Shadow Writer - The Official Paul Kane Website

Hot on the heels of Paul’s Clive Barker interview for SFX, you can now find another one online at Dreamwatch Presents Total Sci-Fi. To read this just click here.

While you’re on the site, you might want to check out a few of Paul’s reviews there too, such as Masters of Horror Series 2 Vol 1 (above), Ultimate Killing Machine and Phantom of Death.

Sticking with the Barker theme, Paul’s exhaustive 8,000 wd article about the history of the Hellraiser films can be found in issue # 9 of HorrorHoundmagazine (above with the Pinhead cover). If you’re a fan, you can’t afford to miss it!

As an early Christmas present, Paul and Screaming Dreams have brought out a free-to-download e-book featuring all three of Paul’s Order of the Shadows tales: ‘Shadow Writer’, ‘Blackout’, and the brand new short story, ‘The Convert’. It comes complete with a new introduction from Paul, so what are you waiting for? To visit the site, just click here, or to download directly, click here.

Another Xmas gift to visitors now, Paul is thrilled to welcome Nancy Kilpatrick as Guest Writer this month. Author of such books as Near Death (above), Child of the Night, Reborn, Cold Comfort, Eternal City and Bloodlover, she also pens Friday the 13th books like Jason X: Planet of the Beast (below). To read her excellent short story 'Generation Y' right now, just click here.

Time for the last non-fiction round-up of the year. Paul and Marie’s interview with bestselling horror author James Herbert can be found in the new issue of Writers’ Forum magazine (above). In it, James talks about his career and his latest book, TheSecret of Crickley Hall.

You can find a review of Sarah Langan’s The Missing that Paul has written in the latest issue of American’s top horror magazine Fangoria (above).

The article Paul wrote about Neil Gaiman’s Stardust film can now be found in issue 130 of Dark Side magazine (above)

Paul’s piece about the phenomenon that is SAW appears in the December issue of TV Film Memorabilia (above).

And his interview with James Kyson Lee – who plays Ando in the hit series Heroes (above right with co-star Masi Oka) – is slated to feature in a forthcoming issue of Hub magazine. Paul also reviewed the excellent movie 30 Days of Night (below) for them in November.

Still keeping with the non-fiction for a moment, Paul has contributed a number of reviews to the all-new Pantechnicon web-mag (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Nosferatu, Jekyll, Xena to name but a few). You’ll also be able to read his interview with that other Heroes star, Matthew J. Armstrong (below, in action) there, so to go directly to the site just click here.

Paul was saddened to hear about the death of the legendary Peter Haining. Peter was, of course, the brilliant and prolific editor of such books as Christopher Lee's New Chamber of Horrors , Weird Tales, Gothic Tales of Terror, The Fantastic Pulps and The Mammoth Book of Modern Ghost Stories (above). He will be sorely missed.

In addition to his Myspace pages, Paul now has a profile at the ever popular Facebook, so if you’re on there too, please do drop a friend request.

Paul will be at the BFS Christmas Open Night, as usual, held on 7th December at Ye Olde Cock Tavern, Fleet Street, London. The party starts at 6pm and if you see Paul there, be sure to say hello. Pictures of this event will be posted in January, along with the promised photos from FCon.

So it only remains to wish visitors to the site a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Join us in 2008 for more exciting news.

In a very exciting and news-packed month, one of the highlights has to be Paul’s trip to Collectormania in Milton Keynes over the weekend of 26th-28th October. There he met stars such as George Takei & Walter Koenig (Sulu and Chekov from Star Trek), Kevin Sorbo (Hercules), Michael Shanks & Chris Judge (Daniel and Teal’c from Stargate: SG1), old friends Nick Vince & Simon Bamford (Chatterer and Butterball from Hellraiser), Robert Picardo (Star Trek Voyager and The Howling), Tom Baker (Dr Who), Elizabeth Sladen (The Sarah Jane Adventures), Marina Sirtis (Star Trek: TNG), Helen Slater (Supergirl), Matthew J. Armstrong & James Kyson Lee (Heroes) and many more. The highlights of the weekend, though, had to be meeting horror legends such as George A. Romero (above, with Paul), director of the Living Dead series of movies, Tom Atkins from The Fog and Halloween III: Season of the Witch and Adrienne Barbeau from Escape From New York, Swamp Thing and Carnivale. Paul also fulfilled a lifelong ambition to meet Clare Higgins – who played Julia in the original Hellraiser film (below with a very happy Paul). To see more pictures from the event, just click here.

Speaking of Hellraiser, if you look to your left you’ll see that the Shadow Writer site now has its own Hellraiser page, featuring all the publications and magazine articles Paul has written about the mythos so far. You’ll also find links to interviews, photos, and some rare pictures of signed material. To go straight to the page, though, just click here.

And appropriately enough, Clive Barker is this month’s Guest Writer on the SW site. Paul is absolutely delighted to welcome the director of the original Hellraiser, plus Nightbreed and Lord of Illusions – the bestselling author of books such as Weaveworld, The Great and Secret Show, Coldheart Canyon and the Abarat series, for which he provided the paintings as well. So, to read Clive’s superb supernatural tale ‘The Departed’ just click here.

Clive is currently on a signing tour for his new book Mr B. Gone. The complete list of tour dates can be found on his official site here.

Copies of Paul’s book The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy will also be available at the venues for Clive to sign, so if you haven’t got one already, now’s your chance.

-----------------------------------

SFX

You can now find that interview Paul conducted with Clive in the ‘Mind Probe’ section of the latest SFX (above). In it, Clive talks exclusively about the genesis of Mr B. Gone.

----------------------------------------

Death Ray Issue 7

In other non-fiction news, you can find Paul’s reviews of Time Hunter: Child of Time,The Last Sect and Bridge to Terabithia in the current issue of DeathRay magazine (above). In here you can also read an exclusive interview Paul conducted with Masters of Horror creator Mick Garris, where he talks about upcoming projects such as his adaptation of Stephen King’s Bag of Bones. This issue features a review of Paul’s book, Dalton QuayleRides Out as well, which comments that ‘The result is like being machine-gunned with silliness…Ultimately we reckon Quayle deserves to ride again!’

Writers Forum

Writers Forum, Neil Gaiman article

And in the new Writers’ Forum, Paul talks to Neil Gaiman about his work - to coincide with the release of his brilliant fantasy movie Stardust, starring Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer, with a catchy theme song from Take That . You can see pictures of that movie in a previous news section and can still read Paul’s preview of the film on the Pantechnicon site here. It's wholeheartedly recommended.

Poltergeist

Paul was also able to review not only the Roger Corman Poe boxed set for The Hub last month, but also Poltergeist’s 25th Anniversary DVD release (above).

TV and Film Memorabilia

Meanwhile in November’s TV Film Memorabilia (above) you will find not only a piece about the aforementioned Collectormania event, but also a retrospective of Child’s Play (below).

TV and Film Memorabilia, Chucky Article

----------------------------------------

Fright Night

Paul was also very fortunate last month to speak to Child’s Play director Tom Holland for a forthcoming interview. Tom, you might remember, also wrote and directed the cult classic Fright Night (above), as well as directing the Stephen King movies The Langoliers and Thinner (below). More news about this as and when.

Thinner

-----------------------------

Dark Animus

Finally, Paul’s story ‘Dig This’ has just been published in issue 10/11 of Dark Animus magazine (above). A PDF version is available, with a print version to follow. To visit the site, simply click here.

Apologies for those of you waiting to see the FCon photographs – these should be ready in time for the next news update in December. Bye for now.

-----------------------------------

Paul was fortunate enough to interview Clive Barker again this month in the run up to his stunning new release Mr. B. Gone (above). Clive has taken time out from his Scarlet Gospels project (in which Pinhead comes up against Harry D’Amour) to deliver this tale of a demon called Jakabok Botch, who lives within the pages of the book.

You’ll be able to read Clive’s thoughts about the book in SFX – details as and when – but in the meantime you can read Paul’s special advance review of the novel by clicking here

Paul also interviewed Doug ‘Pinhead’ Bradley last month, who has just finished reading the audio version of Mr. B. Gone. Paul talked to Doug about his new film role in To The Devil His Due (above).

The film was directed by Russell Cherrington (above, right, with Doug) who Paul also interviewed about the short movie, which focuses on a father/son relationship and rather unique deal with the Devil. The DVD will be available soon (again, details as and when) and a piece about it by Paul will appearing in The Dark Side soon.

In addition to the above, Paul chatted to Clive and Doug about Hellraiser – yes, again! – this time for a mammoth 8,000 word article to mark the 20th Anniversary of the original film in HorrorHound magazine (above). The piece will feature in an upcoming edition so we’ll give you more details then, but in the meantime why not visit the HH site by clicking here

Time for a bit of an article and review round-up now. In the latest issue of TV Film Memorabilia with the Dr Who cover, you’ll find two articles by Paul: one on the Grindhouse phenomenon and one all about the fantasy movie Labyrinth starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly (all above).

In the latest issue of The Dark Side (above) #129 you’ll also find a report about The World Horror Convention Paul attended in Toronto earlier this year, with pictures of Pete Atkins, David Morrell, Brian Lumley and F. Paul Wilson.

In the new Writers’ Forum you can find another interview with previous Guest Writer Mike Carey conducted by Paul and Marie O’Regan. Mike is also on the front cover (above).

Finally, in DeathRay issue 6 (above) you’ll find reviews Paul has done of the novel MirrorScape and the DVDs The Raven and Grindhouse Trailer Classics.

Paul is extremely pleased to welcome this month Stephen Volk as his Guest Writer. Creator of Ghostwatch, the phenomenal ITV series Afterlife (above) and author of Dark Corners (below), Steve is appropriately our GW for Halloween with an exclusive extract from a new novel he’s working on. To read this, simply click here.

Paul had a great time at FantasyCon in Nottingham last month and though The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy was pipped to the British Fantasy Award post by Mark Morris’ excellent Cinema Macabre, he is still celebrating as he appears in that publication as well. A big congratulations to Mark and all the other winners. Photos will be posted on the site soon, so keep checking back.

On the Monday morning after the convention Paul was able to take an early private tour of Nottingham Castle – access all areas. This was research for a very exciting genre project we’ll be announcing in the near future, so stay turned.

There’s a great review of Paul’s aforementioned Hellraiser book in the latest edition of Shivers magazine. Here’s what David Howe had to say: ‘Kane’s writing style is easygoing and the book is packed with information and critique on the films…This seems to be the first book to look at the films in a developmental and critical light, the fact that it’s well-researched and detailed is most welcome.’

Another five star review of the book cropped up on the ‘Joe Horror’ website, which featured under the Product Spotlight here. Annie Riordan enthuses: ‘Paul Kane takes us on a geek’s wet dream of a tour through Hell…Diehard Hellraiser Heads NEED this book. No excuses, you MUST own it!’ To read the glowing review in its entirety just click here.

Dreamwatch Presents Total Sci Fi

Paul was also delighted to get an 8/10 review of The Lazarus Condition from Dreamwatch Presents Total Sci-Fi. Paul Simpson commented: ‘ The American title for the early British horror film The Quatermass Experiment was The Creeping Unknown, and that would be a very apt alternative title for Paul Kane’s excellent novella. The Quatermass analogy is more appropriate than simply that: like Nigel Kneale, Kane describes an extraordinary event in the lives of every day people, the sort you meet in the pub or the supermarket….By maintaining an almost prosaic style, Kane ratchets up the tension throughout the novella, deliberately leading the reader in false directions… The Lazarus Condition is a gem, and well worth seeking out.’ To read the review in full, click here.

The Lazarus Condition has just gone on sale at famous stockists Bloodletting in the US, which you can find by clicking here and you can read another piece on its publisher, Steve Clark of Tasmaniac, here.

Till next time, have an excellent Halloween.

-----------------------------------

The second book release in as many months is here. Paul is very excited to announce that Dalton Quayle Rides Out (above) has just been published by Pendragon Press. The book contains two novellas featuring Paul’s popular humorous horror character, Dalton Quayle; actually his fifth and sixth adventures, though still stand-alone tales in their own right. The book comes with an introduction from bestselling author of Little People (below), Tom Holt – see previous news sections for more details – and the exceptional cover artwork is by long-time Kane collaborator Ian Simmons.

To order this directly from the publisher, just click here. The first 50 copies are signed by Paul.

Meanwhile Paul’s other release book The Lazarus Condition from Tasmaniac Publications has been gaining some critical attention. It has featured on The Australian Horror Writers’ site here, has been reviewed by Horroscope here, and you can read an interview with publisher Steve Clark mentioning the book on the ABC News Site here.

Mentioned in a previous news section, Paul’s Alien vs Predator article for TV Film Memorabilia appeared in issue 4 of the magazine (above). And you can find his Zach Galligan interview in issue 5 (below).

In that very same issue you’ll also see a piece Paul wrote about Hellraiser collectables (below). To go to the TVFM site, click here.

And for another, more in-depth, article about the Hellraiser movies themselves that Paul has written, pick up the new issue of Scars magazine (above). You can visit their website by clicking here.

There’s an interview conducted by Paul with former SW Guest Writer, Sarah Langan – author of The Keeper and Virus – in the September edition of Writers’ Forum magazine on sale now (above). In the interview (below) Sarah talks about how she started out in the business and how she deals with comparisons to Stephen King. To check out the WF site click here.

As if that wasn’t enough, a new story by Sarah has just gone up on the SW site called ‘Grief’, so to read this excellent piece of fiction just click here.

September’s Guest Writer, however, is none other than bestselling horror author Shaun Hutson. His long line of books include Slugs, Erebus, Hybrid and Dying Words, but Shaun’s new hardback out from Orbit is Unmarked Graves (above) and we have a tantalising look at a chapter from the book here.

You can track down an interview with last month’s Guest Writer, Mike Carey, conducted by Paul and Marie, in the latest issue of DeathRay # 5 (above, with the Heroes cover). To read what Mike thinks about his latest book, pick up a copy today.

On 21st -23rd September Paul will be at the British Fantasy Society’s FantasyCon held at The Britannia Hotel again in Nottingham. Guests of Honour this years are The Sword of Shannara author Terry Brooks (above), The Intruders author Michael Marshall Smith and The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror editor Stephen Jones (below). The MC for the weekend will be PS Publishing’s Peter Crowther. To book your place, if you haven’t done so already, just visit the website here.

Finally, Paul’s links page has been updated with some very snazzy banners. We’ll be adding to this all the time so don’t worry if yours isn’t on here yet. To take a look, simply click here.

What, a news extra already? We think this warrants it. To begin with, Paul’s book The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy has made the shortlist of the British Fantasy Awards in the non-fiction section. Paul is obviously delighted, but what makes this a double celebration is that Cinema Macabre edited by Mark Morris has also made it through. If you check back through past news sections you’ll see that Paul wrote a Hellraiser essay for that book as well, which also featured the likes of Simon (Shaun of the Dead) Pegg, Mark (Dr Who, Jekyll) Gatiss and Neil (Stardust) Gaiman amongst other luminaries.

The awards will be announced just after the banquet at this year’s FantasyCon. If you haven’t booked yet, then visit the website here

The Lazarus Condition (see August’s news) has been mentioned on Australia’s Horrorscope website here and is now being stocked by Jeff ‘n’ Joy’s Books here. Proprietor Jeff Hill is also now stocking signed copies of The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy.

The issue of Rue Morgue with Paul’s Les Edwards interview in has just come out (above). Inside you’ll also find a review of Michael Marshall’s book The Intruders (below).

In other non-fiction news, Paul’s has just delivered a batch of reviews to The Hub, including The 4400 Season Three DVDand Richard Laymon’s Friday Night in the Beast House.

Paul has also been asked to point out a couple of events for genre fans that are coming up soon. Collectormania are organising events in London in September and Milton Keynes in October. For more details and to see which stars you’ll be able to meet (including George A. Romero and Adrienne Barbeau) visit the site here

A regular at the events is the superb Monster Company who provide collectables for the discerning fan – such as talking Chucky dolls, Freddy Kreuger gloves and Jason masks. To visit the company site just click here

Here it is, at last. Paul’s new book The Lazarus Condition is now out from Tazmaniac Publications in two formats, trade paperback and a limited edition hardback signed by Paul, Mick (Masters of Horror) Garris who contributed the introduction, and artist Dion Hamill. The stunning cover artwork is above and you can see more of Dion’s internal art below.

‘Helen Kirby is having one hell of a day. As she struggles, through the fog of a chronic hangover, to understand why the world around her seems to have gone to ruin between the time she passed out the night before and the time she woke up this morning, we find out why this New Year does indeed herald a New Dawn. Dead Time is a new take on the zombie tale – one that shows us without question that any differences between us and the undead are purely a matter of…taste.’

The book has already been featured on the Zone Horror site (formerly The Horror Channel) who comment that, ‘Kane is a writer yet to let his fans down’ (click here for full report), on UKSF Booknews here and on the ‘News About Masters of Horror’ Blogspot here.

‘Paul Kane’s The Lazarus Condition is a wonderfully unsettling tale of resurrection, self-recrimination, and our reluctance to confront issues of both mortality and immortality. Humanity leaves behind the remains of our loved ones and walls of our hearts as best we can from feeling their absence, sometimes as easily but always with as much necessity as a snake shedding its skin. Kane holds up a mirror to show us just how frightened of the end we really are and how much of human nature is involved in moving on after loss. He's here to remind us that none of us is ever really ready to leave this life...and certainly not ready to come back and answer for what we might have done while living it. An excellent novella, backed up with a quick jolt short story called Dead Time, which is, in some ways, the other side of the coin. Paul Kane has offered you a dark and contemplative gift. I recommend you take it.’
(Christopher Golden – Hellboy: The Dragon Pool, Prowlers, The Myth Hunters, The Boys are Back in Town )

‘A brilliant zombie story with a hell of a difference -- compelling, sensitive, deeply touching and leavened with a subtle humour.’
( Simon Clark – Night of the Triffids, Darkness Demands, Death's Dominion. )

‘A disturbing and very creepy take on the zombie theme, this one builds slowly and effectively to a surprising, moving climax.’
( Tim Lebbon - Dawn, The Everlasting)

Paul’s other release at the moment, The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy , is the subject of a featured review over at SF Site.com right now. The glowing piece by reviewer David Maddox says of the book, ‘Paul Kane's The Hellraiser Films and their Legacy is more than just a book about the eight Hellraiser movies and their spin-offs. It is an in-depth collection of the history, production, detailed cast listings, psychological and social ramifications of the Children of Leviathan and how they relate to popular culture…Kane has definitely done his research and has the blessings of all involved with this tome…Suffice to say The Hellraiser Films and their Legacy is the perfect compendium for any fan of the series. It will remind the reader why they find the movies so intriguing while giving new information and maybe even expanding on what was previously thought. Just like the inviting Lament Configuration puzzle box, open this one up and see what pleasures await.’

To read the full piece simply click here. And you can still visit the dedicated Myspace page here.

You can also find an article Paul has done about the Hellraiser mythos in the latest issue of The Dark Side (# 128). In the same issue you’ll also find a brand new interview with Oktober author and Lifeline scripter Stephen Gallagher that Paul conducted, so even more reason to pick this one up.

Paul had a great time at the Awards Showcase in London on 7th July at Ye Olde Cock Tavern (see last month’s news section for more details). You can find pictures of the event by clicking here.

And while he was down in London, Paul dropped in on old friend and former Shadow Writer, Neal Asher, on his signing in Forbidden Planet. Neal’s new book Hilldiggers (below) is out now in hardback and is thoroughly recommended.

We’re very fortunate now to welcome August’s Guest Writer, Hellblazer and Lucifer (above) author Mike Carey with an exclusive first look at a complete chapter from his forthcoming novel Dead Men ’s Boots (below). This is, of course, the latest in Mike’s Felix Castor series of novels about a freelance exorcist battling the forces of darkness. To read this, just click here.

Paul has begun working for Dreamwatch Presents Total Sci-Fi (formerly Dreamwatch magazine, above) providing reviews. His first is of the movie Mammoth (below). You can find their website by clicking here.

Also on the non-fiction front, the Small Press ‘Deep Thought’ article that Paul wrote for DeathRay and which was held over, is now in Issue 4 of the magazine, out now with a Transformers cover. Is this you’ll also be able to read a review of the new supernatural horror film The Messengers (below) which Paul has written.

Finally, Paul was fortunate enough last month to speak to Zach Galligan (above), star of major genre motion pictures like Gremlins (below), Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Waxwork, Psychic, Cupid and Infested.

You’ll be able to read part of the interview Paul conducted in TV Film Memorabilia (below) magazine soon.

Paul has also just been commissioned to do articles about the popular horror franchises Saw and Child’s Play (below), so look out for these as well.

Paul was delighted to find out last month that The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy has been recommended for a British Fantasy Award in the non-fiction category. He was also very pleased to discover that the book is now in the prestigious library of Yale University and available to buy at a new stockist,
Monsters in Motion.

For more details about the book you can visit the dedicated The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy Myspace page here which contains links to buy, quotes and other information. Signed copies are still available by mailing hellraiser@shadow-writer.co.uk.

Paul’s short story ‘1,2,3…1,2,3’ which appeared in Estronomicon has also been recommended. This has now been added to the site so to read it, just click here.

Paul will be at the Awards Showcase in London on 7th July at Ye Olde Cock Tavern. Hopefully he’ll see some of you there.

Speaking of awards, Paul’s just interviewed multi award-winning genre artist Les Edwards for Rue Morgue magazine. In this piece Les talks about his life, his work and how he feels about scaring people with his paintings.

A very warm welcome to July’s Guest Writer, Sarah Langan, author of the excellent novels The Keeper – which was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award this year – and Virus (above), which is out now in hardback in the UK. To read her exclusive short story ‘The Lost’ which has never been published before, just click here.

Paul has also just interviewed the very talented Sarah for top US horror magazine, Fangoria (above). The piece will be in a forthcoming issue, so more details on that as and when too.

As mentioned in a previous news section, Paul has some non-fiction in DeathRay issue 3 (above with the Harry Potter cover). This includes a New Gods profile of Clive Barker, a piece on the small presses with quotes from the likes of Joe Hill and Peter Crowther, a newspiece on the new Re-Animator project with Paul putting the questions to Stuart Gordon, and a review of the new BBC release The Green Man starring Albert Finney (below). It’s out in the shops now.

Author of Veniss Underground, Shriek: An Afterword and a forthcoming Dark Horse Predator novel next year, Jeff Vandermeer, has written to SW with details of his new site 'Elastic Days'. To visit this, just click here

Details of Paul’s new book The Lazarus Condition – including a look at the cover and internal artwork by Dion Hamill – will be coming very, very soon, so keep checking back.

On 3rd June Paul attended a special private screening of Stardust, the movie based on Neil Gaiman’s novel of the same name - starring Robert De Niro, Sienna Miller, Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes and Ricky Gervais. The screening was at Paramount Picture’s Office in Golden Square, at which Neil himself introduced an ‘almost finished’ cut of the film. You can read what Paul thought of the movie in a report on the Pantechnicon site by clicking here.

The movie comes out in the States over the summer and will be released in the UK in October. Paul has also written a piece on the production of the movie for The Dark Side magazine, more details soon, but in the meantime here are some pictures of the movie to whet your appetite (all photos © Paramount Pictures)

First up this month, news of Paul’s novella The Lazarus Condition. The book will be introduced by Mick Garris, creator of Masters of Horror, director of The Stand and The Shining, and author of Development Hell (above). As well as the trade paperback, there will be a limited edition hardback signed by Paul, Mick and the cover artist Dion Hamill. Paul has now seen the cover artwork and black and white internals by Dion and they completely blew him away.

To give you a teaser this is part of what Mick has to say in his intro: ‘There are moments of violence that jump out at you here, but it is the quiet interaction between Life and Death that concerns Kane in his novella: its raison d’etre… An absorbing tale of terror that takes you in a direction that I didn’t expect… Paul Kane has crafted a nifty little story with that greatest of gifts: the element of surprise.’

For more information, including quotes from authors such as Christopher Golden, Tim Lebbon and Simon Clark, visit the Tasmaniac site here.

As promised, here is the photo gallery from this year’s Alt.fiction event held at the end of April in Derby. To view this, simply click here.

You can also check out more World Horror pictures featuring Paul on Tales from the Darkside writer Scott Edelman’s homepage here . Have a look around while you’re there, he’s a very talented bloke.

The next event Paul will be attending is the BFS Open Night at The Devereux in London on 1st June. Be sure to say hello if you’re going along.

The Shadow Writer site is extremely excited to welcome June’s Guest Writer, Brian Lumley (above): author of the hugely popular Necroscope series which Paul has been a fan of since the books first came out.

We’re proud to present an extract from the latest instalment – Necroscope: The Touch – courtesy of Brian and those nice people at Solaris Books . So click here and enjoy…

As mentioned in a previous news section, the interview Paul and Marie conducted with Day of the Dead actress Christa Campbell (above in zombie make-up on the right) has now been published in the current issue of Red Scream magazine (below). To buy your copy click here .

Paul’s book The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy has received a couple of great reviews, the first from Rue Morgue magazine (above). Here’s some of what Joseph O’Brian had to say about it: ‘Like the Lament Configuration (the intricate puzzle box at the centre of the Hellraiser films), Paul Kane’s book unlocks the series’ multitude of facets, unleashing the exquisite pleasure – and considerable pain – contained therein. Beginning with the inspirations for Clive Barker’s novella The Hellbound Heart, and an examination of the disastrous film ventures such as Rawhead Rex that compelled the author to direct his own adaptation, Kane charts the development and fallout of each Hellraiser film, from the groundbreaking 1987 original to 2005’s execrable Hellworld…

‘Kane’s prose is refreshingly free of the sneering-down-the-nose that often emerges when “serious” film scholars discuss genre material. It’s clear he knows and loves his subject, even approaching the lesser entries with passion and enthusiasm…This is an intelligent and detailed study of a series that continues to fascinate and disturb in equal measure.’

Meanwhile here are some choice comments from James Whittington in The Dark Side #127 (above): ‘This book from respected freelance writer, author and tutor Paul Kane takes a step back and examines every aspect of the Hellraiser film franchise from its origins to its demise, where it all went wrong and, more importantly, where the writers and directors got it right…One of the more intriguing parts is when we discover how Pinhead is likened to the Dracula character played by Christopher Lee. Both exude a fearful aura without having to do anything at all and, as Kane points out, when physicality comes into the equation it is sometimes detrimental to the character. Much food for thought there in my humble opinion…

‘The book is filled with rare and unseen images, from artwork to production shots, and also touches on some of the subjects that the movie originally exposed, such as body piercing…I couldn’t fault this book. I tried to find something wrong or amiss, but totally failed… Kane should be championed for never digressing or sounding too much like an awestruck fanboy. He keeps his prose educational, entertaining and honest…In his foreword, Pinhead actor Doug Bradley states that Paul Kane has such sights to show. Never has a truer word been said, as this is probably the final word on the movie series.’

You can reach the Myspace page devoted to the book and all things Hellraiser by clicking here. To visit the Rue Morgue homepage click here. And don’t forget signed copies are still available (though limited stocks remain) by mailing hellraiser@shadow-writer.co.uk

For those wanting to keep track of Paul’s non-fiction, as well as providing DVD and book reviews for The Hub recently, he has also begun freelancing for news-stand magazine Death Ray, from the creators of SFX. Some of Paul’s work – including a report from Stuart Gordon on his new Re-animator project – will feature in issue 3 of the mag.

Paul has also been commissioned to write two articles for TV & Film Memorabilia : the first covering the Grindhouse phenomenon, including an in-depth look at the Rodriguez/Tarantino double feature of the same name (above).

The second concentrates on those nasties the Alien and Predator (below), with a new film on the horizon. More news as and when.

In May Paul attended a theatre production of Terry Pratchett’s Wyrd Sisters at the Pomegranate in Chesterfield. One of Paul’s students, John ‘Gren’ Bramley had a piece of his work – a monologue – read out before the play as a warm up and several members of Paul’s class attended.

Finally, Paul has just joined The Horror Writers’ Association and been given Active (Professional Writer) Status. He was very impressed with their operation when over in Toronto and decided to swell their ranks on his return. It looks like an exciting time ahead for the organisation and Paul is looking forward to being a member.

Paul recently discovered that there is another individual reviewing and writing genre material under this name. As Paul has been doing this for over ten years, and has a significant body of work behind him, he has asked for the other ‘Paul Kane’ to take steps to differentiate himself and his work, to avoid some of the confusions that have occurred. In the meantime he has also written to all the editors, magazines, publishers and entertainment companies, to inform them that if they ever get a request from a ‘Paul Kane from Manchester’ it is not the one that they know and have worked with in the past. Paul Kane still lives and works in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, UK and his address remains paulkane@shadow-writer.co.uk

Firstly, the pictures you’ve been waiting for – from Paul and Marie’s wedding (above), honeymoon in Toronto, and The World Horror Convention. To go through this massive selection of photos, which include shots of the CN Tower and Niagara Falls, just click here

But for more pictures of World Horror – including ones of Paul and Marie – visit The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror editor Ellen Datlow’s collection by clicking here

Secondly, a true labour of love in the form of The Witch’s Dungeon ,which celebrates 40 years of this movie museum courtesy of Cortlandt Hull & Dennis Vincent. It features exclusive interviews with some of the greats of the genre, like Christopher Lee above, with over 600 pictures restored for the documentary. The film can be purchased by visiting the site here and all proceeds from the DVD go towards expanding the museum, which is non-profit.

The Shadow Writer site is overjoyed to welcome our Guest Writer for May, the one and only Christopher Golden. Christopher is the bestselling author of The Prowlers series, The Myth Hunters, as well as the Buffy Gatekeeper Trilogy and Hellboy books like The Dragon Pool (below). To read the first chapter of his novel Wildwood Road, just click here.

Paul and Marie were invited along to the launch of Michael Marshall (Smith)’s new novel, the superb The Intruders, on 19th April at Sequoia at RubyLo in London. Michael was there to give a speech (below) and also on hand to help him celebrate were people like Christopher Fowler, Kim Newman, Paul McAuley, Stephen Jones & Mandy Slater, Les and Val Edwards and a host of other guests. A fantastic time was had by all and you can buy the book – published by HarperCollins – online here.

As mentioned previously, Paul was in attendance at the second annual Alt.Fiction event in Derby on 28th April. There he met writers like the legendary Harry Harrison and The Devil You Know author Mike Carey (above, with his book). Paul also conducted a workshop with Marie on creating monsters and previewed his forthcoming ‘horredy’ release Dalton Quayle Rides Out by doing a reading, along with authors Tony Richards and James Cooper (below). More news on when the book will be out soon, and you can see more pictures of the event, including Iain Banks’ highly entertaining reading, next month.

Finally, Australian publisher Tasmaniac Publications is bringing out Paul’s next book as a limited edition hardback and paperback run. ‘The Lazarus Condition’ is a novella which looks at our relationship with death, while the short story ‘Dead Time’ is a very different take on the zombie sub-genre. More news as and when, but to go to the Tasmaniac site, click here.

We’re making up for the late news update this month by including an extra already. A film Paul was involved with, and Night of the Triffids author Simon Clark directed (above, in a still from the film), has now made it onto the ‘net. Details are in the press release below:

Follow Simon Clark as he conducts a most singular experiment, embarks on a voyage of self-discovery and investigates one of the world’s most enduring mysteries. His journeys take him through English realms that are as haunting as they are beautiful. One hot Summer’s day Simon is joined by John B. Ford and Paul Kane at an ancient stone circle in Derbyshire, England. There they conduct the great experiment...

Oh, and did we mention that this experiment might turn out to be dangerous beyond comprehension? And that it’s one you can try yourself?

UK viewers can access the trailer, but the 25 minute documentary now showing at Unbox is only available in the United States. You can a download this to keep for just $2.99.’

Paul had this to say about the project. “I was delighted to take part in Tempus Fugit and had a great time during the filming. When Simon first approached me to be involved, I loved the sound of this idea. There was a definite strangeness about the location we visited and about the day in general. Watch the film and you’ll see exactly what I mean…”

First piece of news this month is that Paul’s book The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy has been given a five star review in the May 2007 edition of top news-stand magazine Total Film. Reviewer Jamie Russell had this to say: ‘“We have such sights to show you!” There’s pleasure without pain in this groundbreaking look at the Hellraiser franchise. Rewinding to the debut of Clive Barker’s sadomasochistic horror fantasy in 1987, Paul Kane unearths the history and the impact of the series. He knows the franchise inside out, from Barker’s interest in Cocteau and S&M to ditched ideas like Hellraiser III’s ancient Egyptian setting, and battles with studio suits eager to turn Pinhead into the new Freddy Krueger. Even as the series slides into mediocrity with “Pinhead in Cyberspace” Hellraiser: Hellworld, this books remains stuffed with insight. To say Kane delivers the ultimate guide to Hellraiser is an understatement. He absolutely nails it.’

Another glowing review by the author of The Unseen Force: The Films of Sam Raimi , Horror Films of the 80s and The Art of Horror: Wes Craven (above), John Kenneth Muir has appeared in his ‘Reflections on Film and Television’ column. Here John called the book, ‘a crisply-argued and impressive companion to the Hellraiser film series, one that’s extensively researched and genuinely fascinating… Perhaps what I appreciated most about The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy is that Kane writes clearly and efficiently. He is effusive and supportive when he can be (and hell, why not?) but he takes strong, objective stands as well…If you have a fascination with the Hellraiser mythology, you'll find this an informative text, and a great companion…Kane promises in his intro that he has “such sights” to show us, and - unlike Kirsty (at least according to Uncle Frank in Hellbound) - he “delivers.” Well done.’ You can read the full version of his review here.

John was also kind enough to ask Paul for an interview, which you can find by clicking here.

And you can still find out all about the book on the official Myspace page here , which includes ordering information and other quotes.

Apologies to anyone looking for the Hellraiser article in the latest issue of The Dark Side, this will now feature in a future edition. But there are a couple of other articles on the subject that Paul has done which you can look out for in the meantime. Both Scars (above) and Model and Collector’s Mart (below) are running companion pieces for the book and the latter also includes the top 20 Hellraiser collectables of all time.

Model Mart Cover

-----------------------------------------

Chaz Brenchley

A very big hello now to our new Guest Writer Chaz Brenchley, bestselling author of Dispossession (below), The Garden and Paradise.

Dispossession

To read the outstanding ‘Another Chart of the Silences’ which Chaz performed in Derby to a spellbound crowd – including Paul – last Halloween, and also an exclusive introduction for the Shadow Writer site, simply click here.

-----------------------------------

Gorezone

As mentioned in the last news update, Paul took over as Reviews Editor for a month for the news-stand magazine Gorezone. April 2007’s edition saw him reviewing 5ive Girls (below), Altered, Stay Alive and Asylum Night.

5ive Girls

The last film was a particular favourite as it was made by a new British production company called Revolt, who Paul came across at Chillerfest last year. To read more about them and Asylum Night (below), just click here.

Asylum Night

-----------------------------------

Hub Magazine

In a busy month, Paul also contributed reviews of the new Masters of Horror boxed set and Dracula (screened on the BBC last Christmas) to the second issue of The Hub (above). In this you will also find an article about the ‘Rise of the Small Presses’ from Paul featuring exclusive interviews with Simon Clark, Christopher Teague (of Pendragon Press), John B. Ford, David Howe, Tim Lebbon and erstwhile SW Guest Writer and author of Heart-Shaped Box (below), Joe Hill. To find out how to get your copy, check out The Hub’s website here .

Heart-Shaped Box

----------------------------------

F. Paqul Wilson

For those of you who have sent in kind messages, and thank you again, Paul and Marie’s wedding and honeymoon was fantastic. The couple report that Toronto was amazing and they had a chance to visit places like Niagara Falls and the CN Tower before World Horror Con started. There they bumped into and had a chance to chat with people like The Keep author F. Paul Wilson (above), Buffy and Hellboy author Christopher Golden (who is next month’s Guest Writer on the SW site), Necroscope author Brian Lumley, Creepers author David Morrell (who also created Rambo), creator of Afterlife Stephen Volk (who had been nominated for a Stoker Award), top US editor Ellen Datlow (below) and many, many others including the Guests of Honour themselves – like Grand Master Joe R Lansdale and Peter Atkins, who introduced two of the three Hellraiser movies he’s penned. Paul was particularly delighted when Pete named him: ‘The world’s leading expert on the Hellraiser films and their mythology’.

Ellen Datlow

Paul and Marie would like to thank Stephen Jones, Mandy Slater, Amanda Foubister and the other organisers for such a wonderful event, and for inviting them to speak on the ‘Upcoming Events’ panel about FCon in September. Pictures from both the wedding and the convention will appear on this site very soon, so keep stopping by.

---------------------------------

The Wasp Factory

Finally, Paul and Marie will be at Derby’s Alt.Fiction event on April 28th where they will be holding a workshop about how to create monsters. Also attending are writers such as Wasp Factory (above) author Iain Banks, Stainless Steel Rat creator Harry Harrison and Vicious Circle (below) author Mike Carey.

Vicious Circle

Paul will also be reading from and previewing his Dalton Quayle Rides Out book from Pendragon Press, introduced by Tom Holt. Below is the excellent and exclusive first look sketch of the front cover from the talented Ian Simmons.

Dalton Quayle Rides Out

Join us again in May for more exciting Shadow Writer news.

------------------------------------

The new edition of Fantasy, SF and Horror magazine Pantechnicon is now online with DVD reviews from Paul, including Death Ship, Masters of Horror Series 1 Vol. 2 and the remake of The Wicker Man (below). To read these just click here. Previous issues are also available on the site as pdf’s.

Paul has just sold a new story to the magazine Dark Animus called ‘Dig This’. You’ll find this tale of adolescents exploring the concept of death in a forthcoming issue of the magazine. To visit the website, just click here

Paul also has a tale due out soon in the anthology Dead Ends from Screaming Dreams press. This is ‘Life Sentence’ which has previously only been published in the German language in the anthology Albions Alpträume: Zombies. To see who else is in the line-up, just click here. The cover image, by Anne Stokes, will be up on this site soon.

This just in, hot off the presses. Shadow Writer’s friend at Earthling Press, Paul Miller, has announced a limited edition of The Hellbound Heart, Clive Barker’s novella on which the original Hellraiser movie (above) is based. The book will be available in three states and comes with an intro by Peter Atkins (screenwriter of Hellraiser’s II-IV) and Ashley Laurence (Kirsty in the film). To order your copy check out the site link here

Paul is delighted to welcome to the Shadow Writer site as Guest Writer this month, award-winning author Graham Joyce.

Graham has penned such novels as Dreamside, The Tooth Fairy, Smoking Poppy and The Limits of Enchantment (above). To read the excellent ‘First, Catch Your Demon’ just click here.

Paul has just learned that the Cinema Macabre book which he contributed to and which author Mark Morris edited, has been nominated for a Horror Writers’ Association Bram Stoker Award. The original book was published by PS and featured essays by some of the top names in the genre, such as Neil Gaiman, Kim Newman, Ramsey Campbell, Muriel Gray, Douglas Winter, Simon Pegg and Stephen Jones.

The PS edition (top) also featured an introduction by Jonathan Ross, although you might remember that the BFS paperback edition came with an intro by Paul and Marie O’Regan (above). The winners of the Stoker Awards will be announced at the banquet at the World Horror Convention 2007 in Toronto – see end of this news section for more.

The first review of The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy has been posted on Amazon and it’s a good one. Five stars! To read the review by film-maker Frazer Lee, just click here

The organisers of Texas Frightmare Weekend - the Southwest’s Premier Horror convention - will be raffling off copies of Paul’s Hellraiser book and Touching the Flame. The convention runs from 22nd – 24th June 2007 in Dallas and features celebrity guests like George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead), Doug ‘Pinhead’ Bradley, Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog) and Ken Foree (From Beyond).

To check out the website with a banner link to Paul’s Hellraiser myspace page, just click here

In news-stand magazine The Dark Side in March you can find two pieces by Paul. Firstly a Hellraiser retrospective to tie in with the release of his book, and also an interview with 2001 Maniacs director Tim Sullivan (below) conducted with Marie O’Regan.

You can also find an interview Paul and Marie conducted with Day of the Dead star Christa Campbell in a future edition of Red Scream magazine. The lengthy interview reveals much about her background and career, and includes exclusive pictures, so be sure to check it out.

In the latest edition of Gorezone (above) you can find Paul’s review of the new Bob Keen film Heartstopper (below), starring Robert Englund, in Jason Jones’ review section. Paul will also be guest editing the reviews section in the next issue, so subscribe to the magazine at the site here

Paul would like to express his thanks to David at The Monster Company in Nottingham, who sent him a superb replica puzzle box from Hellraiser last month. The box is just one of the items the store sells, so to check out what else they have to offer, visit the website here

In addition, The Monster Company now have The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy on their site to order at the following link here

Last month there was a great review of the book Paul co-edited with Marie, The British Fantasy Society: A Celebration (above) which contained stories by luminaries like Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, Kim Newman, Christopher Fowler, Mark Chadbourn, Brian Aldiss, Peter Crowther, Michael Marshall Smith, Graham Joyce, Robert Holdstock, Peter Straub, Juliet E. McKenna, Stephen Gallagher, Richard Christian Matheson, John Connolly, Chaz Brenchley, Robert Silverberg and Mark Morris. It also came with an introduction by BFS stalwart Stephen Jones.

The review, in Interzone Issue 208 says, ‘If Interzone imposed the reviewing methodology used by governments to assess the efficacy of public services – evaluating the whole in terms of the average of scores given to each of its components – Kane and O’Regan’s celebration of the British Fantasy Society would top the league table of fantasy anthologies. There is certainly much to commend it. There isn’t a single duff story: none of them merits less than a B and several are worthy of an A+.’

As mentioned in the last news update, Paul and Marie will be attending the World Horror Convention this month in Toronto, Canada – held in the plush Marriott hotel (above and below)

Paul will the promoting the Hellraiser book and also sitting on a panel as one of the organisers of FantasyCon 2007. Paul and Marie are also officially covering the event for The Dark Side magazine.

More importantly, they will be on their honeymoon following their wedding on March 24th so we’d like to wish them both all the very best for the future.

A bit of a Masters of Horror news special this month. If you haven’t already caught this brilliant show, the first series is currently available in the UK in two gorgeous DVD volume boxed sets. These contain short films directed by such Horror Masters as John (Halloween, The Thing) Carpenter, Don (Bubba Ho-tep, Phantasm) Coscarelli, Joe (The Howling, Gremlins) Dante, Stuart (Re-Animator, From Beyond) Gordon, Dario (Suspiria, Deep Red) Argento, William (FearDotCom, House on Haunted Hill) Malone, Larry (It’s Alive, Q The Winged Serpent) Cohen, Tobe (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist) Hooper, John (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer) McNaughton, Takashi (Ichi The Killer) Miike, Lucky (May) McKee and John (American Werewolf in London, Innocent Blood) Landis

You can read a short review of the first boxed set that Paul has written for the first issue of Hub Magazine below, and a more detailed review can now be found on the Pantechnicon website here alongside reviews of SeaQuest DSV and Night Gallery.

MoH Boxed sets can be bought from Amazon here and here or from Play.com here and here.

You can also visit the Masters of Horror Myspace page here and the official website here.

And the Shadow Writer site is overjoyed to welcome the creator of the series, Mick Garris, as Guest Writer for February. Mick is the director of The Shining and The Stand mini-series, as well as the new adaptation of Desperation, based on the Stephen King novel.

To access his short story ‘Chocolate’, which he directed himself as a Masters of Horror episode for the first season, just click here.

With the film of Hannibal Rising almost upon us, and with Thomas Harris a Guest Writer on the site last December, we’re reprinting Paul’s review of the book to give you some idea of what mouth-watering prospects are in store. So settle down with a nice Chianti and read it here.

A Myspace page has now been set up to cover everything to do with Paul’s book, The Hellraiser Films And Their Legacy, including quotes and where to order. To check this out, visit the site here.

The Amazon.com page for buying The Amityville House of Pancakes online now has a ‘look inside’ feature so you can read before purchasing. Paul’s horredy novella ‘Dalton Quayle and the Curse of King Tuti Fruiti’ is included in the anthology. You can follow the link here.

Speaking of Quayle, Paul’s next book has just been announced from Pendragon Press. Dalton Quayle Rides Out is a collection of two brand new novellas in the humorous horror vein featuring the popular characters of Quayle and Pemberton. The book is to be introduced by bestselling Snow White and the Seven Samurai author Tom Holt, who calls Paul ‘a tenth level master in the Way of the Joke’ and will have an original cover by Ian Simmons. The book should be out just in time for Alt.Fiction in Derby this coming Spring.

Paul and Marie will be attending the World Horror Convention next month in Toronto, Canada. Guests of Honour are Michael Marshall Smith, Nancy Kilpatrick, Peter Atkins, John Picacio, Don Hutchinson and Peter Crowther – with Joe R. Lansdale (who wrote the original Bubba Ho-Tep story) as Grand Master winner and Sephera Giron as Mistress of Ceremonies. Other attending professionals include Stephen Jones (one of the organisers, along with Mandy Slater and Amanda Foubister), Peter Straub, Mort Castle, Mark Morris, Tim Lebbon, Sarah Pinborough, Gary Fry, Yvonne Navarro, F. Paul Wilson and many more.

To visit the official site, just click hereand both Paul and Marie have links on the site here.

February is of course Paul’s birthday month, so I’m sure you’ll all join in with me in wishing him many happy returns. We’re back next month with more news.

First of all, Happy New Year everyone! On Friday December 8th Paul’s book The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy was given a pre-publication launch at the British Fantasy Society’s Christmas Open Night at Ye Olde Cock Tavern in Fleet Street. Attending the event was Doug (Pinhead) Bradley, who penned the introduction (read more about the book on his site here), Barbie Wilde (Female Cenobite from Hellbound), Nick Vince (Chatterer Cenobite), film-maker Frazer Lee, Unit Publicist on the first three Hellraiser films, Stephen Jones, and many other genre names.

You can find pictures from the night here, including the above shot of Paul (left) with Straw Men author Michael Marshall Smith (middle) and Doug (right).

The Shadow Writer site is proud and delighted to announce best-selling British horror writer James Herbert (above) as Guest Writer for January with an extract from his new book, The Secret of Crickley Hall. You can read this by clicking here.

Paul’s short story ‘1,2,3…1,2,3…’ was published in Estronomicon magazine issue 6 in December. To read this, visit the site at http://www.screamingdreams.com/estronomicon.htm where you can also still read Paul’s ‘Nightmare on 34th Street’ in their Christmas Special.

There’s also the opportunity to vote for your favourite author and artist who has appeared in Estronomicon during 2006, so please take a few moments to submit your choices.

Now that report on the Stephen King event we promised. Paul and Marie O’Regan were present at Stephen’s first UK live interview in ten years. You can read what happened and see pictures from the night by clicking here.

One of Paul’s most popular stories, ‘Astral’ has just been reprinted in issue #2 of Beyond the Borderland from Rainfall Books. Also included are stories and poems from Michael Fantina, Gary McMahon, Mark Valentine and John B. Ford, all with a distinctly Hodgson feel to them. And Steve Lines has contributed the terrific artwork.

As mentioned last month, Paul’s new Dalton Quayle novella has appeared in the Amityville House of Pancakes 3 trade paperback anthology from Creative Guy Publishers. The book is now available to buy, so visit the website here for more information.

Finally, a new interview Paul gave to horror author Michelle Lee a couple of months ago has now appeared on her site. To read this, simply click here

Thanks for stopping by, we’ll be back with more news from the world of Shadow Writer very soon.