Everything you always wanted to know about me, but didn’t care enough to ask.

If you are looking for horror fiction that is chock-full to the brim with werewolves and zombies, I’m probably not your man. I write horror (amongst other things) that people can (hopefully) relate to. If pressed, I would say I write horror that takes the ordinary and mundane and makes it extraordinary and fantastic. I want to write about people like you and me that are dragged towards the edges of their reality and shown what lies just beyond.

Hello. I’m Steve, and I’m an author (AA is Authors Anonymous, right?).

I started writing as a much younger man, but lost my way when life interjected. Children, house, bills, health. But isn’t that always the way? I found my way back to writing several years ago and it feels like a familiar place. There are good neighbours here and the walk to the library is short.

I published my first book way back in 2016, called Die, Blossom, Bloom. It’s a story about an old man that loves his garden and his wife deeply. I won’t spoil the story for you (it’s free), but I will say he composts his wife for garden fertiliser and kills a teenager with a spade. Did I mention I write horror?

This novella was the longest piece of fiction I have ever written at 20k words, which is loads, as normally when I start writing, I can’t wait to get to the juicy end of the story. As a result, I currently write short stories, ranging from 5k to 10k. It helps me get the ideas out of my head fast enough before the next one comes along.

My most recent book, A Sinister Six: A collection of darkly disturbing stories, was the first book I have published in paperback – I signed an autograph yesterday for my mum (mum-friendly). It still counts.

But you’ve not come here to read about my books. Mr Story Reading Ape said as much. So let me give you a little taste of me as a person.

At time of writing, I’m 45 years of age. When I don’t shave, the grey on my chin gives it away. I’m married with two children, 12 and 17 that keep me young (well, active at least). I live in Nottingham, UK, which I love. I have even written about a fictional town called Spennyriver, which is situated deep in the heart of the Midlands. It’s like a regular town with regular people. Just weirder. It’s NOT Nottingham though, in case any members of the local authority are reading this. What’s great about Spennyriver, is that it has it’s own language of sorts. I call it ‘Spennyriver English.’ It sounds a lot like that which is spoken in Nottingham (still NOT Nottingham). It looks a bit like this:

Spennyriver English	The Queen’s English
Ay up mi duck.	Hello.
Who worrie wi’?	Who was he with?
Gizza luk.	Please could I have a look?
Ya mashin’?	I would like a cup of tea please.

Visit my website for the complete Lexicon. Leave a comment if you’re thinking ‘What on earth is he talking about?’ Try saying them out loud. It helps.

I suppose the other side of my life, away from writing, is disability. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis about 16 years ago. It isn’t who I am, but it does colour a lot of the way that I see the world, and as a result it often creeps into my writing. I have been asked recently to write a piece on my blog talking about some of the issues I have faced, but also about how it felt to receive a diagnosis of MS. It’s not directly related to writing (although there is horror involved, I suppose), but sometimes I want to talk about other things. I want to be able to connect with people on a number of levels, not just about horror fiction. I don’t know if that’s the way to go, whether people don’t want to hear about things other than writing, but I AM more than just writing, so I guess we’ll see.

I’ve been a wheelchair user for about 7 years now. The downside of that is having to accept help a bit more than I’d like to. Of course, the upside is that I don’t have to queue for rides at Disney. So, swings and roundabouts I guess.

I know you must have burning questions, so I’d like to try to answer all of them here. If I don’t get to your question, drop it in the comments. Here we go:

Favourite child? I can’t answer that (daughter).

Ninjas or pirates?   Pirates are way cooler than ninjas. Everyone knows that.

Reincarnated as what animal?   A bird. With armour.

Favourite film?   Spirited Away. It’s amazing.  Seriously.  Watch it.  Your life will be better for it.

Favourite book?   Can I have a series? ‘Dark Tower’ if so, ‘The Drawing of the Three’ (King) if not.

Biggest influence as a writer?   It changes. For a long time it was Stephen King, but more and more I find myself reading HP Lovecraft, WF Harvey, Algernon Blackwood (late 19th, early 20th century).

Best short story you’ve read? Hard, but I’d have to say ‘The Dune’, by Stephen King.

Favourite car?   Ford Escort Mk2.

What scares you?   Spiders. Rollercoasters. Being on a rollercoaster with a spider.

Best story you’ve ever written (in your opinion)?   ‘Snap of the Fingers.’ A young boy is faced with an impossible decision to save his mum’s life. It is in the collection ‘A Sinister Six,’ available now!

Have you ever seen a badger?   No, and it bothers me.

Well, hopefully I’ve given you enough information to form a picture of me. My wife is teaching me to be more sociable, so please get in touch. I’d love to hear from you, she tells me.

Where to find me:

Website – Blog – Twitter – Facebook

Pinterest – Goodreads

          

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

Amazon:

UK – USA – CA – AUS

Enjoy a good horror story?  

Get yourself a FREE horror story by clicking the image below.

This is a limited time offer

Get it for FREE now before it goes on sale!