Creepy Places

The last four or so weeks have been extremely busy so I've been negelecting this blog a little but things have been extremely hectic. As well as that I've been suffering from a nasty cold which my daughter kindly brought home from school and which eventually turned into a minor chest infection. But am back to rude health - or as rude as I can be - now and up to my eyes.

The World's Creepiest Places has gone to Gina, who is one of my favourite editors and we'll soon have something ready for printing but in the meantime you can have a look at Ghosts and Hauntings which is also from New Page and in which I also have an article. These promise to be very good.

I'm trying to twist New Page's arm on a couple of new books but we're still thinking about them. I know that they're not keen on Unseen Forces so we might put this on the back burner - which is a shame as it would be fun to do.

I have so much coming out at the moment I'm starting to lose track - the new Zombies Handbook which came out recently has been selling extremely well and the Biblio Vampiro has been getting great reviews. I think there's another couple of titles in the series due for release sometime soon through Barrons - I'll check with my old friend Eric Lowenhar and find out when.

And of course, there's American Vampires on which I'm still working - looking at vampire tales State by State. Oh and keep your eyes open for new material on Irish and Celtic Saints which is being brought out by Tourism Ireland Ltd - I'll tell you more about that later as I have a meeting about it this very evening, Enough to keep me going and when I get something worked out with New Page I'll let you all know.

In the meantime I'm off to grab a lemon drink and see if I can shake the last traces of this infection. It's a tough life being an author!

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...

Happy Easter

It's a little while since I updated this blog. I've been trying to get things cleared up so I can have a few days off around Easter and spend some time with my family as well as a few medical checkups. And of course, I've been writing the new book for New Page which is now over three quarter way complete so it should be ready and off to the publishers before the end of May. Then we'll have to think about the next one and I'll begin some arm twisting.

I've also been doing a couple of book recommendations and endorsements - one for Kala Ambrose whose book Ghosthunting North Carolina should be out soon. It's great and took me back to the time when I travelled up to Asheville in North Carolina for Bascom Lunsford's Country Music Jamboree to see the great Byard Ray who travelled down from the Smokies to play the fiddle with his cousin Obray Ramsey on banjo. Afterwards we travelled over to Whiteside Mountain and the Devil's Courthouse which is a rather spooky place. I was tempted to venture inside it and the Judaculla Rock there in Creepiest Places but I didn't - I'm saving that for Volume II! But I was really happy to endorse Kala's book - we've talked a lot on her radio show and I've always been fond of North Carolina. Heck I've always been fond of a lot of places in the States!

The other book I was really pleased to endorse is Lamont Wood's Out of Place in Time and Space which I think everybody should read. It's also published by New Page and should be out in the Fall. It's a really thorough investigation into the nature of time and to the anomalies that it throws up. I really like the way Lamont writes - some of you may know that he's a native of Texas and this maybe shows in his style. But keep an eye out for it.

I'm going to take a bit of a break and then get stuck into the work again. The comics side of my work - we've posted some of it under my sister blog, Bog Standard Comix had created a lot of interest - from Mayo, Ireland to Canada and I'm busy answering e-mails on this. But trying to get a few days off to eat a few Easter eggs.

All that remains is for me to wish you all a Happy Easter and we'll talk again after the holidays!

Very Creepy

It's been a busy week as I try to get a lot of things cleared up in my community work before the onset of the Easter holidays. I chair a few community committees and after the beginning of the new financial year on 6th April there's always a lot to do, so the writing has sort of moved into the back seat but not quite.

I'm still working on the new book for New Page - The World's Creepiest Places - and this is now between half and three quarter ways done. There are some very creepy places in there - some I've been to and some I've done research on, so when it comes out buy a copy and see what you think.

The hardest part has been deciding what to include and what to omit - but then that's always the way. Ian Daniels who's been working on some of the interior illustrations has sent me down some of the artwork and believe me it's well up to and beyond his usual standard, especially the wraparound cover.

The publication month for the new book is October but this means that I have to have the complete text done by June which is something of a marathon but it looks like we're going to make it. Advance copies should be out in September I would think.

In the meantime I gather there's another book in which I'll have a part due out soon. This one is a collection of articles from New Page's authors on the subject of Ghosts and Hauntings and is edited by my old friends Michael Pye and Kirsten Dalley. You can have a read whilst you're waiting - an article on Poltergeists. And the new Zombie book which is published by Barrons seems to be selling well.

Then I'm back trying to twist New Page's arm on a new book - I'm still up for Unseen Forces or a book on Lovecraft but we'll see what they say. Oh, and a book that I'm reviewing for New Page is an excellent new book by Lamont Wood who's from Texas I believe. I'm not sure when it's coming out but I'd keep an eye for it - really good.

I'm going to take a bit of a break for a couple of weeks to get a bit of a rest and enjoy Easter. 2011 has been frantic going so far and I could do with a bit of a break. I'll do a bit of work on the book but there's a lot of television to catch up on and plenty of walks. Will keep you posted...

The World's Creepiest Places

I'm certainly getting the hang of this blogging so here's another.

It's been a busy week - a lot of inquiries on he new Zombies book and trying to work on The World's Creepiest Places. An official publication month has been designated for my new book which will be out in October this year.

This means that I'm working to a tight deadline and have to have the book ready at least a couple of months before then. I've also been working a bit on the new comics and if you check Bog Standard Comix over the next few days there should be some new lettered artwork up. I had an e-mail from Adrian no later than this morning to say that things were ready on that front. Things are still slow on that front but I'm getting plenty of inquiries, especially about Space 1949.

On the publicity front, I've been doing a number of interviews over the last week - one in Denver, Colorado - and if Steve sends me the link, I'll post it up - and then on Sunday with Dayna Winters in Albany New York. If you want to check it out, you can click here. That's the link for Isis Paranormal Radio so if you want to hear me you can go there.

The next couple of weeks will be taken up with community work - we had a big event over in Ballycastle on the North Antrim coast on Friday night and another one coming up in one of the small villages on Thursday which I'm told will be attended by politicians and all sorts of people. So I'd best be on my best behaviour as I'm sharing the stage with some of them. But hopefully it'll go well.

O.K. back to Creepy Places. More soon

Zombies

It's been a tiring week. Last Wednesday I travelled to Belfast to meet with a film crew from Los Angeles to do a number of interviews for two series for the History Channel - one for Civilisation One and one for Ancient Aliens. This took up a greater part of the day and by the evening I was totally zonked. But I've no doubt it was worth it and you can probably see me around June time or in the Fall on television. What I would say is fortify yourselves with strong drink first.

I'm also going to be on Irish television on Vampires sometime in the autumn and there's talk of another programme on BBC/RTE on wolves and werewolves coming up as well as another documentary in Norway on fairies and trolls. So enough to keep me on your screens for a while! Now if a producer wants to do a documentary on the mysterious events on the Flannan Isles in 1900 - a topic which has always fascinated me and on which I've a large amount of material - just get in contact with me. The rest of you will have to wait until my new book "The World's Creepiest Places" comes out.

And speaking of the book - who says these blogs aren't planned out? - I've just received some artwork from Ian Daniels which will be the wraparound cover for the book and I can tell you that it's excellent and well up to his usual standard. It made me shiver and I'd already seen the roughs - so be prepared for a visual treat.

And speaking of books - there's a new book on Zombies out. It's one of a series that I've done for Barrons in the US, on Vampires, Magicians, Werewolves and so forth. The books are small and very well designed and whilst they're aimed primarily at children, adults can read them too. Barrons kindly sent me a couple of copies on Friday and I have to say that it looks very well. There's a few more coming out so keep an eye out.

I think that's about it for now. I'm off to the movies with my son to see The Eagle - which was a book by Rosemary Sutcliffe that I read years ago and which I passed on to Michael. I'm seriously looking forward to it.

Oh and keep checking the Bog Standard Comix blog if you're interested as there'll be further artwork and more details of the graphics going up. If you're into this - and I know you are because some people have been writing to me - then keep an eye out. It'll be up soon.