💥 Rust in Peace

... decidedly less fun than a trip to the dentist

May 22, 2025

Greetings from Newcastle.

The drive was going okay. Until it wasn’t. I accidentally tested the fundamental physics principle that two solid object cannot occupy the same space at the same time. And while the passengers in the other car were unscathed, and their car held up really well (for them a literal fender bender), my beloved little 20-year-old Renault Clio, the Silver Bullet, took heavy damage. Uneconomical to repair, its value less than my insurance excess, after exchanging insurance details, there was nothing left to do but get her off to the scrap heap. Fortunately, it seems We Buy Any Car literally will buy any car - considering the age and final condition of the Silver Bullet, they didn’t make a fool of me. And with just a few bumps, bruises and aches for me, and thankfully nobody else was hurt, this could have been much worse.

Of course, the situation brings with it some stresses - my sons live 30-odd miles away. And the loss of freedom to move about without public transport is a pain on both a personal and professional level.

And there I was the other week, concerned about a dentist’s bill! Little did I know what was around the corner. Replacing the car is not gonna be easy. So if you feel like helping this writer out, please pick up one of my books, or even better, you could always upgrade to paid (or Founding Member level) with the button below…

It’s not all doom and gloom, though. I was recently interviewed by fellow horror writer Newton Webb on behalf of the UK chapter of the Horror Writers’ Association. We had a good old chin-wag about all sorts of things. I’m not sure how publicly available the interview will be, but once I know, I’ll share a link if I can.

🖊 Work in Progress

Writing continues on book 5 of The Victorian Vampire Chronicles. I’m really enjoying the way this first part is taking shape. I have some characters that it’s quite fun to work with, to examine the world of this series from different angles.

🪔 Offerings

I’m participating in two BookFunnel group promos in April (and behind the scenes, my participation has opened up an interesting opportunity that I will update you on in due course if anything arises from it). In each promo you’ll find a horrible horde of free and bargain horrors. Click the links below while they’re still running and grab some great horror reads…

Tales of Terror - your May 2025 reading list just landed…

... just tap here

Midnight Whispers - if you’re brave enough…

... tap here

🌑 Vibrations from Beyond

🧛‍♂️ - A Christmas Blessing: Limited Edition Paperback - the pre-launch page is ready on Kickstarter. Head over here, select ‘Notify me’ and you’ll be in the prime spot to secure one of 100 signed, hand-numbered copies, and grab any other limited editions missing from your collection. The campaign will go live soon - and there are going to be some very cool unique items up for grabs.

🧛‍♂️ - In Quiet Courts is still available over here and the whole story’s available. I’ve extended its availability for a little longer. Don’t forget to upgrade to paid so you can access it all…

🎙 ATTENTION PAID & FOUNDING MEMBERS: I have scheduled a Live session for Wednesday 28th May 2025, 19:00 UK time. Please reply to this email/post with questions on In Quiet Courts and I will answer them as I discuss some of the texts that influenced the stories.