What’s it all about? Cabaret of Dread stories revealed

Every Saturday for the next eleven weeks I’ll be revealing the tale behind the tale of Cabaret of Dread Vol.1’s main stories, together with a short excerpt of each to whet your appetite.

DRESSING UP BOX

I have to confess, Dressing Up Box is possibly my favourite tale – not just in the collection – but ever! I smiled with wicked pleasure as I wrote it and it has a special place in my big, red, beating heart.

I wrote the story in 2010 specifically for The New Flesh Magazine’s ‘Inaugural Flash Fiction War’ and much to my surprise it received the highest number of votes and won the competition. Considering the other stories it was up against, from inspiring writers such as Jodi MacArthur and Chris Allinotte I was truly humbled.

So – what’s Dressing Up Box about? 

An un-named demon with a passion for dance helps itself to body parts that fit the right shoes. Come visit the demon’s flagrant wardrobe, the hanging flesh, the glistening innards...

Curtains rise – you are all invited to the cabaret.

Inspiration

Dance. I love to dance. Most people are embarrassed by me because I flail but that's OK because I don't give a flying F* what they think. I am an old Modette turned Goth but love extremes of music from gypsy to garage, Brel to Winehouse, Cabaret to Placebo. 


Dressing Up Box brings all those styles together, this time giving particular attention to ballet and Flamenco. It struck me that only an extra-natural being might be able to truly absorb its passions, and that sometimes that might involve 'borrowing' performers' limbs and extremities in order to echo their skill.

Excerpt

Yesterday’s body was squat and dark, an aged gypsy. I slough off the old man’s skin, marvelling at the bruises incurred from seven solid days of stamping and click, click, clicking of heels. Yellowed stains litter the shins and I poke them hard, revelling in the pain before grasping the blackened feet that I pull off like old shoes; the toes broken and seeping with infection.

Spin.

Today I am a ballerina, wanting the fairy tale. In a drawer there are pink-ribboned slippers, full of meat. I stole the pretty shoes from a libidinous girl I found larding on chocolate at the back of a theatre in a bulimic frenzy. Before she could plunge two fingers down her throat to vomit up the sugared treat, I declared myself. She thought me a film star, the pirate of her dreams. I let her fantasize whilst I ravaged her. My hand was already over her mouth when I revealed myself. Oh, the joy! I ate her face, tearing out sinew and muscle as I gorged. I left the playhouse staff to pick up the girl’s dregs but not before pocketing the eyeballs and stringing the shoes around my neck...

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Like the excerpt? You can read the entire story, plus a few mini-tales and even the opening pages of the second main story SMILING CYRUS by visiting Cabaret of Dread's 'Look Inside' feature on Amazon.

Of course, the best way to read this - and the many other stories in Vol.1 of Cabaret of Dread, is to download it. If you do, I am ever thankful... 

Buy/Download Cabaret of Dread from
Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

Lily's Friday Prediction

Spring is here! The Equinox has brought us beautiful warm days here in the UK, but we are already in a state of drought so Mother Nature gives with one hand and takes away with the other. There's always balance whether we like it or not.

A Pause for Punctuation

I know The Prediction Challenge is a bit of fun but I've noticed the state of punctuation has been slipping in some Prediction entries over the last couple of months. Can I please send out a request to do a final proofread before you submit.

Check your apostrophes, make sure you put a full stop (period) before you start a new sentence. Where you do start a new sentence, the first word should have a capital letter. Indeed, capitals are one of my main niggles; they seem to be sneaking in on nouns mid-sentence. Why is that? Please check for this too.

The majority of you obviously do edit and proofread but I don't think it's unreasonable for me to request the best from everyone. After all, punctuation slips are often enough to get a submission for publication rejected by editors - regardless of the voice or the power of a story.

Thank you.

Winner of Last Week's Prediction Challenge

The winner is a writer, rather than a single story - it has to be John Xero! Three outstanding pieces, each of which thrilled and shocked and were exquisitely-written - truly. John - why isn't TOR or a similar imprint grabbing you? Your writing is crying out for the big time. Congratulations on winning the little Prediction trophy (there's a drop of bubbly in there if you look deep enough.)

Runner-up, with a tale and a character that still chills me - Marietta Miles' untitled piece. Well done Marietta - Pastor Friend needs to be locked up, but not before you've imprisoned him in a full-length thriller for us (please).

Words for 23 March 2012

• Monday
• Notch
• Speed

Quick - what comes to mind?

Rules

The rules are: 100 words max flash fiction or poetry using all of the words above. Please add your entries in the Comments box below. You have until 9pm UK time on Thursday 29th March 2012 to enter.

The winner will be announced on Friday 30th March. If you can, please tweet about your entry, using the #fridayflash hashtag, and blog if you feel like it. Do give feedback to your fellow Predictioneers - we all appreciate it.

I sense a shift in theme this week; where are you going to run to?

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News - GANGLION PRESS

Friend, best-selling author of the Joe Hunter crime thrillers, and Thrillers Killers 'n' Chillers Ed. Matt Hilton said "Check this out for top horror and crime fiction from Lily Childs and Col Bury http://www.ganglionpress.co.uk/"

OK - so the cat's out of the bag :-) I'd better come clean.

It's true. I've started up a new small press GANGLION PRESS, ostensibly as a platform to publish my own e-books. But I'm very proud that Col Bury has joined me at Ganglion to relaunch his gritty crime collection MANCHESTER 6.

We have plans to publish future e-books, as well as further collections and anthologies, and may have a few other writers on board shortly too. The long-term plan is to also publish and sell my husband's esoteric artwork (he did the Magenta Shaman covers too) and run some exhibitions and events.

In the meantime the site is slowly coming together, though WordPress is not treating me as kindly as I'd like! And I need to set up Ganglion's Facebook, Twitter and other accounts plus a Mailing List - sooner rather than later.

But there you are. Feel free to pop on over to www.ganglionpress.co.uk to see what we're up to. I'll be shouting it from the rooftops soon enough. No, make that... howl.

Lily's Friday Prediction

I have been completely bowled over by last week's Prediction challenge entries and have found it the most impossible task ever to choose a winner. Everyone - please know that the quality, and depth of your writing is outstanding, not to mention total bliss to read.

Whilst I make my very final decision, I'm just going to plug my new eBook CABARET OF DREAD, which is out NOW at Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com. I won't labour the point, but I would be immensely grateful for any purchases, reviews, 'Likes' and tags, not to mention spreading the word. Thank you my Prediction friends - your support is immeasurable. [Read more...]

Winner of Last Week's Prediction Challenge

Every week many of you say, how does Lily choose a winner when the quality is so high? Well, it's always hard but this week - hell has erupted from the frozen lakes of my chambers and stumped me. However - it must be done. There will be just one winner, and no runner-up... because every single entry is a runner-up. Well done, one and all.

My winner is Sandra Davies with the second part of her harrowing series The Blacksmith's Wife. This tale is screaming to be told and I cannot even begin to anticipate what will happen next. Many congratulations Sandra - don't leave us dangling!

Words for 16 March 2012

Flipping those pages, shutting my eyes... plonk. Here we go:

• Curdle
• Cherub
• Rip

Get your teeth into those!

Rules

The rules are: 100 words max flash fiction or poetry using all of the words above. Please add your entries in the Comments box below. You have until 9pm UK time on Thursday 22nd March 2012 to enter.

The winner will be announced on Friday 23rd March. If you can, please tweet about your entry, using the #fridayflash hashtag, and blog if you feel like it. Do give feedback to your fellow Predictioneers - we all appreciate it.

If you've been scared to enter the darkness up to now, then spread your wings - and dive.

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At last! CABARET OF DREAD - out now.

At last, CABARET OF DREAD: A HORROR COMPENDIUM, VOL 1 is on Amazon's virtual shelves, all ready to be downloaded, tagged and 'Liked'.

Any help in spreading the word will make me a happy, and grateful writer. I would LOVE to know what you think, and would also appreciate any reviews beyond words. Thank you dear friends!

To buy, or download a sample:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007KSVXQK for US/Canadian readers and http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007KSVXQK for Brit horror fans.

Product Description:

A terrifying collection of short horror stories by dark fiction author Lily Childs. These forty-three offerings comprise eleven long tales, including the previously unpublished:

- SMILING CYRUS - dancing dolls of death in your attic
- IN ADORATION - demonic rebirth, revenge and new skin
- STARING AT THE PINK - when the dead don't let go

Studded and stitched together by shorter pieces and tiny 100-word drabbles this first volume of Cabaret of Dread ends with:

- THE INFANTA TRIPTYCH - living, dying art - breathing, pulsing... ancient.
"Extreme vampire horror."

Words spill from the babbling mouths of demons and murderers throughout Cabaret of Dread, combining fear and even humour as the reader encounters serial killers and ghosts, historical entities and psychopaths, not to mention a scuttling vampire or two.

Cabaret of Dread is extreme horror FOR ADULTS ONLY. Ethereal and spiritual elements battle with the visceral and the insane; lustful adoration dallies with laboured, lingering death. The Cabaret will shock, it may well offend. But it is beautiful – at least in the author’s mind - and that’s where the darkness lies.

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Praise for Cabaret of Dread

"Having read almost every story written by Lily Childs, I can confidently say that Britain has a new Queen of Dark Fiction. The prose crawl off the pages, down your spine, then drag you into the darkness." - Col Bury, Crime Editor at Thrillers Killers 'n' Chillers ezine

MANCHESTER 6 by Col Bury: re-released

Back in November 2011 six gritty short stories by my friend, fellow Editor at Thrillers Killers 'n' Chillers and superb crime writer Col Bury were published as an eBook, entitled Manchester 6.

In case you missed it this popular collection has now been re-released with a new cover. some added extras, a bonus tale, and the "story behind the story".

These tales are packed with humour, heroes, victims and fear. They jangle in your veins and won't leave you alone. Manchester 6 is about the real streets, and the author knows what he's talking about.


If you have already read Manchester 6 I urge you to write a review on Amazon, Goodreads and your blog.

If not - or you want to grab those extras - you can download it from all Amazon platforms including the US, UK and the rest of Europe.

Lily's Friday Prediction

This old brain of mine is so full of holes I'm leaking all the good stuff. Better scoop it all up or I'll turn into a zombie, and I'd rather use my brain than eat others'.

Winner of Last Week's Prediction Challenge

Great to see new Predictioneers and the return of long-lost friends. This marvellous mix of writers makes for magic and mayhem - and it is so, so dark. Yum, yum. The only dilemma is how to select a winner. I've just re-read them for the 'nth time, and it is so close but...

I have two joint winners, Veronica Marie's violently emotional poem 3.A.M. battled with metaphorical addictions. Such a clever concept - I couldn't leave it alone. And Muckie Duckie's Disbursement of Sin filled my hungry veins like chocolate; totally delicious and wicked. Who wouldn't want to see those "beautiful things"? Congratulations both!

My runner-up is Anthony Cowin with The Dark Children. A highly visual terror treat that is surely waiting for the big screen. I would love to read a full story/novel of this Tony. Well done!

Words for 09 March 2012

Do you realise that the deadline for the new challenge will be The Ides of March? Might be best to get your entries in before Thursday perhaps? Here are your words, all ready to play with

• Carousel
• Spy
• Joker (not 'joke')

Can't wait to see what you make of these.

Rules

The rules are: 100 words max flash fiction or poetry using all of the words above. Please add your entries in the Comments box below. You have until 9pm UK time on Thursday 15th March 2012 to enter.

The winner will be announced on Friday 16th March. If you can, please tweet about your entry, using the #fridayflash hashtag, and blog if you feel like it. Do give feedback to your fellow Predictioneers - we all appreciate it.

That carousel's music is jangling, its horses galloping in a never-ending circle. Are you up for the ride?

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