December

The Christmas issue of Estronomicon has just gone online, containing, among others, Marie's story Tabitha's Angel. For futll details of contents, and to download, click here.

Marie has now finished work on a special project for a bunch of new writers. Read Us is a website dedicated to giving this group a voice in the writing field. The work is in all kinds of genres, delivering all kinds of messages. Marie will be webmistress to this site, as well as the other ones she already maintains. To visit it, just click here.

Two other sites that have been updated by Marie recently are Andrew Hook’s Elastic Press site with news of the launch of the Elastic Book of Music – click here. And also artist Michelle Blessemaille’s site now has a new gallery up – click here.

Battersea Events Centre

Marie thoroughly enjoyed the Stephen King event in Battersea on 7th November at Battersea Events Arena (above), which was attended by 1000s of people. Stephen spoke candidly about his life, his work and his new book Lisey’s Story, which he says is the best one of his career so far. There will be a report with pictures going up soon, so keep checking back.

The next event Marie will attend will be the Christmas Open Night on 8th December at Ye Olde Cock Tavern, 22 Fleet Street. (2nd floor/3rd floor) . If you see her there, be sure to say hello.

Christa Campbell and Marie O'Regan

 

As mentioned last month, Marie got to meet and interview Christa Campbell (pictured with Marie) at Chillerfest October 28th – 29th, part of London Expo. Since then she has interviewed Tim Sullivan, the director of 2001 Maniacs which Christa stars in as the Milk Maiden. Tim has also directed Driftwood, about a haunted correction centre. More news about where the interview will appear as and when.

Driftwood

Lastly, Marie would like to wish all visitors to her site a Merry Christmas and very Happy New Year. Keep checking back in 2007!

November

A special treat for fans of Stephen King this month. You can find an extract from his new novel Lisey's Story online by clicking here. It’s possibly his best book since Bag of Bones so if you like the preview, be sure to pick up a copy from all good bookstores or online (extract courtesy of Hodder and Stoughton). As mentioned in last month’s update, Marie will also be at the Stephen King event on 7th November in Battersea. Tickets are still available, so call the hotline now.

Stephen King

 

A story of Marie’s has been accepted for publication in the FantasyCon celebration issue of Estronomicon. The magazine will contain fiction by the likes of Tim Lebbon, Peter Crowther, Mark Chadbourn, Andrew Hook, Tony Richards, with an art showcase from Anne Sudworth and cover art by 2006 British Fantasy Award winner Les Edwards. More news as and when.

 

Marie has also just had an article accepted for publication this January in Writing magazine. This one will be about researching the market and making sure your submission to a publisher hits the right mark.

Marie O'Regan

The workshop (‘Elements of Horror Fiction’) and reading Marie did as part of the World Horror Day celebrations on Friday 13th October went really well. Along with Simon Clark and Paul Kane, she scared the residents of Chesterfield with spooky tales and advice on how to write horror. Feedback both on the day and by mail after the event bodes well for more in the future.

Chesterfield Horror Day

 

Marie also attended Phantoms on 26th October at Derby’s oldest pub, Ye Olde Dolphin Inne along with writers like Sarah (The Reckoning) Pinborough and Paul Kane. Telling the ghost stories in front of a packed house were Sean O’Brien, Gail-Nina Anderson and Chaz Brenchley (below), who all gave chilling performances for Halloween. The evening was made even more unique by dinner during the interval and drinks afterwards downstairs in the bar.

 

Chaz Brenchley

 

Here are just a few of the pictures from FantasyCon which was held in Nottingham in September. As you can see it was a blast! For more pictures though, check out Paul Kane’s site here

-------------------------------

 

During the weekend of October 28th – 29th Marie was at Chillerfest, part of London Expo. It was a huge event and she got to meet the Revolt Films crew (above), Christopher Lee (pictured below signing his latest CD), Tom Savini, Bryn Hammond of Gorezone Magazine, the 4400 and CSI casts, and many more faces from the world of SF, Fantasy and Horror.

 

The highlight of the weekend, though, had to be interviewing the wonderful Christa Campbell, star of 2001 Maniacs (which was showing over the weekend) The Wicker Man and Day of the Dead. A big thank you to Hilary for arranging this through Momentum Pictures.

 

Finally, Marie’s last Dark Horizons as editor has just mailed out to members of the British Fantasy Society, and it’s a great note to be leaving on. There’s fiction by Tim Lebbon, Mark Morris, Ramsey Campbell, Neil Williamson, Allen Ashley and Tim Nickels. And there’s also the first part of interview with John Connolly, with the second part to follow in DH 50, to be edited by Peter Coleborn and Jan Edwards.

October Extra

Lisey's Story

Marie has also been asked to spread the word about another extra-special event coming up very soon. For the first time in nearly a decade, Stephen King will be over on these shores to talk about his career and his new book, Lisey’s Story, as well as read from the novel. The event will take place at Battersea Park Events Arena, Battersea Park, London SW11 on Tuesday 7th November. Marie will be in attendance and will be reviewing the book too. For a ticket to this one-off spectacular, ring the hotline on 08708 303 488. Tickets cost just £15 each, with the doors opening at 5:30 and the event slated to start at 7. Hopefully she’ll see some of you there on the night!

Stephen King

 

When Evil Calls Image

Marie has news now of a new horror venture. ‘When Evil Calls’ is the world’s first made-for-mobile horror series, to be launched at Halloween with the tagline, “Evil has a new number!”

The cast includes such talents as Chris Barrie from the BBC’s Brittas Empire and Red Dwarf (below), Dominique Pinon and Jennifer Lim.

Chris Barrie

Horror enthusiasts can download this great horror series by texting the word “WISH” to 61616 where they will receive a WAP push with a WAP URL which will link them straight into the content. For more details on the ‘When Evil Calls’ series visit their website at www.whenevilcalls.tv

When Evil Calls Banner

October

To celebrate the creation of a World Horror Day, Marie, Paul Kane and Simon Clark are running workshops and doing readings on 13th October. World Horror Day is in conjunction with The Horror Writers Association and is supported by such notable names as Stephen King and Brian Knight, as well as being sponsored by Saw 3.

Simon’s ‘Write for Life’ talk is 1:30-2:30 p.m, Marie and Paul’s ‘Elements of Horror Fiction’ is at 3-4 p.m, cost £1 each. The readings are 7:30-9 p.m., entry fee £2, refreshments included. The charge is to cover costs with any profits made going to charity. Both events will take place at Chesterfield Library, the afternoon sessions in the meeting room and the night session in the theatre.

If you want to book a place, please contact Alex Davis at 07768 635293

As part of the publicity in the run up to FantasyCon, Marie was interviewed for Matthew Wright’s ‘Weekender’ Programme last month. Other authors featured on the show included Neil Gaiman, Christopher Fowler, Paul Kane, Mark Chadbourn and Juliet E. McKenna. She kicked off the piece with an explanation about FantasyCon and about her own work. This was followed by an extract from her story ‘Can You See Me?’ being read out. The show was broadcast on 22nd September at 10 p.m.

Marie and Paul Kane have been booked to introduce a special screening of A Scanner Darkly at the Metro in Derby on 2nd October. The movie, which stars Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder, is based upon the famous Philip K. Dick novel of the same name, about a dystopian future where people are addicted to a drug called Substance D. The couple will talk about the book, give a reading and also discuss the film’s production history.

 

Marie has just about recovered from FantasyCon now. The weekend of 22nd-24th September is one she’ll remember for a long, long time. With over 400 attendees this was one of the biggest in quite some time, and there were panels, interviews with the Guests of Honour (Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, Ramsey Campbell, Raymond Feist and Juliet McKenna), not to mention the chance to catch up with many friends she doesn’t see often enough, such as Joe Hill, Stephen Jones, Peter Crowther and too many to list here. Pictures will be posted on the site when they’ve been developed, so keep checking back.

 

Paul and Marie were at the launch of Christopher Fowler's latest Bryant and May mystery Ten Second Staircase on Friday 8th September at a party in Foyles Bookshop, Charing Cross Road in London. Also there were Michael Marshall Smith, Stephen Jones, Lucy Ramsey, Graham Joyce, the artist John Bolton and many more of Chris’ friends.

Last month Marie set up her own MySpace page, which you can find by clicking here. She has also started up her own journal, which you can read by clicking the appropriate link at the top of this page.

 

September

(not final cover image)

The first exciting piece of news this month is that Marie’s novella Mirror Mere is to come out as an e-book through Screaming Dreams. The novella, which appeared in her collection of the same name earlier this year, comes with a cover from David Magitis – who also provided the colour Rainfall Books cover (final cover design not decided yet)

Together with Paul Kane, Marie has contributed a new introduction to the Cinema Macabre book. This is a new ‘Members Only’ British Fantasy edition of the collection of essays about favourite horror films written by some of the most recognised names in the industry, including Stephen Jones, Mark (League of Gentlemen) Gatiss, and Simon (Shaun of the Dead) Pegg. The PS Publishing edition, edited by Mark Morris, came with an introduction by Jonathan Ross and cover by J.K. Potter. This BFS paperback edition, which is going out to members, has a cover by contributor Les Edwards.

Lastly, Marie has just received news that her story ‘Can You See Me?’ which was published in Midnight Street last year, has been put through to the nominations stage of the British Fantasy Awards. She is thrilled to have reached this shortlist stage and thanks everyone who voted for the tale. The winners will be announced at the FantasyCon weekend 22nd-24th September at the Britannia Hotel, St James Street, Nottingham. Marie will also be launching the BFS: A Celebration book at FCon, which has Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, Raymond Feist, Ramsey Campbell and Juliet E. McKenna as Guests of Honour. For more information visit the site here.

Marie will also be at the he BFS Open Night in London on Friday 1st September at the usual venue of the Devereux pub.

 

August

Tideland, directed by Terry Gilliam

An exciting announcement to begin with this month. August 11th marks the release of a new Terry Gilliam film - cause for celebration in itself, we hear you cry. But here at Marie’s site we also have news of a couple of very special competitions being run by Revolver Entertainment and the British Fantasy Society, of which Marie is the chairperson. The first, with a chance to win signed copies of the Tideland Film Adaptation By Terry Gilliam and copies of the soundtrack can be found by going to the BFS site here.

The second Revolver are running in conjunction with ‘The Dreamz’ website, to ask Terry a question. The director will then answer the best 30. To go to this, click here.

There are also a whole bunch of events running over the next few weeks, details of which follow:

Sat 5 August
Gilliam appearance and poster/book signing at Forbidden Planet on
Shaftesbury Avenue, W1. Start time: 1pm.

Tue 8 August
Tideland screening followed by Q&A with Terry at the Manchester Cornerhouse.

Thu 10 August
Tideland screening followed by Q&A at the Curzon Soho. The film will be shown
and a Q&A with Terry will follow.

Sun 13 August
Gilliam double bill at the Curzon Soho, Monty Python’s Meaning of Life, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, followed by Tideland .

As if that wasn’t enough, you can read Marie and Paul Kane’s article on Terry and the movie, featuring quotes from the director and other people involved by clicking here. This will also be published in a forthcoming issue of Dark Horizons.

Dark Horizons, British Fantasy Society

Which brings us to the next piece of news. Dark Horizons #48 is now out complete with a stunning Les Edwards cover. The magazine, delivered only to members of the BFS, has been edited by Marie and Jenny Barber (and Marie wishes to express her thanks to Jenny for all her help with this). The magazine features book and graphic novel reviews, plus short stories from the likes of Lavie Tidhar and Debbie Bennett, with the first original short from bestselling author Mark Chadbourn in six years. To join and get your copy, visit the BFS site here.

Marie has received news that she and Paul Kane will definitely be doing another workshop at Alt.Fiction 2007. The first event, which was held in Derby last May, was such a success that organiser Alex Davis is doing it again – bigger and better. To catch up with the latest on the blogspot, just click here.

Jeffery Deaver, The Cold Moon

Meanwhile in July Marie and Paul were at Peak Books in Chesterfield to meet up with another bestselling author, this time Jeffery Deaver (of The Bone Collector and A Maiden’s Grave fame). Jeffrey was on a signing tour to promote his new book The Cold Moon - latest Lincolm Rhyme novel, which Marie can highly recommend. Speaking to the pair, Jeffrey commented, ‘This one’s sick and twisted, but you two look like you can handle it.’

Marie has put her story, Can You See Me?, on site here for anyone who wishes to read it. Originally published in Midnight Street #5, the story has been recommended for Best Short Story in the British Fantasy Society Awards. Voting ends on 15th August 2006, and any members who wish to vote in the awards may do so here.

Marie found time this month to redesign her design website, which can be found at www.marieoregandesigns.net, and shows details of her web design and typesetting projects.

Finally this month, Marie has just updated the Elastic Press site with details of their new publication, Unbecoming, by Mike O'Driscoll. To go to this, just click here.

July

British Fantasy Society - A Celebration

Major news this month is a project Marie has been working on for almost a year. Along with co-editor Paul Kane they have put together a breathtaking anthology called The British Fantasy Society: A Celebration. The book features the very best in horror, fantasy and science fiction from some of the top award-winning and bestselling authors on the planet – mostly original and very rarely seen material. In addition, there are remembrances and ponderings about the unique organisation that is the BFS, from tales about FantasyCons gone by to how the contributors first became members.

Included is fiction from such master craftsmen as Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, Ramsey Campbell, John Connolly, Peter Straub, Brian Aldiss, Robert Silverberg, Robert Holdstock, Christopher Fowler, Michael Marshall Smith, Mark Chadbourn, Juliet E. McKenna, Kim Newman, Mark Morris, Chaz Brenchley, Simon Clark, Peter Crowther, Richard Christian Matheson, Stephen Gallagher & Graham Joyce… And there is also a heartfelt introduction from multi-award winning editor and writer, and BFS stalwart Stephen Jones.

The book also comes with original colour cover wraparound artwork by Dominic Harman who has painted covers for books like War of the Worlds, The Time Machine and did the movie poster artwork for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

All profits from the sale of this book will be split between supporting the BFS and The ‘Black Dust’ Noabakazulu Charity Project, one of the charities supported by 2006’s FantasyCon, and the trade paperback will be launched at that venue, where four of the contributors are Guests of Honour.

For pre-orders, please visit the BFS website.

Stardust, Neil Gaiman

 

The second part of the Neil Gaiman interview that Marie and Paul conducted is now online here. In it, Neil talks about his creative partnership with Dave McKean, MirrorMask, Anansi Boys and the forthcoming Beowulf.

Shrouded by Darkness

In the typesetting and web design world, Marie has updated Allen Ashley’s site which you can find here www.allenashley.com She also completed typesetting duties on Shrouded By Darkness, a horror anthology from Telos which has stories by the likes of Poppy Z. Brite, Charles De Lint, Darren Shan and Neil Gaiman. The book is due to launch in September – for more details visit the website here.

Midnight Street #5, edited by Trevor Denyer

Lastly, Marie’s short story ‘Can You See Me’ has been recommended for a British Fantasy Award. It was first published in Midnight Street last year, but can be found in her collection Mirror Mere too (which has just gone up to buy on Shocklines here). Marie is obviously delighted by this news. You can find a full list of recommendations on the BFS site here, plus details of how to vote if you’re a member.

 

June

Marie O'Regan, reading at Derby Alt Fiction Launch event

Marie officially launched her collection Mirror Mere at the Derby Alt.Fiction events on 28th April and 6th May. At the first she read two stories and signed books for the audience, while at the second she conducted a workshop with Paul Kane on ‘How to Write Horror’ which featured extracts from famous horror books and audience participation. Photographs from both of these can be found on Paul's site, here.

Neil Gaiman

 

You can now read the first part of an interview that Marie and Paul conducted with bestselling author Neil Gaiman, who is a Guest of Honour at this year FantasyCon in Nottingham. In this he tells us some of his inspirations and reveals which extract from Anansi Boys Lenny Henry actually read on stage. The interview, which appears in its complete form in a recent Dark Horizons, can be read here.

 

In typesetting and web design news, Marie finished work on T.M. Wright’s A Manhattan Ghost Story forthcoming from Telos (www.telos.co.uk) and is typesetting Shrouded in Darkness for them, an anthology featuring some of the top names in horror. She has also put up a new gallery for French artist Michelle Blessemaille, who worked on both the BFS Calendars produced so far. To view it go to the site at www.michelleblessemaille.com

 

Paul and Marie have also just conducted an interview with the director of the independent zombie film Awaken the Dead Jeffrey Brookshire which will appear in Dark Horizons shortly. The movie stars Paul Dion Monte (of Rocky Balboa fame and cousin of Sylvester Stallone). You can visit the official website at (http://www.awakenthedeadthemovie.com/ )

Awaken The Dead, Jeff Brookshire

 

Lastly, Marie will be at the BFS Open Night on Friday 2nd June, which is being held at the Devereux Pub in London.

 

May

Mirror Mere, by Marie O'Regan, Rainfall Books

The main news this month has to be the eagerly-awaited release of Marie’s collection Mirror Mere, which is now out from Rainfall Books. Priced at £8.99 and with cover art from BFS Award-Nominee David A. Magitis, you can secure a signed copy by writing to the author here). The book was launched at the Voicebox on Friday 28 th April where Marie gave a reading, and copies will also be on sale at Derby’s Alt.Fiction weekend this Saturday (see previous news sections for details). Photos and reports about this will feature in June’s update. But in the meantime here is a picture of Marie signing the very first copy of her book…

Marie O'Regan

Also long-awaited has been Marie’s contribution to Cinema Macabre (below) edited by Mark Morris and boasting an introduction by TV celebrity Jonathan Ross, who of course hosts Film 2006. For the hardback book, which comes in two versions (deluxe slipcased and regular hardback) from PS Publishing, Marie delivered an essay on one of her favourite horror films, The Changeling. Other contributors include such names as Mark Chadbourn, Muriel Gray, Stephen Laws, Neil Gaiman, Simon Clark, Lisa Tuttle, Brian Aldiss, Les Edwards, Stephen Jones, Kim Newman, Mark Gatiss and Jeremy Dyson from The League of Gentlemen, and Shaun of the Dead’s Simon Pegg. For a full list of contributors and the films they chose, plus ordering details, visit the PS Publishing website here.

Cinema Macabre, PS Publishing

 

Typesetting news now, and Marie put together not one but four books during the month of April. They are Urban Fantastic by Allen Ashley, due to appear from Crowswing Books, Tales from The Other Mind by John Barker, published by Bullock Press, and the first two Angel books from Telos: Angel Touch and Angel Hunt - both by Mike Ripley. She is also working hard on finishing A Manhattan Ghost Story by T.M. Wright, which is also due out from Telos. The new Elastic Press website which Marie designed - www.elasticpress.com - has just been updated too with new publications and information, the latest book being The Ephemera by Neil Williamson.

In a packed month, Marie also found time to meet up with bestselling author of Birdman, The Treatment and Tokyo Mo Hayder. She was in Chesterfield to promote the release of her latest book Pig Island so Marie and Paul Kane went along to her give a reading and answer some questions about her career. To see a full report, just click here.

Marie O'Regan, Mo Hayder

All photographs copyright Paul Kane

April

We start with some web design and typesetting news this month. As you can probably see, Marie has redesigned her own site, so the new look marieoregan.net site is now up and running. She has also revamped the Elastic Press website for owner Andrew Hook and you can find this at www.elasticpress.com And Marie has completed work on Allen Ashley’s site now (see previous news sections for more details about this), which can be found at the following address: www.allenashley.com

Marie finished typesetting Clinically Dead and Other Stories by David A. Sutton, for Crowswing Books in March. David is an award-winning editor and writer (he was awarded the British Fantasy Society Special Award in 1994 and has also won the World Fantasy Award, The International Horror Guild Award and twelve British Fantasy Awards) and this is his first collection of stories, which includes the novella ‘In the Land of the Rainbow Snake’. It boasts an introduction by Stephen Jones and afterword by Joel Lane, initially to be published in hardcover and a limited slipcased edition. For more information visit http://crowswingbooks.co.uk

Clinically Dead, David A. Sutton

In a busy month, Marie also found time to typeset The Ephemera by Neil Williamson for Elastic Press, Pretty Young Things by Dominic McDonagh for Telos and Days of the Dodo by Allen Ashley, for Dodo London Press.

Finally, another quick reminder that Marie and Paul Kane will be doing readings of their work and participating in a Q&A session on 28th April at the Voicebox on Forman Street in Derby from 7:30-9:30. Then the following weekend, on May 6th, Marie and Paul will be hosting a workshop session all about how to write horror fiction at Derby’s Assembly Rooms. For more details on who else will be there, check out last month’s news or visit http://www.derby.gov.uk/LeisureCulture/Altfiction.htm

March Extra

Clive Barker

An exciting news extra now. Marie is delighted to announce as chair of the British Fantasy Society that Clive Barker is due to attend their annual FantasyCon weekend (this year held in September in Nottingham) as a Guest of Honour. Clive is the best-selling author of books such as Cabal, Imajica, Coldheart Canyon and Abarat. He is also famous for his art, his plays and his films (like Hellraiser and Nightbreed). Marie is absolutely thrilled about this as she has been a fan since reading Clive's Books of Blood in the 1980s and is very much looking forward to meeting him. Other Guests of Honour include Neil Gaiman, Juliet E. McKenna, Raymond Feist and Ramsey Campbell. It's advisable to book early to secure your place as this is likely to be one event you won't want to miss. Please visit http://www.fantasycon.org.uk/ for more details.

Clive Barker

Pictures copyright David Armstrong

Marie is also happy to post more infomation about the Derby event mentioned in March's update. Tickets are bookable from www.assemblyrooms-derby.co.uk or from 01332 255800 and cost £18 (£15 concessions).

March

Marie’s collection Mirror Mere is about to go to the printers and should be out very shortly. In the meantime take a look at some of the quotes it’s been getting:

'Marie O’Regan brings a much-needed female perspective to the modern dark tale; her hard-edged spin on traditional horrors makes her a genuine talent to watch.'

Christopher Fowler, author of The Water Room and Calabash.

‘A delicious batch of tightly written, shivers-up-the-spine chillers.’

Kelley Armstrong, author of Bitten and Haunted.

‘Marie O'Regan's stories contain a slow burn intensity
that really get under the skin. They offer slivers of
domestic life where moments of brutality are never far
away. This is a stormy, feral and darkly beautiful
collection by a powerful new writer.’

Conrad Williams, author of London Revenant and Game.

‘Marie O'Regan writes punchy and vivid short fiction in which the reader is disarmed and then dismayed with almost surgical ruthlessness. Nothing here can be trusted; not the world you know, nor the people around you, nor the ground on which you stand. Not even, when she's got you backed into a corner, that final hiding place you call your self.’

Stephen Gallagher, author of Chimera and creator of Eleventh Hour.

‘Marie O’Regan's stories are deliciously, satisfyingly nasty, and it's refreshing to read someone who so obviously relishes the genre concocting her unique tales with vigour and lack of pretentiousness.’

Muriel Gray, author of The Ancient and Furnace.

In the meantime, you can read her short story ‘Whispers’ in the new edition of Terror Tales (number 3), where she features alongside Peter Straub, Stephen Laws, Simon Clark, Chaz Brenchley and Joel Lane.

Terror Tales #3, Rainfall Books

Marie has also had a story published in Screaming Dreams’ e-zine, Estrononicon: ‘Spiritus Sanctus’, which was previously only available in Italian and German languages. Go to the website at http://www.screamingdreams.com/ezine.htm to download your copy.

Estronimicon #2

The British Fantasy Society Calendar that Marie co-edited has made an appearance on TV! The calendar – containing fiction from the likes of Clive Barker, Ramsey Cambell, Neil Gaiman, Poppy Z. Brite, Grahman Masterton and Stephen Gallagher, as well as artwork from Constantine and Lord of the Rings matte artist Paul Campion - was featured on Channel 5’s programme The Gadget Show.

British Fantasy Society 2006 Calendar

Finally, Marie and her partner Paul Kane will be will be giving readings of their work and participating in a Q&A session on 28th April at the Voicebox on Forman Street in Derby from 7:30-9:30. This will mark the launch of Derby County Council’s Alternative Fiction celebration.

The following weekend, on May 6th, Marie and Paul will be hosting a workshop session all about how to write horror fiction. This event will take place at Derby Assembly Rooms and also attending on the day are such names as: Simon Clark, Ramsey Campbell, Simon R. Green, John Jarrold, Storm Constantine Mark Chadbourn, Peter Crowther, Chaz Brenchley, James Lovegrove, Stan Nicholls, James Barclay, Justina Robson, Juliet McKenna and Mark Morris.

February

Marie has begun to put the finishing touches to Allen Ashley’s website – see last month’s news for details. This will include news of all his future projects, plus listing of past credits, such as editing the BFS shortlisted anthology The Elastic Book of Numbers. More details when this goes live…

In January Marie also attended legendary horror author Ramsey Campbell’s 60th Birthday Party with her partner, Paul Kane. Other guests included Stephen Jones, Pete Crowther of PS Publishing, Mark Morris – who edited Cinema Macabre in which Marie features alongside Jonathan Ross, Simon (Shaun of the Dead) Pegg, Mark Gatiss, Muriel Gray and others) – Tim Lebbon, Stephen Gallagher – whose new show Eleventh Hour has just started on ITV starring Patrick Stewart – Mike Chinn and Joel Lane. She had a wonderful evening and the highlight had to be the speech by Stephen Jones, followed by the blowing out of the birthday cake candles in true spooky fashion by Ramsey.

Ramsey Campbell, Stephen Jones, and Jenny Campbell

Ramsey blows out the candles, watched by his daughter and Stephen Jones

Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane

Marie and her partner, Paul Kane

Marie O'Regan, Peter Crowther

Pete Crowther, of PS Publishing, doing his best to hide behind Marie

All photos courtesy of Paul Kane. For more pictures, see his site, here

Marie has quite a number of typesetting jobs lined up, including Clinically Dead & Other Tales of the Supernatural by David Sutton for Crowswing Books, Days of The Dodo by Allen Ashley for Elastic Press, and The Ephemera by Neil Williamson for Elastic Press. Details of the books and where they can be purchased will be put online as soon as the publishers make them available.

But let us not forget that her very own collection Mirror Mere is due out very shortly from Rainfall Books. This will be accompanied by a launch in Chesterfield and a series of readings and signings, details of which will be posted on the site nearer the time.

January

Marie is starting the New Year on a high note after discovering that the first story she ever had published in print has received an Honourable Mention in America’s The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror edited by Ellen Datlow, one of the most respected editors of genre fiction. The story was ‘Alsiso’ which was of course published in the Award-winning Alsiso Project edited by Andrew Hook with a foreword by Christopher Fowler. The story was also recommended for a British Fantasy Award last year. Marie is extremely happy at this news and it is spurring her on to write even more stories.

The overhaul and revamp of the Elastic Press website, reported last month, is now finished. You can see what Marie has done with the site by going to www.elasticpress.com. And while you’re there you might want to check out news of another book Marie has finished typesetting for Elastic, The Last Days of Johnny North by David Swann. The book is due to be launched in Manchester on 29 January 2006.

More website news now and not only has Marie updated artist Michelle Blessemaille’s gallery on her site (visit www.michelleblessemaille.com for more details), Paul Kane’s news section, and is in the process of updating The Eclipse website (www.finchley-eclipse.com ), she has also been busy preparing a new site for author, editor and freelance writer Allen Ashley. Readers might well know Allen for his ‘Dodo’ column in The Third Alternative and just recently he edited The Elastic Book of Numbers which was shortlisted for a British Fantasy Award. Full details about the site will be posted here next month, but it looks like being a very exciting venture.

Lastly, as mentioned last month, Marie was at the Devereux in London on 2nd December for the British Fantasy Society’s Christmas Open Night. She had a great time partying with authors like Christopher Fowler, Michael Marshall Smith, Quentin S. Crisp, Adam Neville, Mark Samuels, with editors such as Stephen Jones, Peter Crowther, David Howe, artists Les Edwards and Dave Bezzina and media personalities like Matthew Holness. The raffle also managed to raise over £100 for charity. Join us next month for news about Mirror Mere and a few more surprises.

 

Marie O'Regan, Allen Ashley

Marie with author Allen Ashley

Matthew Holness

Matthew Holness, otherwise known as Garth Marenghi - a name that should be familiar to all horror fans!

Marie O'Regan, Christopher Fowler

Marie cuddles up to her good friend, Christopher Fowler

Christopher Fowler, Marie O'Regan, Paul Kane

And finally manages to hug both her favourite men at the same time - Christopher Fowler and Paul Kane.

All pictures copyright Paul Kane. For more pictures, please visit Paul's site here.