Callum McSorley's Blog, page 6
December 14, 2022
Favourites of 2022
Last night I was visited by three ghosts who told me I need to get my arse in gear and hurry up with my annual ‘Favourites of the Year’ post.
As ever, my end of year list is in no particular order and the only criteria is that the piece must have been published in 2022. (There are still so many great books out this year I haven’t read and still want to, this is not an exhaustive or objective list, certainly not what I’d call a ‘Best of’, just some stories I really loved this year which I want...
December 12, 2022
Read CRADLE in Shoreline of Infinity 33 now
I’m once again over the moon to return to the pages of my favourite Sci fi mag Shoreline of Infinity.
Issue 33 contains excellent work by David Lawrie (his experimental short story ‘You are in a Room’, which fills the margins of the whole issue, is truly original and chilling), Lucy Zhang, Michael Teasdale and the incredible T L Huchu (author of the urban fantasy Edinburgh Nights series – a real honour to appear alongside him here!).
My own contribution, SF short story CRADLE, sees new...
November 7, 2022
Eat my shorts 2022
It’s always boom or bust for me and after having a quiet year in 2021 with regards to short stories, I’ve had quite a few out this year which I want to highlight – for eligibility purposes, if you’re involved in reading/voting for awards, but also for anybody who may be interested and is looking for a quick read. Also, it’s honestly just quite satisfying to line up all your publications in one place like this and take stock.
In order of publication date:
September 9, 2022
SQUEAKY CLEAN out 2nd March 2023
I’ve been sitting on this for ages and now I can finally, finally, say it! The moment I’ve been working towards forever:
My debut novel SQUEAKY CLEAN will be published by Pushkin Vertigo next March.
SQUEAKY CLEAN is a crime thriller with a dark sense of humour set at a car wash in the east end of Glasgow which gets taken over by a psychopathic gangster.
(See cover and synopsis below.)
The announcement was made in the Bookseller yesterday, and it was crazy to see my big face smiling ...
August 1, 2022
Read THE LAST GOOD THING in New Writing Scotland 40
Thrilled to be back in the pages of the esteemed New Writing Scotland!
Out today, New Writing Scotland 40: nobody remembers the birdman, contains some of the best, freshest contemporary writing coming out of Scotland right now.
It includes my short story THE LAST GOOD THING which features a genie who lives in a can of Irn Bru. (I did say best and freshest, didn’t I?!)
Among the other names it’s really cool to be in an anthology with my former lecturer, now head of creative writing a...
July 25, 2022
Read CHILDREN OF THE NEW FLESH now
CHILDREN OF THE NEW FLESH is a new book on the early work of master horror auteur David Cronenberg from editors Chris Kelso and David Leo Rice. (Published by 11:11 Press, 2022)
Often overlooked, Cronenberg’s early short films are picked over here in essays, short stories, poetry, and artwork by a host of brilliant writers and artists, including Elle Nash, Graham Rae, Brian Alessandro, Brian Evenson and many more, including some great work by Kelso and Rice themselves.
The crown jewel o...
July 13, 2022
Read FILL TO THE LINE in the Instant Noodle Literary Review
My new short story FILL TO THE LINE: INSIDE SCOTLAND’S INSTANT NOODLE MUSEUM is now free to read in The Instant Noodle Literary Review Issue One!
This was a really fun story to write. As soon as I saw a call for story submissions on the subject of instant noodles I knew I had to go for it.
What I ended up with is a post apocalyptical tale in the form of a lifestyle article, partly inspired by an essay I read in Shoreline of Infinity last year about a sci-fi museum in a man’s basement b...
July 6, 2022
Read FOREVER IN SCOTLAND in Night, Rain, And Neon
A year ago I was emailed by renowned sci-fi author Michael Cobley to ask if I would contribute a story to an anthology he was curating. It was to be a celebration of all things cyberpunk, released on the 38th anniversary of the publication of Neuromancer, one of my all time favourite novels.
Of course, I absolutely jumped at the chance.
I channelled my favourite cyberpunk tropes – body mods, noir, shady dealers, high tech in the lowest strata of society – and added my own stamp. I wan...
April 1, 2022
Listen to ‘Ye Tak the Ghost Road’ on Ghostlore Part Two: Hauntings NOW
Today’s the day!
Part Two of Ghostlore on the Alternative Stories Podcast is now available to listen to here. (And on many other streaming platforms too, including Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and all the big ones, whichever your preferred platform is.)
The second half of Ghostlore, edited by the excellent author Lyndsey Croal, features stories involving hauntings inspired by folklore and fairytales.
My own piece – read brilliantly by Lindz McLeod who captures the spooky, stressy atmosp...
March 23, 2022
Night, Rain, And Neon
I’ve been champing at the bit to spill the beans about this one and now I can finally reveal I have a story in an incredible collection of cyberpunk tales coming out this summer: Night, Rain, And Neon.
Curated and edited by esteemed SF author Michael Cobley for NewCon Press, Night, Rain, And Neon will be released on 1st July, the anniversary of William Gibson’s seminal cyberpunk novel Neuromancer – one of my favourite books of all time!
It will be a celebration of the genre as well as...
