Does a night like this fill you with vague longings? Do you yearn to discover the secret of the universe-to know more than is good for man to know-perhaps to peer into the future?- Aylmer Vance Aylmer Vance made his first appearance on the nightmare stage in 1914. The creation of husband-and-wife writing team Alice … Continue reading The Ghost Seer
2020 in Review
https://youtu.be/G2URlDdDTMo What to say about this year that other, better writers have not already said? Still, I might as well try. Like most, it's been a year of ups and downs for me, professionally and otherwise. A professional partnership ended unexpectedly, but new opportunities arose and my career continued on much as it has for … Continue reading 2020 in Review
Invisible Empire
"An invisible man can rule the world. Nobody will see him come, nobody will see him go. He can hear every secret. He can rob, and rape, and kill!"-Dr. Jack Griffin The Invisible Man first hit theatres on the 13th of November, 1933. Directed by James Whale, starring Claude Rains and Gloria Stuart, based on … Continue reading Invisible Empire
Christmas 2020
Merry Christmas, folks. Y'all have a safe and happy holiday, and I'll see you on the other side. If you're in need of some entertainment, I've written a wee free holiday tale, involving everyone's favourite monster-hunter and the Icelandic beast known as the Yule Cat. Pour yourself some eggnog, cut a piece of stollen, and … Continue reading Christmas 2020
Casefiles of the Royal Occultist
For today's look at the Royal Occultist universe, we have a chronological listing of all of the short stories published so far, as well as those that are forthcoming in the near future, and where you can find some of them. The stories below are listed in a rough chronological order - or as near … Continue reading Casefiles of the Royal Occultist
The Last Wolf
Recently, I watched The Last Wolf: Karl Edward Wagner, a documentary about - well - Karl Edward Wagner. It was a fascinating and somewhat sobering 'warts and all' look at one of the most accomplished dark fantasy and horror writers of the late Twentieth Century. Wagner has always been one of my literary touchstones. Like … Continue reading The Last Wolf
The Hateful Hound
In today's look at the Royal Occultist universe, we examine one of Charles St. Cyprian's deadliest foes…the monstrous Hound of Mons. The first recorded appearance of the gigantic canine known as the Hound of Mons was in Belgium in 1914, when it reportedly stalked No Man's Land. An enormous black mastiff, driven mad by the … Continue reading The Hateful Hound
The Diehard
Lady of gentle birth, Scottish, young, penniless, possessing strong psychic powers, will devote her services to the solving of uncanny mysteries or the ‘laying of ghosts’. Offer quite genuine. Reply, with particulars and remuneration offered, to S. C. c/o Mrs Barker, 14b Air Street, Regent’s Park, London.- Shiela Crerar Shiela Crerar, psychic investigator and adventuress, … Continue reading The Diehard
Turkeys Away
https://youtu.be/BGFtV6-ALoQ I've never been big on Thanksgiving, for a variety of reasons, but I have one tradition I refuse to break. Every Thanksgiving, whatever else is going on, whatever sort of mood I'm in or what sort of deadlines I've got looming, I watch the "Turkeys Away" episode of WKRP in Cincinnati. You probably know … Continue reading Turkeys Away
Haint Blue
https://youtu.be/ICQAtRm2nyI When I was growing up, I saw a lot of houses like this, down around where we lived. There was even one that was all blue - roof, walls, porch, chimney. All bright, vibrant blue. It even had blue posts, sunk into the ground at the edges of the property, with silver dollars nailed … Continue reading Haint Blue