Writing the Uncanny

I have a new book out. It's called Writing the Uncanny. It's a collection of essays co-edited by myself and the great Dan Coxon.

It's about the Uncanny. Anyone who happens to be familiar with these blogposts (anyone??) will be aware that my obsession lies in this area: not quite horror and not quite not-horror, but some strange un-genre which lies outside of neat categorisation.

Despite its curious, liminal standing, the uncanny has a wild, subterranean popularity: The Loney, The Essex Serpent, Inside No. 9...

But what exactly is The Uncanny? What can a writer do to ensure their fiction haunts the reader’s imagination? Are there approaches? Techniques? Who are the key uncanny writers and what is it about their work that... works...?

Here to answer all your questions, Writing the Uncanny sees some of the best contemporary authors explain what drew them to horror, ghost stories, folklore and beyond, and reveal how to craft unsettling fiction which resonates.

Authors include Jeremy Dyson, Alison Moore, Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, Catriona Ward, Robert Shearman and loads more (including, sadly, my arch-nemesis Jenn Ashworth) share their insights on psychogeography, fairy tales, cultural tradition and the supernatural, and offer practical, useful advice on their different approaches to this murkiest of genres.

An essential guide for both the aspiring writer of strange tales and the casual reader, I don't think it's overstating things to say Writing the Uncanny is set to become the beach-read smash of the summer.

You can order it from Dead Ink here.