The Factory, a new novella...

To be launched at FantasyCon 2016 by Hersham Horror Books, this will be available in print and digital editions.

"[A] skilful, gradual escalation of detail, a suggestiveness reminiscent of Ramsey Campbell."

- Gary Fry

cover art by Neil Williams

Twenty years ago at college, Martin, Paul, Jane and Gwen were members of the GLUE Club - the Gaffney Legendary Urban Explorers - run by the charismatic Tom.  Now, following his mysterious death, they agree to meet up again and undertake one final exploration to honour his name.

Aside from Paul who never left, none of them has been back to Gaffney since and the reunion is awkward, re-opening old wounds.  As they begin to explore the long-abandoned Pocock Factory, it seems they might be intruding on something better left alone.  As they succumb, one by one, to the spirits in the darkness, it quickly becomes a battle to see who will survive the night...

Peter Mark May, at Hersham, approached me a couple of years ago about a novella and I originally planned to write one based on half the novel pitch I was working on when I had my heart attack.  As I went back through my notes, however, I realised I had no enthusiasm for that project any longer and started to come up with some more ideas.  Since I was aiming, after this, to start working on a novel in the dark thriller vein (building on what I did with Drive and my soon-to-be-published Polly), I decided this novella should be a kind of 'clearing the decks', a real old-school horror shocker and I had great fun with it.

Although The Factory is set in Gaffney (I've now added a canal to my fictional town, plus built in some nods to older stories), the building itself is based on one I pass every day on my walk (and, when I was in the Sixth Form, I used to work in part of it as my summer job).

The real-life inspiration for Pocock's, the long-since abandoned factory on Rushton Road, Rothwell

The Factory will be published on 24th September 2016, supported by a launch at FantasyCon in Scarborough, alongside novellas by Stephen Bacon, James Everington and Phil Sloman (I've read them all, so trust me when I say I'm in good company) and a collection by Marie O'Regan.  The print and digital editions will both include an afterword.

Gary Fry has posted an early review of the novella, which you can read here.

The novella is now available for pre-order at Amazon

Kindle edition - £3.50 / $5.00 

More details to come...