Conversations with the Dead

I’ve never been entirely comfortable with defining my work as dark fiction. It’s a term that seems to be getting so over-used these days that it will soon reach the point where it loses all meaning. “I’ve written a dark story. It’s about a room where the light switch doesn’t work.”

That said, I’ve also struggled until recently to find a definition of what I’ve been doing that has satisfied me. I came across an interview with Fantasy author, Tad Williams, where he described his Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series as being a conversation with J.R.R. Tolkien. As a definition for taking inspiration from those who have gone before, I think it works perfectly.

The Thing Behind the Door is one of my conversations with H.P. Lovecraft. It is my attempt to blend cosmicism with some of the very real horrors of humanity; some mundane and everyday, some more historically significant. The provincial high school of The Thing Behind the Door where much bullying and abuse occurs is compared to the Nazi regime’s Harthiem Castle at one point, just to give you an idea of the tone this conversation took.

The Thing Behind the Door will be going through something of a re-release this time next week. You will be able to pick it up as part of the Great British Horror collection, which will be available for free over the August bank holiday and, after that, all proceeds will be going to Centrepoint – a charity that helps disadvantaged young people. I hope that you will give it a look and lend your support when the time comes for the launch.

So, what conversations have you been having with dead people recently?

Join the Great British Horror launch party here.

 

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