David A. Riley's Blog, page 112
January 8, 2013
The Unspoken
From the blog of William Meikle:
The UnspokenMy Dad has cancer. More than one kind in fact. He's fighting hard, but cancer is a devious bugger. It hides, it lurks, and it pounces when you think it's down and defeated.
Cancer is a monster.
It has been a presence in my life for as long as I can remember. I first came across it in the late Sixties. My Gran's brother came back to town to die with his family. I was fascinated by this man, so thin as to be almost skeletal, wound in clothes that were many sizes too large for his frame, his skin so thin that I could see his blood moving... not pumping, for it had long since stopped moving enough to keep him alive long. He rarely spoke, just sat by the fire as if trying to soak up heat, his eyes frequently wet from tears, not of sadness, but of pain. He lasted for months in that condition until it finally took him and I knew then that cancer was a monster.
Since then it has taken others, both friends and family, a young mother with two pre-teen children, a cousin who was like a big brother to me, and a girl I never got to know for she was taken before her twentieth birthday. Other family members are still fighting. There's my Dad, who meets it all with a good humour that is humbling, and my godmother who has battled bowel cancer into remission twice.
Cancer is a monster. I can't fight it for them. But as a writer and as an editor there is something I can do. I rallied up some friends, and friends of friends, and asked them for some stories. They responded brilliantly. We've put them together in a wee book.
Coming soon... THE UNSPOKEN
I've been given the opportunity by Johnny Mains and Peter Mark May at Karoshi Books to have THE UNSPOKEN published as an ebook, with a POD paperback to follow, and profits going to The Beatson Cancer Reseach Institute.
The lineup is almost complete... and it's stunning.
Ramsey Campbell - IntroductionTim Lebbon - Just BreatheSimon Kurt Unsworth - Photographs of BodenSteven Savile & Steve Lockley - The Last GiftJohn Shirley - Where the Market's HottestStephen James Price - Pages of PromisesScott Nicholson - Heal ThyselfWilliam Meikle - MetastasisNancy Kilpatrick - Alien LoveDavid Riley - A Girl, a Toad and a CaskJohnny Mains - The CureGuy N Smith - The Big OnePete Crowther - CankermanSteve Duffy - X for HenriettaGary McMahon - Bitter Soup
Edited by William MeikleCover art by Simon Marshall Jones With a couple of others still to confirm, I'm already officially excited. Look out for it this coming summer.
The UnspokenMy Dad has cancer. More than one kind in fact. He's fighting hard, but cancer is a devious bugger. It hides, it lurks, and it pounces when you think it's down and defeated. Cancer is a monster.
It has been a presence in my life for as long as I can remember. I first came across it in the late Sixties. My Gran's brother came back to town to die with his family. I was fascinated by this man, so thin as to be almost skeletal, wound in clothes that were many sizes too large for his frame, his skin so thin that I could see his blood moving... not pumping, for it had long since stopped moving enough to keep him alive long. He rarely spoke, just sat by the fire as if trying to soak up heat, his eyes frequently wet from tears, not of sadness, but of pain. He lasted for months in that condition until it finally took him and I knew then that cancer was a monster.
Since then it has taken others, both friends and family, a young mother with two pre-teen children, a cousin who was like a big brother to me, and a girl I never got to know for she was taken before her twentieth birthday. Other family members are still fighting. There's my Dad, who meets it all with a good humour that is humbling, and my godmother who has battled bowel cancer into remission twice.
Cancer is a monster. I can't fight it for them. But as a writer and as an editor there is something I can do. I rallied up some friends, and friends of friends, and asked them for some stories. They responded brilliantly. We've put them together in a wee book.
Coming soon... THE UNSPOKEN
I've been given the opportunity by Johnny Mains and Peter Mark May at Karoshi Books to have THE UNSPOKEN published as an ebook, with a POD paperback to follow, and profits going to The Beatson Cancer Reseach Institute.
The lineup is almost complete... and it's stunning.
Ramsey Campbell - IntroductionTim Lebbon - Just BreatheSimon Kurt Unsworth - Photographs of BodenSteven Savile & Steve Lockley - The Last GiftJohn Shirley - Where the Market's HottestStephen James Price - Pages of PromisesScott Nicholson - Heal ThyselfWilliam Meikle - MetastasisNancy Kilpatrick - Alien LoveDavid Riley - A Girl, a Toad and a CaskJohnny Mains - The CureGuy N Smith - The Big OnePete Crowther - CankermanSteve Duffy - X for HenriettaGary McMahon - Bitter Soup
Edited by William MeikleCover art by Simon Marshall Jones With a couple of others still to confirm, I'm already officially excited. Look out for it this coming summer.
January 7, 2013
His Own Mad Demons
There is a great, in-depth look at my story collection, His Own Mad Demons, on the Vault of Evil by the site's host, Kevin Demant.
December 23, 2012
My Second Story on the Vault of Evil Advent Calendar
My story,
Prickly
, is my second on this year's Vault of Evil Advent Calendar.
It was originally published in 1991 in Stuart Hughes' fiction magazine Peeping Tom.
It was originally published in 1991 in Stuart Hughes' fiction magazine Peeping Tom.
The Heaven Maker & Other Gruesome Tales by Craig Herbertson - reviewed on the Vault of Evil
There's an excellent, in-depth and lengthy review of Craig's book on the Vault of Evil.
"For those who might not know (!), Craig Herbertson is one of those writers who once had work published in an obscure series of horror anthologies from Pan, now sadly gone and remembered only by collectors of cult fiction. With their original source of reading material gone, readers have resorted to similar publications from Charles Black and Johnny Mains, both admirable editors who have continued the tradition of those original Pans. And now, from Parallel Universe Publications, a publishing house owned by another of those original Pan authors, comes Craig Herbertson’s new collection The Heaven Maker and Other Gruesome Tales."
For ordering details for this book see Parallel Universe Publications.
December 15, 2012
Vault of Evil Advent Calendar 2012
My story,
They Pissed On My Sofa
, which originally appeared in Malicious Deviance, edited by Robert Essig for The Library of the Living Dead, is today's offering in the Vault of Evil Advent Calendar 2012.
December 3, 2012
Horror World reviews The Ninth Black Book of Horror
An excellent review of The Ninth Black Book of Horror on Horror World by Mario Guslandi and in particular my story Swan Song.
December 1, 2012
His Own Mad Demons - free kindle download
For the moment, Saturday the 1st December only, it is free to download copies of this collection on kindle from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, while the print version has been reduced on Amazon.co.uk to £5.61 with free shipping available.
November 30, 2012
His Own Mad Demons - Reviews so far
There have been three reviews on Amazon.co.uk so far for this collection, all of them 5-star.
M. Crossman (who has 173 Amazon reviews) said: "For anyone with a love for spooky stories this is a great buy.
All five stories are great reads. The book reads like a version of an Amicus film that they never produced.
Well written and no story ever out stays it's welcome. Each one packs quite a punch and yet there is enough variety amongst the tales that the book stays fresh until the last page.
A deliciously dark read and perfect for those long winter nights although it may cost you a few extra pounds on your electric bill as some of you might have to sleep with the lights on after reading.
Highly recommended."
Top 500 Amazon reviewer, It's Only Me: "More than decent collection of tightly written, well worked, hard hitting stories packed with enough horror and psychological tension to put you on the edge of your seat. I'm impressed. Don't know why David A. Riley isn't better known in the UK.
There are 5 stories:-
Their Own Mad Demons
Lock In
The Fragile Mask on His Face
The True Spirit
The Worst of all Possible Places
Each story has it's own theme of contemporary horror featuring a cast of solidly worked, believable characters thrown, without mercy, into horrible situations. Hard hitting, violent, scary tales of modern horror packed with sharp dialogue and cleanly written. Among some of the best I've read.
I don't usually pay more than £3 for a download if I don't know the author but; I'm happy I took a gamble this time. None of the stories are particularly short, more novella than short story, that's another reason for the 5* review. Quality and quantity, not bad for £3."
While writer Shaun Jeffrey kindly said: "There's a reason why David Riley has had stories published in a number of top, professional anthologies: because he's a good writer. He writes solid, atmospheric prose that's filled with believable characters. This collection of five stories has a central theme of devil worship, but the stories go much deeper. They are reminiscent of the kind of stories people tell on dark nights while huddled around campfires, but their effect lasts long after the flames have died down, leaving a chill down your spine that the fire failed to warm."
November 24, 2012
Tales to Terrify
Very pleased to announce that Tales to Terrify, which produces a truly fascinating series of podcasts, has just accepted my zombie story, His Pale Blue Eyes, for a future broadcast. The story was first published in Bite-Sized Horror, Obverse Books, 2011.
November 19, 2012
Halifax Ghost Story Festival November 17-18, 2012
Another hugely successful Ghost Story Festival was held again this year at Dean Clough, Halifax.
The festival kicked off on Saturday morning with a lively and insightful discussion about the Ghost Story after M. R. James. Panelists included Joel Lane, Ramsey Campbell, Reggie Oliver and Ray Russell. This was followed after lunch by Dr Jonathan Miller being interviewed by Tony Earnshaw, particularly about his 1968 adaptation for television of M. R. James' Whistle and I'll Come to You, which was shown on a big screeen immediately afterwards. I don't know whether it was a result of the interview or the film being projected onto a big screen, but I have never before enjoyed this adaptation so much. After having originally watched this on TV when it was first broadcast, it was an amazing experience to watch it again in the company of its producer and director!
Tony Earnshaw interviews Dr Jonathan Miller
Following this we moved downstairs into the Viaduct Cafe where Reggie Oliver read one of his stories from Mrs Midnight and Other Stories, A Piece of Elsewhere, where his abilities as an actor were amply displayed by his use of regional accents for his characters. Chris Priestley followed with a lively reading of his story The Demon Bench End. Both were superbly narrated and greatly appreciated by the packed audience.
Reggie Oliver reads A Piece of Elsewhere
Chris Priestly reads The Demon Bench End
Following a break the evening restarted with psychic entertainer, Max Raven, who carried out some remarkable mentalist feats, during which I think he probably involved the entire audience at one time or another.
Max Raven
Sunday opened with an informative and lenghthy interview with producer/director Lawrence Gordon Clark by Tony Earnshaw. Lawrence Gordon Clark was, of course, responsible for creating the marvelous Ghost Stories for Christmas in the 1970s. This was followed by big screen viewings of M. R. James' The Stalls of Barchester (1971) and The Signal Man by Charles Dickens (1976).
Lawrence Gordon Clark being interviewed by Tony Earnshaw
A couple of short independent films, Vespers and The Wailing Well, wound up the festival, which finished around 5 o'clock in the afternoon.
Lin and I enjoyed this festival tremendously, and it was a great opportunity to meet up and talk with old friends (though there was not really time with such a packed schedule to meet everyone). It was also a great opportunity to buy some really interesting books from the bookshop on site, which was mainly stocked with Tartarus Press and PS Publishing. Already having a large pile of books still to be read, I restricted myself to a copy of Mark Morris's Long Shadows, Nightmare Light, while Lin bought a Tartarus Press collection of William Fryer Harvey's The Double Eye.
The good news is that it seems virtually certain another festival will be held next year. I look forward to it!
Special thanks should go to Dani Grijak and her team for organising this event and for her enthusiasm for it.
The festival kicked off on Saturday morning with a lively and insightful discussion about the Ghost Story after M. R. James. Panelists included Joel Lane, Ramsey Campbell, Reggie Oliver and Ray Russell. This was followed after lunch by Dr Jonathan Miller being interviewed by Tony Earnshaw, particularly about his 1968 adaptation for television of M. R. James' Whistle and I'll Come to You, which was shown on a big screeen immediately afterwards. I don't know whether it was a result of the interview or the film being projected onto a big screen, but I have never before enjoyed this adaptation so much. After having originally watched this on TV when it was first broadcast, it was an amazing experience to watch it again in the company of its producer and director!
Tony Earnshaw interviews Dr Jonathan Miller
Following this we moved downstairs into the Viaduct Cafe where Reggie Oliver read one of his stories from Mrs Midnight and Other Stories, A Piece of Elsewhere, where his abilities as an actor were amply displayed by his use of regional accents for his characters. Chris Priestley followed with a lively reading of his story The Demon Bench End. Both were superbly narrated and greatly appreciated by the packed audience.
Reggie Oliver reads A Piece of Elsewhere
Chris Priestly reads The Demon Bench EndFollowing a break the evening restarted with psychic entertainer, Max Raven, who carried out some remarkable mentalist feats, during which I think he probably involved the entire audience at one time or another.
Max Raven
Sunday opened with an informative and lenghthy interview with producer/director Lawrence Gordon Clark by Tony Earnshaw. Lawrence Gordon Clark was, of course, responsible for creating the marvelous Ghost Stories for Christmas in the 1970s. This was followed by big screen viewings of M. R. James' The Stalls of Barchester (1971) and The Signal Man by Charles Dickens (1976).
Lawrence Gordon Clark being interviewed by Tony EarnshawA couple of short independent films, Vespers and The Wailing Well, wound up the festival, which finished around 5 o'clock in the afternoon.
Lin and I enjoyed this festival tremendously, and it was a great opportunity to meet up and talk with old friends (though there was not really time with such a packed schedule to meet everyone). It was also a great opportunity to buy some really interesting books from the bookshop on site, which was mainly stocked with Tartarus Press and PS Publishing. Already having a large pile of books still to be read, I restricted myself to a copy of Mark Morris's Long Shadows, Nightmare Light, while Lin bought a Tartarus Press collection of William Fryer Harvey's The Double Eye.
The good news is that it seems virtually certain another festival will be held next year. I look forward to it!
Special thanks should go to Dani Grijak and her team for organising this event and for her enthusiasm for it.
