The Spectral Book of Horror Stories: Table of Contents

We normally wouldn’t post two blogs in a day, but we were so excited when we received email confirmation of who was going to appear in the very first volume of what is hoped to be an annual publication, The Spectral Book of Horror Stories (edited by Mark Morris), we just couldn’t help ourselves. So please feast yourself on the absolutely stellar line-up which Mark has managed to gather together:

ON THE TOUR – RAMSEY CAMPBELL

THE DOG’S HOME – ALISON LITTLEWOOD

FUNERAL RITES – HELEN MARSHALL

SLAPE – TOM FLETCHER

THE NIGHT DOCTOR – STEVE RASNIC TEM

DULL FIRE – GARY McMAHON

THE BOOK AND THE RING – REGGIE OLIVER

EASTMOUTH – ALISON MOORE

CARRY WITHIN SOME SMALL SLIVER OF ME – ROBERT SHEARMAN

THE DEVIL’S INTERVAL – CONRAD WILLIAMS

STOLEN KISSES – MICHAEL MARSHALL SMITH

CURES FOR A SICKENED WORLD – BRIAN HODGE

THE OCTOBER WIDOW – ANGELA SLATTER

THE SLISTA – STEPHEN LAWS

OUTSIDE HEAVENLY – RIO YOUERS

THE LIFE INSPECTOR – JOHN LLEWELLYN PROBERT

SOMETHING SINISTER IN SUNLIGHT – LISA TUTTLE

THIS VIDEO DOES NOT EXIST – NICHOLAS ROYLE

NEWSPAPER HEART – STEPHEN VOLK

Cover artwork will by Vincent Chong, and the book will be launched at this year’s Fantasy Con to be held in York, September 5th, 6th & 7th, but we have decided to put the book on preorder today. The book will ONLY be available in paperback and eBook formats, and will retail for £12.50UK/£15EU/$30 for the unlimited paperback (all prices INCLUDE post and packing) and the eBook will available to purchase in September. This represnts a veritable bargain for 102,000 words from some of the finest writers working in the genre today.

ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!

£12.50 UK

FOR THOSE ATTENDING FCON 2014 YOU CAN ORDER AT THE SPECIAL PRICE BELOW AND PICK IT UP FROM THE CONVENTION VENUE.

FCon 2014 Special £10

£15 EU

$30 US & RoW

Looking forward to hearing from you!!

The 13 Ghosts of Christmas: Final Table of Contents

We here at Spectral Towers are proud to announce the final complete Table of Contents of Spectral’s first ever Christmas Ghost Story Annual,  aka The 13 Ghosts of Christmas:

Introduction                                                                                 Johnny Mains

1          An Odd Number at Table                                             John Costello

2          Concerning Events at Leinster Gardens               Jan Edwards

3          Carnacki: A Cold Christmas in Chelsea                 William Meikle

4          A Taste of Almonds                                                      Raven Dane

5          Where the Stones Lie                                                   Richard Farren Barber

6          All that is Living                                                            Nicholas Martin

7          And May All your Christmases                               Thana Niveau

8          Now and Then                                                                 Martin Roberts

9          December                                                                         Paul Finch

10        Ritualism                                                                          Gary McMahon

11        We Are a Shadow                                                           Neil Williams

12         The Green Clearing                                                      John Forth

13        Lost Soldiers                                                                   Adrian Tchaikovsky

Publisher’s Acknowledgements                                           Simon Marshall-Jones

BONUS

Whitstable novella preview (May 2013)                         Stephen Volk

This looks set to be a great book, and we think it would be an absolute shame if you missed out on it. The limited, numbered hardback edition is available on pre-order now, featuring all the above wrapped in a gorgeous cover image by Vincent Shaw-Morton, with gold foil stamped titles on front and spine. There will also be coloured endpapers and a silk ribbon bookmarker to set things off nicely. Edition size  100 numbered copies only, of which half have been claimed already – so get ordering now!

All prices are inclusive of p+p.

£27.00 UK

40€ EU

$50.00 US & RoW

PLEASE NOTE: This is a very special edition of the annual, hence the prices, coupled with the rather high postage rates that have been decided by the powers-that-be at Royal Mail.

The Thirteen Ghosts of Christmas 2012: Table of Contents

As promised last Friday, here is the list of stories to be featured in the inaugural edition of the Spectral Christmas Ghost Story Annual – The Thirteen Ghosts of Christmas 2012. They are, in no particular order:

Where the Stones Lie – Richard Farren Barber
A Taste of Almonds  – Raven Dane
All that is Living – Nicholas Martin
And May All your Christmases  – Thana Niveau
Carnacki: A Cold Christmas in Chelsea – William Meikle
Concerning Events in Leinster Gardens – Jan Edwards
December  – Paul Finch
An Odd Number at Table – John Costello
We are a Shadow  – Neil Williams
Lost Soldiers – Adrian Tchaikovsky
Ritualism – Gary McMahon
Now and Then – Martin Roberts

(Please note: there will be one more story featured – still awaiting confirmation)

And so, there we have it, a veritable mix of the well-known and the unknown, ranging in style from the grim to the light-hearted – however they all feature something in common: we think they’re all good stories and worth your time. Having said that, thanks MUST go to all those who submitted – this was one of the toughest projects we’ve had to deal with to date, having to choose from all the wonderful stories sent to us. Hopefully, readers will agree with the choices we’ve made and will enjoy the selection.

Now comes our favourite part: the editing!! Our red pens at the ready……