Shadow Writer - The Official Paul Kane Website

Paul’s second release in as many months is now available for pre-order. RED is a novella which is being published by Skullvines Press, with fantastic cover art from the one and only Dave McKean (MirrorMask, The Graveyard Book) and an introduction by Tim Lebbon (The Everlasting, Fallen). Here’s the blurb:

‘Evil Takes on Many Forms. This is something Rachael Daniels, a lowly careworker, is about to find out... personally. Because something is roaming the streets of the city where she lives, something with a taste for human blood: sweet, red blood. Something that can be anything it wants to be. Soon Rachael will learn that not even friendly faces can be trusted. And as she makes her way across that city at night on an errand of mercy, she discovers that this creature will definitely have none for her.

A modern, urban reworking of a classic tale, RED puts the horror spin on an old favourite. If you dare to open these pages, you’ll find a terrifying trip into the unknown courtesy of British Fantasy Award Nominee Paul Kane, author of Touching the Flame, Signs of Life, The Lazarus Condition, Arrowhead and Dead Time (adapted by Steve ‘30 Days of Night’ Niles as New Year’s Day for the Lionsgate/NBC television show Fear Itself, directed by Darren Lynn Bousman - SAW II-IV).’

The book is available for pre-order here, and the first 20 paid orders will get exclusive limited editions of the book signed by Paul, Dave and Tim, so don’t delay!

As announced by Abaddon here The Hooded Man will return! Yes, Paul’s just been commissioned to write a sequel to his popular Afterblight book, Arrowhead. This will be called Broken Arrow and takes place a year and a half after the events in the first novel.

Both Paul and his publishers have been delighted with the response to the original book, not least because it’s being accepted as part of the Hood canon, following in the tradition of everything from Henry Gilbert’s book Robin Hood, to TV series and movies like Robin of Sherwood (Paul’s personal favourite), Robin Hood Prince of Thieves and the BBC’s Robin Hood (all above).

Most recent praise for Arrowhead comes in the shape of a review on the Mass Movement site here (and in the next print mag, along with a lengthy interview with Paul). Jim Dodge Jr had this to say: ‘I know you see where this one’s going. That’s right! It’s a modern re-working of the old Robin Hood tales! There’s even a “Maid Marian” and a “Friar Tuck” to keep you company. Paul Kane effortlessly weaves the tale of our favorite green clad do-gooder with post-apocalyptic brilliance. I can’t say enough good about this book. It’s awesome and I loved every page of it!’

Meanwhile Sacramento Book Review commented: ‘Arrowhead is another great instalment in the Afterblight Chronicles, well written and a great visual. If you are lacking a good book to read and want an action-packed, this is a good one to pick up.’

And if you want to read the full four star review of Arrowhead from DeathRay, pick up the latest copy (above). Reviewer Anthony Leigh said: ‘Arrowhead is huge fun. The characters we know from the tales of Robin Hood are all there, and Kane allows them to understand they are playing a part in the re-establishment of a myth. If you’ve ever wanted to see Robin Hood go up against tanks, this is for you; if not, well, buy it anyway.’

Finally, School’s Out and Operation Motherland author Scott Andrews has commented that Arrowhead is: ‘Absolutely blinding and everybody should go buy a copy.’ As with the first book, Paul and Scott are also conspiring to add some crossover references in their new books, relating to events in the post-apocalyptic world of The Afterblight Chronicles.

Paul is privileged to welcome his Christmas Guest Writer now, acclaimed bestselling author Iain Banks (above). Responsible for superb novels such as The Bridge, The Crow Road, Whit, A Song of Stone and The Steep Approach to Gardbadale , he also writes SF under the name Iain M. Banks, with his latest ‘Culture’ novel being Matter (also above).

To read an extract from his first novel, The Wasp Factory (above), chosen personally by Paul and reprinted with kind permission from Iain and Little Brown Publishers, just click here.

You can read a brand new Christmas story from Paul in the Xmas edition of Estronomicon (above, with Alan M. Clark artwork). The tale is called ‘A Chaos Demon is for Life…’ and you’ll be able to find more information about the magazine by visiting the Screaming Dreams website here.

Paul has just finished an article about ‘Geographical Confluence’ with Marie for an upcoming issue of Shroud Magazine (above). The piece deals with supernatural occurrences which have been linked to locations of murder, death or natural disasters and covers such subjects as Jack the Ripper, The Angel of the Mons and the Amityville Horror. More news soon about when this will be out, but in the meantime you can visit the Shroud website here.

We can now reveal the winners of the mammoth Shadow Writer competition which we recently ran on the site. The response has been phenomenal, and Paul wishes to thank everyone who took the time to enter. But without further ado, in reverse order, here are the winners:

Third Place: Angie Walden from Leesville, LA – who receives signed copies of FunnyBones and Dalton Quayle Rides Out.

Second Place: Bojana Stankov from Serbia – who receives a signed copy of The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy.

First Place: Dean Drinkel from London – who receives signed copies of Arrowhead, Peripheral Visions and The Lazarus Condition.

Finally, Paul will be out and about over the next week or so attending the Ghost Reading Night in Derby on 3rd December at the Voicebox (featuring readings from Mark Chadbourn, Marie and Alex Davis) and then at the BFS Xmas Open Night on 5th December from 6pm onwards at Ye Olde Cock Tavern, Fleet Street, London.

All that remains is for the Shadow Writer team to wish visitors to the site a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year. See you all in 2009!

The first piece of news this month is the imminent release of Paul’s collection Peripheral Visions (above). This from the publicity release:

‘A man suffering from epilepsy finds himself addicted to strobe lighting, while another discovers why lies make the best material for a very special suit. As a clean-up crew entering a run-down house get more than they bargained for, and remote viewing comes under closer scrutiny, we find out about Santa’s extremely bad day. Can balance be maintained when the legendary figures Yin and Yang betray each other, will a mentally unbalanced check-out girl finally give into temptation, and will two ghosts finally find the love in death they couldn’t hang on to in this world? Snapshots of lives, of a reality just slightly out of kilter – of things that you can only see out of the corner of your eye: Peripheral Visions.

In this collection you’ll find twenty stories, and one novelette, from the extraordinary imagination of multiple British Fantasy Award Nominee Paul Kane: author of Touching the Flame, Signs of Life and The Lazarus Condition.’

The book is being published by Creative Guy, who did such a great job with Paul’s FunnyBones collection. To visit the site just click here.

Following on from the great reviews Paul’s novel Arrowhead has received so far comes another from Paul Simpson at Dreamwatch Presents Total Sci-Fi. Simpson comments: ‘ Of all the novels so far in The Chronicles, this is the most visual, with Kane’s prose bringing to life the world both within Nottingham Castle and in Sherwood Forest. His action sequences have a film editor’s eye, giving the reader exactly the amount of information needed to become caught up in events. Kane’s mixture of legend and modern-day works well, with Rob Stokes making a very effective reluctant hero, becoming the latest incarnation of the Hooded Man almost despite himself.’

Arrowhead also received an audio mention on Geek Syndicate’s regular podcast here. They had this to say: “Lovin’ it…What I like about it is it does mirror the legend of Robin Hood, but it’s its own story, and it’s quite aware that it is mirroring the legend of Robin Hood…I’m really enjoying it. Paul Kane’s got a really easy to read writing style and does action very well, I think.”

Paul is very proud to announce that his Guest Writer for November is the respected and award-winning author of The Turtle Boy (above), The Hides, Currency of Souls and The Living, Kealan Patrick Burke.

To read his phenomenal short story ‘Underneath’, taken from his recent collection The Number 121 to Pennsylvania (below) just click here.

Speaking of Kealan, he provides the introduction to long-time friend of the SW site and previous GW, Simon Clark’s new publication: Stone Cold Calling. Brought out by those lovely folk at Tasmaniac, who also published Paul’s Lazarus Condition, you can read more about it, read a review that Paul did originally for Mass Movement Magazine, and buy copies of the limited edition run on the publisher’s site by clicking here.

As mentioned in a previous month, Paul’s two features on Bond have appeared in TV Film Memorabilia Magazine. First up is an examination of the new movie, Quantum of Solace, which opened last Friday in the UK (above). In the same magazine you’ll also find a top ten of Bond gadgets which should keep fans happy (below).

One of Paul’s stories ‘Net Curtains’ will feature in the forthcoming FantasyCon 08 special edition of Estronomicon magazine (above, with the brilliant Vincent Chong cover). This will appear sometime around mid-November but more news as and when.

As promised, here is the picture gallery from FantasyCon 2008 (including the one from above of Paul, left, Chaz Brenchley, middle, and Simon R. Green, right). Co-chaired and organised by Paul and Marie, this has been described as one of the best FCons yet and you can read more blog posts and see more pictures by clicking on the link at the British Fantasy Society’s news page devoted to the event here.

News now of two trips Paul and Marie embarked on at the end of October. Firstly, they were delighted to be given the opportunity to meet up again with Neil Gaiman on his Graveyard Book Tour (above, with Paul). They got to interview him about the new book and then attended the exclusive launch party at The Café in the Crypt, St-Martin-in-the-fields Church, London. You can see pictures from that below, as well as a trip to The British Museum the day afterwards.

To read Paul’s review of the book itself (below), exclusive to the SW site, just click here.

That same week, they travelled down to Surrey to the set of Clive Barker’s new film project, Dread, directed by Anthony DiBlasi (check out the viral image that’s been released to publicise the movie above). Not a bad way to spend Halloween I’m sure you’ll agree. Look out for reports about this new movie very soon, but in the meantime below are a few pictures from the day and the excellent Halloween party at night.

Finally, there’s just time to remind you that you can still enter the Shadow Writer’s biggest ever competition to mark the 10th anniversary of Paul’s first published piece of fiction. You’ll find all the details in the previous month’s update, and you have just a couple of weeks left to get your entries in before it’s too late. Good luck and join us back here next month for more news.

Paul had a fantastic, if exhausting, time at FantasyCon 2008 (above you will find the cover of the souvenir booklet, edited by Paul & Marie, with Dave McKean artwork).

Paul actually had the pleasure of interviewing the artist and director himself live on stage on the Saturday (above).

As well as officially launching Arrowhead with Abaddon’s Jonathan Oliver (above left). Copies of the book were on sale throughout FCon (below) and it turned out to be the best-seller of the weekend for the publishers. The novel has also been gaining review praise with Lee Harris of The Hub calling it ‘One of the most enjoyable Robin Hood stories you are likely to read’ and a forthcoming review in DeathRay saying it’s ‘Huge fun from start to finish!’. You can read a full review of the book on Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review here, plus you can read what Jon Oliver had to say about both Arrowhead and FCon on the Abaddon blog here.

There will be a full gallery of pictures from FCon 2008 coming soon to the site, but in the meantime here are a couple of Paul’s favourite photos: Him and Christopher Golden catching up; and with his wife Marie, Co-chair of the event.

Christopher Golden, Paul Kane

Marie O'Regan, Paul Kane

(Pictures © Paul Kane & Peter Coleborn)

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Spirits in the Wire, Charles de Lint

Paul is delighted and honoured to welcome as his Guest Writer this Halloween month, World Fantasy Award-winning author Charles de Lint! With books such as Greenmantle, Angel of Darkness, The Onion Girl, Spirits in the Wires (above), Widdershins and Dingo (below) to his credit, Charles has built up a loyal army of fans over the years. The SW site is proud to be featuring his short story ‘That Was Radio Clash’ in its entirety, and to read it just click here.

Dingo, Charles de Lint

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Dark Side Issue 135

Dark Side, Joe R Lansdale article, Paul Kane

Time now, though, for a non-fiction round-up of Paul’s work. In the latest issue of Dark Side magazine (#135, above) you’ll find an interview Paul conducted with Bubba Ho-Tep author Joe R. Lansdale, about his life, his fiction, and how he feels about being a ‘Master of Horror’.

Rue Morgue magazine

In Issue 81 of Rue Morgue (above), you can find that long awaited sneak preview of Clive Barker’s Book of Blood movie, with quotes from both Clive and director John Harrison about the upcoming adaptation.

TV and Film Memorabilia, Patrick McGoohan, Public Eye

Thundercats

In the current edition of TV Film Memorabilia (above)you will find an article Paul wrote about the cult series Public Eye from the 60s/70s. Upcoming commissioned features from Paul include a piece on that famous cartoon Thundercats (also above).

Texas Chain Saw Massacre

And his latest reviews for Mass Movement include The Entrance, The Passage (starring Stephen Dorff) and the new three disc edition of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (above).

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Competition

Finally, the ‘flaming hot’ news for Halloween is a massive Shadow Writer competition! Yes, to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Paul’s first published story (‘Façades’ in Planet Prozak), we’re giving away some cracking prizes.

1st Prize: A signed edition of Paul’s new novel, Arrowhead, his new collection Peripheral Visions, and The Lazarus Condition (featuring the story ‘Dead Time’ which Fear Itself’s ‘New Year’s Day’ was based on).

2nd Prize: A signed copy of the hardback book The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy.

3rd Prize: A signed copy of the original first edition printing of FunnyBones (now very rare) and a signed copy of Dalton Quayle Rides Out.

To win, just answer this simple question: Arrowhead is a post-apocalyptic reworking of which famous story/character associated with Nottingham and Sherwood Forest?

The deadline for answers is 15th November and the winners will be the first three correct emails chosen at random, announced in December’s update.

Please send your answers, along with your snail mail address, to: hellraiser@shadow-writer.co.uk.

Good luck and keep checking back for more news updates on the SW site!

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September Extra

Breaking news: Lionsgate/NBC have just granted permission for Paul’s Fear Itself episode, ‘New Year’s Day’, to be screened at FantasyCon this coming weekend – as part of a filmshow which also includes shorts and Mirrormask clips from Dave McKean and a tribute to Ray Harryhausen. This will be a UK premiere exclusive to FantasyCon, so if you haven’t booked your place yet click here.

Above you’ll find the exciting trailer for Paul’s novel Arrowhead, just released in the UK. © Brad Watson.

Above is the first glimpse of the cover for Paul’s forthcoming collection Peripheral Visions, from Creative Guy Publishing. It’s an image from the award-winning artist Les Edwards (click here to read an interview with Les on the SW site), and the collection is already garnering some very positive praise.

Here’s what bestselling author Peter Straub (Mr X, Lost Boy Lost Girl) said: Paul Kane is a young writer with a lot to say and a burning need to say it. Reading these stories is a bit like watching a Twilight Zone marathon – one witty, surprising, ingenious story after another, each one delivering its shock of fear, pity, astonishment, or irony before giving way to the next little amazement. Also, I’m impressed by the range of Paul Kane’s imagination. It seems there is no risk, no high-stakes gamble, he fears to take. In this collection, a flipped-out Santa Claus encounters the police a breath before Yin and Yang get down and dirty. Kane’s foot never gets even close to the brake pedal.’

This month, though, is of course FantasyCon month. As one of the main organisers this year, Paul is very excited to be welcoming the likes of Sandman artist Dave McKean, Prowlers and The Ferryman author Christopher Golden, and ‘The Legends of the Raven’ series creator James Barclay (all below) to the con which takes place in Nottingham from 19th -21st September at the Britannia Hotel.

As well as organising, Paul will be interviewing Dave McKean (who directed the superb movie MirrorMask – below) live on stage on the Saturday.

Overseeing the proceedings as MC will be the ever-popular Christopher Fowler (below), bestselling author of Calabash and the Bryant and May series of books (the latest of which, The Victoria Vanishes, is in shops now).

The convention will feature lots of readings, panels (including a new Dr Who panel this year, featuring Who writers), a dealers’ room and launches – including one for Paul’s very own mass market novel, Arrowhead from Abaddon (below). After almost five years’ service, Paul will also be stepping down as Special Publications Editor of the British Fantasy Society at the AGM (going out on a high by launching Houses on the Borderland, the new BFS Publication edited by David Sutton, also below). For more details on how to register for FCon click here.

Before then Paul will be at the British Fantasy Society Open Night in London on 5th September, at Ye Olde Cock Tavern, London. Hopefully he’ll see you at either or both.

Speaking of Arrowhead, above and below are some photos taken of Paul’s trip to Sherwood Forest and Rufford earlier this year to celebrate the completion of this reworking of the Robin Hood legend. Above you can see Paul with the famous Major Oak, and below you’ll find the statue of Hood with Little John, Rufford Lake and Abbey.

But that wasn’t Paul’s only outing recently. Last month he had the great pleasure of visiting the famous Pinewood Studios (above) with relation to a future project he’s currently working on (details to follow in coming months). Paul and Marie had a brilliant time and were even give a tour round of the backlots, which included the bluescreen used for the water scenes of 007’s latest outing Quantum of Solace, and the tearing down of sets from Terry Pratchett’s The Colour of Magic (both below).

Coincidentally, Paul’s latest commissioned articles for TV Film Memorabilia revolve around Quantum of Solace (above), with a piece exploring the new Bond movie, plus one looking at his top ten gadgets. Not only that, Paul is also writing about Robocop for an upcoming online article (also above).

Meanwhile in the latest edition of the magazine (above) you can find Paul’s article on the Nightmare on Elm Street series, plus his exclusive interview with Robert ‘Freddy’ Englund himself!

Paul is delighted to announce as his Guest Writer for September, Scott Sigler, bestselling author of Infected (above). You can read the prologue and first chapter from this gripping horror-SF hybrid right now by clicking here.

Finally, news of a couple of Paul’s short stories. First up, ‘The Weeping Woman’ has just been reprinted in the latest online issue of New Voices in Horror, where you’ll also find interviews with authors like Kim Newman and Steve Tem. Just click here to go straight to it.

Paul has also received news that the co-author of All Things Dark and Hideous (above), Michael McCarty, has included a review of FunnyBones in his forthcoming book Esoteria Land. Here’s an extract of what Michael had to say:

‘When you pick up the cover to Funnybones by Paul Kane, you already know you are in for a treat. Steve Lines does an incredible job of capturing the likeness of Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi if they are decomposing skeletons…. In the introduction publisher and editor Pete S. Allen wrote “Funny is hard. Really.” But Paul Kane makes it looks so easy in this fantastic collection of 13 amusing short stories and poems of the macabre. The Funnybones collection will indeed tickle your funnybones and is reasonable priced (hell, you can’t even by a good CD for under $13 these days). This is a tasty buffet of bizarreness and buffoonery, comedy and chills – I loved every page of it!’

New Year’s Day premiered on 17th of last month and we have some more stills for you here (above and below). Its reception was mainly positive with Bloody Disgusting commenting: ‘This week’s episode is the first one that really captures the feel of a full-blown feature film for a television audience. A great deal of that success comes from the stark cinematography (courtesy of John Spooner) and the jump-cut editing (by Marshall Harvey). But, as both Spooner and Harvey have prior Fear Itself credentials (Family Man and Eater respectively) the onus for the episode’s ultimate feel must be placed on Bousman. In fact, New Year’s Day contains all the gritty, grimy, desaturated lighting and whip-pans that you’d expect to see from the man who helmed most of the SAW franchise.’

Matt Fowler of IGN.com had this to say: ‘New Year’s Day has a dark griminess to it that comes as a nice contract to the slick hyper-gloss of previous Fear instalments. It had that damp, dirty feeling that you get from the SAW movies... Having Steve Niles cook up another story involving the undead at war with human relationships was also a plus. Anyone who knows his work, surely can vouch for the fact that he won’t hesitate to have someone regrettably hack up a loved one after they’ve turned into a soulless minion of the undead…Or a Republican.’

Michael Gingold of Fangoria reported: ‘The pre-credits sequence is a knockout, joining Helen (Briana Evigan) as she wakes up at 4:32 in the morning after an apparent long night of heavy partying. Hung over and disoriented, she soon discovers that she’s got much worse to deal with than a headache: The power is out, chaos reigns in the streets outside and, as the story continues, she finds that a chemical-plant explosion has turned many of the public in general – and her friends in particular – into flesh eating killers… Scripted by horror-comics hero Steve Niles and Ben Sokolowski from the former’s adaptation of Paul Kane’s short story “Dead Time”, New Year’s Day does indeed feel like something that has sprung from the pages of an old Creepy or Eerie issue. As she tries desperately to get to her boyfriend’s place, where safety hopefully beckons, Helen has a series of unpleasant encounters with the ghouls and one threatening human, all illuminated by lots of intermittently flashing lights and the occasional spotlight from a passing helicopter. Every so often, we get glimpses of what went down for Helen at a party the night before… As televised terror goes, it emerges overall as a satisfying hour.’

While Bruce Simmons on Cinema Static offered this: ‘The atmospheric photography of the episode reminded me a bit of Cloverfield but the perspective of the episode takes a twisty turn… It was an amazing, new, refreshing twist. Fear Itself is really pulling it out so far for each episode… If I were to rate this episode on a scale of 1 to 10, I’d dare give it an 9. The ending boosted it up from a probable 8.’

Below you can watch a video from the NBC site which sees director Darren Bousman and star Briana Evigan talking about the episode.

There are plans for the series to be released on DVD in an uncut format, including New Year’s Day, so we’ll bring you news of that as and when we know more.

News now, though, of a couple more short stories from Paul. ‘The Suicide Room’ will appear in the line-up of Voices (above), to be published by Morrigan Books in September and launched at FantasyCon in Nottingham.

And for those of you suffering from Quayle withdrawal, you’ll be able to read his latest adventure in an upcoming issue of Tales of Moreauvia (above), the magazine which prides itself on ‘Flights of Historical Fancy’. Click on the website here to find out more.

Plus you’ll find a great review by Mathew Riley of Read by Dawn, highlighting Paul’s story ‘Windchimes’, at the Book Geeks site here.

For the first time ever, our Guest Writer for August is a previous GW from the site. But we felt the fact that Tim Lebbon had not one, but three books coming out (and in the UK through Allison and Busby and Humdrumming) was excuse enough to bring him back. Not only can you read extracts from The Everlasting (above), Fallen and The Reach of Children (both below) here, here and here, but they are also preceded by mini-interviews Paul conducted with the author last month. So sit back, enjoy, and then go out and buy.

If you pick up a copy of the latest issue of Dark Side magazine, # 134 (above), you can also enjoy an interview Paul and Marie conducted with bestselling horror author Shaun Hutson, of Slugs, Assassin and Unmarked Graves notoriety.

Paul has also begun contributing reviews to Mass Movement’s magazine and website. These include write ups of the horror film The Graveyard,Simon Clark’s Stone Cold Calling and Peter Weir’s cult movie The Cars That Ate Paris (below). To visit the site, just click here.

Finally, Paul had a great time at the BFS Awards Showcase on 19th July at Ye Olde Cock Tavern, Fleet Street, and even got to meet one of his writing heroes: Brian Aldiss (who penned the story on which Spielberg’s A.I. is based). We’ll leave you with photos from the event below:

From left to right: Lee Thompson, of Humdrumming, Christopher Fowler and Simon Clark.

Paul's just received the following images from the episode of Fear Itself, New Year's Day, based on his story 'Dead Time', which airs on NBC in the US today.

More news on Paul’s episode of Fear Itself to begin with this month (see last month’s news for more details). Some of the cast have been revealed now, starting with Briana Evigan (above), star of House of the Damned, Step Up 2: The Streets and the forthcoming sequel to Donnie Darko. Briana plays the lead character, Helen Kirby.

Also cast in the episode is Niall Matter, of A Town Called Eureka fame, who plays Mothman in the new Watchmen film, based on the groundbreaking Alan Moore graphic novel (above, in the Minutemen, second from left).

Above you can see one of the first stills from the movie, courtesy of Bloody Disgusting, which shows a zombie merrily chomping away on a victim’s arm. Also on that site you will find an exclusive report following Darren Bousman in the editing suite post shoot, with more exclusive behind the scenes photos. To check it out, just click here.

Lastly, you can read an article on the series in the latest issue of Fangoria (above, with the HellboyII cover) which has a checklist including all the episodes.

The episode is due to air on 17th July, but we’ll be keeping you up-to-date with any news as and when before that time, so keep checking in.

Meanwhile, the story on which New Year’s Day is based, and the book in which it features, have been recommended for British Fantasy Awards. Both the novella ‘The Lazarus Condition’ and ‘Dead Time’ have been recommended, and if you head on over to the Tasmaniac site here you can read exclusive extracts from both of them.

Paul is thrilled to announce that his short stories ‘Dig (This)’ published in Dark Animus; ‘The Convert’, which appeared in The Shadows Trilogy from Screaming Dreams; and the novella Dalton Quayle Rides Out from Pendragon Press have also picked up recommendations. Proprietor of Pendragon , Christopher Teague is willing to send any member of the BFS a pdf version of DQRO if you drop him a line here.

And Paul will be attending the BFS Awards Showcase on 19th July at Ye Olde Cock Tavern, Fleet Street, starting at 2pm.

Our Guest Writer for the month of July is New York Times bestseller David Morrell, who created the enduring character of Rambo (above in the new Stallone movie) for his powerful novel First Blood.

David has chosen to contribute a piece of non-fiction to the site, namely the afterword of the excellent novel Creepers (below), which won the Bram Stoker award. To read this, simply click here.

Two pieces from Paul are in the latest issue of TV Film Memorabilia, as promised: an Incredible Hulk timeline, featuring a history of the comics, the TV series and the movies, plus the first part of his Monty Python retrospective (both below).

He has also been asked to write an article on the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise (below), which will include the Robert Englund interview mentioned in a previous news section.

Paul was saddened to hear about the death of FX master Stan Winston last month. Stan was, of course, the genius behind the effects in The Terminator, Aliens, Jurassic Park, Predator (below) and so many other magical movies. He will be greatly missed.

Finally, here are some pictures from Paul’s recent visit to London, for the June BFS Open Night and a trip to the London Dungeons over that weekend…

First on the agenda this month is a major announcement for the SW site. Paul’s story ‘Dead Time’ has been bought by the film company Lionsgate and developed as an episode for the NBC television series Fear Itself (above). The zombie tale, which appeared in Paul’s 2007 book The Lazarus Condition from Tasmaniac Publications, has been adapted for the screen by the creator of 30 Days of Night and Criminal Macabre Steve Niles (below) under the title ‘New Year’s Day’.

The episode recently went before the cameras under the capable direction of Darren Bousman (below, right), director of SAW II-IV, with special make-up effects from Oscar-winners KNB (Chronicles of Narnia).

The anthology series was created by Mick ‘Masters of Horror’ Garris (below)…

…and high profile directors working on the show include John Landis (American Werewolf in London), Stuart Gordon (Re-animator) and Ronny Yu (Freddy vs. Jason) – below from left to right.

While stars appearing in the series include erstwhile Superman Brandon Routh, Shiri Appleby ( Roswell) and Eric Roberts (Heroes) – again, below from left to right.

Audiences at Fangoria’s recent ‘Weekend of Horrors’ were given a sneak preview of the series and you can watch that trailer here. You can also find out more information about the show on the NBC site here, here and here. In addition you can visit its IMDB page by clicking here. Finally, there is an interview with one of the show’s producers, Keith Addis, in the latest issue of Shivers (below).

Fear Itself is due to begin airing on Thursday 5th June and continue for 13 weeks in the E.R. timeslot during its summer hiatus. We’ll be bringing you more news as and when on both the series and ‘New Year’s Day’, but in the meantime if you want to read the original story then copies of The Lazarus Condition can still be purchased from Horror Mall here, Jeff ‘n’ Joys in the UK here and, of course, the publishers here.

If you fancy reading some brand new fiction by Paul, though, we’d recommend you pick up the just-published anthology Read By Dawn which features Paul’s subtle yet very disturbing supernatural story ‘Windchimes’. To buy this from Amazon simply click here.

Now, time to give this month’s Guest Writer a very warm welcome. It’s the one and only Jeff Mariotte, who fans of the 30 Days… series will recognise as the co-author of Rumours of the Undead, Immortal Remains and Eternal Damnation (above) with Steve Niles, as well as books in the Conan, Charmed, Buffy, Angel, Star Trek, CSI and Supernatural universes. He is the creator of the award-winning and hugely successful Witch Season series of books, and author of the original novel Missing White Girl (below). Click here for an exclusive extract from the follow up to that book, River Runs Red.

Paul’s just turned in a timeline of The Incredible Hulk to TV Film Memorabilia magazine, which will appear in the next issue alongside the first part of his Python two-parter (see last month). In this he traces the origins of everyone’s favourite less than jolly green giant, from his first appearance in his own Marvel comic (above) to the brand new movie coming out over the summer starring Edward Norton (below).

But if you can’t wait that long, Paul’s feature on Indiana Jones – timed to coincide with his new movie – can be found in the current issue of TVFM (below).

Paul had the great pleasure of interviewing screenwriter and director Eric Red (above) last month. A true legend of the genre, Eric first rose to fame in the 80s as writer of The Hitcher (below), starring Rutger Hauer, and the vampire classic Near Dark.

Eric has written and directed movies such as Cohen and Tate, Body Parts (below) and Bad Moon.

And his latest movie as writer/director is 100 Feet, a ghost story starring X-Men’s Famke Janssen (below). You can watch the trailer for that here. More details about where and when this cracking interview will appear in a future news section.

Lastly, Paul has just sold his collection Peripheral Visions to Creative Guy Publishing. It includes all his best published fiction from the last seven years or so, such as ‘Strobe’, ‘Guilty Pleasures’, ‘Remote’, ‘Suit of Lies’, ‘The Opportunity’ and ‘Dig This’, as well as brand new stories like the novelette ‘Reunion’ and ‘Yin and Yang’. More details to follow, but the collection will be out in October, has a cover by award-winning artist Les Edwards, and will soon be available on the CGP site for pre-publication ordering. Click here to visit the CGP page where it was announced.

Paul will be at the British Fantasy Society Open Night on 6th June from 6pm at Ye Olde Cock Tavern, Fleet Street, so hopefully he might see a few of you there for a drink and a chat. But be sure to keep checking back here for more exciting SW news.

We’re delighted to be able to show you the stunning cover of Paul’s forthcoming mass market novel for Abaddon: Arrowhead (above and below). As reported last month the artist is 2000 AD’s Mark Harrison and we’re sure you’ll agree he’s done a wonderful job of bringing this reworking of the Hood myth to life, set against a future Nottingham in flames.

News of the book has appeared now on the Abaddon site here, and this is from the advance preview blurb: ‘In a post-apocalyptic future, a legend is reborn! In the years following The Cull England has reverted back to the middle ages, ripe for invasion by the Frenchman De Falaise and his group of mercenaries. They enter through the Channel Tunnel and work their way up the country, expanding their army as they go.

‘Ex-policeman Robert Stokes lost everything to the virus that ravaged these isles, a virus which killed anyone who didn’t have O-Negative blood. Along with his wife and his son, it took Robert’s whole reason for living. Retreating into the woods and forests near Nottingham, he has become a hunter, living off the land and avoiding any form of human contact…until now.

Pockets of survivors are now attempting to build up small communities in the region, bartering at makeshift markets and forming tentative connections. But when De Falaise arrives at Nottingham – proclaiming himself the new ‘Sheriff’ and using the castle as his base from which to raid these communities – Robert finds himself drawn reluctantly into the fight, using the famous legend of a Hooded Man as his guide.’

The novel, part of the Afterblight series (above), will be out in September in the UK and will receive its launch at FantasyCon 2008, appropriately enough at Nottingham. The US release will be in November.

In April Paul was given the opportunity to talk to rocker, writer and director Rob Zombie (above) about his life, his work and the recent remake of Halloween starring Malcolm McDowell (below). Part of this interview is now online at the Pantechnicon website here and you can read a review Paul has done of the movie by clicking here.

With a big thank you to Martin Blythe in the US, Lauren at Shine, plus of course Rob for his time.

To celebrate the phenomenal Heroes being back on our screens in the UK, Paul’s interview with James Kyson Lee (who plays Ando – below) is now also up at Pantechnicon and will be linked in from the interview section of the SW site. To go straight to it, though, just click here.

The Shadow Writer site is absolutely thrilled to welcome bestselling author John Connolly (above) as Guest Writer for the month of May. John is the author of the Charlie Parker series of novels, which began with Every Dead Thing, as well as the supernatural collection Nocturnes, and the superb Book of Lost Things. We’re proud to present the prologue of his new Parker novel, The Reapers (below) here to whet your appetites and send you racing out to buy it. Enjoy.

As announced by the publisher’s blog here Paul is contributing to a very special anthology based around the God Machine album Scenes from the Second Storey (above). Due to be published by Morrigan Books in 2009, this will be available in two versions: one featuring an all Australian line-up and one consisting of international authors. Keep checking back for more news as and when.

Paul’s just been commissioned to write a two part article about the history of Monty Python, taking in the TV show and the films, and ending with the hugely successful stage version of Holy Grail (below), Spamalot. You’ll be able to read the pieces in forthcoming editions of TV Film Memorabilia soon. In the meantime you can still read Paul and Marie’s article on former Python Terry Gilliam’s Tideland – featuring interviews with the director and cast – on the SW site here.

Below you will find just a few images from Derby’s Alt.Fiction event (see last month for details), which was a raging success. Until next time…

The horror panel including Sarah Pinborough (left), Mark Morris, Simon Clark and Tim Lebbon (right).

You can read a brand new interview conducted with Paul for the New Voices in Horror Magazine, online here right now. The interview is running alongside ones with the likes of writers Teri Jacobs and Jeff Mariotte (co-author of 30 Days of Night: Rumors of the Undead, above) and FX man Mike McCarty, who worked on Grindhouse and The Mist (below). NVH have also reprinted one of Paul’s best loved shorts, ‘The Bones Brothers’, to go with the interview.

We begin with more news about Paul’s novel Arrowhead this month. He’s just discovered that the cover artist will be Mark Harrison from the 2000 AD stables. Mark has worked on projects featuring Judge Dredd (above), Strontium Dog spin-off Durham Red (below), Rogue Trooper, plus Star Wars and Terminator, as well as being responsible for the other Afterblight covers. To See more of his stunning artwork just click here.

Keep checking back for more news on Arrowhead in coming months, including details about the launch, but for those of you who would like a sneak preview, the first chapter will be available to read in the back of Jaspre Bark’s excellent Dawn Over Doomsday (below)

Last month Paul got to take a tour of post production on The Book of Blood (see previous news sections for details) in London at Black Island Studios, and see some of the ‘Highway of the Dead’ sequences being filmed and put together.

Paul was also delighted to be able to catch up with Clive Barker (above) again on the set to talk about the movie’s progress (you’ll be able to read his thoughts, along with those of the director John Harrison in an upcoming piece for Rue Morgue Paul has delivered). As if all that wasn’t enough, Clive very kindly drew in Paul’s personal copy of The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy – appropriately a picture of Pinhead!

Paul is very excited to welcome his Guest Writer for April, Douglas Preston, with an extract from his new novel Blasphemy. As well as being a talented author in his own right (with books such as The Codex and Tyrannosaur Canyon), Douglas is responsible, along with co-writer Lincoln Child, for the Pendergast series of novels, beginning with Relic – which was turned into a movie starring Penelope Ann Miller and Tom Sizemore (below). To read Chapter Two of Blasphemy in its entirety, just click here.

Now for another non-fiction round up. You can find interviews Paul conducted with Doug ‘Pinhead’ Bradley and director Russell Cherrington about their new film To The Devil His Due in the latest issue of The Dark Side # 132 (above).

And in the April edition of TV Film Memorabilia (above) you’ll see not one, but two contributions by Paul. The first is a mammoth feature on The Terminator (also above) in the wake of the new series currently airing on Virgin, The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Included is all the background on the franchise and, of course, all the memorabilia.

In addition, you can read Paul’s exclusive interview with Hellboy actor Ron Perlman, in which he gives us a sneak preview of the second HB movie coming out later this year: The Golden Army.

Be sure to look out for an article Paul has just done on Indiana Jones for TVFM which is coming soon. It traces the origins of the series and includes the new movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (above).

Finally, there’s a distinct Dr Who flavour to the reviews Paul contributed to Pantechnicon recently. As well as reviewing the audio versions of Wetworld by Mark Michalowski, Sick Building by Paul Magrsand Forever Autumn by Mark Morris, he also reviewed an adventure from William Hartnell’s era, The Time Meddler (above). Catch these and more by visiting the site here.

And the last piece of news before we leave you, Paul will be attending Alt.Fiction again – for the third year running – at the Assembly Rooms in Derby on 26th April. Guests this time include Michael Marshall Smith, Brian Lumley, Mike Carey, Simon Spurrier, Stephen Gallagher, Eric Brown, Sarah Ash, Conrad Williams, Sarah Pinborough and many more. You can book tickets from the Assembly Rooms Box Office on 01332 255800 for £20/£16 concessions, or contact Alex Davis on alex.davis@derby.gov.uk. Hopefully Paul will see some of you there.

A couple of interview news pieces to begin this month’s roundup. Firstly, Paul was thrilled at finally getting to talk to Robert Englund (above), one of his horror heroes. In the lengthy chat, the star – who, of course, is famous for making the role of Freddy Krueger (below) his own – revealed lots of little-known facts about making the Nightmare movies, as well as what it’s been like to be on the other side of the camera as director. More to come about where and when you can read this, very soon.

But you can read the second interview of the month right now at Dreamwatch Presents Total Sci-Fi here. In this one Paul talks to another horror legend, George A. Romero (above) about his career and about what it’s been like working with zombies all these years – culminating with the release of his new movie Diary of the Dead (below) in March in the UK. The piece has also been added to the permanent interview section which you can find here.

Our Guest Writer on the site this month is the extremely talented and multiple award-winning US writer Gary A. Braunbeck, creator of the ‘Cedar Hill’ stories (above) and novels and author of books such as The Indifference of Heaven, Silent Graves, Keepers, plus the chilling Mr Hands (below). To read an extract from the forthcoming Cedar Hill novel entitled Coffin County, simply click here.

In the latest issue of Writers’ Forum (above) you can find a piece that Paul edited based on his own interview with bestselling author Simon Clark. In this Masterclass Simon talks about how to make the perfect monster, whether it be human or supernatural-based. Pick up your copy today and get some tips!

A whole bunch of new reviews by Paul have been added to the Pantechnicon site here. These include: audio books based on the increasingly popular Torchwood, Everyone Says Hello by Dan Abnett (above) and Hidden by Steven Savile; John Barrowman’s audio autobiography Anything Goes; the Dr Who audio books …Space War and …The Brain of Morbius; Masters of Horror Season Two Vol. 2 box set; the new horror movie DVD Dead Mary; the excellent audio dramatisation of Robert Rankin’s Brightonomicon produced by Neil Gardner and starring David Warner; and Robert Rodriquez’s zombie Grindhouse movie Planet Terror (below).

Both the Kanography and Non-Fiction sections of the site have now been updated with new information about Paul’s work, quotes, pictures and links to buy books. You can access these by clicking on the buttons to your left or by clicking here and here.

Paul had a lovely birthday – thanks to everyone for the good wishes – and this was capped off by a great time at the Basil Copper book launch (see last month for details). We’ll leave you this month with a few pictures from that special night…

From left, editor and compiler of the fabulous book, Stephen Jones, Basil’s wife Annie and Basil himself.

The first bit of news for Paul’s birthday month is a big one. As announced by the company itself and subsequently by UKSF Booknews here, we can now tell you that Paul has been working hard on a novel for Abaddon’s Afterblight series of books. Arrowhead will be out in mass market paperback in October in the UK and around Christmas time in the US.

We can’t go into too much detail about the plot yet, but the story revolves around the legend of Robin Hood (immortalised below) set against the backdrop of a post-apocalyptic future – and parts of the novel take place in and around Nottingham Castle. More news over the coming months, so keep checking in at the SW site and at the Abaddon website here.

And there’s an element of Robin Hood to our next piece of news, too. Paul and Marie were invited to do a set report up in Edinburgh in January, where filming is taking place on the new adaptation of Clive Barker’s Book of Blood. Scripted and directed by John Harrison (who ably handled the Sci-Fi Channel’s Dune miniseries), it stars Sophie Ward as Mary Florescu, Doug ‘Pinhead’ Bradley as Tollington and Jonas Armstrong (below playing the BBC’s Hood) as Simon McNeal. You can find out more about the movie and read a production diary by producer Joe Daley on the official Barker website here.

Continuing with the superb line-up we have of Guest Writers for 2008, Paul is proud to present a never before seen in English short story by Peter Straub. As fans of the genre will be well aware, Peter co-wrote both The Talisman (above) and Black House with Stephen King, and is also the bestselling author of novels such as Mr X, Lost Boy Lost Girl and Ghost Story (below). So, to go straight to ‘Variations on a Theme from Seinfeld’ simply click here.

Paul had the great pleasure of interviewing Ron Perlman recently for TV & Film Memorabilia magazine. Ron is, of course, best known for his roles in TV’s Beauty and the Beast and in the first two Hellboy movies (below). In the interview he reveals how he got into acting and tells readers exclusively about Hellboy2: The Golden Army which is due out over the summer. Details of which issue this will be in, coming soon.

Also for the same magazine, Paul has just turned in a retrospective of The Terminator franchise. In this he looks at the history of the movies from the original James Cameron film (above) through to T2 (below) and then Rise of the Machines, before reporting on the future with the new Sarah Connor Chronicles and Terminator Salvation, the upcoming movie starring Christian Bale. In addition Paul takes time out to look at the host of merchandise associated with the films. More details as and when.

Now for some more non-fiction news. In the latest issue of Dark Side magazine, #131 (above) you’ll find Paul and Marie’s fascinating interview with the director of Fear Dot Com, Titan Find, the ‘Fair Haired Child’ episode of Masters of Horror and House on Haunted Hill (below), William Malone.

In this, William talks about his previous films as well as his new venture, called Parasomnia (above).

In the latest edition of Writers’ Forum magazine (above) you can also read an interview Paul conducted with Clive Barker about his writing, background, inspirations and work.

In Death Ray Issue 9 (above, with the Dr Who cover) you can find a review that Paul did of Simon Clark’s new book from Severn House, Lucifer’s Ark .

And finally for Pantechnicon Paul has written a number of reviews, including the new 20th Anniversary edition of Hellraiser (above), the Battlestar Galactica box set, Wrong Turn 2, To The Devil His Due, the new Buffy the Vampire Slayer graphic novel, Blade Runner box set and Day Watch:Director’s Cut (below). Find them, and more, by clicking here.

As well as all this, you will soon be able to find an interview with New York Times bestselling author Tim Lebbon in the March/April edition of Shroud magazine (above). But if you can’t wait that long, there’s another brand new interview now up on the SW site which you can access just by clicking here.

Paul is also delighted to announce that the artwork Les Edwards contributed to the recent Stephen Jones British Fantasy Society publication H.P. Lovecraft in Britain has been nominated for a BSFA Award. The winner will be revealed on Saturday 22nd March 2008 at Orbital, the British National Science Fiction Convention, which is being held at the Radisson Edwardian Hotel near Heathrow, London. As reported last month, the book can be bought directly from the BFS here.

You can now read an interview with Les, where he talks about his other award-winning book cover and poster art for the likes of Son of Celluloid and Nightbreed (above) on the SW site in the interview section here.

Paul was excited to find out last month that his ghost story ‘Windchimes’ will be in the final line-up of the third Read By Dawn anthology (see above for the original). The anthology will be put together by Adele Hartley – curator of Bloody Books and Festival director of Dead By Dawn, Scotland’s International Horror Film Festival (below – click on the picture for the link). The book is due to be published in May, so more details nearer the time.

Paul has just been told of a new review of his Hellraiser book, this time from Kitley’s Krypt back in December. They had this to say: ‘Author Kane has definitely done his homework here, digging up a lot of material about the series. He starts off with the original creator Clive Barker, his start up, and how it led to the creation of Hellraiser. He also goes into some detail about symbolisms in the films and different themes, but doesn’t go way overboard, making them more Pyscho-Babble than they are. He discusses certain changes in the films through their development…

‘For example, on Hellraiser: Bloodline, Kane talks about some of the stories and outlines from the original scripts that had been written. This gives us a great idea of what some of the original concepts were, before the studios got a hold of them. There’s plenty of interviews and quotes from people involved throughout the movies. These are not only new quotes, but taken from interviews at the time the films were being made. Gives a nice perspective from then and now…Die-hard Hellraiser fans, you will enjoy this book!’

As we mentioned at the beginning of this news update, February is Paul’s birthday month and we’re sure that you’ll all join us in saying many happy returns! Later on the month Paul will be at the BFS Open Night and Basil Copper Book launch at Ye Old Cock Tavern in Fleet Street on 23rd February from 6.00pm onwards, where Stephen Jones will be unveiling his new PS publication about the classic writer (above), along with artists Randy Broecker and Les Edwards, and designer Michael Marshall Smith. Perhaps he’ll see some of you there for a drink and chat…

The Shadow Writer site has been asked to bring to your attention a cracking new competition marking the release of the new horror movie Hatchet on DVD! For a chance to win a Nintendo Wii just head on over to the site and play the ‘Cabin Fever’ game by clicking here.

And if you want to read Paul's review of Hatchet on the Pantechnicon website, just click here.

Happy New Year and welcome back to the Shadow Writer site. We hit the ground running in 2008 with news of two appearances for Paul in major publications. To begin with The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy was mentioned in the Independent on Sunday’s The New Review magazine (above and below) on 16th December as part of their Christmas Books section. Christopher Fowler had this to say about the tome: ‘The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy by Paul Kane takes its subject seriously and works through a surprising number of thoughtful ideas, from horror’s fascination with all things medical to the recurring voyeuristic tropes in Clive Barker’s work. There’s no reason why a study of B-movies shouldn’t reveal as much as any volume on the great directors, and this is a definitely well-researched fan volume about a film series made for fans.’ The round-up also featured Cinema Macabre which contained Paul’s essay on Hellraiser.

The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy is available to buy from Independent Books Direct now with 10% discount. Simply click here to go straight to it.

The second appearance was a detailed examination of Paul’s life and work for Reflections magazine. The three page interview was conducted by Jane Croft and appeared in January’s edition of the publication (above and below).

We have some exceptional Guest Writers coming up in 2008 and to kick off the year with a bang Paul is honoured to welcome Bram Stoker Award-winning author of books such as The Nightrunners (above), The Drive-In, Mucho Mojo and Bumper Crop, none other than hisownself Joe R. Lansdale!

Joe is also, of course, author of the brilliant Bubba Ho-Tep which was turned into a movie by Don (Phantasm) Coscarelli, starring The Evil Dead’s Bruce Campbell. And it is this story that the Shadow Writer site is proud to bring to you – so to access it right away, just click here.

The Shadow Writer site is delighted to spread the word about the brand new hardback version of The Hellbound Heart (above) which has just come out from Earthling Publications. The story on which Hellraiser was based, this is the first occasion the novella has appeared in its own hardback release – and this time with intros from Ashley (Kirsty) Laurence and Peter (writer of Hellraisers II-IV) Atkins, plus a brand new painted cover by Clive. To pick one up, visit the website here.

Last month Paul was given the opportunity to interview the man credited with making horror comics big again: creator of the hugely popular 30 Days of Night series, Steve Niles. In the interview Paul chatted to Steve about his early Clive Barker adaptations like Son of Celluloid, his other graphic novels such as Criminal Macabre, Wake the Dead and Bigfoot (with Rob Zombie), and the movie adaptation of 30 Days (below). More news about where this will appear, soon.

News now of a reprint of one of Paul’s zombie stories. ‘Pay the Piper’ has appeared in the Altair Australia Books anthology entitled, appropriately enough, Zombies (above). Edited by Robert N. Stephenson and with sumptuous cover art from Conny Valentina, you can get hold of your copy by clicking here.

The interview section of the site has undergone a bit of a revamp. Now you can find interviews conducted with Paul over the years and read interviews he has done with others – such as Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, Muriel Gray, Steve Harris, Neal Asher and more – by clicking on the interview button or just clicking here.

In his capacity as Special Publications Editor of the British Fantasy Society, Paul is proud to announce their new release. Written by the award-winning Stephen Jones and with original cover artwork from award-winning artist Les Edwards, H.P. Lovecraft in Britain looks set to be the collectors’ item all Lovecraft fans will want, especially as it is limited to just 750 copies signed by both contributors. Free to members of the BFS, you can also buy this very special chapbook by clicking here.

Speaking of Stephen Jones, he and Mandy Slater (above) were in attendance at the BFS’s Open Night on December 7th December at Ye Olde Cock Tavern, London, along with Les and Val Edwards, Doug Bradley and Nicholas Vince (Pinhead and Chatterer from Hellraiser), Michael Marshall Smith, Christopher Fowler, Stephen Gallagher, Abaddon author Scott Andrews, Dr Who author Simon Guerrier, Simon Clark, Marie O’Regan and Cory Doctorow (below), Phil and Sarah Stokes from the Revelations site, filmmaker Frazer Lee, Paul McCauley and many others. A great festive time was had by all.

Finally, as promised, here is the gallery of pictures from FantasyCon 2007. Click here to enjoy some memories of another excellent convention.