Launch Day - Shadow of the Hidden is Out Now!

Welcome to my March newsletter and happy book birthday to my first ever novel, Shadow of the Hidden! I know, I’ve been talking about this book for months now, but that’s the nature of the publishing world. The book was written in 2021, edited in 2022, sold in late 2022, and is only now out in the world. I hope you have your copy but, if not, worry not, you can still get the eBook for 99c/77p for a few more days.

This past Sunday, I was joined by Dan Howarth, Catherine McCarthy and Ross Jeffery - all superb writers - and, of course, Heather and Steve of Brigids Gate Press to celebrate the launch of this book. We got talking about some of the themes in the book, such as folklore, creating a sense of place in your fiction, my obsession with food (no, really!), true friendship, as well as some great audience questions about our scariest characters, books which have disturbed us the most, etc. It was a great time and, if you missed it live, you can check it out here:

Another thing we talked about at the launch party was the fact that I’m going to be at Williamsburg, Virginia’s Author Con III from Scares that Care next month. I haven’t been to the US since 1998. It feels like an incredibly long time ago, and I’m excited to come back, meet some readers and writers and generally immerse myself in the horror community. I love living here, in Portugal, but I do often feel a little out on a limb and detached from all the spooky goings on.

The schedule is still being finalised but, as it stands, I will be doing a reading with fellow folk horror writer, Tony Evans, at around 5pm on the Saturday (13th April). I’ll be reading from my novel, of course. I’ll also be sharing an author table with Mike Clark, an outstanding author whose adventure horror novel, Hell on High I recommended in this newsletter around a year ago. It’s set in Brazil, the Amazon Rainforest, the US and the Himalayas and is a thrilling read. The two of us will be selling signed copies of our books, signing your copies if you already have them, and will probably have some merchandise to giveaway, too, so do come along and say hi, if you’re in the area.

A great thing about being part of this particular con is that the Scares That Care series of events does so much amazing work for incredible causes. You can read about it here and know that your ticket price, as well as the money we authors pay to hire our tables is going towards these great charities.

In other writing news, the France-based fae novella I finished early last year has been approved by my publisher, Lycan Valley Press, so I’m diligently making some final changes to the manuscript before it heads to the editor. It will then likely come back for yet more changes, but LVP are hoping this one will see the light of day as early as this summer, so cross your fingers for me that the editor doesn’t want to change too much. 

This novella was going under the working title of ‘Ondine’ for a long time, as one of the characters in the book is based on a folkloric water faery figure from Breton folklore of the same name, but I’ve now finally found something better. If/when the publisher accepts the new title, you shall be the first to know.

Recommendations

Reading - All the Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby

I own all three of S. A. Cosby’s recent crime novellas on my Kindle. Blacktop Wasteland, Razorblade Tears, and now All the Sinners Bleed. I haven’t read any of them, until now. This is not out of a lack of will, you understand, but just the nature of a book buying habit that sees me pick up four new books in a quiet month. Anyway, All the Sinners Bleed is a beautifully written detective novel, set in the south. What struck me straight off the bat was just how incredibly well Cosby paints his characters, even from the first scene. Then around that, even as the desperate situation of the second scene is this monstrous, nail-biter, we start get a sense of the wider world Titus, the main character, is operating within. From there it’s skilful twists and turns until a brilliant conclusion. I’m so glad I have the other two novels. They will not be left unread for long. Grab your copy of All the Sinners Bleed here.

Watching - Constellation - Apple TV+

I grew up fanatically interested in space. I got a telescope for my ninth birthday to look at the craters on the moon with. I wrote a letter to Britain’s first female astronaut (and she wrote back!). I love all things outer space and, as you are probably aware, I love horror. So, Constellation, when I started watching it on Apple TV+ just lit me up from the word go. A team on the International Space Station (ISS) are running a quantum physics experiment and, as they do so, something collides with the station, causing life threatening damage. But something weird is going on. We’re only up to episode six, but I spend about ten minutes after every episode thinking on what I’ve just watched, questioning my own ideas about the nature of the self, etc. It’s fantastic, in my view. Check out the trailer, here.

Listening - Close to Home by A Burial At Sea

This album was teased to me in my recommended record: one a calm, tranquil, almost sleepy piece, while the others were more technical, up-tempo and using an awesome variety of instrumentation. The album sticks with those themes, the odd lull arriving between the post-rock riffage. Mostly instrumental, this is great writing music and great stretching out with your cat music, too. Check it out on Spotify here.

Bargains and Freebies

Horror writer Newton Webb is at it again, tracking down the most terrifying discounted, free, or Kindle Unlimited-listed reads by a variety of awesome authors. Check out the full list and grab a bargain here.

If you’re looking for free spooky eBooks, look no further than Beneath The Shadow. In this promo, you’ll be able to pick up scary original fiction from me, Robin Knabel, Daemon Manx, and others. Check out the full list and bag some free eBooks here.

Well, that’s it for this month. If you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, please do sign up, share with friends, like the post, and all that jazz.

Likewise, if you want to get in touch, please feel free to leave a comment, or message me [email protected] - I always love hearing from readers.

So, until next month, take care of yourself and keep reading the dark stuff.

Kev