Daniel Pietersen wonderfully reads my short story Ptichka as part of his ongoing series of readings. You can hear the reading over on SoundCloud, and read his accompanying commentary here. Of Ptichka, Daniel says: Ptichka, which means “little bird” in Russian, is not an easy story to read. It talks powerfully about the structural violence… Continue reading Ptichka, read by Daniel Pietersen
Microfiction: Strange Dreams Compilation pt. II
Part I can be viewed here. More compiled Twitter microfictions from the world of strange dreams. 1. When you arrive at last at the summit, you realise it is not a frozen lake at all, but an enormous looking-glass. You press your palm to its bright surface and it is warm, sunlit, smooth beneath… Continue reading Microfiction: Strange Dreams Compilation pt. II
Microfiction: Strange Dreams compilation part I
In a bid to lift a few spirits during these challenging days, I've been offering microfiction over on Twitter. I do this every now and again; previous themes have seen tiny ghosts and mysterious creatures haunting twitter, and this time I'm working on the theme of strange, forgotten dreams. It's an ongoing project, but over… Continue reading Microfiction: Strange Dreams compilation part I
The Pain-Eater’s Daughter makes Best Horror of the Year vol. 12
Very pleased to announced that my short story "The Pain-Eater's Daughter" has been chosen for Ellen Datlow's Best Horror of the Year volume 12. The full TOC is below: Ice Cold Lemonade 25ȼ Haunted House Tour: 1 Per Person by Paul Tremblay A Song For Wounded Mouths by Kristi DeMeester Birds of Passage by Gordon… Continue reading The Pain-Eater’s Daughter makes Best Horror of the Year vol. 12
the strange urgency of NaNoWriMo
It's November again. And you know what that means. Before I begin, an important disclaimer: this is not a post designed to denigrate or disparage National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo, or NaNo) as a concept. I operate under the banner of 'you do you', and clearly NaNo has struck a chord with an awful lot… Continue reading the strange urgency of NaNoWriMo
Spooky Stories for Samhain and Halloween
Tomorrow marks the arrival of both Halloween and Samhain, two similar but disparate festivals which celebrate the dark, the supernatural, the thinning of the veil between our world and the next. The perfect time of year, then, to settle down with a suitably spooky read. Whether it’s a crisp, cold day, a grey, rainy afternoon… Continue reading Spooky Stories for Samhain and Halloween
And even more reviews for Sing Your Sadness Deep
Even more people have been saying incredibly kind things about Sing Your Sadness Deep and I'm honestly slightly overwhelmed by it all, and expecting it all to come crashing down at any moment. A vardo, which may or may not belong to Sara's grandmother in 'The Pain-Eater's Daughter' The venerable John Linwood Grant over… Continue reading And even more reviews for Sing Your Sadness Deep
The Gods watch you and the whole world
I had to share this beautiful piece of art, which was created by the talented Max Siskin, a student of fellow author David Surface. It looks like a magazine cover, albeit with a seriously spooky headline. I love the text - I feel like there's a story in there. Maybe I'll even write it. My… Continue reading The Gods watch you and the whole world
Even more reviews for Sing Your Sadness Deep
Attention is scary. Being a writer* is embodying a strange paradox in that on one hand, you would like people to read your writing - that's why we submit it to anthologies and magazines. But on the other hand, knowing that people are actually reading your writing is a deeply unnerving experience. It feels like… Continue reading Even more reviews for Sing Your Sadness Deep
Reviews coming in for Sing Your Sadness Deep…
...the inimitable Des Lewis has real-time reviewed Sing Your Sadness Deep, which is always a joy. Des has a knack of unearthing previously unrealised themes and motifs, which - if you're a seat-of-your-pants writer like I am - is a process of discovery. He also finds fascinating links between works he is reading and reviewing… Continue reading Reviews coming in for Sing Your Sadness Deep…
Dispatches from the Sinister Room 