tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75369794604894005992024-03-13T01:04:17.501+00:00Lily Childs' FeardomHorror, crime and dark fiction.Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.comBlogger483125truetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-70392753715836887802022-07-18T00:11:00.000+01:002022-07-18T00:11:10.424+01:00'Sixsmith' - THAT asylum novel<p>You're bored of it by now. 'The asylum novel' started life in 2013 as a crawling mish-mash of character visitations, all of them demanding a voice. Sounds pompous. Sorry about that. Actually, it was bloody scary. Still is.</p><p>What's more, these characters are all local to me. As a writer, the dead people you create will nag the damned life out of you, wherever they fictionally hail from. This lot though, are close - very, very close. In allowing them to die so nearby, I seem to have made it easier for them to creep into my head, to linger, to shout - and worse - to whisper. It's my own fault. </p><p><i>They have expectations.</i></p><p>Even when I originally finished writing the novel to my satisfaction and had handed it over to a (fabulous indie) horror publisher, the characters continued to pester. When said publisher quite rightly suggested a few changes, well... Howard was indignant, Alice accepted her lot with eternal dignity, Alfred blamed everyone else, Rose wept, Jacob howled with his hounds from hell, Elizabeth hid in her tree and old Tom laid down the law. And the surgeon? The surgeon smirked, flabby lips glistening with drool in the candlelight as he sharpened his knives.</p><p>With the publisher's generous support, it still took me two long years to make the small changes. The key ones were done relatively early; they made sense but I could no longer work out the continuity. The harder I looked, the more difficult it became. </p><p>As an aside, I blame the day job and Covid for sucking anything creative out of both me and my soul in equal measure. 'Anything' is a lazy term for which I apologise, but I have no other words with which to articulate such a void. For a long time I've been hoping the situation is only an extended, empty hiatus rather than a failure, or lost ability to write. </p><p>Back to the novel. Finally, last month on a Sunday evening when I was super-tired and the brain cells had shut down, I decided to revisit the changes I'd made over the previous couple of years. There! The solution was obvious. Just before midnight, Sixsmith was complete. Turned out I'd been trying too hard. </p><p>So it's done. It's finished. Elizabeth, Jacob, Howard and all are cackling in my ears, soft and loud, hurt and lonely. The wonderful (and I mean that) publisher has released the novel back to me as they have been offered some superb opportunities of their own. I wish them every success.</p><p>This all means I'm ready to send Sixsmith, 'that asylum novel' out again.</p><p>The characters are excited and terrified, as am I.</p>Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-78082734080135233142017-05-25T22:57:00.001+01:002017-05-25T22:57:33.054+01:00Just a quick 'Hello'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm perfectly aware I've not been keeping The Feardom up to date lately, nor have I been on Facebook or Twitter much either. For that, I apologise.<br />
<br />
It's not to say I'm not writing; I am. But this girl has a day job which - at the moment - is overwhelming to say the least. If my day job was as a novelist, that would be utterly fabulata. Sadly, it's not.<br />
<br />
So please don't give up on me. I have a pile of tales almost ready to put out as a collection, or submit separately to publishers. I haven't decided yet. They include:<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>a story that will make you scratch and itch and punch yourself senseless</li>
<li>a gin-riddled, ghostly account of debauched possession</li>
<li>vicious trailer trash horror</li>
<li>plastic bubbles in a plastic world where you must watch where you tread</li>
<li>dolls trapped in trees</li>
<li>a dystopian tale of golden corsets, time-travel and drugs</li>
<li>a new Magenta Shaman episode</li>
</ul>
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I'm also reworking Six Souls, the asylum novel - with passion.</div>
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Bear with me. I'm not done yet.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GL1nZdOroqE/WSdSOoozI3I/AAAAAAAANOw/cU_SARUDgsMCwoR7rneQF08APYJnJ8OugCLcB/s1600/lily-waiting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1176" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GL1nZdOroqE/WSdSOoozI3I/AAAAAAAANOw/cU_SARUDgsMCwoR7rneQF08APYJnJ8OugCLcB/s400/lily-waiting.jpg" width="366" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting... just waiting</td></tr>
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Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-26124367334839352332016-12-01T21:49:00.000+00:002016-12-01T21:49:40.727+00:00IN SEARCH OF SILVER BOUGHS - OUT NOW<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Twinkling forth after an age, In Search of Silver Boughs is finally spreading its pages wide, published on 1st December 2016 by KnightWatch Press. Huge thanks to editor, Steve Shaw for bringing the chapbook to fruition, and to Theresa Derwin for acquiring Silver Boughs in the first place.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The best place to </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://knightwatch.greatbritishhorror.com/in-search-of-silver-boughs/" target="_blank">buy the chapbook</a></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">is <i>always </i>via the publisher themselves.</span></div>
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___________________</div>
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Follow the ancient, ruthless soul of demi-goddess Emmeline as she struts across Scandinavia and western Europe, clad in magical, skin-stitched boots. When those handmade-boots are ripped from Emmeline's aching feet in 19th century Paris, the trauma triggers dangerous memories of long-term lover, the Bohemian artist Augustus Flinch – and their deviant daughter Ishtabelle.<br />
<br />
With rumours that Flinch has taken cruel revenge by freezing their child in the filthy ice of London’s river Thames, Emmeline calls upon her most primal energies to hunt him down.<br />
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Hide your eyes. Hide your ears as Emmeline storms across the channel toward the heaving capital of England, in this twisted, bloody fairy tale. Protect your heart. It won't just break – it will shatter.</div>
Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-81596444531283508792016-08-06T00:47:00.001+01:002016-08-06T10:41:04.954+01:00Reviews and News<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">REVIEWS</span></b><br />
<br />
The <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Room-Manuscripts-Two/dp/0993592600/" target="_blank"><b>Black Room Manuscripts Vol 2</b></a> is already enjoying excellent reviews and I'm humbled to have received the following comments for The Vile Glib of Gideon Wicke:<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>From the always inspiring and honest Ginger Nuts of Horror - <b>my thanks to George Ilett Anderson</b>:</b> "Like the previous two entries in this anthology, Lily Childs’ writing is a revelation. Her story, “The Vile Glib of Gideon Wicke” is a haunting and poignant journey through limbo for a lost soul. Beautifully written with very vivid imagery about loss, redemption and finding oneself, this is an excellent story."<br /><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/0993592600/ref=cm_cr_dp_text?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=helpful#R3NRR24LQRLIKL" target="_blank">Read the full review on Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.gingernutsofhorror.com/index.html" target="_blank">More about The Ginger Nuts of Horror</a></li>
<li><b>From David Dubrow:</b> "Not quite a horror story, but a sad, sweet tale of loneliness, death, and what lies beyond, The Vile Glib of Gideon Wicke by Lily Childs is arguably the best story in the collection."<br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R38W13RNQX4ANX/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0993592600" target="_blank">Read the full review on Amazon</a></li>
<li><b>From Chris Hall at DLS Reviews</b>: "Some tales read more like poetry than they do stories. That’s not to say that there’s not a story in there – but the eloquence and beauty of the writing can sometimes speak louder than what’s being told. Lily Childs’ offering is one such story. From those initial first few stepping stones, from the quiet ambience and respectful graciousness of our tired protagonist, we’re pulled into the mesmerising charm of the story and the gentle flow of its direction. Indeed, reading Childs’ offering feels somewhat akin to drifting down a gently flowing stream; watching as around you things gradually float by and the world plays out its endless tune. But of course it’s not all roses and sunshine. Even though the story maintains a compelling beauty in its prose, the path it follows is clouded with heartache and sorrow. But there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. And to show this Childs executes a near flawless wrapping up of a lost soul’s final journey."<br /><a href="http://www.dlsreviews.com/black-room-manuscripts-vol-2.php" target="_blank">Read the full review at DLS Reviews</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
My thanks to Jim McLeod (GNoH), David and Chris for their kind words about my dark, tragic, 'not quite horror' but desperate tale of post-death descent.</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Room-Manuscripts-Two/dp/0993592600/" target="_blank"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Room-Manuscripts-Two/dp/0993592600/" target="_blank">THE BLACK ROOM MANUSCRIPTS VOL. 2 ON AMAZON</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>NEWS</b></span></div>
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<b>The Thirteen Signs</b>, edited by Dean M. Drinkel and published by Nocturnicorn Books is out this week for <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thirteen-Signs-Dean-M-Drinkel-ebook/dp/B01JKK9KNI/" target="_blank">Kindle</a>, and soon in paperback. Contains my Taurean tale of bloodshed in not-so-pleasant England, <b>Come Join the Blood Parade</b>.</div>
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<b>Flash Fear</b>, edited by the glorious Theresa Derwin of Quantum Corsets includes re-prints of two of my flash tales. Opening the anthology is baker-boy battering, <b>Pat-A-Cake</b> followed by mythical, mystical <b>The Tale of Restoration</b>. Out now on <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flash-Fear-Theresa-Derwin/dp/1533655073" target="_blank">Amazon</a>.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Fresh Fear: An Anthology of Macabre Horror</b>, edited by William Cook and containing my cannibalistic dish <b>Strange Tastes</b>, has been re-published by King Billy Publications with an exquisite new cover. Available on <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fresh-Fear-Anthology-Macabre-Horror-ebook/dp/B01HYASBBI" target="_blank">Amazon </a>now.</div>
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<a href="https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2BGsyvlBhL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2BGsyvlBhL.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
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Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-49970890188595062752016-08-06T00:47:00.000+01:002016-08-06T10:40:28.311+01:00Reviews and News<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">REVIEWS</span></b><br />
<br />
The <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Room-Manuscripts-Two/dp/0993592600/" target="_blank"><b>Black Room Manuscripts Vol 2</b></a> is already enjoying excellent reviews and I'm humbled to have received the following comments for The Vile Glib of Gideon Wicke:<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>From the always inspiring and honest Ginger Nuts of Horror - my thanks to George Ilett Anderson:</b> "Like the previous two entries in this anthology, Lily Childs’ writing is a revelation. Her story, “The Vile Glib of Gideon Wicke” is a haunting and poignant journey through limbo for a lost soul. Beautifully written with very vivid imagery about loss, redemption and finding oneself, this is an excellent story."<br /><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/0993592600/ref=cm_cr_dp_text?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=helpful#R3NRR24LQRLIKL" target="_blank">Read the full review on Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.gingernutsofhorror.com/index.html" target="_blank">More about The Ginger Nuts of Horror</a></li>
<li><b>From David Dubrow:</b> "Not quite a horror story, but a sad, sweet tale of loneliness, death, and what lies beyond, The Vile Glib of Gideon Wicke by Lily Childs is arguably the best story in the collection."<br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R38W13RNQX4ANX/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0993592600" target="_blank">Read the full review on Amazon</a></li>
<li><b>From Chris Hall at DLS Reviews</b>: "Some tales read more like poetry than they do stories. That’s not to say that there’s not a story in there – but the eloquence and beauty of the writing can sometimes speak louder than what’s being told. Lily Childs’ offering is one such story. From those initial first few stepping stones, from the quiet ambience and respectful graciousness of our tired protagonist, we’re pulled into the mesmerising charm of the story and the gentle flow of its direction. Indeed, reading Childs’ offering feels somewhat akin to drifting down a gently flowing stream; watching as around you things gradually float by and the world plays out its endless tune. But of course it’s not all roses and sunshine. Even though the story maintains a compelling beauty in its prose, the path it follows is clouded with heartache and sorrow. But there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. And to show this Childs executes a near flawless wrapping up of a lost soul’s final journey."<br /><a href="http://www.dlsreviews.com/black-room-manuscripts-vol-2.php" target="_blank">Read the full review at DLS Reviews</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
My thanks to Jim McLeod (GNoH), David and Chris for their kind words about my dark, tragic, 'not quite horror' but desperate tale of post-death descent.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Room-Manuscripts-Two/dp/0993592600/" target="_blank"><br /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Room-Manuscripts-Two/dp/0993592600/" target="_blank">THE BLACK ROOM MANUSCRIPTS VOL. 2 ON AMAZON</a></div>
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<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>NEWS</b></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>The Thirteen Signs</b>, edited by Dean M. Drinkel and published by Nocturnicorn Books is out this week for <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thirteen-Signs-Dean-M-Drinkel-ebook/dp/B01JKK9KNI/" target="_blank">Kindle</a>, and soon in paperback. Contains my Taurean tale of bloodshed in not-so-pleasant England, <b>Come Join the Blood Parade</b>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41Sfzr9027L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41Sfzr9027L.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Flash Fear</b>, edited by the glorious Theresa Derwin of Quantum Corsets includes re-prints of two of my flash tales. Opening the anthology is baker-boy battering, <b>Pat-A-Cake</b> followed by mythical, mystical <b>The Tale of Restoration</b>. Out now on <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flash-Fear-Theresa-Derwin/dp/1533655073" target="_blank">Amazon</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51dr4PzmOTL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51dr4PzmOTL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Fresh Fear: An Anthology of Macabre Horror</b>, edited by William Cook and containing my cannibalistic dish <b>Strange Tastes</b>, has been re-published by King Billy Publications with an exquisite new cover. Available on <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fresh-Fear-Anthology-Macabre-Horror-ebook/dp/B01HYASBBI" target="_blank">Amazon </a>now.</div>
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Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-13851413087176855582016-07-05T22:34:00.000+01:002016-07-05T22:34:54.225+01:00THE BLACK ROOM MANUSCRIPTS Vol 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today, Mr Postie almost beat down my door to hand me a very special package. What I found inside made my heart leap:<br />
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With much trepidation I carefully unwrapped the parcel and drew out my contributor's copy of...<br />
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Launching at <a href="http://horrorconventions.co.uk/" target="_blank">Horror Con 2016</a> this weekend, <b>THE BLACK ROOM MANUSCRIPTS Vol 2</b> from The Sinister Horror Company is also available on Amazon from 9th July. You can already pre-order it <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Room-Manuscripts-Two/dp/0993592600/" target="_blank">here</a> in the UK and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Black-Room-Manuscripts-Two/dp/0993592600/" target="_blank">here</a> in the US.<br />
<br />
I'm immensely humbled that my bitter tragedy, The Vile Glib of Gideon Wicke is included in this stunning anthology, especially as all profits from sales are going to <a href="http://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/" target="_blank">Alzheimer's Research UK</a>, who work so hard to help defeat dementia.<br />
<br />
Speaking as an author, the owners/editors at The Sinister Horror Company truly are a pleasure to work with. Their professionalism has been consistent at every stage of the publishing process, they're supportive and - something I personally find important - they take the time to communicate regularly with the anthology contributors. I hope I have the opportunity to collaborate with them again in the future.<br />
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The book features stories from world-renowned authors such as Shaun Hutson, Graham Masterton and William Meikle. It includes tales from Jasper Bark, Laura Mauro, Paul M. Feeney, Sam Stone, Rich Hawkins, Matt Shaw and many more.<br />
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Below is the opening page of The Vile Glib of Gideon Wicke. Enjoy the horror.<br />
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Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-12086040397483560772016-07-05T19:55:00.001+01:002016-07-05T20:02:54.387+01:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Believe (in) it or not, the planets turn and the stars point their sparkling, razor fingers at you the very moment you're born. What does the sun say, and better still... what does the moon say?<br />
<br />
No New Age 'love and light' fluffiness, THE THIRTEEN SIGNS is a horrorscape of zodiacal darkness brought to you by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dean.drinkel">Dean M Drinkel</a> and Nocturnicorn Books.<br />
<div>
<br />
I'm very proud to be a part of this, alongside such wickedly talented authors.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Thirteen Signs - Table of Contents</span></b><br />
<br />
Foreword: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/alex.s.johnson">Alex S. Johnson</a><br />
Introduction: Dean M Drinkel<br />
The Order Of Aries: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mark.west.313924">Mark West</a><br />
Come Join The Blood Parade: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lilychildsfeardom" target="_blank">Lily Childs</a><br />
Seven For Eight: Romain Collier<br />
Carapace: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/raven.dane.1?fref=ts" target="_blank">Raven Dane</a> <br />
Leo: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tim.dry">Tim Dry</a><br />
Solomon Carson And The Death Of A Virgin: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TKBoss1976">Trevor Kennedy</a> and Robert E. Tate<br />
Leeber: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/christine.dougherty.92">Christine Dougherty</a><br />
The Scorpion Dance: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/amelia.mangan">Amelia Mangan</a> <br />
One in Twelve: Steve Byrne<br />
A Sorrow Of Sweet Pipings: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jan.coleborn.edwards">Jan Edwards</a> <br />
Ganymede: Emile-Louis Tomas Jouvet<br />
Hooked: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/james.everington">James Everington</a><br />
Worshipping The Snake: Dean M Drinkel<br />
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Cover reveal coming soon, The Thirteen Signs will be <b>available from the end of July 2016</b>.</div>
</div>
Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-20369285406942088102016-07-05T19:55:00.000+01:002016-07-05T20:02:18.669+01:00THE THIRTEEN SIGNS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Believe (in) it or not, the planets turn and the stars point their sparkling, razor fingers at you the very moment you're born. What does the sun say, and better still... what does the moon say?<br />
<br />
No New Age 'love and light' fluffiness, THE THIRTEEN SIGNS is a horrorscape of zodiacal darkness brought to you by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dean.drinkel">Dean M Drinkel</a> and Nocturnicorn Books.<br />
<div>
<br />
I'm very proud to be a part of this, alongside such wickedly talented authors.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Thirteen Signs - Table of Contents</span></b><br />
<br />
Foreword: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/alex.s.johnson">Alex S. Johnson</a><br />
Introduction: Dean M Drinkel<br />
The Order Of Aries: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mark.west.313924">Mark West</a><br />
Come Join The Blood Parade: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lilychildsfeardom" target="_blank">Lily Childs</a><br />
Seven For Eight: Romain Collier<br />
Carapace: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/raven.dane.1?fref=ts" target="_blank">Raven Dane</a> <br />
Leo: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tim.dry">Tim Dry</a><br />
Solomon Carson And The Death Of A Virgin: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TKBoss1976">Trevor Kennedy</a> and Robert E. Tate<br />
Leeber: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/christine.dougherty.92">Christine Dougherty</a><br />
The Scorpion Dance: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/amelia.mangan">Amelia Mangan</a> <br />
One in Twelve: Steve Byrne<br />
A Sorrow Of Sweet Pipings: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jan.coleborn.edwards">Jan Edwards</a> <br />
Ganymede: Emile-Louis Tomas Jouvet<br />
Hooked: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/james.everington">James Everington</a><br />
Worshipping The Snake: Dean M Drinkel<br />
<br />
Cover reveal coming soon, The Thirteen Signs will be <b>available from the end of July 2016</b>.</div>
</div>
Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-4098151457073554002015-04-13T08:26:00.000+01:002015-04-13T08:26:13.112+01:00BITE OF THE HORRORCANE - Run for your lives!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Theresa Derwin of<b> <a href="http://knightwatch.greatbritishhorror.com/" target="_blank">KnightWatch Press</a> </b>has edited and published an homage to the great B-Movies of times-past with KWP's new anthology,<b> <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Killer-Bees-Outer-Space-Walters-ebook/dp/B00VH6DTQI/" target="_blank">KILLER BEES FROM OUTER SPACE</a></b>.<br />
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My story, '<b>Bite of the Horrorcane</b>' tells the tale of best friends Ray and Joey after they open a singles' venue on the French Riviera. </div>
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Guests start turning up dead in the dodgiest of places and with injuries more than personal. As if that isn't problematic enough, how does the murderer know their victims' intimate details? </div>
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Joey and Ray - who in a panic have been burying the victims in the stark Provençal hills - are too afraid to go the police. </div>
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It's bad for business. </div>
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It can't go on.</div>
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But then Joey gets a visit of his own...</div>
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<b style="font-size: x-large;">Bite of the Horrorcane intro:</b></div>
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Butterfly wings on her skin, thin feet dancing across shaven legs. Feelers and long tongue dripping, dipping... tasting her flesh. All the better to lick you with. <br />
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Tara brushed the creature away. Damned things. She didn’t care if they were pretty; they didn’t match her own beauty. A wink and smirk from a couple of guys in white T-shirts who she recognised from the resort proved the point. She adjusted her bikini top, a wiggle of the hips and a pout from glossed lips but by the time she got herself into the perfect pose the men had gone. Not a sign of them on the long beach, along its palm tree-lined promenade or out in the sea. Not a sign of anyone else either, for that matter. <br />
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Sand whipped up beside her in a frenzy; the tiniest of tornadoes it appeared out of nowhere to spiral just above the ground, gathering dust and grass. Locals called them sorcières, <i>witch winds</i>; This one shimmered with reds and yellows, scintillating golds. Quite magical. Tara reached into the twister. <br />
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“Ssssss.” <br />
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She grabbed her hand back. Blood immediately rose from razor cuts across her fingers. As she pulled away, the whirlwind grew. It leaned towards her, a mouth clearly visible in the raging turmoil. <br />
<br />
The mouth was open. <br />
<br />
The mouth had teeth. <br />
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It bit.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Killer Bees Amazon book description:</b></span></div>
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If you're over a certain age, you'll remember double features, and if you were a '70s child in Britain, you'll remember the Sat night Universal/Hammer Horror double bill showing such classics as 'Frankenstein Created Woman' and 'Twins of Evil' Some of those films were great, and some were just plain awful.<br />
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Everybody loves a good B-Movie. </div>
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From Plan 9 from Outer Space, to Tarantula, and into the more modern era of B-Movies; Sharknado and Big Ass Spider (referenced in Nick Walter's decade spanning story Blood Slobber of the Scrunge Worms'. There's something wonderfully nostalgic and entertaining about seeing heroes battle giant CGI sharks or rubber spiders. </div>
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This anthology is a collection of stories inspired by and paying homage to the nature and style of a B-Movie. And boy, have we got a great eclectic mix of stories. </div>
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Moth-women of Mars, giant worms, tentacles, Mummy Girls, Shadow People; they're all in here! The difference is, where some of those old films were a little, er, badly written, these cultural gems are intelligent, witty, and sometimes moving pieces of literature playing with the clichés of the genre.</div>
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So grab your popcorn, your beverage of choice, sit down, open up this book and immerse yourself into the world of Killer Bees from Outer Space. </div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Killer-Bees-Outer-Space-Walters-ebook/dp/B00VH6DTQI/" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-size: large;">BUY/DOWNLOAD KILLER BEES FROM OUTER SPACE</span></b></a></div>
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Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-14530625158973783252015-02-13T23:11:00.000+00:002015-02-13T23:11:42.266+00:00The Grimorium Verum is Unleashed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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T'is Friday the thirteenth and darkness is spreading. Oozing through the cracks in your soul, its febrile fingers are teasing, touching and tearing at your skin, driving you wild.<br />
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And all because today's the day.<br />
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<b>THE GRIMORIUM VERUM has finally been released.</b><br />
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Packed with terror, these 26 stories are written by some of the best horror writers around, and as the final volume in the TRES LIBRORUM PROHIBITORUM, it was of course, edited by Dean M. Drinkel. You can read the Table of Contents over at the publisher's website: <a href="http://westernlegendspublishing.com/2015/02/11/the-grimorium-verum-launches-friday-the-13th/" target="_blank">Western Legends Publishing</a>.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">JIMSON JANE: SEITHR</span></b><br />
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The Grimorium Verum, or the Grimoire of Truth, was the 18th century textbook of magic attributed to Alibeck the Egyptian and coveted by ‘The Great Beast’ Aleister Crowley for use in his Magick ceremonies.<div>
<br />My own tale, J is for JIMSON JANE: SEITHR follows a pair of Victorian quacks escaping from the law in England to... not exactly find their fortune in America, rather scam as many people as they can whilst procuring new ingredients for their <i>patented cures, tonics and restorative draughts</i>. In their travels they hear about the mysterious healer Jimson Jane. In an obsessive search for Jane, for her methods and pharmacopeia they are introduced to rites and remedies as old as the land itself. But knowledge does not come without a price. And neither does life.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">BUY THE GRIMORIUM VERUM</span></b><br />
<br />Amazon US<br /><ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1508431914/">Paperback</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TEOPFXK/">Kindle eBook</a></li>
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Amazon UK<br /><ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1508431914/">Paperback</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00TEOPFXK/">Kindle eBook</a></li>
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CreateSpace eStore<br /><ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="https://www.createspace.com/5310475">Paperback</a></li>
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Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-85718682308659412842015-02-08T16:01:00.001+00:002015-02-08T16:01:27.213+00:00Book Review: An English Ghost Story by Kim Newman<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The promise of a sparkling new life for Kim Newman's 'dysfunctional British nuclear family' lures the reader in with teases as to what has led the Naremores to occupy The Hollow - far away from the troubles and influences of their past. <br />
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I'm not the first reviewer to mention the similarity to James Herbert's The Magic Cottage, and although I read that book back in 1986, An English Ghost Story instantly evoked very similar emotions in me of delight and fear in equal measure.<br />
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It's a credit to the author that his writing can entrance the reader for quite some time before the darkness slowly starts to set in. From then on the writing style subtly changes as we progress - from poetic descriptions to a sharper, staccato delivery which matches the tension.<br />
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The house is a metaphor for the story itself. It is not just a place occupied by ghosts and more sinister entities, it is home to diverse personalities with banal and extreme human traits, where strengths and weaknesses are tested - to the limit. Newman toys with the psychology of his characters, as does The Hollow, treating them as playthings in this place where memories are warped and misconceived solutions create more problems than they solve.<br />
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Overall, I was enraptured by An English Ghost Story and completely drawn in, making the book difficult to put down. The only reason I haven't given it five stars is that the Naremore characters repeat the justification for their actions a little too often and it feels like the reader is being reminded, just in case we might have forgotten what each of them has been through. But I can overlook this.<br />
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4 stars. Highly recommended.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/English-Ghost-Story-Kim-Newman/dp/1781165580" target="_blank">Buy An English Ghost Story by Kim Newman from Amazon</a></b><br />
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Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-22454068506656091252014-11-30T22:12:00.000+00:002014-11-30T22:19:56.569+00:00New Chapbook Collaboration with KnightWatch Press<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H1dNuvjhZTg/VHuQE2QS2GI/AAAAAAAAHeI/uIiX0YoILXA/s1600/isosb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H1dNuvjhZTg/VHuQE2QS2GI/AAAAAAAAHeI/uIiX0YoILXA/s1600/isosb.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
Two years ago I wrote a new twisted fairy tale, IN SEARCH OF SILVER BOUGHS - a story of boots, of regret, of magic and slaughter. It had no destination, no home but despite that it remains one of the pieces I've most enjoyed writing - ever.<br />
<br />
On the back of the recent release of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Within-Wet-Walls-Lily-Childs-ebook/dp/B00P4JHRQW/" target="_blank">WITHIN WET WALLS</a>, I had a conversation with Theresa Derwin, owner of <a href="http://knightwatch.greatbritishhorror.com/" target="_blank">KnightWatch Press</a> who said she'd like to read it for consideration for KWP's 2015/16 chapbook series. Expecting nothing, I reformatted the story to KWP's specifications and sent it directly to Theresa.<br />
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At the end of October 2014 I had the pleasure of meeting Theresa in person, along with a plethora of other horror-writing folk at the <a href="https://forbiddenplanet.com/events/2014/10/25/great-halloween-horror-signing/">Hallowe'en Horror Signing</a> event at Shaftesbury Avenue's incredible Forbidden Planet, then again later at the British Fantasy Society Open Day. It was at this latter event that Theresa told me the secret... she wanted Silver Boughs.<br />
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It's an understatement, and not the slightest bit cool, to say "I'm so excited"! But I am.<br />
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KnightWatch Press has worked and is working with a whole host of new and established authors I admire, including William Meikle, Jasper Bark, Alison Littlewood, Christine Morgan, Michael R Brush, Sean T. Page, Tim Waggoner, James Everington and Gary McMahon. It's such a pleasure to join everyone, as well to be working with KWP's incredible team of editors, artists and writers.<br />
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I look forward to giving you more news soon but in the meantime, <a href="http://knightwatch.greatbritishhorror.com/kwp-news-november-2014/" target="_blank">KWP's announcement is here</a> (under Now for 2015).<br />
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Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-82954087061840177882014-11-07T08:59:00.001+00:002014-11-07T08:59:50.652+00:00Official Online Launch Party - Within Wet Walls<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's today! The Within Wet Walls online launch party on Facebook:</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1494886250783202/" target="_blank">JOIN THE PARTY HERE</a></b></span></div>
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6pm UK | 1pm USA and Canada | 8am (8th Nov)</div>
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<br />Here in the UK, Wealdstone will be creaking open its huge oak doors at 6pm.<br /><br />Do join us - Eliza, the Footman, Julius... we'll all be there, waiting to pour glasses of virtual wine, water, absinthe - whatever's your poison. But just one thing, please bring your own skin... for we get thirsty too.<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YBMRLxgBTcw/VFyFx2_FTKI/AAAAAAAAHdk/m2dnSkcaZIU/s1600/WWW-wine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YBMRLxgBTcw/VFyFx2_FTKI/AAAAAAAAHdk/m2dnSkcaZIU/s1600/WWW-wine.jpg" height="640" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Château Wealdstone</td></tr>
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To our friends in the USA and Canada, take the afternoon off, scoot away from the office and join the The Within Wet Walls official online launch party at around 1pm for lunchtime cocktails!<div>
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If you're in Australia or New Zealand, the party starts early on 8th November - come along for breakfast coffee or a cheeky Bucks Fizz...<div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">See you there!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Reviews</span></h3>
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The book is already selling well on <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Within-Wet-Walls-Lily-Childs/dp/1502841428" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Within-Wet-Walls-Lily-Childs/dp/1502841428" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a>, with reviews coming in from England, Canada and the USA...</div>
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"<b>I can't recommend this book enough</b>" - Briff</div>
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"<b>Deliciously dark</b>" - Helen Baggott</div>
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"<b>Mist-soaked horror</b>" - Icy Sedgwick</div>
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"<b>Strange, sinister, and beautiful</b>" - Callinout</div>
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"<b>A captivating tale of curiosity and lust for the living soul</b>" - Brandon Crouse</div>
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"<b>...a Gothic Gem</b>" - Blaze McRob</div>
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Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-9325949609352279222014-11-03T19:19:00.001+00:002014-11-03T19:19:10.426+00:00WITHIN WET WALLS - out now, for your wicked pleasure<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Within Wet Walls is a short, gothic ghost story inspired by M.R. James, Dickens and Sir Walter Scott.<br />
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It speaks of a medieval manor built in a Sussex forest where beings as old as the land itself swirl, translucent in the damp mists. Ever hungry.<br />
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Travel through time within the wet walls of Wealdstone House. Slip into Eliza Lundy's Victorian sub-existence of servitude and debauchery, laced with opium and absinthe. Taste the terror. Embrace life... while you can.<br />
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Eliza's wandering spirit will take you by the hand, by the throat, by the lips. Enter her darkness to discover the beautiful horrors that reside there. She's waiting. She's always waiting. For you.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">OUT NOW! From just 99p/$1.59</span></b></div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>PAPERBACK</b>: buy the slim paperback from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Within-Wet-Walls-Lily-Childs/dp/1502841428/" target="_blank">Amazon.co.uk</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Within-Wet-Walls-Lily-Childs/dp/1502841428/" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a> and all other Amazon platforms<br />or</li>
<li><b>KINDLE</b>: Download the Kindle version from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Within-Wet-Walls-Lily-Childs-ebook/dp/B00P4JHRQW" target="_blank">Amazon.co.uk</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Within-Wet-Walls-Lily-Childs-ebook/dp/B00P4JHRQW" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a> and all other Amazon platforms</li>
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Excerpt:</div>
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WITHIN WET WALLS</h3>
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<i>The first time I heard Georgia sing, I sucked her soul out through her skin. I took it – but I didn’t really want it, not then.</i> </div>
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Applause rang through Wealdstone’s derelict Great Hall. It drifted into cold Sussex skies to join the final notes of Georgia Holland’s aria. The sounds entwined, dispersed... fell again as a sparkling frost on a raw winter’s night. <br />
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The singer’s sculpted face gazed up at the vast ivy-edged hole in the roof, focussing on a slither of moon which glimmered and smiled at its companion star. Georgia raised princess hands towards the celestial display, bringing the audience to its feet in ovation. <br />
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Beneath broken beams, the room slowly quietened. People turned to each other in whispers, agreeing that Miss Holland not only sang like an angel, she looked like one; her beatific countenance transcending voice and stature. Her tall body swayed, swathed in white velvet. A stole of ivory feathers hung from the pin of her shoulders making wings at her back. <br />
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The hall sighed as one; Georgia’s scarlet mouth grew wide, the grin reaching her cheeks, her eyes. <br />
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“Thank you,” she whispered. <br />
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Roses as red as the singer’s lips flew at the stage to cries of ‘Brava! Brava!’ leaving a carpet of petals at her feet. Georgia stared down – exalted – but humble, always humble. Tears blurred her vision and she watched in fascination as the flowers seemed to lap at her dress, soaking the hem. Silence fell. Georgia frowned, her smile wasting away. Tendrils crept up her skirts in crawling fingers. <br />
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“What...?” <br />
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She grabbed the moist fabric. It stuck to her bare legs, cloying and dripping with gelatinous greenery. Gasps peppered the makeshift auditorium; cold air scattered across the thousand tea-lights, extinguishing some, flaring others into a frenzied dance. <br />
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“Help me!” <br />
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Georgia’s voice went unheard amongst the mounting screams as the audience watched a figure wrap itself around the performer’s paralysed body, enveloping her in spirals of translucence. It squeezed, constricting Georgia’s ribs like a snake before rising to shimmer before her face with a face of its own. <br />
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A girl. <br />
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A girl with row upon row of tiny pointed teeth. <br />
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“It won’t hurt,” the mouth sighed. “It will be delicious.” <br />
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And it was.</div>
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Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-46638330160194502092014-10-29T08:50:00.000+00:002014-11-01T08:37:22.783+00:00PHOBOPHOBIAS Out Now! Fear and Terror Unveiled<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The long-awaited <b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Phobophobias-Dean-M-Drinkel/dp/1502987783" target="_blank">paperback</a></b> and <b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Phobophobias-Dean-Drinkel-ebook/dp/B00OYMXMMI/" target="_blank">ebook</a></b> of <b><a href="http://westernlegendspublishing.com/books/phobophobias/" target="_blank">Western Legends Publishing's PHOBOPHOBIAS</a></b> is out now on Amazon - just in time for Hallowe'en. Perfect for this year's scare fest, and beyond.<br />
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You can take a little <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Phobophobias-Dean-Drinkel-ebook/dp/B00OYMXMMI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1414571150&sr=1-1&keywords=phobophobias" target="_blank">'Look Inside' or download a sample here</a> which not only allows you to read the table of contents and the intro. but also the two opening stories!<br />
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The sequel to indie success Phobophobia (Dark Continents Publishing 2012) Phobophobias explores twenty-six extraordinary and oft-irrational common or obscure fears, those that cripple us, stop us functioning as human beings. Even though it's all in our head - or is it?<br />
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<b>My story, BAD EXPOSURE comes under 'I' for Ipovlopsychophobia</b> - the fear of having your photograph taken. Model Alexis suffers a breakdown after a bizarre encounter in the crowds outside a London tube station. Her partner Joey and mutual friend Mike attempt to support her through recovery but all logic fails as Alexis's fears manifest all around them, even when she isn't there.<br />
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The anthology features some true masters of horror from the world of fiction and also the big screen, including the Hellraiser Female Cenobite, Barbie Wilde and Son of Nosferatu, Tim Dry.<br />
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We hope you enjoy the terrifying tales. If you feel so inclined, please do review the book. Thank you.<br />
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The full line up of authors is:<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Christopher Beck</li>
<li>Adrian Chamberlin</li>
<li>Lily Childs</li>
<li>Mike Chinn</li>
<li>Raven Dane</li>
<li>Nerine Dorman</li>
<li>Christine Dougherty</li>
<li>Tim Dry</li>
<li>Jan Edwards</li>
<li>John Gilbert</li>
<li>D.T. Griffith</li>
<li>Lisa Jenkins</li>
<li>Emile-Louis Tomas Jouvet</li>
<li>Rakie Keig</li>
<li>Amelia Mangan</li>
<li>Peter Mark May</li>
<li>Christine Morgan</li>
<li>John Palisano</li>
<li>Daniel I. Russell</li>
<li>Phil Sloman</li>
<li>Sam Stone</li>
<li>Andrew Taylor</li>
<li>Mark West</li>
<li>Barbie Wilde</li>
<li>D.M. Youngquist </li>
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The beautiful cover art was created by James Powell, and the cover design by D. T. Griffith. The editor is award-winning writer and film-maker Dean M. Drinkel.</div>
Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-35330589175419663302014-10-28T09:40:00.000+00:002014-10-28T09:40:43.464+00:00Book Review: The Night Just Got Darker by Gary McMahon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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When we lose someone, it’s common to hear the expression, “a light went out.” For Gary McMahon and many other writers, publishers, editors and readers who were friends of the late Joel Lane, the night did indeed get a great deal darker when he passed away in November 2013. The outpouring of sadness at the time – and since - was such that although I had never met Joel, my heart broke for those that loved him so much.<br />
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I confess I was somewhat nervous about reading The Night Just Got Darker. I’m a big fan of Gary McMahon’s writing; he has an uncanny way of twisting a needle into your soul to touch your deepest emotions, your anger, your fears… your hurt. I knew this chapbook was a dedication to his friend Joel and I asked myself if it was appropriate to read of someone’s grief laid bare. Feeling uncomfortable is something I usually welcome, but would this story be too personal?<br />
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Honestly?<br />
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The Night Just Got Darker is a beautifully written tale of observance and of being observed, of a man shifting away from banal normality into a troubling and spiritual mental landscape as he becomes fascinated with a writer that lives across the way. Their cautious relationship is as tender as it is sinister, taking the reader from a mundane fear of potential stalking to a slow realisation that nothing between the two men is as it seems - nothing. No story is enough. Life itself is not enough.<br />
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We find here a psychological mirror that reflects back an unsteady consciousness; that of the main character who has drifted almost lazily into a state of detachment before knocking on the writer’s door, of Erik – the writer himself whose almost ethereal existence appears stranger and stranger as the pages turn, and – be warned – it is that of the reader too. But whose face stares back? And are they the faces we expect to see? Solid events begin to blur and merge, recollections and encounters become misty confusions as that clever McMahon needle wheedles down, down, down – all the better to prick you with.<br />
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Whose mind is ever real? Who sees life – or death – in the same colours? Who writes ‘your’ story? The Night Just Got Darker leaves these questions trailing like cold smoke by a wet canal, lingering… insidious.<br />
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A worthy and respectful homage, and a disturbing read. Highly recommended.<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>The Night Just Got Darker is a limited edition chapbook published by KnightWatch Press. <a href="http://www.scorchedflower.co.uk/knightwatch/store/" target="_blank">Buy the book here.</a><br /></li>
<li><a href="http://www.garymcmahon.com/" target="_blank">Gary McMahon website</a><br /></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gary-McMahon/e/B004B6NN3A/" target="_blank">Gary McMahon fiction on Amazon</a><br /></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_9?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=joel%20lane&sprefix=joel+lane%2Cdigital-text%2C378" target="_blank">Joel Lane fiction on Amazon</a></li>
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Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-23610610267609035622014-10-27T08:36:00.000+00:002014-10-27T08:36:20.874+00:00Horror and Handshakes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Witchcraft, Book Signings and BFS Chat</h3>
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Saturday 25th October 2014 was a fantastic way to start the run up to this year's Samhain celebrations in London. The British Museum currently has a small but perfectly formed art exhibition - Witches and Wicked Bodies - in Room 90, where I spent an hour or so studying the artwork and making notes. With etchings, lithographs, mezzotints, pen and ink and paintings from artists such as Albrecht Dürer and his contemporaries in the 15th century the exhibition takes you right through to 20th century with depictions of witches, demons, and dark, dark beings on display from the likes of Fuseli, Goya, Barry, Delacroix, Odilon Redon, Aubrey Beardsley, Henry Keen and more.<br />
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Highly recommended. Find out more about <a href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/witches_and_wicked_bodies.aspx" target="_blank">Witches and Wicked Bodies...</a></div>
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Hallowe'en Horror Signing - Forbidden Planet</h3>
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After the exhibition, and a cheeky French lunch I toddled off to the <a href="https://forbiddenplanet.com/events/2014/10/25/great-halloween-horror-signing/" target="_blank">Hallowe'en Horror Signing</a> event at Shaftesbury Avenue's incredible Forbidden Planet.<br />
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There, I met up with the wonderful and inspiring Jan Edwards from Alchemy Press and Theresa Derwin of KnightWatch Press and had brief chats with Simon Marshall-Jones of Spectral Press and Gary McMahon. </div>
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I only bought three books as the budget was cruel despite my desire to stroke and acquire practically everything in sight. So, I chose The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror - 25th Anniversary Edition which was kindly signed by Ramsey Campbell, Kim Newman, Stephen Volk, Thana Niveau, Reggie Oliver, Lynda Rucker, Robert Shearman and the mighty editor Stephen Jones.<br />
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I also bought Kim's An English Ghost Story which he signed, and Mark Morris's The Wolves of London - also signed. Can't wait to get my teeth into these.</div>
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British Fantasy Society Open Day</h3>
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Just down the road, The <a href="http://www.shepherdneame.co.uk/pubs/london/bloomsbury-tavern" target="_blank">Bloomsbury Tavern</a> was hosting the British Fantasy Society Open Day where I met up and chatted with Jan, Theresa, Peter Coleborn, Mike Chinn, the dashing Tim Dry, the absolutely gorgeously lovely Barbie Wilde, Adrian Cole, John Gilbert and Dean M Drinkel. </div>
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Barbie, Tim, Dean and I - all together in time for Western Legends Publishing launch of <a href="http://westernlegendspublishing.com/books/phobophobias/" target="_blank">PHOBOPHOBIAS</a> on 31st October!</div>
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I stole away at around 7pm, on my husband's arm and we swept into London's heaving streets in search of food. We ended up, as always, at a Spaghetti House then ran to Victoria. I fell asleep on the train home with a big smile on my face and was tucked up in bed before midnight.</div>
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News</h3>
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Oh, and I have some exciting news! Hopefully I'll be able to reveal more on that soon. <br />
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Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-7508134706703458192014-09-09T18:04:00.000+01:002014-09-09T18:04:24.368+01:00FCon, The Asylum Novel and Killer Bees From Outer Space!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In a week that saw me stalking attendants of FantasyCon 2014 from afar (Twitter), I managed a couple of achievements that I'm pretty proud of, thank you very much!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">FantasyCon 2014</span></h2>
Firstly though, on the FCon front, despite not being able to rub shoulders this year with the likes of Phil Sloman, Steven Chapman, James Everington, Mark West, Jan Edwards, Simon Marshall-Jones, Gary McMahon and (sniff) Joanne Harris it was great to keep up with all the news and awards.<br />
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In particular, a huge congratulations to Jan Edwards and her team, as The Alchemy Press won the British Fantasy Society Award for Best Independent Press 2014. Well deserved.<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Find out about <a href="http://alchemypress.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Alchemy Press</a></li>
<li>Discover all the <a href="http://t.co/RO0HoYyj0r" target="_blank">BFS award winners</a></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The 'Asylum' Novel</span></h2>
I've been needling away at the currently untitled 'asylum' novel for a while now. And THE END is nigh!<br />
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The milestone word count of 80,000 words has now been tipped and I'm on the final run towards the last 15k or so words of the first draft.<br />
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Thank you to so many of you for your support - and patience. More news soon, and fingers crossed it'll be good news.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mwnMIEEg6B8/VA8CCheY1NI/AAAAAAAAFJ8/CtKh3VjGIrw/s1600/KillerBeesCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mwnMIEEg6B8/VA8CCheY1NI/AAAAAAAAFJ8/CtKh3VjGIrw/s1600/KillerBeesCover.jpg" height="320" width="230" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Killer Bees From Outer Space!</span></h2>
I'm thrilled to announce that my B-movie story <b>BITE OF THE HORRORCANE</b> has been selected from over sixty submissions to be included in <b>KILLER BEES FROM OUTER SPACE. </b><br />
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This is a new anthology from Knightwatch Press and is due for publication in 2015. KWP's inspiring owner and MD, Theresa Derwin is the editor of this antho. I'm really looking forward to finally working with her.<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Read more about <a href="http://www.scorchedflower.co.uk/knightwatch/" target="_blank">KnightWatch Press</a></li>
<li>Read the table of contents for <a href="http://www.scorchedflower.co.uk/knightwatch/2014/09/04/killer-bees-from-outer-space/" target="_blank">Killer Bees</a></li>
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Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-34943275280819537722014-07-26T11:05:00.002+01:002014-07-26T11:05:40.704+01:00OUT NOW - The House of Three: A Short (Ghost) Story<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The House of Three: A Short Story by Lily Childs</td></tr>
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Mentioned in my last post (but without the trumpets), my short ghost story, THE HOUSE OF THREE is now available to buy from Amazon:<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-size: large;">The slim <b>paperback</b> (34 pages) is just <br />£2.99 on <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/House-Three-Short-Story/dp/1500426377" target="_blank">Amazon.co.uk</a> <br />or $5.22 on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/House-Three-Short-Story/dp/1500426377" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a><br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">The <b>ebook</b> is £0.99 on <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/House-Three-Short-Story-ebook/dp/B00M4M2EOC" target="_blank">Amazon.co.uk</a> </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">or $1.99 on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/House-Three-Short-Story-ebook/dp/B00M4M2EOC" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a></span></li>
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<b>A Little Background</b><br />
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I'd alluded to the fact that The House of Three is set in a considerably more dilapidated version of my own house. Since I wrote it over two years ago, the story has taken a morbid hold on me. Something has always stopped me from submitting it to open markets, as though it had stitched itself into the very bricks and mortar of my Victorian home (and the cells of my brain) and was refusing to let go.</div>
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Sometimes though, you simply have to cut the ties that bind.<br />
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I decided to release it through my own publishing platform, <a href="http://www.ganglionpress.co.uk/" target="_blank">Ganglion Press</a>. Whoosh! Gone.<br />
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The story is a slight detour from my usual writing 'style', less arty-farty poetic horror and more straightforward storytelling, slapped about with a hint of crime and given an unhealthy dose of the supernatural. There. Did that sell it to you?<br />
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I hope you like it. Do let me know.<br />
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Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-65604270269552282632014-07-14T22:38:00.000+01:002014-07-14T22:38:05.715+01:00The House of Three, Phobophobias and digging up old Bones<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
And now for the latest news (shuffles papers)...<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>THE HOUSE OF THREE: <br />A Short Story by Lily Childs</b></span></div>
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To be released in late July on Amazon, in both paperback chapbook and ebook formats. This short ghost story has a rather personal connnection - the 'house' of the title is loosely based on my own little abode, and for that very reason I've never felt able to let it go out to another publisher. I'm finally allowing it to break loose through <a href="http://www.ganglionpress.co.uk/" target="_blank">Ganglion Press</a>.<br />
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<b>Here's the back cover blurb:</b></div>
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An ordinary Victorian house in an ordinary English town. A house that smells of roses. A house that stinks of death.</div>
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32 Cherry Street is rotten to the core after years of neglect. When its owner dies in a freak accident successful entrepreneur Sarah Bayliss wastes no time in coming up with the cash to buy the small terraced property - her former childhood home.</div>
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Reunited with her estranged younger brother Johnny, Sarah summons the courage to unveil the secrets the house has kept hidden for so long, but nothing can prepare the siblings for the horrors they are about to uncover. Or who they're going to meet.<br />
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<li>Keep your eyes peeled for a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/lilychildsfeardom" target="_blank">Facebook</a> competition to win a signed copy of THE HOUSE OF THREE chapbook</li>
<li>Ganglion Press is now on Twitter! Why not pop by and follow: <a href="https://twitter.com/GanglionPress" target="_blank">@GanglionPress</a></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>PHOBOPHOBIAS - Cover Reveal</b></span></div>
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I'm very excited that my story, <b>BAD EXPOSURE</b> (or 'I' is for Ipovlopsychophobia) is included in <a href="http://darkcontinents.com/" target="_blank">Dark Continents Publishing</a>'s forthcoming Phobophobias anthology. </div>
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The excellent cover, by uber-talented artist James L. Powell has now been revealed!</div>
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Compiled and edited by Dean M. Drinkel, this is the second in the Phobias series and includes stories from Barbie Wilde, Tim Dry, Phil Sloman, Raven Dane, Sam Stone, Mark West, David Youngquist, Jan Edwards, Nerine Dorman, Andy Taylor, Mike Chinn, Christine Morgan, John Prescott, Daniel I Russell, Rakie Benett, Peter Mark May, Amelia Mangan, John Palisano, John Gilbert, David T Griffith, Adrian Chamberlin, Lisa Jenkins, Christopher L. Beck, Christine Dougherty, Emile-Louis Tomas Jouvet and Dean M. Drinkel.</div>
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The book is due out in August. For a taste of the horror you'll discover in this new anthology, <b>you can still buy the first in the series</b>, PHOBOPHOBIA in ebook or paperback from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Phobophobia-Dean-Drinkel/dp/0983624526/" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Phobophobia-Dean-Drinkel/dp/0983624526/" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>OLD BONES</b></span></div>
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Lastly, in 2013 my story <b>THE OSSILLATRICE SHIFT</b> won the Editor's Choice Award in James Ward Kirk Publishing's anthology, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bones-James-Ward-Kirk-Publishing-ebook/dp/B00FCEI7CW/" target="_blank">BONES</a>.<br />
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James is now compiling his 'Best Of 2013' anthology and has kindly asked if he could include The Ossillatrice Shift. Unsurprisingly - I said yes! More details as soon as I hear news.</div>
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Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-71889228355357850822014-07-05T10:47:00.000+01:002014-07-05T10:48:52.741+01:00Review: The Brittle Birds by Anthony Cowin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-faeEHzD-Xsg/U7fF8sMQBwI/AAAAAAAAFAY/XgcURBLn48Y/s1600/The-Brittle-Birds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="The Brittle Birds by Anthony Cowin is now available on all Amazon platforms" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-faeEHzD-Xsg/U7fF8sMQBwI/AAAAAAAAFAY/XgcURBLn48Y/s1600/The-Brittle-Birds.jpg" title="The Brittle Birds by Anthony Cowin" /></a></div>
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Anthony Cowin’s The Brittle Birds is
a beautifully written story, painted with creeping webs of horror and despair. </div>
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The
underlying tale recounts the damaged relationship and lives of two brothers, their
unique view of the world and their methods of dealing with its challenges – all
stemming from the consequences of a harrowing childhood event. The depiction of
this journey in itself is an articulate masterpiece, with Cowin addressing psychoses
and trauma in a raw and almost tender way, but the overarching power of this
short book is the impact of the brittle birds themselves.</div>
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The author compels readers to question myth then forces you
to disregard everything you have ever perceived as truth when the terrifying brittle
birds take poetic flight across the pages and into our psyches (at the very
least). </div>
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The brittle birds – you’ll have your own name for them, I'm
sure – are dread incarnate. And if you are as affected by the possibility of
them as I, then you’ll never see the world in the same way again.</div>
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Excellent.</div>
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The Brittle Birds, an 18 page ebook written by Anthony Cowin and published by Perpetual Motion Machine is now available on all Amazon platforms.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brittle-Birds-Anthony-Cowin-ebook/dp/B00LDZXB6G/" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Brittle-Birds-Anthony-Cowin-ebook/dp/B00LDZXB6G/" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a></span></div>
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Read more about Anthony at: <a href="http://www.anthonycowin.com/">www.anthonycowin.com</a></div>
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Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-14650357831927037112014-03-10T21:09:00.000+00:002014-03-10T21:09:25.867+00:00Buckets In Southwark - up at Thrills Kills 'n' Chaos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A little while ago I wrote a new, twisted crime tale for the lovely David Barber's <a href="http://tknc.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Thrills Kills 'n' Chaos</a> ezine. And it's now up! It's called <b>BUCKETS IN SOUTHWARK</b> and is somewhat unpleasant, if I say so myself.<br />
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Please take a read. I'd love to hear your thoughts so do comment if you have time. Here are the opening lines...<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Buckets In Southwark by Lily Childs</b></span><br />
<br />Cold wrists and a cold heart that barely dared beat, lest he think her willing. She let it tremble – he wasn't here today and for that she was truly grateful.<br /><br />They peppered every spare space in the poorly-lit basement. She’d given up trying to count them because whenever he came down and did what he did to their tiny corpses, he’d throw them back into the room afterwards, discarding them, forgetting them until the next time he got the urge. Some lay at her broken feet now, gazing at nothing; once demure.<div>
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<a href="http://tknc.wordpress.com/2014/03/09/buckets-in-southwark-by-lily-childs" target="_blank"><b>Read the full story...</b></a></div>
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Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-28462483604575096192014-03-10T12:35:00.000+00:002014-03-10T12:35:25.175+00:00A Sad Goodbye - A.J. Hayes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It was with incredible sadness that I learned of the death of one of Noir's great writers, poets, editors and mentors yesterday - A.J. Hayes, or 'Bill'. He had been privately struggling with cancer for some time, and was dealt a wicked blow when he developed pneumonia - which stole him from his loving family and friends.<br />
<br />I missed the opportunity to meet up with Bill a while ago and now regret it even more. Bill was a superb writer who generously took the time to read, comment on and encourage the work of others. His was the kindest of souls, and I'm sure wherever he has passed on to he'll be making 'em laugh, making everyone feel better about themselves, as he always did in life.<br /><br />It was my great pleasure to publish Bill on Thrillers Killers 'n' Chillers, particularly the poetic and sublime tale 'DARK GENESIS' - you can still read it at <a href="http://thrillskillsnchills.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/dark-genesis-by-aj-hayes.html">http://thrillskillsnchills.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/dark-genesis-by-aj-hayes.html</a><br /><br />We (the former TK'n'C editors) have also posted a <a href="http://thrillskillsnchills.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/a-tribute-to-late-great-aj-hayes-bill.html">TK'n'C tribute</a> to this lovely man, and the comments that are pouring in there, and also across Facebook are testament to how he touched so many people's lives.<br /><br />Bye bye Mr Bill. I'll miss you and will never forget your words, your warmth and your honesty. Good night. x</div>
Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-79001792356877009362014-02-25T18:04:00.000+00:002014-02-25T18:04:47.636+00:00New 5* Review for Cabaret of Dread<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Kevin Bufton put on his dancing shoes and re-entered the <b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cabaret-Dread-Compendium-Lily-Childs-ebook/dp/B007KSVXQK" target="_blank">CABARET OF DREAD</a></b>, where he tipped his hat and paid tribute to my first collection of horror.<br />
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He was kind enough to offer a generous five star review which you can read at his excellent review site, THE <b><a href="http://thebloodybloodybookreview.wordpress.com/">BLOODY, BLOODY BOOK REVIEW</a></b> as well as Amazon where you can, of course, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cabaret-Dread-Compendium-Lily-Childs-ebook/dp/B007KSVXQK" target="_blank">buy the book</a>!<br />
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Here's a little excerpt.<br />
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"...she [Lily] paints with broad and sweeping colours, splattering her literary canvas with words that she has selected with such precision as to evoke the bleakness of her uniquely grim vision. It is an exercise in grandiosity, as if Books of Blood era Clive Barker went out for drinks with Trent Reznor and Ken Russell and decided to keep a journal of the occasion."<br />
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"Cabaret of Dread remains a beautiful and hideous thing, and is all the better for the re-reading."<br />
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<a href="http://thebloodybloodybookreview.wordpress.com/2014/02/25/cabaret-of-dread-vol-1-a-horror-compendium-by-lily-childs-2012/">Read the full review here...</a></div>
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Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536979460489400599.post-42687334721642160842014-02-23T18:00:00.000+00:002014-02-23T18:00:07.551+00:00Musing on Mint - You Know it Makes Scents<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6vSwzJn6IB0/UwovYmwFJgI/AAAAAAAAE_M/wuy8CZvYmEo/s1600/hibiscus-in-crete.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6vSwzJn6IB0/UwovYmwFJgI/AAAAAAAAE_M/wuy8CZvYmEo/s1600/hibiscus-in-crete.jpg" height="305" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A hot hibiscus bloom in Crete</td></tr>
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I recently read an article about the importance of teasing a reader's senses by evoking taste, smell, sounds and more in fiction. I wholeheartedly concur. No point in '<i>this happened', 'that happened'</i> without wailing sirens gaining pace and assaulting your ears as you slip on spilled kebab meat in a filthy street, gagging on the stench of human waste from open sewers... that kind of thing.<br />
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Using the senses should come naturally when you get totally involved with creating a character, with the places they occupy and the scenes you set. But I do occasionally read fiction that seems to lack <i>sensation</i> (for want of a better word) and I genuinely <b>wonder if some writers, laziness aside, simply don't experience sensory responses the same way others do? I'm throwing that question out there...</b><br />
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Describing the heat of Crete, for example, comes easily to me. As soon as I start to even contemplate it my skin starts to prickle. It's like being stroked with breathless sunshine, sultry and enticing with the risk of flames. An indelicate bloom of perspiration breaks out around my hairline, tickling my forehead, dampening the nape of my neck.<br />
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With this comes a dry tongue, waiting to salivate at the sight of squid and tzatziki on an over-sized plate, a glass of chilled rosé at its side, cool condensation rising in bubbles before dripping onto the tablecloth. And most of all - it's the scent of the place that accompanies the heat; wild thyme crushed beneath your boots as you wander the raw land of the island's hills, the omnipresent salt from the sea - you can even smell it up in the mountains, and the freshness of rain evaporating after a freak summer storm.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o_yLYWRKHLM/Uwov4lnCLGI/AAAAAAAAE_U/zH2n5qRwJ4M/s1600/tzatziki-polaroid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o_yLYWRKHLM/Uwov4lnCLGI/AAAAAAAAE_U/zH2n5qRwJ4M/s1600/tzatziki-polaroid.jpg" height="320" width="275" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tzatziki and Mint</td></tr>
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Can't you see it?<br />
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Can't you smell it?<br />
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Can't you <i>taste </i>it?<br />
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Indeed it is smell that is most powerful for me. They say that an unexpected waft of some long-forgotten smell can make you giddy with nostalgia, trigger distant memories - happy or otherwise. That 'involuntary memory' - Proust's well discussed <i>madeleine</i> from 'À la Recherche du Temps Perdu'.<br />
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I passed the open door of a community hall the other day where they were polishing the wooden floor; I was instantly taken back to my childhood - dancing away at a holiday camp on Barry Island (crackin'). And last month a decrepit truck blasted me with dirty diesel-laden exhaust fumes but it got me thinking about the old Mr Whippy ice-cream van that used to tour our streets when I was a kid; you could smell the chugging engine before the discordant song announced its arrival.<br />
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But what about the bad memories? The stink of piss - thankfully not a common assault of the senses these days - reminds me of getting stuck in a public toilet at the age of thirteen or so, when two men came bundling into the cubicle beside me, beating each other to a pulp, their blood splattering over the cold tiles between our booths. Terrifying - I still feel traumatised by it even now.<br />
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And you'd think a pleasant fragrance should evoke equally pleasant memories but I came to regret buying a well-known brand's Raspberry Handwash because it smells of Cinzano (I've never had a real raspberry that smells of that weird old vermouth), and Cinzano was the first booze I ever puked on. A silly 16-year old, hanging out of my friend's bedroom window, making a mess (sorry J.) So this soap immediately makes me feel stupid and not a little humiliated. That's the power of a single whiff of (probably horribly chemical) scent.<br />
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All that said, I have what I'm told is an uncanny ability to actually smell/taste any scent you might care to mention. Immediately. Name a flower, for example, and its flavour is right there, in my nose, at the back of my throat, on the tip of my tongue - bringing all the emotions and qualities I associate with it too. I sometimes wonder if I have a mild form of olfactory synaesthesia. It's come in handy - I used to practise as an aromatherapist - but was using oils, herbs, gums, essences etc for years before taking any qualifications.<br />
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I've been making incense for meditation and other spiritual work for decades. Getting the blend right is a skill, but I find it comes naturally; there are rules about which perfume 'notes' blend best with others, and of course curative properties are also a consideration.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ozrJy2qgT-E/UwowIeaDP-I/AAAAAAAAE_c/qdwsyh_nFk4/s1600/rose-daguerrotype.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ozrJy2qgT-E/UwowIeaDP-I/AAAAAAAAE_c/qdwsyh_nFk4/s1600/rose-daguerrotype.jpg" height="320" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ancient rose</td></tr>
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Here are some of my favoured, and some more traditional ingredients for incense and oil blends, and what they mean to me:<br />
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<li><b>Frankincense</b>: soft, rich yet mellow, the oil is thick... viscous. The hard 'tears' - like little sugar-coated rocks of ginger which release the warm, heady fragrance as you grind them with your pestle. Frankincense heightens spiritual and sensorial awareness; it's meditational ambrosia.</li>
<li><b>Chamomile</b>: has to me the pungent, unpleasant scent of banana skins in a rubbish bin, dropped onto the detritus of an emptied ashtray. Many therapists swear by it but I find it hard to work with. We're not keen on each other.</li>
<li><b>Mint</b>: sharp peppermint is cooling in hot weather - of skin and of temperament. Sweet spearmint helps lift the soul, gently waking the tired and softly soothing the tearful.</li>
<li><b>Cedarwood</b>: graveyards in Autumn (Fall), a smokiness to its perfume, a cleansing, decluttering quality to its intent</li>
<li><b>Cypress</b>: coniferous pleasure; sweet and bold. It's all about breaking free, taking flight, soaring into empty blue skies. Letting go.</li>
<li><b>Rose</b>: we all know what rose smells like... this most wondrous of flowers offers the deepest of meanings for me; ancient healing, visions of vaults brimming with petals. A restorative in - and for - every sense. Forget love, rose is for the self, for feeding your blood - your life-force, for nurturing the darkest corners of your spirit, bringing you the confidence to 'be yourself'.<br /><br />True attar of roses, or 'rose absolute' costs a fortune - but is worth a thousand times more to the soul than monetary value.
<br /><br />And if you like your food spicy, use Rose Harissa in couscous, or to marinate meat/vegetables - allowing you to ingest this blessed bloom. Ah, I can smell it just thinking about it.</li>
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I'm rambling, as I am wont to do, but the point I'm trying to make from a writing perspective is that using the senses to reach your reader is not only an important but a powerful tool.<br />
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Whether prosaic and wistful or in-yer-face grit, whether summoning that oddly-cheesey stench of blueberry flesh as it bursts on the tongue, or fielding the foetid, death-breath reek of rotting gums as a zombie bears down on its victim... if <i>you </i>can smell the fear, let your readers in on the sensation too - don't make them sniff it out for themselves.</div>
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Lily Childshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861288507716873813noreply@blogger.com0