Paul Finch's Blog, page 26

Enemies - coming soon to a door near you!

Despite the torrential rain and slate-grey skies, it is supposed to be summer here in the UK, so at last it's time to think about going on vacation. In fact, a nice break is now looming imminently for Cathy and I, so things will be quiet around here for a little while - and what a relief that will be.

The first half of 2012 has been an intensely busy one for me. With the Avon deal now in the bag (but much work still to do on the first book in the trilogy, let alone the second and third), new movie scripts in development and a possible graphic novel on the horizon, there hasn't been much time to sit down and contemplate the Universe recently. Neither has there been much opportunity to pen short stories.

A couple of friends have recently asked if, now that I'm writing a series of dark crime novels, will I be neglecting that old favourite of mine - the short, spooky tale?

Well, hopefully the three exclusives I reveal in this week's post will answer that question. Pictured above is the cover for ENEMIES AT THE DOOR, my next collection of horror stories and novellas, which will be out in hardback and paperback from Gray Friar Press either in late summer or early autumn this year. I'm not going to give anything away about the TOC yet, but suffice to say that it will contain plenty of original material as well as one or two timely reprints.

Meanwhile, left is the cover for STAINS, which will be an ebook re-issue of my hardback collection of the same name (though with different artwork) which was published by Gray Friar back in 2007.

STAINS is another collection of stories and novellas all set firmly in the horror bracket ("horror with a capital H", as one reviewer at the time described it). No further details are available yet - these are just tantalising snippets of news I'd like to leave you with before I depart on my hols - but this electronic version of STAINS will be available for purchase some time in late summer. I'll post all the necessary bits and pieces nearer the time.

As an extra titbit of last-minute excitement, another brand new story of mine, IN THE FOREST OF THE NIGHT, will soon be appearing in A CARNIVALE OF HORROR: DARK TALES FROM THE FAIRGROUND (from PS Publishing, edited by Paul Kane and Marie O'Regan). The cover for this one is simply stunning, but sadly I'm not in a position to post it yet, nor the full TOC, but the book will be launched at 5pm on Saturday September 29th, at FANTASYCON 2012 in Brighton. I'll be on hand to sign a few copies, along with the following other (thus far) confirmed contributors: Peter Crowther, James Lovegrove, Muriel Gray, Alison Littlewood, Lou Morgan, Robert Shearman, Rio Youers and cover artist Ben Baldwin.

So there you go ... I ain't finished with the short form yet.

Walkers In The Dark - now out as an ebook

I'm chuffed to announce that what I consider to be one of my very best collections of short fiction - WALKERS IN THE DARK - is now available in ebook form from Ash-Tree Press.

First published in softback in March 2010, WALKERS IN THE DARK was launched at the World Horror Convention in Brighton, UK, and contained only original material: five brand new horror novellas, all drawing on one of my preferred areas within supernatural fiction - eldritch mysteries intruding into the spiritual desert of our modern world, and always, hopefully, with chaotic and terrifying consequences.

If you fancy venturing in, be prepared for lashings of the ancient and arcane, spiced up here and there with sex, violence and folklore of the extreme darker variety.

Reviewing the book on his PAGE HORRIFIC blogspot, James Carroll said:

"This is imaginative fiction at its finest, and these highly atmospheric tales of haunted lives and innocence lost, transcend genre boundaries and ultimately defy classification."

I'm particularly happy that WALKERS IN THE DARK now exists in electronic format because when it first came out in softback it only had a short print-run. I wouldn't exactly say that it has since become a collector's item, but I've had a number of contacts over the last two years from readers trying to trace a spare copy, and even I, the author, have not been able to help them. It was short-listed for a British Fantasy Award in 2011, in the capacity of Best Collection, but was pipped at the post by Stephen King's FULL DARK, NO STARS (I don't suppose I could really complain about that).

Anyway, all of that is now in the past. The ebook version is out there just waiting to be snapped up at the bargain basement price of £4.61 (or $7.19) .... so go for it.

Just in case you need your appetite whetting further, here is a little taster:

THE FORMLESS: When a pretty young student is mysteriously declared dead, her university suitor heads north to her home in the Scottish Highlands to investigate - what he discovers there is sufficient to challenge not just his sanity, but the survival of his very soul ...

SEASON OF MIST: In the misty autumn of 1974, a series of child murders afflicts an industrial Lancashire town. Local kids are certain it's the work of the mythical demon supposedly dwelling in a local derelict coal mine; nevertheless they set out to enjoy their usual autumn festivities ...

FATHOMS GREEN AND NOISOME: Cryptozoologists explore an icy lake high in the Welsh mountains, in whose depths a monstrous beast is reputed to dwell. But the perils they face in this cold and inaccessible region may actually lie much closer to home ...

GOLGOTHA WAY: Aged World War Two veterans are distressed by continued obscene vandalism at the local Cenotaph. Their suspects range across the board from everyday hoodlums to anti-war protestors and anarchists. But rumours are rife that the actual culprit is a mysterious individual, all charred and ragged as if burned by a flame-thrower ...

WALKERS IN THE DARK: Deep in Liverpool's deprived Toxteth district, a bunch of students plan to excavate beneath the floor of a derelict urban monastery, where research has led them to believed that a stash of Viking gold was buried. But the mission is fraught with danger - local gangs haunt the area, and when they finally unearth their 'treasure' they find there was a good reason why it was buried in the first place ...