While I was away recently, I booked a session with photographer Dave Cable of http://www.arcadiaphotographic.com/ to take some photos that I could use for websites, book covers etc. I'll post a couple of my favourites here:

How important is factual accuracy in fiction?

Someone who’s a police academy graduate, majored in criminology for 2 years, and who is currently a Fire Prevention Officer has slated my novel The Kult on Goodreads.com and given it a one star review: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6393198-the-kult

The reviewer stated that the book was slow and the characters uninteresting, and he read it with a critical eye regards the police aspect, and was disappointed that it contained so many flaws.

Okay, I try not to write anything that reads slow, as I personally don’t like slow books, so I kind of disagree with that one, as for the characters being uninteresting, well I guess that’s down to personal opinion. But I’m more interested in the factual accuracy aspect. When I wrote the novel, I wrote it as a piece of fiction. I did some research, but knowing that I would never be able to get all the facts regarding police procedure correct, I tried to gloss over much of that side of it. A police officer friend of mine told me that if I did write it accurately, it would be boring, as most police work is boring.

So what are other people’s opinions on the importance of factual accuracy in fiction?

And for those who don’t know, there has been an issue with the company that lists the books ISBN, and publisher details, and because of a cock-up, the book was locked out of the system. It is listed on Amazon, but as unavailable. But it is available direct from the publisher at the moment for $8.95. It might also be orderable from bookshops, but I’m not 100% sure on that because of the listing problem, but you could always try. Anyway, here are the details for ordering etc:

http://www.leucrotapress.com/Jeffrey.html

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0980033985/shaunjeffreho-20

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0980033985/ref=ase_shaunjeffreho-21/202-3440358-2866222


Title: The Kult
Author: Shaun Jeffrey
Publisher: Leucrota Press
ISBN-10: 0980033985
ISBN-13: 978-0980033984

The Bucket of Blood

With a name like 'The Bucket of Blood', how could I not want to visit? The pub is in Phillack, Hayle in Cornwall.

Legend has it that many years ago, the landlord went to the on-site well to get a bucket of water, but when he pulled the bucket up, it was found to be full of blood. Upon further investigation, a badly mutilated body was found at the bottom of the well, who turned out to be an excise man (taxman) that had been murdered. The pub now has reports of ghostly figures, strange noises and other strange phenomena.

If not for the story, then it's a nice place to visit for the food.

Bodmin Jail

We started our recent holiday with a visit to Bodmin Jail on the edge of Bodmin Moor. Now partially ruined, the ominous, crumbling building looms over the town of Bodmin and within the thick, stone walls, over 50 executions have taken place, for crimes such as rape, murder and stealing. 51 of these executions were open to the public.



















The last public hanging took place at Bodmin Jail in 1909, and while supposed to be a deterrent, the executions became popular excursions of the time.

Bodmin was the first jail to feature separate "cells", and a couple of the well-known prisoners included: Anne Jefferies, thought to be a witch, who was starved to death and Selina Wadge, who was publicly executed for the murder of her bastard son. Hardly surprising then that Bodmin Jail has become known as a haunted hotspot.
























Over the years, the jail went through a number of changes, including a major extension in 1859 to deal with overcrowding. At one point several prisons were located on the site. These included the Civil Prison for males, The Civil Prison for females, The Debtors prison, the Naval Prison and at one point the prison for Juvenile offenders. The roof has now collapsed, and so have many of the floors underneath.
























Inside the building, you enter through the licensed bar and as you descend the steps into the jail, the cold seems to seep through the very brickwork. It’s hard to imagine being cooped up inside one of the gloomy cells for a long duration, where there would have been a lack of light and the smell was probably horrendous at the time when the jail was in use.
























Now the visible cells only occupants are the most repellent looking mannequins I have ever seen. They are marginally lit, adding to their creepiness, especially when you turn a corner and run into one, but using the camera brings the flash into play, only highlighting their ugliness.



















Accompanying plaques describe the prisoners, and what crime and punishment they suffered, everything from bestiality to murder.






















Although we didn’t see anything strange while we roamed through the building, we didn’t linger too long either.

Midnight Echo #2

Coming next month: Midnight Echo #2, edited by Angela Challis & Shane Jiraiya Cummings, and featuring creepy stories by Kurt Newton, Bob Franklin, David Conyers, Andrew McKiernan, Joanne Anderton, Shaun Jeffrey, Felicity Dowker, and many more... plus artwork from David Schembri and many talented dark fantasy artists.

The evolution of a novel - the fear

So what do I mean by 'the fear'? Well, in this case, it's the fear of people thinking the book is crap. Now that advance review copies are about to be sent out, the realisation hits home that people are going to start reading the novel. Up until this point, very few people have read it. My partner, a few trusted readers, the publisher and editor and a couple of authors that offered blurbs.

Writing is a very solitary occupation. Me and my demons. Even though the work is a piece of fiction, there is obviously some of 'me' in the story as it originated from me. I gave birth to it. And like anyone with children knows, you care about them. You want to protect them. You want them to get on in life. You want them to be accepted. Liked. Successful. If you find your child is being bullied, picked on because someone has taken a dislike to them, it hurts. It's the same with anything you write. Of course over the years I've learned to harden myself to the criticism. You have to. But that's not to say that it doesn't hurt when someone calls your work crap.

That's not to say I like false praise, and people saying they like something just because they are worried about hurting my feelings. Sticks and stones and all that. Honest constructive criticism is one of the most valuable things people can offer. If someone thinks it's crap, tell me why you think it's crap. That's all I ask. That way I can learn.

So now my child is about to leave the nest, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that people welcome it's first tentative steps into the world.

The evolution of a novel - the blurbs

In the hope of receiving quotes for the book, I contacted a few authors that I respect. Many are obviously very busy, so I'm very pleased that Jonathan Maberry and Jon F. Merz took time out of their busy schedules to read the manuscript and comment:

“With KULT, Shaun Jeffrey hits one out of the park with this creepy, character-driven thriller that starts with a jolt, stays in the fast lane, and plunges into the darkest territory of the human mind. It’s a bumpy ride through nightmare country.” -Jonathan Maberry, multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author of PATIENT ZERO and PUNISHER: NAKED KILL

"The Kult is a creeping stalk through a shadowy labyrinth of thrills and terror. Shaun Jeffrey delivers a pulse-pounding novel of superb skill and unequivocal horror. Fans of many genres should be ready to embrace one of the brightest new talents on the scene today." - Jon F. Merz author of Parallax and the Lawson Vampire novels

Win an ARC of The Kult

If anyone is interested in winning an ARC of my upcoming novel, The Kult, please check out the publishers blog: http://blog.leucrotapress.com/?p=432

10 winners will be chosen at random, but the one condition of entry is that if chosen, you promise to read the entire novel, and then write a short and honest review about what you thought of the novel, and then email it to the publisher as well as post on Amazon.com, Barnesandnobel.com, or any other review sites you enjoy.

The evolution of a novel - the cover

As promised, here is the cover for The Kult. It was exactly what I asked for, but I would welcome people's opinions as to what they think when they look at it.



I have also now contacted a couple of authors that I respect asking whether they will read the manuscript with the possibility of offering a blurb for the back.

The evolution of a novel - final proof

OK, on March 14th I received the final proof of The Kult. I read through it, and despite numerous reads by the editors and myself, I spotted a couple of continuity errors that had slipped through the cracks! I corrected these and returned the manuscript on March 17th. Now it’s going through layout.

A cover artist was also assigned, Mediterranean artist Daniele Serra: http://www.multigrade.it/index.html

Daniele has designed many book covers, and his work has a distinctive style that suits my story. He submitted a preliminary cover on March 19th, and it’s just being tweaked, but I hope to post a picture soon.

The evolution of a novel - Chapter 1 (sample)

I received the final proof of the manuscript yesterday and I am reading though it, but as promised, here is the first chapter so you may get a feel for the novel.

The Kult by Shaun Jeffrey

CHAPTER 1

People are predictable. That’s what makes them easy to kill.

At least that’s what the Oracle hoped. He had studied and plotted Jane Numan’s routine over the weeks. Watched without her seeing, making note of every nuance, every step of her schedule until he had a complete diary of her movements, probably knowing more about her than she did about herself.

He crouched in the recessed doorway of the kebab shop opposite where she lived and gripped the handle of the knife in the sheath inside his jacket. His weapon of choice, he hoped the mere sight of the blade would instil terror in his prey, making it more personal, and putting him close enough that he could smell his quarry and see the fear in her eyes.

He looked at his watch; 6:29 a.m. and counting.

Any second now…

Like clockwork, the front door of what to anyone else would be a nondescript house opened and Jane walked out. The Oracle sank back into the shadows as he stared at the facial disfigurement that made it appear half her face was melting. Although only 23 years of age, she probably hadn’t had the easiest of lives, which made her all the more desirable as a victim as the more public sympathy his kill received, the more publicity he would generate, and as people were fond of saying, there’s no such thing as bad publicity, especially not for what he had planned.

The Oracle watched her check that the door was locked, pushing once, twice, then a third time, as she always did when she left the house. His pulse increased, a volcano waiting to erupt within his chest. He rubbed the sweat coated fingers of his free hand down his trousers. Everything was going according to schedule.

He knew that if he had broken into her flat to stage the attack, there was the potential to leave too much evidence that might be used to track him down, and he couldn’t have that. His motto was ‘leave no trace,’ which is why he planned to snatch her off the street.

Like many neighbourhoods clinging to the hub of British cities, the area Jane lived in was rundown, with discarded trash bags spewing their contents across the pavement—fodder for the rats and feral cats that prowled the streets once the sun went down. McDonald’s packaging and the remains of half eaten kebabs discarded by late night drunks littered the gutters, and the tang of rotten produce and sour piss permeated the air. Dirt and grime coated the walls of the buildings, many of which were boarded up and covered with graffiti, the culprits marking their territory like dogs.

No one took much notice of him in areas like these, and the distinct lack of community spirit associated with the modern generation meant that people ignored most of what they saw, just trying to make it through each day as best they could.

The Oracle watched the girl walk across Hope Street, dressed for the heat of another day in a yellow t-shirt and a black knee length skirt. She clutched a brown shoulder bag to her side, and kept her head bowed, eyes focused on her white Nike trainers.

It would take Jane ten minutes to reach the main road. There she would wait for the number seven bus, which arrived at 6:45. Today, she was blissfully unaware her journey would terminate early. As usual, she would take the shortcut down an alley between two buildings, which saved her five minutes of extra walking. It was a simple routine to follow. Too simple, and his reconnaissance had revealed that the dingy alleyway between the buildings was the perfect spot to stage the abduction—it wasn’t overlooked by any windows, there was only ambient light so much of it was in darkness, and the towering buildings would muffle her screams.

The Oracle followed Jane at a discreet distance of about forty feet, which he gauged to be far enough back so as not to appear threatening if she should discern his presence. He had parked his car near to the shortcut—not too close that she would notice the vehicle, because anything out of the ordinary might make her change something about her routine, but close enough that he wouldn’t have to carry her too far.

She reached the corner of the road and turned left. When she disappeared out of sight, the Oracle hurried to close the gap. His body throbbed with anticipation, all of his senses highly aware of everything around him. It had been a while since he felt like this, and truth be told, he had missed the feeling.

Pursuing someone always gave him a buzz. The thrill of the chase. But it didn’t come close to the euphoria he felt during the actual act of killing. That was something else. The biggest thrill ride in the world. Thinking about it made him smile; his balls tightened and goose bumps mottled his arms. Although the circumstances surrounding his choice of target were completely different now to those he had killed before, it didn’t lessen the feeling—it actually enhanced it.

Jane walked with her arms folded across her ample chest, a subconscious form of protection and the barrier of the weak. Not that it would help her today.

Her footsteps echoed along the road, the Oracle’s almost silent as he followed in her wake, well versed in covert manoeuvres as he matched her step for step, becoming as one with his victim. The anticipation was almost too much to bear and he took deep breaths to control the beat of his heart. His fingers tingled and he licked his dry lips.

As soon as she turned into the alley between houses, he would strike.

With mere seconds to go, he withdrew a pair of disposable latex gloves and tugged them onto his hands, then pulled the chloroform soaked cloth from a bag in his pocket, the sodden material feeling cold and spongy through the gloves.

Jane turned the corner to take the short cut.

The Oracle followed, cloth held tightly in his fist, senses attuned to the task at hand. Jane was about eight feet ahead, her footfalls echoing between the walls. The aroma of Chinese food filled the air, a pile of discarded boxes piled up outside the back door to the restaurant. Stalactites of grease hung from an extractor fan on the wall.

It was time to make his move.

The Oracle readied himself to strike, one hand on the cloth, the other about to withdraw the knife when a young lad with a pockmarked face walked into the alley from the opposite end, a Staffordshire bull terrier tugging at the leash in his hand. The Oracle clenched his teeth, released the knife, rammed the cloth back into his pocket and watched as Jane exited the short cut.

The dog strained at the leash as it approached the Oracle, its small, muscular body set to pounce, teeth bared as it looked up at him. The owner struggled to pull it away, using both hands to yank at the lead.

“He’s not usually like this,” the lad said.

The Oracle guessed that the dog could sense the bloodlust on his mind. He could easily take them both out, but they weren’t his target. If he killed randomly, then he’d be just a savage, and they weren’t part of his plan so he kept his gloved hands out of sight in his pockets so as not to arouse suspicion.

He wasn’t happy about it, but he had considered this scenario, like he considered everything.

There would be another opportunity to grab Jane Numan.

People are predictable. That’s what makes them easy to kill.

The evolution of a novel - editor jumps aboard

Now after taking on board the editors requests for The Kult, I read through the manuscript, and keeping everything in mind that the editor required, I did the revisions and submitted the rewritten manuscript on January 11th. I added 15,500 words to it, taking it to 85,500. To be honest, all of the requested changes were excellent, and I felt that they all helped improve the manuscript no end, especially some of the characterisation and the killer’s motivation.

As a different example, my novel Fangtooth that is being published by Ghostwriter Publications later in the year worked in the opposite way. The publisher wanted a shorter novel, so it was edited down to around 61,000 words from over 80k. An editor was assigned to make the cuts, and although they were substantial, I was surprised by how tight it made the prose. I had initially feared that losing a quarter of the story would rip the heart out of it, but in fact, it had the opposite effect, and made it much tighter.

I received the next reply regarding The Kult on January 22nd that basically said, ‘So far from what I've seen I'm very happy with the plot, so there won't be much to do aside from a line edit and some additional descriptions, character movement, etc.’ At this point, I was also asked to submit cover ideas.

I received the manuscript back on February 11th. At this point, another editor (Christina Celentano) had gone over the manuscript, making corrections and comments on the plot and deleting those portions that she felt didn’t work. There probably wasn’t a page where something wasn’t highlighted, so then it was a case of going through it all again and doing some more writing, accepting deletions or commenting why I thought something should stay. I went through it quickly, and returned the manuscript on February 13th.

I was sent it back on February 27th. The editor had gone through it with a fine toothcomb, and there were yet more changes and comments, but they were all helping shape the novel. At this point, they were only minor things, so I went through it quite quickly, and then emailed the manuscript back on February 28th. After the latest edits, the novel now stood at 82,500 words and that’s brought its evolution bang up to date. I am now waiting for the final edit, and then it will be a matter of focusing on the cover and marketing, which I will post updates on as and when they happen.

The evolution of a novel - acceptance

Okay, back to the submissions process of The Kult. I sent the complete manuscript out as requested on December 2nd, 2008. Then on December 22nd, I received an email from the acquisitions editor, David, saying that he read the whole manuscript in a single sitting and had passed it on to the editor in chief.

On December 27th, I received an email from the editor in chief, Danielle Kaheaku. Attached to the email was the letter concerning my submission. The letter started off with her telling me she thoroughly enjoyed reading the novel, but then she went on to tell me everything she didn’t like about the novel! Most of this was centred around the places where I was ‘telling instead of showing’ and my character development.

As I read through, I was expecting to reach the part that said, ‘Thanks for taking the time to submit your novel, but we will have to pass.’ But it didn’t say that. Instead, it said: Now, if you were able to stomach your way through the entire list of possibly disappointing yet obviously meant-to-be-constructive criticism, I would like to congratulate you on your talent and obvious accomplishment, and on the acceptance of your manuscript for publication.

As I wasn’t expecting it, this came as more than a bit of a surprise. The acceptance was conditional though, as the editor wanted to see substantial changes, including certain character development, plot line changes, more showing instead of telling, and she wanted the manuscript extending by around 20,000 words to accommodate these changes.

I was sent a contract on December 30th, which I requested a few changes to, and then at the start of the New Year, I started on another round of rewrites.

The evolution of a novel - submission package

As someone pointed out, I didn’t mention the ‘submission package’ in my last post. This includes the cover letter and the synopsis. Like most people, I find it hard to write a synopsis. When you’ve written something over 80,000 words, it’s difficult to then break it down into a page or two that tells the complete story.

Here’s a few tips that might help:

Firstly, what is your book about?

It may seem a silly question, because you know what it’s about, don’t you? But if someone asked, and you had 20 seconds, could you explain the heart of the story and grab their interest? This is important, because you need to be able to explain the story in its simplest form, in one powerful sentence. If you can do this, then you know what the heart of the story is in its simplest form.

This is called the logline or hook line, and it usually includes ‘who’ the story is about (protagonist), ‘what’ he strives for (goal) and ‘what’ stands in his way (antagonistic force).

Here are some examples from the world of film:

In a future where criminals are arrested before the crime occurs, a despondent cop struggles on the lam to prove his innocence for a murder he has not yet committed. – Minority Report.

A psychologist struggles to cure a troubled boy who is haunted by a bizarre affliction – he sees dead people. – The Sixth Sense.

When a Roman general is betrayed and his family murdered by an insane and corrupt prince, he comes to Rome as a gladiator to seek revenge. – Gladiator.

As another example, here’s the hook line for The Kult:

Acting out of misguided loyalty, police officer Prosper Snow helps his friends perform a copycat killing in the style of a serial killer, only for the real killer to hunt them down.

In this example, the ‘who’ the story is about (protagonist), is Prosper Snow. The ‘what’ he strives for (goal), is to help his friends. And the ‘what’ stands in his way (antagonistic force), is the real killer hunting them down.

Also in the submission package is the synopsis. This is a condensed version of the novel, concentrating on the major plot points. I always put the hook line at the start of the synopsis, as like the name implies, this is the hook to draw the reader in. The synopsis itself has to tell the entire story, without leaving out the ending. It’s often easier to look at examples and take from them what you can, so here are a couple of links that lead to other authors’ synopses samples, but at its heart, a synopsis tells the most relevant parts of the story, written in a vivid, exciting way:

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71843

http://jpsorrow.livejournal.com/143076.html

There’s also the cover letter. I like to keep it pretty simple. My first paragraph is my hook, then I say who I am, what I’ve sent, my track record, and how to get hold of me. And that’s it.

The evolution of a novel - submitting

As I mentioned before, I had submitted The Kult in its initial incarnation to an agent (I have a few agent stories, none of them good – but that’s another story), who took me on and sent the manuscript out, but she failed to secure a publisher for it. I still feel the fact that it didn’t sell wasn’t down to the writing, but more because the story wasn’t that good, which is why I rewrote it, basically from scratch. So now I was ready to start submitting it again, but who to submit it too?

In the Stone Age before the internet, I used to buy a copy of The Writers and Artists Yearbook, and then trawl through the pages for possible markets. Nowadays, I use internet sites that list markets I would never otherwise have discovered. The search sites I commonly use are:

http://www.ralan.com/
http://www.specficworld.com/

I also regularly check out forums and message boards that talk about horror, where there are sometimes posts about new markets.

Now the submission procedure itself is the most nerve-wracking and tedious part of the process. For a start, you are sending your baby out into the world on its own for the first time, hoping and praying that it can stand on its own two feet and that people welcome it with open arms. The reality is that many of the people you submit to will look upon it as the ugly duckling. But then sometimes, someone will see something in what you’ve written and might request to read more. That’s when all fingers and toes get crossed. Of course, to reach this point might take many years and many submissions. Or of course, it could happen the first time you submit it.

I made a list of the markets I was interested in submitting to, read each of their specific guidelines and then sent to them what was requested for an initial submission (usually a covering letter, a synopsis and the first three chapters).

Now among those I had selected to submit to was Leucrota Press. Although they aren’t a major publisher, and are pretty new on the block, I submitted to them because I liked what I read on their website. They seemed to have their heads screwed on straight, I got the impression that they cared about the books they published, and I just had a good feeling about them. Of course, it didn’t hurt that they paid an advance, which shows that they were prepared to put their money where their mouth is.

So I sent off my submission to them on November 22nd 2008.

On December 1st, I received a reply from David Peak, the acquisitions editor, which said he was in a bit of a pickle. He felt that from what he had read, the book seemed more along the lines of a crime or a mystery novel than horror, and Leucrota Press only publishes science fiction, fantasy and horror, so he wanted me to clue him in with a better overall picture of what the novel was about.

So the next day I sat down and composed a reply, and here is what I wrote (I have deleted a small portion of the reply as it gives away a bit of the story, but you’ll get the gist):

‘To answer that question I guess you would have to ask what horror fiction is. Some people believe that it has to have a supernatural element, revolving around witches, zombies, vampires and their ilk. While that is certainly true, I believe it’s also anything that elicits fear, and nothing elicits that feeling more than real life horrors: hate, murder, cruelty.

There have been many, many stories about serial killers that are classed as horror. Some linger in the grey area between thriller and horror, and others are just pigeonholed into what might be perceived a more acceptable genre. I believe that at its heart, The Kult is a horror story as it deals with ordinary people being forced into real life horrors over which they have no control. Ordinary people. People like you and I. It’s a story about the decisions people make in life, and the terrifying repercussions that happen as a result. THE FOLLOWING SECTION WAS DELETED AS IT CONTAINS SPOILERS.

The real monsters are all around us. Being able to spot them is the problem.’

So then I sat back and waited. I expected a long wait, but I received a reply the same day asking to read the complete manuscript, so I emailed it off post haste.

Next time, I will talk about the next stage in the process.

The evolution of a novel - editing

OK, so to backtrack a little, I will talk about the initial editing of The Kult.

I believe that since the publication of my first novel, Evilution, I have learned a lot, especially about the process of writing, and I’m still learning. It’s easy to string a couple of words together – the art is making those words the best ones possible for what you are trying to say. Now I won’t claim to be an expert on the matter, but when I write my first draft, I pretty much just let the writing flow without bothering too much how good it is. That’s where the editing comes in after.

Now some people might be able to get away with a couple of edits. Me, I have to keep going through whatever I’ve written a number of times before I’m anywhere near happy with it. My edits are an ongoing process and go something like this:

After I’ve finished the manuscript, I leave it alone for a few weeks to let the dust settle. It’s much easier to look at it then with a more critical eye. On the read through, I look for many things, such as the following:

Are my characters engaging? After all, they have got to drive the story forwards. The reader has to care about them and engage with them, especially on an emotional level. For that reason they need a journey. They need a goal, and they need obstacles in their way, with dilemmas and decisions to make.

I believe anything you write in a novel has to either inform about a character or drive the story forwards. If it doesn’t, then I cut it out. I can probably expect to delete about 10 to 20% of what I’ve written just because it doesn’t really add anything to the story, and makes for boring reading. Then I look for redundant words and anything that stands out as flowery prose. There are many redundant words that can be deleted quite easily, many of which are those words that make a sentence passive instead of active, and by the deletion of which, the sentence becomes much snappier and easier to read. Prime suspects are the words ‘had’ ‘that’ and ‘was’. Here’s an example:

‘The scowl that his face had been wearing was replaced by a mischievous grin.’ This is a passive and wordy sentence. I would make it active by rewriting something like this: ‘The man’s scowl melted into a mischievous grin.’ That cuts 14 words down to 8. A near 50% reduction that makes the sentence flow much better. Also, where else would the scowl be but on his face? So the use of the word ‘face’ is unnecessary. It’s a redundant word.

As I use Microsoft Word, it’s easy to use the ‘find’ function to highlight the passive offenders mentioned above (had, that, was) and then to see if I can delete them or rewrite the section wherever they appear.

Another thing I look for is cases of ‘telling instead of showing’. The difference between the two is that ‘telling’ is the reliance of simple exposition. ‘Showing’ is the use of evocative description. For example, I might first write:

‘Prosper felt sick.’ That’s telling you how he feels. In the rewrite I might write: ‘Prosper’s mouth watered and he clutched his stomach, doubling over as he tried not to vomit.’ One sentence states a fact, the other paints a picture.

I also like to delete adverbs, those pesky words often ending in -ly. Here’s an example:

‘He ran quickly into the room’. One solution is simply to delete ‘quickly’. But to make a more powerful sentence, you could write, ‘He charged into the room’, or ‘He sprinted into the room’.

After I’ve been through the manuscript a few times, I like to pass it on to a beta reader, someone I trust to be honest. They will undoubtedly spot things I missed, leading to yet another rewrite or two.

So that’s my initial editing process. As you can see, there’s a lot to consider and look for, which is why it takes me lots of rewrites. It’s all about the words. Finding the right word(s) can make your prose shine.

The evolution of a novel.

I thought I would talk a little about how a novel comes about, the changes it goes through, and the long hard road to publication. For this example, I’m going to use The Kult, which is being published by Leucrota Press. Of course, there are many roads and many ways to write and get published. This is but one.

At my age, specific dates become fuzzy, but I originally wrote The Kult about 4 years ago at a guess. The book I wrote then was a completely different beast to what it is now. Firstly, it started off as a supernatural thriller that I wrote off the cuff, without any planning, and it came in at about 85,000 words and took about 6 months to write.

There are many things that can spur a story, and the genesis for this one was actually a building that I sometimes drive past during my day job. Because it’s such a fantastic building, I wanted to use it for something, so it provided part of the seed, from which the rest of the story grew. And here's a picture of the building so you can see what it looks like:

I must then have rewritten the novel about 5 times within a 2 year period, but deep down, I was never really happy with it. It’s hard to explain really, but it didn’t ‘feel’ right. It was as though there was another story clawing to escape, but I wouldn’t let it. Although I didn’t have a set plan laid out, I did have a rough idea in my head about what I wanted the story to be, and so I kept restraining it, moulding it to my predetermined plan. But it didn’t work, which is why it felt ‘off’.

I did send it out in this state, and I snared an agent (with whom I have since amicably parted company), and I know she submitted it to a couple of places, but it was rejected, which didn’t really surprise me. Again though, I couldn’t get rid of the nagging feeling that the story wasn’t right. Something about it was wrong.

After parting ways with the agent, I put the novel aside and continued writing other stuff, but The Kult kept niggling at my subconscious. I knew there was a story there, but I didn’t know what to do with it. Then I guess there was the sort of epiphany moment, when I decided to rewrite the novel again, removing the supernatural aspects, and making it a purely horror/thriller story. In essence, I let the real story come out, and stopped trying to dictate the direction that the story took, instead literally allowing it to write itself.

At this point, I probably did a couple more rewrites, so it now stood at about 7 or 8 revisions. After the rewrites, the novel came in at 70,000 words, and although shorter, I now liked what I had written and felt it was something that had a chance at publication. So now that I was happy with the story, it was time to start submitting it.

Next time, I’ll continue talking about The Kult’s road to publication.

I'm back!!!

Okay, it’s been a while. Quite a long while, and I feel as though I’ve just returned from the desert after a severe drought.

So what’s been happening? Well, firstly I’ve got news. Good news in that I have sold a couple of novels and a novella.

The first novel I sold was Fangtooth to Ghostwriter Publications http://www.ghostwriterpublications.com

A short summary:

The fishing trawler, was the first. All hands lost and its nets shredded. The fishing village of Mulberry has been suffering with declining fish stocks but two people discover one reason for the decline... Anoplogaster cornuta...better known as Fangtooth.

Ghostwriter Publications have also accepted a novella with the working title, Dead Man’s Eyes.

I’ve also sold a novel called The Kult to Leucrota Press (http://www.leucrotapress.com).

A short summary:

People are predictable. That's what makes them easy to kill.

Acting out of misguided loyalty to his friends, police officer Prosper Snow is goaded into helping them perform a copycat killing, but when the real killer comes after him, it’s not only his life on the line, but his family's too. Now if he goes to his colleagues for help, he risks being arrested for murder. If he doesn't, he risks being killed.

Both novels are due later this year, so I will post updates as and when.

Number 1 bestseller

Although the charts change all the time, my collection Voyeurs of Death became a number 1 bestseller at online bookshop, The Horror Mall.

1. VOYEURS OF DEATH by Shaun Jeffrey
2. THE SCALDING ROOM by Conrad Williams
3. FRIED! FAST FOOD, SLOW DEATHS edited by Colleen Morris & Joel A. Sutherland
4. EARTHWORM GODS: SELECTED SCENES FROM THE END OF THE WORLD by Brian Keene (Limited Edition HC)
5. EXORCISING ANGELS by Simon Clark & Tim Lebbon
6. WORMWOOD NIGHTS by Charlee Jacob
7. THE BIGHEAD by Edward Lee (Audiobook)
8. VAMPIRE OUTLAW OF THE MILKY WAY BY Weston Ochse
9. DEADBEAT: Makes You Stronger by Guy Adams (UK Import)
10. WINGS OF A BUTTERFLY by John Urbancik

Film project - please support

I am just trying to build ground support for my latest project, as co-producer with Ethan Dettenmaier (director of upcoming film, Sin-Jin Smyth) for the film, Deadfall. It is currently under development and will be in production as soon as possible.

If you're on Myspace, please send a friend request to the Deadfall Myspace site and register to receive the blog updates. I don't run the site, but all the latest news will be posted there as it happens.

http://www.myspace.com/experience_deadfall

Cemetery Dance sale

Only my second ever submission to Cemetery Dance, and I'm over the moon to report I've just received word that they have accepted my short story, 'In Darkness' for a future issue.

Now I do believe in Santa.

Not sure what issue my story will appear in yet, but I will be in good company, as they've previously published Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Ray Bradbury, Clive Barker, Peter Straub, William Peter Blatty, David Morrell, F. Paul Wilson, Joe R. Lansdale, Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee, Graham Masterton, Richard Laymon and hundreds of others.


Cemetery Dance

Rare horror books on Ebay

I'm selling a few books on ebay if anyone would care to take a look:

Blood and Grit by Simon Clark. Rare 1st Edition, Signed
Annabelle Says by Simon Clark and Stephen Laws. Signed
Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill. Subterranean Press 1st edition. Signed.
Postscripts 10. Signed by all authors, including King and Hill.
The Sinister Mr Corpse by Jeff Strand. Signed.
The Turtle Boy by Kealan Patrick Burke. Rare. Signed.
The Wicked by Douglas Clegg. Signed.
Madman Stan by Richard Laymon. Rare. 1st
Once Upon a Halloween by Richard Laymon. Rare. Signed

Ebay link

Latest story free to read online

If you're into free fiction, then you can check out my latest story, 'Not So Different' at Magus Press if you're so inclined.

Voyeurs of Death now available.

Okay, my short story collection is now available from various online bookshops (Yay). My advice if you're looking for a copy is to use a service such as Book Butler to find the cheapest one, as some places want to charge way too much for a copy.

There's also another review up at Horror World (scroll down the page).

First review ...

Okay, the first review of Voyeurs of Death is in. The book should be available very soon now, and I'll let everyone know when and where it appears. For now, I hope you'll check the review out and that it will leave you salivating to purchase a copy: Necro Carnival

EVILUTION book trailer

I thought I would have a go at doing a book trailer for Evilution, and this is what I came up with:

MagusZine

I just want to give a shout out to a new FREE online zine called MagusZine. It will be available for download from Magus Press and will also be e-mailed to those who subscribe. The first issue is due out in July, and I have a story entitled, 'Not so Different' appearing in the September issue.

So sign up now if you want FREE fiction delivered to your inbox every month.

And did I mention, it's FREE ...

Voyeurs of Death available to pre-order

In the words of Linkin Park, I'm one step closer to the edge, and Voyeurs of Death is now available to pre-order from online bookstore, Shocklines:
http://shocklines.stores.yahoo.net/voofdebyshje.html

Some samples of Zach McCain's interior illustrations:

Interview and sale

I recently made the front page of a newspaper in my old home town of Uttoxeter (or at least my photograph did), and I didn't have to rob a bank to get there: Uttoxeter Post and Times In other news, I've just sold a second story entitled Sweet Music to Shadowed Realms

Cover art

Here's the preliminary wraparound cover by artist Zach McCain for my collection, Voyeurs of Death.

Happy New Year

Just a quick note to wish all those who pass through in the shadows a very happy New Year.

Deadfall

Well I've just finished the first draft of my latest novel, Deadfall. It's a zombie story, and I'll lay it to rest for a few weeks before reanimating it for the rewrites (I know, terrible but intentional pun)

Latest publications

I would just like to give a shout out to the recently published Wicked Karnival #7 featuring work by Edward Lee, Wrath James White, John Everson, Graham Masterton, Ramsey Campbell, Greg Lamberson and me, and another shout out to the new mass-market paperback anthology, Book of Shadows, Volume One that features work from the first six issues of "Shadowed Realms" online magazine along with some originals, including work by Poppy Z. Brite, Kurt Newton, Mark Zirbel, Josh Rountree, Craig Wolf, Stephen Dedman and me! Both of these are available through the greatest online horror bookshop in the world, Shocklines.

Update time

Okay, I thought it was time for a quick update on what I’m up to. Well, the zombie novel that I’m writing, tentatively titled ‘Deadfall’ has entered the home straight. The first draft should be finished within the next couple of weeks. Then I’ll lay it to rest, probably until after Christmas before bringing it back to life to do the revisions. I’ve had a blast writing this one.

I’ve had a new short story called ‘Clockwork’ published in the latest and last issue of Wicked Karnival. Clockwork is also one of the stories that’ll feature in my collection ‘Voyeurs of Death’ (you remember the collection; I've mentioned it before - keep up;-)) which is slated for release early 2007. The artist, Zach McCain is working on the interior illustrations and the cover, so I’m looking forward to seeing what he comes up with. The list of stories appearing in Voyeurs of Death is:

The Flibbertigibbet (previously published in DeathGrip: Legacy of Terror #2003 and reprinted Dark Tales #2005)

The Watchers (previously published in Dark Discoveries #Volume 2 issue 2 2005)

Paranoid (unpublished)

The Tunnel (previously published in Hauntings #2004)

Sin Eater (unpublished)

Voyeurs of Death (previously published in Black tears #7 1995)

Life Cycle (previously published in Surreal Magazine #1 2005)

Clockwork (previously published in Wicked Karnival #7 2006)

Peacock Lawn (previously published in New Voices in Horror #2004)

Envy (unpublished)

Snake Charmer (previously published in Peep Show #2004)

Venetian Kiss (previously published in Monsters Ink #2005)

The Quilters of Thurmond (previously published in Grotesque #3 1993)

Dark Inside (unpublished)

Park Life (previously published in Shadowed Realms #2005)

As for my other unsold novels, The Kult and Fangtooth, my agent is shopping them around. There’ve been a few nibbles, but I know she’ll get them to bite eventually. I guess the publishers are just wondering how they’ll be able to keep up with demand if they take them on:-) Anyone interested in reading the first chapters of either novel can visit my website www.shaunjeffrey.com and click on the stories link.

Exorcising the Demon

In the spirit of Halloween, and to celebrate, I've posted a micro-length short story below for the 99 words of horror contest.

Father Doherty stood beside the door, his ear pressed to the cold wood. Grunts, groans and the odd scream emanated from the room beyond and he nodded approvingly. The doubts he harboured at the young priests ability to conduct the ritual seemed unfounded, and he opened the door to watch him in action, only to roll his eyes in dismay at the sight of the woman sweating on the treadmill.

“Father Freer,” he shouted, addressing the man with the whip stood behind the woman. “This isn’t what I had in mind when I asked you to exorcise the demon!”

Shocklines bookshop

Anyone who purchases horror books should check out Shocklines. You will not find an online store with more choice. From small press to large press, this store has it all. From advance orders to new releases, you'll find it all here.

If you do purchase any books, please mention my name in the "Comments" section of the checkout process.

Limited Edition Halloween T-Shirt

Anyone interested in purchasing a limited edition Halloween t-shirt designed by Alex McVey should check this out: Click me!!!

There are only going to be 200 of these bad boys printed.

Voyeurs of Death update

Grafika Press are no longer associated with my collection, Voyeurs of Death - it's now going to be published solely by Wicked Karnival. I'll post further details as they are released.

Horror Fest UK

Horror Fest UK is a new film festival that is taking place from November 16th - 18th in Portsmouth, England.


Horror Fest

Creepycast

For anyone interested in listening to a paranormal variety show with interviews of dark musicians, artists and writers, then check out: Creepycast

Horror Day

Creators in the horror community have launched the "Horror Day of Action," a campaign to inspire all lovers of the horror genre to reach out to the world on Friday, Oct. 13, 2006. The idea caught fire and spread to every area of horror, from haunted house operators to videogame designers to movie makers and writers. But the most important and basic ingredient of Horror Day is each fan's participation.

On Oct. 13, fans are asked to buy a horror book, give away a horror book, rent a horror video, read ghost stories to children, host an art show, or talk to the nearest library, bookstore, video store, newspaper and to call your local radio station.

The official site for Horror Day, along with suggestions for action, can be found at Horrorday.

"We expected this idea to gain momentum quickly because it's so simple," said a volunteer, "But to see it grow so rapidly, and to see the enthusiasm of the people who love this genre has been totally amazing. Horror is often considered a fringe taste, but the reality is it has millions of fans in every sector of society. And our combined voices can have a positive effect on the world at large."

While the Horror Day site has action tips, creativity is the key to the event's success. Fans are asked to come up with their own imaginative spin to promote the genre and share them in the "Comments" section of the MySpace site and on all the various horror message boards.

Most importantly, remember this year Friday the 13th is HORROR DAY!

Evilution (revised edition)

There is now a revised edition of my novel Evilution available. After listening to the constructive comments people kindly offered, I sat down and made some changes that have now been implemented. Hopefully this has addressed the problems people picked up on. As there are a lot of old copies floating around, the best option with regard purchasing a new copy is probably to buy direct from Amazon.co.uk or from Amazon.com.

Fangtooth

I've updated the story page on my website and added the first chapter of my latest novel, Fangtooth. Any comments/feedback would be appreciated. The novel is with my agent at the moment, and she's shopping it around.

The Frontlist

Among the many ways to try to reach the editor's desk, I've just been informed of a new one: The Frontlist. In their words: 'The Frontlist is, we believe, the first serious online route for an unpublished novelist to get a completed fictional novel considered by a publisher. It allows a new writer to test samples from a completed manuscript within a community, and to have it undergo structured critiques by other writers. All work will move up and down a list within its genre, according to the reviews that have been written. We have an informal agreement with a senior editor at Picador to consider top reviewed work from the site each month. The process is free - no upfront money, and we don't climb into any deals that may subsequently emerge between writer and publisher. To fund the project, we simply ask that if a writer wishes to read the individual reviews on his or her work, then they pay a one-off fee. But if they chose not to, that's fine - it will have absolutely no impact on their chances of being considered by the publisher. So writers are able to use The Frontlist completely and utterly free.'

So far they are only accepting submissions under two genres: Crime and General fiction, but hopefully the list will grow if they get enough support and interest.

Update

It's been a while since I posted here, so I thought I would just give a short update on what I'm up to. On the writing front, I'm working on a new zombie novel. The story's coming along well at the moment and I'm about a quarter of the way through writing it. My agent's had some enquiries about my other novels, so I've got my fingers crossed that something might take off, and a couple of my short stories are due to be published around now; I'll post more when that happens. Anyway, I hear the dead getting restless, so it's back to the writing.

Silent Hill

As I enjoyed playing the game, I had high hopes for Silent Hill the film, but as with many things in life, high expectations only lead to disappointment. It was nicely shot, very atmospheric, with some great scenery that could have been lifted straight from the game. But the storyline was cobbled together to try to make sense of it, and unfortunately, it didn’t work. And then there’s the dialogue. It was so stilted and unnatural, you wanted to grab the scriptwriter and throttle him. As I walked out, I heard comments ranging from 'That was shit' to 'What the hell was that about. Did you understand any of it?' I didn't think it was that bad, and it’s worth seeing on the big screen if only for the impressive scenery, but make sure you switch your brain off upon entering and then remember to turn it on again upon exit. Ultimately, it’s like a nice looking cake, but when you slice it open, there’s nothing inside. And I like my cake to have substance as well as decoration.

MySpace

If anyone is on MySpace and wishes to add me as a friend, feel free.
Find me on MySpace and be my friend!

Scary Moments

As someone who obviously wants to scare his readers, I have a quick question: What scares you? What makes a story scare the bejesus out of you?

Latest News

I've had a group of my short stories accepted for a collection, which will be published by the newly combined force of Wicked Karnival and Grafika Press. The collection will be titled Voyeurs of Death and will include 11 of my tales. I'm very excited about this, and can't wait to see the finished product. Check out the artwork on the Grafika website. You won't be disappointed.

First to be published by the company will be an anthology of short stories by horror author David A. Riley. Other authors with work accepted so far for various projects are: Dan Waters, Jason Brannon and Christopher Fulbright.

Latest News

And another sale to report, this time to Wicked Karnival, with my story, Clockwork, due to apear in issue #7. It looks as though 2006 is shaping up to be a good year.

This issue will feature fiction by:

1. GAST excerpt from the novel Edward Lee is working on.
2. COACH POTATO by Wrath James White
3. FIFTEEN MINUTES by Louise Bohmer
4. SWALLOWED SICKLE by Richard h. Pitaniello
5. CICADAS By Nickolas Cook
6. A GLASSY STARE, AN IDIOT'S GRIN by Patrick G. Rabe
7. EXOTIC FLOWER by John Irvine
8. THE WHITE DEATH By Debbie Kuhn
9. MUSIC FROM THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE by Andersen Prunty
10. THE KEY TO HER HEART By John Everson
11. THE DARKNESS OF EXALTED FLESH (A Tale from the Book of Dark Memory) by Joseph Armstead
12. TIN LIZZE by Cathy Buburuz
13. CLOCKWORK by Shaun Jeffrey
14. DEVIL'S TOY by Liam Davies
15. MADNESS by William Ollie

Non-Fiction by:

1. Greg Lamberson
2. Graham Masterton (and a flash story)
3. Nick Cato

Interviews with:

Ramsey Campbell
Edward Lee
Greg Lamberson

Latest News

Well here I am again with news of a short story sale, Bugs sold to Dark Wisdom, a quarterly publication of Dark Fiction and Lovecraftian horror. No definite date for publication yet, but it’s slated for issue #14, although it may appear sooner.

Free Fiction

I would just like to give a shout out to two free fiction venues. The first is Devil's Work, where if you sign up, you get a free story emailed to you every Friday. And the second is Shadowed Realms, which offers dark online flash fiction. Both are worth checking out, and as it's free admission, you have nothing to lose.

Newsletter update

For those who signed up to my newsletter, the free serialised novel, Dark Seduction, which I stared sending out last halloween, has almost reached its climax (for anyone who signs up now, the complete novel is available in the message archives). From the responses I received, people have enjoyed reading it – even those who didn’t think they would read a serialised novel online have written to say how much they look forward to the weekly chapters. Someone else compared the story to something written by Clive Barker, but not as wordy, which is praise indeed (now if only I could be as successful ;-))

When I have sent the final chapter of the novel out, the newsletter will be used for irregular news, the odd giveaway and anything else relevant, so it’s always worth signing up. Just pay me a visit at Shaun Jeffrey. You never know, you might find something you like.

Peter Benchley - RIP

Peter Benchley, whose novel "Jaws" made millions think twice about stepping into the water even as the author himself became an advocate for the conservation of sharks, has died at age 65, his widow said Sunday. His legacy to me, and probably countless others, will be the fear I have of going into the water in warmer climates.

First draft in the bag (or in this case, computer)

Well one year ago this month, I started writing Fangtooth. What with one thing and another, it took longer than anticipated, but I’m very pleased to report that I’ve just finished the first draft. Woohoo. It always gives me a great feeling of accomplishment to finish a novel. Now even though I’m eager to start rewriting, I’ll put it a way for a month to let the story settle. In the meantime, I’m going to rewrite an earlier novel, tentatively titled, Sacrifice.

With regard what Fangtooth is about, all I will say is this:

In an attempt to 'save' his son from the lifestyle he can see him drifting into in the city, recently widowed father, Bruce Holden and his wayward teenage son, Jack move to the coast. They soon discover that the house they have bought has stood empty for years as the previous occupants mysteriously disappeared. But that's only the start of their problems. Something's stirring in the sea. Something hungry.

I’ve got everything crossed that this novel will find a home.

Al Lewis - RIP

I was sad to hear that Al Lewis, who starred as Grandpa in the 1960s sitcom, The Munsters, has died. Sporting a somewhat cheesy Dracula outfit, he became a pop culture icon playing the temperamental father-in-law to Fred Gwynne's ever-bumbling Herman Munster on the 1964-66 television show. He was also one of the stars of another classic TV comedy, playing Officer Leo Schnauzer on Car 54, Where Are You?

The Munsters was one of the two "creepy" sitcoms that began in 1964. CBS aired The Munsters and ABC aired The Addams Family. Both of them lasted only two years and finished their network run within a week of each other. Although people often call him Grandpa Munster, Grandpa was Lily's father, and their family name was "Dracula".

The first episode of The Munsters aired in September, 1964, 10 months before I was born, but its appeal meant that it continues to be shown to this day. I always used to enjoy watching the Munsters, and although it only lasted a couple of years, it racked up an impressive 70 episodes. Long may it continue to be aired.

Novel update

Well I'm on the home straight with the first draft of my latest novel, Fangtooth. I'm excited about this story, and I hope publishers will like it just as much. Hopefully I'll have the first draft finished by the end of this month. Then I'm going to set it aside while I rewrite a novel that I wrote about 10 years ago, tentatively titled Sacrifice. I liked the original idea for Sacrifice, but it needs rewriting to make the most of it. Basically it's a story about love, revenge and monsters - a winning combination.

I've got plans for further novels filed away, so the only thing I'm short on is time and luck, and I truly believe that luck plays an important part in this thing called life, so I've got fingers, legs and everything else crossed that this is my lucky year.

Latest News

Just a couple of quick snippets of news. First, a new short story of mine entitled The Sin Box has been published in Entertainment Wickedly, a Fanzine specialising in alternative cinema. It's available in pdf format and is free to download. Next up, I've sold a short mystery story to Futures Mysterious Anthology Magazine. I hope the rest of the year now continues in the same way.

Scrapbook snippet

I hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year. I've not posted much lately as I've been busy working on Fangtooth, the first draft of which I expect to finish this month all being well.

Anyway, here's another of those snippets that makes for bizarre reading.

A housewife in Funtua town of Katsina State woke from a night’s sleep to find a mysterious 6-inch nail driven into her head.

The incident was made more bizarre by the fact that she did not know when or how it happened to her.

Mrs. Adama Shuaibu was hale and hearty when she left for her room on Wednesday night, but apparently, while she slept, some cruel person crept into her room and drove the nail into her skull.

A nurse at Funtua General Hospital said the case was horrible and puzzling.
“I don’t know how to explain her situation. The lady could eat but could not talk and her behaviour was abnormal. We cannot rule out the possibility that she was under the influence of a strong charm for her to have been ignorant of a nail being driven into her head”, the nurse said.

Merry Christmas

Well, I've been busy working on my new novel Fangtooth, but now it's time for a couple of days break. Merry Christmas everyone.

Bleach

Shooting of the film, Bleach will begin in January on the UK’s Isle of Wight, with writer/director Jason Bradbury heading up a filmmaking team that is almost entirely in their late teens.

BLEACH is set at an abandoned factory where a group of youths decide to hold an illegal rave—little knowing that the building serves as home to a deformed maniac (Matthew Fuller) who is obsessed with cleanliness and hates anything dirty—including sex.

To show your support for independent films, or if just interested as it does look cool, check it out at: http://www.bleachthemovie.com

AA Independent Press Guide

For anyone in need of markets for illustrations, short stories or poetry to send their work to, then check out the awesome AA Independent Press Guide. A free online guide to 2000+ lit mags and publishers.

Dark Tales

On the news front, my story The Flibbertigibbet is now available to read in Dark Tales, a free to download online anthology available in PDF format from SpecFicWorld. My story originally appeared in the limited print run Hellbound Books anthology, Deathgrip: Legacy of Terror in 2003, so I'm glad to see it now available for a wider audience.

Dark Tales features fiction by James S Dorr, Angeline Hawkes-Craig, Karen Sandler, Rebecca M. Senese, James R. Cain, Mark Justice, Rob Hunter, K.G. McAbee, Shaun Jeffrey, and Carol Hightshoe.

Follow this link to download a copy:

Dark Tales

Christmas Prize Draw

As the first flurries of snow drift upon the shores of this country, it puts me in the Christmas spirit, which is of course a time for giving. Therefore, to celebrate, I will be posting a simple question through my newsletter, and everyone who answers correctly will be entered into a draw to win a signed copy of my novel, Evilution. The question will be emailed on Thursday, December 1st, and the draw will take place on Sunday, December 11th. There will be two copies available, so if you want the chance to win one of them, and you aren’t already signed up, do it now, and good luck.

Click here

Tasty snacks

At first sight, this picture looks like a macabre slaughterhouse; mangled body parts strewn about a room; arms, legs and heads resting on shelves and dangling from meat hooks - but it might surprise you to know that it's actually bread sculptures made by Kittiwat Unarrom, a 28-year-old art student.

Using anatomy books and his vivid memories from visits to forensics museums help him to create this edible art.

He says, “When people see the bread, they don’t want to eat it. But when they taste it, it’s just normal bread. The lesson is ‘don’t judge just by outer appearances.’”

Flash Mind Reader

The flash mind reader seems to have been puzzling a lot of people. Anyone who wants to know how it works, click the reply to this message and I'll tell you. But like many tricks, sometimes you're better of just not knowing so the magic never dies.

Scrapbook snippet

Here's one for the scrapbook: A four-year-old girl was stopped from taking her teeth home from hospital for the tooth fairy because doctors classed them as "body parts". Kimberley Cumming's mother Lorraine was told the teeth had to be disposed of by Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.

Mrs Cumming had explained the tooth fairy story to make her daughter less anxious about the procedure, during which four teeth were taken out.

Kimberley had made a special box and was upset about not getting her teeth.

The girl, from Inverness, had gone in to have one tooth out but the dental surgeon removed three others to stop the rot from spreading.

But doctors said the teeth were now classed as body parts and had to be disposed of by the hospital.

Website redesigned and a FREE serialised novel

To celebrate the launch of my redesigned website, and to showcase my work, I'm offering a FREE serialised copy my novel Dark Seduction to anyone who signs up to the newsletter. The first chapter will be emailed out on Halloween, and the other chapters will follow around every one to two weeks. Previous chapters will be available in the archives for those who sign up later. Go on, I know you want to. ;-)Feel free to post any comments about the story here on my blog.

Website redesign underway

I'm just starting to redesign my website, and hopefully when it's up and running, I'll have some freebies to give away to celebrate its launch. Watch this space.

2 for 1 offer

Just a quick mention that until Xmas, whenever someone orders an Invisible College Press book via the ICP site, they'll receive a 2nd ICP book of the publisher's choice thrown in for free. So fill up them sacks, because Santa's sled won't deliver after Christmas. And remember, postage in the US and Canada is free for books ordered from the site.

Update

I've just received word from Darren Smith, the editor of Tales from the Transdimensional Horror Express, a magazine for which I am helping write the back story. The magazine was initially a dual language magazine, printed in German and English, but now it's going to be all in English. I am currently plotting the back story out, and it should be an interesting development. On the novel front, I'm still typing away on Fangtooth. When that's finished, I'm not short of ideas. I've got a novel to rewrite that I wrote a few years ago, another idea partially mapped out that I'm really excited about (not that I'm not excited about all my ideas, but some spark the imagination more than others), and another story that needs developing. All I need now is for my agent to secure a publisher.

I'll be away at the coast for the next week, so hopefully I'll have even more ideas upon my return.

Latest news

I've been a bit slack posting lately as I've been busy working on my new novel, Fangtooth (and you all thought I'd abandoned it;-)). It's going great at the moment. I got a little sidetracked with work and suchlike, but things are now back on track. In other news, I've been interviewed for Gold Dust Magazine, which will appear in print at some point in the not too distant future.

The Echo

I was emailed by Chuck Gutierrez, webmaster for the new film, The Echo (Sigaw), and in the wake of the other Asian films, thought it sounded interesting enough to mention it here. This is a Filipino ghost movie directed by Yam Laranas. It’s about a haunted apartment building that exists both in the present and the past.

To escape his overbearing mother, Marvin (Richard Gutierrez), moves into a cheap apartment building, and is helped in decorating it by his girlfriend, Pinky. Initially, the unit Marvin has moved into appears like any ordinary apartment building -- there are occasional spats between a couple, Anna and Bert (Jomari Yllano), down the hallway -- but paying them no heed, his life continues. Then things start getting worse, and he moves back home for a few days until he can figure out his next plan of action.

In his absence, Pinky visits his unit unaware that he is no longer there. She falls victim to the abusive element within the building and Marvin can take no more. He goes back in for one final battle with the evil memories that have taken hold of the house.

Autograph_Collectors

Inspired by all the autograph requests I've been receiving, I've written a quick, quirky short story in the form of message posts, which I've put on my website for anyone who wants to read it. Autograph_Collectors

For the right price, you can be a character in a King novel.

Some people might be interested to know that there is an auction on Ebay involving Stephen King: If you’ve ever wanted to be a character in a Stephen King novel, here’s your chance! From September 1-25, 2005, Auction Cause will be conducting an auction through eBay Giving Works in which 17 authors are auctioning the opportunity to be a character in an upcoming novel, with the proceeds being donated to the First Amendment Project, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to protecting and promoting freedom of information, expression, and petition. The auction for the Stephen King character will be from September 8th-18th.

The latest bid stands at: US $11,100.00, so it's only for those with a large wallet or purse.

Sin-Jin Smyth

For anyone who remembers The Cult, it's been announced that BILLY DUFFY will contribute original guitar work to the Score of Sin-Jin Smyth. To show my age, I remember when The Cult were Southern Death Cult, one of my favourite bands of the time along with Theatre of Hate (which Duffy also played in) and Bauhaus. Those were the days ...

The film (Written and Directed by Ethan Dettenmaier)--- follows two federal marshals who man an isolated Federal Outpost in the American Midwest. One night they receive an emergency message (over Halloween weekend) to blitz across the border into the Kansas Badlands (moments after a tornado warning) for the midnight prisoner transfer of a man with no identity (and set against a Kansas legend about a Midnight appearance of the Devil every Halloween in a quiet, local cemetery).

Dark Discoveries

I received my contributor copy of Dark Discoveries today. I've had a quick glimpse through, and it seems like a magazine that's well worth purchasing. The contents include interviews with Brian Keene, Craig Spector, Michael Laimo, Michael Arnzen, and Shane Ryan Staley. Fiction by Michael Laimo, Steve Vernon, Paul Finch,Josh Rountree and yours truly.

Photograph requests

I've been receiving a number of emails asking for signed photographs of me. While I know I'm good looking ;-), I'm confused. As a small press author who has yet to achieve greatness, I'm wondering why all the sudden requests have started to arrive. Is there something I don't know? Have I suddenly become desirable? (in the photographic sense). Being a small press author, I don't have signed photos as there’s no demand for them (sits here wondering whether people just want something to throw darts at). If anyone knows why there's the sudden interest, please let me know.

Amazon Shorts

I noticed that Amazon are starting something new by offering short stories from their main page for 49 cents a pop. They list the benefits as:

*Access a powerful marketing tool to promote an author's backlist in a new and meaningful way
*Create an author profile page with biography, photo, and complete backlist
*Maintain author's visibility between published projects
*Establish a more direct and frequent communication with readers
*Introduce readers to unfamiliar writers
*Provide a new outlet to sell short fiction and nonfiction

In short, Amazon Shorts are never-before-seen short works from a wide variety of well-known authors, available only on Amazon.com. I have emailed my interest in the program and received an automatic response that says they'll be in contact in a few days. I imagine they will be selective with their authors, but it's worth a try.

Porn can make you go blind

I've been away on a course all week, and will be away again next week, but upon my return I did find this interesting article in New Scientist:

Researchers have finally found evidence that erotic images make you go blind. The effect is temporary and lasts just a moment, but the research has added to road-safety campaigners’ calls to ban sexy billboard-advertising near busy roads, in the hope of preventing accidents.

The new study by US psychologists found that people shown erotic or gory images frequently fail to process images they see immediately afterwards. And the researchers say some personality types appear to be affected more than others by the phenomenon, known as “emotion-induced blindness”.

So that means I'll have to stop reading top rack magazines while driving;-)

On other news, I'm keeping a watchful eye out for Sin-Jin Smyth which is filming at the moment. The story concerns a pair of federal marshals (played by Jason Hildebrandt and Richard Tyson, both from BLACK HAWK DOWN) who arrive in a town called Shin Bone on November 2 (the Day of the Dead) to transport a prisoner with no past and no identity ... he is known only as Sin-Jin Smyth.

On my own news front, my agent is hard at work trying to sell my novel The Kult, so watch this space ...

Daily Grammar

A useful online site for those who want to learn about grammar is Daily Grammar. They no longer send out daily grammar tips, but they are all available online to read.

Google Earth

For those who have never seen it, and those with the necessary computer specs, check out Google Earth, a 3D interface to the planet.

Online radio drama

I've discovered a good online source of listening material from BBC 7. Called 7th Dimension, you can listen to radio plays such as 'Doctor Who', Terry Pratchett's 'Guards! Guards!' and a whole host of other sci-fi programs. There's also a section for drama, crime and thrillers and bestsellers to listen to, and if you miss a show, each broadcast is saved for 7 days.

A new writing gig

I heard yesterday (but was too busy getting ready to go out and celebrate my 40th birthday to mention it) that I've got a gig helping write the back story to a new magazine, Tales from the Transdimensional Horror Express. It's an illustrated, quarterly, dual language (English-German) horror fiction publication with nostalgic style and content - somewhere between a 1930’s weird fiction pulp and a Victorian periodical.

The back story is an ongoing story, not unlike a TV soap, that will involve all of the regulars onboard the Trans-Horror Express. It will unfold through comments, hints and observations made by each passenger whilst introducing a featured story or article.

The reader finds themselves onboard a phantom express train in the company of an elderly and rather eccentric band of revenant dead travellers all of whom, naturally, have their own weird, macabre and chilling tales to tell…

I'm excited about this as I feel it will stretch me as a writer.

The art of rejection

I read what I thought was a useful bit of advice somewhere the other day, which basically said don't mention story rejections on blogs or websites as you never know who's reading. In effect, any prospective publisher or agent who's interested in your work could find the posts with a simple search, and where they once wanted to publish/accept the work, they see it's been rejected x amount of times and change their mind.

Also on the matter of rejection, I doubt there's an author alive or dead who's not been rejected hundreds of times. It's something you have to learn to accept. Some rejections are helpful, others come in the shape of form letters. It doesn't always mean the story's no good, just that it wasn't suitable this time. Like countless authors, I've got loads of short stories and 3 novels sitting in a drawer that are no good, or which I abandoned. The interesting thing with them is going back years later and rereading to see how much you have improved. In 1997 I submitted one of the novels that's now basking in a drawer to an agent who represented Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Richard Laymon. He interestingly wrote: 'My feeling is that one day you will have a novel published - GIMOKODAN [which was the title for it then]is very much a borderline case.'

Although the above agent's comment inspired me, not long after that I ceased writing for a number of years due to work commitments. But that manuscript with the crap title - Gimokodan is the underworld of the Bagobo people of the Philippines - still gnaws away at me to rewrite it. One day I will. As with most things, too many projects, too little time.

The Land of the Dead

I've just returned from visiting my brother in the Lake District, and on the way home the family and I called in at Morecambe 'holiday' resort. Now I've visited many such resorts in the past, and as a kid I loved them, but I've noticed that lately, most of them are abysmal. In this instance, the attractions hunched empty and unused on the sea front. A few forlorn chip shops, gaudily painted signs and boarded up buildings are now what constitute a holiday destination on the west coast.

It's no wonder bookings at such resorts are down - I wouldn't fancy spending a week in one, that's for sure. The worst resorts seem to be in the North of the country, as down south and around Cornwall, the towns and villages seem to be maintained - perhaps it's a money thing, something to do with the north/south divide. Even the small funfair in this resort was terrible, with half the attractions looking liable to collapse. The people strolling around looked like zombies, and the people running the ‘attractions’ didn't look old enough to be out of school.

This particular resort once had Frontierland Western Theme Park - now closed and abandoned, which I took a couple of photographs of, mainly because it inspired me. I know there have been numerous books on abandoned funfairs before, but the same could easily be said of vampires (which up until yet I have not penned a tale of), so it's another story on the back burner. It's a shame such places are left to rot; now the only cries are when someone cuts themselves on the glass that litters the floor after they've broken in to smooch around. What was once a popular holiday destination is now the fodder of a horror writer.

Evilution Sale Now On

I've sorted out a deal with the publisher of my novel, and if people order Evilution via the Invisible College Press web site, and type the word SALE into the coupon code, they'll get $5.00 off their order. Also postage within the US and Canada is free (to all other countries it's £2.99 - $5.00). So people can purchase a copy for only $9.95.

Planet of the Apes

A team of neuro-scientists on the Caribbean island of St Kitts have created primates with partially human brains. They injected human brain cells into monkey foetuses, giving them up to eight million human brain cells each. The modified monkeys have been called 'chimeras', which in Greek literature are mythical monsters combined of lion, goat and snake.


The reported reason for this experiment is to assist with medical research into neurological illnesses, but this never sits comfortably with me. By altering the genetic makeup of a species, scientists are playing at God. This case puts me in mind of the film, Planet of the Apes. They [scientists] say that incorporating eight million human brain cells into a primate is not that significant as the brain has 20 to 40 billion cells, so is unlikely to do anything to change the characteristics of that brain. I'm not convinced. Anything that alters a species, no matter how small, must have an impact. What would be the result if one of these animals escaped and bred? And then there's the ethical issue of these experiments.

It ultimately poses the question, when man becomes the creator, what use have we for gods? To whom should the faithful bow down? Some people say that science is the new religion; perhaps they are closer to the truth than they realise.

The Horror

I work on the railways here in the UK, but I'm based about 150 miles away from London. After todays horrific events, we are on amber alert at the moment, so having to be extra vigilant. I've been 'out in the field' all day at a specific hotspot in our area, making sure the trains being rerouted and diverted from London can run without delay. It's frightening stuff, and another case of the reality being worse than the fiction when it's real life.

A reprint

I've just had a reprint acceptance (The Flibbertigibbet) for an as yet untitled subscribers anthology at SpecFicWorld, which will be a free download when it appears. Although this venue doesn't pay, the previous anthologies they published had over 30,000 downloads, which is a lot of potential readers. The editor accepted the story within 1 day. I always liked The Flibbertigibbet, and it was previously published in Hellbound Book's anthology, Deathgrip: Legacy of Terror, which is now out of print, so it'll be good to let a wider audience have the opportunity to read the story.

Dark Discoveries magazine is now at the printers, so it shouldn't be long before it's available with my story, The Watchers.

The Value of Awards

I notice from the many venues I visit that it's award time again. I do vote for work that I liked, and there are numerous awards being presented around this time, and not to detract from any winners’ success, but I do question the value of certain awards. The main problem (as I see it) is that they (awards) depend on people reading said work and then voting for it if they like it enough. So if writer 'A' has published a story/book etc in an obscure little 'zine with a low readership, and writer 'B' has published a story in a 'zine with a large readership, then it's statistically more likely writer 'B' will have more people vote for his story (assuming both stories are of equal calibre). That's not to say writer 'A' had written a worse story, just that not many people read it.

I know if I was ever lucky enough to win an award, I would appreciate it, but I do feel the awards process in many instances is flawed, and I wonder if there could be a fairer system of voting.

When I look down the lists of final recommendations for an award, I know that I will only vote for those that I read and enjoyed, but it doesn't mean it was the best. And this is the problem. Without reading everything on the list, how do I really know that story 'A' was not as good as story 'B'?

I suppose the only way around this is an unbiased panel of readers whose job it is to read through everything submitted, but I imagine this would be a time consuming and expensive way of doing things. Although it works for some film festivals, such as Cannes, where I believe (although I may be wrong) films are submitted for consideration and then voted on by a panel in a secret ballot. The Booker Prize (and perhaps others) works along similar lines: UK publishers may enter up to two full-length novels for a specific year. In addition, any title by an author who has won the Booker Prize and any title by an author who has been shortlisted in the last ten years may be submitted. Publishers may also submit a list of up to five further titles for the judges' consideration. The judges are required to call in no less than eight and no more than twelve of these titles. One thing that distinguishes the Man Booker Prize from other literary awards is that the judges read all of the submitted books. The list of submitted titles is strictly confidential.

Oh well, perhaps I shouldn't think so much. Congratulations to those who have won, and to those who are yet to win any award, no matter how it comes to be.

B.C. Book Awards:

Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize
VanCity Book Prize

Canadian Book Awards:

Amazon.com/Books in Canada
Giller Prize
Governor General's Awards
Marian Engel
Matt Cohen Prize
Stephen Leacock Prize for Humour
Timothy Findley Award
Trillium Awards
W.O. Mitchell Prize
Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize

American Book Awards:

National Book Awards
National Book Critic's Circle
PEN/Faulkner Prize (Fiction)
Pulizter Prize

British Book Awards:

Whitbread awards - First Novel
Whitbread - Book of the Year
Whitbread Literary Prize (Fiction)

International Book Awards:

Betty Trask Prize
Booker Prize
Commonweath Writer's Prize
International IMPAC Dublin Literary awards
Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize
Nobel Prize in Literature
Orange Prize for Fiction

Fantasy Book Awards:

World Fantasy Award

Science Fiction Book Awards:

Aurthur C. Clarke Awards
Hugo Awards
Nebula Awards
Prix Aurora Prize

Mystery Book Awards:

Agatha Awards
Anthony Awards
Arthur Ellis Awards
CWA Dagger Awards
CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger
Edgar Allan Poe Awards
Hammett Prize
John Creasey Memorial Awards
Macavity Awards
Shamus Awards
Spotted Owl

Horror Book Awards:

Bram Stoker Awards
International Horror Guild