American Vampires Again

I hope that everybody had a very happy St. Patrick's Day. I've been meaning to update this blog but have been suffering from a few computer problems which I've had to sort out. So trying to get the final touches to American Vampires finished under a little bit of pressure. But we've most of the book done and like A Haunted Mind I've been sending the sections up to Gina as they get done.

This is, I think, the side of authoriship that a lot of people never see - it's not just all about sitting down and writing the book, it's putting the bits and pieces together and working through everything even after it's finished. I've always looked on a book as a kind of collaboration between the author and the publisher and that the two of us have to work to make the book the best that it can be. So we have to sit down and work out all the technical stuf as well.

I'm liasing with Ian too who'll be doing the illustrations for both books. Just for a change, he won't be doing the cover for American Vampires - that's done by a new artist. Jeff who works at New Page sent me down the cover for this book the other day and I have to say that it looks pretty striking - not the kind of volume that you'd miss of a shelf. You're getting an early look!  I hope that the text is up to the fantastic cover.

Getting ready for Easter and I'm trying to get a few days off. I do have another book proposal in with New Pager but haven't heard anything back from them - they need to go through meetings and the like. But am trying to plan things out for later in the year - I work about five months ahead, It's the only way I can do things and there might be something on the comics front again, so keep watching.

Anyway, I've promised to make my wife a cup of tea so I'd better go and get it for her. Somebody wrote and asked me if I had "drowned my shamrock" on St. Patrick's Day? I have to admit - and this is supposedly a terrible admission for an Irishman - that I don't drink. Haven't done so for nearly 30 years. Not out of any real convictions but I just don't. How's that for a confession? It makes for a cheap St. Patrick's Day though. Will talk soon I'm sure providing this computer holds up

Haunted Mind Off to Bed

Well, at long last, A Haunted Mind is finally finished and has been sent off to Gina my editor. This was the longest book that I've ever had to write for Career and also one of the most detailed. But I think it's been worth it - I can't think of another Lovecraft book that's like it. None that I've ever read. This will now go to a review edit and then we'll progress to a final edit and it should be hitting the stands later on in the year. I see information is already up here so that you can all pre-order it.

But no time to rest as I've American Vampires to finish - it's almost done and I should have it finished within a month or so. I have a new proposal in with Career and I'm working on a new science fiction book pieces up which might be up on the Amazon webpage very soon. This is a new area for me so I'll be interested to see how it goes - it's pretty much in the vain of Star Wars but a little bit different so hopefully it'll appeal to those fans. We'll see how it goes anyway.

But keep your eyes out for the launch of A Haunted Mind. I'm rather pleased with it - as is Gina - and I've been sending stuff down to Ian Daniels who will be illustrating both it and American Vampires and he seems to like it as well. But it's been a real task and when it was finished I put my feet up for an afternoon and watched the football - alas I am a fan of English football. You can't live in my house and not be -Mary my wife is a big fan of Arsenal whilst my son follows Manchester United, much to my disgust I'm afraid.

I used to live in the East End of London and the only two teams you could support there were West Ham and Leyton Orient, so I finished up as a Hammers fan. They're in the Championship at the moment but are expected to come back into the Premiership - although they'd need to play better then they did today! 1-1 with Doncaster who are struggling. I should have stuck to writing this afternoon! At the moment the rugby's on - Ireland against Scotland so I'll go and watch that. I promise I won't leave it so long until my next blog.

Lovecraft and Vampires

I haven't been keeping this blog up to date because things have been hectic. I've had a few medical problems - nothing major but taking up time - and I've been playing catch-up since. The health service here in Northern Ireland is a bit of a mess and I've been back and forth to get various medial tests don whilst they determine several things. With the result that I'm running behind on the Lovecraft book. However I've hopefully sorted things out with the terrific help of Gina my editor and we're certainly on track for publication.

I was barely out of hospital when there were problems with one of the community projects that I'm working on which required my time as I'm chair of the entire project. That held me up as well but New Page have been very understanding and Gina and I are working towards a final edit. So the book shouldn't be delayed.

American Vampires is also generating a lot of interest. I was on the Barb Adams show last weekend and we could really have talked for much longer. Barb very kindly e-mailed me and invited me back for a more in-depth interview. Some of the things which we were going over on the Vampires book - for example a vampire chair and a vampire well - seem to have appealed to her. So listen out for that when the book comes out - I should be doing several interviews.

Oh and went to see The Woman in Black as part of a birthday treat - Valentine's Day is my birthday. It was excellent in places - lots of spooky atmosphere although I wasn't too impressed with Daniel Radcliffe's acting which seemed a bit wooden to me. Very much like Harry Potter for my liking. But it did have good bits - even if some pieces were borrowed from other ghost stories - and it really is good to see a really spooky story on screen instead of what passes for "horror" these days. Now if somebody would do A Turn of the Screw by Henry James which is also one of my favourite ghost stories and works on a lot of levels. But I also do like Susan Hill's book - one of the better stories - and I did like the film. Go and see it

Shouldn't be too long for the Lovecract book - I think it's due out late Summer/early Fall. And this will give me a little time - we're already starting to think about follow up - to look at Jackers and get it onto the Amazon website. Tell you about that next blog but it's coming. Off now to get something to eat but will be back soon

Cthulhu and Other Things

First, bear with me for a moment as I'd like to thank all those who wrote to me concerning the Sandie Williams thing. I think Sandie has the right to express her opinion and if she wants to write to me again, I would welcome the mail. If she doesn't like my work or thinks it's not up to speed then that's her privilege - she has access to more of her family records than I have but that's fine. I hope she finds some of my work acceptable and my thanks to those of you who clearly do. It gives me great heart.

Right. Now out of hospital which wasn't all that pleasant an experience and held up a lot of my writing. But I think that it was worth all the hassle and am feeling a great deal better. However, they need to keep taking blood samples to check my status and I suspect that our National Health service now owns more of my blood than I do. I had to take a couple of days more or less off - my wife insisted that I take a rest after what I'd been through - and I've been running like a mad thing ever since trying to catch up.

I'm still working on A Haunted Mind and we're almost there. This is going to be a massive book - quite possibly one of the longest and most complex that I've ever written - but it's been really revealing. I've learned a lot about Lovecraft and his inspiration since I've been doing it and it has taken me into byways which I've found amazing. I've also found it one of the most difficult to write as I want to get a lot of things right and it meant really going ino the Mythos and making connections. I've had to look at not only the books but at role playing games and comics - which was really no real hardship for me as I'm a big comics fan - in order to get some sense of continuity from the Mythos.

I've been talking some of the aspects of the book over with Gina , my editor - since I wasn't sure about the length of time I'd be in hospital I've been sending her up sections of the book as I finish them so that we have something to work on - and we think that this is going to be a fairly detailed book and one wich I truly hope will be a good contribution to the Mythos. But you will determine that.

Now a quick query. Some of you know that I've a page on Amazon as well and I was thinking of using that to test out some chapters of a new SF novel. Don't tell New Page but I've been working on a couple of space novels in secret! If you'd be interested in seeing the fruits of my work, I may put them up on Amazon in the next few months or so. I've been talking to Adrian who does some of the comics with me - I had a meeting with him on Tuesday - and he may even do a cover for it. Then we might do an e-book or something - we'll see what the response is like. But would you be interested?

It's very different to the stuff that I do for New Page but those that have read it like it so I'm thinking of going with it. Let me know what any of you think anyway. Must go as there's something to eat ready but will be back again . See, I'm writing more of these. Will let you know as soon as A Haunted Mind is finished and then it's on to American Vampires for which I've just done the Catlaogue Copy! The work of a writer is never done!

Happy New Year

I've been meaning to get onto this blog for a couple of days but haven't quite managed it. I've been up to my eyes with the two new books.

However I did want to wish you all a Happy New Year and I hope that for you all 2012 will be a good one.

What prompted me to write this is an e-mail I received through Career Publicity from a Sandie Williams taking me to task about part of what I had written about the Cornish pellar Tamsin Blight. She claims that the Blights arte ancestors of hers, and I have no reason to doubt her, and that she had obviously done a fair amount of geneogical research into her ancestry and I had "got it wrong". I have tried to get in contact with her to explain a few things but curiously I am told that the e-mail address she has quoted does not exist so I thought I'd use this function to reply. Please bear with me for a moment whilst I answer her.

Firstly Sandie you send the communication to Career Press which was the wrong publisher. They are not the publishers of Mysterious Celtic Mythology and indeed have nothing to do with it. Had you checked the publisher you would have found it was Pelican Press in Louisiana.

That aside, I did not have the ancestral archives that you - having taken a person al interest in the family - would have at your disposal so I am therefore grateful for any information which you might be able to furnish, although I feel you did not have to be so abusive.

My source on Tamsin Blight was William Bottrell who as you may know is regarded as one of the foremost Cornish folklorists and whose work is widely quoted in many Universities and colleges. He wrote several pamphlets on her. However, as you point out that his work is supect, I will only use it again with qualifications. Thank you for this information.

Also puzzling is the reference which you say I make to Aleister Crowley as a woman - I have looked through the relevant section mentioned quote and can find no reference to that. Perhaps you have a different edition of the book and if so perhaps you could furnish me with the details so that I can get in contact with the publisher regarding it.

I don't know whether Sandie reads my blog - she would have found it much easier to contact me through this than by bothering publishers who have nothing to do with the book in question but I will be pleased to answer any questions that she has.

Right, apologies for all that but as I said, I could find no other way of contacting her.

In the meantime A Haunted Mind - which is published by Career/New Page - goes apace. Both Christmas and New Year were quiet. I only went and saw Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows which was something of an effort for me. As you all may know I'm a great Sherlock Holmes fan and struggle with anything that's outside the framework of the original books. But it wasn't bad. And I went and saw Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol which was the latest Tom Cruise vehicle - all absolute nonsense but good fun. Too much Cruise though - it's over 20 minutes too long and I gather he wanted that to keep in onscreen. But go and see them both. And peace and prosperity in 2012 to you all - Sandie Williams included!

Happy Christmas

This is just a quick blog to wish everybody a Happy Christmas and hopefully a wonderful 2012.

It has to be quick as I don't know when I've been so far behind - Christmas seems to have crept up on me this year and the last couple of days I've been running about like a mad thing trying to catch up. Thankfully I've a lot of the tasks done but there's still one or two which I hope to get done tomorrow. Still Mary and the children are now off school and this afternoon they insisted that I was working too hard and that they would take me out.

The good/bad thing is that I live right across a fual carriageway from a cinema and bowling centre complex and so we went and saw the new Sherlock Holmes movie when I suppose I should have been working. I'm a big Sherlock Holmes fan and have all the stories - the Sherlock Holmes I enjoyed most was Jeremy Brett, even though the role killed him and I don't think anyone comes close. But Robert Downey Jnr. was a lot of fun - it doesn't really have to be Sherlock Holmes, it could have been anybody. But I enjoyed it as did Mary and the children. 


The film I'm really looking forward to seeing is The Woman in Black with Daniel Radcliffe. I really enjoyed the book - one of my favourites - and I've even seen the stage play. The children are looking forward to seeing it because "Harry Potter's" in it, well you know what I mean. I've never been a big fan of Harry Potter though Mary and the children have read all the books and I have seen all the films. The first ones were o.k. but I couldn't get into the later ones at all. But I am looking forward to Susan Hill's work. 


Now I have to get back to work or Career will be on my back. Happy Christmas and we'll all talk in the New Year all being well.

More Music

A lot of people must be reading these blogs because some of them have contacted me about my taste in music.

I may have said that at one time I played in a band - and that I did a session man for the late Jim Morrison. All those who are Jim Morrison fans looks away now because I did not find him all that pleasant an individual. They say you should never meet your heroes as you'll only be disappointed and although I was never a massive fan of the Doors - I did like some of the stuff they did and have several of their albums - I think I expected more of him.

His main fault as far as I was concerned is that he was too full of his own importance and he was surrounded by a number of sycophants. In another setting I have no doubt he would have been a very nice individual but I suppose you can only judge as you find. I've also met Mick Jagger very briefly in Amsterdam but didn't get close enough to be able to form a proper opinion.

Maybe I'm misjudging Morrison. My daughter is heavily into music and on Thursday we went to hear her sing solo in the local cathedral as part of her school carol service and then we went over to a nearby town as the Northern Area Orchesta in which she plays lead violin were playing at the Mayor's Christmas Concert.

I suppose we all get this from my grandfather who was a great musician. He could practically play any instrument that was set down in front of him. There were all sorts o people coming through our house at one time.

But enough about music. I'm up to my eyes trying to get the Haunted Mind book out of the way - I'm hoping to have it in with New Page by the beginning of February but it's the most detailed book that I've attempted so far. I'm hoping that Lovecraft fans will love it so watch this space.

A lot of interest in American Vampires too - that will be out later next year and I think will be slightly different from any other vampire book that's been brought out.

My wife is asking for a cup of tea so I'd better go. Will write another entry before Christmas I hope. Thanks for all your good wishes.