666 Anthology Launch - Be There AND Be Scared!

Way back at the turn of the year we were contacted by Fantastic Books Publishing with a view to submitting professional contributions to a competition anthology for Horror Fantabbles of exactly 666 words. Yeah, we thought... why not?

After much soul-searching and horror-filled days at the keyboard [neither are intended as puns] submissions were emailed, the silver spoons were returned to their velvet-lined boxes, and the garlic went in a curry.

The work of two members were picked: Stuart Aken with Ouija Board and Linda Acaster with Number Thirteen. Not, you understand, that members of Hornsea Writers promote clichéd titles.

Their stories join those of fellow professionals Regina Puckett, Nathan Robinson, Michael Brookes and John Scotcher, along with three prize-winning entries, two highly commended, and a host of other submissions in the anthology 666 to be launched during All Hallows Eve.

Ebook from Fantastic Books Publishing and paperback from Amazon.

Catch the launch event on Facebook Monday 31 October. Howling begins at 19:06 GMT [6 hours and 66 minutes after noon. Evidently]. Neither costumes nor cushions to hide behind are compulsory.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1044691382276161/

Be there AND be scared!

Ghoulies, Ghosties, and Things Called Conventions

October is the month of darker days and longer nights and ...Conventions... though for Linda Acaster it started late in apple-ripening September.

A participant from MadAboutHorror.co.uk at Hull HorrorFest

 

First up was a trip to Scarborough for FantasyCon, an annual event from the British Fantasy Society, and a more organised extravaganza for readers and writers of Speculative Fiction is difficult to imagine. Read about her observations HERE.

Bridlington ComicCon was an eye-opener, too, a surreal world filled with fictional characters made life through cosplayers, and actors from the silver screen alternating between normal life and their alter egos. And comics. And graphic novels. Yes, there’s a difference.

And so, [cue eerie music and bolts of lightning] in the march to Halloween came Hull HorrorFest. Was it Zombies Gone Mad or Dracula Meets the Salem Witches? Was the occasional novel-writer to be seen cowering behind a pile of books? Read about HERE.

Drifting towards us on a distinctly rank perfume is the actual celebration that is known to us as Halloween. Will Linda Acaster survive it? Or has she something suitably macabre hidden in a locked box? Ah, is this a key? Shall we...?

Perhaps not until the 31^st.

FOR SIX CUPS OF COFFEE OR A WALK ROUND BASEL

The “I recommend” section of Chichester University’s Thresholds website allows contributors to recommend a short story, or collection of stories, by a favourite author. My choice, For Six Cups of Coffee and Other Stories, was inspired by memories of exploring the Swiss city of Basel, on foot, and in print. For a foreigner, Swiss authors have an easy, readable style, I suspect because they have to write in two steps, thinking in one language (their native dialect) but writing their thoughts down in another (Schriftditsch or written German).

With author Rainer Brambach for company, I peeked into life beyond the picture-postcard mediaeval centre of Basel. As in any big city, the dispossessed and homeless are there, hiding in plain sight and surviving on meagre handouts. Brambach depicts life on the margins with understanding but without sentimentality. 

Explore the city with him at http://thresholds.chi.ac.uk/for-six-cups-of-coffee/

A Fantastic Family Day Out – Keep the Date

Towards the end of November the Guildhall in Hull will host FantastiCon 2016. As well as Daleks, Darth Vader and legions of other-worldly creatures you will be able to meet and chat to several of the Hornsea Writers, who some might deem strangest of the lot.

Book launches have already been signalled. There will also be live music and a plethora of incredible techno marvels as well as interactive gaming, virtual reality and a children’s chill out area. More details to come – watch this space.

In the meantime, keep Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th November free in your diary.