news and certain to help raise the profile of the horror genre in general, especially novels.

 

For immediate release, Monday 7 April 2014

Horror Writing Prize in memory of James Herbert is launched    

 ‘I didn’t plan to write horror; it just poured out of me’ James Herbert

To celebrate the life and career of one of the world’s best and most loved horror writers, Pan Macmillan and the estate of James Herbert have announced the launch of The James Herbert Award for Horror Writing.  
The announcement coincides with the fortieth anniversary of the first publication of The Rats for which Pan Macmillan will be releasing special anniversary paperback and collectors’ hardback editions in May and September respectively and which will contain an exclusive new introduction by Neil Gaiman.
The prize, which will be awarded annually, aims to discover and publicise a new generation of horror authors working today and celebrate the boldest and most exciting talent in the genre.  The winning author will receive a cheque for £2,000 and a specially-designed commemorative statuette.

The inaugural award will be open to horror novels written in English and published in the UK and Ireland between 1^st January 2014 and 31^st December 2014. Entries should be submitted to Pan Macmillan via their online submission form available at www.jamesherbertaward.com by 1^st October 2014.
James Herbert’s daughter, Kerry, will head up the panel of five judges whose names will be announced in the summer.
A shortlist of five novels will be announced in January 2015 with the winner announced at an awards ceremony in March 2015.
Eileen Herbert, James Herbert’s wife, says, “I was thrilled when Jeremy talked to me about this Award. Throughout his years as a storyteller Jim encouraged new and upcoming writers and I know he would be delighted and honoured that his name will continue this tradition.
“Thank you Pan Macmillan.”

Conan's Brethren by Robert E. Howard

A new Waterstone's Outlet shop has just opened in Blackburn. Took a look in it today and found one remaining copy of this little beauty for the grand sum of £5. Brilliantly illustrated by Les Edwards, it has been edited by Stephen Jones, who has also written an Afterword. Contains stories involving Howard's other fantasy heroes, including Solomon Kane, King Kull, Bran Mak Morn, and others.

While I have most, if not all of these stories already in paperback, they're books I've owned for many years, some of them Lancer originals from the 1960s, and they're all getting a bit too fragile nowadays to read.

721 pages, with some fascinating magazine covers in the Afterword.

Flowers of the Sea by Reggie Oliver

I picked up Reggie Oliver's latest collection of stories from the Post Office this morning. I think I am probably one of the last people to get the book before it went out of print. I'm looking forward to dipping into this over the next few days. What with getting the DVD of Schalken the Painter in the post yesterday, and not this, things are getting off to a good start for the weekend.

Whispers from the Abyss - Book Review

WHISPERS FROM THE ABYSS

A collection of H. P. Lovecraft inspired short fiction

Edited by Kat Rocha

Cover by Josh Finney

01 Publishing

ebook

Lovecraft has never been more popular, and there seem to be more books inspired by his tales out today than ever before. This anthology, edited by Kat Rocha, contains 33 stories by many writers unknown to me, but a few I am familiar with, like Nick Mamatas, Charles Black, and Aaron J. French.

My first fear was that with so many stories there would be a repetition of theme and style, but that was quickly dispelled. Though most are quite short, they are refreshingly wide ranging. If there is a frequent theme it may be the use of Lovecraft’s Deep Ones, but even here the approach to this trope is broad. Jason Andrew’s “Fear And Loathing In Innsmouth: Richard Nixon’s Revenge” is perhaps the most original. Written as if by Hunter S. Thompson, it follows the Gonzo journalist during the presidential election towards Innsmouth and the source of Nixon’s campaign money. Visiting the Arkham Asylum the narrator has this to say about one of the residents. “He had thick jowls, bulbous eyes, and a suspiciously Nixon-like jump nose. I made certain that he was always two steps ahead of me and always in my line of sight.” A great story, totally in keeping with the character of its narrator.

Charles Black contributes two stories, one of which must be a contender for the shortest horror story ever written. Called “The Last Tweet” it is exactly what it says, a tweet. Incredibly Black manages to encapsulate an entire short story into 19 words, and even manages to use an old cliché of many bad Lovecraftian pastiches – which for once makes sense and works. About this I am saying no more. Read it for yourself. It won’t take you long.

Nick Mamatas’s “Hideous Interview With Brief Man” is a bizarre interrogation, whose true horror only materialises in the final few sentences.

“My Stalk” by Aaron J. French turns for inspiration towards Lovecraft’s fantasy writings, though written in its own style, which is both fluid and almost hypnotic.

There are too many stories to highlight more than a few, but I failed to find any that was not well written and distinctively individual. If I had one complaint it could be the preponderance of first person narratives, but that may be because I have a preference for the third person singular. Not a serious defect, and one which most readers may not even notice, especially if they tend to dip in and out of anthologies.

The book has a gorgeous cover by Josh Finney, whose beauty I would love to see in print one day rather than almost lost on my Kindle in black and white.

A great, engrossing and varied anthology of Lovecraftian fiction, I would recommend it to anyone who likes this type of story.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction by Alasdair Stuart
“Iden-Inshi” by Greg Stolze
“Pushing Back” by J.C. Hemphill
“Nation of Disease: The Rise & Fall of a Canadian Legend” by Jonathan Sharp
“When We Change” by Mason Ian Bundschuh
“Nutmeat” by Martin Hill Ortiz
“The Last Tweet” by Charles Black
“Secrets In Storage” by Tim Pratt & Greg Van Eekhout
“The Well” by Tim Jeffreys
“The Neon Morgue” by Nathan Wunner
“The Deep” by Corissa Baker
“Fear And Loathing In Innsmouth: Richard Nixon’s Revenge” by Jason Andrew
“My Friend Fishfinger By Daisy, Age 7″ by David Tallerman
“Chasing Sunset” by A.C. Wise
“The Thing With Onyx Eyes” by Stephen Brown
“I Do The Work Of The Bone Queen” by John R. Fultz
“Suck It Up, Get It Done” by Brandon Barrows
“The Substance In The Sound” by W.B. Stickel
“Stone City, Old As Immeasurable Time” by Kelda Crich
“Hideous Interview With Brief Man” by Nick Mamatas
“The Sea, Like Glass Unbroken” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
“The Decorative Water Feature Of Nameless Dread” by James Brogden
“Henry” by Lance Axt
“My Stalk” by Aaron J. French
“Give Me That Old Time Religion” by Lee Finney
“Afraid Of Dobermans” by Chad Fifer
“Leviathan” by Nicholas Almand
“Horrorscope” by Charles Black
“The Jar Of Aten-Hor” by Kat Rocha
“The Floor” by Jeff Provine
“Waiting” by Dennis Detwiller
“Other People’s Houses” by Sarena Ulibarri
“You Will Never Be The Same” by Erica Satifka
“Death Wore Greasepaint” by Josh Finney

Cancer Research Charity Anthology - The Unspoken edited by William Meikle

The cancer research charity anthology, The Unspoken, edited by William Meikle is finally, after a few ups and down, scheduled to be published in the near future by Karoshi Books, first of all as an ebook, followed by a POD paperback. All profits will go to The Beatson Cancer Research Institute.

The anthology includes:

• Ramsey Campbell - Introduction
• Tim Lebbon - Just Breathe
• Simon Kurt Unsworth - Photographs of Boden
• Steven Savile & Steve Lockley - The Last Gift
• John Shirley - Where the Market's Hottest
• Anna Taborska - Underbelly
• Stephen James Price - Pages of Promises
• Scott Nicholson - Heal Thyself
• Stephen Laws - Harbinger
• William Meikle - The Unfinished Basement
• Nancy Kilpatrick - Alien Love
• David A. Riley - A Girl, a Toad and a Cask
• Barbie Wilde - Polyp
• Johnny Mains - The Cure
• Guy N Smith - The Big One
• Pete Crowther - Cankerman
• Steve Duffy - X for Henrietta
• Gary McMahon - Bitter Soup


• Edited by William Meikle
• Cover art by Simon Marshall Jones

The Whispering Horror by Eddy C. Bertin

I am now reading an advance copy pdf of Eddy C. Bertin's first ever English language short story collection The Whispering Horror which is due out in paperback from Shadow Publishing in May. I'll be doing a review of it when I've finished, probably for Hellnotes.

Shadow Publishing: May 2013
Paperback: 288 pages, £10.99
ISBN: 978-0-9539032-7-6
Dimensions: 229 mm x 152 mm

Contents:
Cover Artwork: Harry O. Morris
Introduction by David A. Sutton
The Whispering Horror
The Man Who Collected Eyes
A Taste of Rain and Darkness
I Wonder What He Wanted
Like Two White Spiders
The Taste of Your Love
Composed of Cobwebs
A Whisper of Leathery Wings
Behind the White Wall
Something Small, Something Hungry
Ten
Dunwich Dreams, Dunwich Screams
Belinda's Coming Home
My Fingers Are Eating Me

The Lurkers in the Abyss & Other Tales of Terror

Details of my collection of stories have now been posted on the Shadow Publishing website.

Publication date is October 2013 and the book will be launched at the World Fantasy Convention in Brighton in November.

The cover will be by Paul Mudie.

The list of contents are:

Introduction by David A. Sutton
The Lurkers in the Abyss
After Nightfall
The Urn
Terror on the Moors
The Shade of Apollyon
Prickly
Writer's Cramp
Winter on Aubarch 6
The Shadow by the Altar
Out of Corruption
A New Lease
No Sense in Being Hungry She Thought
Help-Plants
Inside the Labyrinth
A Sense of Movement
Soft Little Fingers
His Pale Blue Eyes
Fish-Eye

Cthulhu Unbound 3

Just started reading Cthulhu Unbound 3 from Permuted Press, edited by Brian M. Sammons and David Conyers. Still on the opening story, Unseen Empire by Cody Goodfellow, which is set in the Old West during and just after the Indian Wars.

UNDER THE KNIFE

Published by Cruentus Libri, and edited by Kevin G. Bufton, Under the Knife will include a reprint of my story Winter on Aubarch 6, which originally appeared in Fear magazine some years ago.The cover is by the ever brilliant Steve Upham.

FROM THEIR CRADLE TO YOUR GRAVE

The cover for the anthology From Their Cradle to Your Grave has just been revealed by Cruentus Libri Books. The anthology includes my story Prickly, originally published in Death (Playboy Paperbacks). The book is out on the 30th November.

Print copies of His Own Mad Demons now available

Paperback copies of my collection from Hazardous Press, His Own Mad Demons, are now available via Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.  In the US it's $9.99 (with free shipping available) and £6.23 in the UK.

The Ninth Black Book of Horror - Vault of Evil review

There's a fascinating, in-depth review of the stories in The Ninth Black Book of Horror on the Vault of Evil website by the incomparable Demonik.

Parallel Universe Publications Reborn

It's seventeen years since our company, Parallel Universe Publications, published the last issue of Beyond. It's lain dormant since then.

Now it has been revived.

We will be bringing out our first publication - a hardbacked book - within the next few weeks. Already we have a second book in mind, though more about both publications later, save to say that the second book, a collection of short stories, is by one of the masters of the genre whose collection has not seen print for over a decade and can only be bought for three figure sums on the second hand collector's market.

The aim of our revived imprint will be to bring out a series of top quality books over the next few years. Along with hardback limited editions, we will also bring out easily affordable softcover editions for the reader's market.

His Own Mad Demons

This is the cover for my forthcoming collection from Hazardous Press. His Own Mad Demons will include:

The Worst of All Possible Places
Lock In
Their Own Mad Demons
The Fragile Mask on his Face
The True Spirit

These were previously published in Houses on the Borderland edited by David A. Sutton for the BFS, The Black Book of Horror and the Fifth Black Book of Horror edited by Charles Black, Dark Discoveries #15 edited by James Beach, and Back from the Dead edited by Johnny Mains.

His Own Mad Demons will be published on the 26th October and be available as a Kindle ebook and as a printed book from Amazon and other online booksellers. Further details later.

His Own Mad Demons

Things are moving along with my collection of long stories from Hazardous Press, His Own Mad Demons.

I today received an email with three different front covers to consider. One, I thought, stood out from the rest, even though it was the only one in monochrome, but it has just the right element of grotesque menace that appeals to me for the cover, so I'll be emailing back later today, suggesting that this should be it. I'll post a copy of it when things have been decided.

No idea yet when the book will be published but I suspect this will be sooner rather than later.

His Own Mad Demons, Dark Tales from David A. Riley

There have been some further developments on my collection of stories from Hazardous Press. The proposed title will be His Own Mad Demons, Dark Tales from David A. Riley. It will now not only be an ebook, a print version will be available too.

The collection will include four long stories and a novelette:

The Fragile Mask on his Face
The Worst of All Possible Places
Lock In
Their Own Mad Demons
The True Spirit

An Exciting New Project

A big new project unexpectedly presented itself this week, which has involved a quick learning curve on an aspect of writing which I haven't touched on for nearly twenty years and has changed in all aspects since I last delved in it. More later, but it is something I find extremely exciting to have a go at. Fingers crossed that everything works out, as I have had a very tight schedule forced on me.

More within the next few weeks.

The Ninth Black Book of Horror

The Ninth Black Book of Horror edited by Charles Black is now available from Amazon and will soon be available to purchase direct from the Mortbury Press website.

About the book:
“Horrible people, horrible places, horrible things and horrible fates all await you in The Ninth Black Book of Horror. The new anthology from Mortbury Press is truly horrible. Check in at a horror hospital, witness grisly acts, observe dreadful family reunions, meet a man who hates waste, the things that are not there, and find out what’s behind you in The Ninth Black Book of Horror.”

Sixteen stories by John Llewellyn Probert, Craig Herbertson, Simon Bestwick, Gary Fry, David Williamson, Anna Taborska, Sam Dawson, Paul Finch, Gary Power, Thana Niveau, Tom Johnstone, Marion Pitman, Kate Farrell, John Forth, Marc Lyth and David A. Riley.  Cover art is by Paul Mudie.

New Online Collection of my Stories

Just received confirmation this morning that a collection of my stories will be published online by an American publisher. Title of the collection is yet to be confirmed, but the stories included are a novelette, The Worst of All Possible Places, originally published in Houses on the Borderland, Lock In and Their Own Mad Demons, which were originally published in the Black Books of Horror, The Fragile Mask on his Face, which appeared in Dark Discoveries, and The True Spirit, which was published in the award winning anthology Back from the Dead.

More information later.