Cate Gardner's Blog, page 12

Shadow Moths

I've been rather quiet on the publication (and writing) front of late, but like buses I have two books out within the space of a month. First off is this e-chapbook, which contains two of my short stories - We Make Our Own Monsters Here (a tale of puppetry) and Blood Moth Kiss (nuclear war and betrayal). One may be darker than the other. And, it comes complete with an introduction by Simon Bestwick. I have no idea (wink-wink) how I got such an amazing author to write the introduction for me. For those who don't know - reader, I married him.

It's available from Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Here's a video of the song that inspired one of the stories. I'll leave you to guess which...

Next month at Fantasycon, the above horror novellas (publ...

Next month at Fantasycon, the above horror novellas (published by Snowbooks) will be released in sunny Scarborough. For those who can't make it to FCon the books are now available to pre-order from Amazon in both hardback and paperback.

The novellas are:
Within the Wind, Beneath the Snow by Ray CluleyThe Bureau of them by Cate Gardner (that's me)The Greens by Andrew HookThe Nine Deaths of Dr Valentine by John L ProbertThe Hammer of Dr Valentine by John L ProbertAlbion Fay by Mark MorrisScourge by Gary Fry

The Nine Deaths of Dr Valentine won the British Fantasy Award in 2013 (and it's a cracking book), while The Bureau of Them and Albion Fay are nominated in the novella category of this year's British Fantasy Awards.

The Pink Flamingoes

Happy Monday.

So how was your weekend? Can it top the photo above? Two well-respected horror/crime authors, Paul Finch and Simon Bestwick, rocking it with pink flamingos. I think my stories just exploded and infected the world or I drank too much rum. Well, someone drank too much rum.

Edge-Lit 2016

Attended my second Edge-Lit convention this weekend (third if you count Sledge-Lit) and it was the best yet.

We travelled up with the awesome Priya Sharma - it's the fourth convention that we've all attended together and it makes it more fun and a heck of a lot easier for little old shy me. As always, Priya won over everyone she met. It's a skill (it probably helps that she's naturally lovely). We arrived just in time to catch the first panel about horrors, thrillers and chillers, which had (if memory serves me right) Sarah Pinborough, Victoria Leslie, Johnny Mains and Marie O'Regan. I threw away the programme and my memory is atrocious. Then we attended the Boo Books and Exaggerated Press launch. Wine at eleven o'clock in the morning. That's new.

We then escaped to the bar and sat with Jess Jordan and Ray Cluley, Lynda Rucker and Sean Hogan, Gary Couzens, we met the fabulous madness that is Johnny Mains, cue selfie....


....and briefly got rained on - by actual rain and not by Johnny. Then we caught the tail-end of Gary McMahon's launch and saw Alexandra Benedict there. In the afternoon I spent three hours back to back attending panels and then had to escape as my brain was fried. A shame as I just missed out on the crime panel. Not that I write crime but my little Bestwick does. Then it was hang around the bar again chatting to wonderful folk such as Sophie Essex, Phil Sloman, James Everington, a lovely new writer whose name I've forgotten and who looked so young I was reminded I am soooooooo old, Nina Allan and so many more folk but my pea-brain has forgotten.
We had a meal in Ask Italian, which is across from the Quad, and then I spent the next forty-eight hours moaning to the Bestwick about how we should have gone to Nando's because I'm not a fan of pasta or pizza and only had garlic bread for tea and was fekking starving. A starving Cate is a dangerous beast to be around. 
We ended the day at the Quad by watching Alexandra Benedict interview Johnny Mains, and then we picked up the Dead Funny books, which must not go to seed on my TBR pile. A final catch up with Victoria Leslie, Tracy Fahey, James Everington and Nina Allan and then it was back home to the Wirral via roadworks and Crewe. 
I shall end this post with pretty people...


Next up, FantasyCon in Scarborough. Candy Floss!!!

Things of the... Year

I seem to be a little woeful in keeping this blog up-to-date (not helped by the fact I spend most of my internet time on my phone these days). Yesterday, something wonderful happened. Two of my stories were nominated for British Fantasy Awards. The full list of nominees can be found over at the BFS site but I must mention those I am nominated with.

My novella The Bureau of Them (to be re-released by Snowbooks at FCon) is nominated alongside novellas by Mark Morris, Nnedi Okorafor, Usman T Malik and Paul Cornell. My short story When the Moon Man Knocks (published in Black Static) is nominated alongside stories by Priya Sharma, VH Leslie, Adam Nevill, Ralph Robert Moore & Frances Kay. I am overwhelmed to have stories nominated amongst such fantastic writers.

There was a tinge of sadness mingled with the joy though. I poured all the pain of mum's death into my story When the Moon Man Knocks and, of course, yesterday I so wished I could tell her about the nomination. She'd have been so happy.

Other news - since I've labelled this post Things of the Year - I've had two stories published this year.
The Coyote Corporation's Misplaced Song in The Hyde Hotel, and In the Macabre Theatre of Nightshade Place in the latest Postscripts anthology. Oh, and I finally married my awesome Bestwick.

The Bureau of Them

I am delighted to announce that my novella The Bureau of Them is to be published by Snowbooks later this year. Many thanks to Emma Barnes for all her hard work in bringing this about and for being generally awesome. Look out for more excitement announcements from other folk across the coming days. I won't reveal who from but there are some fantastic authors bringing out horror novellas through Snowbooks new series.

Isn't the cover beautiful? It fills my heart with dark things.

Hell's Ditch Book Launch

So last Friday, at Waterstone's in Liverpool One, this happened. Simon Bestwick (my Bestwick) achieved a dream and his book Hell's Ditch launched at a major UK bookstore.

Not only was the venue terrific (with a zillion thanks to Glyn Morgan who helped organise the event) but Simon was joined by Ramsey Campbell and Conrad Williams. There were readings and a lively question and answer session with the audience. Then afterwards a group of us headed off to a Chinese restaurant.

I am so proud of him. The book is a terrific read and it's dedicated to my little mum.

This time next year he'll be buying me a swimming pool*

*or paddling pool.

Important Announcement: The Bureau of Them

As many of you know, Spectral Press, who published my novella The Bureau of Them last July, are having financial difficulties.

Spectral Press is to become an imprint of Tickety Boo Press who will take over its management while allowing Simon Marshall Jones to continue as editor. Spectral's existing authors will be offered new contracts, for various reasons I've chosen not to go with the new imprint, so the rights to The Bureau of Them have reverted to me.

The book is in the process of being removed from Amazon. To date, I have received no royalties for the book. I have informed Gary Compton of Tickety Boo Press that I would be willing to accept The Bureau of Them paperbacks (up to the amount I'm owned) if any exist in stock. I apologise to anyone who has pre-ordered the hardback - which Spectral Press never got around to printing - and if I do get any paperback copies I will try to send them to those folk who have been let down by this situation.

Hyde Hotel

The Hyde Hotel, edited by James Everington and Dan Howarth, opened its doors yesterday and it contains my story The Coyote Corporation's Misplaced Song alongside stories by authors such as Simon Bestwick, Alison Littlewood, Ray Cluley, S P Miskowski, Mark West, V H Leslie and others.

Many thanks to James and Dan for inviting me to write for the anthology. You can find it on Amazon.

In other news, there is an interview with one of the contributors, Ray Cluley, over at The Haunted Omnibus.

A bit of Masochism for the New Year

Today I discovered I'm a masochist.

It's January and we are all poor (and by we I mean you are too). Of course, some of you might be doing just fine thank you very much, but as my blog readers are mainly writers I'm assuming you're poor too or at least vowing not to spend so much at Christmas again. I've vowed that several times since Boxing Day, but I won't stick to it. I never stick to it.

Anyhow, onto the masochism business. My Bestwick is always spouting advising that we should write a list before we go shopping and stick to a budget per day. Having worked out how much money I had left for January after buying and eating all of the things in December, I figured I had £8 a day to live on. My frown line furrowed so deep that our neighbour parked his car there.

Having built up a massive nest egg of £25, we headed to the supermarket. But I want to pretend I'm playing Supermarket Sweep, my subconscious cried. Then, because I have super powers, I pulled out my list and a pen to mark the price of everything and began to have fun. I appreciate that this makes me a very sad person. Supermarket saver brands were bought (of which there will possibly be forthcoming rants about or exclamations of 'it tastes just the same') and I was eventually unglued from the pricey Eve's Pudding, only to find we returned home with money in our pockets.

I am totally rocking this. Next month I think I'll try £5 a day.

This time next year we'll be millionaires.