Marie O'Regan

DECEMBER

 

We begin this Christmas month with the announcement of a brand new mass market anthology from Titan edited by Marie and Paul, which will be out in May 2019. Exit Wounds (above) contains nineteen stories from the masters of modern mystery and crime, including the likes of Lee Child, Val McDermid, Fiona Cummins, John Connolly, Dennis Lehane, Jeffery Deaver, Mark Billingham, Steph Broadribb, Paul Finch and Dean Koontz, to name but a few.

There will be more on this in the months to come, but in the meantime to pre-order your copy just click here.

 

 

The limited signed edition of Stephen King’s collection Nightshift (above and below) – which Paul and Marie did the afterword for – was shipped out from PS last month.

 

 

 

 

 

Photos now from Marie’s successful Phantoms signing at Chesterfield Waterstones last month with contributor George Mann (photos above and below).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next event she has line up connected with the anthology is a Waterstones Derby signing on 6th December, 6-8pm, again with George Mann but this time also Mark A. Latham. You can read more about that event here. The following evening she will also be at the British Fantasy Society Open Night in London.

 

The book has also been receiving some excellent reviews. The first was from Starburst, who gave it 9/10 and said: ‘As the title suggests, Phantoms is a collection of ghost stories from some of the best modern horror writers, almost all of which are brand new to this collection. Editor Marie O’Regan has packed the pages with eighteen tales, all of which offer a different take on the core theme, using the established tropes of the genre to propel the reader through a wide range of emotions…All these writers are able to conjure characters to care about in just a few sentences, drawing us into their world and sharing their terrors, taking us into satisfying and often unexpected directions. Each story is one to be savoured, their imagery lingering long in the mind thanks to the high quality of writing that exists throughout the book; these authors are indeed masters of the genre…Ghost stories have been around for a long time, and more cynical readers may think there’s nothing more that can be done with the genre, that each new story is just a reworking of an older tale, updated for an audience that hasn’t read the likes of Dickens or James. Phantoms proves that, in the right hands, this isn’t the case; every story touches a nerve or provokes a response, making this the ideal read for those long autumn nights.’

And next up was a 4/5 review from Set the Tape, who commented, ‘Often anthology collections can be a mixed bag of elements, with varying quality, but Phantoms manages to present a broad range of stories, tales of revenge, betrayal, love, and loss, without any of the stories standing out as particularly poor. Marie O’Regan has made some wonderful choices in the stories and writers that she has collected together, giving readers a great range of tales that showcases how versatile and varied ghost stories and horror can be.’

Kirkus Reviews also gave Phantoms a glowing review, saying, 'The superb lead story, "When We Fall, We Forget" by Angela Slatter, is a beautifully haunting story about a woman, a priest, revenge, and justice.' While D.K. Hundt of Kendall Reviews called it 'a pleasure to read.'

You can read the full reviews here, here, here and here.

 

 

 

Above and below you’ll find photos from Sledge-Lit that Marie attended, where the Guests included Mike Carey and Sarah Pinborough, who did the notorious raffle, this time with Gary McMahon and Pixie.

 

 

Marie conducted an interview with author Sarah Pinborough for the newest release from Crystal Lake Publications - It's Alive: Bringing Your Nightmares to Life. Featuring articles and interviews from critically acclaimed masters of horror such as Chuck Palahniuk, Michael Bailey, Jonathan Maberry, F. Paul Wilson, Kelli Owen, John Skipp, Joe R. Lansdale, Kasey Lansdale, Tim Chizmar, Clive Barker, Lisa Morton, Bev Vincent, Elizabeth Massie, Paul Moore, Rachel Autumn Deering, Gene O’Neill, Sarah Pinborough, Marie O’Regan, Kevin J. Anderson, Christopher Golden, Steve Niles, Mick Garris, Heather Graham, Mark Savage, Maria Alexander, Del  Howison, Tom Monteleone, and many more, It's Alive: Bringing Your Nightmares to Life is available for pre-order now, just click here.  

 

 

Finally, a reminder that tickets for StokerCon 2020 (below) – which Marie is running with Paul – will go up on 1st January 2019. Click here for more details.

 

 

NOVEMBER

Marie had an incredibly busy October. To begin with, she was involved in not one but three launches/signings at FantasyCon 2018. The first, below, was for Black Room Manuscripts #4 which includes her story ‘Tap, Tap’ (photos below).

 

 

 

 

Then she was at the launch for Alchemy Press Book of Horrors, which includes her story ‘Pretty Things’ (photos below).

 

 

 

 

 

Then she launched her mass market ghost story anthology Phantoms from Titan and was signing for an hour (photos of the packed event below).

 

 

 

 

 

Finally that weekend, she was on the HWA panel, ‘Your Writing Career’ alongside with Ramsey Campbell, Maura McHugh (moderator), Phil Sloman and CC Adams (photos below).

 

 

 

 

Just before FantasyCon, the site for StokerCon (below) – which Marie is co-chairing with Paul – went live. You can check it out and book your ticket simply by clicking here.

 

 

A week later on Saturday 27th Marie was part of the Forbidden Planet Halloween signings including the Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories with the likes of Stephen Jones, its editor, Christopher Fowler, Robert Shearman, Pat Cadigan and Alison Littlewood (photos below).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then she signed solidly for another hour for Phantoms with attending authors MR Carey, Alison Littlewood, Robert Shearman, Catriona Ward, Laura Purcell, George Mann, Mark Latham, AK Benedict and Joe Hill (photos below).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From there it was on to the HWA pub meet at The Angel, St Giles High Street, where authors like Sarah Pinborough, Steve Erickson and Neil Gaiman also popped in (photos below).

 

 

 

 

The next event she has lined up is a signing for Phantoms at Chesterfield Waterstones on 3rd November at 11am, then she’ll be at Sledge-Lit in Derby later in the month on the 24th.

Marie also took part in some online promotion for Phantoms, including an interview on Jenny Barber’s blog here and blog posts for Mass Movement here and Lounge Books here. Even The Horror Channel mentioned it in their news here.

 

 

The anthology has also been getting some great reviews, including a 9 star one from Starburst who said: ‘Ghost stories have been around for a long time, and more cynical readers may think there’s nothing more that can be done with the genre, that each new story is just a reworking of an older tale, updated for an audience that hasn’t read the likes of Dickens or James. Phantoms proves that, in the right hands, this isn’t the case; every story touches a nerve or provokes a response, making this the ideal read for those long autumn nights.’

SSF World commented: ‘Phantoms is an eclectic group of tales that will keep you entertained at Hallowe’en – or at any other time you want a slight thrill from your reading.’

While Kendall Reviews said: ‘I haven’t read an anthology in a very long time, my go-to of choice was that of my favourite horror and mystery authors that I haven’t read in a very long time. I have forgotten how much I enjoy the cornucopia of different writing styles and this book, edited by Marie O’Regan and published by Titan Books, was a pleasure to read.’

 

You can read the full reviews here, here and here.

And you can order your copies here and here.

 

 

Finally this month, Marie reviewed both Catriona Ward’s new novel Little Eve (above) and the prequel to Dracula, Dracul (below) from Dacre Stoker and J.D. Barker. You can read what she thought of them on the Sci-Fi Bulletin site here and here.

 

 

OCTOBER

 

Marie’s schedule for FantasyCon in Chester this year has now gone live, and it’s a busy one! She’s launching the ghost story anthology she edited, Phantoms (above) as part of a Titan launch on Saturday at 4pm which also include Mark Morris’ New Fears #2 and Rio Youers’ Halcyon. But she is also attending and signing at the Sinister Grin Press’ launch of Black Room Manuscripts #4 at 4pm on the Friday (which includes her story ‘Tap, Tap’), the Alchemy Press launch for Alchemy Press Book of Horrors (below, which includes her story ‘Pretty Things’), and is on the HWA panel, ‘Your Writing Career’, at 5pm on the Saturday along with Ramsey Campbell, Maura McHugh (moderator), Phil Sloman and CC Adams. You can find out more and book your tickets for FCon here.

 

 

The following week, Saturday 27th October, and as mentioned in the Forbidden Planet newsletter (below), Marie will be signing copies of The Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories (at 1pm – 2pm) and Phantoms (3pm – 4pm) at their London Megastore. Other authors attending the Phantoms signing include M.R. Carey, Alison Littlewood, Robert Shearman, Catriona Ward, Laura Purcell, George Mann and Joe Hill. You can read all about that here, and there will be an HWA pub meet that same day The Angel, St Giles High Street, from 2pm onwards.

 

If you can't get to the Forbidden Planet signing and would like to pre-order a signed copy of Phantoms, you can do that here. You can also pre-order a signed copy of Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories here.

 

 

Marie also received her contributor copies of Phantoms recently after they landed at the Titan offices (above) but you can order your copies here and here.

 

 

Finally this month, Lee Murray reviewed Marie’s novella Bury Them Deep (above) in which she called it ‘a pervasive and compelling read, O’Regan imbuing her contemporary ghost story with a vintage gothic style, every word carefully weighed, giving clarity to that small town anonymity…’ You can read the full thing here.

SEPTEMBER

 

To start with this month, photos from the successful Sheffield SFF Social event Marie was a guest at along with Alison Littlewood (above and below). The venue was The Old Queen’s Head and everyone had a great time. 

 

 

 

 

 

Marie also received her contributor copies of Dark Voices, edited by Theresa Derwin which features her story ‘The Real Me’ (above and below). You can order this by clicking here.

 

Sticking with anthologies now and the final cover of To Be One With You from St Rooster Books has been revealed (above). It launched last month and you can read Marie’s story ‘Silverfish’ by ordering the book here.

 

 

Finally, she also has a story in the fourth volume of The Black Room Manuscripts (above). Marie’s entry is ‘Tap,Tap’ and the book is launching next month at FantasyCon in Chester. 

 

AUGUST

 

We begin this month’s news with photos from Edge-Lit 7 (above), though just ahead of the event Marie also attended the launch for Jo Jakeman’s debut novel Sticks and Stones (below). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At Edge itself, she was on the panel ‘Modern Ghosts: Is The Ghost Story a Nostalgia Act or More Relevant Than Ever?’ (below) was at the packed launch for the anthology Dark Voices which she has a story in, and interviewed Guest of Honour Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, as well as having dinner with him and other Titan authors/members of staff (below).

 

 

 

 

It was also announced at Edge that StokerCon UK 2020 (below), which is being run by Marie, Paul and Alex Davis, is going to be held in Scarborough, not that far from Dracula country, Whitby. Look out for more information on that in the future. 

 

 

Earlier this month Marie attended the launch of Catriona Ward’s new novel Little Eve. Catriona was also a Special Guest at the latest HWA pub meet Marie and Paul ran a couple of days later (photos from these below).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next event Marie is due to be at she will be a guest herself, along with Alison Littlewood. ‘An Evening At Escafeld’ will be on Saturday 18th in Sheffield (below).

 

 

The cover artwork has now been revealed for the forthcoming parasite anthology To Be One With You from St Rooster Books (below), which features a brand new story from Marie called ‘Silverfish’.

 

 

Finally, Marie had been busy reviewing and you can find out what she thinks of Stephen King’s The Outsider, John Connolly’s The Woman in the Woods and the movie The Changeling (below) on the Mass Movement site here, here and here.

 

 

 

 

Not to mention Paul Tremblay’s latest The Cabin at The End of the World (below) which you can read about on Sci-Fi Bulletin  here.

 

 

JULY

 

Edge-Lit 7 is almost upon us, and as well as the events at this Marie is already doing (the 11 am panel, ‘Modern Ghosts: Is The Ghost Story a Nostalgia Act or More Relevant Than Ever?’ and taking part in the launch for Dark Voices at 3pm), she is now interviewing Guest of Honour Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and Disappearance at Devil’s Rock (above and below).

 

 

Marie will also be talking to him about his new book, out in time for the event, published by Titan: The Cabin at the End of the World (below). The interview takes place at 5pm, and the whole convention is on 14th July at the Quad in Derby. For more information and/or to book your place click here.

 

 

 

JUNE

 

The big news this month is the announcement of the cover and ToC for Marie’s mass market anthology from Titan, Phantoms (above). Out at Halloween in the UK and US, the line-up is as follows:

When We Fall, We Forget - Angela Slatter
Tom is in the Attic - Robert Shearman
20th Century Ghost - Joe Hill
A Man Walking His Dog - Tim Lebbon
Cameo - Laura Purcell
Lula-Belle - Catriona Ward
Front Row Rider - Muriel Gray
A Haunting- John Connolly
My Life in Politics - M.R. Carey
Frank, Hide - Josh Malerman
The Chain Walk- Helen Grant
The Adjoining Room - A.K. Benedict
The Ghost in the Glade - Kelley Armstrong
The Restoration - George Mann
One New Follower - Mark A. Latham
A Haunted House is a Wheel Upon Which Some are Broken - Paul Tremblay
Halloo - Gemma Files
The Marvellous Talking Machine - Alison Littlewood

You can pre-order the book now by clicking here and here.

By coincidence, Marie’s panel at Edge-Lit 7 next month – at 11 am – is ‘Modern Ghosts: Is The Ghost Story a Nostalgia Act or More Relevant Than Ever?’ alongside James Everington, Laura Purcell, Marie O'Regan, Mark A. Latham (Chair) and Paul Tremblay.

And don’t forget, she’s taking part in the launch for Her Dark Voice 2 now called Dark Voices at 3pm on the same day. The event takes place on 14th July at the Quad in Derby, and for more information or to book your place click here.

 

 

 

Finally, the latest HWA pub meet took place in May, with special guest Mike (MR) Carey. Mike read an exclusive extract from his forthcoming novel Someone Like Me (above) and answered questions put to him by those present (below). A good time was had by all!

 

 

MAY

 

The first piece of news this month is that Marie has a story in the new anthology, Her Dark Voice 2, edited by Theresa Derwin. The tale is a reprint of ‘The Real Me’ and the book will be launched over the summer at Edge-Lit in Derby, where Marie is a guest.

 

 

Marie was a fiction judge for the Sci-Fi London film festival this year. The top three have just been announced as:

1st:  Survival Mechanism - Natalie Dixon

2nd:  All My Blood - Simon Bennett 

3rd:  The Charm - Bethan James

The festival itself takes place between 1st May – 7th May, and you can find out more at the Sci-Fi London site here.

 

 

Finally, the next HWA UK event has been announced, organised by Marie and Paul. This is a pub meet with Special Guest Mike (M.R.) Carey, author of The Girl With All The Gifts. Mike will be doing a reading and answering your questions, and the fun kicks off on 19th May at 2 p.m. at The Red Lion, 1 Eldon Street, Moorgate, London, until 8 p.m.

For more details visit the HWA UK site here.

 

APRIL

 

The big news this month is that Marie has a tale in The Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories (above), coming out later this year from Skyhorse Press and edited by Stephen Jones. Marie’s ‘Before the Parade Passes By’ will feature alongside contributions from Neil Gaiman, Alison Littlewood, Ramsey Campbell and Robert Silverberg, among others.

 

 

Now we have photos from the successful Partners in Crime event at Derby, run by the HWA in conjunction with the Quad. These include: panellists such as Jo, Roz Watkins, Steph Broadribb and Fiona Cummins discussing the merits of writing crime; Barry Forshaw interviewing Stuart MacBride; Barry, Roz, AK Benedict, SJI Holliday and David Mark talking about the supernatural in crime; the audience enjoying their day; AK, Steph, Fiona and Paul Finch chatting about monsters and serial killers; Paul, Jo, Stuart and David pondering Taboos; Barry giving a talk on crossovers; and Stuart signing Marie and Paul’s copy of A Dark So Deadly (all below). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, last month, Paul and Marie signed copies of the oversized edition of Stephen King’s Night Shift (below, alongside signatures by the man himself) which is due out from PS Publishing. They wrote the afterword for this new edition of the classic collection.   

 

 

 

 

MARCH

The first piece of exciting news this month is that Marie’s story ‘Pretty Things’ is to be published in the new Alchemy Book of Horrors. To find out more and to see who else made the grade, just click here.

 

 

Last month Marie reviewed Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp (above) for SF Bulletin. You can find out what she had to say by clicking here.

 

 

Finally, the HWA’s ‘Partners in Crime’ event this month at the Quad in Derby has a new flyer (above, and see last month’s news for more details). To book your place for this thrilling day, just click here.

FEBRUARY

 

We begin this month with news about the latest in the ‘Highlighting Horror’ series of events, run by Marie and Paul for the HWA in conjunction with Alex Davies at the Quad in Derby. This time round the focus is on dark crime and here’s the official PR mail-out: ‘Through exclusive interviews, informative panel discussions and expert talks you’ll learn more about crime fiction’s edgier side, how thrillers have become darker, serial killer fiction, whether there’s a place for the supernatural in crime and how authors can benefit from this increasing crossover. Perfect for fans of crime fiction or for those who might want to write it. There will also be opportunities to purchase books and get them signed by your favourite authors, and socialise with many experienced writers, film-makers and publishers.’

 

 

As reported by sites such as Rising Shadow, Where Can We Go? and The List here, here and here, the stellar line-up of Guests for this one include AK Benedict (The Beauty of Murder, Jonathan Dark or The Evidence Of Ghosts), Steph Broadribb (Deep Down Dead, Deep Blue Trouble, My Little Eye), Paul Finch (Author of the bestselling Mark ‘Heck’ Heckenburg Series), Barry Forshaw (Brit Noir, Nordic Noir, British Crime Writing: An Encyclopaedia), SJ Holliday (Black Wood, Willow Walk, The Damsel Fly), Jo Jakeman (Sticks and Stones), David Mark (Author of the Bestselling DS McAvoy series), Roz Watkins (The Devil’s Dice) and Fiona Cummins (Rattle, The Collector).

 

 

And just added: Stuart MacBride – Number #1 bestselling author of the Logan McRae series and, most recently, A Dark So Deadly (above).

The event will take place on 24th March at the Quad, tickets are £35.00, and the event is half-price to HWA members. Click here to buy your tickets.

 

 

A fantastic review has appeared for Great British Horror 2: Dark Satanic Mills over on the This is Horror site, which singles out Marie’s ‘Sleeping Black’. Here’s what Paul Michaels had to say: ‘Marie O’Regan gives us another domestic setting, this time a couple who are renovating an old, inherited house. But in ‘Sleeping Black’, there is more than just dust and vermin being disturbed by the couple’s activities. It’s arguable which story in this collection is the best, but what is certain is that ‘Sleeping Black’ has the most disturbing and frightening scenes; especially those towards the end. Terrifying; don’t read at night, alone. Or do, for the optimum experience.’ To read the full review, just click here.

 

 

Last month Marie reviewed the latest book in Genevieve Cogman’s Invisible Library series, The Lost Plot, for Sci-Fi Bulletin. You can read what she had to say here.

And also in January Marie was interviewed by World Fantasy Award-winning author Angela Slatter (the Verity Fassbinder series of books). You can read this, which includes the first exciting mention of Marie’s forthcoming anthology for Titan – Phantoms – over on Angela’s site here.

JANUARY

 

 

Happy New Year! And we start 2018 the right way with news of a book release for Marie! As announced on New Year’s Day here, Luna Press are to publish a new ‘Harvester’ series of collections, one of which will gather together some of Marie’s most popular supernatural tales, along with a brand new novella that will provide the title for the collection, The Last Ghost, plus exclusive extras. You can read more about it, including Marie’s take on the book, by clicking here.

 

 

Marie was in London last month for the British Fantasy Society Christmas Open Night, and you can see photos from this above (from L-R, Roger Gray, Graham Humphreys, Dolly Garland, CC Adams and Marie herself) and below (Phil Sloman and Alex Davis). 

 

 

But we’ll leave you with this photo of Phil, CC and Marie having a whale of a time and getting into the Christmas spirit.