Armed with Madness: Mary M. & Bryan Talbot

The embarrassment of riches continues: I have been eagerly anticipating this since Mary started dropping hints last year. I am hoping to arrange an interview with the two of them, but anon — in the meantime let me tell you about this fabulous book. You’ll know (or should!) Mary and Bryan from projects like the…

Leonora Carrington: Revelation

I said an embarrassment of riches around Leonora Carrington, didn’t I? Well here’s glory for you: the catalogue from the exhibit this year that brought to public view many parts of her life that have not been seen before (if you’re not someone like Joanna Moorhead who did get to see them) like her home…

Checking Proofs: Black Alibi & Leopard Man

In an email that looked surprisingly like a phishing attempt, I got the link to my proofs for the forthcoming collection on Cornell Woolrich. I get to jazz enthusiastically about Black Alibi, Leopard Man, Val Lewton and Ardel Wray so that’s fun. There’s not a whole lot of academic work on Woolrich (and some of…

A Year of Deep Listening: Listen to Birds

As a part of the Year of Deep Listening in honour of Pauline Oliveros, the Center for Deep Listening is giving daily meditations on the practice and this is my turn on the stage. Try it and see if you don’t feel different after. This piece has been adapted from a forthcoming collection of meditations…

Hard-Boiled Witch: FREE!

For the season that’s in it (and hopes renewed of creating a new episode) the original HARD-BOILED WITCH will be FREE October 3-5. Pop on over to the Amazon page to grab a copy (click the picture above). See where it all got started!  Don’t like Amazon? Get a PDF copy direct by paying what price…

Out Now: Stalking the Stalker

My essay ‘Stalking the Stalker: Jamie Thraves adapting Patricia Highsmith’s The Cry of the Owl‘ is out now in Film International. You can get the essay via your library or purchase from the journal. Thanks Matthew and the crew. Here’s an overview: The 2009 adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s The Cry of the Owl faces the…

Out Now: All Due Respect 2021

Out Now: the 2021 collection of stories from All Due Respect, which includes my tale ‘Squid Lord’ which — wait for it — was inspired by a song from The Fall. Of course. Links when it is available for sale. What’s the story about? A fellah who’s out of work, annoyed by his wife’s worship…

Failure

I have been thinking a lot about failure recently because life seems full of it. I have had a disastrous start to the calendar year, bowing out of a couple things I quite wanted to do and losing all the work from three projects I was hoping to finish for February 1st. I didn’t realise…

Coming Soon: All Due Respect 2021

Out February 18th: the 2021 collection of stories from All Due Respect, which includes my tale ‘Squid Lord’ which — wait for it — was inspired by a song from The Fall. Of course. Links when it is available for sale. What’s the story about? A fellah who’s out of work, annoyed by his wife’s…

Ghosts at Xmas

As I haunt my home town in the mauve misty snow, I have no new ghost story for Fox Spirit which has been a tradition of recent years. Things are just too… 2021, I guess. What excuse will there be next year? So here’s an ebook of the trilogy of ghost stories written in past…