I’m unsure how effective these updates are, or if anyone is reading them, but if you are, thank you. Writing is a solitary sport, but it requires spectators to make it worthwhile. The concept of speaking into the void without my words reaching anyone is a depressing thought. So again, thank you for jumping in and being there.
This year, so far, has caught me off guard. Save for all the worldly issues that unite every soul, and adapting a new way of living/working, I had set off in February intending to release two books by the end-of-year. What I didn’t expect, or foresee, was how consuming my horror story collection, HUMAN TENDERLOIN, would be. I intended it as literary chum to entice the horror community to take a nibble on me and see if they liked my work. But what began as simple curating of previously published stories, and adding to the mix a few recent stories, turned into something much more demanding. Putting to one side all the mechanics of writing (editing – big thanks to Danni Vinson!- formatting etc), I took some photography that I believed would pay tribute to the prose. Not interpretation of the stories, but more thematically tethered to them. The intention then was to add each to the book. This proved too protracted, and, as it was pointed out to me by another writer, some people don’t want to see a rendering, in any form, of the narrative because that would negate their own imagination from forming its own imagery. Having already committed to the task, I’ve since omitted them from the book, but will use them as promotional aides across various social media platforms. I’ve also created a dedicated Instagram page where all the photographs can be corralled and exhibited for public consumption, should the reader wish to see them before or after reading the book. You can find the page here. There are no photos there at present, but this will change regularly, so please follow the page for all updates. I promise, if you love horror, you’ll really dig them.
Having created four book covers for Human Tenderloin, I decided recently to reach out to the horror community once more to find a photograph that has the feel and palette of the book. I can’t go into too much detail about this because I’m still in negotiations, but there is one horror photographer who was at the top of my list to work with. Following a lot of begging, they’ve agreed in principle to release some of their material to me. I’m thrilled beyond belief, and very excited to share the photographer’s name and the final cover once it’s been formatted. Unfortunately, that’ll be disclosed foremost in a newsletter. So if you haven’t already signed up, now is as good a time as any.
Finally, I’ve not forgotten about Tom Nolan. He’s forever in the back of my mind, and because my process is to flesh out the story in my head rather than write anything down, the distance is only a good thing because where there were once brick walls to clamber over, all obstacles in my path have been bulldozed by rumination. However, the likelihood of the third Tom Nolan book seeing a release this year is highly unlikely. I never intended to rush this last book, so I’m sure you’ll agree, it’s better to wait a little longer and get a much richer product, than be offered something that sours the whole trilogy because of frantic fingers.
And please, please, please, if you’re not already doing so, follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. These three culprits, especially Instagram, are where you’ll find me most of the time waxing lyrical about my work, among other things. But if you want book news before anyone else, and freebies, then sign up to my newsletter. There is going to be some cool stuff coming up, and I don’t think you’ll want to miss them. That said, here’s a little tease of things to come to keep you going…
Thanks again for your continued support, and stay safe.
Craig
Craig Wallwork 