Obligatory Halloween post (and did I mention the British Fantasy Awards?)

Yes, it's that time of year again. Spooktober, horror month, scarefest - whatever you choose to call it, the run-up to Halloween seems to be the one time when even the most timid souls consider picking up a horror book. And because of that, it also becomes self-promotion month for horror writers the world over. I won't apologise - bear in mind that most of us barely make enough to pay for our overly intricate Halloween costumes, never mind make a living from it. So if you want some scares, step this way...

First up, I have to plug Isolation: The Horror Anthology, out now from Titan Books. We've already received some rave reviews, and I'm pleased to say that it's even wormed its way onto the high street shelves at Waterstone's. If you haven't yet picked up a copy, it includes stories by Paul Tremblay, Tim Lebbon, Nina Allan, Joe R. Lansdale, Laird Barron, Ramsey Campbell, Angela Slatter, Ken Liu, M.R. Carey, Alison Littlewood, Chikodili Emelumadu and many, many more. Check out full details on the Titan website, where there are also links to buy it in the UK and the US.

If you're looking for some of my own writing, then Black Shuck has the goods. As well as my collection Only The Broken Remain (which was shortlisted for two British Fantasy Awards) and my micro-collection Green Fingers, they've also just published Great British Horror 7: Major Arcana, which includes a brand new story of mine, 'The High Priestess'. I even have my own page on their website, and you can find Major Arcana here.

Given that it's horror month, it shouldn't be a surprise to hear that I also have another new story released on the 31st. 'The Darkness Below' appears in Terror Tales of the West Country, alongside stories by Stephen Volk, Lisa Tuttle and many others, and if you pre-order the ebook now it'll be delivered straight to your device on Halloween. Check it out on the Telos Publishing website.

Finally, last month Richard V. Hirst and I somehow won the British Fantasy Award for Best Non-Fiction, for our book Writing The Uncanny. We're absolutely thrilled by the win, and the reception the book has received in general. If you haven't checked it out yet, it's currently available from the Dead Ink Books website. And to sign off, here's a video of my improvised (and slightly shambolic) acceptance speech: