Enemies - coming soon to a door near you!

Despite the torrential rain and slate-grey skies, it is supposed to be summer here in the UK, so at last it's time to think about going on vacation. In fact, a nice break is now looming imminently for Cathy and I, so things will be quiet around here for a little while - and what a relief that will be.

The first half of 2012 has been an intensely busy one for me. With the Avon deal now in the bag (but much work still to do on the first book in the trilogy, let alone the second and third), new movie scripts in development and a possible graphic novel on the horizon, there hasn't been much time to sit down and contemplate the Universe recently. Neither has there been much opportunity to pen short stories.

A couple of friends have recently asked if, now that I'm writing a series of dark crime novels, will I be neglecting that old favourite of mine - the short, spooky tale?

Well, hopefully the three exclusives I reveal in this week's post will answer that question. Pictured above is the cover for ENEMIES AT THE DOOR, my next collection of horror stories and novellas, which will be out in hardback and paperback from Gray Friar Press either in late summer or early autumn this year. I'm not going to give anything away about the TOC yet, but suffice to say that it will contain plenty of original material as well as one or two timely reprints.

Meanwhile, left is the cover for STAINS, which will be an ebook re-issue of my hardback collection of the same name (though with different artwork) which was published by Gray Friar back in 2007.

STAINS is another collection of stories and novellas all set firmly in the horror bracket ("horror with a capital H", as one reviewer at the time described it). No further details are available yet - these are just tantalising snippets of news I'd like to leave you with before I depart on my hols - but this electronic version of STAINS will be available for purchase some time in late summer. I'll post all the necessary bits and pieces nearer the time.

As an extra titbit of last-minute excitement, another brand new story of mine, IN THE FOREST OF THE NIGHT, will soon be appearing in A CARNIVALE OF HORROR: DARK TALES FROM THE FAIRGROUND (from PS Publishing, edited by Paul Kane and Marie O'Regan). The cover for this one is simply stunning, but sadly I'm not in a position to post it yet, nor the full TOC, but the book will be launched at 5pm on Saturday September 29th, at FANTASYCON 2012 in Brighton. I'll be on hand to sign a few copies, along with the following other (thus far) confirmed contributors: Peter Crowther, James Lovegrove, Muriel Gray, Alison Littlewood, Lou Morgan, Robert Shearman, Rio Youers and cover artist Ben Baldwin.

So there you go ... I ain't finished with the short form yet.

Walkers In The Dark - now out as an ebook

I'm chuffed to announce that what I consider to be one of my very best collections of short fiction - WALKERS IN THE DARK - is now available in ebook form from Ash-Tree Press.

First published in softback in March 2010, WALKERS IN THE DARK was launched at the World Horror Convention in Brighton, UK, and contained only original material: five brand new horror novellas, all drawing on one of my preferred areas within supernatural fiction - eldritch mysteries intruding into the spiritual desert of our modern world, and always, hopefully, with chaotic and terrifying consequences.

If you fancy venturing in, be prepared for lashings of the ancient and arcane, spiced up here and there with sex, violence and folklore of the extreme darker variety.

Reviewing the book on his PAGE HORRIFIC blogspot, James Carroll said:

"This is imaginative fiction at its finest, and these highly atmospheric tales of haunted lives and innocence lost, transcend genre boundaries and ultimately defy classification."

I'm particularly happy that WALKERS IN THE DARK now exists in electronic format because when it first came out in softback it only had a short print-run. I wouldn't exactly say that it has since become a collector's item, but I've had a number of contacts over the last two years from readers trying to trace a spare copy, and even I, the author, have not been able to help them. It was short-listed for a British Fantasy Award in 2011, in the capacity of Best Collection, but was pipped at the post by Stephen King's FULL DARK, NO STARS (I don't suppose I could really complain about that).

Anyway, all of that is now in the past. The ebook version is out there just waiting to be snapped up at the bargain basement price of £4.61 (or $7.19) .... so go for it.

Just in case you need your appetite whetting further, here is a little taster:

THE FORMLESS: When a pretty young student is mysteriously declared dead, her university suitor heads north to her home in the Scottish Highlands to investigate - what he discovers there is sufficient to challenge not just his sanity, but the survival of his very soul ...

SEASON OF MIST: In the misty autumn of 1974, a series of child murders afflicts an industrial Lancashire town. Local kids are certain it's the work of the mythical demon supposedly dwelling in a local derelict coal mine; nevertheless they set out to enjoy their usual autumn festivities ...

FATHOMS GREEN AND NOISOME: Cryptozoologists explore an icy lake high in the Welsh mountains, in whose depths a monstrous beast is reputed to dwell. But the perils they face in this cold and inaccessible region may actually lie much closer to home ...

GOLGOTHA WAY: Aged World War Two veterans are distressed by continued obscene vandalism at the local Cenotaph. Their suspects range across the board from everyday hoodlums to anti-war protestors and anarchists. But rumours are rife that the actual culprit is a mysterious individual, all charred and ragged as if burned by a flame-thrower ...

WALKERS IN THE DARK: Deep in Liverpool's deprived Toxteth district, a bunch of students plan to excavate beneath the floor of a derelict urban monastery, where research has led them to believed that a stash of Viking gold was buried. But the mission is fraught with danger - local gangs haunt the area, and when they finally unearth their 'treasure' they find there was a good reason why it was buried in the first place ...

Farewell to another Doctor Who stalwart

I was very saddened this week to hear about the death of Caroline John, the lovely actress who played feisty Liz Shaw in Doctor Who.

Caroline passed away at the age of only 71, after appearing in five classic Who stories during the Third and Fifth Doctors’ tenure – who can forget Spearhead From Space, Inferno and The Silurians?, Who at its absolute best – and later reprised the role in various audio and straight-to-video spin-offs.

Liz Shaw wasn’t one of the longest serving characters in Doctor Who, but she certainly made her mark, combining beauty and sexiness with brains and personality. I always recall a newspaper article from when Caroline was first cast as Liz, showing her posing in a bikini - Caroline later went on to say that this was never the way she'd envisaged Liz, and how right she turned out to be. It was quite a culture shock back in 1970 for the Doctor to have a companion who knew almost as much as he did when it came to astrophysics, and who had no hesitation in pulling him up if she thought he was out of line.

I never got to meet Caroline unfortunately, though she appeared very recently in a Doctor Who audio drama I wrote called THE SENTINELS OF THE NEW DAWN, from Big Finish. The story centres around Liz as she was in later life – a retired Cambridge scientist, whose days as a UNIT officer had come under scrutiny thanks to government officials detecting a blank space in the service record. In the story, Liz recalls an incident involving herself and the Third Doctor, which occurred after her official departure from UNIT, but which she’d clearly hoped had been forgotten. (The remarkable piece of artwork you see at the top, is taken directly from the SENTINELS cover, though it will now have taken on a whole new resonance in the eyes of many).

I won’t say too much in case I spoil it for anyone who hasn’t yet heard it, but Caroline, as always, was superb in the role, bringing it her traditional authority and allure. It will always be a deep regret of mine that I had the chance to meet her during the recording, but for once was not able to attend as I had somewhere else I needed to be that day.

Anyway, RIP Caroline (1940-2012). In the words of Big Finish: Lovely, kind, brilliant.



It seems almost irreverent to mention anything else this week, but I doubt Caroline would have minded too much. So, in other Doctor Who related news, fans may be interested to know that a PODCAST for COUNTER MEASURES is now available to be listened to (just follow the link).

COUNTER MEASURES is a new Doctor Who spin-off from Big Finish, concerning the adventures of a small but elite military/scientific cadre who, after helping to fend off the Dalek menace in REMEMBERANCE OF THE DALEKS (first screened in 1988, though it’s actually set in 1963), are charged with defending the Earth against all kinds of extraterrestrial and home-grown horrors. I was very pleased to be asked to write the pilot episode, THRESHOLD, and from what I’ve heard so far the team more than do it justice. (The banner shows actor Simon Williams as Group-Captain Chunky Gilmore).

Anyway, check out the PODCAST – for those of you who prefer your Who to be old-school, with more than a hint of Quatermass, it should whet your whistles nicely.

Of torture porn, dogs' ears and rock chicks

If anyone is interested in the mechanics of film-writing, here is a LINK to the final shooting script that we wrote for THE DEVIL’S ROCK. Note, I’m not saying that it’s the absolute bee’s knees or the very last word in how to lay a movie out on paper, but it might be of some interest.

Next up we have a bunch of images associated with both THE DEVIL’S ROCK and DARK HOLLOW (which director/writer Paul Campion and I are working on next).

Top is the disk art for the Japanese DVD release of THE DEVIL’S ROCK, which still appears to promote that ‘torture porn’ thing that I’m not at all fond of and which has nothing to do with the actual movie, but which catches the eye nevertheless. Second is the full publicity poster that was produced when the movie was first released in the UK (or was this one for the New Zealand release? – you’ll have to forgive me, I’m not totally sure on that); most folk will only have seen fragments of this one.

Third is sure-fire proof that movie adaptations of books are not always good news for the books themselves – at least, not for the copy of the book that you happen to be working from. ‘Well-thumbed’ or maybe 'dog-eared' would be polite ways to describe this original edition of Brian Keene’s DARK HOLLOW, but then it did pass from the Southern Hemisphere to the Northern Hemisphere and back again, as Paul and I took shots at it.

Lastly is another sexy and totally gratuitous image of Gina Varela, star of THE DEVIL’S ROCK, which accompanied a magazine interview she did a few months ago.

On non-movie related news, I can now officially reveal that my forthcoming novel from Avon Books – THE NICE GUYS CLUB – the first of a trio of ultra-dark, uber-violent cop thrillers – has had its title officially changed to STALKERS. It’s early days yet of course, and there’s a remote chance it may change again, but perhaps this one is a little catchier than the original. I mention it now because it’s already appearing on Amazon and other online retail sites under that title, and I didn’t want anyone to be confused.

I’m also proud to announce that a new short story of mine, IN THE FOREST OF THE NIGHT, will be published in the forthcoming horror anthology from PS Publishing – CARNIVALE OF HORROR: DARK TALES FROM THE FAIRGROUND.

I have no link to that yet, and no full TOC, but I’ll be signing copies, along with all the other authors of course, at FANTASYCON in Brighton, in September.

Exotic horror and a brand new Apocalypse!

I’ve had quite a hectic schedule in the last few weeks. My announcement regarding THE NICE GUYS CLUB came at the end of several months of intense horse-trading, which is all now happily sorted. But that has kept me on my toes. In addition, there has been fresh work to do on the two movies I currently have on the go – DARK HOLLOW and THE DEVIL’S ROCK 2, plus, of course, I’ve been putting the final touches to TERROR TALES OF EAST ANGLIA, which we’re hoping to launch at the East Anglia Literary Festival in August.

Folks may recall that, a couple of weeks back, I posted some images on here to illustrate the subject-matter we’d be covering in this next TERROR TALES volume. In order of appearance, they were: Borley Rectory in Essex; an old wood-cut depicting Matthew Hopkins, the infamous Witchfinder-General who terrorised the eastern counties during the Civil War; and the now legendary photograph of the ghost of Fakenham Hall, Norfolk, taken back in the 1930s. Be assured, all will feature, in one form of another, in the TERROR TALES OF EAST ANGLIA.

Now onto a few other bits and pieces which are still in the offing. The various pictures this week illustrate a few other projects of mine.

First up, pictured above is the cover for ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE: FIGHTBACK, edited by the indefatigable Stephen Jones and due for launch at Fantasycon 2012, in Brighton (October). My contribution to that one is a cop novella entitled DEAD AIR, which I’m rather proud of (even if I do say so myself), but I'm not by any means alone in that one. There isn't a full TOC available yet, as far as I know, but suffice to say that Jones weaves together various essays, reports, letters, official documents and transcripts - courtesy of numerous writers well-known in the genre - to create a coherent and chilling mosaic novel (a sequel, of course, to his first in the series - ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, which was such a hit back in 2010.

Secondly, pictured left is the cover for EXOTIC GOTHIC 4, edited by top US literary man, Danel Olson. My World War One-era short novella, OSCHAERT, will feature, along with cracking tales from such luminaries as Reggie Oliver, Stephen Volk, Simon Kurt Unsworth, Robert Hood and Anna Taborska. EG4 will be published later this month, and, dealing as it does with subtle chillers from all around the world, may be one for aficionados of intellectual horror.

Less intellectual, I’m sure you’ll agree – but pretty startling all this same (in fact 'eye-popping' would be another way to describe it) – is this last image, pictured below, which should give all you movie fans in the west a rare glimpse of the cover art to the new Japanese DVD edition of THE DEVIL’S ROCK.

I'm not sure what I feel about this one, to be honest. In this case, the distributors have clearly gone for that old ‘torture porn’ feel, which is not what the film is about at all, but who am I to tell industry professionals their business? I’m sure they know the audience they are targeting better than I do.

That’s it for now, but there is lots more interesting stuff on the horizon, so if you take my advice, you'll keep tuning in.

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.