As well as my young adult novels, I've written quite a few supernatural short stories over the years, some of which were collected in The Sea Change and Other Stories (Swan River Press, 2013). I'm pleased to say that one of my latest ghost stories, The Watchmaker, is part of a new ghostly anthology from Shadows at the Door. Other contributors include Pete Alex Harris, Caitlin Marceau, Mark Cassell and K.B. Goddard.
As you may know, I'm a great fan of the ghost story writer M.R.James, and my previous work has included a completion of his unfinished story The Game of Bear. I don't write exclusively Jamesian or James-inspired stuff; past stories have included a tale set in the very modern world of scuba diving, and one inspired by Perthshire local history. The Watchmaker, however, was specifically inspired by James's story A View From a Hill. You don't need to have read M.R.James to read The Watchmaker; the story stands on its own. But if you are a fan of MRJ's stories, you may enjoy the fact that it is a kind of sequel to his tale - and you may quickly develop some ideas of your own about the "watchmaker" of the title... At any rate, I can promise you mystery, apparitions, disturbed graves and grim death. What's not to like?
The aim is to crowdfund the anthology through a Kickstarter project, which you can find here: Shadows at the Door anthology. We are aiming to raise £11,500 by 16th April, with contributions starting from as little as £1 and contributor rewards starting at £6 for a copy of the anthology in e-book format. Please do take a look and consider whether you might support this project! For a contribution of £25 for example, you would receive a copy of the illustrated hardback version of the anthology, a download of the audiobook version and your name on the acknowledgements page, so that you can, as editor Mark Nixon puts it, "live on in infamy"! Some of the small press anthologies to which I have previously contributed were priced at £30 per book, so this is a good value offer. Please do take a look!
