The Order Of Aries

I'm pleased to announce that The Thirteen Signs, edited by Dean M. Drinkel, was published by Nocturnicorn Books whilst the blog was on holiday.  It marks the seventh time I've worked with Dean and my story, The Order Of Aries, is the fourth adventure for my recurring character Mike Decker (who also appeared in The Zabriskie Grimoire, The Penthouse Incident and This Is The Colour Of Blood)

Foreword, by Alex S. Johnson

Introduction, by Dean M Drinkel

The Order Of Aries, by Mark West

Come Join The Blood Parade, by Lily Childs

Seven For Eight, by Romain Collier

Carapace, by Raven Dane 

Leo, by Tim Dry

Solomon Carson And The Death Of A Virgin, by Trevor Kennedy & Robert E. Tate 

Leeber, by Christine Dougherty

The Scorpion Dance, by Amelia Mangan

One in Twelve, by Steve Byrne

A Sorrow Of Sweet Pipings, by Jan Edwards

Ganymede, by Emile-Louis Tomas Jouvet

Hooked, by James Everington

Worshipping The Snake, by Dean M Drinkel


The book is available from Amazon UK

paperback edition - £9.48

Kindle edition - £3.48

I enjoy writing the Decker stories but felt that, in keeping with the pattern they'd developed, I'd allowed them to become a bit 'flashier' than they should be, so decided to go back to basics and write a mean and dirty little tale.  Having said that, Decker does get to enjoy himself as he describes what he does: "I am an acquirer, a finder of items lost or hidden and although it’s an occasionally dirty job, I am well paid for it.  I take my job very seriously and I expect other people to do the same.  I once had a meeting with a smug CEO of a social media company who compared me to a personal shopper and I’d punched him in the face before he could laugh."

Dean approached me last December and, when I agreed to be involved, assigned me the Aries starsign.  I don't pay much attention to astrology (and I'm an Aquarius anyway) so I looked the sign up, found it was most readily associated with a goat and had the key image before I got home that night.  A few days later, Dean & I were talking and he mentioned it might be nice to see another Decker story and that sealed it.

As I mentioned before, I've made some changes to the Decker blueprint (especially having him eat at a burger van at the start), removing the black comedy that ran through Blood and making the character suffer badly when he's tortured at one point (in what is, hopefully, a grim little sequence).

The Order of Aries made its headquarters in a nondescript 70s semi-detached, located in a quiet cul-de-sac on a large housing estate.  It was three hours since I’d been to see Maddie when I parked across the road and turned the engine off.

It was quiet.  There were no pedestrians, no dogs barking and very few cars parked on driveways.  I wondered how many of the net curtains would be twitching with my arrival.

I got out and crossed the road, heading for the house.  The front garden had been paved over and there were oil splashes on it, as if people used it for parking.  A driveway ran up the side of the house towards the garage, dotted with more oil splashes.  The house was double-glazed, the plastic frames sun-bleached but tidy and curtains were drawn at all of the windows I could see.  The front door had two panels of frosted glass and through them I could make out the shape of a coat rack but nothing else.  I tried the door handle but it didn’t move.  I took the multi-tool out of my pocket, selected a blade and inserted it into the lock and then I was in.

The hallway was cluttered.  A staircase ran up to my left and, across the way, was an open door. Alongside the stairs, a narrow corridor led to a kitchen.  The house was silent and smelled of curry.  I went through the open doorway into a lounge, which had a sofa and two chairs, a large TV and a games unit.  Several pizza boxes were littered around and other detritus it was difficult to see in the poor light.  Over the fireplace, on the wide chimney breast, was a large painting and it took me a moment or two to recognise it as Goya’s ‘El Gran Cabrón’. or ‘The Great He-Goat’.  The lounge and dining room had been knocked into one and I turned to the back of the house where a big dinner table commanded the space.  It was covered in papers and several closed laptops and on the cupboard behind it were several large monitors, which must have been at least ten years old and a cardboard box full of keyboards.  I went through to the kitchen and every surface I could see was covered in piles of papers, even the hob.  I opened the fridge and saw a large cake box, three 4-pint containers of milk, a lot of cheese, two packs of butter and two pizzas.  The whole thing stank of meat.

Closing the fridge I noticed another door, pushed it open and stepped into an empty garage.  In the middle of the floor was a large trapdoor with a big ring pull on it, which seemed very out of place.  I wasn’t aware of any houses of this era having cellars.  I pulled it open and heard the hush of seals coming apart then the scent of rotting meat hit me like a slap.  I could hear a murmur of voices but not what they were saying.  I pulled the door up and over to the side, laying it carefully.  A stairwell went down, simply built and enclosed by a studded wall.

The voices were still talking, so I assumed they hadn’t heard me and I went down the steps slowly.  Birds had been nailed to the exposed beams, crows and pigeons mostly and while the ones nearest the entrance were clearly fresh, the last couple were dessicated.  I paused on the bottom step, trying to get a fix on where the voices were.  Ahead, the cellar wall had been plastered over but it was coming away in places, revealing the dark earth behind it.  I couldn’t help thinking that all of this had been excavated recently.

I decided the voices were to my left and risked a quick glance around the plasterboard.  The cellar stretched further than I’d been expecting, almost as if they’d gone under next door too.  There were a dozen or more support posts, some of which blocked my view, but I could see three people standing around something with their backs to me.  I couldn’t see what they were looking at and decided I wanted to.

This Is The Colour Of Blood

I'm pleased to say that "Chromatics", the new anthology edited by Dean M. Drinkel, has just been published by Lycopolis Press.  It marks the fifth time I've worked with Dean and my story, "This Is The Colour Of Blood", features the third adventure for my recurring character Mike Decker (who also appeared in "The Zabriskie Grimoire" and "The Penthouse Incident").

Table Of Contents

Introduction by John Gilbert

The Sand Was Made Of Mountains, by Anthony Cowin

The Black God, by Paul M Feeney

Beige, by Martin Roberts

The White Room, by Raven Dane

Restoring Scarlet, by Dave Jeffery

Xanthos, by Wayne Goodchild

Born From The Greens, by Zak A Ferguson

The Spiritual Room, by Christopher Beck

This Is The Colour Of Blood, by Mark West

Anthropocene, by Charles Rudkin

Dans Le Rouge Du Couchant, by Dean M Drinkel

The book is available in print from Amazon

Amazon UK 

print edition (£8.00)

Amazon US

print edition ($11.99)

more details about the book can be found here

I like writing the Decker stories and they've now developed a bit of a pattern, which is quite fun to write to and this time round he describes himself thus: "I’m an acquirer, a finder of items lost or hidden and although it’s an occasionally dirty job, I am well paid for it.  I take my job very seriously and I expect other people to do the same.  I once had a meeting with a c-list celebrity who compared me to a personal shopper and I’d broken his jaw before he finished his sentence."

Dean got in touch with me in late July, when I was working on my novella "The Exercise".  I had the basic idea by the time I got home that night and the rest of it worked out over the next couple of evenings walks, then put it to one side until I was free to work on it.

When I got the idea for damaging Decker's beloved car, it was Dude who provided me the make and model, though when I Googled it I realised a certain plot point wouldn't work (though said research did lead me to something else, which strengthened the story, so that was good).  I also included a bit of an in-joke, in that the man who hires Decker - a powerful Russian called Krasniy - had two baddies, who I decided to name Drax and Chang.  Further on the Bond front, I watched "The Living Daylights" as I was writing this and it occurred to me that Decker might look like Timothy Dalton.  I haven't ever described him, but I think that's the mental image I'll have from now on.

The job seemed simple and that should have been my first warning - in my line of work, simple often ends up being a lot of trouble.

I met the Russian at The Glades, a central London restaurant so exclusive you need references to get in.  The dining room was a monument to the Victorian era, with plenty of wood panelling and a very high ceiling.  It was early afternoon, most of the tables were occupied and there was a well-heeled hum about the room, as people ate and chatted quietly.

The Russian and I were sitting in a booth, his goons two tables behind me.  One was short, thin and bespectacled, an IT technician clothed by Armani and the other was Eurasian, big and wide, looking like a Sumo going for an interview.  Both had watched me come in, neither had spoken.

“You must try the foie gras,” said the Russian, as he signalled the maître d', “it is wonderful.”

A waiter arrived, put down two small plates of foie gras with mustard seeds and green onions in a duck jus, then left.  The Russian used his fork to break off a bit of the pate and put it gently on his tongue, as if enjoying the sensual delight.  “You are wondering why I asked to see you?”

I took a little of the foie gras and he was right, it was wonderful.  “I assume you need my service.”

The Russian smiled.  “Indeed, I have heard good things about you.  Do you know who I am?”

“I do, Mr Krasniy.”  Following his army service, Anatol Krasniy had embraced perestroika and soon had his fingers in a number of pies.  Through friends, he was involved in one of the loans-for-shares programs, quickly developed a healthy portfolio of shares in various oil companies and now his business dealings were extensive and far-reaching.  He made his base in London.

"Very good.”  His English was perfect, if heavily accented.  He was lean and long faced, with a pale complexion and grey eyes that looked dead.  His hair was silvering at the temples and there was a small scar on his forehead.  His claret coloured three-piece suit was well cut.

“I have a daughter, a good girl, she kept out of the family business and lived in Moscow.  Last year, she came to London, got involved with the wrong crowd.”  He paused and smiled, as if aware of the irony in his comment and made a shrugging gesture with his large hands.  “She is with child and now she has gone.”

“Back to Moscow?”

“No, here in London.  She was living with me, on a separate floor so she had her own life.  I only wanted to protect her, to give her and my grandson the best start.  Is that really so wrong?”  He didn’t wait for an answer.  “She went, last week, with no warning.  I had her tracked to a house in Stamford Hill and I want her to come back.”

“If you’ve tracked her, why didn’t you get her then?”

“Because she is very pregnant and I didn’t want the private dick to manhandle or frighten her.  I daren’t risk her life or that of my unborn grandson.  I need a professional to bring her in.”

“I’m not a babysitter, Mr Krasniy.”

He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes.  “Nor am I, Mr Decker.  But you have a reputation, you have a style and I think you could help.”

I finished my foie gras and wiped the corners of my mouth with the heavy linen napkin.  “Just to bring her home?”

“Yes,” he said and gestured towards the goons.  “Drax and Chang will give you the details of her location.”  He finished his foie gras and wiped his mouth.  “But I must insist no harm come to her.”  He looked at me.  “No harm at all.”

The waiter came back, cleared our plates away and replaced them with two more.

“I can get your daughter safely, Mr Krasniy, for my usual consideration.”

He nodded, looked at his plate and smiled broadly.  “Ah, carpaccio with arugula.”

Interview with Dean M Drinkel

I can’t remember now just how Dean M Drinkel and I connected in the first place, though I do know it was on social media.  We were probably friends of friends, saw comments and started talking - Facebook’s like that and so, in my experience is Dean.  Friendly and chatty, we met face-to-face at WFC in Brighton, 2013 and I remember standing outside the hotel with him (as a friend of his was having a smoke) chatting about this and that.  He’d already asked me to write a story for him, which I was thrilled to do and it’s been a pleasure to meet up with him again as the years and conventions have gone by.  We’ve worked together quite a few times now and it’s thanks to him asking for new tales that led to me creating my recurring character, Mike Decker.  He asked me for a grimoire story and I racked my brains trying to think of something, got waylaid by my heart attack and then it all came to me.  Dean loved the story and the character and now, when he asks for a story, he usually ends his missives with “this could be nice for another Decker”.

A bit of a renaissance man, Dean is a published poet, short story writer and editor, with several anthologies to his name.  He’s also an award-winning scriptwriter and has directed several short films and theatre productions.

MW:  Can you give us a little background on yourself Dean?

DD:  Sure, I was born in Farnham, Surrey but I don’t remember much about that. In the main I’ve been brought up in the south of England (my parents moved around quite a bit) but I was lucky enough to spend some of my childhood in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). I also spent time at Towson University in Maryland, USA. After graduation I moved to London but I’m just about to start the next chapter of my life as I move to Cannes, France to work on a feature film script.

MW:  How did you get into writing?  And how did you get into the horror genre?

DD:  Talking to my mother about this very subject not so long ago she said that I’ve always been writing (I used to write a number of short Sherlock Holmes stories) - for me though, it didn’t really begin until I went to university. I was lucky enough to have quite a few stories published in the college magazine which then went on to form my first collection by a publisher who is now no longer with us. Hopefully (time allowing anyway) we might do a small re-release either later this year or early next. In 2014 I did a rewrite of one of the stories (‘Weird’) which was selected for the Horror Society’s Best Of collection.

My mother was very much into Stephen King – I wasn’t particularly (except for a select few) but through King I discovered James Herbert (I wrote my A –Level thesis about The Magic Cottage) but it wasn’t until I saw Hellraiser a few years after it came out that suddenly everything made sense to me and I knew horror was the genre I wanted to work in. I couldn’t get enough of Clive Barker - I simply love his stories and to be honest I quite liked The Scarlet Gospels too.

MW:  How did you get into film and theatre?

DD:  Film had always been a passion. Whilst at university a friend of mine called me up one day saying that he had managed to get hold of some equipment (a camera, lights etc etc) and did I fancy directing him in something. Another friend of ours wrote a script, I did some editing on it and we proceeded to spend what budget we had down the local pub. Sobering up in the morning and then realising that all my house-mates were away for the weekend – we started shooting the script there and then. We also roped in an old girlfriend of mine – she didn’t know what the hell was going on and to be honest we probably didn’t either. We were still shooting on the Sunday when one of the girls who lived in the house came back early and promptly decided to sit in the middle of our set and watch television whilst we filmed around her. I think we had just had a champagne breakfast and so carried on regardless – it was all a bit Warhol/Lynch if memory serves – anyway, my friend entered it as part of his degree thesis and passed, so it couldn’t have been all that bad…avant-garde is probably the best description of that film.

From a production point of view I didn’t really direct anything else for a while but continued to knock-out scripts, sticking them in a drawer ready for a rainy-day – you know the kind of thing I’m sure. As the years passed by I’d dust them down, have a scan through – convinced myself they were bloody brilliant then go to the pub with my friends, pontificate about how great they were and the prospective Oscar speeches I would give and then, once sober, promptly forget all about them – though, I did go on to win three film awards and was runner up for the Sir Peter Ustinov Award (part of the International Emmys) so I must have done something right and all going well 2016 will see me back directing again.

From a theatre perspective, I guess I did always have an interest but I just couldn’t stand all those ‘theatre-folk’ (sorry) there was just too much of that “darling” and “luvvie” speak for me. I couldn’t connect with that world. Oddly though I managed to get selected to write a short piece which was staged in a theatre in Kent and not long after a London theatre contacted me as they were staging monthly nights of new writing and they wondered whether I fancied getting involved.

I gave it some thought and said why not, what did I have to lose? The first few pieces were mainly monologues which then grew into bigger/longer pieces. Within a very short space of time we were hiring theatres and I was writing/directing/producing some quite dark work (with a little sprinkling of humour where possible.) I was lucky enough to have a troupe of actors that would literally do anything I asked of them and agreed to come with me from production to production.

Looking back, it was a great time – we worked in some great fringe theatres in London and the south east of England though on reflection, I often wonder how we managed to actually get anything done – especially with all that drinking – we were all quite a social bunch!

Chatting with Clive Barker

Also looking back I can’t believe I didn’t have a breakdown, it was such an intense period of creativity. I would be writing new material during the day then directing at night – then one production finished then we would quickly move onto the next. Don’t get me wrong, it was very exciting but it wasn’t always easy – some of the older actors were ‘difficult’ (ha ha) and didn’t always understand what us ‘young’uns’ were on about and let’s not even talk about the actual people managing the theatres. There was one particular one in south London who was often more drunk then we were…and that’s saying something!

Referencing Clive Barker again, the only play I directed which wasn’t my own was Clive’s Frankenstein In Love – that was a total blast once we actually got it on the stage. We had walk-outs and complaints (due to the violence and special effects) and it was quite successful – twice the theatre asked us to extend our run though we couldn’t do it the third time as one of the actors had commitments elsewhere and I didn’t have time to re-cast. I also took a handful of the actors to do a rehearsed reading at one of the Fantasycons – which also went down quite well. I met up with Clive around that time when he was over here doing a book tour and he really dug what I/we were trying to do. I promised him that somewhere along the way when I could get a bigger budget then I’d like to revisit the play in some form – let’s see how the next year or so pans out.

During this time, I also started shooting some short films with some of the actors that had been in the plays. We made a couple of lo-budgets that were then screened at Cannes. One of these (Ruby) I’m trying to do a re-dux version because the original that we screened only contained about a third of the story. It is a very atmospheric film (based on one of my plays as it happens) so I’m hoping to get some spare time this year where I can finish that off and get it out there on the festival circuit.

MW:  Since you work in a variety of areas, how does your writing routine differ between short stories, screenplays and editing?  And do you find your writing style shifts, depending on what you’re working on?

DD:  I’m not really sure it does for me. I think I just hit each project or commission with the idea that the deadline is looming and I’d better get on with it quickly. I do go through periods where I write everything long-hand, and then probably do two or three drafts (in different colour pens!) before transferring it to the laptop and then do a few more revisions before I’m really happy with it. Other times I’ll just start typing ideas on the screen and take it from there.

From a personal point of view I know there was a shift in my writing style once I started spending more and more time in France (particularly Paris) which I think has been reflected in the successes that I’ve been having these past five years or so. It’s hard to put a finger on how this happened but (and as pretentious as it may sound) as soon as I stepped off that Eurostar that first time and walked out the station I remember thinking – yep, I’m home. I find it very hard now to write something which isn’t based in France…I know my earlier stories (and film scripts) were US-centric but I seem to have moved on from that for now.

MW:  In horror, do you prefer gore or more subtle, psychological thrills?

DD:  For me I’ve actually been more of a subtle kind of guy- which is quite ironic when you read a lot of work as it can be actually quite…extreme. I did get into the ‘torture porn’ films of a few years back and I’m a total fan of French horror (particularly the New French Extremity genre of films) – interestingly I did recently go to see Crimson Peak with my friend Romain in Cannes and whilst I really wanted to love the film, afterwards when he asked me what I thought all I could come up with was: “Oh, it looked nice.”

MW:  Where do you find your inspiration, is it more visual cues for the screenplay work?

DD:  I’ve been lucky in my life that I can find inspiration literally anywhere. I can see a newspaper headline, read a passage in a book, an article in a magazine, listen to a conversation in the café/pub, perhaps even a photograph – it all gets stored in my brain and then, when it’s ready it’ll come flowing out – all connected somehow.  Sometimes I’m not ready when it does come so I’ve always got a notebook with me somewhere about my person so I can jot down the ideas etc. I’m not a drugs person (they scare me) but if I have a nice glass of red wine I find that when they do flow, they flow nicely.

MW:  What writing conditions do you prefer - silence or music or a mixture of both?

DD:  I do have a particular writing regime and that is: whenever I’m going to start a new project, the first thing I do is head into town (I’m not a fan of downloading) and buy a load of new cds. I find that listening to new music can really inspire me and it’s strange that if I now look back at things I’ve written then I’m able to almost transport myself back to that time and can hear those particular songs/artists playing in my head. Now and again I will write with the TV on in the background but I can be easily distracted…I’m not a great fan of silence either and where I currently live in London, it’s on a high street and it can get very noisy!

MW:  I understand you’re a fellow fan of the Alfred Hitchcock And The Three Investigators series.  When did you get into them?

DD:  Oh my Lord yes, I love them!

When I was a kid I had a couple of books already then when I went to live in Saudi, we had a bit of a wait for visas etc and as my parents had sold our house we ended up living with my mother’s parents for a few months in Hampshire. One of my cousins lived opposite and whilst he was out at school (my brother and I were taught at home) I was allowed to take the pick of any of his books. I saw that he had a load of Three Investigators and boy, I couldn’t get enough. I think I was reading two or three a day and once I’d read all that he had then it was a trip to the local library to read those too. They are really popular aren’t they – all around the world and I remember at one of the Cannes Film Festival’s I was taking a walk around the Marche and found a poster for an Austrian film version! It would be good though to make a proper film series based on the books – if done correctly I’m sure they could be very successful.

MW:  They certainly are.  So what kind of material do you like to read for relaxation?

DD:  Do I relax? I’m not sure if I actually have time for relaxation but IF I did: I’m a fan of French philosopher Michel Onfray. I also enjoy reading Umberto Eco and a lot of French literature. Also – for those that know me well, I read a lot about Napoleon and I mean a lot. Recently as I was packing up my flat I couldn’t believe how many books about him/that period that I actually own – I could open up my own library that’s for sure. Sometimes I also enjoy a book I can just ‘zone out’ too and I’m a great fan of Steve Berry and Dan Brown. I’ve always fancied writing something like that…perhaps next year.

MW:  Okay, quick fire, let’s do favourites: writer, book, film, theatre show?

DD:  Okay...
Writer: Clive Barker
Book: The Magus – John Fowles
Film: Hellraiser / Hellbound: Hellraiser II
Theatre Show: Les Miserables (which is ironic because the first time I saw this I
wanted to walk out as I found it too boring – but as the years have gone by my opinion has changed).

Accepting the award for Best Short Thriller
(Stella Maris) at theAngel Film Awards,
Monaco International Film Festival 

MW:  Do you find it easy to let projects go?

DD:  The way I’ve looked at it over the years is that I don’t actually let go of anything completely as there could be opportunities to pick them up at a later stage. For instance, I have won three awards for scripts I have written – I didn’t actively pursue getting those films made at the time as my order book was full with all my other writing commitments, but then an opportunity has come along these past couple of months where we are now up and running with the first script Bright Yellow Gun. It is a Paris based film and as I write this we have been talking budgets and then once that’s agreed I’ll be talking to some actors I know to see if they can get on-board. It is early days for sure but it is quite exciting - Dave Jeffery/James Hart’s production company VLM are involved too so there already is a lot of pedigree attached.

I believe 100% in everything I do but appreciate that sometimes the time might not be right. If that’s the case then into the drawer it goes until a rainy day – saying that, as I’ve been packing up I’ve found a feature script that I wrote a few years ago called Echo – it’s at Draft Four stage so in a couple of months once I’ve got myself sorted, I’ll give it another polish and get it out there…it did read quite well and perhaps someone might want it. I also found a pilot script for a proposed sit-com called The Fill-In Station set in a recruitment agency – thinking about it perhaps that could do with a quick rewrite too and we might be able to sell it.

MW:  So what’s next for Dean M Drinkel?

Wow, 2016 is going to be a manic year. There are a number of anthologies that I’ve compiled/edited; a collection of my own short stories; a novella (which is a follow up to my previous Within A Forest Dark); several of my short stories will be appearing in some other anthologies throughout the year – as well as being associate editor on FEAR magazine!

But as I said above, I’m about to move to France to work on a historical film script – this is going to be something major so I’ll give you as much info as I’m allowed too ha ha.

I’ve had this idea for a little while now about a “Napoleonic era” story but other than sketching a few ideas down, I didn’t really do anything seriously about it. Then at last year’s Cannes Film Festival I met a young French writer Romain Collier – at a pub, singing Karaoke of all things! Anyway, we just clicked and I started talking to him about the proposed project and he really got what I was trying to do with it and thus the ‘journey’ began. Since May last year I’ve been over to Cannes a few times and we met up also in Paris and quite early on I decided that it would be better for me to be over there full-time if we are going to make a success of this (we will be co-writers and then I will direct) – so that’s what I’m doing. Six months initially to see where we can go with it but the idea is: finish the script in time for this year’s Film Festival, shop it around, get some funding in and then get the film made. We have a Belgian actor in mind to play the main role (and he’s very very interested in doing it) and again, if all goes well I’ll be able to bring in some of my Paris actor friends in as well. I said above that Bright Yellow Gun was exciting – well, this one definitely is! I’ll let you know how I get on…

MW:  Well good luck with it mate and thanks for answering my questions.

DD:  No problem, thank you.

At World Fantasy in Brighton, 2nd November 2013
from left - Dean M Drinkel, Phil Sloman, Lisa Jenkins, Paul Woodward, Martin Roberts, me

Sledge-Lit, Derby, 21st November 2015

This year saw the first Sledge-Lit event in Derby, which was billed as the “Edge-Lit Christmas vacation!” and held in the same venue.  Since I had such a great time at Edge-Lit 4 (see my report here) and like the Derby Quad, I thought it’d made a nice bridge between the brilliance of FantasyCon (which I reported about here) and next years Crusty Exterior meet-up.

In the Quad bar - Sue Moorcroft, me, James Everington, Steve Harris, Simon Bestwick, Peter Mark May, Dean M. Drinkel

Saturday morning was bright, clear and cold.  I picked Sue up from her house and, as she got in, she took one look at my fleece, smiled and said, “Haven’t you got a coat?”  “No, I’ll be fine with this,” I assured her, “we’ll be indoors.”  “Okay,” she said, “but I don’t want you moaning about being cold!”  I feigned moral outrage - I mean, as if I would ever moan about anything?  We set off and made good time up the M1, chatted all the way and found the Assembly Rooms car park with only the slightest detour required - we were deep in conversation and I missed the turn…  ahem.

Pete, me, Steve, in the bar

As we signed in, Steve Harris appeared, followed closely by James Everington, so we moved into the bar and sat with Peter Mark May and Dean M. Drinkel, who’d arrived on the same train.  There was a lot of chat - it’s less than a month since FCon but it always feels too long ago - and we decided to have lunch in the bar, since Sue recommended it and none of us fancied wandering out into the cold (the place we found at Edge-Lit was lovely but we had to eat outside).  Over the morning, the group around our table ebbed and flowed and we were joined by Simon Bestwick (full of his new-agent-news), Theresa Derwin, Steven Chapman, Simon Marshall-Jones and Tony Cowin.  I later spotted Pixie Puddin in the foyer and went to give her a hug (and bought her a cup of tea too, it was cold out there) then chatted with Cate Gardner, Priya Sharma and Gary Couzens as I made my way back to our table - good to see them all.  Our lunch turned up just before the crowd appeared from the last panel and I was glad we’d pre-ordered, as the bar quickly filled up.  I had a chicken & bacon ciabatta sandwich and it was bloody lovely.

As there was a gap in the programme, I led a small deputation to the Eagle Books stall, in the Eagle market, that Johnny Mains introduced me to in 2014.  As we went through the foyer I bumped into John Llewellyn Probert, Thana Niveau and Cate.  Had a chat with John - we worked out that we hadn’t seen one another since WFC in Brighton in 2013 so it was good to catch up and we talked about how staring mortality in the face (John had a major health scare a few years back) makes you re-assess things.  It was nice to say hello to Thana too.  I met Sue & Pete outside, saw Fiona Ní Éalaighthe and got a hug from her, waited for Steven and Steve, then we set off through the Market Hall and out to the Eagle market.  As it turned out, it was indeed bloody cold outside, though I was determined not to say anything in front of Sue (I think I might have mentioned it several times to Steve and Pete though).  Eagle Books was still there and still fantastic, everyone got something and we kept calling each over to share finds.  There was a tray of Richard Laymon books which prompted a discussion of his work - all of us, it seemed, were fans at various points but, as we explained to Sue, our attention wandered as the books got thicker and more misogynistic.  On the way through, I’d spotted a sign in the Market Hall for a retro-toyshop and we stood outside for a while, gazing into the windows (there was a ‘back in 30 minutes’ sign on the door), before giving up and heading back to the Quad.  I spotted Charlotte Bond in the foyer, had a quick hug and she showed me a copy of “Drive” that Chris Teague had given her for making the muffins at “The Lost Film” book launch.

"Rising From The Dead" panel selfie - me, Sue, Steve, Pete

Upstairs, Pete & I went into the small dealers room and I picked up a Black Static from Roy Gray and the last copy of “Fur Lined Ghetto #6” from Sophie Essex - always a pleasure to see her and Andrew Hook.  With Sue, we went into Cinema 2 for the “Rising From The Dead - Is Horror Ready for a New Golden Age?” panel, which I thought sounded very interesting.  Unfortunately, it left the path less than five minutes in and never found its way back (though Thana made some great comments) - a missed opportunity.  However, as we left, I saw Kevin Redfern & Hayley Orgill further up the auditorium and had a chat with them - we disagreed with the panel and talked about how we got introduced to horror (the outcome was that if kids want to find it, they will - twas ever thus).  Good to see them.

On the way to the market selfie

By the time I got out to the open area, Pete & Sue were fiddling with his glasses, which were pretty much falling apart.  I suggested we go into the market to find a jewellers stall and, as we set off, I decided to tell him the staircase was further away than it actually was.  He gave me a look and said, “I can bloody see them.”  Mischief averted.  The stall I’d spotted in the market was actually a watch-maker but the kindly lady fixed Pete’s glasses quickly and efficiently and since we were in there, we checked out the retro toyshop again but this time it was closed.  On our way back to the Quad (with me still not complaining about the cold, even though I couldn’t feel my fingertips) we had a quick look in Ask Italian, across the Market Square, as Sue and curries don’t mix particularly well.  The menu looked good so we decided we’d eat there later.

We went into the bar for a while before heading back upstairs were we met Cate and Priya on the stairs and Graeme Reynolds in the open area, chatting with them all.  James joined us and he, Pete and Graeme went into the “A Ghost Story Is Not Just For Christmas” panel, whilst Sue & I went to the Boo Books launch.  I had a chat with Andrew David Barker, whose excellent novella “Dead Leaves” (which I reviewed here) was being launched and it was good to see him - after first meeting at FCon - and his reading went well.  Carl Robinson also read from his “A Dip In The Jazz Age”, which was being launched as well and it was a good event, though sadly poorly attended.  Sue & I stayed behind to chat with Andrew and Alex (who, in addition to organising Sledge-Lit is also the publisher of Boo Books) and the conversation turned to FCon 2016, which promises to be great.

Graeme Reynolds, me, (a very distinguised looking - and with fixed glasses) Pete and Sue

Back in the bar, I got a round of drinks, chatting with Steven as we waited, before chatting with Dean and Pete.  They were both leaving at 6pm to catch the same train home and our conversation covered everything from writing to body parts to the awful news about Paris (Dean was there the week before the attacks).  At 5.30, we headed up for the raffle - hosted by Rob Shearman - joined by Jay Eales (unfortunately Selina had stayed at home) and Phil Irving.  Steve arrived late, sat on the row behind us and won the first two prizes!  We thought it was going to be another Andromeda-style whitewash but it wasn’t to be - I didn’t win anything, nor did Pete but Sue & James cleaned up on the PS Publishing prizes, with “A Cold Season” (hardback) and “Ellison Wonderland” (boxed hardback) respectively.  Gits.

And that was Sledge-Lit officially over.  I said goodbye to Pete, Steven and Graeme and we gathered up our dining party - Sue, Tony, James, Steve, Chris Teague and me - and went over to Ask Italian, who managed to seat us all.  The food was great, the conversation and company even more so and I don’t think there was a moment of silence for the entire meal.  We covered a lot of subjects too, including how to write erotica (Sue didn’t believe us about Dino-porn but did introduce us to the phrase ‘Antigua Kiss’, which we’re all going to include in our latest story), what we're currently working on and what we get out of Cons (James put his finger on it, saying how great it was to hang out with talented friends).  A great group of friends, it was the perfect end to the Sledge-Lit experience.  Afterwards, James was heading for the train station whilst Chris and Tony were going back to the Quad so we all hugged and said goodbye, then Sue, Steve & I went back to the Assembly Rooms car park and hugged goodbye in the stairwall.  After finding an ‘interesting’ route to get us back to the M1, Sue & I talked all the way back to Kettering.

At Ask Italian - James, Steve, Chris Teague, Sue, me, Tony Cowin

Great fun, great venue, well organised and full of friends, I’d say Sledge-Lit was a success.

The Penthouse Incident

I'm pleased to announce that "Demonology", the new anthology edited by Dean M. Drinkel, has just been published by Lycopolis Press.  This is the fourth time I've worked with Dean (as the book contains my story "The Penthouse Incident") and this features a welcome (for me) return for my character Mike Decker, who originally appeared in "The Zabriskie Grimoire" (which I blogged about here).  In additional news, I'm going to be writing another Decker story for Dean in the near future.

The Flute Of Gali

Juan J. Guiterrez

The Throne

Peter Mark May

The Call

Charles Rudkin

Amber

Sandra Norval

Sacrifice

Kelly Gould

From Within

Christopher L. Beck

Saturnalia

Anthony Crowley

Interview With Nybbas

Tim Dry

Demon Driver

Adrian Cole

Riding The Hag

S. L. Schmitz

The Penthouse Incident

Mark West

Climbing Out

Paul Flewitt

Our Love Comes Back

Dean M. Drinkel

The book is available (in print editions only at the moment) from the following:

Amazon UK 

Paperback 

Amazon US 

Paperback

This time around, Decker describes himself thus:

"I am an acquirer, a finder of items lost or hidden and although it’s an occasionally dirty job, I am well paid for it.  I take my job very seriously and I expect other people to do the same.  I once had a meeting with an arrogant playboy who compared me to a personal shopper and it took him almost five minutes to properly take a breath after I’d punched him in the throat."

Mike is hired by Brian Bootle, "one of Gaffney’s pre-eminent pornographers", to find his son Daniel, who has stolen a grimoire from Brian's private collection.  The trail leads Decker to a penthouse suite where, it appears, all hell has broken loose.  I had a lot of fun with this story, making my anti-hero as horrible as possible whilst also poking fun at what sometimes passes as celebrity these days.

I could smell blood in the air as soon as the lift door opened and since it wasn’t a scent you normally associated with one of the finest hotels in the city, it wouldn’t be long until someone complained.  
I stepped out of the lift onto the top floor, occupied by four penthouses.  The corridor in front of me, which serviced all of them, ran the width of the building.  It was wide and thickly carpeted, decorated in such a way as to draw attention to itself without seeming unbecoming.

If my contact was correct, my target was in 6b and the door closest to me, on my left, was 6a.  I walked down the corridor, my footsteps completely muffled.  It was so quiet I could hear myself breathing, along with the faint hum of air conditioning and the gearings of the lift.  I stopped outside 6b.  The door looked exactly the same as the others, there was no pentragram scrawled in blood on one of the ornate inlay panels, no claw marks around the handle, nothing to tip me off that I was in the right place.

Leaning forward, I put my ear close enough to hear anything that might be happening in the room.  Nothing.  I touched the door-handle with my fingertips and it felt vaguely warm.

I knocked and it sounded very loud.  “Room service,” I said, in the cheeriest voice I could muster.  There was a noise but I couldn’t make out what it was.

I looked back along the length of the empty corridor.  The lift had closed.  

I opened the door and pushed it as far as it would go.  The smell of blood was overwhelming and I could almost taste it, it was so thick in the air.  Nobody rushed me so I stepped over the threshold into a small hallway that opened up into a minimalist, modern  suite.

The Zabriskie Grimoire

I'm pleased to announce that the latest anthology edited by Dean M. Drinkel, "The Grimorium Verum", has just been published by Western Legends Press.  Amongst many others, it contains my story "The Zabriskie Grimoire".

Western Legends is excited to reveal the table of contents for our newest publication and third installment in the Tres Librorum Prohibitum series: The Grimorium Verum - a collection of 26 stories, edited by Dean M Drinkel.

Foreword – John Palisano

Introduction – Dean M. Drinkel

A Is For Annis – Tim Dry

B Is For Balefire – Raven Dane

C Is For Creature – Justin Miles

D Is For Drawing Down The Moon – Jan Edwards

E Is For Eihwaz – Adrian Chamberlin

F Is For Fury – Christine Morgan

G Is For Ghede – Emile-Louis Tomas Jouvet

H Is For Herb Law – Phil Sloman

I Is For Iya and Iktomi – Christopher Beck

J Is For Jimson Jane – Lily Childs

K Is For Krieg – Dan Russell

L Is For Legends – Amberle L. Husbands

M Is For Magic, Madness and Mayhem – Andrew Taylor

N Is For Nightmare – Sylvia Shults

O Is For Ordeal – Chris Dougherty

P Is For Poison – Tej Turner

Q Is For Quackery – Tracie McBride

R Is For Radix Omnium Malum – Mike Chinn

S Is For Slinky, Seedy & A Cool, Calming Womb – Martin Roberts

T Is For Transformation – D.T. Griffith

U Is For Umbilical – Anthony Cowin

V Is For Voudon – Lisa Jenkins

W Is For Writer’s Block – Barbie Wilde

X Is For Xaphan – John Gilbert

Y Is For Yearning – Amelia Mangan

Z Is For Zabriskie Grimoire – Mark West

The book is available, in print and digital editions, as follows:

Amazon UK 

Paperback 

Kindle

Amazon US 

Paperback

Kindle

CreateSpace eStore 

Paperback

My story features Mike Decker, who is hired to find the Zabriskie Grimoire, a “powerful text that allows the user to call up Lucifuge Rofocale, the devil himself.”

Decker, a hard-boiled character I loved writing, is an "acquirer" and this is how he describes himself: “I am an acquirer, a finder of items lost or hidden and although it’s an occasionally dirty job, I am well paid for it.  I take my job very seriously and I expect other people to do the same.  I once had a meeting with a dotcom hipster who compared me to a personal shopper and I’d broken his nose before he’d finished his first guffaw.”  I can imagine revisiting the character too, which is always a nice feeling to have.

It’s a dark, grim tale that takes you somewhere nasty (and then gets worse) and was the first story I wrote following my heart attack in August 2014.  It’s location was based on places I saw (mainly in Ffestiniog) when we were on holiday in Wales and the bookshop (where most of the action takes place) is an amalgamation of some of the wonderful secondhand emporiums I’ve whiled away hours in.

I enjoyed writing this and, as ever, I'm pleased to be involved in such a great project.

My Creative Year 2014

Making a tradition of something I started last year, here’s a look back at 2014 from a creative standpoint (and yes, it might be a bit self-indulgent but this is, after all, my blog…)

During 2014 I wrote 5 short stories, a novel pitch, a load of book reviews, created some book covers and trailers (via Rude Dude Films) and wrote a dozen or more essays/articles for this blog.  I also suffered a heart attack, which put paid to my creativity through the summer (we now refer to it in our house as being my “Fall Guy Summer”, since Dude & I worked our way through the first two series of that early 80s TV show whilst I recuperated).

I had 2 short stories published:
* The Ilizarov Apparatus in Voices From A Coma #1, edited by Shaun Hamilton from Imaginalis Publishing
* Rhytiphobia in Phobophobias, edited by Dean M. Drinkel, from Western Legends Publishing

My novella Drive was published in print and digital editions by Pendragon Press and is available from Amazon.  Thankfully, it was very well received (including an excellent review in Black Static).

The Bureau Of Lost Children, which appeared in last year’s ill at ease 2, received an Honorable mention from Ellen Datlow.

My novel pitch for “The Witch House” was rejected and I was gutted.  However, I’m pleased to say that I’m back working on it now.

* * *
James Everington included "The City In The Rain" and "A Quiet Weekend Away" (both from my collection Strange Tales) in his Favourite Short Stories of 2014 round-up.

Kit Power, in his "What Kind Of A Year Has It Been?" round-up, awarded "Drive" an honorable mention in the Novella Of The Year category (which was won by Stephen Volk's masterpiece "Whitstable", itself my top read in 2012).  He said "Recommended as a one sit read, this one grabs you by the scruff and drags you though the intense narrative at a breathless pace."

Jim Mcleod at The Ginger Nuts Of Horror included "Drive" in his annual "Best Horror Of 2014" post, saying "While this is strictly not horror, Drive...is still a brilliant tense and fast paced story of urban horror."

Matthew Fryer at Welcome To The Hellforge included "Drive" as one of his three top novellas 'that linger...' and says "A true edge-of-your-seat cinematic experience that doesn’t let you pause for breath."

Anthony Watson, in his annual "Dark Musings" round-up included "Drive" in his novellas category with "a tense, white-knuckle chase through darkened streets that will keep you gripped to the last page."

Peter Tennant, at Black Static, included "Drive" in his annual "Best In Class - 2014" round-up

* * *
I attended two great Cons this year, the first was Edge-Lit 3 in July, held at The Quad in Derby (full report here) and FantasyCon in September, held at The Royal York Hotel (full report here).  In addition, I was also involved in the Fox Spirit Writers Evening in November, held at Leicester Central Library (full report here).

top - at FantasyCon with Steven Chapman, Phil Sloman, Jim Mcleod, me, Sue Moorcroft, Neil Williams and Chris Teague
bottom - The Edge-Lit gang, aka The Derby Dhansak Daredevils with James Everington, Richard Farren Barber, Ross Warren, Chris Teague, John Travis, me, Paul M. Feeney and Steve Harris

* * *
Creatively speaking, 2014 hasn’t been bad at all, from the wonderful acclaim that Drive has attracted, the great projects and collaborators I’ve been involved with and the terrific Cons I’ve attended, though it was all tempered somewhat by my cardiac episode and the novel rejection.  Thankfully, 2015 is shaping up quite nicely with four short stories due for publication (as I write this) along with The Lost Film novellas (with Stephen Bacon) finally seeing the light of day and, as I mentioned before, I’m back working on the novel.

So all in all, a pretty good year and I’m feeling optimistic about 2015.  Thank you for your support in 2014, especially to those who bought, read and liked my work - I really do appreciate it.

Phobophobias - Horror for Halloween

Thrilled to announce that the latest anthology edited by Dean M. Drinkel, "Phobophobias", is available this Halloween from Western Legends Press.  Even better, for me, is that it contains my story "Rhytiphobia".

“There is nothing to fear, but fear itself….”

Twenty-six original stories by established masters of horror and talented new voices comprise this anthology of terror, mystery and suspense. Phobophobias continues the explorations of our darkest fears that started with the 2011 indie hit Phobophobia.

Discover tales about Achluophobia (fear of the dark), Ecophobia (fear of one’s home), Keraunophobia (fear of thunder and lightning), Ombrophobia (fear of rain), Trichinophobia (fear of poisoning), Ygrophobia (fear of water) and Zelophobia (fear of jealousy) amongst many others.

Compiled and edited by Dean M. Drinkel, the authors of Phobophobias are:

Christopher Beck, Adrian Chamberlin, Lily Childs, Mike Chinn, Raven Dane, Nerine Dorman, Christine Dougherty, Tim Dry, Jan Edwards, John Gilbert, D.T. Griffith, Lisa Jenkins, Emile-Louis Tomas Jouvet, Rakie Keig, Amelia Mangan, Peter Mark May, Christine Morgan, John Palisano, Daniel I. Russell, Phil Sloman, Sam Stone, Andrew Taylor, Mark West, Barbie Wilde & D.M. Youngquist.

Cover illustration by James Powell
Cover design by D.T. Griffith



As I mentioned, I'm represented by my story "Rhytiphobia" (fear of wrinkles) which follows Cameron Davis and his extreme reaction to less than supple skin - born from a terrifyingly close encounter with a mad old neighbour who enjoyed licking boys faces.

Here's a preview...

The woman came out of the hedge at him.  Her face was a map of wrinkles, her eyes dull and pale, her mouth open wide and showing only gums.  Cameron yelled and tried to scramble backwards but the old crone grasped his wrist in one bony hand.
“Caught you,” she said and pulled.  Cameron was taken by surprise and, with momentum on her side, he was pulled into her garden.
He sprawled onto the brown, patchy lawn and rolled quickly onto his front so that he could get up on all fours.  The old woman faced him, leaning forwards, her legs spread wide apart.  Her green skirt was old and holed and he could see the outline of her thighs through them.  They looked like matches.
“Stealing my daffs again were you?"
Cameron glanced around.  Apart from the lawn, which was clearly on its last legs, there was no other plant life in the garden.  Some pots stood by the back door but whatever was in them had long since died.
He looked from her to the gap in the hedge.  His friends were through there, probably pissing themselves with laughter that he’d been caught.  It was the stuff of legend, that if you lost your ball in Mrs Taylor’s garden, you’d never get it back.  He’d thought he could challenge it but now wished he hadn’t bothered.  “I just came to get our ball back.”
“Ball?” shrieked the woman, “Cameron Davis, you’re a liar!”
“It’s true.”
It was the first week of the summer holiday and he and his friends had decided on a game of footy on the green.  But the ball had sailed into Mrs Taylor’s garden from his mis-kick and now here he was, sixteen years old and on all fours in her garden, staring up at his hideous woman who must have been ninety if she was a day.
“Liar,” she said, “you want me daffs.”

Thanks to Dean, I'm proud to be included in such great company.

The book is available from Amazon here.  If you decide to take a chance on it, I hope you enjoy it.

Jack In Irons

The Bestiarum Vocabulum: 2 (TRES LIBORUM PEOHIBITORUM) is published today, from Western Legends Publishing.  The brainchild of super-editor Dean M Drinkel (and a follow up to his “The Demonologia Biblica: 1 (TRES LIBRORUM PROHIBITORUM)”, which I blogged about here), this is another massive anthology of 26 stories, dealing with mythic beasts and demons.

Cover illustration by James Powell

The book is available in paperback from Amazon UK here and Amazon US here

The book is also available as a Kindle ebook from Amazon UK here and Amazon US here

Following on from my story in the Demonologia Biblica, Dean asked if I’d like to contribute to another, this time dealing with monsters.  I readily agreed, was given the letter J and found an English legend called Jack In Irons.  As per the quote I use as source at the end of the story, he is a “mythical giant who haunts lonely roads, is covered with chains and wears the heads of his victims. He wields a large, spiked club and may be seen at any time after dark, appearing suddenly in order to carry off unwary pedestrians to unknown regions.”  And that was me done.

I did some research on Jack (and found this picture of him too) but most of the moors stuff comes from our holiday the year before we had Matthew.  I did check Google maps but the views and the roads are all my personal recollections of the Lake District and the moors, all rolled into one and the name of the village - ‘isenhelm’ - is the Old English word for iron (helmet).

As before, I’m in great company - my fellow writers are Emile-Louis Tomas Jouvet, Jan Edwards, Martin Roberts, Lisa Jenkins, Peter Mark May, Raven Dane, Joe Mynhardt, Rakie Keig, D.T. Griffith, John Palisano, Amelia Mangan, Robert Walker, Christine Dougherty, Tim Dry, Nerine Dorman, Dean M. Drinkel, Christine Morgan, Tej Turner, D.M. Youngquist, Jason D. Brawn, Lily Childs, Andy Taylor, Sandra Norval, Adrian Chamberlin, and Barbie Wilde.

I enjoyed writing the story and, once again, I’m pleased to be involved in such a great project.

Falsche See, On the North German Plain

The Demonologia Biblica: 1 (TRES LIBRORUM PROHIBITORUM) has just been published by Western Legends Publishing.  The brainchild of editor Dean M Drinkel, this is a massive anthology of 26 stories, all dealing with demons in some way, shape or form.

The book is available in paperback from Amazon UK here and Amazon US here

The book is also available as a Kindle ebook from Amazon UK here and Amazon US here

I was approached about contributing a story by Dean at FantasyCon and he gave me the letter N.  My fellow contributor Nick Vance (who played the Chatterer cenobite - how cool is that?) kindly sent me the N section from a demonology encyclopaedia and I chose the Nickar, since I felt it gave me the most freedom.

As I knew it had to be set on or around a lake in Germany, I did some research and discovered the North German Plains.  From there, it was fairly straightforward to set up the characters being at a conference, though the romance angle was mainly to get them out of the building.  Working on this I quickly realised that Google Translate was my friend and I had some fun with the language - the title essentially means False Lake and the town is “Monster Village”.

I like the story and I'm pleased to be involved in such a great project, with a huge array of writers!

Writing round-up

2013 is turning out to be quite a busy year for me - always nice to hear - so I thought I'd put together a little round-up to keep everything in the same place.

First to appear is Urban Occult from Anachron Press, edited by Colin F Barnes.  This features my story "The Witch House", which I'm really pleased with.  It's set in Gaffney in 1985 and is based on real locations in Rothwell that Nick & I used to play in when we were kids in the 80s.  Further details here.

Cover art by Sarah Anne Langton

My story "Mr Stix" will appear in For The Night Is Dark, edited by Ross Anthony Warren from Crystal Lake Publishing.  I was asked for a story about the fear of the dark and so I combined parental anxieties with the most unlikely monster - Mr Stix - I could think of but it seems to work well (with cover art by Ben Baldwin).

More details here

When Darkness Calls, edited by Emma Audsley from Screaming Spires Press, is a charity anthology (with proceeds going to Pictor School in Cheshire and Autism Awareness).  It features a revised version of my story "Empty Souls, Drowning" and I'm proud to be included in the line-up.

More details here

Cover art by Daniele Serra

The Demonologia Biblica, edited by Dean M Drinkel, will be published by Western Legends Publishing.  It features my story "Falsche See, On The North German Plain (N is for Nickar)", which is about a water demon and set in Germany (giving rise to some fun town names).

More details here

Cover art by James Powell

I'm really looking forward to ill at ease 2, coming soon from PenMan Press - I've read all the stories and it's an excellent collection.  Following on from our grand experiment, Steve Bacon, Neil Williams and I return, along with Sheri White, Val Walmsley, Shaun Hamilton and Robert Mammone.  It includes my story "The Bureau Of Lost Children", which was inspired by an incident where we briefly lost sight of Dude but takes that level of parental fear to whole new levels.

This will be available in print and as an ebook and I'll post more details nearer the time.

Cover art, once again, is by the superbly talented Neil Willams

Anatomy of Death (in five sleazy pieces) is edited by me and Peter Mark May, from Hersham Horror Books.  A loving tribute to the films and paperbacks of the 70s, this features stories by Stephen Volk, Johnny Mains, John Llewellyn Probert, Stephen Bacon and me - my tale is called "The Glamour Girl Murders" and features a foot fetishist, a beast and London suffering through the tail end of the 1976 heatwave.

More details nearer the time.

The cover art (this isn't the final version) is by the excellent Neil Willams