Walking a tightrope in a world of crime!

I have some amazing publishing news that I’m now able to share with everyone.

I can’t tell you all how long I’ve been waiting to publicise this. Several times I’ve almost jumped the gun and gone ahead and said something, but have always, thankfully, managed to restrain myself.

Now, at last, I can make this very exciting announcement.

In a nutshell, I have agreed a three-book deal with Avon Books – an imprint of HarperCollins, no less! – for a new series of hard-boiled crime novels.

Though I write a lot of horror and fantasy, some of those who read this column will also know that I had a former life as a cop and that I entered the world of professional writing by penning TV scripts for the ITV crime drama, THE BILL.

I’m a sucker for a good thriller, and have long sought to create a few of my own. In fact, it’s always been an ambition of mine to add to my literary repertoire by writing no-holds-barred cop novels, telling gritty tales about the modern police and their war against the underworld.

If you suspect that this ambition does not really include ‘Sunday evening’ type police stuff concerning investigations that proceed at a stately pace, usually in leafy rural locations or under the thatched eaves of opulent country mansions, you’d be very right. I prefer my cop stuff to be pacy, suspenseful, violent, frightening and smeared liberally with blood and grime from the darkest heart of Britain's inner cities. Like most current fictional detectives, I prefer my cops to be thoughtful, affable, imaginative and intelligent – but I also like them to be hard-edged rule-benders who will stop at nothing to bring justice to the streets.

Those were the goals I had in mind when I wrote my first police novel, THE NICE GUYS CLUB.

Think you haven’t heard about that one before, and you’d be correct. It has only recently been completed, and late last year was sent out for the perusal of publishers. Now, finally, we're green-lit. Avon Books have come back to me – not only wanting to publish THE NICE GUYS CLUB, but asking for three novels featuring the central character, Detective Sergeant Mark ‘Heck’ Heckenburg, a tough but tortured loner, who uses every trick in the book as he grapples with a succession of psychos, creeps and maniacs.

I guarantee you these will not be like anything I've written before. These books are firmly in thriller territory. We’re dealing with crime here, not the supernatural – but I’ve not let my horror expertise go to waste. If I’ve done my job properly, this new series should have you shuddering all the way through, both with revulsion and fear.

Anyway, enough bragging. The final issues are sorted and I'll be signing the contract next week. What can I say after that, apart from start looking out for THE NICE GUYS CLUB.

Woods where witches and monsters roam!

More interviews this week. Well … part three of my in-depth interview with THIS IS HORROR, one of the coolest horror sites on the Net. Yet again I blather my views on various aspects of the genre, though I focus more in this final section of chat on THE DEVIL’S ROCK – how it came about, how we devised the movie’s look, feel and ethos, etc – so please feel free to pop along there and check it out.

In case you’re wondering what relevance this has to the spooky woodland above … well, here’s the thing: it doesn’t.

In actual fact, this creepy coppice, and the various others that you see pictured at regular intervals in this column, are location shots taken by film director Paul Campion in advance of pre-production for our next movie collaboration, DARK HOLLOW – the adaptation of Brian Keene’s best-selling novel of the same name.

DARK HOLLOW is set in the heart of rural Pennsylvania, and for those who haven’t yet read it, it concerns a small country town on the edge of a dark and sinister forest, from which a magical entity emerges with extremely unpleasant intentions. It has much to do with arcane rustic folklore – most of it unique to Pennsylvania – and will be heavy on atmosphere and mystery (not to mention gore and sex, but both of those feature prominently in the novel as well, sometimes both at the same time, so blame Brian for that, not us).

For all this, it may surprise American readers of this column to learn that these pictures were not snapped in the Keystone State, or in fact anywhere in the USA, but over here in England’s New Forest, a deep, mysterious and much tangled stretch of woodland, originally planted as a hunting chase by William the Conqueror, who demolished half a dozen occupied towns and villages first in order to create the space, and slew any poor Saxon who objected. It now covers a vast area along the South Coast, encompassing the counties of Hampshire and Wiltshire. Perhaps in recognition of its violent origins, one English king – William the Conqueror’s second son, Rufus, was murdered in its gloomy depths – and his damned soul is supposedly still seen riding a black ram along the meandering footpath to Hell. Ghosts, goblins and other apparitions reputedly abound in its leafy dingles, and tales of witchcraft are commonplace there even today.

If all that isn’t strange enough for you, check out the image on the right – it’s the inn sign for a lovely and ancient pub in the heart of the forest, The Trusty Servant. In case you were wondering, it isn’t supposed to be demonic so much as allegorical – it depicts the Hircocervus, a mythical monstrosity said to represent something unreal but understandable. (I’m sure students of philosophy can enlighten us more on that).

Okay, I suppose all of this must seem like a bit of a diversion from our pre-production schedule involving DARK HOLLOW, but I only mention it to illustrate that, even when UK-bound, we are treating Brian’s weird and scary subject-matter with the utmost respect.

In other recent news, I was pleased to see my chapbook of last year, KING DEATH, published by SPECTRAL PRESS, get short-listed for a British Fantasy Award in the capacity of Best Short Story. These days, I’m a bit too long in the tooth to get too excited by this sort of thing. I had three short-list nominations last year, in various capacities, but ultimately none of them won the big prize, and this year I’m up against stern opposition in the form of Simon Bestwick (for Dermot from Black Static), Michael Marshall Smith (for Sad Dark Thing from A Book of Horrors), Adam Nevill (for Florrie from House Of Fear), Rob Shearman for Alice Through The Plastic Sheet from A Book Of Horrors) and Angela Slatter (for The Coffin-Makers’ Daughter from A Book Of Horrors). So it’s going to be another tough contest.

Messing around with the genre's big boys!

There have been a couple of interesting developments this last week or so. First of all, I’ve been informed that mine and director Paul Campion’s next movie project together, DARK HOLLOW – an adaptation of Brian Keene’s best-selling horror novel of the same name – has officially entered the Fantasia Co-Production Market.

A quick explanation is perhaps needed here.

Basically, Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival, which is widely acclaimed as one of the largest and most influential genre film festivals in the world, is now embarking on its 16th edition with a major new industry-driven venture: The Fantasia Industry Rendez-Vous.

The Industry Rendez-Vous will feature the new Frontières International Co-Production Market. Frontières is the first international co-production market to connect North-American with Europe and Australasia, in an environment focused specifically on genre film production.

It will also include the Fantasia Film Market, making its official debut in 2012 to support the sales efforts of the features that will be part of the festival’s programming.

The Industry Rendez-Vous will be held from July 26th to 29th 2012, within the three-week body of the Fantasia Festival. Over the course of these four days, a Frontières pitch session, various meeting and networking sessions will be held, and a series of conferences will be organised to assemble the participants around current industry topics. These events will be coupled with the regular Fantasia schedule of public screenings and parties.

The projects to be presented in the market have now been chosen and feature an amazing array of filmmakers, from gifted newcomers to renowned maestros, as well as numerous established international producers. The selection of the first edition of Frontières will consist of 14 projects, of which DARK HOLLOW is only one. But it’s pretty nice to be mentioned in the same breath as some of those who’ll be in there alongside us: Bruce McDonald with his sequel to Pontypool; Stuart Gordon with Purgatory; Hobo With A Shotgun director Jason Eisener with Turbo Kid; and Keep Quiet from Jorge Michel Grau, who won great praise at Cannes in 2010 for his Mexican cannibal horror, We Are What We Are.

For more details, including all the other contenders, check these articles in the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER and SCREEN DAILY

Exciting stuff, I think.

Countering the enemy - any way we can!

I seem to be flavour of the month for interviewers at present. Not, I hasten to add, because I’m looking for another job aside from writing, but because all of a sudden editors and publishers throughout the genre seem to want to know my opinions on stuff.

Well, okay … that’s an exaggeration. Basically, part two of my in-depth interview with THIS IS HORROR is now up and can be read by following the link. In addition, you’ll also be able to assess my views on various aspects of horror and science-fiction when another lengthy interview appears in the DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE in June this year.

This latter chat comes in advance of the new Quartermass type full-cast audio drama from Big Finish, COUNTER MEASURES (pictured above), the first four episodes of which will be released on CD this summer. COUNTER MEASURES tells the tale of a fledgling intelligence outfit which forms in London in the early 1960s, in response to perceived threats from extraterrestrial and other non-conventional sources. The unit is headed up by Doctor Rachel Jensen and Group-Captain Ian Gilmore, two non-regular Dr Who characters who first appeared in the classic story, REMEMBRANCE OF THE DALEKS way back in 1988. The original actors, Pamela Salem and Simon Williams, reprise their roles in this new series.

I was very flattered indeed to be asked to write the pilot episode for COUNTER MEASURES, called THRESHOLD. But no, I’m not going to say any more about it – except that it comprises horror, sci-fi and mystery in equal measure, and that it, hopefully, will have you reaching quickly for the next disc in the series.

On a slightly different matter, if anyone follows the link at the top of this column to THIS IS HORROR, they’ll see references to the first movie script I wrote (co-wrote in that case, or rather ‘script-doctored’ to use a real Hollywood phrase), which was actually made and got a cinematic release. That was SPIRIT TRAP, which hit the cinemas in 2005, and starred Billie Piper (in pre-Dr Who mode, and Sam Troughton (later of ROBIN HOOD fame). I mention it now because the film has gone on to gain some cult status, and a few people have asked me about it.

SPIRIT TRAP tells the tale of an old house in London, where a bunch of disparate students wash up in anticipation of their first year at college. Needless to say, there are all kinds of weird disturbances, the epicentre of which appears to be an old Russian spirit-clock. And yet again, no, I won’t be saying any more, because this time I’d much rather you went out and watched it. If it’ll help persuade you, this too has got some neat grisly and ghoulish moments (even if I do say so, myself).

And now, on a totally unrelated matter, I’m going to finish off with some more totally gratuitous images of the lovely Gina Varela. It hasn’t gone unnoticed by moi that many Internet surfers arrive at this site looking for pictures of the delectable Gina, who of course portrayed the gorgeous, naked, shape-shifting demoness in THE DEVIL’S ROCK.

So here are a few more: a stage-by-stage on-set portrait of Gina getting plastered (in other words, having her extensive make-up applied). Enjoy …

More terrible truths and fearsome fictions

Well ... TERROR TALES OF THE COTSWOLDS is safely shipping, and I can actually say that with a genuine tone of conviction this time because, as this picture - posted on Facebook today by friend and fellow author STEPHEN BACON - will prove, the pre-orders are finally arriving in letter-boxes.

Secure in this knowledge, I can now start to talk excitedly about the next volume in the TERROR TALES series. Of course, somewhat ill-advisedly, I've already given away in earlier posts (and on other message boards) the title of the next book in the line, but I'm not going to repeat that error here - because I feel it's necessary to build up an atmosphere of eager anticipation.

So here are the first of a few clues, all relating to the anecdotal section of the next book (i.e. the 'true' tales of terror). Have a look at the trio of images below, and see if they reveal anything telling about the region of the UK we'll be focussing on - yet another one famed for its magnificent scenery and ancient monuments, as well as its intriguing folklore and twisted, blood-stained past.

A crumblng old manor house, the grotesque exterior of which only hints at the malignancy within.

A man and his demons - imaginary foes (or otherwise!), for which the innocent would suffer mightily.

A mysterious, glowing figure photographed on a lonely staircase - shaken witnesses say this spectral form doesn't look half as alluring up close.

To be honest, anyone who knows their spooky tales of old Britain should be able to join these dots, so there are no prizes for guessing the location correctly. I'll name the next anthology in a week or so, but suffice to say at present that I now have most of the stories in, and that they'll sit very comfortably alongside these genuine incidents of the bizarre and fearsome, and will make excellent additons to the ever expanding compendium of British macabre fiction.

Beauty and the Brute - two horny devils!

First of all, on a vastly more reverential note than the headline would suggest, happy Easter to everyone - even if the weather is a little strange here in the UK. After a relatively mild Christmas by the standards of previous years, we've now been hit by an Arctic April. As I look from my study window, instead of the normal spring cherry-blossom and sun-kissed grass, snow is blizzarding across a frozen wilderness. But never mind. Most of the people I know tend to live inside their own heads anyway, so what the heck?

Now onto the nitty gritty - a few items of news before we all kick back for a couple of days' holiday.

First of all, on the movie front, it's a case of Beauty and the Brute. Those of you who remember the last movie I wrote - THE DEVIL’S ROCK - will recall Gina Varela (left) as our pert and sensual demoness. Well, the first piece of casting has been made for the next film, DARK HOLLOW - an adaptation of Brian Keene's best-selling novel, and the object of evil in this one could not be more different. Shane Rangi is a muscular, 6ft 9ins Maori he-man, and followers of sdword and sorcery action movies will remember him, first of all, as the ferocious elephant-rider in LORD OF THE RINGS and, secondly, as Dagan, the gigantic gladiator in SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA.

It's now been officially announced that Shane (right) will play Hylinus, the horny monstrosity who in DARK HOLLOW is summoned from the Pennsylvania backwoods to indulge in some extremely nefarious goings-on.

I won't say more except draw your attention to the DARK HOLLOW FACEBOOK PAGE, where director, Paul Campion, who also directed THE DEVIL’S ROCK, posts regular updates (and I even chip in myself, with the occasional pearl of wisdom).

For that small but fortunate band who are interested in what I have to say generally, you might want to look up an extensive interview with me in the latest edition of the online horror magazine, MORPHEUS TALES. I wax lyrical for several pages about myself, my interests and my views on the art of writing and writing as a career.

I don't think anyone's going to actually learn anything from it apart from how much I can waffle, but I'm reassured by those who love me that it's a compulsive read. If you're so inclined, get in there and check it out.

on the subject of projects of mine, a few folk have been in touch recently, asking where TERROR TALES OF THE COTSWOLDS has got to. Well ... all I can say is chill the XXXX out!

Though we mentioned that it was available for pre-order several weeks ago, those with even longer memories may recall that we said it would actually be published around Easter-time. We'll actually beat that by a couple of days. I'm led to believe by a reliable source (i.e. the publisher) that TERROR TALES OF THE COTSWOLDS is now shipping.

Those who've already placed orders should be receiving it very soon. For those who haven't yet bought, here are a handful of extra enticements:

... the green hillside, where a four-footed horror dines on children ...

... the walled-off basement where ancient pictographs tell a twisted tale ...

... the country house where baronets rub shoulders with gangsters and demons ...

... the lonely cottage in the secluded wood, and the thing that came knocking at its door ...

Go on, admit it - there's no resisting that lot, is there? Keep watching this space, meanwhile, for the next one in this series - TERROR TALES OF EAST ANGLIA. We're aiming for a June release with that one, so it's already in the works.

Next up - the dark heart of the rural USA

When people ask me what my next movie project is going to be, unfortunately I'm rarely able to give them a straight answer. For example, if I was to say "I don't know", you wouldn't believe it, would you? I wouldn't believe it, myself. But it's actually the truth.

The world of independent movie-making is a strange beast. Schedules are chopped and changed constantly. Deadlines often have no connection with reality. Remuneration can seem like an abstract concept which only exists in a 'parallel universe' version of whichever project you happen to be working on.

It's certainly the case that if you're trying to make a living in this field, you can't afford to tie yourself down to any one job at a time. Hence, the only honest answer to this question must be: "Hell, I'm working on loads of movies at the present time, and any one of them - I don't know which - could come out next!"

Most people who regularly check this column will know that THE DEVIL'S ROCK 2 is definitely in the pipeline (sequel to THE DEVIL’S ROCK, extensive items concerning which can be found in the next edition of FANGORIA, as evidenced by the various page excerpts and cuts-outs reprinted here for your delectation). However, THE DEVIL'S ROCK 2 is still at an early stage of development - a bit earlier than I'm totally happy with, if I'm honest (there are times when you just want to rumble, you know) - so other projects may now take precedence, and one of these is an adaptation of the best-selling horror novel, DARK HOLLOW, by BRIAN KEENE.


I've been working on this project for some time with PAUL CAMPION, director of THE DEVIL’S ROCK and THE DEVIL'S ROCK 2, and the script is now in such a sttate of readiness that the good chap is busy hawking it around our favourite finance houses to raise the necessary green. Details regarding our progress and in fact all aspects of this development can be tracked on our specially dedicated DARK HOLLOW FACEBOOK PAGE.

For those who haven't read DARK HOLLOW, it tells the tale of a peaceful rural community populated primarily by contented middle-class folks (and a bumpkin or two), whose quiet lives are suddenly shattered when an eerie woodland being is summoned to their side by an ancient curse ...

On the basis of this (hopefully tantalising) thumbnail outline, you could easily be forgiven for thinking that DARK HOLLOW is set in the heart of the English countryside. But guess again. Original author, BRIAN KEENE, one of my best pals Stateside, is a Pennyslvania boy born and bred, and he set his spooky, and at times rather sexy, tale in the land he loves and knows best.

I'll not say any more about this, except that it's a lush, adult-themed faerie tale, filled with magic, mystery and blood - yep, plenty of that - but also redolent of forest mythology and ancient, rural lore. It's also got some hot chicks in it too (sorry, Brian, that was a cheap shot - but I believe in getting the audience's attention any way I can).

Check back here for regular updates, or look on the DARK HOLLOW FACEBOOK PAGE, which we will be packing with details as often as we can.