RIP James Herbert

(Cross-posted on the WriteClub blog)

Today’s post was going to be an update on current WIPs. But on the way home from work today, I learned news that rocked my world. The news came to me via my Twitter feed, which I was checking on my phone on the train home, as I usually do. Say what you like about Twitter, it’s the best place to go for the real news. The important news.

And the important news today – more important than trials and political scandals, more important than the fact that it was Budget Day – is that James Herbert has died. It is not an exaggeration to say I was shocked by this news. It is not even an exaggeration to say I was devastated.

James Herbert was Master of British Horror. In the 80s, when I first got into horror in a serious way, he dominated the shelves along with Stephen King. I have read many of his books. I have an entire shelf of them in my library.

I am not the only person affected by this news. Looking at my Twitter and Facebook feeds this evening, many people I follow are all saying the same thing. James Herbert informed their adolescent reading habits. James Herbert turned them on to reading, and writing, horror. James Herbert is among the greats, and the world will not be the same without him. Most people, it seemed, started off with THE RATS. I have to say I didn’t get on with this particular book, which as I understand it was his first published novel. It wasn’t the first James Herbert novel I read, and by the time I got to that one I was in my early 20s. It seemed to me to be a book largely preoccupied with describing – in graphic detail – people having sex, followed by said people being eaten by rats while they were cozying in the afterglow, and not much to the novel beyond that. I’ve said before that I’m the sort of person who skips the sex scenes, in search of something more interesting. In this case people being horribly eaten by rats was more interesting, but after three or four scenes of this it started to feel a bit ‘samey’. So, no, THE RATS was not my favourite Herbert book. There are plenty of others, though, that I would rate up there as amongst the best horror novels every written. HAUNTED. THE GHOSTS OF SLEATH. THE MAGIC COTTAGE. CREED.

And then last year I read a James Herbert book that blew the rest of them out of the water. That book was NOBODY TRUE, and if you’ve been reading my blog for a while you may recall I wrote a glowing review (found here in case you haven’t been).

I have never met James Herbert personally, in spite of going to two Cons in recent years where he was Guest of Honour – generally someting else interesting was happening, or the queue was just too long. I’m now rather regretting that I didn’t take the time to stand in that queue, to get a book signed and get the chance to tell him how he inspired me as a horror writer, and how I devoured his books when I was just discovering my calling as a horror writer.

In spite of that, I still feel that I’ve read so many books of his that I knew him. And news of his death feels like a personal loss – a bit like losing an old friend.

Only yesterday I was contemplating buying his newest book. ASH. I decided against it at the time, my TBR pile being already so vast I shouldn’t add to it until I’ve managed to get through some of the books in it. Now I feel the need to re-read all the James Herbert books on my shelf, and go out and buy all the ones I haven’t read yet. I might even re-read THE RATS. Maybe the passage of time will make me like it more.

Goodbye, Mr Herbert. The world will not be the same without you, and you leave behind a hole in British horror fiction that no one could ever fill.

Serial Killers

I am fond of a nice gruesome murder. A serial killer novel is right up my alley. However, I’ve read rather a lot of such books this year, and they are starting to become a tad formulaic.

A lot of these books have followed the same generic plot. The killer, generally male, is targetting a specific type of victim (generally female). As the body count piles up the police investigation gets ever more frantic. Meanwhile the reader gets to know the killer quite well, as parts of the story are told from his point of view. He relishes the thrill of the hunt, and gets turned on by the power he wields over his victims.

We know his motivations, what kind of vehicle he drives, how he catches his victims. What we don’t know is his name. This is generally revealed about three quarters in, when something rings warning bells with one of the main characters. Further investigation reveals this person fits the killer’s profile. The police set off in pursuit, and eventually the killer is caught.

The excitement in such novels is the thrill of the chase. Generally a character we’ve come to know and love becomes the target of the killer, and the suspense comes in whether he will be caught before he kills her.

I’ve probably read too many of such books in quick succession, but it’s all getting a bit predictable. Suddenly I’m hankering after different fare in my reading diet.

The number of print books in my TBR pile is vast, as I’ve been abandoning such books for electronic ones of late. Top of the list is “Changes” by Jim Butcher, and my signed personalised copy of Sara Paretsky’s “Body Work”. Both of these books I’ve been looking forward to reading for months. The problem is, they’re both hardbacks, which I find rather inconvenient to lug about with me on my daily commute.

There are other books in the pile, too, which I have acquired free of charge from attending various Cons this year. Sometimes these free giveaways are books not really worth reading, but there’s often some hidden gems in there too.

As I get further into the new horror WIP, I find myself craving more horror. Once upon a time the only horror writers to be found on the shelves in British book shops were Stephen King, James Herbert and Clive Barker. Nowadays, it’s a bit different. Horror seems to be back in vogue. Which means there must be a lot more horror writers out there for me to discover.

I’m looking to load up my e-reader with some good scary horror novels. All suggestions considered…

World Horror Con 2010 – Overview

“Brighton Shock” was the title of World Horror Con 2010 – the first World Horror Con to be held outside North America, in its 20-year history.

Although a regular Con-goer this was the first time I had attended WHC. I usually go to Cons alone, but my husband decided to come along as well, partly because he does occasionally read horror, but mostly because he thought, correctly, Brighton would be a nice place for a weekend away.

Two things struck me fairly quickly about this Con compared to others. The first was the amount of Free Stuff we got. Upon checking in at the registration desk and picking up our name badges (issued in a very useful neck pouch that had a number of pockets in – so one could carry cash, business cards, anything else one might need all in one place), we were both handed a large heavy WHC shoulder bag containing vast quantities of freebies – mostly books. Initially we thought we’d been given a set each of the same books. On further inspection, each bag contained a selection of different books. I am impressed. I now have enough books to last me for the next six months.

The other difference with World Con was the amount of free booze on offer. Most Cons offer free alcohol of some kind, be it a launch or a reception or some such, at some point over the weekend. Horror Con had all manner of launches, and each one supplied free drinks. It was entirely possible, if one felt so inclined, to spend the whole weekend tipsy without having to pay for any alcohol.

We arrived early Friday evening, and we decided to go to the party on Brighton Pier hosted by American novelist Heather Graham. I haven’t read any of Heather’s books yet, but I got two of them free at the Con, so I shall be remedying that situation soon.

Upon ordering my small glass of wine at the bar, the bartender said – “It’s a free bar – why don’t you have a large one?” Sadly that proved to be my undoing. However, it was a very good party and it is true that the best place to talk to people at a Con is at the bar – especially a free bar. Everyone was wandering around in name badges, so you could identify who you wanted to talk to. I caught up with Gavin Williams and Tim Lebbon, who I used to know many, many years ago before either of them were published writers. They are both doing quite well for themselves writing-wise, it was good to hear.

Then Michael Marshall Smith stopped to chat to us for a while. I have met him before on a couple of occasions, and he came to speak to the T Party a couple of years ago. He’s one of the few writers my husband and I both read – Chris likes his sci fi books; I like his crime thrillers.

I also spent some time talking to Lisa Tuttle, who I hadn’t met before, but when I saw her standing on her own I decided it was a good opportunity to meet her. And we exchanged cards. Eventually. That was another lesson I learned about Cons. Although I took some of my specially-printed cards with the link to buy STC along, we went out for dinner after dumping the luggage and I found myself in the bar without any of them, which necessitated my chasing the people I’d talked to on Friday down later in the weekend, to pass on the cards (note to self: never go anywhere – especially anywhere serving alcohol – without a stash of STC business cards on my person).

We eventually flagged and went to bed – earlier than most, it seemed. I felt decidedly worse for wear Saturday morning, but managed to get to the first panel on time. The panel was called “Look at Me” and was about how to promote oneself. Most of the panel members seemed to be in a similar state to me, to be honest. It seemed the party went on until the wee hours of the morning. The panel members’ advice on how to make a good impression as a writer included: remember to shower. And use deodorant. And change your clothes. And brush your teeth. Especially if you’ve been out drinking till 3am the previous night, and never managed to get to bed. It seemed all the panel members enjoyed the party as well.

After that, I went to the panel about the history of Pan Horror books. I’m sure I used to have some of those Pan Horror collections as a teenager. What I didn’t know is that they stopped being produced in 1989, and those that are still around could be quite valuable (another note to self: check all those old paperbacks up in the attic).

After that, I was a bit torn as to where to go next. The next item on the agenda was an interview with James Herbert, which I really wanted to see. However, at the same time was a panel on women In horror – more relevant for my writing career, I felt. In the end, I went to the “Women In Horror” panel, and glad I did, as it was very interesting.

It was, by that point, lunch time, so we left the hotel in search of a bite to eat. We spent a pleasant hour or so in the Piano & Pitcher by the sea front. I had a ham and cheese baguette, with chips, and a large bottle of water, which was theoretically to share but I drank most of it myself, still feeling decidedly dehydrated from the night before. Food and water really helped, and I went back to the Con feeling much refreshed.

Chris decided to take the air in Brighton while I went to the panel on crossover genres in horror (actually he snuck off to the guitar shop, which is probably another reason why he decided to come to Brighton in the first place).

Meanwhile, the panel I attended was largely to do with how modern horror usually crosses genres, such as crime and horror, historical horror, romance and horror, and so on. And that publishers are always far more keen to emphasise the genre that’s not horror, in an attempt to avoid putting off their potential readership. I asked the question why that should be – after all, if I pick up a book expecting it to be horror and it’s full of romance, I get pretty miffed, and no one’s worried about offending me.

One of the answers that was put forth is that in the 70s when horror was in its heyday, there was so much ‘bad’ horror published, in an attempt to jump on the bandwagon, that it gave the genre something of a bad reputation. This has happened in other genres too, of course. But somehow ‘bad’ horror is always much more of an embarrassment than, say, bad sci fi or a bad bodice ripper.

I had an hour to kill after that before the next panel I wanted to go to was on, so I decided to explore the rest of the convention. There was a James Herbert signing session going on. In the end I decided not to join it – the queue was extremely long, and I hadn’t actually brought any Herbert books along with me, whereas most people in the line were clutching half a dozen. So sadly I didn’t get to meet James Herbert. But I don’t think I would have got to talk to him anyway. After all, he’s a giant amongst horror writers, and I am a lowly mollusc.

I did, however, get chatting to Sarah Pinborough, who had been on the Women In Horror panel, and as she’s a writer of both crime and horror, like me, I was keen to get her view on writing in both genres. Her opinion is that the two genres have a lot in common and plenty of writers do it. I worry about my dual-genre writing sometimes, as many industry opinions suggest that publishers like you to stick to one, to build up a fan base.

The final panel of the day I attended was entitled “State of the Art” and was meant to be reflecting on where horror will be in the future. Unfortunately I think perhaps the steady stream of free alcohol was starting to take its toll, as the panel on the whole didn’t really answer the question. Though there was quite a lot of discussion about one panellist’s former career as editor of a certain ‘gentlemen’s magazine’.

Saturday evening was the Bram Stoker Awards Banquet. We didn’t attend, choosing instead to hook up with the two other Con-going T Party members, Gary and Denni, and go out to find a pizza place.

By the time we returned, the chronic lack of sleep the night before was catching up with us, and we ended up going to bed rather early.

Sunday I had my spot at the Reading Cafe, where I made the reading debut of SUFFER THE CHILDREN. However, Sunday at 12:30pm was probably not the best spot to have – everyone was either having lunch, or had left, or if they were still at the Con they were in the panel about how to make a living writing. So my audience consisted of four people – Chris; Gary; Denni; and the WHC staff member who was co-ordinating the Reading Cafe. Still, it was good practice, and at least I had a friendly, if small audience (and a woeful reminder that outside my own circle of family and friends, no one knows or cares who I am at this point in my writing career).

We departed Brighton soon after that, having to take taxis to and from the station to manage our enormous stash of free books. It was an exhausting weekend, but I had a thoroughly enjoyable time.

Bookings are already being taken for World Horror Con 2011, which is to take place in Austin, Texas, from 28 April to 1 May next year. I would very much like to go, but I think it will depend on annual leave and finances. And, possibly, on how well SUFFER THE CHILDREN sells.

Book Review: “Nobody True” by James Herbert

I first discovered horror in my teens, and my two heroes of the genre were Stephen King and James Herbert.

I’ve not read much horror recently – my literary tastes have been leaning more towards crime and urban fantasy of late. But discovering “Nobody True” was like revisiting an old friend I’ve not seen in ages, and then discovering you fall into conversation so easily you might have seen each other only yesterday. Though I noted with interest that Herbert isn’t plugged as a ‘horror’ writer these days. No. He’s a ‘chiller’ writer, apparently. I guess ‘horror’ is still considered an unfashionable term.

I was drawn to this book by its intriguing premise. The main character, James True, is a man who can astrally project. One night after his spiritual self has been off having adventures, he returns to his body to discover it’s nothing but a bloody pulp. He’s been murdered, while his spirit has been absent. But who killed him? This is what James sets to discover. Was it the serial killer who’s been leaving mutilated corpses all over London? Was it True’s business partner, with whom he’d had a argument on the night he died?

James True is an engaging character, talking to the reader like a close friend. As he tells you all about his background – his clinging and paranoid mother; his near-death experience on a motorcycle as a student, which led to an early out of body experience; his art college course which led to a career in advertising – the character becomes a three dimensional being. I also wondered how much of this character is based on James Herbert himself – indeed, they share the same first name; Herbert used to be an art director at an advertising agency before becoming a full time writer; both author and character are London-based and grew up in Catholic families.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which kept me gripped right from the cliff-hanging beginning to the poignant, somewhat philosophical ending.

It’s given me a taste for more horror, and reminded me what a damn good writer James Herbert is. He’s one of the special guests at the World Horror Convention in Brighton next month. Maybe I’ll get to tell him that in person…

Adverse Weather

Britain is still in the grip of winter, with many areas suffering more snow over the last few days. There’s been none in London – though it’s been jolly cold – but the farther reaches of Kent and Surrey have been the worst hit, it seems.

This does affect our trains, as the route goes out into the wilds of Surrey. So adverse weather, plus a broken down train at Clapham Junction, meant that everything out of Victoria Station was cancelled or delayed this evening, as I discovered when I got there on my way home from work.

It’s always a bit of a gamble deciding what to do next when this happens. I can get back on the underground, facing a very arduous journey involving two underground lines and a bus. It takes a long time, but I get home eventually. Always assuming there are no problems on the underground train or the roads. Or I can hang around the station and hope the train problem clears fairly soon.

Although the trains were delayed, it did seem that they were moving, whereas the underground station got closed because of too many people trying to crowd into it, so I decided to take my chances and stay at Victoria station to wait for my train. I always have a book on my person for just such an emergency, and I am currently engrossed in a James Herbert I haven’t read yet – “Nobody True”.

Twenty minutes after the train was due to leave, it still said ‘delayed’ on the board. It was also apparent at this stage that due to these continuing problems, many of the trains were being rerouted. And the train I was waiting to catch home was apparently not going to stop at my station at all. Now this is more of a problem. About 200 people get off every rush hour train at my stop, and with that train diverted, and no indication of when the next one might be, even getting a space on the next train might be problematic.

So I opted instead to get on the first train going anywhere remotely near my town. Ordinarily, this train takes twenty minutes longer than my direct train, and then when I get off I still have a bus ride of about ten minutes or so as well. Tonight, though, as this train was also rerouted, it whizzed straight through most of the stations it’s supposed to stop at, and took less time than my direct train usually does. And fortuitously, a bus was pulling up at the bus stop when I arrived there after getting off the train.

So I had a difficult journey home, but it could have been much worse. Would I have got home faster had I got on the underground? No way of telling! That remains the path untrodden.

However, the adverse weather conditions are set to continue into next week. Whether or not we actually see any snow round our way tonight, I’m expecting a difficult journey into work tomorrow.

I may have the opportunity to finish that James Herbert book quite soon!

World Horror Con 2010

There’s no shortage of conferences and conventions every year for fans and writers of genre fiction. So many, in fact, that I’ve had to start being selective about the ones I attend. Otherwise it gets very expensive.

For the last few years, I’ve been going to St Hilda’s crime and mystery conference, and the Winchester writers’ conference. St Hilda’s I enjoy, and I like meeting crime writers. Winchester is a wonderful conference for meeting agents and editors, and getting professional critiques of one’s work in progress.

This year, however, things are different. I’m no longer actively seeking representation, strange as it still seems to be saying this. My horror novel has a publisher, and for the next year or two I am going to be too focused on the editing of this to be working on my other projects. So going to Winchester is probably not helpful.

I have, however, decided to go World Horror Con next year, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, as the to-be-published novel is in the horror genre, I figure I ought to be schmoozing with other horror bods. Secondly, World Horror Con is usually held in America. Next year it’s in the UK (in Brighton, to be precise), which makes it much cheaper and more convenient for me to get to, and so there’s really no excuse not to go.

So, I have paid my membership, and as my name has now appeared on the list of attendees, I am assured of my place. I have also received an email from the hotel confirming my room reservation.

At this moment in time, however, the actual content of the convention hasn’t been published, so I don’t know what to expect there. The special guests have been confirmed, though, and they include James Herbert. I think it’s worth going just to get the chance to meet the man who is to the British horror novel what Stephen King is to the American horror novel.

Hopefully, by March I’ll have an idea of the release date for my e-book as well, and will be able to do some plugging!