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Horror Selfies
18
October

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) has launched a new promotional campaign for the genre – Horror Selfies. The campaign highlights the exceptional work, both literary and cinematic, produced by the horror genre. The HWA is utilizing the vast reach of social media to provide a platform through which people can tell the world why they love horror, and to promote literacy and reading among children and Young Adults, ot to support a local library.

Authors, readers, actors, directors, fans and followers are invited to submit a selfie to www.HorrorSelfies.com in which they hold a sign encouraging others to read horror/dark fantasy, to watch horror movies, or to write horror. The site’s homepage contains featured selfies from many of the genre’s biggest names (Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, Ellen Datlow and Stephen Jones, to name but a few).

Those who submit get a personal page they can share with friends on social media, as well as the chance to win signed horror novels if they submit before Halloween. At the end of October a random selfie will be selected and the winner will get a whole swag of signed horror novels!

My contribution is below, and you can also access the page directly at http://horrorselfies.com/carl-barker/

NOW GO GET YOUR SCARE ON!!

Horror Selfie

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Facts behind the fiction
14
September

The genesis for the idea of The West Dulwich Horror originally came from a piece of street art I spotted whilst visiting a friend in London a couple of years back. Upon returning home, I tried to locate some online information on the piece and that’s when I happened upon the Baroque The Streets Art festival which takes place in Dulwich annually and forms one of the central themes of my story.

For anyone who’s read the story and wants to know more, you might be interested to discover that many of the images used are based on real creations still in place on the streets of Dulwich.

Below are a selection of images and links to several articles on the festival, as well as to The Dulwich Picture Gallery, which includes an excellent virtual tour of the interior.

Finally, just wanted to sat a huge thankyou to Ingrid Beazley at the Picture Gallery for all her help in providing invaluable background information on the various street art pieces during the writing of this story.

Dulwich Mural

snapshot

Links:-

Dulwich Festival – Street Art Homepage

Baroque The Streets Art Festival in Dulwich

The Outdoor Street Art Gallery of Dulwich

Birth of a Street Art Gallery – Interview with Ingrid Beazley, Curator of the Dulwich Outdoor Gallery

Dulwich Outdoor Gallery Facebook Page

Dulwich Picture Gallery

Virtual Tour of the Gallery

The Cthuluphant!

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…but is it Art?
13
September

My latest published story is The West Dulwich Horror – a nightmarish fusion of classical masters, living street graffiti and ancient unnamable horrors arisen from the murky depths of machiavellian publishing – which you can now get hold of as part of The Alchemy Press Book of Urban Mythic 2 (available from all the usual online retailers).

Launched at this year’s FantasyCon, along with several other great releases from Alchemy Press, the anthology contains twelve tales of myth, magic and legendary creatures, all set in the modern age.

It’s another great release from an independent press clearly on the way up, given that Alchemy Press also took home The British Fantasy Award for Best Small Press at the end of the weekend, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.

For details of where to get hold of the anthology, check out the updated Publications tab above.

UrbanMythic2FrontFinal

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Con Man
05
September

So I’ll shortly be heading down to York for start of FantasyCon today and am really looking forward to it as it’s my first one. Will be great to catch up with some old friends and put a few faces to names of editors I’ve worked with over the last few years, not to mention all the great panels and readings on offer over the 3 days.

On Saturdayat 2pm, I’ll be at the Alchemy Press launch party for Urban Mythic 2 and will be on hand to deface copies with my errant signature should anyone ask.

If you’re at FCon this weekend and spot a slightly confused man struggling to remember the names of everyone he meets, do please come say hello as it’s quite possibly me.

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End of the ride?
22
August

My review of The Ace of Skulls – the fourth book in Chris Wooding‘s Ketty Jay series – is now available over at the BFS website.

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Mythic proportions
22
July

Alchemy Press have just revealed the following rather stylish prelim version of the cover for Urban Mythic 2:-

UrbanMythic2FrontFinal

(Updated: 2014/08/05)

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Love Your Craft
08
June

cropped-wpress021

Am pleased to announce that my story ‘The West Dulwich Horror‘ will be included in ‘The Alchemy Press Book of Urban Mythic 2‘, due out later this year.

As you’ve probably guessed from the title, this one’s somewhat of a love letter to one of the greats of the genre and I had a huge amount of fun writing it. Hopefully you’ll have just as much fun reading it.

The book is scheduled for launch at this year’s FantasyCon, being held in York in September and all being well, I’ll be attending as well.

In the meantime, for those who can’t wait, here’s the mouth-watering Table of Contents, which can also be found over at The Alchemy Press here:-

  • Sarah Ash – La Vouivre
  • James Brogden – Avatising
  • Carl Barker – The West Dulwich Horror
  • Andrew Coulthard – Paradise Walk
  • K T Davies – For the Memory of Jane
  • Pauline E Dungate – Trapped in the Web
  • Chico Kidd – Blood*uckers
  • Tanith Lee – The Mermaid
  • Christine Morgan – High School Mythical:Asgard
  • Lou Morgan – Death and the Weaver
  • Marion Pitman – The Cupboard of Winds
  • Adrian Tchaikovsky – Where the Brass Band Plays
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I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.
01
May

It would appear that due to a total administrative cock-up on the part of my service provider, my longstanding email address has been irrevocably deactivated as of today!

Please can anyone needing to contact me either hang on a few days or get hold of me via my Facebook or Twitter accounts instead.

I’ll update all the relevant editors/contacts with my new email address once it’s set-up.

Apologies.

 

UPDATE (06/05/2014): New email address is now up and running. Details sent out to contacts. If you didn’t get an update email but want my new email, drop me a line. Thanks.

 

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Twilight Twosome
26
February

My reviews of the last two volumes in Tom Lloyd’s rather enjoyable Twilight Reign saga are now posted over at the BFS website. Those looking for a fun new fantasy read should check them out here and here.

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