Pretending to be Clive Barker

(Nimue)

I was fourteen when I first read Clive Barker’s Weaveworld, and a bit older when I read Imajica. Both books had a huge impact on me. Weaveworld gave me the idea of tapestry as a metaphor for time and existence. It’s an idea that relates to various myths – most obviously The Norns of Norse mythology who spin fate, Welsh Arianrhod as a spinner and Ariadne with her thread. It’s an idea that has helped me in so many ways throughout my life.

Imajica was my first encounter with a gender-complicated character. The story features someone who is both genders and neither, and mirrored something in me that I had not been previously conscious of.

Back in 2023, New York Times bestselling author Seven Savile asked me if I’d be interested in doing a project with him. He wanted some world building for a creepy, gothic town and was aware of the work I’d done on the Hopeless, Maine project. I jumped in enthusiastically. While we were discussing tone and style and other such things, we came to the agreement that it might be good if I just tried to be as Clive Barker as possible.

I brought to the project all the strangeness I could muster. Including Mr Barker’s approach to monstrosity and how he questions who, and what is truly monstrous, and what it means to be a monster. It’s in no way a rip-off of anything he’s done, but my contribution is very much inspired by the kinds of stories he writes.

I’ve never previously made a conscious effort to emulate him in this way. It’s not how I usually approach the writing process. Obviously it’s different when I’m ghost writing or have some other kind of commission where emulating is part of the job. It was a good experience for me, tapping into inspiration that has been with me for so much of my life.

The physical version comes out in November. You can find the first ebook instalment over here, out shortly and available for pre-order. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0DJ9H3YTY