Flame Tree Fiction

Last week, authors from our new Footsteps in the Dark short story collection spoke a little about the inspirations behind their contributions to the book. Today, they offer insight into their writing processes and provide reading and watching recommendations for others on the hunt for atmospheric stories in this genre. In keeping with the rest of the books in this series, Footsteps in the Dark consists of classic fiction as well as modern fiction, including such greats as Bram Stoker, Edith Wharton, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Gertrude Atherton, Robert Louis Stevenson, E.F. Benson, M.R. James and many more… If the author suggestions below give you appetite for speculative fiction be sure to check out the tales in Footsteps in the Dark, link at the bottom of this page!

Today is publication day in the US and Canada for the latest anthologies in our popular Gothic Fantasy series: Footsteps in the Dark and Bodies in the Library. To mark the occasion, we’re kicking off with a series of Author Q&A blogs with authors from both anthologies. First up, Footsteps in the Dark: this suitably atmospheric anthology combines new tales with classic fiction from the genre, and the modern authors are here to discuss the inspiration behind their stories in the book. From supernatural happenings to murders in the shadows – see below for a sneak preview of the sort of content to be found in Footsteps in the Dark!

We’re pleased to announce the list of authors chosen for inclusion in Strange Lands Short Stories! Available from October 2020 in the UK, and November in the US/Canada, this is the latest title in our Gothic Fantasy anthology series. This new collection similarly casts stories by modern authors alongside early classic fiction on the theme. Our call for submissions was met with a fantastic response, so we have been kept busy over the last few months honing down a selection of tales of other worlds, daring adventure and rich imagination. We’re excited to share the results with you now – many thanks again to all who submitted and congratulations to the below:

We’re delighted to announce the line-up of authors for our upcoming book Lovecraft Mythos: New & Classic Collection! Due for publication in October 2020 (November in the US/Canada), this anthology features a foreword by Ramsey Campbell and acts as a companion volume to our earlier collection: Lovecraft Short Stories. Along with a few key Lovecraft tales and early influences, this latest anthology includes work from a number of authors who have emulated or expanded on the Mythos since Lovecraft, among his contemporaries and also our own. See below for the selection of tales by modern authors chosen for inclusion…

In Part I of this Q&A, which can be found here, authors from the Detective Thrillers anthology shed light on the inspiration behind their stories in the book. Now, they tell us about their own favourites from the genre, as well as the methods they use to bring their fiction to the page. Alongside the contemporary authors, this new collection features works by classic authors such as John Buchan, Mignon G. Eberhart and Arthur Conan Doyle. From Father Brown and the inimitable Sherlock Holmes all the way to hardboiled PIs like Race Williams and Violet McDade, there’s no end of fascinating leading figures to follow in these breathless tales of intrigue and adventure!

Published alongside our latest anthology A Dying Planet, Detective Thrillers similarly offers an exciting mix of new and classic short stories. Rife with enigmatic detectives, dark alley chases, and secret operations, this collection promises an edge-of-your-seat journey from a host of modern authors to greats such as Arthur Conan Doyle and writers from the Black Mask magazine era. See below for a taste of its contents, as contemporary authors tell us the stories behind their contributions to the book…

If you’re searching for reading and writing inspiration during these strange times, then look no further. Authors from our new anthology, A Dying Planet, took part in a Q&A which last week revealed some of the inspirations behind their stories in the book. In this second part of the Q&A you’ll now find some fantastic reading recommendations, as well as an insight into the writing process for any budding authors out there. A Dying Planet – out now in the UK and released this month in the US – contains an exciting mix of modern and classic fiction on a thought-provoking and relevant theme.

What better way to process these uncertain times than with an escape into science fiction? Out now in the UK, and available later this month in the US, A Dying Planet gathers the very best of apocalyptic – and post-apocalyptic – fiction. Tales from classic authors are complemented by fascinating new and recent stories, probing the concerns and problems of a modern world at risk. With themes like climate change, pandemics, extensive wastelands, alien destruction, overpopulation and dwindling resources, these stories explore, not always without optimism, how these issues could affect worlds and their inhabitants, and what might happen when it’s too late. A fitting anthology for a time of global crisis, authors from the book offer insight below about the inspiration behind their stories:

We’re very excited to announce the author lists for two new anthologies in our Gothic Fantasy series: Footsteps in the Dark, and Bodies in the Library. Combining contemporary takes on the theme with a range of compelling tales from classic authors, these books are due for publication in June 2020. Yet again, our call for submissions was met with a great response, so we have been kept very busy forming a final selection of excellent stories that best suit these intriguing themes: many thanks to all who submitted and congratulations to the below!

Featuring new authors alongside classic works by Margery Allingham, Arthur Conan Doyle, Carroll John Daly, Anthony Berkeley and more, our recently released collection Detective Mysteries is a treat for crime fiction lovers. Last week, the modern authors from the book introduced their stories by discussing the inspiration behind their tale. Now, they recommend stories and authors whose influence they’ve felt in their own work, and cast light on how they approach the task of writing: