|
Post by allthingshorror on Aug 5, 2009 19:08:34 GMT
Hot off the press:
Shaun Hutson has kindly agreed to do the foreword to the book and David A Sutton has also kindly agreed to do the introduction!
|
|
|
Post by The Lurker In The Shadows on Aug 5, 2009 21:07:04 GMT
That looks like one hell of an impressive collection you've put together there, John. My hat is well and truly doffed. For some reason, I had it in my head that you were bringing out a "History of Pan Horror" type book, and the authors you were contacting were for interview purposes. I didn't realise you were actually producing a bona-fide Pan Book of Horror Stories! An excellent idea. Well done to you!
|
|
|
Post by allthingshorror on Aug 5, 2009 21:38:57 GMT
That looks like one hell of an impressive collection you've put together there, John. My hat is well and truly doffed. For some reason, I had it in my head that you were bringing out a "History of Pan Horror" type book, and the authors you were contacting were for interview purposes. I didn't realise you were actually producing a bona-fide Pan Book of Horror Stories! An excellent idea. Well done to you! I still am going to bring out the 'History of' book - but it's such a fucking immense project, and I need more time to do it in. I've opened up so many cans of worms it's unreal and I have an external hard drive full of interviews, contracts, photos, letters from van Thal to about six authors etc, etc, etc which is a struggle to wade through in the little time when Im not working my 'real life' job. I think once I get this antho out - and the other project I'm working on, I'll go back to the 'History' project and pick it up again. But until then it's the antho - which will have a fair bit of non-fic stuff in it! cheers Johnny
|
|
|
Post by dem bones on Aug 9, 2009 15:02:29 GMT
Belated well done John and contributors. I now appreciate the difficulties Jones & Paget ran into with their attempted Best Of The Pan Book of Horror Stories but can't help thinking this mix of top oldies and new material is the more fitting tribute. It's certainly more recognisably a Pan Horror book!
|
|
|
Post by allthingshorror on Aug 11, 2009 7:39:58 GMT
Cheers Dem, if it wasn't for this place - I wouldn't be doing this in the first place. So give yourself a pat on the back, or a smack on the head with a shovel - whatever takes your fancy. Concerning the van Thal biography - would people want to wade through something that is currently at 7668 words and counting?? I really have to stop using these smiley things....
|
|
|
Post by allthingshorror on Aug 20, 2009 12:12:30 GMT
Christina KIplinger is now on board and her story is called MR GOLDEN'S HAUNTS.
Excellent news indeed!
|
|
|
Post by allthingshorror on Sept 2, 2009 7:02:09 GMT
Christopher Fowler's story is called Locked and it's a bloody cracker. So there you have it, all stories accounted for!
|
|
|
Post by allthingshorror on Sept 5, 2009 22:59:07 GMT
Just to let you know that after a few years worth of searching one of the few people who wrote as Alex White has been found. I've also got a very strong feeling on another author - and so far all the proof indicates to that person being White also. All will be revealed (and more!) when the antho comes out - but I'm sad to break hearts here, Alex White was a product of van Thal's making...
A Vault mystery well and truly solved!
|
|
|
Post by bushwick on Sept 6, 2009 11:19:39 GMT
'kinnell Johnny! how do you do it???
that's a teaser right there, eh? I HAVE to know! bring on The Book Of Horror Stories!
|
|
|
Post by dem bones on Sept 6, 2009 13:35:02 GMT
well done, mr. horror, you've earned it all the work you've put in.
Still getting used to the idea that there was more than one 'Alex White'! Without giving anything away, can you tell us if the one you've found is the one who wrote The Clinic?
|
|
|
Post by allthingshorror on Sept 6, 2009 15:14:02 GMT
I can tell you that the author of The Clinic is.....Clarence Paget... Sorry, couldn't help myself. Nah, nothing more is being said until book is coming out. But the issue of Alex White is a lovely small hand grenade. And before people wax lyrical as to who might have written the stories - who's to say that the any of the authors were even involved with Pan Horrors in any other shape or form? In as much as van Thal liked some of his authors to use pen names to fill up his volumes - bertie had many people on his books who were doing stuff other than his yearly anthologies... And with that, that's all I've got to say on this book. Will post the cover when it's done - and when it's going to be released etc - but apart from that, I'm onto my next project which I can announce will be putting the ground work in with aims to bringing out the complete short stories of Mary Danby sometime next year. Mary has given me the blessing to go ahead with it, so now it's just a matter of trying to bring out the best book that I possibly can and regards to you all as I am buggering off for a few months while I move home and change jobs etc. Hopefully be back round November time! ta-ta! Johnny
|
|
|
Post by allthingshorror on Oct 5, 2009 17:45:51 GMT
Started a blog to run alongside the website which currently has an essay from David A Sutton and an excerpt of one of the stories... nooseandgibbet.blogspot.com
|
|
|
Post by allthingshorror on Oct 28, 2009 21:17:36 GMT
Typeface will be tweaked nearer the time - but here is more than not what the final cover will look like. My original fella fell through - so it's been a crash course in Photoshop and a life saver in the form of Les Edwards who let me pick what artwork I wanted to use on the book. Les Edwards Thoughts? Cos if it doesn't work, I would like to know!!!
|
|
|
Post by dem bones on Oct 29, 2009 9:20:45 GMT
it's grown on me since last night, but i can't make my mind up if i like it or not. Is it relevant to a particular story?
in it's favour; it's Les Edwards, possibly the safest pair of hands in the business, considerable fan-base likely to increase sales. The cover is immediately in with a shout of grabbing a BFS best artist award (although if Les also supplies the next 'Best New Horror' you will almost certainly have to settle for a runners up spot).
Personal misgivings; While the picture itself is as accomplished as we've come to expect from Mr. Edwards, it doesn't scream 'Pan Book Of Horror Stories', not to me, anyhow, but then i'm wondering what would? The Lawnmower man from #30 always seemed way out of place to my eyes, far more so than this. I think what i'm getting at is the skullman would be equally if not more at home on the cover of a collection of quiet horror stories/ dark fantasy, whereas the Pan originals never went with the subtle option when there was a perfectly tasteless alternative. Anyhow, fuck what i think. what do you think?
|
|
|
Post by allthingshorror on Oct 29, 2009 9:32:24 GMT
I hummed and hawwed a lot before I finally went with this one - I thought about the whole 'back from the dead' angle - and apart from having a zombie or the great undead on the front cover this one was just the most quietly unnerving.
I went for the black and white over colour because it's almost like a snapshot of times past - and while I'm very wary of Pan's legacy - I'm also very aware that this isn't a Pan Horror - but is the closest thing to one for a while - so in that regard - just had to take a punt with what my gut said and try to update somebody elses formula slightly.
Maybe one of the reasons people were turned off by the books apart from some severely shit stories - were also down to the covers? People had enough - and trends were changing?
And Bill Phillips is missing, presumed eaten by the bat from Pan 7....
Cheers for your thoughts Dem, it all helps!
|
|