As Summer draws to a close and we all head back to school and work, thoughts are turning to my favourite time of year, Autumn. I love these months, with all the excitement of Hallowe’en and bonfires not too distant. The air is different with the trace of earth and smoke. There is a gentler, softer light. Beyond that, the cooler months send us back inside to our fires and, for me, to different stories. My reading shifts from summers by the sea to darker, sinister tales. So too does my writing. I love the supernatural and eerie peace this time of year inspires. I’ve always been drawn to ghost stories and the thought of a good M.R. James or Dickens by the fire, glass of wine in hand, of course. In recent years, there have been some marvellous new collections released, including Jeannette Winterson’s utterly fantastic and nervously unsettling Christmas Days. Also, Eight Ghosts, intriguingly published by English Heritage, with tales by authors such as Mark Haddon and Sarah Perry.
With that in mind, I wanted to share with you the good news that my work has been accepted for publication by the BTS Literary and Arts Annual. They’re based on the concept of Dickens’ winter annuals and traditional winter ghost stories and supernatural. I’m absolutely thrilled and very flattered. I’m so excited to be accepted by such a lovely publisher and especially in the genre I love. It will be published in early November – in case you were wondering about any stocking fillers or needed something for yourself by the fire. I will post more details nearer the time. I do hope you enjoy it. Try not to get too scared, although that is the intention.
Congratulations, Victoria