Rain, Flu and Goth Metal

Welcome to my February 2026 newsletter. And what a month it’s been. Continuing December and January’s form for record persistent, heavy rainfall, we had devastating flooding in Portugal, with roads destroyed (including the north-south arterial road between Lisbon and Porto), lives and livestock lost and staggering damage due to rain and high winds. It’s been a surreal time and I’ve certainly not seen a winter like it in eleven years here, though some of my neighbours tell me there was a similar one in the 1970s.

As I write this, it’s actually bright, sunny and warm, so we’re hopeful that the worst is behind us. I’ve been lucky in that my apartment has not been damaged, nor has any of my property and my closest people are all safe. Excuse any typos in the email, my lapcat, Marple, has decided she will not be moved from her new favourite spot.

On the plus side in February, a good friend I’ve known since I was 11 years old came over to Porto last weekend, so we could go and see the goth metal band, A. A. Williams. I’ve enjoyed their stuff for a few years (and recommended some of their music here), and it was terrific to see them live.

I’m hopeful that, if the good weather persists, there’ll be more such adventures to report on in the coming months.

On the writing front this month, I’ve delved into the edits for my haunted house black metal novella. There’s a lot of work to be done, mainly in the textures and details. The spine of the story feels good and solid - with some really spooky moments I can’t wait for readers to experience - but I need to add some deft touches to the prose, flesh out the sceneries, and generally embellish what’s there so you can really live it when you read it.

I’ve also been adding words to my untitled Aaron Miles book. The more I talk the idea over with people, the more excited I am about it - something I always take to be a good sign. It’s tricky with only an hour or two a week to put into it, but it’s slowly building, taking shape. I’m feeling closer to knowing the character, after his cameo in Pyres.

In other writing related news, next month - just 29 days from now, in fact - Shadow of the Hidden turns 2 years old. Where on earth has that gone?! I’ll be talking to my publisher, the wonderful Brigids Gate Press, in the coming days to see if we can do some deals or similar on the anniversary. Shadow is the first and only book of mine which has won an award, and even beyond that I’m immensely proud of the story. I already have the first scene of the sequel written, but the rest of it is waiting in line for its time. If you haven’t read it already, I’d love you to check it out in eBook, paperback or audiobook, here.

Getting back to my latest release, Pyres, I’ve been delighted to receive a few reviews recently, one in this very morning from Indie Horror Chapter organiser and horror reading dynamo Trish - known as Spooky Bookworm over on Insta.

And, as mentioned last month, David Royce aka Horror Reads made a video talking about Pyres. And he only decided to pair it with the latest releases from horror giants Joe Hill and Clay McLeod Chapman. I’m waiting for Mr Hill to repost the video so I can sell millions of copies of the book. If you’re reading, Joe, ready when you are, sir!

David’s review of Pyres begins at around the 9:45 mark in the video, but do check it out if you’re unsure about picking up a copy and, of course, enormous thanks to David for taking the time to read and review!

Recommendations

Reading - The Memory Shades by David Watkins

Watkins is known (quite rightly) for his excellent Original werewolf series, but he’s got a number of other strings to his bow, and this one leans into the Sci-fi horror, something I love when done well. David asked me for a blurb for this book, which I was more than happy to provide. Here’s what I said:

“In The Memory Shades, Watkins crafts a brutal dystopia where the twin nightmares of incarceration and lost memories pale in comparison to the horrifying things lurking on this brave new world.” If that sounds like your cup of tea/standard issue prison-planet gruel, then do yourself a favour and get a copy of the book, here.

Listening - To Rise You Seek the End by T R Y S T E

I read about this record on a best new atmoshpheric metal albums list and then promptly … couldn’t find it anywhere. There are spaces between each letter of their name, you see. Not Tryste, but T R Y S T E. How confusing for a simpleton like me. Anyway, loads of reverb, haunting ghostly vocals and even more haunting minor keys abound. Very atmospheric. I’ll be keeping my eyes on these guys going forward. You can give the album a spin on your chosen streaming service here.

Watching - A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms - HBO Max

I’ll admit that I was apprehensive about watching this. I might get some flak for this, but I hated the House of the Dragon series. It was glacially paced, and the odd good bit which cropped up felt buried in needlessly long-winded political conversations in cold stone rooms. I’m not against political, dialogue-heavy shows. Shogun did it masterfully. But anyway, I reluctantly switched on the first episode of Knight and was immediately taken back to what I enjoyed so much about the first 4 or 5 seasons of Game of Thrones - the characters. People I believed, liked, or loathed and wanted to follow to find out what would happen to them. I’ve one episode left to watch and I am positively excited to see what becomes of Dunk, Egg and the others. Check out the trailer here.

Bargains and Freebies

Suspense author Raghu P has gathered thirty books, including one by me, involving mystery, thriller or horror themes, all of which are currently selling for $1.99 or under, or which are free on Kindle Unlimited. Take a look at the full list here.

With Valentine’s Day last weekend, my friend and author/editor extraordinaire, Robin Knabel, has put together a host of FREE horrors. Grab your free read here.

And my winter horror promo is still shambling along towards its end. You know the drill - $1.99 or under or available FREE on Kindle Unlimited. Check out the full list here.

Well, that’s it for February. I’ll be back in March with more writing news, life updates, cat photos, recommendations, etc.

In the meantime, I hope spring has started to do its thing at your side. Be kind to one another and feel free to reach out to me, on Bluesky, Xitter, Instagram, or even TikTok. Stay safe, and I’ll see you next month.

Kev