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.

The Bureau Of Lost Children

Yesterday, I discovered that my story "The Bureau Of Lost Children" had received an honorable mention from Ellen Datlow, a list she includes in her annual "Best Of Horror" anthology to point readers towards stories they might enjoy.  Honorable mentions might not have the cachet of an award - some knock them - but it had long been an ambition of mine to achieve one, which I finally did last year with "Fog On The Old Coast Road" and I'm equally chuffed to get my second.

"The Bureau Of Lost Children" is my story in the "ill at ease 2" collection (expect volume three late next year) and was inspired by an incident where we briefly lost sight of Dude but takes that level of parental fear to whole new levels.  I knew I was onto something when Alison read it, said she liked it but also told me she never wanted to read it again.

Thanks Ellen, my co-editors on "ill at ease 2" (my fellow contributor Robert Mammone picked up a mention for his tale in the collection and Steve Bacon got two, the jammy git) and the NSFWG, who critiqued the story for me.

For those interested, here are details of the anthology, which is really rather good...

Following on from the critical success of “ill at ease” comes volume 2, featuring seven original horror short stories, all of them guaranteed to give you the chills.

Joining the original trio of Stephen Bacon, Mark West and Neil Williams this time are Shaun Hamilton, Robert Mammone, Val Walmsley and Sheri White.

You will descend into an underground train station to uncover a dreadful secret and watch in horror as a paradise holiday turns sour.  You will see a bullied boy who’s helped by local history and share the anguish of a father, losing his child in a shopping centre.  You will take a trip with a cancer sufferer and share the pain of a couple, desperate for a child.  You will discover that history needs to be kept somewhere.

Seven stories, seven writers and you.

Prepare to feel “ill at ease” all over again.

Available from Amazon - UK

in a print edition, priced £4.99

and as an ebook

Available from Amazon - USA

in a print edition, priced $6.64

and as an ebook

cover designed and produced by Neil Williams

ebook built by Tim C. Taylor at Greyhart Press

My Creative Year

This might be a bit self-indulgent but hey, it's my blog...

During 2013, I wrote 6 short stories, 60+ book reviews, half a dozen film reviews, designed several book covers and trailers (via Rude Dude) and created a dozen or more essays/articles for this blog.  I also finally managed to get my novel pitch sorted (with thanks to James A. Moore for the 'kick up the ass').

I had six short stories published:
* Jack In Irons in The Bestiarum Vocabulum: 2 (TRES LIBRORUM PROHIBITORUM), edited by Dean M. Drinkel (available from Amazon)
* The Bureau Of Lost Children in ill at ease 2, (available from Amazon)
* The Glamour Girl Murders in Anatomy of Death (available from Amazon)
* Mr Stix in For The Night Is Dark, edited by Ross Warren (available from Amazon)
* Falsche See, On the North German Plain in The Demonologia Biblica: 1 (TRES LIBRORUM PROHIBITORUM), edited by Dean M. Drinkel (available from Amazon)
 * The Witch House in Urban Occult, edited by Colin F. Barnes (available from Amazon)

Conjure was published in print and digital editions by Greyhart Press and is available from Amazon

Anatomy of Death, the PenthAnth anthology I edited for Hersham Horror Books, was well received and I was well served by my writers - Stephen Bacon, John Llewellyn Probert, Stephen Volk and Johnny Mains - who helped it to garner respectable sales and some great reviews.

ill at ease 2 finally appeared, the second 'co-operative' anthology from PenMan Press, adding new writers to the original trio - the newcomers were Shaun Hamilton, Rob Mammone, Val Walmsley and Sheri White.

PenMan Press also produced a 10th Anniversary Special Edition of my Strange Tales collection.

Fog On The Old Coast Road, which appeared in Ian Whates' Hauntings anthology in 2012, received an Honorable Mention from Ellen Datlow

What Gets Left Behind, my Spectral Press chapbook that was published last year, was nominated in the Preditors & Editors poll and came 2nd (to Stephen King & Joe Hill) in the This Is Horror Awards.

* * *

In his Ginger Nuts Of Horror Christmas Gift Guide, Jim Mcleod included Conjure in the readers "who love their horror with an emotional punch" section.  The site also awarded me with the "Best Legs In The Genre" prize.

In the second part of his "Best Of 2013" section (anthologies), Jim highlighted Anatomy of Death, making special mention of mine and Stephen Volk's entry

James Everington included The Bureau Of Lost Children, in his "Best Short Stories of 2013 (Somewhat Biased & Woefully Uncomprehensive) list"

Anthony Watson included both Anatomy of Death and ill at ease 2 in his 2013 review

Ross Warren included Anatomy of Death, Mr Stix and The Bureau Of Lost Children in his "Faves Of 2013" list

* * *

I attended two great Cons this year, the first was Andromeda One held at The Custard Factory in Birmingham (full report here) and the second was the mighty WFC, held in Brighton (full report here).

* * *

2013 has been a great year for me, creatively speaking, with fantastic projects and collaborators, not to mention the scores of wonderful people I met at the Cons, so 2014 has got its work cut out to top it.  But with two new novellas coming from Pendragon Press (Drive and The Lost Film), some new short stories, hopefully more on the novel pitch and projects I haven't even started working on yet, I have good feelings about it.

Fog On The Old Coast Road

They might not have the cachet of an award - and, indeed, some may knock them - but Ellen Datlow annually produces a Best Of Horror volume and within it, she has a list of ‘honourable mentions’.  These are the stories that didn’t make the grade to get into the final edition but which she feels are worthy enough to point people towards, should they be so inclined.

I have been publishing in the small press since 1999 (with a gap of several years around my writers block) and an honourable mention has always been on my list of ‘things to achieve’.

Yesterday, coming home from holiday, I discovered I’d achieved it (you can read the full list of ‘mentions’ here) with my story “Fog On The Old Coast Road”.

I’ve mentioned this story on the blog a few times (and these are the key posts):

The launch in London
My write-up of the 'Reading' event, in conjunction with Un:Bound Productions
A YouTube link to me reading the story

and it’s one that I remain very proud of - the lead characters are essentially me and Dude, it’s set at the east coast holiday resort of Skegness and the central image that drove it - a man in a flickering light - is one that I still think is scary.

Ian Whates, co-chairman of the Northampton SF Writers Group, asked me to submit a story for an anthology he was planning, called “Hauntings”.  There was no guarantee that I’d get in but I did, in great company and that one tale has taking me to a pub for a reading, the Forbidden Planet flagship store on Shaftesbury Avenue for a signing and a mass signing at FantasyCon 2012 in Brighton (where I got to act like a kid with Alison Littlewood).

I’m chuffed to bits to have achieved an ambition, with a story that I relate to very highly and I am indebted to Ian Whates for the opportunity.

It would be remiss of me not to include the link, in case you were interested, but the fine volume from NewCon Press is available here.

And finally, here's me, reading the story at The Staff Of Life pub in Mowsley, near Market Harborough in Leicestershire, 11th March 2012