Vault Advent Calendar 2019

[vaultadventcalendar]

Day Seventeen:

Chrissie Demant

Live-ish from Croxley Green, here's Nigel Taylor, Worlds of Strangeness supremo and organiser of the annual ill-fated The Horse And Crown Mystery Tour, with a Gothic chiller from 2001's Collection Inventive, a bizarre and frequently brilliant compilation of morality tales and short, sharp shockers.

A long time Paperback Fanatic contributor, Nigel graces the current issue - #42 - with a celebration of SF authors Jack Sharkley, Robert F. Young and Richard Wilson. Pay him a visit at WOS

Attachments:

Nigel Taylor Blind as a Bat.pdf (149.43 KB)

[dem]

Dec 16, 2019 20:57:58 GMT cauldronbrewer said:

I've finally caught up on the Vault Advent Calendar. Thanks to everyone who has contributed stories, photographs, or illustrations, and to Dem for pulling everything together.

I found "The Cambridge Beast" unsettling not just for the creature but also for the prospect of climbing those buildings. I have no head for heights, so any story that involves fear of falling (see also Robert Westall's The Stones of Muncaster Cathedral) has an edge at making me tense.

Revisiting Mary Ann's story got me to wondering if there are any other supernatural night-climbing stories? I sure can't think of any. It also set me to compiling a list of stories for a vertigo-themed DIY anthology thread, so, should it appear, you might want to give that one a miss.

[ropardoe]

Dec 16, 2019 16:28:51 GMT ropardoe said:

Dec 16, 2019 16:25:05 GMT ripper said:

Thanks to the elusive Mary Ann for this creepy tale. I, too, have not heard of Cambridge students climbing university buildings. I wonder what Monty James would have had to say about it.

When Mary Ann wrote the story, night climbing wasn't all that well known outside of Cambridge, and Cambridge graduates, but it seems to turn up all over the place now.  I read a detective novel about it a year or so ago.  And Oleander Press has been issuing several reprints and new books on the subject: www.oleanderpress.com/climbing-cambridge.html

The detective novel is question, by the way, is Jill Paton Walsh's The Bad Quarto (https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jill-paton-walsh/the-bad-quarto/).  Quite a good book in a good series.

[Swampirella]

A smashing story, that reflects the author's talent! Thanks again to Chrissie for another lovely illustration. 

[cauldronbrewer]

Dec 17, 2019 6:23:34 GMT vaultadventcalendar said:

Chrissie Demant

Live-ish from Croxley Green, here's Nigel Taylor, Worlds of Strangeness supremo and organiser of the annual ill-fated The Horse And Crown Mystery Tour, with a Gothic chiller from 2001's Collection Inventive, a bizarre and frequently brilliant compilation of morality tales and short, sharp shockers.

A long time Paperback Fanatic contributor, Nigel graces the current issue - #42 - with a celebration of SF authors Jack Sharkley, Robert F. Young and Richard Wilson. Pay him a visit at WOS

This one was a lot of fun, and the illustration fits perfectly.

[ripper]

Dec 17, 2019 9:30:07 GMT ropardoe said:

Dec 16, 2019 16:28:51 GMT ropardoe said:

When Mary Ann wrote the story, night climbing wasn't all that well known outside of Cambridge, and Cambridge graduates, but it seems to turn up all over the place now.  I read a detective novel about it a year or so ago.  And Oleander Press has been issuing several reprints and new books on the subject: www.oleanderpress.com/climbing-cambridge.html

The detective novel is question, by the way, is Jill Paton Walsh's The Bad Quarto (https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jill-paton-walsh/the-bad-quarto/).  Quite a good book in a good series.

I am aware of, I think it is called, base jumping, where people jump off tall buildings with a parachute generally at night. I don't know if they usually scale the buildings or just gain access to the roof more conventionally, but I believe there have been a number of fatalities.

[ripper]

I haven't read too much of Nigel's work, but each time I have had a good time, and this tale is well up there with others I have read. Thanks to Nigel and also to Chrissie for another fine piece of artwork.

[vaultadventcalendar]

Day Eighteen brings ....

Chrissie Demant

... a seriously strange offering from the hyper-industrious Johnny Mains - seriously, by the time I've typed this he'll likely have launched a dozen anthologies and staged a marathon lecture tour of the UK. It's difficult to keep up, but to the best of my knowledge recent publications include debut novel A Distasteful Horror Story, and a bumper anthology of 'lost' Victorian & Edwardian ghost stories, Remember the Dead at Halloween & Christmas.

If you go down to the sea today ...

Attachments:

J Mains - The Third Hand.pdf (125.52 KB)

[johnnymains]

Thanks to Chrissie for capturing the tale - she's such a good artist and I always look forward to her artwork every Winter. Cheers Dem for a cracking anthology calendar so far - can't wait to see the final six entries!

[Middoth]

Chrissie Demant have truly gothic heart.

[Swampirella]

I enjoyed today's fun, weird story! Let's all give Johnny Main's a hand - never mind, he's already got 3! Sorry, I just can't help myself lately...Lovely art work by Mrs. Dem once again.

[ripper]

What a delightfully odd little tale from Johnny. It certainly didn't go quite where I was expecting. Yet another atmospheric illustration from Chrissie--on top form as usual. Thanks to Johnny and Chrissie.

[vaultadventcalendar]

Day Nineteen

Chrissie Demant

Nov 29, 2019 18:53:19 GMT helrunar said:

I finally cracked into issue 36 after breakfast today ... and I loved Victoria Day's clever tale "More About Miss Tweekweed." The story felt like what would have happened if PG Wodehouse had set out to write something in the vein of the Master. 

I suppose it would be far too much of an imposition to ask if the preceding story by Ms. Day, "An Aunt's Tale," could be included in the imminently commencing Vault Advent Calendar? One must hold out hope that the Fates, the Powers will smile.

Happy Christmas, Steve. We are in luck!

Not only did Victoria Day graciously allow us to feature the delightful An Aunt's Tale, she kindly agreed to tell us a little about herself and her work.

"I live in North Yorkshire with my husband, 2 daughters and two border terriers and have a ridiculous amount of books. I’m currently working on a collection of 12 stories set in an Edwardian Gentlemen’s club in the fictional village of Plumston where "An Aunt's Tale" and "More About Miss Tweekweed" are set. They feature Carter and Winter from those two stories. Jim Moon has also featured an earlier version of “An Aunt’s Tale” on his podcast Hypnogoria.

I had a story published in 2011 in the local paper which came second in a competition for a Ghost story at under 800 words (not sure if that counts, but that’s what encouraged me!). More recently, “ The Deed Box” has just been published in Nebula Tales #5 and I’m having a story called “ The Mosaic Maze” published in an anthology called “ Lady Wardrop’s Book of Mazes” (now "The Ghosts & Scholars Book of Mazes": expect announcement early in 2020 - ed.) by Sarob press.

Next March our amateur drama group is putting a play I wrote, “Take what you want,” which has a supernatural twist, into the Nidderdale Festival of one act plays."

Welcome to Vault, Vicki, and that you so much for today's terrifying tale!

Attachments:

Vicki Day - An Aunts Tale.pdf (82.9 KB)

[Swampirella]

I'm sure "Monty" would have been delighted with this story, as was I. Thanks to Ms. Day for giving permission & as usual to Chrissie for an equally delightful illustration.

[helrunar]

Wow, Kev, I'm absolutely chuffed! Just finished reading the tale and it was a delightful bit of fun. As a confirmed bachelor, I share Carter's rude laughter at the unfortunate dilemma of the wandering spook. Golf has always been a mystery to me but presumably even on the Other Side, he felt the want of a trustworthy "iron" (or whatever the hell it's called).

I am thrilled to hear that Ms. Day plans a book of these yarns. Sounds quite enticing!

As usual, great drawing from Chrissie! Happy Xmas!

Best, Steve