The World's Creepiest Places

Well the new book is almost finished and should be with the publishers this week. I'm rather pleased with it, although I always find it difficult to tell with books - I suppose it's working at the coal face. Anyway, I've been sending each section up to Ian Daniels who's illustrating the book and he always sends me back a mail saying it's really creepy. Maybe he's just easily frightened.

As usual with some of my books, the word-count is slightly more - that's because I get carried away sometimes - so it'll be up to the editor, who may be Gina Talucci again, as to what goes in. Gina always does a good job though. There's two I'm hoping they'll keep in, though they're two of the longer ones - Eilean Mor and Warleggan.

When I was originally talking to New Page one of the books that was under consideration was a Lovecraft one, so in the new book they told me to pick a few sites which had a Lovecrat feel to them. Apparantly there's a great interest in Lovecraft at the moment. So both of these have a distinctly Lovecraftian feel to them and I think you should enjoy them as much as I enjoyed writing about them. And they're true!

So what happened to the keepers on that lonely Hebridean light and what was really going on within Warleggan Rectory with the wierd and sinister Rector? Hopefully New Page will include them and you'll find out!

And thanks by the way to Charlotte Thompson who wrote to me and said about how much she enjoys my books and how much she was looking forward to the next one. I hope it doesn't disappoint Charlotte.

Thanks too to all the people who were in contact with me about the comics we've been putting up on the Bog Standard. We're trying to get some more up but with all our commitments, it's not easy. Now that the book's almost done we're beginning to think of a follow up volume, so I'll be twisting arms at New Page.

On another front, there should also be a new book out from Barrons on Angels. We've been looking at Angels and Ghosts and I think there should be one of those - Angels - coming out over the summer with another one slightly later. I'll check with my old friend Eric Lowenhar over in the States and see when it's out - he and I are due a chat about British football. He's a big fan of Tottenham Hotspur over here. Unfortunately the team I support - West Ham - went down at the weekend. Not unexpected but disappointing. I think that's about it for now, off to get this book finished or there'll be complaints. Be back soon.

Creepy Places

I meant to do this blog earlier but this week has been fraught and made all the more hectic when I lost my diary - which is a bit like might right arm. I haven't got it back as yet but I can reconstruct it from other paperwork, I think.

My new book is almost finished. I should have it with the publishers in about a couple of weeks and I think the release month for it is October. I see that already New Page have already put it up on the Amazon Webpage - I told you that the Ian Daniels cover was something spectacular didn't I? As I said I've only a few more sites to go, then it's away and into the editing I think I could have filled another book on the Creepy Places - there's so many to choose from - but I've tried to give as big a geographical spread as possible.

Maybe sometime in the future we'll do another book of Creepy and Sinister Places but let's see how this one sells first. I've been sending the sections up to Ian to give him some idea of the locations and he has e-mailed me back saying that he finds them creepy. I hope that you do to.

As soon as I get that out of the way, it's down to thinking what the next book might be - I've a few ideas swimming about and have been trying to push one or two with New Page. We'll see anyway. But keep your eyes peeled around October and let me know what you think of the selection of locations.

In the meantime, can I give a bit of a plug for Anna Franklin's Silver Wheel Annural which she does every year and which I think is worth supporting. She asked me to do a section for it and I was really glad to do so. It's published by Lear which is Anna's own small press and which deserves your support - as do all small presses in these days of recession.

I'll keep you in the loop when this book gets finished and when we've decided on a new one. Just keep watching! You might be surprised...