Living the Dream(ing Isle)

I'm thrilled to say that This Dreaming Isle, the anthology I edited and curated for Unsung Stories, is now out in the world. It's been a long, slightly laborious birth. Officially (pre-)launched at FantasyCon in Chester this October, the book wasn't actually sent out to shops and those all-important Kickstarter backers until December. Copies seem to be landing on doorsteps at last, though, and those shops that are stocking it seem to be doing well (Foyles on Charing Cross Road are doing a roaring trade!) It's also for sale via Amazon, and for the moment at least it's available on their Prime Same-Day service. The perfect last-minute gift for the reader in your family, perhaps?

As part of the book's publicity, I wrote a short piece for The Guardian outlining my Top 10 Folk Tales in Fiction (and plugging This Dreaming Isle shamelessly along the way). If you haven't already seen it, you can find my Top 10 Folk Tales in Fiction here. It's already generated plenty of discussion, so hopefully there are a few new gems to add to your bookshelves.

Reactions so far have been positive too. The book has had a glowing review from the guys at STORGY, saying: "it’s a celebration of fabulous writing, it’s an ingenious collection and concept, all of the writers turn in stunning works of eerie, creepy goodness and lastly it’s a celebration of the rich history we have here on our little island of storytellers, raconteurs, myths and folklore". Johnny Mains has also selected Jenn Ashworth's story 'Old Trash' for his Best British Horror 2019 anthology, and deservedly so.

Finally, we're hosting a special London launch event for the anthology on 15 January 2019 (not as far away as it sounds). It seemed pointless to hold a launch in the midst of the Christmas frenzy - but hopefully the idea of spending your January in the company of readers, writers, and maybe an impoverished editor or two will appeal. To help convince you, we have a stunning lineup for this event. There will be readings, discussion and signings by Robert Shearman, Kirsty Logan, Catriona Ward, James Miller, Gareth E. Rees, Aliya Whiteley and Gary Budden. The perfect opportunity to get your copy signed!

You can find full details of the This Dreaming Isle London launch event and RSVP here.

And that's all for 2018. If you do happen to read This Dreaming Isle, please leave a review on Goodreads or Amazon - we want to hear your thoughts! See you in 2019...