What is weird fiction (or weird horror, if you prefer)? Nobody has a definitive answer, but most people say they recognise it when they see it. A mood more than a genre, some believe, a way of exploring and challenging ‘reality’. The sense that the illogical, unnatural, and unpredictable have slipped in when you weren’t looking — perhaps neither you nor the world are what you thought they were. As such, it may evoke doubt, horror, disgust, even sometimes wonder and revelation — or simply make you think. A tricky beast, then. And yet I often write this sort of thing myself.


So when Belanger Books asked me, a while back, if I’d edit an anthology which introduced the strange, weird and occult to the logical existence of Sherlock Holmes — without wrecking the traditional Great Detective in the process --  I had to have a go. Surprisingly, that simple start has so far launched not one but five successful anthologies — HOLMES & THE OCCULT DETECTIVES VOLUMES I to IV, and a further massive volume, THE BOOK OF CARNACKI, a celebration of another famous period detective. That chap, Thomas Carnacki, written by William Hope Hodgson (a contemporary of Conan Doyle), definitely slid us into the weird. But where next?


We decided to strike out into even stranger waters. We would produce two brand new books of weird period-set horror, leaving the detectives, traditional or occult, behind for a while. These would include stories which were disquieting and disturbing — tales of troubled minds and disjointed, even terrifying circumstances. The psychological, the ab-natural, and yes, even outright horror. In keeping with Belanger’s core output, and some of my own interests, we settled for a focus on two distinct historical periods — the broad Edwardian period, a time of huge change, and the Second World War, with its own terrible events.  Thus were born our latest projects:

1. ALONE ON THE BORDERLAND, an anthology of new weird fiction set roughly between 1900 and the end of World War One.
2. A DARKER CONTINENT, an anthology of new weird fiction set between 1939 and 1946, focused on Europe during those dark years.

And one of our challenges is to try and go beyond fusty faux-Victorian supernatural tales in the first case, thrilling Boys’ Own war/horror stories in the second. To deliver something a bit different — and a bit worrying. Maybe even liminal, if you like that odd word which is often used about weird fiction — playing with perceptions, crossing borders, and in transition.


So it was YES to tales of unnatural menace and unease on factory floors, in shadowed parlours, and hostile forests; NO to the same exhausted ghosts going ‘Woo!’ in the Blue Room. YES to the soldiers and refugees far from home, who no longer comprehend the nightmare around them; NO to plucky British vampires charging Jerry tanks (or vice versa). We want to keep it strange, keep it weird. Can we do it? We shall see. The stories are already coming in.


For those who write weird horror fiction — we are OPEN right now to submissions. As editor, I’m keen to see the widest possible range of stories from the widest possible range of writers across the world. ALONE ON THE BORDERLAND is open until 30th June; 

A DARKER CONTINENT is open until 31st August. Everything else you need you know is here: http://greydogtales.com/blog/new-anthologies-of-the-weird/ and you can query me via linwoodweird@gmail.com or through Messenger any time. For those of you who read it — both books will be out in 2024, after modest Kickstarters to gather additional advance interest and get the search engines churning...


Whether writer or reader, we hope you’ll join us!


( HOLMES & THE OCCULT DETECTIVES VOLUMES I to IV and THE BOOK OF CARNACKI, edited by John Linwood Grant, are all available on Amazon now in PB and Kindle)

You wake up and find yourself in a horror franchise, what franchise would you prefer to wake up in and why?

I slip from the great four poster bed, parting drapes as heavy and dark as a funeral bier. By the light of a guttering candelabra, I take in a chamber filled with fantastically carven furniture, obscure tapestries and a mirror that is positioned to frighten anyone entering with their own reflection. How I came here, I know not, nor why I am garbed in such antique style, cumbrous yet not unsuited to my surroundings. The engraved locket around my neck is one I have possessed since childhood. Something in me responds to my circumstances not with fear but with a strange sense of familiarity. Of homecoming, though it be to a place filled with dreadful mystery. As the great clock ticks, showing it wants but an hour till midnight, I take up the candelabra and prepare to explore.

    But facing the door, I pause. The flame of the candles dips always away from a particular tapestry, displaying a grave-faced knight. The image is surely centuries old, but his eyes seem almost alive in the flickering light. I feel a sudden sympathy for his beauty and the tragedy it seems to speak, that from the waist down he is enrapt by thorns. But the whole tapestry ripples in the draft, revealing a concealed passage. With my free hand, I lift it and so enter a passage filled with curious portraits.

    Each is of the same man. From the limning of the Renaissance to the formal portraiture of the sixteen and seventeenth centuries, the emotionality of the eighteenth. Those same eyes regard me, though the man himself be garbed as a Georgian dandy or with Victorian sobriety. As Expressionism overtakes Realism, he sits in a simple black suit amid green walls, but the brushstrokes make of his eyes a maelstrom. And next to that…   

    “A hint, oh beautiful one. Never commission a portrait from a cubist.”


You find yourself as the “Final One”.  Which monster / villain would you most like to go up against and why do you think you would survive?
    
He stands with his back towards me, against the glow of a dying fire, holding his long, pale hands to the warmth. His skin is all but translucent. Tendrils of thick, dark hair fall down his back, over an antique jerkin graven with a pattern of thorns and roses. Like the design upon my locket. When he speaks, his voice holds the hollowness of some great well.

    “By that locket, you are some distant descendent of the Megrim family. Do you know of its history, and that of this house?” Dumbly, I shake my head. And yet, he seems to see me without seeing, to be aware of my every move. “It was given by the first Baron to his beloved. Her untimely death drove him to madness and then darkness eternal.”

    When he turns, my breath catches.

“And yet, in you, I see her once again. Perhaps even her spirit returned.”

    My mouth is dry as I reach for words. “If that be me, then who are you?”

    “Who am I but that same Baron of Megrim, cursed with immortality for allowing my passions to overcome my sense of honour and religious duty. For long ages have I waited, my desire as eternal as my night. The fire warms me not.”

    “Look, I’m not saying you aren’t Lilith’s gift in leather, but the Gothic doesn’t work like that anymore.”

    “What?”

    “It’s more about confronting the unpalatable truths of history and finding unexpected resonances of the past in contemporary settings than the whole woman against society thing. Oh, there’s still glamour and mystery, and amazing clothes, and every kind of consensual sexuality. But traditional power dynamics? Forget it.”
    “I have never forgotten – “

    “Which brings me to the whole memory loss thing. I’m betting I didn’t go to sleep here, which means you brought me here without my consent. Fair enough in case of an accident, though a hospital was probably more appropriate. But the gown business? That’s not going to fly, even if you can. And as your descendant, I’m fairly sure I’m the owner of this old pile: that is, if the legal principle of mortmain applies to the undead.”


And which creature would you least like to go up against?

“Well,” says the Baron. “If you really want to be contemporary, fungal horror is trending. And fungus, spores and mould is something we’ve always had in abundance here at Megrim Manor.”

    In the passageway behind me, darkness wells like a cohesive thing. A faint chitter, as of many tiny mouths. It comes towards me, swallowing each portrait in turn.

“I am calling the Mould Doctor. Now.”


You find yourself in Scooby Doo, which character are you, and who would most like to have as the other members of Mystery Inc?


    At this, one of the drapes collapses upon me, enveloping me all save my face. Taking it for more fungus, I cry out, but then see a group of young people – ridiculously young people – have somehow penetrated the Baron’s sanctum. A blonde youth in a white sweater, a red-headed girl. Behind them, an obvious stoner stands with his hand on the collar of a great dane. Across the room, a short girl with a bob and rather becoming glasses, has taken a curious puzzle box down from the mantle and begun turning it in her hands.

“It’s the author who was signing in that quaint little bookshop!” The blonde announces triumphantly. “You’ve been haunting this manor all along!”
Now I remember.

“And you’re that git who knocked over the stack of my paperbacks on on your way to the Local History section. That’s the last thing I do remember – you must have knocked me unconscious!”

“I’m sorry, but we had, like, important research to do.”

“And I, a horror writer, was right there? It didn’t occur to you that maybe I would have the clue?”

“Horror written by women is just stupid romantic stuff.”

“You know what? Here’s the undead baron of Megrim Manor and a heap of sentient mould. Have fun, kids.“


Pinhead pops round for an evening of fun, what are you pains and pleasures?


    “THE BOX. YOU OPENED IT.”

    “Now hold on a moment – you may be the penultimate priest of sensation, except in The Scarlet Gospels – “

    “DON’T GO THERE!”

    “But this is my house – “

    “Actually, mortmain originally applied to those who took religious vows – “

    “It’s my house and I’m going to hold writer’s retreats and Hannibalesque dinner parties. And I have rules. A very important one concerns female agency. Velma, dear, I don’t suppose you’re a sub? You were for three seasons, only no one noticed? Well then, so long as you two agree on a safe word, you can play around right here, instead of in some hell dimension. And what was that you found inside the puzzle box? Hmmm, it looks like a fire opal.”



The Wishmaster gives you three wishes.
1.  You can wish to write in any franchise
2. You can wipe one franchise from the minds of everyone
3. You can date your horror crush


    “Look, I know perfectly well that any wish I make will be twisted into a curse.”
    “I will haunt your steps. I will corrupt your friends and family until you do.”

    “My family is over there, draining the life out of a teenager. Here’s a question - what do you wish?”

    “That you would make a wish.”

    “So, my wish is that you grant your own wish.”

    The fire pops and crackles. The young men squeal as the mould engulfs them. Pinhead and Velma discuss shibari. The Baron pats the dog.

“So, how’s that going for you?”

“My head hurts.”

“Look, why don’t you join the party? I’m sure that the djinn as wish-dispenser is a reductive colonial concept anyway.”

“Not helping.”

“The thing is, I don’t care what franchise this is, there’s always room for experimentation. You can forget the phallic stabber and the final virgin, there are so many other possibilities. So many ways to bring the fear home, and home is after all what it is all about. The homes we are presented with and those we make for ourselves. Pinhead, can you summon thorns as well as chains? We could maybe get a nice, dark fairy tale thing going here, with a sleeping prince - ”

“Is that a wish?”

“I’d say it’s an option. Now, I’m putting some music on and finding out who here can samba. The mould? Well, why not.”

This Attraction Now Open Till Late
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http://www.kylaward.com/books.html#OpenTillLate


Enter a dark carnival where nothing is as it seems, in this collection of thirteen tales by award-winning author KYLA LEE WARD. Each exhibit tantalises with a mix of horror, seduction and blackest humour.

A masked apparition tempts a struggling musician. Tourists in the City of Assassins seek a truly authentic experience. Gargoyles and angels battle for the future of a university. Firefighters confront the spectre of what has burned before. Actors in a funfair haunt realise where the true horror lies. A wax-working necromancer plots vengeance for the death of her lover.

This menagerie of stories represents twenty years of publication by a unique voice in contemporary weird and Gothic fiction and will enthrall enthusiasts of thoughtful horror and dark fantasy.
"No devotee of the truly weird will want to be without this book."
— S. T. Joshi, multiple award-winning literary critic, author of I Am Providence.

"Surreal nightmares may be a side effect of reading this collection. Beware! Kyla will have you in her spell, as she did me!"
— Marge Simon, multiple Stoker Award winner, co-author of Satan's Sweethearts

Horror games have a particular fascination behind them that some people just can’t ignore and actually crave. You’re going to get jump scared, your heart will be pounding and you may even have nightmares... Which is obvious. Yet some gamers still flock in their droves to get their hands on the latest scarefest of a game. But why is this?


The genre of horror has grown so popular. We understand that it isn't for everyone and there are people that prefer to stay well clear of anything horror related. What can't be argued is that it has worked its way into almost all forms of digital entertainment. This even includes online casinos that offer bonus spins to play your favorite slots (Yes, there are horror-themed slots!). Let’s take a look at some of the aspects that have made this genre of the game so popular.


The Scares


Most of us have built-in fears - death, injury and apparently falling are all things we’re born scared of. Beyond these though, video games like to use other elements to bring the goosebumps.
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One of the most common is the aspect of abnormality or disfigurement of the normal. The clue is in the name - many horror games take something we’re used to and twist or morph it into something we aren’t used to.


This can be done in a subtle way such as slightly janky movement or odd characteristics, just like Alma in the original F.E.A.R game. But what some of the best horrors do is go in the opposite direction and make things so disfigured you can’t help but recoil. A classic case of this is the Dead Space franchise. The first game wasn’t just scary thanks to the atmosphere, the body horror was downright traumatizing.


Another big tactic horror games will implement is the use of darkness. There’s something inherently scary about the pitch black. It taps into a primal part of the brain, the part that wonders what kind of threat is lurking in the void. Alan Wake used the darkness as one of its core mechanics, even giving you as the protagonist a flashlight as one of your main methods of combat.


The atmosphere that surrounds your character is a huge tactic. From level designs to the ambience, different elements are woven together to add a whole new level of immersion. Many indie horror games and even indie horror films - such as the recently released Skinamarink - have used atmosphere to create unforgettable experiences.


A lesser-known tactic is the recently researched ‘excitation transference’. This theory dictates that the anticipation building up to a scary event helps add far more weight to the scare. Those scary noises you’re hearing in the distance as you wander around a hallway? Building anticipation. The soundtrack and sound design play a vital role in supplying the biggest scares when using excitation transference, allowing the suspense to build either slowly or quickly.


Why Gamers Play Horror Games


Knowing that they’re going to have the heck scared out of them, why are gamers lining up to experience these horror titles? You may be thinking it’s for the Twitch views but there has actually been quite a lot of extensive research done into why we crave being scared out of our skin!


One theory states that a certain type of personality appreciates these digital scares thanks to the sensation it provides. The emotional high they get when they get scared out of their seat is the same kind of short adrenaline burst they would get from high-octane activities such as swimming with sharks or skydiving.


Other personality types like the escape to a more surreal fantasy of a scenario that will (hopefully) never take place in the real world. The breaking of social norms and the sheer otherworldliness of the events that may transpire in the game draws them in.


A very interesting theory that many people feel holds weight is a simple theory that these games can help us master and overcome fears. This is especially the case for younger gamers who are playing quite intense horror games such as Five Nights at Freddy's. Playing scary horror games can give the player some form of control as the player knows they can handle whatever happens to them in the digital world. They’ll survive and conquer the demon/zombie/evil spirit/other scary creature and go on with their lives. This virtual courage can leak into the real world.


Another theory posits that A big section of gamers wants to feel the 'thank goodness that's over' high. This releases feel-good hormones that are comparable to taking part in high-adrenaline activities. The psychological arousal that occurs during the game builds and builds, adding even more impact to the high when the ‘horror’ is over (much like the excitation transference we talked about before.) This theory dictates that people don’t actually enjoy the horror itself, but rather the huge high that comes after.


The final big theory is the social aspect of being able to get through a scary gaming experience. This theory was found to be mainly applicable to males who put themselves through these hair-raising games for hypothetical ‘toughness points’. Some theorists go so far as to say it’s a way for these men to demonstrate their ability to protect loved ones.


Conclusion


Whilst there is no real set-in-stone reason why horror games draw gamers in, it’s certainly an area that is absolutely ripe for research. No doubt there will be more studies done - which will result in even scarier games!

Ginger Nuts of Horror is proud to bring you the debut feature in our Meet The Artists series of feature articles, where we throw the spotlight on the cover book artists in the horror world.  Please welcome Don Noble and Nicholas Day from Rooster Republic Press.  

When it comes to covers that are more based in photography, I have to mention my business partner, Nicholas Day, who is also a talented illustrator, writer, editor, and photographer and when needed, we will join forces and work a piece together (we both wear a lot of hats at Rooster Republic Press). So, for photography based works, I do a Frankenstein method. Most people call them composites or photo-bashes where you're cutting up images of people and things and blending them together, but it's Frankensteining to me. You might see a character as one whole piece for the final product, but every part of their figure may be several people spliced together. The house, trees, grass, the sky and the moon, the tentacles bursting out from someone's guts, all of them separate layers of photographs, blended together, topped off with some digital painting, touch-ups, rim-lighting and then finally color graded. It sounds exhausting just writing it out. I can only imagine how you feel reading it.

Every horror writer knows the story. When Clive Barker first released Books of Blood, it was met with—for all intents and purposes—crickets. When its story was translated into the film Hellraiser, however, the hand of God (in the form of Bangor, Maine’s most famous resident) plucked Barker from relative obscurity and thrust him into the spotlight. I have seen the future of horror and his name is Clive Barker. One sentence of praise (slapped onto the cover of subsequent editions of Blood, naturally) and suddenly, “an unknown author of some books of short stories that nobody was buying” could write his own ticket for the rest of his career.

Ah, for a chance at a blurb such as that.

A book’s summary or description provides readers with an overview of a book’s content. A book blurb, on the other hand, is an endorsement of the book (and/or its author). While authors might pine for a thumb’s up from Stephen King, well-written words of praise from anyone with expertise in the field can pull eyes onto work that might otherwise be neglected. Although blurbs are not required to increase sales, they can often glean attention from booksellers and readers as well as be an invaluable addition to a book’s marketing plan. But how can a newer press or indie author obtain one?

Who to ask

First, consider the content and target audience of your book. Although it might be considered priceless on a horror work, King’s endorsement would be impractical for a religious studies text or romance novel. Narrow the pool of possibilities even further by considering the length or format of the piece. For example, if you’ve written a collection of short stories, seek out someone who excels in short fiction. Finally, align your wish list of possible candidates with the subgenre of your work. If your book is extreme horror, seek out a splatter specialist; if it’s a collection of Lovecraftian poetry, make a list of cosmic horror creators to approach.

Keep in mind, the person writing a blurb for your book is doing you a favor, not the other way around. While it is flattering to be asked to write a blurb, it also requires quite a bit of work, and the blurb writer gains very little from having his/her name on your book.

How to ask

It follows basic logic: if the person you ask for a blurb is an expert in the field, s/he is going to be busy. It’s also a safe bet that the expert has been asked to blurb others’ work. Understand that while your book might be the best piece of literature conceived this century, others have commitments and lives outside of your needs, and sometimes, your timeline just won’t jive with another’s workload.

Perhaps you follow the author on social media. If so, you could reach out to him/her in a direct (private) message there. However, a thoughtfully crafted email is a more formal, and therefore preferable, method. If the author maintains a website, there may be an email contact form (or link) there. It should go without saying, but don’t post your request publicly as a comment on the expert’s social media feed.

Remember: you are not a used car salesman working on commission. While your goal is to convince the expert to give your book a look, don’t corner or aggressively accost the person. A polite and to the point message is your best approach. One frame to try:

Dear (Expert),

I am (a simple phrase indicating what kind of author you are) and (how you know of this expert, whether you have met, are a fan, or follow him/her on a social media). I have a (kind of book you wrote) coming out (release date) from (publisher), and I am writing to ask if you might have the time and/or interest in writing a blurb for it. (Name of the work) is (one sentence summary of what your book is about).

If the answer is no, I completely understand. I hope this letter finds you well and I appreciate your time!

Sincerely,
(You)

If the expert agrees to read your work, provide the ARC immediately, and be clear (and rational) about your deadline. Never expect someone to read and blurb a book in under a month: as a former office manager I know likes to say, “Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.” A safer bet is a three-to-six-month window.

If the deadline for the blurb is rapidly approaching (i.e., a week away) and you have not heard from the person who agreed to write the blurb, send a gentle and polite reminder. If you still do not hear back, assume that the person did not care for the book or was unable to read it due to other commitments. While of course it is bad form to agree to write a blurb and not follow through, it is also irrational to expect a stranger to work his/her life around your needs.

No matter what, do not—and this bears repeating due to some of the recent lack of basic manners on social media platforms—DO NOT deluge an expert’s inbox with messages or emails: not when initiating the request, and not when following up. It is one thing to be rejected; it is quite another to come off as an obnoxious, spoiled brat. Don’t leave another author with a bad taste in his/her mouth because you are ambitious; bad behavior is rarely forgotten.

Be gracious, grateful, and authentic

When the book releases in print, reach out to the expert and offer to send him/her a copy, and follow through with that promise with a heartfelt thank you. You wouldn’t expect a reviewer to pay for a copy of the book and you should never expect a blurb writer to pay for one, either.

Finally, the only thing worse than an obnoxious author is a dishonest one. While most authors will have no issues with you tweaking their blurb for grammar, syntax, or space, do not swipe praise for a different work to use to promote a new one without checking with the author first. "If you're planning on using an excerpt from a review posted online to promote the book being blurbed about, that is great. Just don't use the quote out of context, and make sure to contact both the reviewer and outlet that posted the review to let them know in advance. If you're using a blurb that hypes the author from a previously reviewed release or a quote from an interview, you should absolutely get permission in advance. A reviewer or outlet may have loved that previous release but might not want to support the new release due to the content found within," notes Stuart Conover, the editor of Horror Tree.
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A blurb is a feather in an author’s cap, a testimonial of sorts that tells readers that your work is worth their time. However, it’s not worth burning your bridges over. Being courteous, respectful, and honest will win you more loyal readers—and colleagues—in the long run.

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Shocking film festival audiences and earning critical praise on its stateside release, director Robbie Banfitch’s The Outwaters is a terrifyingly original take on the found- footage format that takes audiences on a delirious, gruesome and wildly original journey into the unknown...

The Outwaters follows four friends who set out to make a music video whilst camping in the sun- drenched Mojave desert. Their trip starts off like any other, but the group soon realises something is not right. Mysterious sounds haunt them, and when a menacing force descends, their horrifying journey into soul-shattering darkness begins.


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 Blue Finch Film Releasing presents The Outwaters in cinemas 7 April 
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Runtime: 110 Mins

#TheOutwaters @BlueFinchFilms ​