Cate Gardner's Blog, page 11

Motherhood of the Monstrous

Due to the success of the Women in Horror Month project - Motherhood of the Monstrous - over at Ginger Nuts of Horror, Jim McLeod has decided to keep it as a regular feature. Today, my article 'Now Coward Soul is Mine' appears and features an author who influenced my writing and a writer to watch (hint: clue is in the book cover).

Last month, Laura Mauro kindly mentioned me in her article. A great honour especially as I'm a huge fan of Laura's writing.

Women in Horror Month - Ginger Nuts

It's February, it's Valentines Day, and my gorgeous husband's birthday, and my adorable niece and nephew's birthdays and the Wallet Moths are tearing at their paper wings.

February also means Women in Horror month and the wonderful Jim McLeod of Ginger Nuts of Horror is celebrating. Jim has invited a bunch of horror writers to write about the female writer who inspired them to write and a female writer who is publishing now that we should all take notice of. The series kicks off today with Nancy Kilpatrick who talks about Mary Shelley, Shirley Jackson and Tanith Lee, alongside Sandra Kasturi and Colleen Anderson. My article will appear some time this month featuring Emily Bronte, Enid Blyton and... (ooh, the suspense).

Other events:

Mark West will be publishing his Mixtape Blog Post where writers will be recommending horror stories by women. I will be wittering on there too.

Kevin Bufton will be hosting interviews with female horror writers. Yes, yes, I may be talking nonsense there too.

Favourite Short Stories of 2016

2016 has seen some amazing fiction published and I managed to (mostly) keep a list of my favourite short stories this year. In alphabetical order (by author) they are:

And Ashes in Your Hair by Simon Bestwick (Something Remains - anthology)
The Wrath of the Deep by Simon Bestwick (The Hyde Hotel)
The Scythe by Ray Bradbury
White Rabbit by Georgina Bruce (Black Static)
The Great Silence by Ted Chiang (Electric Lit)
A Tale Before Supper by Ray Cluley (This is Horror)
S.K. by James Cooper (Postscripts 36/37)
Damnatio Ad Beastias by Kristi DeMeester (Apex)
Floodwater by Kristi DeMeester (The Dark)
The Sound That Grief Makes by Kristi DeMeester (The Dark)
The Marginals by Steve Duffy (Black Static)
Melpomene's Heirs by Evan Dicken (Clowns - anthology)
A Whisper in the Reeds by Nerine Dorman (African Monsters - anthology)
Shadow Boy by Lora Gray (Shimmer)
Foul is Fair by Tyler Keevil (Black Static)
The Ice Plague by Tim Lees (Black Static)
Postcards From Natalie by Carrie Laben (The Dark)
Man of the House by V.H. Leslie (Black Static)
The Blue Room by V.H. Leslie (The Hyde Hotel - anthology)
The Oestridae by Robert Levy (Black Static)
Anthony's Vampire by Seanan McGuire (Nightmare)
Trying to Get Back to Nonchalant by Ralph Robert Moore (Black Static)
On the Road by Nnedi Okorafor (African Monsters - anthology)
Rusties by Nnedi Okorafor & Wanuri Kahiu (Clarkesworld)
The Chickens and the Three Gods by Kit Power
Tohoku by Danny Rhodes (Black Static)
The Old Roads by Lynda Rucker (Burrow Press)
Blonde by Priya Sharma (Interzone)
Egg by Priya Sharma (Mithila Review)
The Jacaranda Wife by Angela Slatter (The Dark)
Dog by Reece Shearsmith (Dead Funny - anthology)
Deep within the Marrow, Hidden in my Smile by Damien Angelica Walters (Black Static)
Sugar, Sin & Nonsuch Henry by Damien Angelica Walters (Sing Me Your Stars - Collection)
Darkness and Darkness by Robert Freeman Wexler (Postscripts 36/37)
Reapers Rose by Ian Whates (Nightmare)
The Men from Narrow Houses by A.C. Wise (Liminal)

Favourite Fiction of 2016 - Novels & Novellas

My favourite novels of the year:

Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
The Feast of All Souls by Simon Bestwick
The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-Mi Hwang
Day Four by Sarah Lotz
Slade House by David Mitchell
The Life & Death of Sophie Stark by Anna North
13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough
They Say a Girl Died Here Once by Sarah Pinborough
Unwholly by Neal Shusterman
Pretty Little Dead Girls by Mercedes M Yardley

My favourite Novellas of the year:

Lantern Rock by Stephen Bacon
Stag in Flight by S.P. Miskowski
The Hammer of Dr Valentine by John L Probert

My Writing Year - 2016

For me, 2016 has been the year of unfathomable exhaustion and (as a very dear friend put it) no headspace. Despite that, I somehow managed to tick a few things off the bucket list.

First off, two of my stories were shortlisted for a British Fantasy Award (Short Story and Novella categories). Then, later in the year, I sold a story to The Dark, and then, just this month, I found out that the story As Cymbals Clash, has been chosen for Paula Guran's The Years Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2017. Serious Bucket List moments.

So, what has been published this year.

Snowbooks re-released my novella, The Bureau of Them.
Frightful Horrors released an ebook, Shadow Moths, containing two of my short stories - Blood Moth Kiss and We Make our Own Monsters Here.
The Coyote Corporation's Misplaced Song in The Hyde Hotel (anthology)
In the Macabre Theatre of Nightshade Place in Postscripts
As Cymbals Clash in The Dark 
A Silent Comedy in Clowns - The Unlikely Coulrophobia Remix (anthology)

Forthcoming in 2017
As Cymbals Clash in The Years Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2017
The Gargoyles of Killfellen House in Sherlock Holmes's School For Detection

Will post my favourite novels/short stories of the year tomorrow.

Into The Dark

The December 2016 issue of The Dark is out and alongside my story, As Cymbals Clash, you can read stories by Priya Sharma, Thana Niveau and Steve Rasnic Tem. What a line up! Many thanks to Sean Wallace and Jack Fisher for accepting the story.

A couple of reviews have already rolled in...

Review by Charles Payseur:

"It's a great story with a vivid flow and a balanced look at Godfrey, who is tragic, who is victim and perpetrator, who is damaged and damaging." You can read the rest of the review over at Quick Sip Reviews. 

Review by Sam Tomaino:

"A real chill that builds to the end." You can read the rest of the review at SFRevu.

It was a joy to work with Sean Wallace again.Way back in 2009, he published my story Trench Foot in Fantasy Magazine. My first pro-paying sale. Delighted to see it's still available to read online.

A Fairytale Forest

Behold the beauty of Victoria Leslie's artwork. I am totally in love with it. Not only is Victoria an extremely talented writer, writing as V.H.Leslie, and a stunning person, it seems she also has an incredible talent for visual art.

If you're in Portsmouth this weekend you'll find Victoria's artwork on display at venue no. 10 - full details here and here.

Well that was Fantasycon by the Sea

A week has passed since the wonderful Fantasycon by the Sea and I've just about found my land legs. I had a blast - from the usual excitement of meeting up with everyone again, of passing hugs and hellos, to relaxing into a weekend full of chats, panels and free wine. Free wine which included a corked bottle of Prosecco that accidentally uncorked and attacked a fellow attendee. Oops! I'm bouncy + it was gassy = disaster. .
The Prosecco was courtesy of Emma Barnes of Snowbooks, leftover from the awesome launch for the Snowbooks Horror Novellas, where my book, The Bureau of Them, was relaunched. I spent the launch seated between the wonders that are John Llewellyn Probert and Gary Fry. As I was high on a bottle of Lucozade (it doesn't take much) I may have driven them ever so slightly insane. But hey, I was excited and it's not often I get to launch a book. Wonderful to finally meet Emma and Tik Dalton of Snowbooks.
I want to say the highlight of my weekend was the launch but it was probably spending a good part of Saturday with 'The Girls'. An awesome, talented, amazing group of writers - Priya Sharma, Laura Mauro, Georgina Bruce, Victoria Leslie, Tracy Fahey - who I am honoured to call friends. They certainly made my con. It was the first time I'd met Georgina and she is an absolute blast. 
We bumped into Alison Littlewood and Fergus on our way to the con. Thankfully not literally bumped into them as that would have been catastrophic. They were driving beside us on the A road and then they sped in front and we followed them most of the way. Very surreal. My most-wanted book purchase of the weekend was Alison's new novel 'The Hidden People'. Did not spend anywhere near enough time with them.
Favourite panel was 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun'. with Priya Sharma, Maura McHugh, Catriona Ward, Heide Goody and Ann Nicholls. They could have chatted for a few more hours and not run out of things to say. Although they may have needed wine. Favourite reading was Kit Power's chicken story. Someone should have filmed it. Brilliant. I highly recommend catching him read at the next convention. I so need to unearth Godbomb from my to read bookcase. Yes, we are way past the 'to read shelf'. 
Oops! moment of the weekend was (high after the launch) kidnapping Jess Jordan (who is modelling the Snowbooks novellas at the top of this post) and forcing her to drink free wine. I was at this point carrying around an open bottle (would you believe I don't drink much?). The oops - when Ray Cluley found us and asked what time Priya's reading was. I'd forgotten (sorry Priya). We ran like the wind (making sure not to spill any wine) and made it just in time. Due to my lateness I was stuck behind a pillar and didn't hear a word but I'm sure it was awesome. Her stories are always awesome.
As to Priya, she WON the BRITISH FANTASY AWARD for BEST SHORT STORY. Oh my goodness! What a moment. So well deserved. I may have cried a little. With joy. Although, I was concerned people may think I was crying because I didn't win. I saved that for when I crawled under the blanket when I got home. With wine. Several bottles of wine and bars of chocolate. This is why I've only just found my land legs. 
Kidding.

Although, I did spend the first two days in bed trying to remember my name. Roll on next year. 

Fantasycon by the Sea 2016

I've finished work for the week and Friday we're up bright and early to head off to the awesomeness that is Fantasycon. This year it's in sunny Scarborough. I've printed out a list of everything I want to attend, which leaves me no time to eat or pee. I've even graded my interest in each panel - haven't resorted to colour coding yet.

The one thing I have to attend is the Snowbooks launch of my novella, The Bureau of Them, which is being launched alongside novellas by Ray Cluley, Andrew Hook, John Llewellyn Probert, Mark Morris, and Gary Fry. We'll be sharing the room with Titan who are releasing books by Mark Morris, Tim Lebbon and Marc Turner. Not an event to be missed.

It's on the Saturday, 2:00 to 3:00 pm in the Main Ballroom of the Grand Hotel.

Oh, and for those attending the launch, there is a limited (about twenty - unless I have another mad creative fit between now and Fantasycon) amount of my handmade cards available. They're awesome. Trust me. Awesome and free.

I'll also be at the British Fantasy Awards on the Sunday where both Bureau and Mark's novella, Albion Fay, are nominated in the novella category. Also my short story, When the Moon Man Knocks, is nominated for Best Short Story - alongside the awesomeness that is Priya Sharma's Fabulous Beasts.

And on Saturday evening (11:30 pm in the Reading Cafe, Royal Hotel), Simon Bestwick will be reading an excerpt from his forthcoming novel, The Feast of All Souls, which has a cracking cover and is released on the 6th December. You can pre-order it on Amazon.


See you there, kids.

Like Buses

You wait forever for a blog post and then two come along at once. Before you know it this blog will be properly resurrected.

Des Lewis has real-time reviewed my e-collection Shadow Moths and lovely to see the words 'This story affected me deeply'. It's always an honour to be reviewed by Des.

In other exciting news, my story As Cymbals Clash has been accepted by Sean Wallace and Jack Fisher at THE DARK for publication in December. A bucket list moment.