Dantean horror in my new Doctor Who

It’s become a fun pastime among authors – at least, among authors of my acquaintance – to follow the progress of their book sales through various internet checking sites.

Of course, it’s not easy to find out how quickly (or slowly) your products are shooting off the high street shelves. But you can at least find out how well they are being shifted via the online stores. Whether this gives you an accurate overall picture is open to debate. I’m not sure what percentage of the book-buying public acquires their reading materials exclusively on line. I can’t believe it’s very huge; at least, not yet. But I found it hard not to get excited when I recently saw some information on Amazon about my forthcoming Doctor Who novel, HUNTER'S MOON.

The book hasn’t even been published yet – in fact, it’s only due to be released in late April, but thanks to pre-orders it’s already positioned 10th in Amazon’s list of Doctor Who products, and 67th in their list of science fiction/ adventure products. Superficially, the latter figure doesn’t sound too breathtaking, but when you consider all the millions of books and CDs and DVDs that Amazon have for sale, I think it’s reasonably impressive. I’m not naturally one of life’s optimists, but I think it might be worth raising a glass or two this coming weekend.

You can find info about HUNTER'S MOON just about anywhere online (I’m pleased to say). But I don’t think any of the plot descriptions I’ve read to date illustrate it better than the above artwork. I don’t know who originated this wonderful image – it’s been on several other blogs with no credits attached (so I’ll happily remove it if the real owner turns up and objects). It has no official connection whatever with HUNTER'S MOON, but to date I’ve seen no other picture that more closely reflects my mind’s eye image of the Dantean planet that is Gorgoror. The Doctor and his chums aren’t going to have much fun when they arrive there, but hopefully the readers will.

New Abaddon novel and more movie news

It’s certainly been a weekend of developments for forthcoming projects of mine.

The writing business can be a strange game. You market yourself and network constantly. You put feelers out there and send samples of your work on spec and so often you get no response at all, but that doesn’t matter too much so long as you get a response now and then.

Over the last couple of weeks, several positive responses have come my way all in one go. I’m pleased to announce that the first one of these will be a new novel for Abaddon books, which I had commissioned at the end of last week. But before you all start leaping up and down in fits of excitement, I hasten to add that I can’t really say any more about it at this stage: neither its title (mainly because we haven’t agreed on a title yet), nor its premise. Suffice to say this – it’s going to be very dark and very bloodthirsty. There’s going to be action in it (a lot of action) along with monsters and beautiful girls and very evil bad guys and heroes who aren’t much better in all honesty. To catch its mood a little more, I’ve included the above artwork.

(In actual fact, this picture is Savage Landscape by John Powell, which has no official link to my Abaddon novel at all, but by pure chance it does illustrate the sort of place where it’s set rather nicely).

In other news this week, I’ve received some great feedback from the States, where a movie project of mine, which I’ve been working on for a couple of years, has caught the interest of a very active film company. I’m not going to mention names yet, but the project is HEART AND MIND, which is an urban thriller relevant to today’s world, both domestically here in the UK, and internationally (i.e. in warzones everywhere).

The nice thing about this one is that three drafts of the script have already been written and work-shopped at professional level, which always helps a little if you want to walk away from a meeting with that all-important option fee in your back-pocket.

I’ll keep you posted on both these developments. But now for a third piece of news, which is nothing – I repeat, NOTHING to do with either of the above projects, and which is equally NOTHING to do with the picture at the top of this post. And no, I’m not going to say much about this one either – at least not yet. What I will say is watch out for MEDI-EVIL.

Okay, maybe, I’m being a bit stingy with the info this week, but this last project not quite ready yet and I don’t want to spoil things. So just keep looking out for MEDI-EVIL. From the responses I normally get to my stuff, I think this one will please a few people. At least, I’m hopeful it will.

The Power of Three - 19th Installment

Okay, it’s Friday morning, it’s coffee-break time again, and here are three more classic chillers of a standard to make the readers among us yell with delight, and the writers among us weep.

As always, this trio was chosen entirely at random, though in one of those odd occurrences of fate, all three this time come to us from the 1980s. But don’t worry, there’s nothing here in the way of bouffant hair, bad beads, or streaky make-up. It seems the horror stories of the whackiest decade in the 20th century were as unrelentingly grim and doom-laden as the horror stories of all previous decades.

So … check ’em out. Hopefully they’ll stir some unpleasant memories for those who’ve read them before, and for those who haven’t, then I’m doing you a service drawing your attention to them, aren't I?


The Catacomb by Peter Shilston

A mild-mannered academic gets locked in a musty old Sicilian church. He is entranced by the vivid frescoes and mosaics, but discomforted when he realises they all portray scenes of Biblical evil. When he attempts to escape via the cellar, he finishes up in an underground passage filled with silent, mummified forms.

A perfectly paced study in rising dread as the scholarly Mr. Pearsnall gradually progresses from one emotion to the next: first disquiet, then unease, then fear, then outright terror. And it’s all very understandable, because we readers make the journey with him. Perhaps we should have realised from the start that there was something seriously wrong with abhorrent little church in the deserted Sicilian village. Maybe we should have picked up the clues: the solid, sealed aspect of the church’s exterior, the decay of disuse that shrouds its interior, the grinning faces on its many statues. By the time Pearsnall reaches the catacomb below, it’s too late; we know we’ve reached a point from which there is no turning back. The story’s climax is a crescendo of horror, featuring a nightmarish antagonist in a setting that literally reeks of malevolence. This one will definitely keep you awake at night.

First published in MORE GHOSTS & SCHOLARS, 1980.


Robbie by Mary Danby

Robbie is a retarded child, who lives on a ramshackle farm where his overworked mother and father are employed as semi-skilled labour. Robbie dreams of having a little brother, but when his parents says ‘no’, the resourceful youngster sets about trying to construct one of his own.

Famed anthologist and author Mary Danby delves into ‘Pan Horror’ territory here, with a grisly little vignette, in which many of society’s real-life ills – mental illness, parental neglect, ‘minimum wage’ labour – combine to create an abomination. We’re not in supernatural territory – this terrible event could actually happen, and that makes it even more of a shocker. Yet the haunting reality of the dysfunctional Britain that Mary Danby presents us with here should not detract from a fine and very subtle piece of writing, which, as well as scaring us, is also heartbreakingly sad. You certainly wonder if this sort of thing should ever be offered as entertainment, but this was a line which many excellent stories original to the Fontana and Pan series skated along, and that was their strength. No-one said this one was going to be a fun ride, but it’s one you need to take anyway.

First published in 15th FONTANA BOOK OF GREAT HORROR STORIES (pictured), 1982.


Graveyard Highway by Dean R. Koontz

A well-heeled activist is tormented by daily visions of death and slaughter on an apocalyptic scale. Almost driven mad, he finally seeks answers in a vast, deserted cemetery where a dark, spectral figure is awaiting him.

For many, Dean Koontz is the ‘Mr. Middle America’ of horror fiction, and this exquisitely written dissertation on the perils of extreme politics will not change that opinion. The central message is very establishment-friendly, despite its everyman hero getting dragged through a procession of historical atrocities, perpetrated alternately by both right wing fanatics and left wing fanatics. Few of us based in the comfortable West would take issue with this, but this is a personal epiphany as much as a political text; a naïve young guy finally gets the message, but it has to be hammered home with awful force first. Unusually for Koontz, the horror is full-on. Massacres, executions and scenes of graphic torture hit us in the face one after another. There is nowhere to hide, particularly as this is such a powerfully and – I must say this – beautifully descriptive piece. Ultra grim for sure, but with an unexpectedly upbeat and heartening finale.

First published in TROPICAL CHILLS, 1988.

More 'Who' signing news - get there quick

I hope folks can forgive me another moment of self-indulgence here, but I’ve had my attention drawn to a very nice review of my first Doctor Who audio drama, Leviathan. Thanks to E.G. Wolverson, who wrote it and posted it on http://www.doctorwhoreviews.co.uk/6YAC.htm

It may seem a bit belated mentioning this, given that Leviathan was released a year last January, but I have more ‘Who’ titles out this year – a couple are now imminent – so, from a totally selfish perspective, maybe this is an opportune moment. The other thing is that it gives me an ideal excuse to reproduce this excellent piece of artwork by Alex Mallinson, which illustrates one of the scarier moments in Leviathan.

In other Doctor Who news, I’ll be attending the Big Finish Day, a one-day convention in Barking, on June 11th this year, which is dedicated to Big Finish and the many audio series they produce. I’ll be there from dawn 'til dusk to sign various bits and pieces, but on the off-chance that my presence alone won’t be enough to drag you up to the East End, I can reveal that there’ll be numerous other Doctor Who guests in attendance as well, including actors, directors, producers, writers and so on. There’ll also be an opportunity to meet the new companion who will be joining the audio adventures of Doctor Who in 2012.

Those whose Doctor Who audio collections are not yet complete will enjoy a massive array of CD discounts. Full details:

http://www.tenthplanetevents.co.uk/big-finish-day---june-11---saturday-375-c.asp.

The Doctor is in - new 'Who' signing dates

Here’s another quick announcement for all Doctor Who fans.

I’ll be in the Waterstone’s store in my home town of Wigan, on Easter Saturday, April 23rd, from 11am onwards, to sign copies of my new Doctor Who novel, Hunter’s Moon (an original adventure for the 11th Doctor - that's the current one, Matt Smith), and any other ‘Who’ items the shop can get hold of.

My last signing at the Wigan branch of Waterstone’s was in February, and was for my medieval action/horror novel Stronghold, and it went pretty well. It was very gratifying to inscribe a bunch of books and chat to a diverse range of fans and punters. I’m expecting to have to sign a handful more this time, given that Hunter’s Moon won’t be officially available until April 28th, and that this event (roughly) coincides with the launch of the new Doctor Who television series. I’m also told that the staff at the Wigan store may be planning a few Doctor Who-themed events for that day: games and colouring in for the kids – that sort of thing, so it could be quite an occasion.

More information about that as and when I get it. But if anyone can’t make it to Wigan on Easter Saturday and they desperately want to (I just know you’re all out there, checking your calendars and timetables as we speak), I’ll be signing my next Dr Who audio from Big Finish, The Sentinels Of The New Dawn, at Act III, the Doctor Who convention at Latimer Place, Chesham, down in Buckinghamshire on Easter Sunday (April 24th).

We’re following all this up on Easter Tuesday, of course (April 26th) with the horror night at Haigh Hall. So it’s going to be a busy Easter holiday for me. In fact, no holiday at all. But it’s all for the fans, you know …

Pictured is an alternative cover for Sentinels, which I found onlline. I've no idea where it came from - I suspect it's an early prototype (so to speak). This certainly isn't the cover it will be released under in the UK - check my earlier posts for that one, but to use the Doctor's parlance, I think it's rather cool.

The Power of Three - 18th Installment

Horror returns to your Friday morning coffee break in the shape of three more of the best terror tales ever written. Only my opinion of course, and all drawn from my personal list of the world’s greatest chillers.

Again, there is no consciously selected theme at work here. All were picked at random, but all are well worth looking up if you get the chance (always assuming of course, that you haven’t already read them – if you have, my humble apologies, though at least you’ll be reminded of some darkly pleasurable moments past).


The Fertilizer Man by Mark Morris

An aged allotment keeper struggles to defend his patch against marauding hooligans, until a fertilizer salesman turns up with a free sample which is guaranteed to solve all his problems. The ‘vegetables’ that subsequently sprout are unlike any seen before.

When Mark Morris has nightmares, you know they’ll be coming from left field. You can just imagine the fiendish glee with which he spun this inventive and funny, but also extremely dark little ditty. As always with Mark, the prose are sweet, the syntax perfect. The bizarre tale is told in clinical, straight-faced fashion, though it contains mystery as well as humour, and its denouement is a sublime dollop of cutting-edge horror. Typically of Mark’s weird and chilling fables, this one is as much about what happens after it’s finished as what happens during the course of it. You’re left yearning for more, even though you’ve actually had quite enough.

First published in DARKLANDS, 1993.


The Darkhouse Keeper by Rosemary Timperley

A vengeful lighthouse keeper commits the ultimate sin when he discovers that his wife has been unfaithful. One stormy night, he turns off the light as her sea-captain lover’s ship approaches the rocks. The plan works, but fate has terrible twist in store.

Rosemary Timperley has a well-earned reputation for being an author of piercingly effective ghost stories. She isn’t exclusively interested in issues from beyond the grave, but it’s in these tales where she particularly shines, and this has to be one of the best examples of them all. To begin with, its aura of ‘drawing room’ is deceptive. The story starts in simple enough fashion: its language is comfortable; its setting, a lonely lighthouse, is a familiar fixture in the genre. But this unsettling parable has a very nasty sting in its tail, the after-effects of which will linger for quite some time. How many ways are there to find horror in the claustrophobic confines of a spiral stairway? Plenty of authors have tried to invent something new, but I guarantee you’ll never have encountered a premise as hair-raising as his.

First published in COLD FEAR, 1977 (pictured).


The Red Room by H.G. Wells

A rational man accepts a challenge to stay in a supposedly haunted room. He is confident he can succeed, but soon the candles start going out and he finds himself fighting a losing battle to prevent the darkness overwhelming him.

A masterly study in rising panic, which afflicts the reader as much as the central character. Wells, though a scientific visionary in his normal life, uses all the tricks of the traditionalist Gothic writer to set the scene. The environment is a spooky castle; its custodians are pantomime grotesques. The tension is there from the off, but this story is a whole lot cleverer than that. As our increasingly fraught hero battles to maintain light in the enclosed chamber, his imagination runs wild. Are drafts blowing out the candle-flames, or is the ghost playing a sadistic game? Of course, there’s no actual sign of a ghost, but this doesn’t stop our man eventually fleeing. And yet, despite being terrified half to death, the rational chap is still rational – even if he’s no longer quite sane. He confirms that the room is haunted. Not by a ghost, but by fear itself.

First published in THE IDLER (1896).


On a not unrelated subject, perhaps a few of you folks can check in with my good friend and top horror writer and editor, Johnny Mains, who is organising an auction to try and do his bit to help the stricken people of Japan.

Quite a few rare and interesting bits of horror memorabilia have already been volunteered, including several very choice items from Johnny's own jealously-guarded collection. There are also a number of signed books from various authors in the field (including two of mine, for what that's worth).

Why not pop in there and see if there's anything that takes your fancy?

http://horrificjam.blogspot.com/2011/03/auction-to-help-aid-people-of-japan.html

My doings with Doctor Who - the lowdown

Folk will notice that I’ve now, at last, got around to opening a Doctor Who page on here. As I’ve written quite a bit of ‘Who’ over the last few years, and indeed am involved in writing it at this current time, it seemed ridiculous that I didn’t have a dedicated section where I could give all the juicy details.

All my existing ‘Who’ products are now posted on there, but details of forthcoming scripts, novels and so forth will also be included just as soon as I’m allowed to reveal them.

The picture shows yours truly with 6th Doctor, Colin Baker, one of the best blokes you’re ever likely to meet. It was taken down at Ladroke Grove studios during the recording session for Leviathan, my first Big Finish audio drama, which was released in early 2010.