Flame Tree Fiction

To mark the UK release of Think Your Self Lucky by Ramsey Campbell and Night Shift by Robin Triggs, we are posting a Q&A with each author! Yesterday we heard from Ramsey Campbell and n today’s blog we are talking to Robin Triggs about Night Shift, his influences and what’s coming next. 

Last week, in Part 1 of the Robots & Artificial Intelligence Q&A, authors revealed the ideas that spawned their stories in our Robots & Artificial Intelligence anthology. As with the companion volume Lost Souls (see the Q&As with those authors here and here), the Robots & AI anthology consists of a healthy mix of old and new stories, with formative tales from the genre complementing the work of contemporary authors. Here, some of those newer authors share which Robots & AI stories have influenced them the most, as well as casting light on their various approaches to story composition...

Our latest anthology to hit the shelves, Robots & Artificial Intelligence, features stories packed with philosophy, humour, sadness and humanity. Questions surrounding the nature of sentience and the risks and rewards of technological advancements give rise to a range of imaginative tales, set in worlds not far removed from the present day. This first part of a Q&A with the anthology's authors gives us fascinating insight into the thought-provoking story ideas that form the core of the Robots & Artificial Intelligence anthology theme.

Last week saw authors from our upcoming Lost Souls anthology reveal the inspirations behind their story in the book. The collection, due to make its appearance in the world in the next couple of weeks, complements the selection of new writers with classic masters from the genre such as M.R. James, F. Marion Crawford, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman and more. In this second part of the Author Q&A, we asked authors from the anthology to share which existing ‘Lost Souls’ tales they like best, and what sorts of processes they use to produce their own work:

Joining the ranks of our Gothic Fantasy short fiction anthologies, two exciting new books will be published in September: Lost Souls, and Robots & Artificial Intelligence. In anticipation and celebration of these upcoming releases, we asked the featured authors to tell us a little more about their story, their approach to writing, and the tales from the genre that have affected them the most. In this first part of the Q&As, authors from the Lost Souls volume share what led to the creation of their haunting stories...

In the first part of this Q&A, authors featured in our new Alien Invasion anthology spoke about the inspirations behind their story. Today, we hear from them about their writing methods and the other Alien Invasion-themed stories that have really stuck with them the most. Like the previous books in the series, the new stories in this anthology will be accompanied by classic fiction from the genre: as well as the seminal work The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells, short stories and novel extracts from Voltaire, Jonathan Swift, A. Merritt and more will make an appearance – you can see the full list of included authors here, in what promises to be an exciting line-up of otherworldly creations! 

Alien Invasion, the next book in our Gothic Fantasy anthology series, brings together a mix of adventure, horror, humour and sadness in short stories that explore what we imagine outside of ourselves and our world. Whether it’s an attempt to colonise new territory, an impulse to reach out and welcome, or a response to perceived threat, the complex dynamics at play are brought to the fore in these striking tales. Below, contemporary authors featured in the anthology shed light on the inspirations behind their story…  

With the short story anthology Endless Apocalypse all set to hit bookshelves this month, it’s time to hear more from the book’s authors for the second part of their Q&A! In our last blog, they shared details of the inspirations behind their featured story; here, they reveal treasured tales from the genre that have stayed with them, and the various methods they use to create their own work. As with other anthologies in the Gothic Fantasy series, the collection features classic tales too: this time the likes of H.G. Wells, Jules Verne and William Hope Hodgson, as well as a retelling of an ancient Babylonian myth, sit alongside the contemporary authors in their stories of thrilling voyages through and beyond the end of the world.

March sees our Gothic Fantasy anthology range extended to include two new titles: Endless Apocalypse and Alien Invasion. A tome of haunting apocalyptic visions, the former of these collects fascinating tales of survival, desolation, and the undead: apocalypses personal and global, that scar landscape and character alike. To sate our appetite until the book's release, some of the anthology's authors have stepped in to shed light on how their story ideas came to fruition...

The final instalment of this year’s Author Q&As sees the Pirates & Ghosts authors sharing the tales they like best from the genre, and shedding some light on how their own stories come together in the writing process. As ever, this latest anthology in the Gothic Fantasy collection features a selection of classic tales from the genre – from the likes of Robert Louis Stevenson, Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, William Hope Hodgson, W.W. Jacobs and Joseph Conrad – complementing the work of the contemporary authors in their exploration of treacherous waters and the horrors that lurk beneath…