Martin Cosby's Blog, page 4
May 14, 2014
Best reads of 2014 so far
It's been a busy and productive year for me, finishing off my debut collection of short stories Dying Embers for publication by Satalyte Publishing. However, I've also found the time to read some excellent short story collections, and a marvelous novella. (Not that I like the word novella; wasn't L'Etranger by Camus only a hundred pages, yet honoured with the title of novel?)
So in no particular order, here are some of my favourites of the year so far.
Eric Brown's intriguing collection, Ghostwriting. It kicks off with the
memorable The Man Who Never Read Novels
Tenebrous Tales by Christopher Barker includes a haunting story
inspired by the great Nick Drake. What's not to like?
Another great book from Tartarus Press,
Mercy and Other Stories by Rebecca Lloyd treats the
reader to 16 fascinating, otherwordly tales. Review soon
The aliens are coming! You'll be intrigued by the complex,
poignant world created by Mark Fuller Dillon in
All Roads Lead To Winter. Review soon
Enter The Dark is Light Enough For Me at your peril;
these scarily bizarre tales grab you and won't let you go.
A suitably dark collection from John Claude Smith
I'm a huge fan of Warren's work, and The Gate Theory
is essential reading. Compellingly so!
David Haynes's latest is atmospheric storytelling at its best
If you're afraid of the dark, don't read this grimly superb collection
edited by Ross Warren; For the Night is Dark focuses on
that most primeval of fears. Great writers, great stories
I'd love to review all these books and more, but there aren't enough hours in the day, so keep an eye open for the few I manage. In the meantime, I'm happy to suggest you get hold of these publications and have a good read. The Night is Dark, indeed!
So in no particular order, here are some of my favourites of the year so far.
Eric Brown's intriguing collection, Ghostwriting. It kicks off with the memorable The Man Who Never Read Novels
Tenebrous Tales by Christopher Barker includes a haunting story inspired by the great Nick Drake. What's not to like?
Another great book from Tartarus Press, Mercy and Other Stories by Rebecca Lloyd treats the
reader to 16 fascinating, otherwordly tales. Review soon
The aliens are coming! You'll be intrigued by the complex, poignant world created by Mark Fuller Dillon in
All Roads Lead To Winter. Review soon
Enter The Dark is Light Enough For Me at your peril; these scarily bizarre tales grab you and won't let you go.
A suitably dark collection from John Claude Smith
I'm a huge fan of Warren's work, and The Gate Theory is essential reading. Compellingly so!
David Haynes's latest is atmospheric storytelling at its best
If you're afraid of the dark, don't read this grimly superb collection edited by Ross Warren; For the Night is Dark focuses on
that most primeval of fears. Great writers, great stories
I'd love to review all these books and more, but there aren't enough hours in the day, so keep an eye open for the few I manage. In the meantime, I'm happy to suggest you get hold of these publications and have a good read. The Night is Dark, indeed!
April 26, 2014
Proofs approved for Dying Embers
Well, it's nearly here. Yesterday I looked over the final proofs for my first short story collection, Dying Embers. The publishers, Satalyte Publishing, have approved them and they've gone off to the printers. The ePub version is up at Smashwords, available for pre-order, and the other formats will be from Amazon on Monday April 28.
The cover has been tweaked, and the blurb added for the rear of the jacket. Here is a screenshot of the cover for the paperback;
Here are a couple of screenshots from the interior;
It's been a long time arriving, but the process has been fascinating. It really never occurred to me when I started to write a few short stories, adapted from my memoirs, that anyone other than family members would read them. Then, with the encouragement from some of those same family members, and also from one or two authors very generous with their time, I managed to get a few of them included in anthologies. From there, I planned to self-publish; but Stephen Ormsby from Satalyte Publishing thought my stories would fit well in his stable, so everything changed again. Last November, I started to work with Stephen to polish and finalise my tales, to great effect. I'm also very pleased with the layout and the way the book flows. I can't wait for people to be able to read the thing!
Thanks are due to James Everington both for his encouragement and for very generously writing a foreword for the book, and also to Paul Hodge for all his support. Also, thanks to Maria Savva for her friendship and advice, and Dionne Lister for our supportive chats! It's been great to get to know other authors, even if it has so far been mainly over the internet.
I will post links for purchase on Monday, and update my website too.
The cover has been tweaked, and the blurb added for the rear of the jacket. Here is a screenshot of the cover for the paperback;
Here are a couple of screenshots from the interior;
It's been a long time arriving, but the process has been fascinating. It really never occurred to me when I started to write a few short stories, adapted from my memoirs, that anyone other than family members would read them. Then, with the encouragement from some of those same family members, and also from one or two authors very generous with their time, I managed to get a few of them included in anthologies. From there, I planned to self-publish; but Stephen Ormsby from Satalyte Publishing thought my stories would fit well in his stable, so everything changed again. Last November, I started to work with Stephen to polish and finalise my tales, to great effect. I'm also very pleased with the layout and the way the book flows. I can't wait for people to be able to read the thing!
Thanks are due to James Everington both for his encouragement and for very generously writing a foreword for the book, and also to Paul Hodge for all his support. Also, thanks to Maria Savva for her friendship and advice, and Dionne Lister for our supportive chats! It's been great to get to know other authors, even if it has so far been mainly over the internet.
I will post links for purchase on Monday, and update my website too.
April 23, 2014
Review: The Master of the House, by John Gaskin
John Gaskin's latest collection of short stories, The Master of the House, carries on in the same rich vein as his last, The Long Retreating Day; that is, in the style of the classic English ghost story. Here crouch 12 superb tales of the unknown and the numinous, each one as finely crafted as could be wished, ready to pounce upon the unsuspecting reader's imagination.
The Memento Mori outlines the unlikeable Dr Joseph Borman's quest for both notoriety and profit. His acquisition (for a reduced price) of said object brings with it rather more than he had expected, including a somewhat unpleasant smell. Could it be a threat to him from a previous age? What connection is there to a seemingly innocuous traffic accident? In Wolvershiel, the reader is whisked off to a barren northern landscape, where the protagonist stumbles upon an impossible house, which seems to act as some kind of portal into the darkness of sins from the past. A foggy, freezing winter at an Oxford railway station is the setting for Addendum to a Confession, involving a murder, a subsequent unreliable confession, and ultimately, psychiatry... but is the narrator entirely trustworthy? In Wings, Craig Morgan finds out the hard way that long-undisturbed flying creatures should be left well alone, when felling an ancient tree. The warnings from Ché, the exotic au pair, go unheeded – and Craig finds himself strangely usurped. Party Talk is the tale of an unsettling conversation at a lunchtime buffet between the protagonist, a writer of "tales of the uncanny", and a ghostly old woman. Part of Gaskin's talent as a writer is in knowing what to leave out; and this story expertly weaves its way into the reader's consciousness by the subtle use of those dark spaces between things.
The Double Crossing is perhaps the standout story for me, being a wonderfully dense tale of jealousy and duplicity in and around Oxford university life. It unfolds gradually, like a cross between two of Aickman's creations, Residents Only and The Waiting Room. Gaskin's work often features what could be termed an anti-hero, and in this case the reader is spoilt for choice. The Revd Dr Jonathan Blackstone fits the bill here; as does the Bursar, Stuart Budden, and so too the Chaplain. So when the matters of appointment and the details of the College pension are to be discussed, the machinations of the establishment, and disrupted train travel arrangements, come into play. The resulting misunderstandings, and an uncanny vision on a station platform, combine to showcase this writer's superb ability to both intrigue and chill.
Almost but not quite a conventional haunted house story, The Master of the House takes place in suburban London, and concerns itself with the purchase of a house, the remainder of a semi-detached pair (the adjoining semi missing as it was part of a bomb site). This tale's protagonist helps his sister, Amelia, with its purchase and renovation, and they both become alarmed at the strange sounds from certain parts of the building. The unconventional part of this tale involves its resolution, involving a letter from the time of the ancient Greeks and its connection with modern times. The New Inn Hall Inheritance is another tale from the dreaming spires of Oxford; Gaskin writes with assurance in these surroundings, creating an expert and enjoyable Jamesian feel. The collection concludes with Where Shadows Lead, which ventures out onto a wild moor at the twilight of a winter's day. David's Land Rover lets him down on his way home, and he badly misjudges his walk back across the boggy landscape to effect a short cut. Darkness soon falls, and with it comes mist and freezing temperatures. Becoming lost, he realises he is unlikely to last the night. Gaskin's descriptive writing here chills the soul, and provides the perfect climax to this evocative and satisfying book.
The Long Retreating Day was one of my reads of last year, and sure enough, The Master of the House has been one of my reads of 2014 so far. The prose is superb, the chills genuine, the occasional dry humour is perfectly judged, and the stories are complex and atmospheric. Another winner from Tartarus Press, not to be missed by everyone who loves the ghostly and the strange.
The Memento Mori outlines the unlikeable Dr Joseph Borman's quest for both notoriety and profit. His acquisition (for a reduced price) of said object brings with it rather more than he had expected, including a somewhat unpleasant smell. Could it be a threat to him from a previous age? What connection is there to a seemingly innocuous traffic accident? In Wolvershiel, the reader is whisked off to a barren northern landscape, where the protagonist stumbles upon an impossible house, which seems to act as some kind of portal into the darkness of sins from the past. A foggy, freezing winter at an Oxford railway station is the setting for Addendum to a Confession, involving a murder, a subsequent unreliable confession, and ultimately, psychiatry... but is the narrator entirely trustworthy? In Wings, Craig Morgan finds out the hard way that long-undisturbed flying creatures should be left well alone, when felling an ancient tree. The warnings from Ché, the exotic au pair, go unheeded – and Craig finds himself strangely usurped. Party Talk is the tale of an unsettling conversation at a lunchtime buffet between the protagonist, a writer of "tales of the uncanny", and a ghostly old woman. Part of Gaskin's talent as a writer is in knowing what to leave out; and this story expertly weaves its way into the reader's consciousness by the subtle use of those dark spaces between things.
The Double Crossing is perhaps the standout story for me, being a wonderfully dense tale of jealousy and duplicity in and around Oxford university life. It unfolds gradually, like a cross between two of Aickman's creations, Residents Only and The Waiting Room. Gaskin's work often features what could be termed an anti-hero, and in this case the reader is spoilt for choice. The Revd Dr Jonathan Blackstone fits the bill here; as does the Bursar, Stuart Budden, and so too the Chaplain. So when the matters of appointment and the details of the College pension are to be discussed, the machinations of the establishment, and disrupted train travel arrangements, come into play. The resulting misunderstandings, and an uncanny vision on a station platform, combine to showcase this writer's superb ability to both intrigue and chill.
Almost but not quite a conventional haunted house story, The Master of the House takes place in suburban London, and concerns itself with the purchase of a house, the remainder of a semi-detached pair (the adjoining semi missing as it was part of a bomb site). This tale's protagonist helps his sister, Amelia, with its purchase and renovation, and they both become alarmed at the strange sounds from certain parts of the building. The unconventional part of this tale involves its resolution, involving a letter from the time of the ancient Greeks and its connection with modern times. The New Inn Hall Inheritance is another tale from the dreaming spires of Oxford; Gaskin writes with assurance in these surroundings, creating an expert and enjoyable Jamesian feel. The collection concludes with Where Shadows Lead, which ventures out onto a wild moor at the twilight of a winter's day. David's Land Rover lets him down on his way home, and he badly misjudges his walk back across the boggy landscape to effect a short cut. Darkness soon falls, and with it comes mist and freezing temperatures. Becoming lost, he realises he is unlikely to last the night. Gaskin's descriptive writing here chills the soul, and provides the perfect climax to this evocative and satisfying book.
The Long Retreating Day was one of my reads of last year, and sure enough, The Master of the House has been one of my reads of 2014 so far. The prose is superb, the chills genuine, the occasional dry humour is perfectly judged, and the stories are complex and atmospheric. Another winner from Tartarus Press, not to be missed by everyone who loves the ghostly and the strange.
April 12, 2014
Review: Far Away in Time by Maria Savva
Maria Savva has released a new collection of short stories,
Far Away in Time
. I have enjoyed her previous collections, Love and Loyalty, and more recently, 3. Some of the tales in Far Away in Time are of a somewhat darker nature, which appeals to me; the opener, The Ghost of Christmas Past, paves the way. Roland recalls a tragedy which occurred at that special time of year, and of how the subsequent guilt has changed his life. This bleak but thought-provoking story is followed by Far Away in Time Parts 1 and 2, wherein the reader meets Mr Silverfrost, 'the old man with the very white hair and the strange squint'. Memories blur the present; is he really who Angie remembers? Why has Carrie got no recollection of him? What is the liquid in the phial that seems to have such magical properties? When she inadvertently prevents a crime, Angie finds herself a helpless passenger in a confusing cycle of events. I wonder if there might be a Part 3 in Maria's next collection... Echoes of her Dreams is the poignant tale of Charlene, a selfless mother who puts her own life on hold in order to help others. She dreams of experiencing more of the big wide world, but finds her true calling is closer to home. Can the dead contact the living from beyond the grave? In A Sign, this longstanding riddle is pondered in a sensitive way. Grace makes a discovery in her new house, which unlocks events from the past, setting a series of events in motion which lead ultimately to some kind of redemption. Following on, Tragedy of Love is powerfully concise. Philip delays making his move with Selene, with tragic consequences; this tale makes the reader feel there's no time like the present. The Beach is next, and would not be out of place in an anthology of strange tales. Mike and Toyah have enjoyed a holiday by the sea. Afterwards, Mike has a vivid nightmare which comes back to haunt him from from an unexpected source. Savva's description of panic in the surf is hard-hitting, conjuring a strong image which will stay with me for some time. Finally, Betrayal tells the story of a complex set of circumstances combining to make Desiree realise the truth behind her family's relationship. Does she know the real reason behind her father and stepmother's change of heart towards her? Or will it be too late for any kind of resolution? These are intelligent, well-written stories about real people confronting real issues, confronting the past and looking to the future; and, as ever, I look forward very much to Maria Savva's next collection.
Far Away in Time, Maria Savva's latest
collection of short stories
Far Away in Time, Maria Savva's latest collection of short stories
April 10, 2014
Dying Embers; full details
April 28 is the big day!
The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that I have reinstated the countdown timer on my website. This can only mean one thing; the publication date for my first collection of short stories, Dying Embers, is rapidly approaching. If this gives you a sense of deja-vu, well that's because I was about to self-publish the book back in October of last year, but then Satalyte Publishing stepped in at the last minute with an offer to do so themselves. Since then, I've been working with the great Stephen Ormsby to fine-tune the stories to a degree I could not have managed on my own. I'm very grateful for the time and trouble the good people at Satalyte have taken to get the very best result.
Dying Embers will consist of 10 strange adventures and an insightful foreword by James Everington (his first, I believe, so I'm greatly honoured). Here are some details of the stories;
The Next Terrace
The past collides with the present, and childhood bonds are stretched to the limit in a tale inspired by Dante's Inferno.
Playing Tag
An historic building holds the key to a terrible secret from Letherby's youth. Why is he drawn so powerfully to the mysterious Pavilion?
Unit 6
The alien landscape of a network of warehouses provides the background to a remarkable transformation. Or does it?
The Source of the Lea
Pocock witnesses something on the river bank which changes the course of his life... Did it really lead to him discovering the true source of the River Lea?
Necessary Procedure
An ill-fated property search leads firstly to admission, then a strange form of retribution; and, ultimately, a terrifying reunion.
Abraham's Bosom
Australia's rugged coastline gives up its past, forcing Merewether to confront his own dark memories.
In Transit
A passenger on an international flight finds out that he is not master of his own destiny. Finding out who is, though, is quite another matter.
Building Bridges
Brentwood realises just how much he has neglected his family; will he live to regret it?
La Tarasque
A castle in the south of France reveals its history to Suzanne in the most unexpected of ways. How can she distinguish the past from the present?
Fingerprinting
Rural Australia proves less welcoming than Preston had hoped, forcing him to confront the guilt from his past.
I have written a brief afterword with some vague explanation of my influences to finish it all off.
It will be paperback and Kindle from the beginning.
I must ask you to excuse some self-promotion over the next few weeks; I've never had a collection of short stories published before, and I feel a certain urge to let people know about it!
The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that I have reinstated the countdown timer on my website. This can only mean one thing; the publication date for my first collection of short stories, Dying Embers, is rapidly approaching. If this gives you a sense of deja-vu, well that's because I was about to self-publish the book back in October of last year, but then Satalyte Publishing stepped in at the last minute with an offer to do so themselves. Since then, I've been working with the great Stephen Ormsby to fine-tune the stories to a degree I could not have managed on my own. I'm very grateful for the time and trouble the good people at Satalyte have taken to get the very best result.
Dying Embers will consist of 10 strange adventures and an insightful foreword by James Everington (his first, I believe, so I'm greatly honoured). Here are some details of the stories;
The Next Terrace
The past collides with the present, and childhood bonds are stretched to the limit in a tale inspired by Dante's Inferno.
Playing Tag
An historic building holds the key to a terrible secret from Letherby's youth. Why is he drawn so powerfully to the mysterious Pavilion?
Unit 6
The alien landscape of a network of warehouses provides the background to a remarkable transformation. Or does it?
The Source of the Lea
Pocock witnesses something on the river bank which changes the course of his life... Did it really lead to him discovering the true source of the River Lea?
Necessary Procedure
An ill-fated property search leads firstly to admission, then a strange form of retribution; and, ultimately, a terrifying reunion.
Abraham's Bosom
Australia's rugged coastline gives up its past, forcing Merewether to confront his own dark memories.
In Transit
A passenger on an international flight finds out that he is not master of his own destiny. Finding out who is, though, is quite another matter.
Building Bridges
Brentwood realises just how much he has neglected his family; will he live to regret it?
La Tarasque
A castle in the south of France reveals its history to Suzanne in the most unexpected of ways. How can she distinguish the past from the present?
Fingerprinting
Rural Australia proves less welcoming than Preston had hoped, forcing him to confront the guilt from his past.
I have written a brief afterword with some vague explanation of my influences to finish it all off.
It will be paperback and Kindle from the beginning.
I must ask you to excuse some self-promotion over the next few weeks; I've never had a collection of short stories published before, and I feel a certain urge to let people know about it!
April 5, 2014
Review: Frightfully Cosy and Mild Stories for Nervous Types by Johnny Mains
I admit it; I'm a product of the Pan Book of Horror Stories collections. I remember seeing Volume 7 on the window sill in our dining room when I was nine years old. No doubt my parents weren't banking on me reading it. However, once I had, I was hooked, and the tales have stayed with me ever since. Dulcie by Hugh Reid really caught my imagination, and Never Talk to Strangers by the mysterious Alex White gave me nightmares. I don't still have the book, in fact I haven't seen a copy for 35 years, but it's still crystal-clear in my mind.
I was reminded of this golden age while reading this excellent collection of 12 stories, Frightfully Cosy and Mild Stories for Nervous Types , by Johnny Mains. There's an exuberance about the stories here, fresh ideas given a chance to shine through unfettered, easy prose. Aldeburgh kicks off proceedings, and gripped me right from the start. It can be described as a sequel to A Warning to the Curious by M.R. James; and a worthy one at that. The tale comes to life through expertly crafted atmosphere and characterisation, propelling it along almost breathlessly to a suitably dramatic conclusion. Cure shocked me with its simplicity, making me wonder why I had never thought of that particular idea before. The Tip Run suggests a shocking end to one of life's most innocent pleasures, and adds a new dimension to the term 'finders keepers'. The intriguing Head Soup introduces us to Peter Van Basel, famously elusive horror writer. Matthew Jolks manages to track him down, determined to interview him for his fanzine, Sliced. The outcome of their meeting is surely not what he would have expected, however, as the true source of his horror is revealed. Dead Forest Air tackles an historically horrific subject deftly and with a modern twist. In The Rookery, Roger, a gamekeeper with a broken marriage, teaches his son how to shoot, and desperately wants the boy to live with him. He gives Sean a promise that is kept only by way of appalling tragedy. Perhaps my favourite story here is I Wish, which is a modern-day version of The Monkey's Paw, another classic tale from the Pan books. It brings the tale bang up to date, with EastEnders, 'Modern Warfare on the PS3' and troops fighting in Afghanistan; and it translates well. Mains uses the vernacular very effectively here in setting the atmosphere.
There's a lightness of touch about these tales that is most appealing. They are absorbing and easy to read, carrying off their proud links to the past with a flourish, yet are very much part of the present day. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection, reading it in two sittings, and I look forward to more by this author. If you enjoy traditional horror stories as much as I do, I'm sure Frightfully Cosy and Mild Stories for Nervous Types will strike a similarly favourable chord with you too!
I was reminded of this golden age while reading this excellent collection of 12 stories, Frightfully Cosy and Mild Stories for Nervous Types , by Johnny Mains. There's an exuberance about the stories here, fresh ideas given a chance to shine through unfettered, easy prose. Aldeburgh kicks off proceedings, and gripped me right from the start. It can be described as a sequel to A Warning to the Curious by M.R. James; and a worthy one at that. The tale comes to life through expertly crafted atmosphere and characterisation, propelling it along almost breathlessly to a suitably dramatic conclusion. Cure shocked me with its simplicity, making me wonder why I had never thought of that particular idea before. The Tip Run suggests a shocking end to one of life's most innocent pleasures, and adds a new dimension to the term 'finders keepers'. The intriguing Head Soup introduces us to Peter Van Basel, famously elusive horror writer. Matthew Jolks manages to track him down, determined to interview him for his fanzine, Sliced. The outcome of their meeting is surely not what he would have expected, however, as the true source of his horror is revealed. Dead Forest Air tackles an historically horrific subject deftly and with a modern twist. In The Rookery, Roger, a gamekeeper with a broken marriage, teaches his son how to shoot, and desperately wants the boy to live with him. He gives Sean a promise that is kept only by way of appalling tragedy. Perhaps my favourite story here is I Wish, which is a modern-day version of The Monkey's Paw, another classic tale from the Pan books. It brings the tale bang up to date, with EastEnders, 'Modern Warfare on the PS3' and troops fighting in Afghanistan; and it translates well. Mains uses the vernacular very effectively here in setting the atmosphere.
There's a lightness of touch about these tales that is most appealing. They are absorbing and easy to read, carrying off their proud links to the past with a flourish, yet are very much part of the present day. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection, reading it in two sittings, and I look forward to more by this author. If you enjoy traditional horror stories as much as I do, I'm sure Frightfully Cosy and Mild Stories for Nervous Types will strike a similarly favourable chord with you too!
March 29, 2014
Publication date for Dying Embers
It's been confirmed by Satalyte Publishing that my first collection of short stories,
Dying Embers
, will be published on 28 April 2014.
When I began writing my memoirs, back in 2012, it never occurred to me that I would be lucky enough to have any of my writing published. The only audience I could envisage was my family; even after I decided, rashly I feel, that some anecdotes plundered from the corners of my memory could be massaged into short stories.
I should explain that, although I have written a fair bit over the years for magazines (I have worked creatively for several publishing companies), writing fiction was something I had never had the courage even to try. However, I have always read voraciously, and in recent years dark fiction in particular. As I sat in a café in the Sydney suburb of Leichardt and wrote, "My father always took the cream from the top of the milk", something clicked within me. I was reminded of Robert Aickman's autobiography, The Attempted Rescue, and in particular of the strange relationship he had with his father. Could it be I had something to say? Over the next 18 months or so I worked hard to transform parts of my embryonic memoirs (and also my dreams) into something resembling the short fiction by my favoured authors.
It was a labour of love, and I found out exactly what I did not know about writing fiction. Despite everything, I found myself with a number of scenarios which I thought worked well, and 10 of them made the cut. At this point, I must say a huge thank you to Stephen Ormsby from Satalyte, who has worked tirelessly to help me smooth some rough edges from the resulting collection; and also many thanks to James Everington who was kind enough to write the wonderful foreword to the book.
It's been a great journey thus far, and my biggest hope is that others may find the fruits of my labour palatable!
When I began writing my memoirs, back in 2012, it never occurred to me that I would be lucky enough to have any of my writing published. The only audience I could envisage was my family; even after I decided, rashly I feel, that some anecdotes plundered from the corners of my memory could be massaged into short stories.
I should explain that, although I have written a fair bit over the years for magazines (I have worked creatively for several publishing companies), writing fiction was something I had never had the courage even to try. However, I have always read voraciously, and in recent years dark fiction in particular. As I sat in a café in the Sydney suburb of Leichardt and wrote, "My father always took the cream from the top of the milk", something clicked within me. I was reminded of Robert Aickman's autobiography, The Attempted Rescue, and in particular of the strange relationship he had with his father. Could it be I had something to say? Over the next 18 months or so I worked hard to transform parts of my embryonic memoirs (and also my dreams) into something resembling the short fiction by my favoured authors.
It was a labour of love, and I found out exactly what I did not know about writing fiction. Despite everything, I found myself with a number of scenarios which I thought worked well, and 10 of them made the cut. At this point, I must say a huge thank you to Stephen Ormsby from Satalyte, who has worked tirelessly to help me smooth some rough edges from the resulting collection; and also many thanks to James Everington who was kind enough to write the wonderful foreword to the book.
It's been a great journey thus far, and my biggest hope is that others may find the fruits of my labour palatable!
March 2, 2014
My Writing Process
I have been asked by the excellent author and illustrator Andrew J. McKiernan to contribute to the world's knowledge base, by the disclosure of certain information, hitherto ungathered, regarding exactly how, when and why I write. Whether these revelations will add or detract from life's sweet experience for those who choose to absorb the details, however, is certainly a moot point. At this very moment in time, I ask myself,
On What Am I Working?
These days I find myself switching on my computer, and communicating via the miracle of direct-messaging, with my marvelous editor at Satalyte Publishing. We strive, us against the world, to complete the edits on my short-story collection,
Dying Embers
, which is due to be released upon an unsuspecting world in April, 2014. The journey began two years ago, sitting in a café in the Sydney suburb of Leichardt, remembering my father, inspired to write down my flickering memories of him for the sake of my children; in the form of a set of memoirs. From these recollections emerged what I felt might be sufficient for the outline of some short stories, suitably embellished to a degree, possibly to be of some interest to an unknown reader. You may ask me
How My Work Differs From Other Examples Of its Genre
, and I would reply, it was never written to be part of a genre; yet nonetheless Dying Embers struggles with its existence as an undeserving upstart alongside certain other 'strange stories' (perhaps mine are 'strange adventures'). Robert Aickman once said there was no need to ever make anything up; that the world is strange enough, so the writer need only to open his eyes, and to be mindful of his dreams. My stories are all autobiographical to a degree. I struggle with invention and so have to rely upon my memory and my observation. This means I write very much about my perception of the real world, only skirting the edge of anything beyond, making do with suggestion.
Why Do I Write What I Do?
I could not write anything else, so the question is, Why Do I Write? To which I would say, to exercise my mind, and to leave something behind. That something emerges letter by letter, word by word, each moment pondered, each paragraph living or dying by the pen in my A6 Moleskine notebook, from the surrounds of a local café where the bustle releases my mind from its mundane shackles; or from the bench at the playground where I take my children after school. Such is
How My Writing Process Works
. My computer is brought into play for the second draft, which may change a great deal from the hand-written first. Where each tale takes me is for the most part a complete mystery. I cannot take the first tentative steps until a title and first paragraph appears; and my biggest problem is always resolution, which may or may not arrive. I'm led by the hand, blind through the forest of words, never knowing until the last if a clearing exists.
Here are the questions, numbered;
1) What am I working on?
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?3) Why do I write what I do?4) How does my writing process work?
Next week, Monday March 10th, you can check out the writing processes of these authors, who've agreed to keep the blog-chain going:
James Everington
Mark Fuller-Dillon
Here are the questions, numbered;
1) What am I working on?
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?3) Why do I write what I do?4) How does my writing process work?
Next week, Monday March 10th, you can check out the writing processes of these authors, who've agreed to keep the blog-chain going:
James Everington
Mark Fuller-Dillon
February 25, 2014
Review: Ill at Ease 2
Ill At Ease 2 is, logically, the follow-up to Ill At Ease, a wonderful yet far-too-brief collection of three tales of urban unease. The original authors Mark West, Stephen Bacon and Neil Williams are joined this time by Shaun Hamilton, Robert Mammone, Val Walmsley and Sheri White for more of the same creeping horror.
Claire's awkward trip north in Pete's 'battered Ford Focus' turns into something more significant than could be expected in the cleverly-titled opening tale, Double Helix, by Stephen Bacon. The backgrounds of the protagonists are explored deftly, and a keen sense of anticipation is held right until the remarkably positive and thoughtful ending. This is a multi-layered, engaging story which sets the tone perfectly for the rest of the collection. Shaun Hamilton's The Shuttle follows up strongly, a powerful tale of relocation, and the dream of a new start in life. Paul and Sally are striving to become parents, and have exchanged their city pad for a family house in North Wales; but have yet to find out about the strange hold the quarry has over the local area. Suffice to say that, as a parent, Hamilton made it difficult for me to read some of this, but that's often the sign of a great horror story!
Masks, by Robert Mammone, deals with the aftermath of a disappearance. Harry is be the prime suspect after Emma, his partner, goes missing, and Detective Standish is determined to get his man. However, a blurred CCTV image of Emma leads to an obsessive search, and the tension is built up to a crescendo in the tunnels of Melbourne's underground train network. Edge-of-the-seat stuff, aided by a grittily authentic location. Next up, Val Walmsley subjects the reader to a severe case of schoolyard bullying in One Bad Turn; involving a haunted yew tree, and an unwittingly effective revenge. Be careful what you wish for, indeed!
Mark West's contribution, The Bureau of Lost Children, must echo every parent's worst nightmare. Scott is left in charge of his young son Josh, temporarily abandoned by partner Jess in the Weston Centre, 'a new development dedicated to the worship of materialism on the outskirts of Chaton'. I recognise the sudden, empty realisation which strikes when a child goes missing, even for a moment; what West does is to follow this up with the awful details of what may happen next. The resulting nightmarish situation is enough to chill the blood, and the ending is like a blow. The Bureau of Lost Children is one of the highlights of this collection.
Speaking of nightmarish situations, Sheri White creates just that in Paradise Lost, a remarkably bleak, apocalyptic tale. Short and sharp, with a terrifying climax, it is sure to convince the reader to never again skimp on the holiday sunscreen! Finally, There Shall We Ever Be, by Neil Williams, finishes the proceedings strongly. Mark is returning home to Warrington to attend a funeral, and he chances upon an elderly companion, who alerts him to changes in the town and of how its past is being neglected. Surely all the ghosts and stories of years gone by have to end up somewhere? Mark discovers a nether world which mingles painfully with his own past, challenging him in ways he could never have guessed at. This is a gripping, tightly written tale with a great sense of location.
I thoroughly enjoyed Ill At Ease 2, and it turned out to be one of my reads of the year. The format works very well, the stories complement each other perfectly, and I very much look forward to Ill At Ease 3. My only humble suggestion would be to increase the number of tales once more!
Claire's awkward trip north in Pete's 'battered Ford Focus' turns into something more significant than could be expected in the cleverly-titled opening tale, Double Helix, by Stephen Bacon. The backgrounds of the protagonists are explored deftly, and a keen sense of anticipation is held right until the remarkably positive and thoughtful ending. This is a multi-layered, engaging story which sets the tone perfectly for the rest of the collection. Shaun Hamilton's The Shuttle follows up strongly, a powerful tale of relocation, and the dream of a new start in life. Paul and Sally are striving to become parents, and have exchanged their city pad for a family house in North Wales; but have yet to find out about the strange hold the quarry has over the local area. Suffice to say that, as a parent, Hamilton made it difficult for me to read some of this, but that's often the sign of a great horror story!
Masks, by Robert Mammone, deals with the aftermath of a disappearance. Harry is be the prime suspect after Emma, his partner, goes missing, and Detective Standish is determined to get his man. However, a blurred CCTV image of Emma leads to an obsessive search, and the tension is built up to a crescendo in the tunnels of Melbourne's underground train network. Edge-of-the-seat stuff, aided by a grittily authentic location. Next up, Val Walmsley subjects the reader to a severe case of schoolyard bullying in One Bad Turn; involving a haunted yew tree, and an unwittingly effective revenge. Be careful what you wish for, indeed!
Mark West's contribution, The Bureau of Lost Children, must echo every parent's worst nightmare. Scott is left in charge of his young son Josh, temporarily abandoned by partner Jess in the Weston Centre, 'a new development dedicated to the worship of materialism on the outskirts of Chaton'. I recognise the sudden, empty realisation which strikes when a child goes missing, even for a moment; what West does is to follow this up with the awful details of what may happen next. The resulting nightmarish situation is enough to chill the blood, and the ending is like a blow. The Bureau of Lost Children is one of the highlights of this collection.
Speaking of nightmarish situations, Sheri White creates just that in Paradise Lost, a remarkably bleak, apocalyptic tale. Short and sharp, with a terrifying climax, it is sure to convince the reader to never again skimp on the holiday sunscreen! Finally, There Shall We Ever Be, by Neil Williams, finishes the proceedings strongly. Mark is returning home to Warrington to attend a funeral, and he chances upon an elderly companion, who alerts him to changes in the town and of how its past is being neglected. Surely all the ghosts and stories of years gone by have to end up somewhere? Mark discovers a nether world which mingles painfully with his own past, challenging him in ways he could never have guessed at. This is a gripping, tightly written tale with a great sense of location.
I thoroughly enjoyed Ill At Ease 2, and it turned out to be one of my reads of the year. The format works very well, the stories complement each other perfectly, and I very much look forward to Ill At Ease 3. My only humble suggestion would be to increase the number of tales once more!
February 23, 2014
Women in Horror; this year's top 10
It's that wonderful time of the year again; Women in Horror Month. I enjoyed listing my top 10 short stories by female writers last year, so I thought I would update the list, one year on. These are stories not necessarily written during the year, but new to me during that time.
I have listed ten of my favourites from the year, and have added a few reviews. So, as usual in no particular order, here they are;
1. Collect Call , by Sarah Pinborough
2. Love , by Elizabeth Bowen
3. Mountain by Kaaron Warren, from Through Splintered Walls
4. Passing Forms , by Anne-Sylvie Salzman from Darkscapes
5. The Third Person , by Lisa Tuttle
6. These Things We Have Always Known , by Lynda E. Rucker from The Moon Will Look Strange
7. The Navigator , by Angela Slatter from Sourdough and Other stories
8. Rent Control , by Tracy L. Carbone from The Collection and other Dark Tales
9. Satan's Circus , by Lady Eleanor Smith form Satan's Circus
10. The Tale of Biddey Wiggin , by Margery Lawrence from The Floating Café and Other Weird Tales
So now onto some brief reviews.
Love, by Elizabeth Bowen
Elizabeth Bowen's short stories are succinct, acutely observed, dramatic; beautifully written, and as finely wrought as cut glass. More often than not, she is concerned with what lurks beneath the veneer of respectability. Love is a brief, little-known tale, from her collection Look at all those Roses (1941), and it captures the essence of her storytelling. The protagonist (we don't find out her name) is on a fortnight's holiday with Edna, a work colleague, at a seaside location. Their relationship is unsteady. 'If you asked me how I liked Edna I wouldn't know how to answer, but a girl on her own like I am has to put up with some things, and it's slow to go on your holiday all alone'.
They are walking along the rocky, rather remote coastline, their shoes weighed down with sand, when they stumble upon a narrow bay with a dilapidated hotel nestled against the cliffs, seemingly being swallowed up by the landscape. Despite everything, there is a faded board advertising tea, and Edna insists upon them partaking. As they look for the entrance, a woman in a bright blue dress appears, with words of warning; however, their knocks are answered by an unwelcoming youth, and they are soon being reluctantly served tea in the dark, shuttered-up hotel. The strange relationship between the youth and the woman in the blue dress becomes apparent, echoing the unstable situation of the building in the landscape; and of the intrusive cows, all around, reminding me of the bovine threat in Robert Aickman's Hand In Glove. There is a subtle sense of dread, and the reader is kept off-balance, still asking questions long after putting the book down.
These Things We Have Always Known, by Lynda E. Rucker
Things are different in Cold Rest, 'a hard town scratched out on the side of a Georgia mountain ridge, so far to the north it's bleeding over into North Carolina'. Neil is a sculptor, married to Sarah, a native of the town. The bizarre ideas for Neil's work come to him unbidden in his dreams, but at what cost? His brother Gary, an unsuccessful writer, comes to stay, hoping to tap into this strange source of inspiration, but he sees the warning signs and gets away; as does Emma, Neil and Sarah's teenaged daughter. Lynda E. Rucker's sparse, telling prose pushes this bleak tale to its conclusion, where Neil is finally left alone in Cold Rest. 'A little while ago there was a splitting sound, and I heard things scuttling then swarming the sides of the house; it is only a matter of time before what is out there gets in.' The Things We Have Always Known is a haunting tale of the strength of family ties, the power of place, and the misunderstanding which comes from things unspoken. As with all of this author's work, it begs to be re-read many times. My advice to you would be to get a copy of The Moon Will Look Strange right now, if you haven't done so already.
The Navigator, by Angela Slatter
In her short story collection Sourdough and Other Stories, Angela Slatter has created a multi-faceted world of fairy tale, allegory and exquisitely powerful horror. The Navigator, a poignant tale, features the tense relationship between Windeyer, a part-avian, part-human creature, and the protagonist. Betrayal from the past has caused Windeyer to have been cruelly clipped of his wings, and a simmering atmosphere of resentment propels the tale. Bitter memories are never far from the surface, and love is combined with retribution in its tragic yet poetical ending. To me, this author has the unique ability to move a story to its conclusion, yet simultaneously to transfix the reader in a moment of time; with all that entails. Magical.
I have listed ten of my favourites from the year, and have added a few reviews. So, as usual in no particular order, here they are;
1. Collect Call , by Sarah Pinborough
2. Love , by Elizabeth Bowen
3. Mountain by Kaaron Warren, from Through Splintered Walls
4. Passing Forms , by Anne-Sylvie Salzman from Darkscapes
5. The Third Person , by Lisa Tuttle
6. These Things We Have Always Known , by Lynda E. Rucker from The Moon Will Look Strange
7. The Navigator , by Angela Slatter from Sourdough and Other stories
8. Rent Control , by Tracy L. Carbone from The Collection and other Dark Tales
9. Satan's Circus , by Lady Eleanor Smith form Satan's Circus
10. The Tale of Biddey Wiggin , by Margery Lawrence from The Floating Café and Other Weird Tales
So now onto some brief reviews.
Love, by Elizabeth Bowen
Elizabeth Bowen's short stories are succinct, acutely observed, dramatic; beautifully written, and as finely wrought as cut glass. More often than not, she is concerned with what lurks beneath the veneer of respectability. Love is a brief, little-known tale, from her collection Look at all those Roses (1941), and it captures the essence of her storytelling. The protagonist (we don't find out her name) is on a fortnight's holiday with Edna, a work colleague, at a seaside location. Their relationship is unsteady. 'If you asked me how I liked Edna I wouldn't know how to answer, but a girl on her own like I am has to put up with some things, and it's slow to go on your holiday all alone'.
They are walking along the rocky, rather remote coastline, their shoes weighed down with sand, when they stumble upon a narrow bay with a dilapidated hotel nestled against the cliffs, seemingly being swallowed up by the landscape. Despite everything, there is a faded board advertising tea, and Edna insists upon them partaking. As they look for the entrance, a woman in a bright blue dress appears, with words of warning; however, their knocks are answered by an unwelcoming youth, and they are soon being reluctantly served tea in the dark, shuttered-up hotel. The strange relationship between the youth and the woman in the blue dress becomes apparent, echoing the unstable situation of the building in the landscape; and of the intrusive cows, all around, reminding me of the bovine threat in Robert Aickman's Hand In Glove. There is a subtle sense of dread, and the reader is kept off-balance, still asking questions long after putting the book down.
These Things We Have Always Known, by Lynda E. Rucker
Things are different in Cold Rest, 'a hard town scratched out on the side of a Georgia mountain ridge, so far to the north it's bleeding over into North Carolina'. Neil is a sculptor, married to Sarah, a native of the town. The bizarre ideas for Neil's work come to him unbidden in his dreams, but at what cost? His brother Gary, an unsuccessful writer, comes to stay, hoping to tap into this strange source of inspiration, but he sees the warning signs and gets away; as does Emma, Neil and Sarah's teenaged daughter. Lynda E. Rucker's sparse, telling prose pushes this bleak tale to its conclusion, where Neil is finally left alone in Cold Rest. 'A little while ago there was a splitting sound, and I heard things scuttling then swarming the sides of the house; it is only a matter of time before what is out there gets in.' The Things We Have Always Known is a haunting tale of the strength of family ties, the power of place, and the misunderstanding which comes from things unspoken. As with all of this author's work, it begs to be re-read many times. My advice to you would be to get a copy of The Moon Will Look Strange right now, if you haven't done so already.
The Navigator, by Angela Slatter
In her short story collection Sourdough and Other Stories, Angela Slatter has created a multi-faceted world of fairy tale, allegory and exquisitely powerful horror. The Navigator, a poignant tale, features the tense relationship between Windeyer, a part-avian, part-human creature, and the protagonist. Betrayal from the past has caused Windeyer to have been cruelly clipped of his wings, and a simmering atmosphere of resentment propels the tale. Bitter memories are never far from the surface, and love is combined with retribution in its tragic yet poetical ending. To me, this author has the unique ability to move a story to its conclusion, yet simultaneously to transfix the reader in a moment of time; with all that entails. Magical.
