Craig Wallwork's Blog, page 2

April 23, 2014

Gory Hole now released in the US

Yep, Gory Hole, my forth book, is now available to buy via Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Gory-Hole-Horro...

Thanks to those who take a risk with this. I hope you enjoy it.
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Published on April 23, 2014 11:55

This Is Horror

I was interviewed recently over at This Is Horror where I talked about my new book, Gory Hole and what horror movies influenced it. Here's an extract:

"There is no reason to read my [books]. They’re not going to change the world or make you want to be a writer. All I can offer my readers is an experience. Gory Hole is pantomime, it is a book foGoryHole2rged by a man who did not censor himself, nor did he allow the pressures of a demographic to dictate the story. Gory Hole is fun, and very tongue–in-cheek. If you love films like Dog Soldiers, Braindead, Evil Dead, Zombies, Dawn of the Dead and Shaun of the Dead then you’ll love Gory Hole. Morally there are messages in there, which the reader can choose to unearth or disregard.What I’m hoping will happen is those who are brave enough to read it will have a laugh. What some writers forget is that writing should be entertaining. It should move the reader in some way, and pull them into different worlds. If the writer offers words that are as flat as the pages they are fettered to, then they have failed. I’m sure no one will say that about Gory Hole.

http://www.thisishorror.co.uk/meet-wr...
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Published on April 23, 2014 11:53

February 13, 2014

GORY HOLE

My chapbook, GORY HOLE: a Horror Triple Bill, will be released this April by Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing. It will be a saddlestitched collection of three bizarro grindhouse-esque short stories, with colored interior illustrations by Luke Spooner and a awesome front cover by George C. Cotronis.

Here's what three of my favourite authors said about it.

"There's a place where intelligence and weirdness meet, and Wallwork's prose is comfortably nestled there, feeding off both with the keenness of a crazed tapeworm. Sharp, nasty, and bizarre, Gory Hole is a perfect treat for those who like their fiction unique and with heaping sides of humor and gore." - Gabino Iglesias, author of Gutmouth.

“Like a grindhouse version of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Wallwork’s fiction is smart, innovative, and a hell of a lot of fun.” - Carlton Mellick III, author of Razor Wire Pubic Hair.

“When your laughter turns to tears, saline to bloody rivulets, you have found GORY HOLE by Craig Wallwork. A master storyteller, this trio of black comedy is lyrical prose dipped in deviant lust dusted with violent retribution—for the horror fan in us all.” - Richard Thomas, author of Staring Into the Abyss.

It's now available for preorder via the publisher: http://perpetualpublishing.com/produc...
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Published on February 13, 2014 08:56

June 1, 2013

Sympathy For the Devil by Daniel Crabtree

Those that have read The Sound of Loneliness will know of Daniel Crabtree, a belligerent, narcissistic and delusion writer who lives in my hometown of Salford, Manchester. Today he contacted me and asked me to post up something he wrote. I have found refusing him is more hassle than indulging him. To this end, please see below. I must point out the views and expressions of Daniel Crabtree do not reflect my own.

Sympathy For the Devil by Daniel Crabtree

I found myself in a debate recently with my good friend Henry Soperton about that Accuser of our Brethren, Abaddon, Apollyon, Belial and Crooked Serpent, or plain old Devil to you and I. It was an interesting conversation, considering both Henry and I have no foundations in religion, which is why I believe it has remained quite clear in my mind, and had not become lost in the shifting pall of drunken reverie.

I have read parts of the Bible, mostly the Old Testament and a little of the New (King's James edition, if anyone was wondering). Followed it more through discussions with the boozehounds and sots in the Flemish Weaver pub, and of course, Henry, so it’s safe to say I have a layman’s view of it all, though not a theologist. What drew us both to the Fallen Angel lies in his eviction from Heaven. From what I have gleaned, which again is somewhat limited, he was an Archangel, quite a big cheese among the ranks. In the book of Job, he was one of God’s Son, working for Him. Stirred by jealousy, the Devil is cast out of Heaven for being of a bit of a rebel, proud and not following orders. Looking back on that very basic précis of reason, the key things to note are, jealously, self-righteous, nonconformist, insurgent. If these were attributes explored by the Devil, one must surely draw the conclusion they were introduced to him, or implanted during his creation? For example, if I had said to my ex-wife, Melissa, “Okay, I’m a little bored. I think we should spice things up a little by having sex with other people, is that okay with you?” Had she agreed and slept with someone, how could I chastise her actions? I couldn’t. I clearly set the ground work, initiated the conversation, handed over the freedom to act upon any desire she may be harbouring for another man, and gave her free rule to do whatever she pleased with them. For me to pipe up and say it’s wrong would be hypocritical. And yet, it appears that God has followed a similar mistake. He created the Devil and gave him these emotions, to be evil, malicious, and rebellious. If at any given point God believed the consequences of His handiwork could lead to the demise of man, then clearly He would have never implemented these beliefs/flaws in the Devil, the influencer that he is. Henry concurred, adding that to criticise the Devil is to criticise God’s work and His judgement. It would be as simple as a clockmaker arriving late for an appointment and blaming his watch, when within the watch he never placed the cogs that turn the hands. No, that’s wrong: the clockmaker would have arrived late because the mechanics placed in the watch were erratic and did not conform to the constraints of time.

Henry elaborated, and added his theory that both are working in unison, that God has sanctioned the Devil to perform certain tricks, and influence man in the malevolent and immoral, a contract job, perhaps. But why, I asked. Why would God, a purveyor of good and the most omnipotent deity to be documented in history want to succumb to drafting the expertise of one so evil? Henry's hypothesis is that Heaven is God's kingdom, and all the good and righteous will enter through its gates and spend eternity in harmony. Bollocks! I proclaimed. Casting aside for the moment Heaven sounds like some kind of hippy commune, it would, if everyone was good and without sin, be a very overpopulated place. Therefore, it stands to reason there would need to be a filtering process implemented. Let's go back a few hundred thousand years. A few homo-sapiens arrive in Heaven, banging on the wire fence to allow them asylum. God allows in. It’s a bit quiet there with all the angels, so yes, a few dead mortals will brighten the place up. Then, another few thousand turn up. Okay. No worries, there is plenty of room. Decades pass, centuries. Soon a thousand years becomes several hundred thousand. God looks around and notices it’s getting a little full. But what about all the good souls! They’ve travelled miles without the means to return. Paradise is now a subway during rush hour. So God devises a test, something he can use to measure whether or not man/woman/child and animal is worthy of taking up space in his home. He calls upon his most trusted angel, His best angel, and asks if he’ll do Him a favour:

God: “Go down to earth, my boy. Influence the mortals. Whisper in their ear naughty things. Rude things. Not dirty talk, you understand, I cannot abide dirty talk. Instead, allow temptation to rule their thoughts, greed, lust, and make up a few others. In fact, seven will do. Now go, and those that don’t pass the test can be sent somewhere else. Where do you think?”

The Devil: “Los Angeles?”

God: “Too cruel! I’ve clearly chosen the right person for the job. But no, not Los Angeles. That place can be a half-way house, perhaps. No, dig a hole and stick them down it. Make it hot too. Nothing like heat to make a person understand the severity of their actions. I know, I’ve been to Ecuador in the summer.”

Off the Devil goes, carrying out instructions given to him by his creator. Logically, it is a common sense tactic with dealing with a problem: without evil, God cannot measure who is worthy of his time and His Kingdom, and without evil, God is merely a landlord cleaning up the mess made by His tenants.

That my life is merely moments of glazed commentary punctuated with moments of cold sober musings, I found myself reflecting upon the Devil more and more the nights following our conversation at the Flemish. I often wonder if the Devil enjoys the beauty of the world he has been sent to destroy, and over time if he had mellowed. Having been the instigator of all that is wrong in the world, I like to believe he now wishes to make a few things better in an attempt to clear his name: from the anarchist antichrist, to the peace loving pacifist. An imperfect Angel made by an imperfect God resonates with me. I have seen so many imperfections within life, that to believe they exist for no reason is too depressing a concept. Like me, the Devil is damaged, and like the Devil, the flawed are the criterion upon which mankind measures itself against. Henry agreed with me on this last point, adding, with only the merest hint of derision, "Blessed are the cracked, for they allow in the light."
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Published on June 01, 2013 09:51

The Sound of Loneliness Giveaway!

Calling everyone in Great Britain! 10 copies of my book, The Sound of Loneliness, will be available through Goodreads Giveaway very, very, very soon. Good luck. And spread the word.
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Published on June 01, 2013 00:41

April 2, 2013

Books and Booze

Over the weekend I was interviewed by Books and Booze podcast. The only criteria for this interview is that you need to drink alcohol and say something controversial. I did a sterling effort on both counts by drinking Expresso Martini and Old Fashion while calling most writers arseholes and admitting my unique practice in book reviewing.

http://www.books-booze.com/2013/04/01...
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Published on April 02, 2013 01:56

March 26, 2013

To Die Upon a Kiss

To Die Upon a Kiss has now been released. This novel will NOT be to everyone's taste because it involves euthanasia, undertones of incest, murder, female masturbation, and the effects of manic depression. So please, only the cool readers buy this.

It's available from Amazon and is reasonably priced at (UK) £2.02p and (US) $3.08c

To Die Upon a Kiss:

After a foolish act of rebellion uncovers a horrible truth about his father’s death, SADLER TRUMAN is forced to accept the certainty that in less than six months time he will die of a rare heart disease.
Fearing madness will arrive quicker than the last beat of his heart, Sadler immerses himself in the humdrum daily activities of sleep, going to work, and visiting his father’s grave. A regular part of this routine is attending the Accident and Emergency department of his local hospital, a ritual he finds hard to break after reading heart attacks mostly occur during the hours of 6.00am to 9.00am. Here he meets Prudence, an overly sexual Dispenser who works at the hospital’s pharmacy. To Sadler, Prudence is the perfect distraction, a welcomed interruption in his new routine. But Prudence’s persuasive charm and reasoning draws Sadler into the seedy underbelly of mortality. Believing to witness death firsthand will help assist his fears about his own, Prudence involves him in an experiment that may cost him his sanity and the lives of innocent people.
As each month passes, Sadler begins to question Prudence’s motives, and how their lives have become so fortuitously interlinked. But has the weight of all his victims become too much? Is the line between life and death interchangeable? Can one suffer a life worst than death? Seeking these answers, Sadler sets upon a voyage of self-discovery, one that will involve unearthing secrets to his past and revisiting memories he fears may reveal a sickening truth about his mother.

Spanning just six months, the story raises questions about humanity, and the need for acceptance. And like Sadler, the reader is forced to accept that some truths are much darker than lies.

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/To-Die-Upon-K...

US: http://www.amazon.com/Die-Upon-Kiss-e...
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Published on March 26, 2013 10:09

February 9, 2013

January 21, 2013

The Sound of Loneliness gets BOOKED

Booked podcast (due to win best podcast award) are at it again. A while back they read and reviewed my short story collection Quintessence of Dust, and I they liked it. They then interviewed me recently where they asked me about my novels To Die Upon a Kiss and The Sound of Loneliness. It was during that interview they put me on the spot and asked me to chose, out of the two novels, which one I would like them to review. Well, the result can be found in their new episode where they bring in guest reviewer Sean P Ferguson. I don't want to say anymore lest I spoil it for you, but I will add that YES the synopsis doesn't do the book justice, and the correct pronunciation of giro is gyro, and Salford is Solfud. And finally, allow me to extend my apologies to anyone French. You'll realise why when you listen to the podcast.

http://www.bookedpodcast.com/2013/01/...
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Published on January 21, 2013 10:12

December 5, 2012

Preorder my new book The Sound of Loneliness

The Sound of Loneliness, my new novel published by Perfect Edge Books is now available to reorder via Amazon. It’s release date is the 25th of January so remember to spare a few of those Christmas vouchers and buy yourself a copy. If you have no idea what the novel is about, here is the blurb and a few author endorsements to whet your appetite:


Manchester in 1991 is a town suffering under the weight of high unemployment and massive government budgetary deficits that is plunging the UK into a recession. To Daniel Crabtree, a struggling writer, it is the backcloth to his first novel, one that will see him become a famous published author. Living off mostly water and flour, Daniel has embraced penury into his life under the mistaken belief that many young artists have: one needs to suffer for success in art. But Daniel is a terrible writer. In the three years since signing on the dole, of every morning chastising his Irish singing neighbour for waking him from his sleep, and scrounging food from his close friend Henry Soperton, Daniel Crabtree has produced one short story. His heart is bereft of words as much as his pockets are of money.
The sound of Loneliness is a story of love, and how a poor starving man chasing a dream came to the understanding that amidst the clamour of life, the sound of loneliness is the most deafening of all.


"Craig Wallwork has a strong and steady voice, well deserving your time and attention" Dan Fante, author of Chump Change.

"Tune your ear to Craig Wallwork's prose and you'll soon make a fascinating discovery: he's really funny. And he's a damned fine writer." Mark SaFranko, author of Lounge Lizard.

"Craig Wallwork's writing is adventurous and comical, and joyfully anarchic. His work is always compelling and exciting to read." 3:AM Magazine.

"Craig Wallwork's The Sound of Loneliness has a few things in common with the agonized work of Thomas Bernhard, where the pain of ailment sometimes crosses the threshold of pleasure, and the reader is revolted and riveted at the same time. I enjoyed my time in Wallwork's pages." Kyle Minor, author of In the Devil's Territory.

"Wallwork is a hugely creative thinker, producing ideas that are highly original and west of left field. You'll never know what’s coming next, but you'll defintely be keen to find out. An emerging talent who won't take long to reach the limelight." Nigel Bird, author of Dirty Old Town.

"If Etgar Keret had grown up in northern England instead of Israel, he might've turned out to be Craig Wallwork, but Wallwork hits harder and more often, both with the humor and insight." Lit Pub.

Worth mentioning, while I have your attention, is that Perfect Edge Books has announced its first set of authors, which are, and in no particular order; Andrez Bergen, Caleb J Ross, Nik Korpon, Michael Gonzales, Amy Biddle, Christopher Dywer and Antony Jacques. A cool crew if ever there was one. Be sure to seek out each author mentioned as most have books out already. And if you’re wondering who was crazy enough to assemble such a cast, look no further than Phil Jourdan who classifies himself as a Portuguese translator, musician with the band, Paris and the Hiltons and writer based in the UK.

That’s enough for now. Now go buy my goddamn book.

US: http://www.amazon.com/The-Sound-Lonel...

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Sound-Lon...
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