Hey there! It’s been a little while since I posted, and during that time I’ve been up to all kinds of stuff. I just forgot to, you know, tell anyone.
As I always say, I’m really just *brilliant* at marketing.
Blood Audio
A couple of years ago I started to record an audiobook for Blood on the Motorway, which I never finished because, well, audio editing is really time-consuming and a bit shit, frankly. Since then, though, I’ve launched Bleakwood, and All Creatives Now, and I thought that I might as well make use of the audio that I’ve got and release it as a podcast. This is in keeping with my recent move to a Digital Free model, and with trying to get my stories out there to as many people as possible. Check it out on Spotify or anywhere you listen to your podcasts.
Bleakwood Returns
As well as that, Bleakwood, my monthly horror podcast with stories from a host of Britain\s best horror writers (and me) is back for its second season with a story by Luke Kondor that’s a proper mind-bender. I loved recording it, and I think you’ll love listening.
All Creatives Now
If you’re not familiar with All Creatives Now, it’s a podcast I run with fellow horror author Kev Harrison where we interview creatives of all stripes about their creative journeys, their thoughts on their respective industries, and loads more. In the last few months we’ve had fantastic chats with the likes of Paul Holbrook-Philips of True Spilt Milk Design and horror short legend Sonora Taylor, but a huge deal for me was getting to chat with the writer I’ve probably read more than any other, Arsenal blogger Andrew Mangan (Arseblog). I really enjoyed this chat, and I think there’s a hell of a lot for creatives of all stripes to get into.
Sunset Chronicles
Now that Blood on the Motorway is fully out again as a free set of ebooks with brand new covers, not to mention paperbacks with wide distribution, next it’s the turn of my epic Sci-Fi serial The Sunset Chronicles to get the facelift and free treatment. They’re not quite ready yet, but I do have the first set of covers completed, and they’re too shiny and lovely not to share, even if I do say so myself.
The first book is actually going up as we speak, with the remainder of the first season following over the next few weeks. Make sure you’re signed up for the Hollow Stone newsletter to find out more as they come out.
The Children’s Horror
As well as the lovely new designs for The Sunset Chronicles, I was really pleased recently to be commissioned by the excellent Northern Republic press to work on the cover for Patrick Barb’s new collection, The Children’s Horror.
The cover was great fun to work on, but also allowed me to work on what I think is becoming a signature look to my artwork. The book itself is s a themed collection of weird/dark/horror tales for any parent maxed out on Nickelodeon, Disney+, and YouTube Kids. I’ll have more news on when it’s available shortly.
One small ask
Now, you might be wondering – where’s the catch? We’re getting all this great stuff for free, surely Paul wants something? Well, yes and no. I’m still figuring out whether or not I’m going to try and monetise my writing moving forward (and if, in the meantime, you really want to send some money my way, why not check out one of my new paperbacks?) but I do have a favour to ask.
My good friend Dan Howarth, who has written for Bleakwood and is an all-round top chap, is currently fundraising for a new feature film he’s working on with director Stewart Hamilton. There are less than 48 hours left to go on the fundraiser, and it’d be great if you could donate to help Dan and Stewart out. Says Stewart: “
“Newstone is an original sci-fi horror story written by novelist, Dan Howarth and myself. Something about science fiction rooted in everyday reality has always appealed to me. This theme is perhaps most famously captured by celebrated author John Wyndham (Day of the Triffids, The Midwich Cuckoos, The Kraken Awakes, Chocky) to whom I owe a debt of gratitude for inspiring me throughout my life. Newstone is our take on an otherworldly threat taking root in our reality, however, ours is undoubtedly a less cosy catastrophe.”
Now, you all know my love of Wyndham, and this project looks absolutely fantastic. So why not head over to the project page and lend them a few of your English pounds?
That’s about everything for now. Until next time, happy reading!