Die Booth's Blog, page 6

I’m guesting on The Book Slam podcast

Want to watch me chat about writing with other, much chattier, authors? Then you’re in luck! Pencil it in your diary for this Sunday May 7th 2023 at 8pm GMT as I’m delighted to be talking with the fine folks at The Book Slam.

You can check out their previous livestreams here for some fascinating discussion, readings and tips and advice of the trade, plus just a good old fun conversation!

In their own words:

“The Book Slam on Clubhouse features authors from around the world performing live readi...

More Nic Cage than you can handle!

OK, brace yourselves folks. This one is very special indeed!To coincide with the release of Renfield (which is amazing – go see it!) if you just need MORE Nic in your life (and let’s face it, who doesn’t?)  ‘His Soul’s Still Dancing’ is a Nicolas Cage inspired anthology of the weird, freaky and downright bizarre, guaranteed to tend to all your Nic needs!Out now in paperback from Ex Parrot Press, you can get it here:Buy ‘His Soul’s Still Dancing’ in the UKBuy ‘His Soul’s ...

Fashionable horrors – listen for free!

‘Marie is the catwalk’s dream model: she can truly bring a dress to life.’ 

I’m delighted to have my work featured again at The Other Stories podcast – thanks to the team at Hawk and Cleaver for making it happen and to Georgia Cook for bringing the story to life with her fantastic, atmospheric reading.

You can listen to my fashion-horror tale here (content warning for aesthetic descriptions of food, and mentions of weight and body image):

Listen to ‘Waifs’ here at The Other Stories podcast.

If...

What beautiful Chaos looks and sounds like…

I always love working with small presses, but the folks over at Sans. PRESS have been a particular joy to work with! I’m honoured that my fair-folk horror piece ‘Sweethope Fair’ features in their gorgeous anthology ‘Into Chaos’. ‘Sweethope Fair’ is a kinda murder-mystery-crime-supernatural tale, about finding love as a middle-aged queer man from a sleepy rural community. It’s about picking the lock on the cage of what people tell you that you are, and following the path through the trees tow...

Why I hated ‘Long, Long Time’ from HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’

Let me preface this by saying that I don’t have time to be writing this review. I should be writing my own stories full of the queer representation I want to read. But no piece of television has affected me quite so much recently as Episode 3 of HBO’s new video-game-based zombie apocalypse show ‘The Last of Us’, and not for the reasons the makers were probably hoping – unless they’re even more cynical in their chasing of marketing clout than I first reckoned.

This entire blog post contains spoil...

We interrupt scheduled broadcasting for the point of it all

Yesterday was a really bad day again. It feels like it’s been a week, month, year, decade of bad days. I’ve been having hypnotherapy, doing my ‘five things I’m glad for’ each day, practicing my breathing exercises, going out for runs and limiting my time on social media, all that recommended stuff. It’s helped, but it’s not solved the problem. Today on my run it’s kind of struck me that things never get any easier, they just get difficult in different ways.

Last weekend I saw a sale ad on Ins...

Come ‘Into Chaos’ with me

Considering how chaotic things are *gestures around vaguely* these past few years, the title of this new anthology from Sans. PRESS is very apt!

I’m absolutely delighted to be a part of this gorgeous new book, full of tales of characters stepping beyond and embracing chaos. My story ‘Sweethope Fair’ is a darkly hopeful (fairy)tale of finally daring to do what you’ve wanted to do for an entire lifetime. 

You can get a copy of ‘Into Chaos’ (just look at that stunning cover by Dominique Ramsey!)...

Have you left your festive shopping late, too?

It’s that time of year again folks, and if you’re anything like me, you are not only wholly unprepared but also totally snowed under with year-end work! If anyone has any tips on actually getting stuff done at this time of year when it’s dark by 3.30pm, please clue me in..!

It’s not been bad though – a definite improvement on 2020 and 2021 at least. I finished a snowy horror story today in suitably atmospheric conditions (read: fingerless gloves in the house) and it was looking mighty powdery...

Double treats this Halloween (because you’re worth it!)

Happy Halloween, creepers! I hope that everyone’s enjoying the highlight of the goth social calendar. I’ve had a particularly good one – it’s been such a relief to be able to finally go out and party again after the real-life horror of the past two years (I mean, I guess we’re still stuck in a dystopian nightmare with current events, but at least we’re not in lockdown anymore and that is fantastic!)

As a special Halloween treat for you, I present the full Cool S book trailer and a whole 20% off ...

Horror, queerness and queer horror, oh my!

It’s been a busy few weeks as things ramp up to Halloween (AKA horror writer main holiday of the year!)

This Wednesday at 10pm UK time, catch me chatting horror and Diet Riot with fellow Diet Riot author KC Loesener over on her Instagram live. I very much appreciate KC including me in her interview schedule! KC will also be catching up with awesome authors (and editors) Sonora Taylor, Kay Hanifen and Nico Bell this week, so do go check out her Instagram for those interviews too, alongside plenty...