S.P. Oldham's Blog, page 3

Life, its’ changes and how it changes you.

2024 thus far has been a year full of tragedy and sadness - for me, for close family and for close neighbours. Never before has life taught me more blatantly that we can take nothing for granted; not tomorrow, not next week, not even the next few minutes.

I am not talking about one catastrophic event which has affected all these people. No, I am talking about numerous sudden, awful occurrences which have resulted, sadly, in serious illness, brutal surgery and in loss of life. In two instances this was hard on the heels of awful diagnoses that gave little hope, but it was still believed the people concerned would have some time left at least. Unfortunately, this did not turn out to be true.

Then we have the extremely vulnerable victim of crime, held practically at ransom for three or four days in her own home on my street, by two especially rancid individuals who were, thankfully, caught and arrested.

There are myriad other problems interwoven around all of this. I am not a child. I know life gets hard, it gets challenging and shit happens, but I have never known a time like it. The wonderful title, ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’ comes close to describing it, if you were to swap the word ‘unfortunate’ for ‘tragic.’

Still, I am known for being something of a relentless optimist. Even now, I still hope that things can get better. That there can be some joy to come out of all this sadness. That the changes that are to come can bring good things with them, things that might otherwise have never been addressed. Time will tell.

I wanted to share my photo of this beautiful headstone, taken in a small cemetery in Laugharne. I don’t know whose final resting place this is, but I hope they are indeed resting in peace. The words seem to sum it all up perfectly.

I have been deliberately vague, not using names of the people I refer to. This is because I would hate to inadvertently add to anyone’s hurt. I hope that, should anyone close to them read this, they find some small comfort in this gentle epitaph, and know that I am thinking of them.

Take care everyone, life is short.

S P Oldham

Halloween Fairs in the UK; do they exist and would you attend one if they did?

I recently put this in my newsletter. I would really like to know your thoughts on this, so leave a comment and let me know what you think. Thank you.

For a while now I have been considering the possibility of organising a local Halloween Fair. I envisage inviting local craftspeople and creators whose work has a dark, gothic or even outright horror feel. Of course, there is an ulterior motive here, I would like to promote my own work, but I can’t help wondering if others out there might appreciate a fair or fete of this sort. Steampunk trinkets, Gothic candles, darkly scented joss sticks, as well as literal dark art, books, cards. Even locally grown pumpkins in preparation for the big day! Have you ever been to anything like this, in the UK? Anywhere else in the world? Would you attend such a thing yourself?

Image: Bruno Guerrero via Unsplash (via Squarespace.)

Murder Trial Live! The Jack Brewer Trial.

We went to the Jack Brewer ‘Murder Trial’ live event in Caerphilly on Saturday 11th May 2024. We had loads of fun! What a novel concept for an unusual and interesting evening out. We sat in groups of 12, with strangers, just as you would in an actual jury. Of course, the atmosphere was one of light entertainment and fun, but we did have to deliberate the case with the facts that were presented to us.

Cleverly put together, with a court, dock, witness stand etc. Some of the actors are ex-barristers (some of them have quite an impressive acting portfolio, too!) which lends to the authenticity of the event. Some ‘witnesses’ joined us via Zoom or similar. I could have stayed there a couple of hours longer and had more weighty evidence to ponder, but that’s just me..

Based loosely on the real-life killers Jeffrey Dahmer and Dennis Nielsen, Jack Brewer has been implicated in the deaths of three people, and potentially in the deaths of up to twenty-eight people in total. His flat is full of gruesome evidence, but did he do it?

The idea is that each individual juror within their jury group returns their own verdict. Every group then hands in their verdicts and an overall verdict is calculated from that. In our case, it resulted in a hung jury. We may well have let a serial killer back out onto the streets. The judge did admonish him that he could be recalled to trial if anything else comes to light or further charges are pressed, but will we even be able to find Jack Brewer, then?

The CEO came out at the end of the night to thank us for attending. The show was hit hard by Covid and they are working 24/7 to make a success of it. Bear in mind we were on farmland, in a massive inflatable tent, and everything was put together, hastily (he was honest about that) in the space of a day. I think they will go from strength to strength personally. I will certainly go again when someone else is in the dock. There is even a chance for one juror to win a £50 bar tab, and at the end of the night everyone was given an ‘Angry Barrister’ shot, compliments of the CEO. Can’t say fairer than that!

A great night out. I watch a lot of real life trials so this was right up my street. Give it a try if you fancy something different for a change. There was a bar, street food, toilets and parking, which you can book in advance.

Coming May 1st 2024…

Keep your eyes peeled for my interview with Narrator Kevin Redson, coming soon on the ‘This Month’s Guest Author Page,’ right here on S P Oldham, Author!

Image provided by Unsplash via squarespace.

The ‘Wolf’ in ‘Sleep, Think, Die:’ My Response to a Reviewer’s Question.

After reading Book One in the Mindless Trilogy (thank you to the reader) someone commented in their review that wolves are not native to the UK. This is an excerpt from the part of the story that prompted that comment:

“Who knows?” She shrugged, “Never seen one before, though God knows we’ve seen plenty of other weird things round these parts,” she and Harry exchanged a look.

“What if it’s infected?” Lavender suddenly piped up, a worried expression on her face.

“What, like zombie-infected you mean?” Glenda paused, chewing her lip thoughtfully, “I don’t know. I’ve never seen any zombie-like animals. Have you?”

Carson and Lavender both shook their heads no.

“Did it act like it was some kind of four-legged zombie before it came at you?”

This to Carson, whose response was immediate, “No way! It was very much alive, believe me, when it was standing on the bank, snarling! But what the hell is it? It looks wolf-like, but its fangs and face are something else,”

Bumper, who had sat down awkwardly to lean against the guard around the manhole cover, said, “Maybe it is the result of a wolf mating with some kind of big domestic dog, a guard dog even. When the outbreak first began, I don’t think people’s first thoughts were for their animals! There was no time. What if, sometime since then, a wolf mated with, oh I don’t know, a mastiff, or a Cane Corso or something? That would be one hell of a canine to deal with!””

As I said, the reader is absolutely right to point out that wolves are not currently wild in the UK, though of course, historically they did exist here. However, what I was trying to get at in the story, admittedly somewhat obliquely,  is that in the event of a zombie apocalypse it is very likely that animals held in captivity, such as zoos, rescue centres, sanctuaries, animal hospitals and so on, might well suffer neglect, abandonment or worse due to their keepers being turned, eaten or simply running the hell away!  If they are lucky, perhaps they would be released into the wild to survive on their own. Everyone for themselves, type of thing. One last good thing their keepers could try to do for them before turning to matters of their own survival.

I admit that I don’t go into that in depth in the story, it is only briefly implied, but I didn’t think it was that big a deal. I never imagined a reader might expect me to expand on the existence of this Wolfdog species further (Wolfdogs do exist in the UK by the way. This from the PDSA: In the UK, F1 generation Wolfdogs where one parent is a wolf are subject to the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 and require a licence to own. It is legal to own a Wolfdog as long as they are three generations (F3) away from the original parent wolf. )

So, the wolf-like dog that attacks Carson on the riverbank could well have been a Wolfdog that had somehow got free and was surviving alone in the apocalypse. Perhaps it was a combination of a Wolfdog with another breed, as suggested by Bumper. Or some other wolf-like breed altogether. What do you think the dog could be? What kind of breed? Where could it have come from?

I am afraid that I must let this reviewer down here and now (spoiler alert) and say that there is no further reference to wolves in the story, though wild dogs do feature later in the trilogy.

I don’t normally respond to observations in reviews. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and honestly, I am just grateful to anyone who takes the time to read my stories and then review them, whether they like my work or not. To the reader who reviewed with the comment about the wolf, thank you so much for taking the time and effort to comment, to read the book and to address the appearance of something wolf-like in the story. I appreciate your interest and the fact that you gave my story such thought and attention. I really hope you go on to read the other two books in the trilogy and that you enjoy them. I look forward to any more observations and I am sincerely flattered that anyone took the time. Thank you.

Should anyone be interested in the potential rewilding of wolves in the UK, perhaps take a look at this link. At present, there seems to be no projects underway to rewild wolves, because “society is not ready.” Quote from Rewilding Britain’s website: https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/reintroductions-key-species/key-species/eurasian-wolf

PDSA, The Vet Charity for Pets in Need, has some interesting advice for owning hybrid dogs and cats, including Wolfdogs, here: https://www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-help-and-advice/looking-after-your-pet/all-pets/hybrid-breeds

Lastly, should you happen to love wolves and are interested in helping them or simply learning more about them, take a look at Wolf Watch UK’s website here: https://wolfwatch.uk/

Image Credit: Wolf Watch UK (as featured on their website.)

Competition Winner!

I am very pleased to announce that the winner of my most recent competition for a bumper prize including two Audible codes is...

Champaklal Lad!

Congratulations!

Thank you to everyone who entered. I run regular competitions, so keep checking back. In the meantime, why not take a look at Wakeful Children, Hag's Breath or any of my other books? On Kindle and Audible, Wakeful Children is also available in paperback. Or, drop me a line on my blog!

Thanks everyone, have a great day/evening/night, wherever you are!

Winner picked by random name picker wheel spinner.

Wakeful Children on Audible!

To celebrate the release of Wakeful Children: A Collection of Horror and Supernatural Tales on Audible, we are running a competition! To be in with the chance of winning a mystery bumper prize plus a free code for the book on Audible, just comment below with 'Me Please!"

Winners will be chosen at random. Closes Midnight GMT Saturday 9th March 2024. In the event that the winner does not claim their prize, it will be rolled over after one week to a runner up.

Wakeful Children by S P Oldham - Audiobook - Audible.com

Okay, goals…

I am keeping them small, because I am small, after all.

Last week I hit my little goal of 2 more sales of my audiobook 'Hag's Breath: A Collection of Witchcraft and Wickedness.' Those two sales brought the total so far to 30.

My aim for February is to make 5 more sales. I don't want to to harass, bully or bore people into reading or listening to my work, nor do I want to put out endless sob stories and prey on people's sympathies. We all have our troubles.

All I ask is, if the blurb, the cover, the premise, anything at all appeals to you about my work, please give it a try. An honest review afterwards would be wonderful. If you hate it, fair enough. If you love it, wonderful. If you think it's ok, that's good too. I appreciate your time and your thoughts.

So, going from 30 sales to 35 is my February aim. Whether I achieve that or fail miserably, I will update you all at the beginning of March, (well, I won't be around at the beginning of March, so maybe the first week in.)

Thanks for reading. Whatever your goals may be, large or small, I hope you achieve them. If you want to share them in the comments, feel free. Let's just all remain respectful, kind and supportive of one another.

Sue

(S P Oldham)

FREE AUDIBLE CODES!

Free Audible Download - Hag's Breath

I have two downloads available, one UK and one US. All I ask is if you accept one then please consider reviewing.

I have a very humble aim. I am trying to make TWO more Audible sales, to raise the total from 28 to 30 before the end of January if at all possible.

You might even be able to take advantage of Amazon's 30 days free offer!

If you are new to Audible, and want to buy the audiobook, please message me for a code. That way, I get a small bonus at absolutely no extra cost to you, it is entirely at Amazon's discretion. Being transparent here.

Measly sales? Yes. Laughable? Probably, especially to established authors. All I ask is, if horror and dark fiction are your thing, if you like the idea of witches written for grown-ups, then please consider giving it a try.

Hag's Breath: A Collection of Witchcraft and Wickedness is also available on Kindle.

Guest Author - Baileigh Higgins!

I am very excited to announce that this month’s Guest Author will be the talented Bailiegh Higgins, author of Primordial World and Apocalypse Z, among other things! Check out the newsletter for details of when and where you can read Bailiegh’s interview and maybe get your hands on some of her work!

Sign Up to S P Oldham's Newsletter

Image@ Baileigh Higgins’ Primordial Earth: ‘This is their world and we are the prey.’

Get it here: Primordial Earth