Tag Archives: Once in a Lifetime

Infestation Unpacked: Once in a Lifetime

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My newly released book Infestation: A Horror Anthology features my Infestation novella – a six-chapter sci-fi horror tale – along with five other short stories. As I stated in my article last week, I’m going to expound a little on each story in the weeks to come, continuing in this article with Once in a Lifetime.

After inexplicably awakening inside a different home with a different wife, Hayden Jones experiences an existential crisis, as memories of a new life, that of another man named John Hunter, gradually replace those of his old life.

In desperation, he tries to write down all that happened in his old life – his wife, his children, friends, and acquaintances – when he finds in his new life, he is unable to contact them. He also finds he has awoken in London, miles from his country home near Dartmoor.

Previously published by Dragon Soul Press, as part of their All Dark Places horror anthology, Once in a Lifetime is based on a surprisingly well-plotted nightmare I had some years ago. Continuing with the recurrent theme of guilt contained within this volume, the story also touches on issues such as childhood bullying, abuse, and denial. Like several of my horror stories, it is designed with deliberate ambiguity, leaving room for the reader to separate reality from fantasy; a process they undertake based on their own personal baggage.

Photo by samer daboul from Pexels

On a lighter note, I’ve had it suggested to me that the story is an endorsement of living in the country versus living in the city. That isn’t consciously the case, although I do confess that I wouldn’t want to live in London instead of southwest England. London wouldn’t suit me at all (except for the many cinemas, and arts scene in general).

Influences for this include David Lynch films such as Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, and Twin Peaks, which also deal in existential themes of people being subsumed into different lives/universes. Once in a Lifetime was also slightly informed by lyrics in the classic song of the same name by the seminal band Talking Heads. (“You may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife… You may ask yourself: How did I get here?”) Most of all though, I wanted to tell a story about the unconscious, sometimes self-destructive impulses of middle age, where it is common for people to wonder about paths not taken.

Unlike the physical, external, creature-based horrors of Infestation, Once in a Lifetime is a much more psychological piece, though emphatically still designed to rattle and disturb, especially in the shocking finale.

Infestation: A Horror Anthology is available on Kindle and paperback from Amazon here (in the UK) and here (in the US). It can also be ordered via Smashwords here.

All Dark Places: One Year On

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Last October, I had a short story published as part of Dragon Soul Press’s All Dark Places horror anthology.

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My contribution, Once in a Lifetime, is a spine-tingling tale of existential dread. It concerns a man who wakes up in a strange London flat, in bed with a woman he doesn’t know, who insists he is someone else. More disturbingly, memories of his former life – including his wife and children – start to fade from his mind, and are replaced by memories of his the life he has awoken inside.

Here are some review snippets for my short story:

“This one was WOW. I felt like I was LIVING the story – which is probably not always a good thing. I could feel his desperation, the desire, and then at the end…. Well you are going to have to read that for yourself.” – Rebecca Hill, Gothic Bite Magazine.

“With a combination of psychological and traditional horror… It had a unique spin to it that left me nearly sobbing at its horror and hopeless tragedy.” – Seraphia, Amazon.

“The mystery, the suspense, the strangeness of this story creates something unique… The author twists this story so well, and the ending, for me, is heartbreaking.” – Anna, Amazon.

All Dark Places also features scary and sinister stories by AM Cummins, Anna Sinjin, and Hui Lang. If you fancy picking up a copy, click here.

2018 in review

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At the risk of sounding like a nauseating Oscar acceptance speech, 2018 has been an extraordinary year for me, and I am very happy to have made a number of significant breakthroughs with my writing.

Novels and Short Stories

Firstly and most emphatically, my first novel ever released by a traditional publisher is out now. Courtesy of Dragon Soul Press, Spectre of Springwell Forest, is a ghostly gothic nail-biter with a creepy central mystery guaranteed to keep you turning the pages… until the horrible truth is revealed. You can order your copy here (in the UK) and here (in the US).

Dragon Soul Press is a US based independent publisher specialising in fantasy, science fiction and horror. They also publish anthologies. One of these, a horror anthology called All Dark Places, featured my short story Once in a Lifetime. They’ve got another anthology coming soon, a romantic fantasy volume called First Love, for which I have sent another short story entitled Paper Cut. I am waiting (fingers crossed) to see if I made the, er, cut…

Works in progress

I have also been occupied with these two novels, outside of my “comfort zone” thriller/horror genres. I didn’t write these concurrently, because obviously my poor brain can only cope with one thing at a time (walking and talking can be a challenge). Anyway,  fantasy I find particularly tricky. I love to read it, but writing it requires a very different level of focus.

Said fantasy novel, Ravenseed, is a brooding, melancholy tale of knights, sorcerers and enchantment, set in the Dark Ages, simmering with love, lust, betrayal and revenge.

The other genre I’ve dabbled in this year, is dystopian future-shock. Peaceful Quiet Lives is set in a future America, satirising both sides of the so-called culture wars. I’m going to stay tight-lipped on further details, for now.

On the blog

This year I’ve enjoyed covering lots of different topics. It’s always great to write on subjects I am passionate about, and hopefully spark a bit of debate. If you fancy giving any of these a re-read or missed them the first time round, here are some of my favourites.

The Lord of the Rings: book versus film
My Five Favourite Gothic Mysteries
Book reviews: the good, the bad and the ugly
Horror and Weepies: Two sides of the same coin?
The Power of Resurrection Narratives

The Tangent Tree

 

If you hadn’t already heard, I co-host a film podcast called The Tangent Tree, with Samantha Stephen.

You can find the website here, and you can listen on iTunes, Spotify, Podcast Addict and so on (or on the website itself).

There have been many people who helped and supported me this year. Thank you. You know who you are. 🙂

It only remains for me to wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Christmas Present ideas

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If you are scratching your head this year over Christmas presents, why not consider giving one of my novels? At the risk of sounding like a cliché, I have written across a variety of genres and therefore have “something for all the family”.

First and foremost, I have a novel about to be released on the 20th of December entitled Spectre of Springwell Forest. A nail-biting, page-turning ghost story, this supernatural mystery is my first novel to be published by Dragon Soul Press, and a must for any fan of bone-chilling suspense. Simply click here (in the UK) or here (in the US) to pre-order your copy. (NOTE: at present this pre-order is for the Kindle version only. Stay tuned for updates on the paperback.)

SSF coverHere is the blurb from the back of the book:

Lily Henderson has a horrifying secret buried far in her past. She hoped it would never be revealed. Now she has no choice.

To save her family, Lily must keep them from returning to the village of Springwell, where she lived with her first husband and young daughter decades previously.

In the past, after moving to Springwell, Lily encounters secretive locals, government scientists, and rumours of a ghost haunting the forest.

Are they linked to the mysterious deaths of local children? Do paintings by a local artist predict when tragic events are getting closer? Will Lily’s daughter be next?

“Two were taken. More will follow.”

If you enjoy stories with devious twists on the spectrum between psychological thriller, supernatural mystery and horror, why not also try The Thistlewood Curse or The Birds Began to Sing? The former is a gripping mystery involving astral projection and murder on Lundy Island. The latter concerns a peculiar writing competition in a remote and sinister Dartmoor house.

 

My short story Once in a Lifetime is also available, as part of the Dragon Soul Press All Dark Places anthology. A disturbing tale of existential dread, this short is based on a nightmare I had earlier this year. It concerns a man waking up in an entirely different life. As he struggles to understand what has happened, memories of his previous existence rapidly vanish, and are replaced with those from the life he has awoken inside.

Folded Valley coverOn a rather different note, we have my most successful (and arguably most “personal”) novel to date, Children of the Folded Valley. A dystopian memoir mystery with a science fiction edge, the plot concerns a man looking back on his life growing up in a strange cult.

For the young and young at heart, I have written a number of gripping tales, including treasure hunt adventure Uncle Flynn (my debut novel) and Dr Gribbles and the Beast of Blackthorn Lodge, which involves spies, haunted houses, mad scientists, and monsters (and that’s just chapter one).

My most recent novel for younger readers, Echo and the White Howl, is a thrilling animal fiction adventure about a pack of wolves set in the wilds of Alaska.

 

In addition, my George Hughes trilogy (comprising George goes to Mars, George goes to Titan and George goes to Neptune) are a trio of fast-paced science fiction adventures with thrills and perils galore.

 

I must emphasise my stories aimed at children are not just for children. Amid the humour, thrills and scares are themes many adults will appreciate too.

LvsHonour 1600 x 2400Finally, Love vs Honour represented something of a departure for me, in that it is a teenage romantic drama. But many of the themes present in my other novels – religious oppression, abuse of power and so on – are present and correct here, and this is a much darker tale than it first appears. I don’t consider it a complete success for reasons I have discussed in more detail here, but I still think it is well worth a read.

All the above books can be ordered on Kindle or as paperbacks from Amazon here (for the UK) and here (for the US).

Highlights of yesterday’s launch party for All Dark Places

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If you weren’t able to join yesterday’s All Dark Places horror anthology launch event on Facebook, there is still a chance to win a copy of All Dark Places, and also a copy of one of my earlier novels The Thistlewood Curse or The Birds Began to Sing (whichever you would prefer). Simply click the above image, scroll down to the appropriate posts, and enter.

(Giveaways are for UK residents only, although there are other competitions on there as well that are still open which include the US, from earlier event hosts – again just scroll back through the posts. Deadline for my competitions is midnight on the 4th of November.)

The above link also contains a Q&A, insights into my short story for All Dark Places, Once in a Lifetime, and other articles which you can read or contribute to if you wish.

All Dark Places: Launch party today!

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Today, Dragon Soul Press are hosting an online launch party on Facebook for All Dark Places, the horror anthology for which I have contributed the short story Once in a Lifetime. The anthology is out now.

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The launch party is taking place between 2pm and 7pm UK time. You are invited!

I will be hosting between 6pm and 7pm, so dip into that hour (or any of the other hours) for Q&A, games, giveaways and more. Simply search Facebook Events with “All Dark Places release” and join the fun. Looking forward to seeing you there!