My story ‘Best Interests’ was published in the July edition of Schlock! Webzine 2023. Edited by Gavin Chappell, and featuring stories by Carlton Herzog, Claudia Christian, and Bruce Boxleitner.

In a world where healthcare is catered for the elite, you don’t ever want to get ill. A fun short story about a rather gruesome revelation.

‘This month we begin the penultimate instalment of The Lake Eerie Lights, where Roy discovers that he is not alone. That’s followed by more news from the wild world of weird publishing. Dave Ludford makes a return to Schlock Webzine with a tale of Side Effects. Anthony Parnassus and MS Swift have a saga of Northmen raiders. On Picklock Lane, Sir Hudibras presides over a poetry contest, whose winner may surprise you. A new doctor learns what’s on the menu for the private patients. Marooned on a floating island of waste plastic, Jay searches, searches, searches—but for what? And a stinkbug flies about its stinky business.

Jeff is visited by a man who wants a patent for his reality designing apparatus. Chris McAuley’s back, this time with Bruce Boxleitner (Babylon 5’s John Sheridan), with another tale from Claudia Christian’s Dark Legacies. Space heroes, elves, dwarves and other cliches abound in the next story, but so does the unexpected. Alyth Sun fights her demons. Nigeria is the setting for another fishy tale from Carlton Herzog. Baseball sluggers become defenders of the Earth. A primitive submersible encounters a dweller in the ocean depths. And Satan returns as Putin’s worst nightmare.’

My short story ‘Night Callers’ was published in Schlock! Webzine back in April 2022. I received a cover mention again, which is always a lovely thing to see.

“In this April 2022 edition of Schlock, we’re celebrating eleven years since the first issue.

We begin with the fourth instalment of Chris McAuley and Claudia Christian’s Dark Legacies series with a flashback, followed by Paul Kane bringing news of the 2022 Chillercon UK, which will be held in the opulent confines of Scarborough’s Grand and Royal Hotels. Dame Hudibras’ butterflies are causing consternation on Picklock Lane. Benjamin is feeling haunted. An explosion in a medical warehouse results in an unsolvable mystery. A stag night has a gruesome outcome. Two con tricksters roam across a superstitious kingdom. A children’s entertainer’s act goes wrong. A whistleblower tells us of the truth that lies out there. A detective exploits his one true gift in an overly magical land. An end user engages in an email feud with a software company. And we have a review from John C Adams. A kid discovers a Japanese cryptid. Martian politics proves lethal. Two police officers interview a grandmother with a strange history. The pampered pets of alien invaders stage an uprising. Meanwhile a man is resuscitated in the real world…”

Way back in 2015 was the first time I had a story published in Schlock! Webzine, and I got first billing on the cover! Above Mark Twain of all people, ridiculous, however I was so honoured and taken aback by the faith and support shown by the team at Schlock! that over the years I continue to submit stories, and this still remains one of my favourite science fiction publications.

“This week, it’s a life on the ocean wave for Jamie in Anthony D Redden’s Eyes in the Storm. An Irish boy meets Cumbrian horror in Gary Murphy’s Scammer of the World Unite. A teenage girl involuntarily wishes upon a star in a story by Steve Laker. A nice guy unleashes his inner Mr Hyde while a group of monsters visits V-Town, in stories by Michael Lizarraga and Drake Vaughn. 

In Part Five of The Giant Bat, Dougherty sees a sinister shadow. Two alienated young people find they have common interests in Quietus by Michael B Tager. Trilby reaches its conclusion this week. And the Connecticut Yankee instructs the king in comporting himself as a commoner.”

‘Rapture’ was a hell of a story to write, and one of my best I think. I just loved researching it and creating this epic biblical story arc for the prophet Job. I really hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I’m so grateful that my story was picked up by Schlock! Webzine.

Once again edited by Gavin Chappell, Schlock! Webzine continues to be available from Amazon in paperback and digital versions.

“In this issue we begin another serial, A Prequel with the Challenger, which will run alongside The Lake Erie Lights for several issues. It is, as the title suggests, a prequel to the Challenger series that ran in previous editions of Schlock!
We also have our usual rounding of Publishing News, and the latest trip down Picklock Lane.

Connor takes Lilith back to his dorm but things fail to go to plan. A failed comedian finds a new career. Samael comes to terms with the Fellowship. A man meets a girl in a bar. An uncle pays a visit. The devil takes the hindmost. Hammersmith makes his last pitch. Job demonstrates his proverbial patience—for millennia. The animals take over. Atlantis witnesses the end of magic. Two adventurers battle their way through a dungeon. An apparition rises from the grave to wreak an awful vengeance. And we review a story featuring one of the earliest successors to Conan—Elak of Atlantis, whose saga will soon be reprinted by Parallel Universe Publications.”

My story ‘Scarlett’ was published in issue #64 of The Sirens Call magazine in 2024. This is a wonderful horror and dark fiction magazine, unfortunately now closed after 12 years. You may no longer be able to get hold of a copy, but it was a true honour to be accepted into this publication.

‘Scarlett’ is a favourite story of mine, about the manifestation of grief in a very real and terrifying manner. Scarlett is the name of a young girl, locked away in a dark and ominous house. Her only playthings are the small handcrafted figurines and dolls which fill her nursery, however, little does she know that her games have dire consequences for the villagers that live in shadows of her house on the hill.

“The 64th issue of The Sirens Call comes in at 253 pages! It’s made up of 167 pieces of fiction in the form of short stories, flash fiction, and dark poetry. With a ‘When Hell Freezes Over’ sub-theme, this issue contains Mike Lera’s Corridor of Horror which offers us a glimpse of The Tumultuous Journey of a Kaiju King! Our Featured Artist, Judson Michael Agla, shares a peek into his world along with 18 images from The Pencil Works! Our Featured Project this Winter is none other than Hellcat Woodcraft, this woodworker is making some incredibly spectacular things, come have a look for yourself! And our Featured Author, Briana Morgan, tells us about her inspiration and love of nightmare-inducing horror! Morgan also offers us a peek into her novel, The Reyes Incident!“

I’m so glad that my story ‘Elam Goulash’ found a home at Schlock! Webzine. This is probably my favourite science fiction/ horror publication for amazing short stories, and even though I have had a few stories published by them, it still gives me a real kick to get another story accepted. I love this magazine and am honoured to be included.

This volume was released in August 2024, and featured ‘Elam Goulash’, a short story I wrote about secret government experiments with cosmic light, which have dire and horrifying implications. Schlock! Webzine is edited by Gavin Chappell, and available from Amazon as either a paperback or kindle version.

“THIS MONTH, we begin a new serialised novel, Chapel of the Falcon by Matt Spencer, which is followed by another round-up of what’s going on in the wonderful world of horror publishing. A coolie finds a dragon feather. Hudibras escapes death. Boreman learns about Hell’s Kitchen. Aunt Edith paints rocks. And it’s all going down in the Derbyshire dales.

The World’s Fair is the scene of much weirdness. A musician becomes absorbed by his song. A particle collider creates an overabundance of anomalies. An assassin visits the Gypsy. A YouTuber keeps his mutant spider happy. Kristen and Cody perform a Palo Mayombe ritual. Glain searches for a monster. Scientists investigate a sacred rock. And the End begins.”