Horror writing inspirations and beyond

Why do writers write? Whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, poetry or plays, writers use words to transport readers, inform readers or entertain readers and from the simplest blog post to the greatest novel, it’s emotionally satisfying. I did it because I had a story to tell. After a failed attempt of writing simply to satisfy what publishers thought the readers wanted I set out to write something that I would enjoy reading myself and hoped others would too. Below I’ve touched on what inspired me to write each book and what the books are about…

With Blood Hunger by default you’ll find elements of pop culture hits Twilight, True Blood, Vampire Diaries due to their source material but what I’ve set about doing with Blood Hunger is give a fresh reinvention of the vampire legend. As well as traditional folklore I’ve encompassed the spirit of Bram Stoker’s novel ‘Dracula’, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s novella ‘Carmilla’. The story premise is that of



http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thebredea-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0041VXTMA&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifran explorer making a discovery in Romania, dubbed the ‘Ice Prince’ find it is significant enough to put him and his girlfriend Lucia Ferrara in the media spotlight. Iliana and her sister’s journey to the United Kingdom, news that the ‘Ice Prince’ had been discovered ceases their many years of blood abstinence and they unleash a bloodthirsty terror on humankind leaving a trail of death from London to the Welsh countryside.



From the fall of the vampire and the Dracul brothers in medieval Europe to their return in the present day. Prepare yourself, their first bite will be your last! 

Also you can sink your teeth into a bloodthirsty, gruesome and vicious comic tale adaptation.

The first issue here. based on the book Blood Hunger.



With DEAD PULSE I set about to re-imagine and pay homage to George A. Romero undead. Lucio Fulci films also inspired the zombie horror adventure.

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thebredea-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B004RCLWAO&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifrThe dead have returned to life…



The world’s focus is on the city of Ravenswood and the once idyllic town of Farmore as platoons and scattered survivors fight the hordes of the dead, unbeknownst one of them holds the key to end the undead’s reign of mayhem.

Across the city at a body disposal plant a small group take shifts on the ‘death watch’. Their hopes hinge on the soldiers of Farmore to rescue them. But with no contact for months, no food and surrounded by the dead, have they got what it takes to survive?



With death at their door, only time can tell…

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The Breathing Dead Tales encompasses both books and is only available as an eBook exclusive to Amazon. With them both read together you can see the subtext of how they are ‘linked’ ever so slightly.

I hope you enjoy the books as much as I did writing them. Please leave a review wherever possible and spread the word. Thanks

Studio versus Independent Film the Choice of Horror

Once upon a time independent film was just that, Independent. And in most cases still is.

Usually independent filmmakers would beg, scrimp and borrow to get a vision on screen and it would be shown at a limited to a number of cinema screens. This has forced many independent studios to close or to be snapped up by bigger players. Even though the line has become more blurred between big Studio’s and independent ones in terms of look and feel it really isn’t a new thing. In the 70’s Hollywood simply produced films that looked like indie movies for example, Taxi Driver.

The big players and Hollywood system has adjusted making more changes to appease the movie goer with darker films and fewer happy endings, these have usually been produced under a subsidiarity company. Usually these films are more thought provoking, have a certain visual grit and are not PG friendly. Something that indie films have always lived up to. Also there is a difference between low budget film making and low budget indie films. It’s impossible for me to wrap it’s all up neatly and it would be pretentious to even think one could fit all the intracity of film making. in a small blog post.

Pot luck with Film festival and showcases aside it is so difficult to get a film on the big screen, especially in the UK.The process of film making is pretty much the same indie-film or not. Those who go blindly into it aways discover there’s a process that needs to be followed to achieve the completion of a great film. And don’t even get me started on distribution, another minefield of pros and cons. I digress…

Blood Hunger’s development is only aided slightly by the novel as a template, it means that research had been carried out, the characters are already broken down, motivations have already been explored etc. It’s just makes it slighty easier for an objective screen writer. There’s only so much a great glossy photo-shoot and a fantastic neo-noir indie-film Terminus can help the subject matters adataption. So Blood Hunger is now at a stage where the screen-play is being developed. I’ll be posting further updates so you can benefit and learn for our experiences.

Remember novel source material is just that, the screenplay doesn’t have to be a true representation of the book. Most writers find this difficult to let go, it’s their baby and I can relate to that, however, I can see that it would be difficult to get everything on screen. I’ve also never professed to be a great writer, just a decent story teller. (ah the humbling noise of modesty)

Set in the present day I envisage and strive for Blood Hungers adaptation to be a grittier than the book and far removed from the recent popular vampire incarnations; Twilight; Vampire Dairies; True Blood to name a few. For example the flash back 1477 A.D segments have already been stripped out, not only for budget reasons (for it to have a wider investment appeal) but also because the screen play would become too long and possibly have to be trimmed so much it would loose it’s impact. Besides dependant on the budget, the detailed 15th chapters could always be revisited. It’s a shame they have to be omitted as Europe’s and America’s 1477 is very different. Most striking is the difference of London in mid 15th Century to Bram Stoker’s 19th century London that is so often portrayed.

So while the screenwriter(s) crack on, I’ll be on the hunt for further interested parties in order to deliver you a quality horror thriller. Over and out.

Blood Hunger, The Dracula Myth and Legend

News, movie developments, but firstly, I’d like to sincerely thank all those who have purchased and read Blood Hunger, feedback has been very positive and I’m glad it has been well received, especially by die-hard vampire fans and the USA audience.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts I continued shaping Blood Hunger, writing a definitive vampire tale true to the original origins but an injecting a modern spin and twist. And at times it is ambiguous but it was required for the reader to link and solve some of the mystery.

Picture from fullhalloween.com

Thankfully or worryingly, everyone seemed to have warmed to the cold-blooded killer vampire sisters Monica, Gabriella and the mysterious Iliana. And that Nettie Johns character hit a nerve.

The 1477 A.D segments of the book that follow the downfall of the vampire brothers Vlad, Mircea, Radu and Stellan – I tired to encompass the 15th century history as oppose to Bram’s 1897 Victorian London, and I love that readers ‘got it’ and liked the contrast in setting. Talking of contrast in setting, my research and correspondence with the police on the chapters set in the present day really helped give those parts some realism. Detective Michaels and explorer Lucia turned out well and I’m looking forward to seeing their film incarnations.

Unfortunately, after attending development meetings with the first producers  it’s apparent that the movie adaptation may omit the 1477 A.D segments due to budget constraints. I am in the process of pushing it’s development forward.  Hopefully it will exceed Terminus popularity.

Ultimately, I set out two write a definitive vampire story that encompasses and pays tribute to the myth and legend, which has such an affect on today’s pop culture. However, I was very conscientious to write something different to Meyer, Rice and so on, who’s work I have not read but have heard a lot about. I hope Blood Hunger continues to capture the imagination of new readers that have been surrounded by only Twilight, Vampire Diaries and True Blood types respectfully, while at the same time satisfying hammer fans and lovers of the vampire and Dracula legend itself.

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I’ll be giving away Blood hunger T-shirts and stuff

Order your copy here: Blood Hunger

Think you know Vampires? Blood Hunger

If you like audiobooks and love vampires you are in for a treat with my latest novel Blood Hunger…

From the fall of the vampire in 1477 A.D to their return in the present day… Their first bite, will be your last!

Last year I undertook a vampire concept photoshoot, models and actresses around the UK came to a ‘haunted’ castle and a museum in Wales, to capture the spirit of the novel, and portray a glossy version for film development.

Think you know vampires? although I have stayed true the vampire origins, it is different to whats around in todays pop culture and while it has it’s own twists it’s definative of the genre.

It has a shroud of Bram Stoker, Joseph Sheridan Lefanu. If I were to draw comparision to the screen, even though vampires are vampires and must be generic or they become something else, it isn’t Twilight, Buffy, True Blood or Vampire Diaries and thinly closer to The Hunger and Hammer Horror’s spirit.

I’ll leave it for you to decide. The audiobook Blood Hunger will be on iTunes, Napster, Amazon, HMV to name a few this coming June 2010.