Sir Roger Moore on tour!

This man is one of my heroes and he's appearing at Milton Keynes theatre in November.  

I work in Milton Keynes.  I have already booked tickets.  I am already fanboy-ishly excited!

Sir Roger Moore, the legendary film star who played the iconic role of James Bond, is to play a series of exclusive dates at theatres around the UK. Following the huge success of his tour last year, Sir Roger will return with ten new dates in Autumn 2013.

Roger will be discussing his astonishing life and career, with inside stories and exclusive anecdotes ranging from his internationally-renowned TV series The Saint and The Persuaders, through to Hollywood blockbusters and, of course, the 007 films, in which he starred as James Bond between 1973 and 1985.

Gareth Owen will interview Roger. Gareth is an author of nine books and has worked with Roger Moore on his autobiography My Word Is My Bond and his latest book Bond On Bond. Gareth has interviewed Roger previously at the BFI Southbank, the Barbican Centre and at various UNICEF fundraisers throughout Europe. The show will be followed by an audience Q&A.

Presented by Jeremy Meadow & Suzanna Rosenthal, by arrangement with Pollinger Limited.

The (original) Star Wars Trilogy

On June 2nd, it will be the 30th anniversary (I know, where does that time go eh?) of "Return Of The Jedi" being released in the UK.  I saw it at the cinema that year, I remain a big fan of the original trilogy and I will be re-reading the novelisation in homage this year (and I'm looking forward to it).

On the 2nd, I'll be posting a blog about my thoughts on the film but in the meantime - and for no other reason than the 30th anniversary of the US release was yesterday, May 25th - here are some of Ralph McQuarrie's phenomenal concept art paintings.  Unfortunately he died in March 2012 but his vision and artistry helped shape the enjoyment and imagination of generations.

Star Wars

released in the UK on December 27th 1977

The Empire Strikes Back

released in the UK on May 21st 1980 (general release)

Return Of The Jedi

released in the UK on June 2nd 1983

Robinsons ad

Given my love for father/son stories, I suppose it was obvious that this ad would appeal to me.

Aickman the frog - he'll haunt you...

...if you don't buy "Anatomy of Death"!


If you don't want to be haunted by him, the book can be found at the following locations:

Amazon UK - print and Kindle

Amazon US - print and Kindle

The Goodreads page is here

The Facebook page for the anthology is here

Ray Harryhausen

Raymond Frederick "Ray" Harryhausen passed away yesterday, he was 92.  A well-known and well respected animator, he created the form of stop-motion model animation known as "Dynamation"

In the glory days before CGI meant we could see anything and not believe a bit of it, his work - from "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" via several Sinbad, various Flying Saucers and dinosaurs - was never less than superb.  True, the films they appeared in might have lacked occasionally in terms of acting and directing but the effects, the real reason we watched them, were awe-inspiring.

He leaves behind a legacy that has informed cinema (and other branches of the arts) and will continue to do so.  His league of admirers is wide and varied and I’m one of those.  As a kid, I fell in love with stop-motion animation and that is still with me today, I awed at what Harryhausen brought to the screen and I marvelled at how wonderful it looked.

There are many different sequences that I could pick out to end this little memorial but I’ll go with the one that means the most to me.  In fact, I would be prepared to argue, with graphs and quotes and everything else, that the skeleton attack in “Jason & The Argonauts” is the single best special effects sequence in the history of movies. Bar none.


RIP good sir and rest assured of your legacy, awakening a love of thrills and fantasy and stop motion animation in generations of kids.

Ray Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013)

Happy Star Wars Day

"Anatomy of Death" book trailer

Joe Hill, NOS4R2 and Ginger Nuts of Horror

I don't normally open this blog up to guest posts but Jim Mcleod, at Ginger Nuts Of Horror, has been a staunch supporter of my writing in the past and he's now hosting an event that I would love to be able to get to.

If you're in Edinburgh on May 31st, this is definitely something you want to get to!

The press release:

Don't miss the opportunity to see horror writer Joe Hill at The Pleasance Theatre for the only Scottish launch of Joe Hill's new book NOS4R2.

He will be taking part in a Q&A (Hosted by me!!!) as well as taking questions from the audience. Joe will also be reading an extract from his new book and signing for fans. For those who can't make it we are taking pre-paid orders for signed copies.

Joe Hill is the author of novels Heart-Shaped Box, Horns and 20th Century Ghosts which were all well received by horror fiction fans. Horns is currently being made into a movie starting Daniel Radcliffe and his graphic novels The Cape, Road Rage and the award-winning Locke & Key have had fans enthralled. NOS4R2 has now secured Hill's place as top of his generation in the world of horror and supernatural fiction.

The event takes place on Friday 31st May 2013 at 6:30pm at the Pleasance Theatre

Don't miss the opportunity to see horror writer Joe Hill at The Pleasance Theatre for the only Scottish launch of Joe Hill's new book NOS4R2.

He will be taking part in a Q&A as well as taking questions from the audience. Joe will also be reading an extract from his new book and signing for fans. For those who can't make it we are taking pre-paid orders for signed copies.

NOS4R2

Summer. Massachusetts.

An old Silver Wraith with a frightening history. A story about one serial killer and his lingering, unfinished business.

Anyone could be next.

We're going to Christmasland...

NOS42 is an old-fashioned horror novel in the best sense. Claustrophobic, gripping and terrifying, this is a story that will have you on the edge of your seat while you read, and leaving the lights on while you sleep. Will your soul be safe? With this horrific tale of Charles Manx and his Silver Wraith will you enjoy Christmas ever again?

Booking is essential.

Tickets are £5 and are available from the front desk at Blackwell's on South Bridge or by telephone for credit card purchases on 0131 622 8218.

For more information or if you would like a signed copy please contact

Ellie Wixon on 0131 622 8229
or
ellie.wixon@blackwell.co.uk

Anatomy of Death - first review round-up

Anatomy of Death is now slowly starting to make its way out into the world and, along with the trepidation that brings to a writer/editor, there's also the worry of reviews.  You want them, of course you do and you want honest ones but you also want people to like what you've done.

The first three reviews for the anthology are all good, I'm pleased to say and I've rounded them up here.  I'm sure there'll be bad ones along the way and I will, of course, keep you informed of those too!

As an aside, if you read the anthology and want to leave a review, I'd be very grateful (any and all feedback welcome) - drop by Amazon or the books Goodreads page and let me know what you think.

The first review came courtesy of Anthony Watson, at Dark Musings and he concluded his perceptive review with "Anatomy of Murder is fine addition to the Hersham back catalogue. Horror is indeed a broad church as Mark says in his introduction. Tastes may change, the genre will evolve (as it has to) but at the end of the day you can’t beat a bit of pulp."

Walt Hicks, at Hellbound Times, finished up his excellent review with "Anatomy of Death is a ruthless, doleful (and yet often playfully satirical) paean to those glorious days of the 70’s and 80’s when horror was campy, bloody, violent, gory and gratuitously sexual.  The selections are certainly well-written, provocative and extremely diverse, which may be problematic to some: the Mains and Volk stories are brutally graphic; Bacon and Probert wield a slightly less gory scalpel, while West's tale occupies more of a middle ground.  Readers may find this wide range of styles and intensity slightly jarring, but then again, that's what horror is supposed to do. The easily unsettled or offended will probably want to go elsewhere, because this ain’t no ‘quiet’ horror anthology."

Mattew Fryer, at Welcome To The Hellforge, had a lot of good stuff to say about the anthology and concludes with "I really enjoyed Anatomy of Death; in fact I demolished it in one sitting. “Just one more, then I’ll get up and do stuff…” was the repeated cry, but this slim, well-ordered volume had other plans. It’s deftly edited, the genre tropes are handled with affection, and there’s plenty of variation despite the specific theme. The stories shine with the quirks and particular strengths of each author, and if you’re not familiar, you could do worse than getting acquainted here."


If those reviews sparked your interest, the book can be found at the following locations:

Amazon UK - print and Kindle

Amazon US - print and Kindle

The Goodreads page is here

The Facebook page for the anthology is here

Anatomy of Death is here!

My editorial debut, Anatomy of Death (in five sleazy pieces), has just been published by Hersham Horror Books.

I was lucky enough to feature in their first PentAnth, Fogbound From Five and had great fun with that so when Pete May asked if I wanted to edit my own, I jumped at the chance.

Free to pick my own theme, I decided to go for one of the ‘phases’ that I have a particular fondness for (as a kid of the 70s and 80s), namely that explosion of ‘sleazy’ horror that ran from the early 1970s.  Think of the films of Hammer, Amicus and Pete Walker or the slim, gory and gruesome paperbacks from NEL, Corgi, Star, Hamlyn, Futura et al and you won’t go far wrong.  It was a time of  sex and violence, of pulpy horror and gratuitous nudity, of demons and monsters and no limit to what the writers would expect you to believe.

To fill out my collection, I decided to aim high first and contacted Stephen Volk.  Perhaps best known for Ghostwatch, Afterlife, The Awakening and Ken Russell’s Gothic, he’s a writer I’m in awe of and his story, an envelope-pusher if ever there was one, was ideal - grim, gruesome but also blackly comic.  A Pete Walker film made in type.

Johnny Mains, a true supporter of 70s horror, presented me with a blackly comic, rude and undeniably gruesome story that would have fitted the heyday of those garish paperbacks to a tee.

Stephen Bacon contributed a quieter tale that tells of the sins of the past coming back to haunt the present, the deliberate pace and atmosphere recalling something Hammer might have produced in the period.

John Llewellyn Probert came onboard with a wonderful Victorian drama, featuring a young lady in distress, something terrible from the Thames and a threat to London.  It cannot be read without picturing Peter Cushing as the lead character.

For my story, I decided to embrace the period.  I read a stash of 70s/80s horror paperbacks and had great fun with London during the 1976 heatwave and a glamour photographer who gets tangled up with a monstrous ‘beast’.  I’m proud to share space with these fine writers and their stories.

I produced the cover art for the first two PentAnths (co-designing the first with Neil Williams) and we went through many iterations on this project (my teaser, blogged about here, got a lot of good feedback though unfortunately we couldn’t track the rights through Robert Hale).  In the end, we decided on a simple graphic and I think it works well.

I've had great fun doing this.  It was a real pleasure dealing with writers I admired, I loved writing my story and I've had a great relationship with Peter Mark May during the process.  I’m not sure I’d like to edit again but it’s been an experience and I hope the finished product does what it’s supposed to do - thrill, sicken, terrify and entertain!

The book can be purchased, in print, from Amazon at this link and as ebook from this link

A Facebook page can be found (and liked) here

Support the small press!

If you do decide to take a chance on the anthology - and I hope you will - reviews are always great to receive and the book has its own Goodreads page here