Hello everyone, and welcome to yet another edition of my monthly blog. Yep, that's right, my wife, daughter, her partner and I visited the home of the national football team (soccer if you're in the US) this month to watch the mighty Def Leppard and Motley Crue duke it out for top billing, and we were not disappointed. There's something pretty cool about hearing Pour Some Sugar On Me and Dr. Feelgood at the same gig. We're off to see The Boss at Hyde Park with my son and dad this weekend, and then back to the Download Festival next year, but that's enough of a live music update. That's not what this blog's really about, after all.
I hope you're all well and enjoying the summer. For our part, we got to spend a few days down in Dorset where the weather and scenery (including some very nice pubs and beaches) were gorgeous. We're back home in Kent now where I'm busy with the preparations for The Faraway People, my next horror novel.
On that, I can announce that the release date has been confirmed for.......Halloween. I'm really thrilled by that, and my publisher, Cranthorpe Millner, have been really accommodating in slotting the book into their schedule at a time that I felt would best suit it. It's a horror read with a fantasy spin, and so Halloween felt pretty right. There will be a Halloween themed launch party, and I'll be putting an advance notice up of the date and location in due course. Obviously, everyone's invited, and entrance will be free for all. There might even be a drink in it for you.
I've been working with my cover artist - the very talented DansMonsters - almost non stop over the past few weeks, and I can tell you the cover is absolutely out of this world. I couldn't be more pleased with it. If you're not familiar with Dan's work, I suggest you head over to Instagram and look him up - @dansmonsters. You will not be disappointed. Also, if you are a horror or fantasy writer and on the lookout for an artist to illustrate your work, I massively recommend him. Not only he is a very talented artist, but he's a really decent guy, too. I can't wait for you to see what we've come up with.
The editing of the book is completely finished. I worked with a really great editor, and as always, once I got through the initial denial phase, I accepted the vast majority of the proposed changes. The best and worst thing in the world is having someone who is completely independent cast a critical eye over your precious piece of artistic endeavour. I can honestly say that I always end up with something better by the end of it, but, boy, is it painful.
I'll be exhibiting at the UK Comic and Gaming Convention at the Detling showground in Maidstone on 1 October, and I'm planning to have a few advance copies of The Faraway People to sell at the show. If you want to get your hands on my new book - which by the way I think is fantastic, of course - before anybody else, then head on down there. You can get your tickets online at UKCGF.com.
I've been really busy this past month, hence the slightly late blog, but I'm also happy to say I'm making good progress on my next book which is shaping up to be a subterranean sci-fi horror. It's a little bit Lovecraftian, a little bit James Herbert-esque, and I'm having the best time creating the characters, constructing the worlds, and making the whole thing as bone-chillingly terrifying as possible. I've even teed Dan up to do the cover for this one, too. Much more on that to come.
I've been reading lots of independent books this months. The Books of Sarah by an author I met at HorrorCon (James Lefebure) is well worth a read, and I've also been reading advance release copies of new books by R. N. Cogley and my friend and stablemate, Chris Coppel. All three authors have books available on Amazon and other platforms. If you're interested in what I'm reading and what I've read, head over to my Goodreads page (Stacey Dighton ( of Night Terrors Vol. 26) | Goodreads) where you'll find all my reviews.
Lastly, I've put up part 3 of my horror short story, Prize Crop, on the Free Reads section of this website. I've had some great feedback so far, so if people are interested in receiving a full copy of that particular novella, send me a message and I'll see what I can do.
In the meantime, have a great July, enjoy what is hopefully a balmy summer, and happy reading.
Cheers,
SD
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