Dear Friends and Fiends,
Great news – My latest story ‘A Grave Situation’ is up today on Crystal Lake.
You can visit here
The site is visible to the lovely Patreons of Crystal Lake, at the £5 Fans of Fiction tier or higher.
It’s part of this month’s Flash Fiction Challenge, with the theme of Graveyard Stories. All the entries are fantastic and well worth reading. So become a Patreon, and vote for your favourite!
Love and Nightmares,
Wednesday Xx
Dearest Readers,
Just a reminder that the stories in this month’s flash fiction challenge at Crystal LakeCrystal LakeCrystal Lake are going up now, with one new story going up every day. This month’s theme is Graveyard Stories.
My story A Grave Situation will be coming up in the next few days. Exciting!
Patreons can vote for their favourite story. Join as a Patreon and vote! (They have a writer’s tier available for only £5.) Even if you vote for someone else – Join Us!
From today onwards, Crystal Lake will be publishing the entries in this month’s flash fiction challenge. The theme is Graveyard Stories, with a new entry posted every day.
If you’re a Patreon, you can vote for your favourite.
As you may have guessed from the amount that I’m plugging this, one of my stories is through to the voting stage. A Grave Situation will be coming up later! So join up at Crystal LakeCrystal LakeCrystal Lake to vote!
I’ve just heard the absolutely amazing news that my flash fiction piece A Grave Situation has got through to the Patreon voting round on Crystal LakeCrystal LakeCrystal Lake!
As you’ve probably noticed, it has been some time since I’ve written anything publishable, so this is already a big win for me!
Register as a Patreon at Crystal LakePatreon at Crystal LakePatreon at Crystal Lake to read the stories and vote for your favourite!
And, now here we are into the dark drear of November. (Yes, that’s paraphrased from Jane Eyre 😉 )
So, this is most definitely the season of gothic and ghosts, and there’s lots to keep us busy this month.
I am currently reading Ghostland by Edward Parnell, and it’s a fascinating and moving read. Recently released, I’ve been anticipating this one for a while, and it doesn’t disappoint. If you enjoy Hauntology, then I’d highly recommend it.
There’s more to look forward to on TV this month too, and I’ve just seen an advert for a new gothic drama series Vienna Blood, which starts on BBC 2 at 9pm on Monday.
There’s a trailer on the Radio Times website here:
https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-11-18/vienna-blood-bbc-two-air-date/
Apparently it was given a huge budget from the BBC, so expectations will be high. It looks fun, anyway, and I do love a bit of fin de siècle mystery.
Hopefully, it will be just the right viewing for these cold dark nights.
Spoiler free reviews coming later.
So, I had to reluctantly pack away all my Halloween decorations, before the neighbours report an actual crime scene. Always a sad day, but I’m already looking forward to getting them out again next year! 
I think we can feel a bit flat after Halloween. That intense sugar-high from masses of candy corn, collapsing back into real life reality of rotten teeth. Smiling skulls all packed away, and the world turns back to the every day.
Life’s just not as pumpkin-orientated anymore. Sigh.
But don’t despair. There’s still a lot to look forward to.
So, if you need cheering up, then remember:
The dark season is only just beginning.
Imagine it is 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
The windows are full of a soft, Christmassy darkness, punctuated by the glow of fairy lights. You sit, in front of a roaring, log fire, with a hot cocoa or a glass of brandy beside you, and a new book of ghost stories on your lap. For there is nothing more seasonal than a ghost story and Christmas Eve, a night of quiet and magic, is the perfect night to hear the ghosts rattling their paper chains. But take care, for these stories are not necessarily for the faint of heart and not all ghost stories tuck you up and kiss you goodnight.
For those who haven’t had the chance to listen yet, my short story ‘Silent Night’ is available on Weird Darkness.
Listen now – if you dare!
Wishing you a Happy and Horror-ful Christmas!
Love and Nightmares,
Wednesday
My next story to be narrated on the brilliant show Weird Darkness is ‘Silent Night’.
I am so happy with this adaptation. It really brings the story to life – in the scariest possible way!
This is, I think, my best story. It is also an awesomely terrifying reading.
You can check it out on the Weird Darkness channel at:
http://darrenmarlar.com/weirddarkness/
Sweet dreams.
Exciting news!
My story The Black Veil is featured this week on Weird Darkness.
I’m so thrilled with this adaptation. It sounds amazing!
You can listen to this brand new episode on the Weird Darkness website here.
Please do check it out if you can! This is a really great show, and new listeners will find that there are lots of episodes to catch up on.
If you enjoy the episode, please also consider making a donation to the charity Food for the Poor.
Christmas ghost stories are the best part of the holiday season for me.
This week, I have been trying to re-read some of my favourite ghost stories – principally those of the grand master M.R. James.
One of my favourite James’ stories is The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance. This is the perfect story for the season.
If you have your own favourite, please add your comment below.
wednesdaysilverwood 