Repost: The Book That Made Me

An online conversation with the ace Ben Unsworth about Ramsey Campbell's new novel An Echo Of Children made me remember this old piece that I wrote for The Ginger Nuts Of Horror in 2014. GNOH site has moved sites since then and despite searching it and the archive I couldn't find this piece, so I thought I'd repost it here. I've not made any changes to what the 2014-me wrote so if you spot any typos or inelegances blame him not me.

The Book That Made Me: James Everington on Ramsey Campbell's 'Dark Feasts'

When I was kid, at least once a year my parents used to take me and my brother to a seaside resort on the Lincolnshire coast, where it invariably rained. When I was young I preferred to go to Mablethorpe because it had a life-sized Dalek ride you could sit in for 10p. By the time I was fifteen, my preference had changed to Cleethorpes—because it had a good second-hand bookshop.

By this age I'd already discovered Stephen King on my dad's bookshelves, so I thought I knew what horror was. I'd already read some crappy genre stuff as well, so I probably wasn't expecting anything much above the level of being pleasantly grossed out when I bought a book with a picture of a women eating pickled onions from a jar with an eyeball floating in it...

Dark Feasts by Ramsey Campbell. A bargain at 50p (or five Dalek rides, if you prefer). And the book that taught me that horror fiction was far richer and exciting than I'd previously believed.

Visiting the second-hand bookshop was always the last thing we did for the day, because it was near the car park. We legged it through the inevitable August rain to the car, and a few minutes after purchasing Dark Feast I was reading the first stories in the back seat as we drove home.

Dark Feasts is a chronological 'best of' Campbell's short story work; as I remember I was only partially impressed by the first story, The Room in the Castle, which is from Campbell's earliest years when he was trying to write in self-consciously 'Lovecraftian' manner. Even as ill-read as I was back then, I found it a bit derivative.

But the second story... now that was a different matter entirely.

Cold Print is still heavily influenced by Lovecraft in terms of its plot, but its setting is contemporary Liverpool and now the voice of the story is all Campbell's own. And what a voice it is: one of the most distinctive in modern horror, a prose-style so supple that it seems to sing even as it hints at horrors only briefly seen. Up until reading Campbell I'd been under the impression that genre books focussed on story, and that 'fancy writing' was reserved for the kind of books we did at school (look I was fifteen, okay?) What Dark Feasts taught me was how misguided that view was; Campbell's horror works because of his prose, his extraordinary ability to conjure up a disturbing image in just a couple of sentences. His characters merely glimpse the phantoms and bogeymen in these stories, rather than seeing them straight on, leaving them (and us) unsure of exactly what's happening and how real it was.

The rest of the book is even better: Dark Feasts really does contain some of the best horror stories ever written: The End Of A Summer's Day, The Man In The Underpass, The Companion... These stories and others made me aware something else as well: that the best horror is often in the form of the short story.

Trying to recall the experience of reading Ramsey Campbell for the first time is tricky, as I've read his work so often since then. For years, because I could only afford to buy books for my university course, Dark Feasts was the only book I had by him and I read the stories it contained over and over again. In reality there was probably no sudden epiphany; it's more likely that what I learnt from Dark Feasts gradually revealed itself to me, and started to influence the stories I was writing. 

And that first story? I even learnt something from that, now that I look back. I learnt that when you're starting out as a writer it's okay to explore your influences consciously, to deliberatively examine how someone else writes in order to begin the process of working out how you do. And in my case, I wasn't learning from Lovecraft.

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Recommendation: My Life In Horror #1 by Kit Power

Kit Power's My Life In Horror #1 is a non-fiction collection of essays originally published on Gingernuts Of Horror. In each, Kit describes a formative encounter with the horror genre in his childhood or young adulthood: not just books and films, but also music, a role-playing game, and real-life events. Kit's definition of what counts as 'horror' is pretty flexible, which makes for some delightful surprises in what he's included—as well as Hellraiser we get Robocop, as well as The Wasp Factory we get Sleepers. I thought I'd already read most of the content, but it turns out there was quite a lot I'd missed, especially where they relate to music. As an aside, Kit is very good writing about music, making we want to listen to tunes I either doubt will be to my taste (The Wildhearts) or even already know I loathe (bloody Queen). 

Kit and I are of a similar age, so I encountered a lot of the works he mentioned in my youth too (and I was struck by the notion, hinted at throughout the book, that the news we see as kids influences our view of horror as much as fiction; that footage of Hillsborough, Zeebrugge, the Challenger explosion, or the Ethiopian famines, form a bedrock of shared cultural experience and imagery similar to liking the same films) but I suspect nearly all fans of the genre will get a kick out of these pieces. And...

.... and, oh look, who am I kidding? This isn't how I wanted to write about this book.

There's a great moment in B.S. Johnson's Alberto Angelo where he interrupts his own novel by saying "fuck all this lying" and proceeds to tell the supposedly real-version of events that inspired the fiction up until that point. And while I've not been lying above, I have been circling round the real reason I loved this book: 

It's 2020.

It's Covid-time.

I haven't seen my writing friends in months, nor am I likely to for months more.

Like many I'm sure, my writing has taken a hit this year. My routine's all changed, I've lost some mojo. And part of it is that the conventions are cancelled, those semi-regular catch ups with fellow authors. I'm sure I'm not the only one who gets a burst of motivation & enthusiasm following Fantasycon or Edge-Lit, and while some of that is from the scheduled events, a lot is from being surrounded by so many amazing writers and fans and creatives, from talking to them during the day and well into the night.

Reading My Life In Horror feels as close to one of those conversations as I'm going to get this year. Indeed, the first chapter is about Stephen King's IT, and one of my favourite FCon memories is a late night conversation with Kit and Mark West when we talked about how much we loved IT for hours. And the great thing about this book is it's so personal, so much Kit's take of the horror genre, that it feels like a one-way conversation with him. My responses to the essays in the book weren't objective judgements, but me thinking what I would want to say back to him, if I could. (You're so wrong about Don't Look Now, Kit.)

In a very real way, it's fired me up like a convention would (I even read it Friday to Sunday, the same timescales as Fcon) and made me want to get back to my own writing, to my own life in horror. So it's pointless for me to pretend to describe this book like I did at the top of the review, to compose an objective sounding discussion of its many strengths and odd weaknesses. 

My Life In Horror #1 was quite simply just what I needed right now, in 2020, and it might be just what you need too. 

The 101 Club & We All Hear Stories In The Dark

So, Robert Shearman then.

Anyone who's had the distinct pleasure of reading Robert Shearman's stories before will no doubt agree when I say he's one of the best, most distinctive, most original short story writers in the UK at the moment. Let's take that as read. And a bloody nice guy as well, if you've ever had the opportunity to chat to him at a convention. And one of the best writers at reading aloud his own work. Let's take all of that as read...

Because he's just pulled off something incredible. He's released a collection with one hundred and one short stories in it. Not pokey little micro-fictions or flash-fiction, but actually short stories. Which each reader will get to read in an entirely different order, depending on answers they give to questions at the end of each story they read. It's called We All Hear Stories In the Dark, and is published in three volumes by PS Publishing (you can buy it here).

Faced with such an incredible—if not lunatic—achievement, Jim McLeod of Gingernuts Of Horror decided to match it, and commission a review of every individual story in the collection. And so the 101 Club was born, and I was delighted to be asked to review two tales, 'The New Adventures Of Robin Hood' and 'Canon Fodder'. One's about Robin Hood—sort of—and one is about Shakespeare—sort of. Naturally, I decide to start my reviews of them with a, uh, Public Enemy lyric.

You can find Jim McLeod's introduction to The 101 Club here, along with links to the five pages of reviews. It's a huge undertaking, but one which a writer of Rob's talent and kindness totally deserves. And I think I speak for all the reviewers when I say it's been a true labour of love too. I do hope you'll give it a read, and purchase the book.

Yesterday

Trying To Be So Quiet & Other Hauntings was published yesterday by The Sinister Horror Company. The title story was originally publishing as a limited edition novella; the new volume contains two extra stories: 'The Second Wish' and 'Damage'. They are all stories on the theme of the supernatural as a manifestation of grief and loss.

Some of the original reviews are linked below, if you'd like to know more...

"If you like your horror quiet, stealthy, and throat-achingly sad, this one is for you." Tracy Fahey

"...a deeply moving story, emotionally charged,with a powerful and rich narrative, it is an exemplary example of ability for quiet horror to chill a reader to the core." Gingernuts Of Horror.

"This hugely chilling and evocative story, mixing lyrical language and lost love, is told with great psychological acuity." Horror Blog UK


"A small, quiet, poignant novella about grief and significance... No noise, no fuss, just good, honest writing about the things that matter. Recommended." Gary McMahon

"I really enjoyed this short, condensed novelette, which is packed full of bitterness and yearning, defeatism and aspiration. It’s what loss actually feels like... It’s a fine piece of work." Gary Fry


"I literally had goosebumps when I finished reading"
Anthony Watson, Dark Musings

"A must read, wonderful.", Yvonne Davies, Terror Tree

 Trying To Be So Quiet.

2016: My Writing Year

So 2016, eh? An, uh, 'interesting' year for many of us... for reasons I'm sure you don't need me to remind you of.

But just judging 2016 based on what it meant for my writing, it was a good year. In terms of books published I looked very prolific, but in reality this was caused by the vagaries of small-press publishing schedules rather than anything else.

Books
Trying To Be So Quiet 
A ghost story released as a (brilliantly designed) hardback - a first for me. Jim McLeod of Ginger Nuts Of Horror included TTBSQ in his Top 20 Books of the year, and Anthony Watson mentioned it in his 2016 Review post on his Dark Musings site. Sadly Boo Books are no longer with us, so I'll be looking for a new home for this one.

The Quarantined City
Finally the whole story could be told... stories, in fact. After 'publisher problems' prevented this being released episodically as originally planned, the brilliant Infinity Plus stepped in to release the whole novel. It's the book of mine I'm probably most proud of, and Anthony Watson picked it as his second favourite novel of the year, calling it a "truimph". And of course I'm going to be crass enough to mention again that this one got reviewed in the bloody Guardian.

Paupers' Graves
Part of the Hersham Horror novella range, this one stretched me as a writer, involving a fair amount of historical research (the setting is based on a real life cemetery here in Nottingham). Fortunately the hard work seemed to pay off, with Mark West including Paupers' Graves in his annual Westies awards; Horror Novel Reviews in this 2016 List; Anthony Watson mentioning it in his year end piece; as did Kit Power in his personal round up for Ginger Nuts of Horror.

The Hyde Hotel
My first book as editor, alongside Dan Howarth. I loved putting together this - thanks to all the stellar authors involved. And again, Anthony Watson (a man I owe a drink to, should we ever met) mentioned this in his roundup of the year.

Stories & Non-Fiction: 
Including reprints, I had seven stories published this year. The new ones were 'Hooked' (Thirteen Signs), 'A Glimpse of Red' (Great British Horror #1: Green &Pleasant Land) and 'Premonition' (Reflections). And although not released in 2016, Kit Power (a cracking writer in himself) mentioned 'The Man Dogs Hated' (from Falling Over) as one of his favourite short stories he read this year in his own annual round up.

I also had two pieces in the Writers On Writing series from Crystal Lake, both republished in the Omnibus Edition: 'Embracing Your Inner Shitness' and 'Fictional Emotions; Emotional Fictions'.

Events:
I attended more writing related events than ever before, and had a blast at all of them: Edge-Lit 5, Sledge-lit 2, Derby Writers' Day, Nottingham Library Local Writers Showcase, and of course the annual three days of talking books, eating food, launching books, drinking beer and buying books that is Fantasycon.

Coming Up...
2017 will see me hard at work upon a novel, as well as hopefully see some more short stories published. I'm tentatively thinking about what tales should feature in my next collection too, so hopefully they'll be some news on that.

See you next year, everyone!

Paupers' Grave: First Reviews & Fantasycon Launch

My new novella, Paupers' Graves is being launched this Saturday at Fantasycon 2016 as part of the Hersham Horror launch event, which also includes great looking books by Marie O'Regan, Mark West, Phil Sloman and Stephen Bacon. (You can also preorder it here.)

It's had some pre-releases reviews already, and yet again I'm humbled by what what people have said about my work:

"...an incredibly powerful and scary story that actually has something to say - and something genuinely nuanced and uncomfortable, at that. Very highly recommended." Kit Power at Gingernuts Of Horror.

"As might be expected from the author of the amazing Quarantined City, this is a story which operates on multiple levels. It’s a story about stories; it’s about society. It’s ghosts and hauntings and is very effective in dealing out the thrills and chills. It’s a corker – scary and profound." Anthony Watson at Dark Musings.

My Fantasycon schedule is as below:

Saturday 12.00pm: Bright Lights panel, with Penny Reeve (Chair), Liz De Jager, Donna Scott, Kit Power & me.... (Royal Ballroom, Royal Hotel)

Saturday 1:00pm: Book Launch for Great British Horror #1: Green & Pleasent Land (Harbour Lights, Grand Hotel)

Saturday7:00 pm: Hersham Horror launch, including Paupers' Graves (Cocktail Bar, Grand Hotel)


Otherwise, I'll be hanging around enjoying myself. Hope to see as many as possible there!

Double Ginger Nuts

Big thanks to the Ginger Nuts Of Horror site for not just one but two fantastic reviews recently. Firstly, head honcho Jim Mcleod reviewed my forthcoming novella Trying To Be So Quiet. Jim's a massively respected reviewer in the UK horror scene, so I was naturally relieved that he liked it so much:

"Everington has always been one of those writers to watch out for, a gifted writer with a keen eye for refined horror, Trying To Be So Quiet doesn't so much as cement his place as a great writer, as but catapults him into the ranks of exceptional writers." (Review here.)

Then author Kit Power reviewed my collection Falling Over, which he claimed was his short story read of 2016 so far... He also said:

"...this is a masterful collection from a writer with an incredible deftness of touch. Note perfect grasp of character, the ability to render the mundane strange with a turn of phrase, deeply literate yet not an ounce of pretension, Everington is a quiet but potent voice in horror fiction." (Review here.)

Guest Blog: Alex Davis 'The Hardest Movie I Ever Watched'

Today on the blog I'm very pleased to welcome Alex Davis, with a guest post about his new project, Film Gutter. So, without further ado...

Take it away, Alex:

GUEST BLOG: THE HARDEST MOVIE I EVER WATCHED

Over the last year, I’ve had a wonderful time working on reviews and interviews over at Ginger Nuts of Horror, all focused on the world of extreme horror. It’s a fantastic scene of people, who have been hugely helpful and welcoming, and I’ve legitimately stumbled across some of the best films I’ve ever watched. But there have also been moments where I have thought ‘why on Earth did I do that to myself?’ I’ve never shied away from a challenge, and consider myself someone who is quite hard to shock. I expect there are a few films that I’ve seen that would have defeated a lot of viewers along the way. But the one that sticks out by some way as the hardest to watch, and that is Thanatomorphose.

The date was 19^th April 2015, and with the house to myself I decided to settle down for a movie for Film Gutter. This year I’m trying to keep a bit more ahead of the curve, but for a long time after I started it was watch it, review it, send it and live it went. So I got myself comfortable for Thanatomorphose, one of those films I had seen on a number of ‘most disturbing’ lists. And it turned out to be anything but a comfortable experience.

Now, what disturbs people is distinctly individual , but for me this one was kind of the perfect storm. The story follows a young lady in a fairly uneasy love triangle between her ‘alpha male’ boyfriend and a rather gentler and shier friend. The movie openings with a mind-wrenching cacophony of colour and sound, a strange shooting style repeated later on to even greater effect. When we get to the real ‘meat’ of the story, what begins as a fairly ordinary seemingly illness soon becomes a living hell for our lead. Her body begins to give in on her, rotting away to nothing. The shooting and visuals are so graphic and unflinching that it left me utterly speechless throughout. But when you add into that the fact that her decay also sees her mind descending and her animal lusts taking over, you have a combination that made me feel perturbed in a way no movie ever has before or since. Oh yeah, and I ordered myself a kebab before starting this one. A kebab. What the hell was I thinking? When it arrived there was no way I could eat it... Kayden Rose does a fine job in the lead, growing increasingly fascinated with her condition and also embracing some utterly horrible scenes. The final scene is punctuated with an absolutely awful scream as her body finally dissolves to nothing, and I was left with my hands over my ears asking myself ‘Is it over? Is it over?’ Never have I wanted to turn off a film more.

And you might ask yourself, why the hell didn’t I? A fine question. First up, in taking up the quest of Film Gutter, I made a sort of silent vow to myself to NEVER turn off a film, no matter how upset, nervous or physically sick it was making me. And secondly, it’s the kind of morbid curiosity that was in evidence throughout Thanatomorphose. Why do drivers slow down to look at car crashes? Why do people gather round when people are attacked or mugged on the street? We want to know. We kind of need to know, as humans – we can’t help ourselves. And for this very reason I had to get to the end of this film. Not because I ever thought there would or could be a happy ending – in fact, so much extreme horror has a bleak finale! But I just had to witness it.

Now, a lot of people don’t share that urge with me. Which is kind of what Film Gutter is there for – by no means is it simply a mechanism for masochistic self-torture. Film Gutter is a safe window to look in to and find out what you wanted to know without looking at it yourself – we’re offering the newspaper coverage the day after that car crash. You can get the facts, but you don’t need to witness the gore, the violence and the deviancy yourself. Just how shocking is A Serbian Film? Do they seriously do it with a zombie in Nekromantik? Just how twisted are the Guinea Pig movies? And are there seriously films called Human Pork Chop and Bad Butt?

If you love extreme horror, hopefully you’ll find some useful guidance as to what’s among the finest on the scene. But if not, this is a glimpse into some of the brilliance and madness that is out there – and remember it’s a fine line between those two...

Film Gutter Volume 1 is out now on ebook, with 50 reviews, interviews and more exclusive content from the world of extreme horror. Read it if you dare, and watch them if you’re even more daring! More here.