Genre: Urban Fantasy / Weird Fantasy Publisher: Pan Books (2010) A giant squid disappears from the Natural History Museum and curator Billy Harrow’s life spirals into madness. This heady ride into London’s underbelly is rife with warring cults, nefarious magic-wielding killers and the down-right strange. Weird fantasy it is, with cast and plot so darkly,... Continue Reading →
Genre: Dystopian / Sci-Fi-Adventure Publisher: Kyanite Publishing (2019) In a post-nuclear apocalypse, Alex wakes from his Cryo-Pod and embarks on a dangerous journey, determined to find out what became of his parents. Prescott weaves an entertaining and easy-read narrative with super-beasts and nifty gadgets galore, offering up a coming-of-age tale that combines adventure, humour, heart-break,... Continue Reading →
Hansel & Gretel: A Potted History & Why Such Stories Endure
A new production of Hansel and Gretel opened to a full house on Monday night at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre and it was met with rapturous applause by the audience, and with almost universal praise from the press the following day. I certainly thought it was a fantastic evening of opera: the production... Continue Reading →
Celebrating eBooks with Smashwords’ Read an eBook Week: Get Involved!
In my book, if you'll pardon the pun, Smashwords is a fantastic ebook platform. For those self-published authors out there, it offers an exceptional tool and service for publishing and formatting your ebook outside of Amazon. Amazon is, of course, also undeniably brilliant in facilitating the self-publishing process but it is limited to their own... Continue Reading →
Recommendation in 60 Words: The Ravencrest Chronicles, Book 1 – Seahaven
Publisher: Kyanite Publishing (February 2019) Genre: Flintlock; Dark Fantasy When Hillcrest Manor is left unguarded, burglar, Gareth Vann, seizes his opportunity. But it’s more than riches that greet him. Clean prose and a well-realised world, of ale-houses, choked back-alleys and sewers, deliver an enjoyable read, enriched by a punchy plot and cast of humorous and... Continue Reading →
Publisher: (this edition) Fantasy and Horror Classics Genre: Gothic Horror; Ghost; Fantasy M R James’ ghost stories have a foot firmly placed in the dark romantic gothic story telling traditions from the 18th century (which later saw a revival in the Victorian age with the likes of his contemporaries, Bram Stoker and Dickens, and with... Continue Reading →
Recording an Audio Book: Practical Top Tips for Ensuring a Dynamic and Engaging Delivery
While I’m in the midst of self-producing the audio-book for my novel, The Procurement of Souls, I thought I would put together a blog on things other writers might like to consider when producing their own. I don’t pretend to be a technical whizz, although I will be making a software recommendation in a follow-up... Continue Reading →
Speculative Fiction Recommendations in 60 Words: What’s on the TBR Pile Now?
After thoroughly enjoying Melmoth by Sarah Perry, I've got more great reading in store, including a couple of ARCs sent my way from Kyanite Publishing. Here's what's next, and what I'm sure will make for some more 60 Word Recommendations: Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeannette Ng Genre/s: Dark Fantasy / Gothic Fantasy / Fairy... Continue Reading →
Baba Yaga and the Ailing Child Published in the Kyanite Press Journal of Speculative Fiction: Fables and Fairy Tales Winter Digest
I was very pleased when my Slavic folklore inspired short story, Baba Yaga and the Ailing Child, was chosen, alongside my guest foreword, for inclusion in the Kyanite Press Journal of Speculative Fiction: Fables and Fairy Tales Winter Digest. It tells the tale of a community, living on the edge of the woodland inhabited by... Continue Reading →