Jack Rollins's Blog, page 10

Steampunk: Learning the Genre

Jack Rollins:

I found this post today and found it extremely interesting. A number of people have described my Dr Blessing series as falling into the Steampunk genre (I don’t like to call it a subgenre because I prefer its feel to pure Sci-Fi and Fantasy), but I never intended it to be that way, nor did I ever consider it to be the case. I thought: There’s not an airship or pair of brass goggles in sight!

This post, however, shows me that really, I am only picking up on the accoutrements of the genre which developed over time, rather than the original seeds of steampunk. Those seeds including the Victorian notions of the supernatural – which is squarely where another of my novellas, The Seance, exists.

I really am something of a newbie to Steampunk. I erroneously stated in a blog recently that I had last year read my first steampunk book – that isn’t true so I’ll correct it here. A few years ago I read “Glass Books of the Dream Eaters”, its sequel, “The Dark Volume” and have since read some George Mann books: “Ghosts of Manhatten”, “Ghosts of War”, and his first Newbury and Hobbs book, “The Affinity Bridge”. Last year it was “The Immersion Book of Steampunk” a really rather good anthology, I have to say.

Anyway, I wanted to share this post as I found it fascinating and quite enlightening, for me as a real beginner in this fantastic genre.

Originally posted on No Wasted Ink:

A popular subgenre of science fiction and fantasy is known as steampunk. It features steam-powered technology with the decorative sensibilities of the 19th century Victorian era. Steampunk stories can also be considered a sort of alternate history where the British Empire continued on to be a major power in the world and their empirical style of culture and manners still hold sway in a future world.

It is often thought that the origin of steampunk as a genre began with H.G. Wells and Jules Verne. The stories of the adventurer explorer or the gentleman inventor who travels through the world or in time via their abilities and education and bring British culture to other peoples is a trope that is common in many steampunk stories. While Wells and Verne were certainly part of the inspiration of steampunk as a genre, they were writing alternate history or true science fiction of…

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Writer’s Block Month on Dark Chapter Press #Block2015

To open the New Year, I’m taking part in the Dark Chapter Press writer’s block month. I’m a writer. So they blocked me. Okay, so that’s not what it means, and you damned well know it, especially if you’ve been struck with writer’s block, yourself (I never know whether I should use W and B – but it seems to make it too severe, like Tuberculosis for writers).

It’s a funny sort of subject, isn’t it? I live next door to a bakery (equally cursed and blessed, let me tell you), I’ve lived here for 2 years and not once have I gone past the place to find it devoid of cakes or bread because the bakers were struck by Baker’s Block. In my day-job (yes, believe it or not, I’m lacking several millions of the sales I need to go completely creative) if I turned up next Monday and say, “I can’t assess any portfolios today, I’ve got Assessors Block!” I’m pretty certain they would tell me to take some time off. Maybe a lot of time off… Which would be fine if I wasn’t still lacking those few million book sales…

So anyway, I’ve mentioned Dark Chapter Press above and mentioned them in previous posts. I say them, it’s really us, because I helped set it up! The month will see Q & As with new horror writers, like me, right through to heavyweights like Shaun Hutson. We’re all talking about the same subject: Writer’s Block and how to either avoid it, or overcome it.

I also got to set a little challenge or activity and I’ve included it below – it’s really gentle, really easy to do – and that’s the point. Writer’s block can be really stressful when you’re creative, but lacking that spark today for whatever reason. Complex ways of tackling it can be too much, so you just need a little nudge in the right direction. Even if you’re not blocked, my activity can help you start a new project off and at the very least, hopefully you’ll just end up being exposed to something interesting or fun.

Here goes:

Sometimes, in order to feel inspired to take on a new project, we need to change our influences. Some horror writers only read horror. Well, you can’t make a career out of rewriting someone else’s work. You need to get your brain moving.

You could tackle a new book in a genre you haven’t read for ages, or even one you’ve never entered before. In 2014, for instance, I dipped into the world of Steampunk, and it really opened my eyes to some new possibilities. Currently I’m reading recently reprinted 1930s crime novel A Mystery In White - I never read crime novels.

It may be that exposing your mind to a different horror writer might help, I found that reading my first Richard Laymon novel, The Stake, last month was a refreshing experience.

Really, though, for the purposes of this activity, I recommend you leave the horror genre behind, for 1 book. Haven’t got time to read a new book? Ok, go out and pick up a magazine you’ve never bought before and read it cover to cover. It can be anything – and for you guys out there, if you haven’t discreetly flicked through one of those bloody awful magazines that are a bit like the Jeremy Kyle show in print, then this might be just the excuse you need. You’ll find tons of horrible stories, awful people and grotesque situations. All you’ll need to do, is give it your own twist…

Let us know how you get on!

So there it is. If you give it a shot, be sure to comment on either the Dark Chapter Press blog, or here and let me know how you got on!

The Gothic Life and Times of Horace Walpole

Jack Rollins:

Happy 250th, The Castle of Otranto…

Originally posted on Longreads Blog:

Carrie Frye | Longreads | December 2014 | 16 minutes (4,064 words)

Download .mobi (Kindle) Download .epub (iBooks)

As a child, Horace Walpole frequently heard it said of himself that surely he would die soon. Born in England in 1717, the last of his mother’s six children, he was fragile and prone to illness from birth. Two siblings before him had died in infancy, and so in the family order it went: three older children, loud, healthy and opinionated; two grave markers; and then young Horace toddling up behind—half child, half potential grave marker.

Naturally, his mother, Catherine, spoiled him. His father, Sir Robert Walpole, was the King’s prime minister. This often kept him away from home, as did a long-time mistress who acted, more than his wife did, as his hostess and companion. For her part Catherine had her own dalliances. It was that sort of marriage. The Walpoles…

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My Christmas Special – Behind the scenes of A Christmas Blessing

“Reflect upon your present blessings — of which every man has many — not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”

― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings

The Christmas Special has become a common sight on TV, from Morcombe and Wise and Only Fools and Horses, to Doctor Who and Downton Abbey, but in literature there are some great examples to be found, too. The most obvious of these is the Charles Dickens masterpiece, A Christmas Carol; for many, a Christmas favourite, for others a favourite among all of Dickens’ work or a favourite story of all-time.

Dickens produced other Christmas stories for seasonal editions of All the Year Round and Household Words, but they were never greeted with the same enthusiasm as old Scrooge.

A Christmas Carol carries a timeless message of charity and good cheer, of appreciation of family and friends, while also serving a chilling insight into the huge social inequalities of Dickens’ time. Add to this, the driving force of the story being supernatural in nature, and you have a seasonal ghost story never bettered, and ever likely to be so. His story inspired charity in its day. Today it is certainly as relevant as ever, with social inequality so evident and growing.

After I released the first Dr Blessing story, Dr Blessing’s Curse, and had mapped out the sequel, Dr Blessing’s Rapture, I was struck by an unshakable idea: The third Dr Blessing story was to be a Christmas special!

A Christmas Blessing (written under the working title of Sugar-plums and Bell-Jars) sees London devastated in the wake of the events of the Rapture storyline. Dr Blessing’s little assistant Niamh takes centre stage in the opening scenes, and we find a bored little girl, adjusting to a life of some privilege since the doctor’s flight and subsequent disgrace. Having lived on London’s unforgiving streets, she seeks out an adventure of her own and gets much more than she bargained for.

It took me two years to finally get the piece ready, and happily released A Christmas Blessing last year, about a fortnight before the big day. Being an indie author, with an even lower profile than I have today (yes, that’s actually possible), it didn’t exactly set the world on fire, but it did very much capture the imagination of fellow indie writer Kyle Scott (Devil’s Day, Consumed Vol.1, Carnage: Extreme Horror – where we both contribute). Kyle’s review on Amazon.com is part of his 3-way review of The Cabinet of Dr Blessing, which collected all 3 individual instalments. Here’s what he had to say:

The third book in Jack Rollins fantastic Dr Blessing saga continues to deepen the themes and relationships explored in the previous books, while exploring uncharted emotional territory and delving into the minds and hearts of characters previously dwelling in the background.

The Hammer Horror inspired Gothic atmospherics are still there in full force, and the unique take of vampires is expanded and evolved in fun, frightening ways that will please any horror fan, but it’s the emotional heft that this instalment boasts that will win over the readers.

This is, by far, the most resonant of the three books that exist at present, and is a fast paced, beautiful read for fans of classical literature and horror alike. In A CHRISTMAS BLESSING, The violence and scenes of terror remain as startling as before. This time, though, heart really matches the intellect that Rollins displays. It’s the best of the three books, and will leave the reader hungry for the next instalment.

In our private contact – we’ve become friends and colleagues over the last 6 months or so, when Kyle had it confirmed that I am a father, his response was: “I knew you had family. Only a Dad could have written A Christmas Blessing.”

I think that is one of the nicest and best compliments I have ever received for my work. It’s nice to know that the emotions and relationships burst through the horror – and A Christmas Blessing contains plenty of that!

To make the story a true Christmas special, there were some particular notes I wanted to play. I’ll try to keep it spoiler-free as much as I can, but if you think you’d like to read the actual story first, I’ve included links below. Skip to them, then perhaps come back to this blog after catching up on Dr Blessing, to see how many of these aspects you picked up on.

A Child’s Perspective. As stated earlier, the action follows young Niamh at the outset, as she descends into the hell of a London beset by plague and blood-drinking beasts. A simple desire to purchase a gift for a loved one, coupled with a youthful sense of adventure drive Niamh into some very perilous situations. From preparing decorative items for the arrival of Old Christmas to wishes her family could be reunited, it is a child’s eyes reveal the backdrop of the tale. Love it or loathe it, Home Alone’s entire premise was like Die Hard from the point of view of a child. I think it worked.
Family. Dr Blessing is a series about family and parental responsibilities, beneath all that horror. In this story, Niamh has settled into a new family dynamic, but longs for her absent father-figure to return. Her old street-urchin instincts needle at her, making her restless. To live in luxury is not always a comfort to Niamh. When things turn bad, it is up to members of Niamh’s family to attempt a rescue and the ruddy-cheeked, jolly fat man Giles Burton, leads the efforts to save his adopted grandchild.
Old Friends Reunited. Christmas is the time when we try to get together with friends we haven’t seen for a while. Be it a Christmas party, a family gathering or seasonal catch-up drinks with your pals, it’s a great time to get together. A Christmas Blessing embraces that and includes some great cameo appearances (I do love an Easter Egg – wrong holiday, I know) from the previous two Dr Blessing stories. Some of those appearances will really surprise you, too!
Authentic Victorian Christmas. Fortunately, much has been written (lots of it by you-know-who) of the Victorian Christmas. Judith Flanders featured lots of great insights in Consuming Passions, which might even be where the true roots of the third Dr Blessing story as Christmas Special lie. From burning pines, to Christmas goose and plum pudding, I want you to see, smell and taste it all.
Visitor down the chimney. It wouldn’t be Christmas without surprises from the chimney, now would it?
Miracles and Forgiveness. You’ll have to read the story to know for sure…

Well, those are my top 6 aspects of the Christmas Special, at least the top ones I embedded in my story.

Now that Christmas is upon us, I’m a little disappointed at not writing another Christmas horror special, but I have several ideas of what might appear if the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come allows it.

I thought it fitting to leave you with a sample of A Christmas Blessing. If you haven’t read Dr Blessing’s Curse, and Dr Blessing’s Rapture, though, I recommend that you do first, or better yet, get all 3 parts in The Cabinet of Dr Blessing.

Excerpt from A Christmas Blessing, by Jack Rollins

Niamh looked back at the lights of the warm, comfortable mansion. She thought for a moment of the terrible explosions she and the others of the house had heard the previous night. Grandpa had told her they were mere fireworks, being tested in preparation for a huge New Year celebration, when the city would return to normal. Now that she had heard for a fact that the monsters were real, Niamh realised that the explosions probably had something to do with all of that.

She thought of the explosions and how frightening it had sounded. Thought of the safety of the house. Thought about Mary Brigham, and adventure. She thought about the cannibals or monsters or whatever was meant to be out there. Thought about how worried Mrs Burton would be if she was not back by morning. Thought about the good, bad old days, of slipping into the shadows of the city. She thought about how pleased Mrs Burton would be with a nice present on Christmas morning.

She hung from the lip of the wall for a second or two, then dropped to the pavement and broke into a run to get across the road. Niamh knew to pick a route past St James Park that would take her close to Buckingham Palace. She reasoned that if anywhere in London would be fortified, it would be there. She wanted to be close to the Palace in case she found trouble, but not so close to the Palace that the authorities guarding the Queen would find her and arrest her. Or worse, find her and take her home to face trouble from Mrs Burton!

The fringe of Hyde Park had been a frightening sight for two reasons. The first, the fence and trees had resembled great black claws and teeth. The second, there was nobody else abroad. This meant that either nobody dared go there, and she was the only person mad enough to pass, or that people had been passing, or attempting to do so, but had been dragged into the shadows, to be roasted and eaten in the park.

She imagined the Serpentine running with blood, and her being able to walk from one side to the other on the backs of the dead who bobbed, swollen and green, in the murky water.

Along her way, Niamh began to notice that some of the Kensington mansions were guarded like the Burton house. When she had passed in daylight this had not been as obvious to her. The guards eyed her suspiciously as she scurried on her way.

Niamh finally saw Londoners on the move when she reached the turnpike at Hyde Park corner. A ragtag group of men had created a wide barricade of carts, crates, barrels and stalls. Through the barricade, they had made a narrow passage – the only way for Niamh to pass into the city proper, in this direction. The men stood by a fire, rifles by their sides. They challenged anybody who approached them from any direction. The only item to pick them out as a uniformed unit was the scruffy bandage of material they each wore around their foreheads.

Niamh observed the small militia, of about a dozen men in total, as they stopped men, women and children. They asked a series of questions, and as one man spoke, two others pointed their rifles. They let the people pass and then turned to the next group, then the next. The scene was one of organised chaos – dozens of men calling orders and instructions, scurrying about the barricade and dozens of travellers trying to pass, chattering with each other as they waited in line. Niamh hoped that in the darkness, her scuffed shoes would not give her away, as she sidled up to the turnpike.

Her keen eyes had spotted a well-dressed couple who were walking into the city, from almost the same direction as her. Their fine clothes marked them as Kensington people. Her fine clothes marked her as a Kensington child – their child, as she hoped to appear.

The first flakes of snow fell as she followed the couple into the opening of the barricade. Extending her fingers, she felt the icy droplets land, melting quickly. The thought of the cold and the snow had caused her, involuntarily, to stand closer to the lady and gentleman, wanting to share the heat of their coats, regretting once again that she had decided to leave her own at home.

“Visiting a sick relative,” the man said.

“Who?” the guard asked.

“My mother in law, if you must know!” the man replied, his tone telling of his impatience. He wrapped an arm around his wife, and drew her closer to his side.

“The little girl with you?” the guard asked.

“Little girl?” the man asked, turning to follow the stained, crooked finger that extended past his shoulder, pointing straight at Niamh.

“Of course not! No child of mine would be out here without a coat! And with those things abroad! The very idea!”

Niamh was about to turn and flee from the barricade, when she heard a screaming whistle from over to her left. The guard’s dirty face turned suddenly in the direction of the sound. He grabbed a whistle from the chain around his neck, placed it between his lips, and blew one loud blast. “Hurry, hurry through!” the guard ushered, patting the couple on their backs as they passed. “Come on, girly! Get yourself through!”

Niamh’s eyes widened in shock as two other guards brushed past her. They grasped two crates and toppled them into the passage, forming a low blockade.

She could not turn back; there was only one way to go.

A guard shouted, “Over there! I saw two of them by the railings!”

A shot roared out into the night. A shiver ran down Niamh’s spine, like cold water. She ran for the boundary of Green Park and could see the opening for Tyburn Lane to her left before she and the others who had fled the turnpike even dared to glance back.

Rifle fire crackled at the turnpike and a cheer rose from the men. Silver speckles of snow drifted lazily to the ground like glitter in the gaslight. Again she caught some flakes in her hand. Some of the speckles melted, but then she noticed that some of the white speckles remained. She rubbed her palms together and noted the grey and black smears left behind. She realised that there was not just snow falling, but ash and soot.

Wondering why it would snow ash, Niamh hurried along Picadilly and saw Constables with their lanterns, moving with great caution among those who lingered on the thoroughfare. They ordered the Londoners to go home and insisted they were mad for even thinking of stepping out.

Amazon UK: http://goo.gl/q63evd

Amazon US: http://goo.gl/MgdKli

With my very best wishes to you and yours this Christmas,

Love,

Jack Rollins

The End

Jack Rollins:

Here’s a nice little piece from my friend and fellow author David Basnett. Good one, Dave!

Originally posted on david basnett - author:

Frustration welled up suddenly. It was so unfair. Bill Hayes looked at his hands as if he did not recognise them. Getting old was so unfair. It stripped you of everything that defines you. His wrinkled face and elongated ears bore no resemblance to the man whose wedding photo stared from the sideboard. How would you have felt, to know what you would become? His mind was also in decline. Faces taunted him from photo albums. They were people he once knew well and he could not even recall the first letter of their names.

Bill relaxed his hands and took another grip on the bottle. He may be losing the war against old age, but he was damn sure that he still had the strength to peel back the foil top on a bottle of supermarket milk. He fumbled with it for a moment. He could not even feel…

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What to expect when I go extreme

So that’s one book launched successfully (The Seance), and now I’m pressing on, promoting the next one! I was interviewed in a podcast earlier this week, and have posted the link at the end of this entry, but the preparation for that interview really got me thinking about how I came to be involved in this anthology and how it might be a bit jarring readers of my current stories. What could be a better topic for my blog?

The cover for Carnage: Extreme Horror, art by Mark Kelly, Grim Ventures

Earlier this year I was invited by Stuart Keane, who is an indie thriller and chiller writer of the highest order (if you haven’t already, check out his “The Customer Is Always…” and “Charlotte” on Kindle and you’ll see what I mean), to join a horror anthology he intended to produce

Stuart had lined up a couple of other authors to appear there, too, one of them being author Kyle Scott, an author who seems to be able to pump fear into you directly via IV drip, then, when you try to cope with the terror, you look at the tube going into your arm and see that he’s now pumping someone else’s blood and liquefied organs in there too!

He had also invited Angel Gelique to be part of this war-band. Now, Angel’s work I am yet to read, but her reputation on Goodreads is fearsome. It seems this lady is unafraid to go to some very dark and disturbing places. In the descriptions of some of her stories, she almost tries to put you off reading it, so that only those with nerves of steel actually read the work.

At the time I agreed to submit a piece for the anthology, no title had been set. My previous and ongoing work on the Dr Blessing series, along with The Seance, are a more subtle, creeping style of horror fiction. Yes, there is gore in there, but my horror is embedded in not only the fear of what your physical self may have to endure, but what your mind can take, what might happen to your family, fear of isolation, etc. When the title Carnage: Extreme Horror was announced, I looked at the notes I had for several projects and wondered how the hell I was going to write anything that would fit the title.

Particularly in the case of Kyle, I could see how his style would translate right in there, and from what I understood about Angel’s work, it seemed that she was going to fit in no problem. Stuart was obviously confident that he could slip into extreme gear and when my initial buzz (I’ve been invited to write for an anthology!) wore off and it was time to make a plan, Stuart fielded a few messages from me expressing doubts that I was a good fit.

Stuart became a bit of a coach for me through that time and was prepared to be flexible on the word count (knowing I’m a family man with a demanding job, as well as a writer) and he said one of the nicest things that have been said to me as a writer. He told me that he had confidence that whatever I wrote would hit the spot, that he had approached me because of the quality of my work that he had read so far.

I relaxed for a while. I concentrated on getting The Seance off the ground, which included a successful but very time-consuming Kickstarter campaign. Kicking around a few ideas, I had to make the decision: can I do this in the Victorian settings I usually work in, or is it time to do something different? I have another huge project that is contemporary, I should say, it’s just that the Victorian stuff is really moving along.

I decided to break away from the Victorian era for a while, and tell a story that has a thread connecting it to our modern lives: the first steps of my story Anti-Terror come from the middle of the last decade when the UK was reeling in the wake of terror attacks on public transport in London, the police shooting of an unarmed man in a London subway and various threats of terrorist action in the British Isles.

Having lived in Leeds at that time, I distinctly remember the concrete blockades outside the train station, the armed police patrolling the platforms and concourses and that undeniable feeling: we have been forced to change and we can never go back. Paranoia filled the multi-racial society around me and there was that fear that a false move, an unclear motive or a breakdown in communication could have disastrous consequences. I remember travelling on the tube in London and seeing a Sikh student with a backpack, who knew that those around him generalised: they saw an Asian guy, he must be a Muslim extremist. What made me admire this guy was the slogan on the back of his bag: Don’t Freak, I’m a Sikh.

It is there, in circumstances where society is pushed to extremes of panic and alertness, that the seeds of Anti-Terror are embedded. I say seeds, because the story is in no way intended as a commentary on terrorism, policing or the use of firearms. While the seeds are certainly born of a serious matter, what I have grown with them is pure escapism and horrific entertainment.

I chose to write the story in the style of an ‘oral history’. Chuck Palahniuk used this mechanic to great effect in his magnificent novel Rant. When I started to plan out this piece, I decided the best way to tell the tale was to employ the same method A story told by several individuals who were in Leeds City Station at the time of a disastrous confrontation between police and a suspected terrorist. What the authorities have admitted, and what the witnesses saw do not align at all and the reader is drawn into a conspiracy where disgraced police officers might just be heroes, and the rivalry of two friends might just have unleashed Hell.

While to some of my loyal readers, the prospect of a contemporary story falling under the extreme heading might seem very far away from my usual body of work and in its setting and mechanics, it is. To those readers, let me offer a reassurance, Anti-Terror is laced with many of the other features that have made my other work so popular. Certainly there are the breadcrumbs that will link into other stories, and the appearance of a character from one of the first horror stories I ever wrote (those who have followed me for 10 years know about that big reboot I am planning) and the conclusion of the story will definitely linger on long after you have put the story down. Those hallmarks won’t be drowned out by violence or gore – the story is strong, the situation compelling and I will be most surprised if you don’t find yourself reading it more than once to find all the hints I’ve dropped throughout the pages, to be discovered after the “Ahah!” moment at the end of the first reading.

A Halloween Book Launch Party Like No Other

Halloween saw the launch of my new gothic Victorian horror novella, “The Seance”. This title also marked the first new publication from Dark Chapter Press. They have posted a lovely summation of the night’s festivities and I’m glad. It saves me the job of doing it. I did enough typing last night!

Last night’s online book launch for Jack Rollins’ “The Seance” was a total success. With loads of indie authors offering their books as prizes to help Jack along the way, he hosted the launch for 4 and a half action packed hours (instead of the 2 hours initially planned).

Building up the launch in the days preceding the main event, Jack had invited guests to follow his twitter account at https://twitter.com/jackrollins9280 and his Facebook page to build up the number of copies of “The Seance” he would add to the draws on the night.

Guests were also invited to register details to sign up to his newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/58PA1 to enable the delivery of e-books and paperbacks won at the event.

He opened the night early with a posted “Sound Check”, which linked to a Youtube video for the song “Burn” by The Cure, which sparked off some of the guests reminiscing about the movie The Crow. Jack returned at 8.55 pm to take things forward and as guests checked in, a relaxed tone was set as guests discussed movies and reboots etc.

The first draws took place at 9.10pm, to win a signed paperback copy of The Seance, and a copy of the e-book. This was the first of many draws which saw around 50 copies of ebooks and paperbacks from a host of generous authors being given away for sharing links to The Seance, or for buying the book, or a copy of The Cabinet of Dr Blessing.

Jack held a giveaway for the best Halloween costume selfie, and interspersed the competitions with music from The Misfits, Siouxie and The Banshees, and Ozzy Osbourne to name a few, as well as horror movie trivia questions and horror movie clips. There was even a link to an all-knowing online ouija board.

Some of the best fun was had when Jack decided to start some mischief, in true trick or treat style, and posted the link the launch party of his fellow author and friend Stuart Keane (who was launching his new novella “Charlotte” and who had donated copies of both of his novellas to the draws). Jack got his guests to gatecrash Stuart’s launch party and leave messages, including “The beer is better at Jack Rollins’ party”, which went down well. Those who did so received copies of Keane’s novellas.

This of course prompted retaliation from Keane’s camp, resulting in some great interaction and fun, as guests of both launches got involved in both of the parties.

Jack even took the time to encourage his guests to share and get involved in a Kickstarter campaign he has shown interest in, and which he has backed https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1180425123/blood-stained-windows to launch a short zombie movie in the UK.

By the end, a thoroughly exhausted Jack Rollins played out the party with The Misfits, “Hybrid Moments” and crawled off to bed. Having spent more time promoting the work of other people than promoting his own, Jack proved that a virtual book launch can be exciting, fun, packed with content and not all about “buy my book”. He used the opportunity to reveal himself, his likes and interests. He introduced his guests to the work of his ever growing network of author friends, his brother, who designed the cover of The Seance (and who got much love for it) and shouted out to his long-time writing pal Dave Basnett, author of the De Omori books (which connect up to Jack’s Dr Blessing series) and to one of his most staunch Twitter supporters, Lisa.

Speaking to Jack this morning, he has had over 90 messages and notifications on Facebook from after the launch ended, thanking him and encouraging him. People have trawled back over the timeline of the launch event, picking up on the bits they missed and hitting like and share.

Jack went to great lengths to make a truly interactive experience, rewarding not only his readers, but people new to his work. He worked the virtual environment as one would expect the host of a party to perform in person, mingling, including everyone he could, making introductions and somehow, only just, managing to stay in control.

Jack has deemed the night a success, one not measured simply by sales of his stories, but in the relationships, new and old, that will go on well after the last page of his novella has been turned.

So there you have it. I had a blast, I really did. There’s going to be a lot more like this coming as I will soon be relaunching “The Cabinet of Dr Blessing” with its splendid new cover, my entry in the “Carnage: Extreme Horror” anthology later this year, with Stuart Keane, Kyle Scott and Angel Gelique, and hopefully work in 2 new flash fiction anthologies and 3 other horror anthologies with a US publisher… It’s going to be a busy few months and no mistake.

If you love horror fiction, make sure you don’t miss a thing by popping your details on this form: http://eepurl.com/58PA1 – I hate spam, so I will send my newsletters out sparingly, I promise.

When credulity reigned supreme…

Today is a really proud day for me. “The Seance” has finally launched, published by new outfit Dark Chapter Press. The paperback looks fantastic and the e-book is doing well, thanks to good pre-order interest on Amazon.

The Seance is well suited to its launch on Halloween. It is a creepy tale of horror, betrayal and loss set in Victorian London. We follow Albert Kench as he calls into question all that he believes is true in the world as he investigates the mystery surrounding his sister’s mental and physical collapse. Assisted by an old friend, Albert finds a man who may have the answers; a self-proclaimed black magician who has integrated himself with society’s elite. Delving into the unknown, Albert confronts horrifying truths beyond his reasoning and understanding, sacrificing the morals he clung to, on his quest for vengeance.

The story is born of my fascination with all things Victorian. Where Dr Blessing was born of my interest in Victorian medicine, cure-alls and genuine pharmaceutical practices, The Seance comes from my interest in quack science, mystics and the Spiritualist movement. Mediums employed many shady practices and tricks (some of which occur in the story) and preyed upon the faith of those who mourned for lost loved ones. They happily took money on the pretense that they could tap into the great beyond, to bring back messages from the departed. So many Victorians, even those of good standing and well-educated, fell for it, lining the pockets of these shysters quite willingly.

Magicians emerged, never claiming to make use of spiritual powers, rather insisting that they created an illusion. Their purpose was to entertain and to baffle, not to take money from the emotionally vulnerable. In many cases, these magicians, applying the science they understood from the creation of their illusions, sought to expose the fraudulent mediums, often posing as believers in Seance sittings, striking when the moment was right.

Arthur Conan Doyle was a believer in Spiritualism, which I found surprising, given the application of reason demonstrated by his greatest creation. Conan Doyle’s wife too, was deeply embedded in Spiritualism. Indeed she claimed to possess the ability to ‘spirit write’ or ‘automatic write’, a practice where a spirit supposedly guides a pen or pencil held by the ‘medium’, to scrawl a message to the living. A great friend of Arthur Conan Doyle’s, the illusionist Harry Houdini, voiced his incredulity on this matter and so Conan Doyle invited Houdini to a demonstration.

In the demonstration, Lady Conan Doyle declared that she had a message from Houdini’s dead mother, and commenced to ‘spirit write’ a message from her. Houdini (whose real name was Erich Weiss and who was born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary) was astonished and declared it a marvel that his mother, who had never been able to speak a word of English in life, had been granted the ability to write in English, post-mortem.

The Conan Doyle-Houdini friendship ran somewhat cold thereafter.

With this little insight into where the story came from, I hope you’ll check out The Seance. You can request the paperback from your local bookstore, or go to one of these well-known retailers:

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/The-Seance-gothic-horror-misfortune-ebook/dp/B00NCD08ZY

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Seance-gothic-horror-misfortune-ebook/dp/B00NCD08ZY

Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-seance-jack-rollins/1120362770?ean=9780993062001

Ebook Mall: http://www.ebookmall.com/ebook/the-seance-a-gothic-tale-of-horror-and-misfortune/jack-rollins/9780993062018

Blinkbox Books: https://www.blinkboxbooks.com/#!/book/9780993062018/the-seance-a-gothic-tale-of-horror-and-misfortune

Ebooks by Sainsbury’s: http://www.sainsburysebooks.co.uk/book/The-Seance-A-Gothic-Tale-of-Horror-and-Misfortune-Jack-Rollins/7954327

Waterstones: http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/jack+rollins/the+seance/11377449/

 

For those who would like to know more about the Victorian age of credulity, I recommend as a starting point “Medical Meddlers, Mediums and Magicians” by Dr Keith Souter.

Tonight’s game

Make your deal with the Devil.

Work through the mazes in this addictive game. It starts really easy, but it gets tougher as you go along. I’ll give you 2 hints: stick it on full screen mode, the larger image is easier to get around, and put your speakers on to about halfway as the sound effects can help.

Before you play, though, here’s the deal: If you quit or lose your nerve, you agree to click here for UK Amazon http://goo.gl/4829nw or here for US Amazon http://goo.gl/dq84QW and pre-order a copy of The Seance.

You have as many tries as you need, though, so what are you waiting for?

http://www.winterrowd.com/maze/

Satanic Messages in Music

Not for those afraid to hear the word of Satan!

I am going to let you hear some songs played backwards. Turn your speakers up so you can here my Hellish tones clearly. If I give you the creeps, at any point, you will go directly to Amazon (UK:http://goo.gl/Wx8tFT, US: http://goo.gl/4829nw) and pre-order The Seance… Deal?

Okay, here goes. Click this link and listen carefully: http://goo.gl/3DbhVW