Friday, December 25, 2015

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! We're having a decidedly wet one here. It's p*ssing down outside. While inside, I'm writing this and listening to Perry Como singing, Winter Wonderland. Still, we're off to the in-laws for Christmas dinner and festivities, so we can forget the lashing rain and have a good old merry one.




I've got a few new podcasts out for the festive season. In my public feed, you'll find the Christmas Sometimes with Part 3 of The Thing on the Doorstep, and at my Patreon page, you'll find the Patreon Christmas Special, with Part 2 of A Christmas Carol, What's in My Festive Fridge? and Mr Yip's Mince Pie Bake-Off.

Wherever you are, whatever the weather, and whatever your beliefs or non-beliefs, I hope you have a smashing day. If nothing else, at least there's something good on TV - and talking of TV, (not that it was on TV, I watched it online), last night, I watched something that used to be on TV every Christmas when I was a kid, and now you never see it. Tom and Jerry in The Night Before Christmas. Lovely. Still brings a tear to my eye. And if you're young enough to have never seen it, here it is ...


Friday, December 11, 2015

A Lull

We've had almost non-stop wind and rain here for the last month or so. But today we had a lull, so P and I went for a walk out to Saint Helen's Bay. Here's me enjoying not being battered by storms. "Make the most of it," I'm thinking, "because there's an absolute deluge coming in tomorrow." 


Wednesday, December 9, 2015

The Thing on the Doorstep Concludes at Patreon

H.P. Lovecraft's The Thing on the Doorstep has just concluded at Patreon, with a bonus for $5+ patrons - the whole story on one MP3 ... which is nice ... in a cyclopean, eldritch, foetid, accursed kind of way. 

Get over to Patreon and sign up now, or risk a noisome effulgence of gibbering insanity! 


And speaking of Patreon, I got an email (maybe you did, too) telling me about how the Patreon App is now available in its finished form for IOS and Android. Now that's what I call daemoniac!

Download it now:

Patreon iOS App
     
Patreon Android App
Patreon Mobile Apps

Thursday, November 26, 2015

The Thing on the Doorstep 02

Just released into my public feed - H.P. Lovecraft's, The Thing on the Doorstep Part 2. Also features a news bulletin that gives the thrilling(!?!) details of my move back to Ireland. Hot dog!


Wednesday, November 18, 2015

We Have Moved.

Moving update! We have successfully moved house / country and are now residing in South Wexford, Ireland. The move was pretty frantic; after months of waiting, the deal went through and we had just a week to get packed up and out. On the day, two small trucks came took all our stuff, and then we had to jump on a train and whizz up to Gatwick Airport and fly over to Dublin that same night in order to meet the trucks down in Wexford the next morning. We spent the night in a hotel and met the trucks at a petrol station at 9:00, and from there we led them through the labyrinth of country lanes to Pauline’s dad’s house where we offloaded everything. Only one breakage: a Parsec award snapped at the stem (but it’s fixable). That’s pretty good going, considering all the glass and furniture that made it intact - even our houseplant made it in one piece!

Last Train to Gatwick

Next we moved ourselves and our basic necessities into Pauline’s sister’s house not far away. We stayed there for a week while we looked for a place of our own to rent, while at the same time viewing houses that we might like to buy. We found both within the week. We moved in to our rental last Monday, and we went sale agreed on our house purchase a few days later. So then we had to sort out bank accounts and all that sort of thing, and also to start ferrying our boxes from Pauline’s dad’s house to our new rental. Writing and podcasting kit were at the top of my list, along with clothes, board games and ventriloquist puppets. 

This last week has been spent trying to find a car. We found one today and, due to our lack of insurance at the time, the salesman was good enough to drive us home in it. We’ve since got insurance, so we’re now totally mobile (mini fist pump!)

Saint Helen's Bay, Wexford.

So that’s where we are now: pretty much sorted out. We went for a walk on Monday at St Helen's Bay (above). Our wellies filled with lingering tide and we had to scramble up the cliff to dry land, which was good huffing and puffing exercise. Pauline’s seen a job she fancies and has started the process, and I’m now set up and back to writing every day. Oh, and last but not least, if you listened to the PatreonCast of the last episode of The Thing on the Doorstep, you’ll have heard me mention the guy from our Internet supplier told us we’d spent half our monthly allowance in two days. Good news is, he misinformed us, or we misunderstood him, or a bit of both. It turns out that as it happens, we’ve used very little - which is a great relief because we were at a loss to understand how we could have used 10g in two days by just checking email and whatnot. Anyway, that’s all the news I have for now. Basically, it's all good. Huzzah!!

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Monday, November 2, 2015

Underground - Episode 6

Underwood and Flinch: Underground. Episode 6 now available at Patreon for supporters at $3 per month and over. 

It's also my penultimate day in the UK. We're currently packing the last boxes and getting ready for the big move to Ireland tomorrow. I'm worried we may not have enough cardboard boxes. Where does all the clutter come from? (Answer: charity shops). We went for a last early morning walk. It was foggy, which was nice. Here's a picture of P enjoying it the mistiness.



And don't forget, it's day 3 of the 5-day Halloween book freebie at the Amazon Kindle store. If you haven't got your copies yet, get 'em now!

Underwood and Flinch Volume One: Resurrection




and The Complete Hall of Mirrors: Tales of Horror and The Grotesque.



Saturday, October 31, 2015

Sometimes Halloween Special!

Happy Halloween!! Wrap your ears around my Sometimes Halloween Special, which features episode One of H.P. Lovecraft's The Thing on the Doorstep.  




Also, news of the Halloween Free ebook of the month promotion that I mentioned in my last post, but I'll share the links again because I know messing about between posts with phones is fiddly stuff.

Underwood and Flinch Volume One: Resurrection



and The Complete Hall of Mirrors: Tales of Horror and The Grotesque.



The promotion starts at midnight tonight (PST) (which is 3:00 am EST, and 07:00 am UK  Saturday morning) and runs till midnight on Wednesday. 

All I ask in return is that you leave some stars on the books' pages, and perhaps a few kind words, if you have time.

Have a great Halloween!!


Friday, October 30, 2015

Happy Halloween! 2x Free Ebooks!!

Happy Halloween!

To celebrate this year, I'm giving away two free ebooks.


Underwood and Flinch Volume One: Resurrection





and The Complete Hall of Mirrors: Tales of Horror and The Grotesque.




The promotion starts at midnight tonight (PST) (which is 3:00 am EST, and 07:00 am UK  Saturday morning) and runs till midnight on Wednesday. 

All I ask in return is that you leave some stars on the books' pages, and perhaps a few kind words, if you have time.

Have a great Halloween!!

Monday, October 19, 2015

After the Plague - Ebook on Kindle

Hot news from my camp today is that my zombie apocalypse story, After the Plague, is now available to buy as an ebook from the Amazon Kindle store. An audiobook version will follow on Audible later in the year (and of course, you can get the podcast episodes by signing up to my Patreon campaign for $3 a month). 
Groovy undead cover art by Jon Cape

Here's the blurb:

A hotel on the outskirts of London in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. A brutal couple, Lee and Mandy, arrive in a van with two captive women held as sex slaves. Lee and Mandy think the hotel is abandoned, a place to find food and shelter. However, Terry, a former employee who has made the hotel his own, has other ideas. 

Tempted? Get it now while the flesh is fresh! 

Amazon USA 

Amazon UK

Amazon Canada

Amazon Australia

Amazon Germany

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Underwood and Flinch in the Audible Store!

At last! Underwood and Flinch: Disturbing the Devil is available from the Amazon Audible Store, and from iTunes.

Having processed the audio file to Audible specifications about two weeks ago, I just got the notification email through today. I'm delighted to finally see my stuff in the Audible store. Here's hoping it's the start of something exciting ... or at least something interesting ... though I'd settle for something awesome. Huzzah!!!

Monday, October 12, 2015

After the Plague - Ebooks at Patreon!

It's been a busy day for my ebook publishing adventures at Patreon. Not only have I just published the latest chapter (4) of Underground - the new U&F novel, but I've also just published the special Patreon edition ebook of After the Plague. All books come in zip bundles that contain both Kindle (mobi) files and Nook, Apple, Kobo (epub) format, so there's a version to suit all reading devices.



And for those of you who prefer to use your ears for book reading, the latest podcast chapter of Underground (4) is also now live at Patreon. You'll need to subscribe at $3+ a month, but that's a small price to pay - less than a coffee in Starbucks! Come on, get in there, people! Huzzah!!

Friday, October 2, 2015

Last Day of the U&F Kindle Freebie.

Today is the last day of the Underwood and Flinch: Disturbing the Devil  freebie run on Amazon. If you haven't got your copy yet, grab it today before midnight Pacific Standard Time. 


Here are the links:



















Here's the blurb:
February 1863, and the newly opened Metropolitan Railway is the toast of London. Among the travellers tonight are the vampire, Lord Underwood, and his guardian, Ben Flinch. But they aren't travelling alone, for Underwood and Flinch have been discovered by a group intent on their destruction.

Disturbing the Devil is a journey into the smoky depths of the Victorian Underground; a stand-alone short story in the Underwood and Flinch universe, written by four-time Parsec Award-winning author, Mike Bennett. Expect blood.

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Lovecraft Story Poll

After the Plague - Season Finale

The final episode - Episode 7 -  of my zombie apocalypse story, After the Plague, is now available at Patreon for sponsors of $3+ a month. If you're a fan of post-apocalyptic zombie horror, why not take the $3 plunge and sign up to Patreon today? Find out more here
Undead art by Jon Cape

Undead Music by Andrew Rothman

Monday, September 28, 2015

The Colour out of Space Episode 3 ... (Ep 2 was on Ep 1, remember?)

I've just posted Episode 3 of H.P. Lovecraft's The Colour out of Space in my public feed (and yes, I know the last episode was called Episode 1, so it looks like there's no Episode 2, but Episode 2 was on the podcast of Episode 1, so you've had Episodes 1 and 2, it just doesn't look like it when you see them on your phone or iPod ... but 2 is there, on Episode 1) (phew!) Click here to listen / download direct.


There's also news about the Amazon Kindle freebie of Disturbing the Devil, and the Podiobooks release of Blood and Smoke. Huzzah!!


Disturbing the Devil on Kindle - for FREE!!

Underwood and Flinch: Disturbing the Devil is now available as an ebook for Amazon Kindle. And for the next five days (starting today, 28th Sept), you can get a copy for FREE!! All I ask in return is that you please leave 5 stars at the Amazon store you buy it from (and maybe add a few kind words, if you have time). This will help the book fare better with readers who are unfamiliar with the world of Underwood and Flinch. It would also be mega-awesome if you could share the book on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc. Many thanks!!



Here's the blurb:
February 1863, and the newly opened Metropolitan Railway is the toast of London. Among the travellers tonight are the vampire, Lord Underwood, and his guardian, Ben Flinch. But they aren't travelling alone, for Underwood and Flinch have been discovered by a group intent on their destruction.

Disturbing the Devil is a journey into the smoky depths of the Victorian Underground; a stand-alone short story in the Underwood and Flinch universe, written by four-time Parsec Award-winning author, Mike Bennett. Expect blood.

Here are the links:

Disturbing the Devil USA

Disturbing the Devil UK

Disturbing the Devil AUS

Disturbing the Devil CA

Disturbing the Devil DE

The book was available as a pay-to-download audiobook for the last year, but has now been withdrawn in readiness for its release on the audiobook platform, Audible.com. I've submitted it to Audible but it takes about ten to fourteen days for them to give it a green light (or a red one *gulp!*). Needless to say, when it does go live, I'll let you know. This will be my first Audible release, so I'm interested to see how well it fares. It could lead to a whole new audience, which is an exciting prospect. Huzzah!!

Monday, September 21, 2015

UFU Episode 3 Now at Patreon!

A dead body is discovered in London. Enter Detective Inspector Clare Redmond and Detective Sergeant Lawrence Beck. Click here to meet the law.



Underground is a Patreon Exclusive at the $3+ level. That's less than the price of a decent coffee in Starbucks a month. Come on, Listeners - join the Patrons!

Blood and Smoke - Complete and Musically Restored


Underwood and Flinch: Blood and Smoke is now available in its complete and musically restored form from Podiobooks.com


My thanks - as always - to my wonderful sponsors at Patreon, without whom this book would have stalled at Episode 6, and U&F Underground would never have even got started. I unleash the bunnies of joy to share my feelings ...





"Patreon Sponsors - YAY!!!"







Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Questions and Answers 1

You know that Q&A show my wife and I do sometimes at the end of a podcast novel? Well we thought we'd do a quick show based on a couple of questions on random topics that people have posted at Patreon. Check it out, patrons! 


Wednesday, September 9, 2015

After the Plague 6 at Patreon

Suspense, horror, black humour, what's not to like? My wife thinks it's one of my best ever, and I tend to agree. After the Plague Episode 6 - online now, only at Patreon for patrons of $3+


Friday, September 4, 2015

Cooking a Big Mushroom

Remember yesterday's whopper mushroom find? We cooked up half of the smaller one and served it in an omelette, which was nice. But today, I took the big one and cooked it just as it is (was). Here's what happened ...



Music on the video by Andre Louis. Check out more at www.AndreLouis.com

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Mushrooms

This morning I was out for my morning constitutional with my wife, when we came upon a couple of whopping field mushrooms growing at the edge of a park flower bed. Quick as a flash, we picked them and ran home. You can see them in the pics below, the biggest measures 10" across.


 

Now, I say "field mushrooms" but I could be wrong; they could be poisonous and we're about to have death on toast for breakfast. But I don't think so. The cap is whitey-brown in colour, with pink gills and a white collar on the stalk. They totally conform to pictures and descriptions of edible mushrooms. So we're going to tuck in now. Yum!

p.s. If you don't hear from me again, you'll know why ;-)

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Lots of New Stuff Online!

Hey! Sorry I've not posted much lately, truth is, I've been busy - so busy I forgot to blog! However, the upside is, now I've got lots of new stuff online (as the title of this post suggests) for you to check out.

First off, there's the big news - and that's that Underwood and Flinch: Underground has started at Patreon. The first two episodes are now available to download at the $3+ a month perk level, with Ebooks of the same episodes available from as little as $1+ a month!

Also, After the Plague: Episode 5, is also now available at Patreon at the $3+ level.

For non-patrons, I've just posted the first episode of H.P. Lovecraft's The Colour out of Space, which will be in my iTunes feed any minute now, and if you can't wait that long, you can click below to start listening right away. Or direct download by clicking this.


I'll be back soon, as I've some other good stuff in the pipeline, including the ebook release of Underwood and Flinch: Blood and Smoke. Huzzah!!



Tuesday, August 18, 2015

PatreonCast for Everyone!!!

The latest episode of my news and chit-chat show, PatreonCast, is now available for anyone - patron or not . Check it out here, peeps. Go to the post and click the blue link, as illustrated in the picture below, to listen / download :-)


Thursday, August 13, 2015

Blood and Smoke 8 - The Finale!

Here it is, Listeners - the final episode of Underwood and Flinch: Blood and Smoke. I don't want to inadvertently post any spoilers, so I'll just say, "bon apetit!"

You can download the episode hereor alternatively, to listen live, just click the player below!



And now support me at Patreon - you know you want to :-)

Monday, July 27, 2015

The Colour out of Space Ep 3 at Patreon

Episode 3 of my reading of H.P. Lovecraft's The Colour out of Space is now live on Patreon for patrons of $1 and over. I also check in with patrons and share my news and plans for U&F Underground. Get your ears on now at Patreon!


Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Blood and Smoke Q&A at Patreon.

I finally pinned my wife down to doing the U&F Blood and Smoke Q&A with me. We used two microphones and two computers, which gave us an interesting sounding end result, but the Q&A content is all good. Questions provided by Patreon sponsors, and exclusively available at Patreon for patrons of $1+  Download it here



And speaking of Patreon, some people have reported difficulty fathoming the new play / download arrangements at Patreon, so I made a video to help illustrate how to do it :-)



Accent Tag

So there's this thing on Youtube where people read a list of words in their day-to-day accent. I thought I'd join in. Here's the result ...

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Five Plus and Ten Plus Podcasts at Patreon.com

Two new podcasts for patrons at the $10+ and $5+ levels at Patreon.com
A little bonus for my higher level chums.


Five Plus Ep 1: Who is the One? A peek inside my head to explore the key question in One Among the Sleepless.



Ten Plus Ep 1: Completely random stuff. Wayne and Keith pop in, "What's in my Dry Goods Cupboard?" and an anecdote involving a sports injury. 


Blood and Smoke 7 - Planetwide!

Hello Listeners!

The voyage of Underwood and Flinch now resumes in my public feed, courtesy of my sponsors at Patreon.com. This podcast consists of two original Patreon episodes (7 and 8) now joined together to make just one episode (7).

It's been a long time since we were in the company of Lord Underwood. The last time, you may recall, he ended up in cave following an explosion ... ? Actually, I can't say too much because the unaffiliated will start crying "spoiler!", but don't worry, I do give a brief recap on the podcast for those of you who can't remember what the devil's going on.

Here's a direct download link.

If you want to re-listen to the original 6 episodes, you can do so - for free - at my Creations Page at Patreon.com, from which you can also download them (see bottom of this post for individual links).

Once this podcast has completed in my public feed, the whole thing will be made available from Podiobooks.com as a complete audiobook.

On the podcast, I also give a shout out to John Mierau's Official Patreon Podcast, in which John talks to various creative peeps - including podcast superstar Mur Lafferty in Ep 4 - about the secrets of their success. John also has his own Patreon page for his Serving Worlds Podcast, which is a must for all Sci-Fi podcast fans.

Other links:

Hall of Mirrors: The Breakfast Service

The Colour out of Space Episode One

Blood and Smoke Episode 9 (though will the next episode and re-named "Episode 8" next month)

After the Plague 1 (my Zombie story) 

Blood and Smoke 1-6 at Patreon (Currently without music, but that'll be added when the final edited versions get to Podiobooks).










Sunday, July 5, 2015

The Colour out of Space by H.P. Lovecraft: Episode One

Hello there. I've been in Ireland this week visiting friends and family. I had a very nice time - so much so I managed to break my glasses. Not quite sure how it happened, but my suspicions rest on the pet of one of the families we visited; a dog who enjoys chewing stuff - shoes and glasses being among his favourite snacks. Since I couldn't interrogate him sensibly, I gave the suspect hound a hard stare, but he remained inscrutable, giving only the odd woof, and licking my face cheerfully (perhaps wondering where the specs had gone?). 

But then again, there was wine going around, so maybe I sat on them. It's a mystery.

Anyway, upon my return to England, I superglued the specs together long enough for me to record the first episode of H.P. Lovecraft's The Colour out of Space, then they blew apart under the pressure of all the cosmic horror. If you don't know the story, trust me, it's a cracker; a little slow to get rolling, but definitely one of HPL's best.


The story is currently a Patreon exclusive for everyone at $1 a month and over. And for anyone who's not signed up to support me at Patreon, it'll be in my regular podcast feed later on this year. But why wait? One buck a month - it's less than a Mars Bar! You know you want it ... Get the Colour out of Space Episode 1 right now.





Saturday, June 27, 2015

Hall of Mirrors - The Breakfast Service

After seven long years, the Hall of Mirrors re-opens at Patreon with a one-off tale of terror. 

If you're not a Patreon subscriber, hopefully this'll be something that can tempt you over. Once you're there, sign up at $3 a month (or should I say, a mere $3 a month) and you'll be able to get this story, plus all episodes so far of my zombie story After the Plague, and the final episodes of U and F: Blood and Smoke. So come on over to Patreon today and sign up, and I'll meet you in that old ruined pier at the darkest edge of the Internet.



Sunday, June 7, 2015

Blood and Smoke - The Finale

The final episode of Blood and Smoke will go live on my Patreon Creations page this evening at 21:00 UK time - that's 16:00 New York time, 13:00 Los Angeles time, and 06:00 Sydney Australia time.


- Special Red Finale Cover -

Instead of posting it as "Episode 10", I've posted it as "Episode 9 Redux". This is because the action of the chapter is constant and shouldn't be broken, so this new Episode 9 contains the previous Episode 9 and the new content of what would have been Episode 10. 

Confused? Watch the video below


The only reason I ended Episode 9 (original) where I did last week, was so I could get some content out to you. However, once Episode 9 Redux goes live tonight, you can delete your existing old Episode 9 and just settle back and listen to the final chapter as it was always intended to be: a big 52:23 minute finale episode that brings the Caribbean voyage of Underwood and Flinch to its end. Huzzah!



Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Back from Vacation.

Hello there. I've been away for the past few weeks on vacation. My wife and I went to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. It was a 50th birthday present to me from my wife - YAY! But it wasn't all just sitting around the sun, oh no. For me, it was mostly sitting around in our hotel room writing. I was writing an average 3,000 words a day, and I got a LOT done. You can hear all about it in my latest podcast, Sometimes: Reanimator 6, which also concludes my reading of H.P. Lovecraft's, Herbert West: Reanimator. I've just finished and uploaded the podcast, so it should be in your iTunes or whatnot in the next hour or so.


Patreon sponsors can get some more insight in the first edition of what I hope to be a weekly short podcast, live and unscripted (so, including outtakes that never got taken out) about what's going in my writing and podcasting world. PatreonCast Check-In podcast is available for all Patreons now.



Friday, May 8, 2015

Underwood and Flinch 8 / Sometimes Reanimator 5 / Fridgecast

Two podcasts up this evening. At Patreon for a buck and over per month, you can grab Underwood and Flinch Blood and Smoke episode 8, which features some great news about the U&F podcast. While in my regular podcast feed you'll find Herbert West: Reanimator Part 5: The Horror from the Shadows. Huzzah!



Also at Patreon - for free - is my first What's in my Fridge? vidcast (or should that be fridgecast?). So if you want to see the horrors that lurk behind that innocuous looking white door, check it out.



Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Reanimator Concludes at Patreon

Patreon Newsflash
After a jolly bank holiday weekend (see pics here at Instagram) I'm back at work on the podcasts. It's been a busy morning of putting together the final audio of Herbert West: Reanimator Part 6 for the $1 and over patrons.


Artwork by Jon Cape

There will also be a full-length version of the story with all episodes in one recording posted on Patreon on Friday for $5 and over patrons. I did this already, but had to delete it because I'd accidentally included a rejected version of Episode 3 in it that even had a live mistake still in the mix. Oh, the shame.






Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Reanimator Part 5. Now on Patreon.

Calling Patreon Peeps! Don't lose your head, but Herbert West: Reanimator, Part 5 is now uploaded and ready for your ears. Click here to go straight to it (and remember to click the orange musical note logo beneath the podcast to download).


Artwork by Jon Cape. Thanks Jon!

Grotesque and Hilarious Underwood and Flinch Images

  A while ago I used the A.I. art generator, DALL-E, to create some images of Underwood and Flinch. The results were … er … not good, and ca...