Progress - Not Always Linear

Hello there, and welcome to my August newsletter. This is the monthly update from horror and dark fiction author, Kev Harrison. If this is the first of these you’ve received, it probably means you’ve signed up via my website or by downloading my supernatural horror novelette, Warding. If you haven’t received your copy yet, reply to this message and I’ll get it to you immediately.

August is half done, so since the last time I wrote, I’ve been over to England to see friends and family and started teaching my summer course here in Lisbon. You can see a bit of my UK visit on this insta post, below:

I travelled all over, saw lots of people, didn’t manage to see many others, which is always the nature of such flying visits, but I hold out hope for next time. Once I got back from the UK, I started work straight away. I’m currently teaching two intensive English courses, one of which I’m enjoying a lot and the other of which we’ll say nothing more about. One important thing though is that progress is happening.

First of all, on the novel. Thousands of words were added as I trundled around the UK, the flow of the book and its second act are settling into a great rhythm, and I really feel I’m finding my groove with the character. It’s not perfect and I know there’ll be work to do when it comes to the edit phase (as with all drafts), but I feel like there’s a core of a story that will intrigue readers there, and it has been flying along.

Which brings me to the title of this month’s newsletter. Progress has also been made on a short story which I need to submit tomorrow for an anthology. I got a glimpse at the full roster of authors on-board last week and honestly gasped. It’s so strong. But, as I intimated last month, this story has progressed, but it’s been slow. Painstaking. As much backspace as forward motion. And that’s okay. It’s part of the process sometimes. And if I’m not here for the hard work, I may as well quit now, because bloody hell, there’s a lot of it over the course of a writer’s life.

I think I’ve landed it, now. So, a few tweaks tomorrow and out it goes, fingers and toes crossed that it does what the anthology demands, and captivates the editors. I’ll keep you posted.

I’ve been doing some cool stuff in Portugal in my first summer in the country since Covid time. Last week, we went down to Campo Maior, near the Spanish border to see the Festas do Povo (Folk Parties). All of the women of multiple generations of this small city go back week after week in spring and early summer to make literally millions of paper flowers to drape over the streets of almost the entire place. All with different themes, etc. It only happens when they vote to do it. The last time was 2019. It’s really quite remarkable and recognised by UNESCO as a world heritage event. I also managed to see another of Portugal’s ossuary chapels while there, this one created as the result of a huge armoury explosion, rather than the usual cause of plague.

And just last night, I went to visit the Monatsery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon for a night tour. It was fascinating being led around the place by a tour guide and the monk who accompanied her, clutching a lantern and an old set of keys throughout, and never revealing his face. The building is imposing and we also got stunning views over the city.

Returning to writing news, and I have the idea for a new book bubbling away. Now and then I happen upon a piece of folklore which grabs me and it sits at the back of my brain for a while, trying to knit itself into a workable concept for a novel or novella length story. This happened with the as yet unreleased Siren of Armourique, and Pyres, too. Now I have some new folklore in mind, this time from Portugal, where the book will be set, and I’m excited to start typing away once my current WIP is finished and my novella for December is fully edited and ready to go. More news when I can share it.

For the rest of August, I’ll be writing in the mornings, working in the afternoons, and trying to make the most of the weekends with the better half, as next year, I’ll likely be disappearing off to work in England again.

Then, in September, I have my main trip away for this year to Greece, including a bit of an adventure, at the beginning, to visit Mycaenae and the tomb of Agamemnon, among other things. More on that when I’m back from the trip.

Recommendations

Reading - Alicia in the Basement by Santiago Eximeno

I have to applaud the team at Tenebrous Press for this one, as it’s a courageous book to pick up and one whose sales pitch floored me and had me itching to buy it immediately (which I did). The protagonist’s daughter, Alicia, disappears in the first scene of the book. That adds exactly the kind of emotional weight you’d expect it to. And yet there’s a conversational energy to the character’s internal monologue. A strangely fantastical feel to the story, while simultaneously managing to stay fully grounded. As I mentioned in my Goodreads review, it’s unmistakably Spanish in its setting and delivery, but a grain of the storytelling method and prowess of Haruki Murakami lurks there, and that, to me, is the highest of compliments. My favourite read of 2026 so far. Go buy it now, but prepare yourself for some truly shocking moments.

Listening - Far From God by Moonspell

I grew up listening to Moonspell. They were a massive influence on my first band, Desolation, with albums like Wolfheart and Irreligious tapping into elements of gothic, folk and metal. They’ve been on a hugely varied journey since then, taking in pure death metal, electro-goth, even moments of black(ish) metal thrown in. This new record goes right back to their goth roots, almost feeling like Fields of the Nephilim or Sisters of Mercy in places. It’s still unmistakably Moonspell, though, and I love it. see if it works for you on your chosen streaming service, here.

Watching - Spider-Man: Brand New Day - Cinema

I think it’s fair to say Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has been good to watch throughout the run of films and side character parts in various other Marvel movies. But he hasn’t really been Spider-Man. Partly it felt like the lack of seriousness with which other characters took him. But, having watched this new movie, it became clear to me that what was really lacking was tragedy. Spidey was always a tragic character, carrying an enormous burden and this new film nails that. It adds emotional weight, and it’s so much better for it. Stunningly shot, too, it’s absolutely worth getting to a cinema for it, if you have the opportunity to do so. View the trailer here.

Bargains and Freebies

Everyone needs a good book (or seven) for the summer break, so up steps Steve Hudgins to select a whopping 85 books for you to snag for 99c/99p or FREE on Kindle Unlimited. Get in there and grab a bargain, here.

This promo from Renes Getaway contains supernatural stories, urban fantasies, paranormal romances, and a bunch of other related tropes. Check out the full list and see what might work for you, here.

Writer Lynn M. Kristopher has compiled a collection of over 120 FREE books from all the dark fiction genres to keep you going through the month of August. Check out the full list and grab a free dark tale, here.

Well, that’s it for August. Thanks so much for reading, especially if you’ve got this far. Please do remember, if you know someone who you think might like my books or this newsletter, forward this on to them.

Massive thanks as always for your support. I’m hoping to get a firm announcement for December’s book release at the end of September, along with some snaps from my Greek voyage.

See you then and, in the meantime, take care of yourselves and those closest to you, and do feel free to reach out to me on Bluesky, Xitter, Instagram, or even TikTok. I’ll see you next month.

Kev