Flame Tree Fiction

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…

The eerie depths of the sea form the theme of our latest short story anthology: Pirates & Ghosts. With the publication date sailing into view, we turned to the authors to hear what inspired their stories in the collection, in the same way that the Agents & Spies discussed their story inspirations here. Completing this year’s set of short story anthologies, Pirates & Ghosts promises a haunting mix of adventure, monsters and mystery – and the responses below help give a glimpse of what’s in store!

The authors from our upcoming Agents & Spies short story anthology are back this week, answering questions this time on the tales of deadly espionage they love best, and the ways in which they set pen to paper for their own work. With the anthology’s release date nearly upon us, it’s been fascinating to find out more about the authors behind the stories that we chose!

October brings the release of two fresh books in our Gothic Fantasy anthology series: Agents & Spies, and Pirates & Ghosts. Following the tradition of the last 4 books in the series, we decided to ask the authors about the inspiration behind their story, as well as quizzing them about their own writing methods, and their favourite tales from the genre. The Agents & Spies anthology promises a stealthy mix of espionage, duplicitous dealings and secret liaisons: below, the authors divulge details about their contributions.

This final instalment in our current Author Q&A series offers a selection of further responses from the Time Travel anthology authors (see their Part 1 answers here). Just as time travel takes many diverse forms in fiction, so too do the answers below, as they tell us their preferred time travelling tales and we find out the various ways that they approach the task of writing. With these authors at the helm, the anthology looks set to be an exciting voyage of the science fiction kind, encompassing modern takes on the genre alongside the political reflection and atmospheric eras afforded by classic time travel narratives by the likes of H.G. Wells, Edward Bellamy, Mark Twain, Edward Page Mitchell and other greats. 

Past, present and future merge into a glorious blend of adventure, aspiration, and paradox in our new Time Travel short story anthology, available to order here. To celebrate its release, we asked the contemporary authors about their work: below, we discover what led to the creation of some of the stories included, while Part 2 of the Q&A covers the authors’ preferred writing methods, and their thoughts on the genre. This is the last collection of tales formed from our early 2017 call for submissions, and as with the previous Q&As for Supernatural Horror, Lost Worlds, and Heroic Fantasy, we’re delighted to have this deeper insight into the stories that we chose.

Swift on the heels of Part 1 of the Heroic Fantasy Author Q&A, the anthology's authors this time reveal the methods behind their writing, as well as their favourite influential tales. Their writing will feature alongside that of the genre's original greats – Robert E. Howard, A. Merritt, Howard Pyle, Clark Ashton Smith, Geoffrey Chaucer and more – in a collection of stories where the intrepid perform daring feats, majestic mythical beings roam wild and free, and imaginative lands bewitch the reader. The selection of responses below suggests this volume is well on track to be yet another compelling addition to our ever-growing Gothic Fantasy anthology series.