Welcoming C.D. Vázquez

Flame Tree Press welcomes an exciting new writer to the blog, scientist C.D. Vázquez, to talk about his short story “Calm Springs”, which appears alongside a stellar line-up in the groundbreaking anthology This Way Lies Madness, releasing in September from Flame Tree Press in our Beyond & Within series. In the introduction to the work, the book’s co-editors, Dave Jeffery and Lee Murray, say the anthology “defies convention by bringing together authentic, sensitive portrayals of mental illness in a genre that has notoriously lacked such tenets.” Comprising 23 stories and poems, the book also includes accompanying vignettes offering insight into the authors’ motivation for their work.

Topics: Gothic Dreams, Author Interview, Beyond & Within, This Way Lies Madness

Mermaids have a long history that dates back almost as far as the first humans. Early human civilisations saw gods and magic everywhere. Whether it be on the top of unscalable mountains or in the deepest darkest caves, magical creatures lurked in every corner of the ancient world. Due to the importance of water for survival, many early humans lived near rivers, oceans and lakes. This was the perfect combination to conjure up mermaids.

In this blog we thought we’d look at some of the most famous representations of mermaids in history! From dangerous ancient sirens to modern Disney princesses, mermaids have taken many forms…

Topics: Gothic Dreams, Gothic Fantasy, blog, mermaid, mermaids

You know Cthulhu. Monster. Scary. Gigantic. Yep, that's the one. If you know who this fearsome god is, you probably know why so many people think he's cool. But as the mythic monstrosity's popularity grows, you may find him wandering out of the ocean into pastures new. Perhaps even, into space.

Topics: Gothic Dreams, cthulhu

‘A series of images, thoughts, and emotions, often with a story-like quality, generated by mental activity during sleep’: this is the definition of a dream given by the Oxford English Dictionary. We’ve all experienced it, that bizarre state between wakefulness and sleep (or between lengthy snooze alarms), when REM sleep has had just enough time to set in and pelt you with the strangest sequence of ideas – images sometimes mundane, sometimes fantastical, but always disconcertingly removed from reality. Frightening and exhilarating, that delightfully ambiguous state when the mind is not fully itself is when logic is distorted, traditional paths of thought are muddled and the mind is open to everything. There, there be monsters. The unrestrained creative world of dreams offers endless possibilities for the imagination, and such realms provide the most intriguing, thrilling and in many ways the most beautiful material for art. 

Topics: Josephine Wall, Gothic Dreams

One of the biggest gaming announcements of the year was the unveiling of Bethesda's Fallout 4. Perhaps best known for their sprawling open-world game series, The Elder Scrolls (read, Skyrim), their critically acclaimed Fallout series is not far behind. With Fallout often edging it in when it comes to the critics the games are wildly different in terms of the universes they portray. Where Skyrim is full of rich colour and endless forests, Fallout operates within a desolate dystopian dumping ground. So why then are people so excited for the fourth instalment?

Topics: Gothic Dreams, dystopia

Josephine Wall is a world-renowned artist who has become extremely popular due to her spectacular celestial art. So much of her life has been dedicated to her family and to her paintings. Her fairies, dragons, mermaids and other mythical creatures dive into the imaginations of many individuals. In fact, her fantastical paintings inspire people around the world to paint their own pictures and create their own fantasy worlds. So Josephine Wall is tremendously inspiring, but what inspires her to create these outstanding pieces of art? Today we are going to take a closer look into the personal world of Josephine Wall. 

Topics: Josephine Wall, Gothic Dreams

Topics: Gothic Dreams, Zombies

Topics: Gothic Dreams, dystopia, Necronomicon, Steampunk, cthulhu

In the final instalment of our Dystopian Universes series (part 1 / part 2), we look at the best literary depictions of dystopias. Ranging from the classics to other books you might not have heard of. For any sci-fi lover, this is an excellent one-stop list of the best dystopian novels out there. Get some tips courtesy of us and get your weekend reading sorted out right now.

Topics: Gothic Dreams, dystopia

A book bound in human flesh and inked in blood, a book filled with spells to raise the dead and summon ancient creatures, the Necronomicon inflicts insanity and even death upon its readers.

Topics: Gothic Dreams, cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft