Imposter Syndrome launched!

It’s here! 

Imposter Syndrome is the second anthology edited by myself and Dan Howarth; it's published by Dark Minds Press and the stunning cover artwork was done by Neil Williams. 

The book will be formally launched at this year’s Sledge-Lit on November 25th with the editors and a number of the authors in attendance. Paperback copies will be available at the event but follow the link here to order if you can’t attend. The Kindle version will be released on launch day, just click here to pre-order.

Should further proof be needed that this will be one of the anthologies of the year, just another take a look at the TOC…

INTRODUCTION
James Everington & Dan Howarth

I KNOW WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE
Gary McMahon

IN THE MARROW
Laura Mauro

WHO IS THAT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF YOU?
Timothy J Jarvis

WHAT’S YOURS IS MINE
Holly Ice

THE INSIDER
Neil Williamson

OTHER PEOPLE’S DREAMS
Stephen Bacon

HOLD MY HAND AND I’LL TAKE YOU THERE
Ralph Robert Moore

THE WRONG HOUSE
Tracy Fahey

LITTLE HEART
Georgina Bruce

VIRTUALLY FAMOUS
Phil Sloman

Announcement: Imposter Syndrome

Very pleased today to be able to annonce Imposter Syndrome, a forthcoming anthology edited by myself and Dan Howarth. The book will feature all original stories about doppelgängers, clones, changelings, Capgras-delusion and pod-people.

I'm immensely excited by the authors who are contributing stories:

Laura Mauro
Ralph Robert Moore
Gary McMahon
Tracy Fahey
Holly Ice
Timothy J. Jarvis
Neil Williamson
Stephen Bacon
Georgina Bruce
Phil Sloman

Imposter Syndrome will be released winter 2017 by the wonderful Dark Minds Press.

Boo Books and Trying To Be So Quiet

Well.
 
I'd planned to do a brief blog post today about some new reviews for my Boo Books novella Trying To Be So Quiet - and I still am going to mention that - but they've been slightly overshadowed by the sad news from Alex Davis that Boo Books is to close. Boo Books have released some fantastic books and I'm proud to have been part of their rosta. And I'd like to thank Alex for all his hard work and encouragement, and wish him good luck with his future ventures.
 
The good news is that Boo Books titles are all still available as we speak, and I can personally recommend Andrew David Barker's The Electric and Dead Leaves, the Haunted anthology, and, based on her reading at Edge-Lit, Tracy Fahey's collection The Unheimlich Manouver.


Oh yeah, and those Trying To Be So Quiet reviews:
 
"If you like your quiet, stealthy, and throat-achingly sad, this one is for you." Tracy Fahey
"A must read, wonderful.", Yvonne Davies, Terror Tree


Trying To Be So Quiet is available as a hardback and ebook (UK | US). 

Edge-Lit 5 / The Thirteen Signs

I'll be at Edge-Lit 5 at the Derby Quad on Saturday 16th July. I'll be part of the Boo Books launch event, where I'll be talking about, and reading from, Trying To Be So Quiet, alongside Tracey Fahey who will be doing the same from her forthcoming collection The Unheimlich Manoeuvre. The launch takes place at 11am, which means I'll then have the rest of the day free for socialising, buying books, and attending panels and launches. Hope to see a few of you there - say hello!

One event I'll definitely be attending is the legendary Edge-lit raffle, hosted by Sarah Pinborough and Conrad Williams. Can't wait for the irreverent, abusive and foul-mouthed descriptions of the prizes... even though one of my books is up for grabs this year. *Gulp*


In other news, I'm pleased to say my story Hooked will be appearing in the anthology The Thirteen Signs, in which each author has written a story based on a sign of the zodiac. Mine was Pisces; just for the record, I hate all that astrology bumpkin, a view I've tried to subtlety work into my tale...

The anthology is edited by Dean M Drinkel and the full lineup is below:

The Order Of Aries - Mark West
Come Join The Blood Parade - Lily Childs
Seven For Eight - Romain Collier
Carapace - Raven Dane
Leo - Tim Dry
Solomon Carson And The Death Of A Virgin - Trevor Kennedy & Robert E. Tate
Leeber - Christine Dougherty
The Scorpion Dance - Amelia Mangan
One in Twelve - Steve Byrne
A Sorrow Of Sweet Pipings - Jan Edwards
Ganymede - Emile-Louis Tomas Jouvet
Hooked - James Everington
Worshipping The Snake- Dean M Drinkel

Recommendation: Darkest Minds

Darkest Minds is the latest anthology from Dark Minds Press, and it collects together stories that are all based on the idea of crossing boundaries, whether real or metaphorical. Anyone who's read much of my work will known that's a theme that resonates very strongly with me - and indeed, it's proved fertile ground for the horror genre as a whole. As such, I had high hopes for this anthology and I wasn't disappointed.

There are twelve stories, and the editors (Ross Warren & Anthony Watson) have done a good job in making sure their selections aren't receptive - a common flaw of themed anthologies. So Darkest Minds includes stories ranging from 'traditional' horror such as Tracy Fahey's fine depiction of modern day travellers, Walking The Borderlines, to more experimental pieces like Andrew Hook's equally fine Bothersome. There's social commentary on the plight of refugees (Robert Mammone's tale of the same name) and people living under modern austerity in Tom Johnstone's Under Occupation, which proves an interesting companion piece to the Horror Uncut anthology that Johnstone edited.

There aren't any stinkers among these stories, and every reader is likely to have their favourites. A few of my top picks were by authors I was pretty sure beforehand weren't going to disappoint: Mark West's Time Waits... (a typical West everyman protagonist plunged into a very surreal situation indeed); Gary Fry's A Catalyst (an unusually low-key but affecting tale); and Stephen Bacon's It Came From The Ground (a compelling exploration of war-zone journalism, child soldiers, and big scary monsters).

But I was especially pleased that two stories that completely blew me away were by authors I've read very little of: Ralph Robert Moore's note-perfect The 18 - a story about doppelgangers and love and individualism - and David Surface's haunting The Sea In Darkness Calls which used the liminal space of the seashore to great effect. One thing I love about anthologies is when they give me new authors to seek out further stories by, and Darkest Minds certainly did that.

Overall, Darkest Minds presents twelve stories that are never less than interesting, and at their best provide so the best horror and dark fiction likely to be released this year. Dark Minds may not be as well known as some small presses, but on this evidence they deserve to be.