Tuesday 19 October 2010

A festive feast to chill the blood

Mice, cockroaches and other vermin scuttled amid the odious relics: a goose that was now carrion; steamed vegetables that were cobwebbed husks; an ornate Christmas cake thick with fungal fur …

I don't suppose that quote is likely to whet your appetites for dinner, but with luck it will whet your appetites for my new long novella, SPARROWHAWK, which will be published by Pendragon Press in time for Christmas.

As you may have gathered, it's a seasonsal horror tale, very traditional in some ways, but veering far from the norm in others.

In a nutshell, it follows the fortunes of John Sparrowhawk, an embittered veteran of the Afghan War, who in the year 1843 is released from the debtor's prison by the beautiful and enigmatic Miss Evangeline.

Penniless, alone and haunted by the demons of his difficult past, Sparrowhawk accepts a commission from Miss Evangline to stand guard over a house in Bloomsbury for the duration of the Christmas period. The coldest winter in living memory now descends on London, but this won't be Sparrowhawk's only problem, for very sinister forces are gathering against him.

So ... if you like your Christmas yarns dabbled with frost and snow, wreathed in supernatural evil, and of course spattered with blood and ordure, then this one is for you.

I'm hoping that we can launch SPARROWHAWK at the BFS Open Night in early December. There's no guarantee of this, but it will be available for purchase in time for Christmas. Of course, I'm running a little bit before my horse to market here. It isn't ready yet, so no-one should be bothering Pendragon Press with enquiries at this stage.

Another bulletin very soon, and maybe, if we're lucky, a glimpse of the new book's cover

8 comments:

  1. I'll be snapping that one up for certain. Now I just need to how to get that Amazon display up on my blog... although it'll be a somewhat shorter list of titles. ;-)

    Hm... my word verification for this post is redgest. Which sounds like the title of a Paul Finch story, or at least the monster in one...

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  2. All the best with SPARROWHAWK. Your stories are always a darkly delicious treat. I've just finished reading your story THE SUNDERED FLESH (GROANING SHADOWS) and it's a horror powerhouse of a tale.

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  3. Thanking you chaps immensely. Hopefully, SPARROWHAWK won't disappoint.

    VM, glad you enjoyed THE SUNDERED FLESH. That collection seems to have slipped below a few people's notice - possibly because it's four novellas rather than a bunch of shorter stories. Glad you're enjoying it. It was a lot of fun to write.

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  4. Looks good, Paul. Like the look of the site, too. Congratulations and good luck!

    Thomas Burchfield

    Thomas Burchfield
    Author of the supernatural thriller Dragon's Ark, due 2011 from Ambler House
    Author of the comic screenplay Whackers, available at Smashwords.com.
    Follow me at the Red Room, Facebook, and Twitter

    http://www.redroom.com/member-blog/Thomas%20Burchfield/

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  5. Let me know about the open night Paul, this is something I don't want to miss!

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  6. I will certainly post it on here, Kai, and on Facebook. Thanks for the enquiry.

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  7. Ooh, I love a good Christmas ghost story; the more spatter, the better!
    If I don't make it to the Open Night, will definitely keep an eye out on Pendragon Press site. Congratulations, Paul.

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  8. Please ensure the uploading of the Amazon link at Facebook as soon as the book is available (even for Pre-order).

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