My occult detective fiction

  By William Meikle | May 11, 2012 - 7:40 pm | William Meikle, Writing
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Nowadays there is a plethora of detectives in both book and film who may seem to use the trappings of crime solvers, but get involved in the supernatural. William Hjortsberg’s Falling Angel (the book that led to the movie Angel Heart) is a fine example, an expert blending of gumshoe and deviltry that is one of my favorite books. Likewise, in the movies, we have cops facing a demon in Denzel Washington’s Fallen that plays like a police procedural taken to a very dark place.

My interest goes further back to the “gentleman detective” era where we have seekers of truth in Blackwood’s John Silence Sherlock Holmes and William Hope Hodgson’s Carnacki, and, mixed in with that, a deep love of the American PI books and movies of the ’40s and ’50s.

My own occult Detective series character, Glasgow PI Derek Adams, is a Bogart and Chandler fan, and it is those movies and Americana of that era where I find a lot of my inspiration for him, rather than in the modern procedural.

He’s turned up in three novels so far, THE AMULET, THE SIRENS and THE SKIN GAME, all out now in print and ebook at all the usual online stores. There’s also a film company looking for funding to bring him to life, several short stories, and an anthology appearance in the forthcoming CTHULHU 2012 anthology from Mythos Books.

Derek has developed a life of his own, and I’m along for the ride.

There seems to be quite a burgeoning market for this kind of mixing of detection and supernatural, and I intend writing more… a lot more.

Novels

  • The Midnight Eye Files: The Amulet (in paperback and ebook from Black Death Books)
  • The Midnight Eye Files: The Sirens (in paperback and ebook from Black Death Books)
  • The Midnight Eye Files: The Skin Game (in paperback and ebook from Black Death Books)
  • Sherlock Holmes: Revenant (in paperback and ebook from Dark Regions Press)

Short Stories

  • Carnacki: Heaven and Hell collection (in hardcover and ebook from Dark Regions Press)
  • The Midnight Eye: 1,2,3, Go (in my Variations on a Theme collection)
  • The Midnight Eye: The Inuit Bone (in my Variations on a Theme collection)
  • The Midnight Eye: A Slim Chance (in my Variations on a Theme collection)
  • Sherlock Holmes: The Quality of Mercy (Gaslight Grotesque anthology / EDGE)
  • Sherlock Holmes: The Color that Came to Chiswick (Gaslight Arcanum anthology / EDGE)
  • Carnacki: Treason and Plot (Horror for the Holidays anthology / Miskatonic River Press)

Online Appearances

  • Sherlock Holmes: The Call of the Dance (Lovecraft ezine)

There’s more coming soon, the pride of place going to Professor Challenger: The Island of Terror – a novella I’ve sold to Dark Regions Press.

Other short stories coming include the following:-

  • The Midnight Eye: Call and Response (Cthulhu 2012 anthology / Mythos Books)
  • The Midnight Eye: Rhythm and Booze (a novella in my Dark Melodies collection)
  • Carnacki: The Sisters of Mercy (Nightland Magazine in Japan)

I’ve also recently finished a Sherlock Holmes collection that I hope will see an appearance from Dark Regions Press and I’ve sold another Carnacki story to an anthology I can’t talk about yet.

I probably won’t stop until all the bad guys are caught.

Two new ebooks today

  By William Meikle | May 2, 2012 - 1:09 pm | ebooks, William Meikle, Writing
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SHERLOCK HOLMES: REVENANT and THE CREEPING KELP are now both also available in ebook

SHERLOCK HOLMES: REVENANT

A strange sickness affecting the members of the House of Lords starts a new adventure for Holmes and Watson, one that will see them on the run, accused of murder and pursued by both the police and a deadly gang of assassins.

The case takes them up and down the country, from Scotland to the Houses of Parliament and leads them down arcane paths, following their relentless foe in pursuit of the lost secret of immortality.

Their adversary seems hell-bent, not only on their destruction but on an act of terrorism that will shake London to its foundations.

Holmes must catch and unmask the revenant, and only by confronting his own past will he be able to prevail.


Baker Street Irregulars should quickly secure a copy of the book. – British Fantasy Society

…a splendid and entertaining diversion – Black Static #28


It’s a nice blend of mystery and occult adventure and you don’t find that particular flavor much any more – Don D’Ammassa

Dark Regions Press
KINDLE
KINDLE UK

read more…

THE CREEPING KELP

Some seaweed, a jellyfish and some material brought back from the Peabodie expedition to Antarctica. An innoccuous enough blend you might think. But when a storm in the North Atlantic frees a sample that has been dormant inside an old wreck, the new creature finds that it is hungry. Our plastics-oriented society has given it an abundant supply of food… more than enough for it to grow, and build, and spread.

Can anyone escape the terror that is… THE CREEPING KELP?


If you are like me and grew up on those glorious nature run amok movies you will absolutely love The Creeping Kelp and I highly recommend it. – Famous Monsters of Filmland


The Creeping Kelp would make for a great beach read, and will give you shivers the next time you step on a piece of seaweed in the water. Highly recommended. – The Monster Librarian

Dark Regions Press
KINDLE
KINDLE UK

read more…

New review of Sherlock Holmes : Revenant

  By William Meikle | April 22, 2012 - 9:08 pm | William Meikle, Writing
1 Comment
I’m basking in the glow of a great review of SHERLOCK HOLMES : REVENANT in the UK newsstand magazine BLACK STATIC (#28) 

 

Among other nice things, Pete Tennant says:

“The characters are finely drawn, with the camaraderie of the detective and the doctor, the friendship that keeps them together through thick and thin, at the book’s very heart, while others such as the eccentric and erudite Seton, and the plodding, pedantic Lestrade come effortlessly alive on the page, Meikle breathing life into them with a few well chosen words that distil their essence…. a splendid and entertaining diversion.”

This comes after some earlier reviews that were also very positive.

“Baker Street Irregulars should quickly secure a copy of this book.” -
British Fantasy Society

“It’s a nice blend of mystery and occult adventure and you don’t find that particular flavor much any more” – Don D’Ammassa

The trade paperback is still available (signed copies) from Dark Regions Press.

http://www.darkregions.com/sherlock-holmes-revenant-by-william-meikle/

And the ebook edition is in production and will be along very soon.

A black dog day.

  By William Meikle | April 19, 2012 - 8:35 pm | Uncategorized, William Meikle, Writing
2 Comments

It’s obviously time for my annual crisis of confidence.

I’m feeling twitchy and irritable, and that’s never a good sign. The universe is trying to tell me something and, as usual, I don’t want to hear it.

The writing itself has been going very well this year so far, with new novels placed with Dark Regions Press and Darkfuse, new novellas and a new story collection coming from Dark Regions, and short story sales in several pro markets and high profile anthologies. All of this will get me a higher profile than ever before. My recent publications are picking up good reviews too.

But… but… for me, there’s always a but.

The ebook side of things is showing signs of grinding to a halt. Whether this is due to the glut of free ebooks on the market, or just the natural end of a good period of strong sales, I don’t know, but as it stands, I’ll be losing a big chunk of my income in months to come.

So that means there’s a new urgency for me to break new ground and find ways to make enough cash to pay the bills.

I said this at this time last year, and the year before.

“I’m unsure about my eye for the market. I write what I want to write, producing books that I would want to read. But I’m a fifty-something man steeped in pulp fiction from an early age. I want the big deal, to see my books on shelves in shops all over the world. That’s always been the dream, but my obsessions just don’t seem to cut it in the wider marketplace.”

And another year on, that’s still what I’m doing, still writing pulpy fiction that makes me smile.

The -big- dream that is world domination and the Hollywood deal is still far off, still the golden ring to strive for.

I love writing, love the pictures that flow in my mind.

But is this all there is?

I’m not big on retreating into a shell and gazing at my navel, but maybe that’s just what I need to do.

Or maybe all I need to do is keep writing… it’s taken me twenty years to get here, If it takes twenty more to get where I want to be, so be it.

Three Unproduced Screenplays

  By William Meikle | April 12, 2012 - 4:48 pm | screenplays, scripts available, William Meikle, Writing
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I had these just lying around on my hard drive.

Three scripts I’ve written based on stories of mine. I haven’t shopped them around anywhere, and my other writing has taken precedence over any screenwriting aspirations I may once have had.

But here they are, if anybody is interested in having a read.

 

The Auld Mither – A Scottish supernatural. Basically, my attempt at a Hammer-type horror.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/89097376/The-Auld-Mither

The Copycat Murders – A serial killer hunts from inside mirrors. This one was written before the Hollywood “Mirrors” movie, but I guess that makes no difference now…

http://www.scribd.com/doc/89097954/The-CopyCat-Murders

Island Life – There’s something lurking in the fog. … Aaargh. It’s got me.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/89098199/Island-Life

 

 

Coming down the pipe

  By William Meikle | April 12, 2012 - 12:59 pm | William Meikle, Writing
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I’ve been talking to Dark Regions Press about publications for the next 2 years. Already lined up for this year I have

  • Professor Challenger: The Island of Terror, a novella in trade paperback (already written)
  • Dark Melodies – a music-themed short story collection in limited edition hardcover (already written)
  • The Ravine – a weird western novel in limited edition hardcover (already written)
  • A Sherlock Holmes short story collection in limited edition hardcover (my current project)

In 2013 there is a provisional plan for:

  • The Plasm, a pulp sci-fi novella in trade paperback (already written)
  • From Deep Within the Shadows – a supernatural short story collection in limited edition hardcover (already written)
  • A Professor Challenger Collection in limited edition hardcover (my next project)
  • Berserker, my Viking vs Yeti novella (already written)
  • A.N.Other historical horror novel, yet to be written (next winter’s project)

Busy, busy, busy. 

The order page for NIGHT OF THE WENDIGO is now live

  By William Meikle | April 3, 2012 - 6:53 pm | William Meikle, Writing
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The advance order page for NIGHT OF THE WENDIGO limited edition hardcover is now live.

The ebook is also available now for a variety of e-readers

Hardcover order:
http://www.darkfuse.com/night-of-the-wendigo-by-william-meikle.html

 

 

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007QM2BAC/

Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007QM2BAC/

Nook: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/books/product.aspx?EAN=2940014185332

Sony Reader: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/william-meikle/night-of-the-wendigo/_/R-400000000000000664231

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Night-of-the-Wendigo/book-AKpJ4ge2-0i0TWfVLT_GAg/page1.html

Since I moved from Scotland to Newfoundland I’ve developed a love/hate relationship with cold weather. Part of me finds it fascinatingly beautiful, and I’m often in awe of the force and majesty of the winter storms that sweep this island from January till April. But another part of me pines for warm, sultry days in the sun.

Back in the winter of 2007/8, a particularly harsh one in these parts, I started to have a germ of a story idea. At that stage I only knew I wanted to do an “ancient evil comes back for revenge” tale, and I wanted to trash a big city in print. (This was before I wrote CRUSTACEANS, and I hadn’t tried anything on this scale before.) That it would involve weather extremes was a no-brainer, given that, at the time I had the idea, we had three feet of snow on the ground here.

I started with no real plan beyond an opening scene where archaeologists uncover an old boat on a cargo dock in Manhattan. Pretty quickly a cast of characters started to squabble for my attention; cops, forensic teams, other archaeologists and a conspiracy nut. Somehow they all fitted in to the same story, and I had to step back for a while to outline a plot.

Four hundred years ago a Scottish cargo ship fell prey to a Wendigo at an early settlement on the Hudson River. Now a team of archaeologists have uncovered the boat, and let loose the evil. Manhattan is soon overrun by an ice storm like no other before it. There are things moving in the storm. Blue, cold things, with razor sharp teeth.

The characters never stopped squabbling, but the main character, the winter storm itself, rode roughshod over them, and it was the force of the storm that drove the story forward in my head. It runs in my mind like any number of big dumb disaster movies, with its theme of chaos and destruction coming to modern Manhattan, with antecedents in the Emmerlich and Devlin blockbusters 2012, The Day After Tomorrow, and even Godzilla.

I’d love to be able to sit down with my popcorn and beer and watch it for myself on a big screen. It’s a dream I have.

My Top Ten Weird Historicals

  By William Meikle | March 31, 2012 - 4:44 pm | historical
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Having just finished a re-read of Dan Simmons’ superb THE TERROR, I’ve realised all over again how much I love historically-based fantastic fiction. A lot of that love has been seeping over recently into my own writing, and it’s rapidly becoming where I feel most comfortable.

With that in mind, here’s ten historical horror/fantasy books that are a constant source of inspiration and delight.

  • The Terror – Dan Simmons
  • Fevre Dream – George R R Martin
  • On Stranger Tides – Tim Powers
  • The List of Seven – Mark Frost
  • Anno Dracula – Kim Newman
  • Nevermore – William Hjortsberg
  • The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane – Robert E Howard
  • Deliver us from Evil – Tom Holland
  • The Prestige – Christopher Priest
  • The Anubis Gates – Tim Powers

Why I wrote NIGHT OF THE WENDIGO

  By William Meikle | March 29, 2012 - 8:59 pm | Night of the Wendigo, William Meikle, Writing
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Since I moved from Scotland to Newfoundland I’ve developed a love/hate relationship with cold weather.

Part of me finds it fascinatingly beautiful, and I’m often in awe of the force and majesty of the winter storms that sweep this island from January till April. But another part of me pines for warm, sultry days in the sun.

Back in the winter of 2007/8, a particularly harsh one in these parts, I started to have a germ of a story idea.

NIGHT OF THE WENDIGO will be available to order in limited edition hardcover from DARKFUSE next week
At that stage I only knew I wanted to do an “ancient evil comes back for revenge” tale, and I wanted to trash a big city in print. (This was before I wrote CRUSTACEANS, and I hadn’t tried anything on this scale before.)

That it would involve weather extremes was a no-brainer, given that, at the time I had the idea, we had three feet of snow on the ground here. I started with no real plan beyond an opening scene where archaeologists uncover an old boat on a cargo dock in Manhattan.

Pretty quickly a cast of characters started to squabble for my attention; cops, forensic teams, other archaeologists and a conspiracy nut. Somehow they all fitted in to the same story, and I had to step back for a while to outline a plot.

Four hundred years ago a Scottish cargo ship fell prey to a Wendigo at an early settlement on the Hudson River. Now a team of archaeologists have uncovered the boat, and let loose the evil.

Manhattan is soon overrun by an ice storm like no other before it. There are things moving in the storm. Blue, cold things, with razor sharp teeth.

The characters never stopped squabbling, but the main character, the winter storm itself, rode roughshod over them, and it was the force of the storm that drove the story forward in my head.

It runs in my mind like any number of big dumb disaster movies, with its theme of chaos and destruction coming to modern Manhattan, with antecedents in the Emmerlich and Devlin blockbusters 2012, The Day After Tomorrow, and even Godzilla.

I’d love to be able to sit down with my popcorn and beer and watch it for myself on a big screen. It’s a dream I have.

NIGHT OF THE WENDIGO will be available to order in limited edition hardcover from DARKFUSE next week

Willie Meikle News – The year so far

  By William Meikle | March 16, 2012 - 12:54 pm | News, William Meikle, Writing
1 Comment

It’s been a great start to the year on the writing side.

Firstly I sold the audio rights to THE MIDNIGHT EYE series to Seven Realms Publishing. Look for three seperate audio books coming later this year and next year. These will be my first full length audio works, and I’m excited to see how they turn out.

I’ve also sold the audio rights for THE CONCORDANCES OF THE RED SERPENT to Seven Realms, and the WATCHERS trilogy to Crossroads Press, so look out for them coming soon.

~o00|00o~

Secondly, Dark Regions Press are proving to be very good to me. The hardcover of THE CREEPING KELP has been such a success that it has now also been brought out in a trade paperback edition. The paperbacks of SHERLOCK HOLMES: REVENANT and THE INVASION/THE VALLEY double feature are also doing well.

Now there are two new books. CARNACKI: HEAVEN AND HELL is my first hardcover short story collection, and has been picking up some great reviews. And new this week is CRUSTACEANS, available in a very limited (13 only) deluxe hardcover, or a signed paperback edition.

Dark Regions have set up a page for my books, so head on over and have a look:

http://www.darkregions.com/william-meikle/

Keep an eye on that page, as I will have more books coming later this year, including a new hardcover Lovecraftian short story collection.

Dark Regions Press will have a table at the 2012 World Horror Convention in Salt Lake City (starting on March 29th). Which is good news for me, as it means my books will be there, even if I am not.

~o00|00o~

Also coming up, in June, is a new horror novel, THE NIGHT OF THE WENDIGO, which will be coming from DARKFUSE / DELIRIUM in signed, limited hardcover and ebook. I really like the stark cover they’ve gone for, and I’m excited to see the finished product.

http://www.darkfuse.com/production-schedule.html

~o00|00o~

And last but by no means least on the news front, I sold one of the Carnacki stories, THE SISTERS OF MERCY, to Nightland magazine in Japan. It will appear, in Japanese, in issue 4 which will be a special Occult Detective issue. And I’ll be alongside a reprint of a Robert E Howard story, which makes the fanboy in me very excited indeed. All that, and a nice big pay day on top makes it one of my favorite sales of my career to date.

~o00|00o~

As ever, details of all recent sales and links to buy publications are at my website. It’s had a wee spit and polish recently, so come on over and have a look.

http://www.williammeikle.com