For a long time, the only thing I ever had nightmares about was secondary school. The nightmares would vary in tone and scenario but often had several reoccurring themes. They would include the corridors of the school, the feeling of being stuck within the walls of the building and the rising embarrassment of failure in front of peers. No pleasure was greater than feeling that … Continue reading Nettles (Influx Press)
I was in a cafe in the Alésia area of Paris in 2017 trading horror stories about school days with the writer Édouard Louis when the novel potential of some of my own childhood memories became apparent. I had met Édouard through a mutual producer and we were discussing film projects that were never to materialise. Having read The End of Eddy and loved it, … Continue reading Nettles (2022, Influx Press) – Preview
I’m very happy to say that my next novel, How Pale The Winter Has Made Us, is to be published in February 2020 by Influx Press. We’ve been working together on it for a long time now, and are still working out little details of formatting and planning so I won’t be saying too much here. But, suffice to say, the project has been a … Continue reading How Pale The Winter Has Made Us (Influx Press, 2020)
Above is a short film made with Influx Press all about my next book, Mothlight. Running back and forth between London and Merseyside, the film features me waffling on a little and also revisiting the original locations up north that inspired the book. Also featured, for which I’m incredibly lucky, are some readings by my previous voice-over collaborator Paul Carmichael who lends his rich tones … Continue reading Mothlight (Film)
Arcadian Folklore The lost realm of Arcadia was noted for its vast array of folklore and customs. Many unusual tales are at the centre of a rich and diverse research field which has painstakingly assembled a wealth of material from a huge variety of sources. This essay can only give a brief overview of some of the more unusual and seasonal based customs, superstitions and … Continue reading Arcadian Folklore
I’m very happy to say that my first fiction book has been taken by the wonderful guys at Influx Press. Mothlight is due to be released on the 7th of February 2019. I’ve spoken publically a few times about this book in the earlier stages of its writing and editing under its original title of “A Hauntography” but, with its new name (a nod towards … Continue reading Mothlight (Influx Press, 2019)
It came to light in a recent report released by Transport for London that the company had undertaken several investigations into certain disturbances occurring on a number of their main underground lines. These disturbances have been felt by many commuters and several of my colleagues in the department confirm that the descriptions of events in the report are factual and not hearsay. The concern surrounding … Continue reading Fictions: Piccadilly Line “Corpse Rain” Phenomena
On a rather muddled day in early autumn, I decided to visit M.R. James. In recent years, I’ve become interested in the places that James frequented, usually because they have had clear and profound effects upon his ghost stories. Visiting them with a sense of curiosity seems to invert the man’s clichés back upon him; walking in search of the known as opposed to the … Continue reading Wanders: M.R. James’ Grave
“Serene, eternity waits at the crossroad of stars.” – Jorge Luis Borges The actress was due in the studio that morning. She was a star and so every one of the assistants, hairdressers and make-up artists for the shoot were more nervous than usual. This was not a regular star, so I thought, but someone genuinely important; a human vision of culture. This was the reason why … Continue reading Fictions: A Forever-Moment Of Glass
I once had a friend who taught cinema theory at La Fémis in Montmartre. Dr. Stefan Fischer was an expert in early film art and was particularly interested in the role of celluloid in early screenings and installations. It was the celluloid, so he often told me, that allowed early film art to proliferate towards abstraction. Though we taught at different institutes and on differing … Continue reading Fictions: Brakhage’s Dæmon
Celluloid Wicker Man 