Fresh from a superb weekend kickstarted by a wee trip into central London, in support of 'Best British Horror 2015', which was launched at Covent Garden Waterstone's. The event itself was brilliant. An evening surrounded by genuinely lovely people, mostly fellow writers - including a few I hadn't met before, which was doubly excellent. I… Continue reading Obligatory British Fantasy Awards post
Inspiration
Going from 'inspiration' to 'story' is kind of like setting out on a voyage without knowing how you'll get there, or where exactly you're going. Some people think of this process as something organic - a plant growing from seed, for example. I think it's more like a flow chart, or some kind of weird… Continue reading Inspiration
Things upcoming…
A variety of things coming from or involving me in the near future, and really I ought to have been a little bit more 'on this' (I am my own worst publicist) So, firstly: My short story 'The Fragility of Flesh' will be appearing in Wild Things, from Great British Horror Books/KnightWatch Press, edited by… Continue reading Things upcoming…
in which I ramble incoherently about how much I loved Mad Max: Fury Road
I've always had a fondness for the Mad Max films. I love the desertpunk vibe, the sheer anarchy and chaos of them, how gleefully over-the-top it all is. I love the post-apocalyptic setting and the subtle deconstruction of certain political ideologies. Mad Max: Fury Road was everything I hoped it'd be and more. (Spoilers abound!)… Continue reading in which I ramble incoherently about how much I loved Mad Max: Fury Road
on ‘Ptichka’
The British Fantasy Society recently reviewed 'Horror Uncut: Tales Of Social Insecurity and Economic Unease', and very kind words were said about my short story 'Ptichka', which appears in the anthology. 'Ptichka' was an interesting story to write. For one thing, it was the first time I'd ever written anything 'to spec' - that is,… Continue reading on ‘Ptichka’
Belated Finland bloggage
in February I was fortunate enough to visit Finland. Keenly aware of how cold it was likely to be, my husband and I stuffed our suitcases with thermal underwear, woolly socks and ski trousers so thick they took up half the case and headed for Lapland. Officially, we were staying in Rovaniemi, although we were… Continue reading Belated Finland bloggage
The Grey Men
The new edition of Black Static is out now, and I'm in it! Hooray! I'm in excellent company as well - Cate Gardner, S.P Miskowski and Stephen Hargadon, to name but a few: And check out the artwork for my story, masterfully done by Ben Baldwin: Needless to say, I'm pretty damn thrilled about the… Continue reading The Grey Men
what I read in February
The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide A total change from what I usually tend to read, this is the story of a couple living in Tokyo and their encounter with a wilful little cat named Chibi. Chibi seems to belong to the people next door, but as cats do, 'adopts' the narrator and his wife… Continue reading what I read in February
‘one-hit wonder’
I'm not sure if this is a common fear among writers who are just starting out, or whether it's just neurosis on my part (and I am always completely willing to accept the latter possibility) But when you write something, and it's well-received - far better received than you were ever expecting it to be… Continue reading ‘one-hit wonder’
back on the comic book wagon
I used to love comics. As mentioned in my previous post on the subject, I started out with Neil Gaiman's 'Sandman' series and have been a dabbler in the genre ever since. But a strange thing happened around five years ago. I fell out of love with comics, and graphic novels, and visual storytelling in… Continue reading back on the comic book wagon
Dispatches from the Sinister Room 