Going Digital

I think I'm falling behind a bit with these blogs.

The past few weeks have been so busy that I really haven't had time to write them. And I've been suffering a bit of a reaction to a 'flu jab which I got a couple of weeks ago which has turned into a very minor chest infection. Not enough to floor me but enough to slow me down a little bit.

However, I've been able to keep on with my projects one of which is a new one on the Spanish Armada in Ireland which is very exciting. We're looking at the trail o a survivor from the Armada who treked his way overland from Sligo to North Antrim - Francisco de Cuellar and his adventures read like a novel. All good stuff possibly for future tourist material.

The other big thing is that New Page have been contact with me and we're doing a deal with a company to produce enhanced e-books. Now for an old technological dinosaur like me I'm not fully sure what this is but I know it's a book which can be downloaded to a tablet or new Amazon Kindle device which also includes animation, interviews with the author and the like - maybe even movies. I'm assured that they're the next step in modern fiction and that this new company is most impressive. I'm all for the advance of technology but I still like the feel and smell of an actual book. They'll never take that away from me but I suppose I can give it a go. The people at New Page are very excited about this and who am I to stand in the way of progress.

I'm told that the book company will want to interview and film me for the "extras" on the book and will be doing it next year. They're doing quite a lot of my back catalogue too so maybe all of you who want to ask me to expand further on some things will get your wish.

Anyway, I think that the first of the new books will be out next October all being well. My son who is heavily into technological things is also very excited about this as well, so maybe I'm doing something right. It's the future I'm told and I'm not going to argue. It'll be interesting to see what it's like. You'vbe all been warned well in advance! I'd fortify yourselves with strong drink now!

In the Wee Hours

Where is the time going? I promised that I'd do more on this blog and I haven't been able to find the time.

I've been up to my eyes in interviews on the radio - mostly in the States but in oher parts of the world as well. For instance this morning I was up at 3 am to speak to Brisbane and then at 5 am I was speaking to Boulder in Colorado. It really wasn't worth my while going to bed - you roll in and in you're so frightened of actually sleeping through the alarm, or at least I am, that you can't sleep anyway. So it's just as handy to get up and do some work. The only thing is that I'm writing this and I'm absolutely zonked. They didn't tell me this when I started being a writer. We finished this morning about 7 but as I'm usually up by that time anyway, there seemed very little point in heading back to bed.

Earlier in the week I did Burlington in North Carolina and I've also done Baltimore and Newcastle upon Tyne in England. Next Sunday night I'm speaking on the Strange Frequencies radio show - I'm not sure where that comes from as I'm starting to lose track and before that 10/19 on the Mancow Muller show which I think is somewhere in Illinois.

The new book - The World's Creepiest Places - is now out and seems to be generating some interest as does the article on poltergeists in Ghosts, Spirits & Hauntings. I did an interview on that this morning with Barb Adams in Colorado.

Still finishing American Vampires and have got another section of A Haunted Mind almost completed which is the new book on Lovecraft. I've seen the cover for this which Ian Damiels hs done and it's terrific.

Anyway, I'm heading off to bed early as I'm really getting too old to be sitting up all night - though it never used to bother me when I was younger. I promise I will keep this blogsite better updated in future. Oh and buy the World's Creepiest Places - you'll not be disappointed unless you're looking for a book on quantum physics!

A Haunted Mind

I'm neglecting this site rather badly.

I keep meaning to add to the blog but somehow at the moment I can never find the time.

A lot of my community work has taken a step up and I'm working on new projects. These seem to be taking more and more time - or else I'm just getting older and they're taking me far longer - and whilst I say I'll write a bit of a blog I never really get round to it. I'm also trying to finish off American Vampires - almost done - as well as a couple of other writing projects which will appear in the fullness of time hopefully.

And I've been asked to do more tv work - I believe that I'm on television on the Ancient Aliens programme but we don't get it over here. I wouldn't watch it anyway as I hate seeing myself on tv. But it must be going down o.k. as they've asked me to do more,

And the big news is that The World's Creepiest Places has been printed - in fact I have a copy sitting in front of me - and should be available as from the 5th October, I think. I'm snowed under with requests for interviews and am trying to sort them out, so be prepared for me on radio stations everywhere. I've already done some of them and I think some are appearing as podcasts already.

Also the next book has been agreed with New Page. This is the Lovecraft book and it's called A Haunted Mind. I had suggested "Eldrich Worlds" but when I was doing up the scheme for the book, I called the Introduction, which is about Lovecraft himself and who he was "A Haunted Mind" and they loved it and decided to call the book that. Which means I've got to think up another title for the Introduction!

I've also started a new science-fiction novel which is about time travel and is set in the American Civil War. What if something had shifted the balance of history, which might be more fragile than we realise, and the South had won? Such an event in itself might not be ompletely shattering but what if it had ramifications further down the line And what if there were more timelines than our own? We'll see where this one goes.

By the way did anyone see Torchwood recently and more importantly did anyone understand it? My son and I sat through ten episodes of Miracle Day - my wife and daughter having given up after the third episode - and we were still no wiser. There were far too many unanswered questions and, dare I say it, the whole adventure was unnecessarily gay. I have absolutely nothing against gayness but did all the innuendo and reference add anything to the plot? Maybe it did and I missed it. Anyway I'll get back to my writing.

I promise not so leave it so long until the next post.

Time And Time Again

Well, the new book on Ghosts and Hauntings is out - and a good volume it is too - and ready to buy whilst The World's Creepiest Places is done and off to the printers. I think that New Page are releasing it a wee bit earlier than they had planned, as we're ahead of schedule.

Still working on the American Vampires book and the new book for New Page looks as if it will be on Lovecraft - the title is still to be worked out, although we do have a working title. So doing some specimen work for them on that.

At the moment my son is dragging me in to watch a boxed television set which I bought recently. It's the Time Tunnel from the 1960s and he's quite hooked. Can I admit that I was a big Irwin Allen fan? I truly loved his Lost In Space - it was the magnificent Jonathan Harris which made it for me as Dr. Smith and I have a full boxed set of all the series - and I enjoyed Richard Basehart in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea as well as Land of the Giants. I've always loved The Time Tunnel, even though it ran for only one series. So whilst it has been pouring with rain outside, he and I have watched episodes of it. I also had a look at the 2002 remake which looked interesting and deals with the changes in history which even the smallest alteration can make.

It made me haul out the basis for an old sci-fi series that I wrote once upon a time - well actually two or three years ago - about a time agency. Time travel and how it can change our own world has always fascinated me. This one deals with the American Civil War and how the timeline can be altered if the South had somehow won - what would a subsequent America be like if say Robert E. Lee had become president? I read through what part of it exists - almost half the book - and it's not all that bad. It can do with revisions but I might dust it down and have a look around for a publisher. I'm not all that well up in sci-fi publishers but Ill see what I can do.

I have a series somewhere in the back of my head. But the Creepiest Places should be out soon. Hope you like it and the places that I've chosen. I had a lot of fun writing it and Ian's artwork is stunning. More to come,e specially on time travel!

Vampires

Still working on the American Vampires book which is getting close to being completed. I have to say that this book has nearly written itself and has interested me greatly. It's looking at the historical and cultural influences, from various parts of the world, which have fashioned the vampire myth in the States - looking at the folklore in a number of States. But don't expect it to be like Buffy or Twilight. In fact Paranormal magazine here in the UK has already asked me to write an article on the famous Vampire Chair down in Tennessee. Can you imagine that - an actual chair which is a vampire? And I was able to drag up a story from Latvia which concerned a vampire mirror which is very spooky. So the next time you look in a glass ......

I've just finished the section on the vampire and witch-lore of New York State with its nachtmerrie and witches and am now doing the lore of North Carolina. The book should be finished within a couple of months or so - and I'm hoping it'll be popular as I don't think there's another vampire book like it, I've certainly learned a lot doing it - and then I'll hopefully be working on the Lovecraft book for New Page.

It's not finalized yet but we'll hopefully get something up and running over the next month or so. And of course there's always the comics which are slow but worth it. At the moment I'm taking things a bit easier as my wife and children are off from school and I'm trying to fit a few things in with them - although it's not easy sometimes.

Still I'm off tomorrow to see Captain America with my son who's just returned from scout camp in England. I hope a lot of you are getting a bit of a break over the summer - where's it going eh? Will let you all know when American Vampires is finished and when we've finalised the new Lovecraft book, maybe not a for a little while. Take care and watch out for the vampire kind!

Lovecraft Looming

The American Vampires book is almost three quarters finished although I'm taking a few days off here and there to share part of summer holidays with my family.

My time seems to be taken up at the moment with community work - I'm the Chairman of a community facility in a massive housing estate which allows one-parent families to return to education by providing courses and a creche for them. It's very satisfying but as you might expect it's hard work if you're to do it properly. So I've been working with the Project Manager to develop and expand this which is taking up a fair amount of time but which I could handle if there weren't for another set of projects including bringing four rural villages together in a sort of joint project.

There's talk of a marathon next year but again a lot of work. And I do want to spend some time with the family who are all off over the summer - my wife being a teacher. So I've been working on Dutch witchcraft trials for the New York section of the book. However, it's coming along well and I'm very pleased with it.

And of course I've another book in the pipeline with New Page. We're just talking about it at the moment although I've some sample text written. This one looks as if it's going to be about Lovecraft which I'm told is gaining a new lease of life in the US and as a project I find it extremely exciting.

Because the new World's Creepiest Places was finished ahead of time and because there was little correction needed to be done it looks as if it might go to the printer's early and be out slightly early. I should get the final read through from Gina this coming week. And the Ghosts and Hauntings book should also be coming out this week.

I'm looking forward to working on the Lovecraft book which is going to be something of a challenge - and what's life if you don't have a challenge?

Just heard the news as I'm working on this that it looks like Amy Winehouse has been found dead. What a waste of talent! I really enjoyed her stuff and it's been on my turntable for a few days now.

A premonition?

That's not to take away from all those families in Norway who have lost loved ones. All our thoughts and prayers go out to them. And if my son happens to be reading this - he's away at scout camp in England at the moment and I know he sometimes reads this, though he says he doesn't - we're all missing you Michael.

I'll keep you all abreast of the Lovecraft book but keep watching for Ghosts and Hauntings!

Going Dutch Again

It's been over a month since I was on this blog. In the meantime I have been in Amsterdam, which is still an amazing city - I lived there for a while years ago - my family and I truly enjoyed it.

One of the things that I found truly moving was the Anne Frank house which my daughter wanted to see as she's read the Diary at school. Amazing to think of a family hiding away in such a narrow house during the Nazi occupation.

We had a good and restful time and then found ourselves back in the midst of rioting and destruction that is the 12th of July in Northern Ireland. I was talking to a man today who was in Spain over the 12th and he was telling me that he was watching the English channels over there and all they were getting from Northern Ireland were pictures of rioting going out all around the world.

I watched people coming on to say that this is their culture and they must defend it - and if you want to take that attitude then I suppose you can - but how can it be a culture if you are destroying your own area or someone else's? Where's the "heritage" in that?

I had to do a couple of messages on the 12th and I was out and about round our town and all I saw were gangs of youths with beer cans getting moved on by police. And on the television I watched the cars that someone had worked to buy and maybe hadn't paid off yet being burned by gangs of youths in the name of "culture" and "heritage".

One thing my trip to the Netherlands did teach me - and which I suppose I already knew - is that most of the people over here don't really know anything about the culture of the House of Orange-Nassau, which we all claim to celebrate. Or rather they only know what they want to know. Still it's over for another year although there'll be a number of other marches and probably more tension. I don't think it does the image of the Province any good.

On the more positive side, the American Vampires book is coming along - I've just finished the section on South Carolina and am working on the New York State one which once more brings in the Dutch, they're getting everywhere. It really is a book that I'm enjoying writing.

And the new Ghosts and Hauntings should be out soon from New Page with a section from myself in it. Other than that I'm working on comics and have a new strip coming out in an Italian comic called Dark Matter in October. Some of it may show up at the San Diego convention next week. Oh and keep an eye out for an article on Giovanni Aldini from "Man Made Monsters" in an upcoming issue of Paranormal magazine.

The holiday was great but work beckons. Will talk again soon I'm sure.