tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44256510045645467012024-03-22T02:17:50.994+00:00The Bedlam DetectiveThe Sebastian Becker novels and stories of Stephen GallagherStephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-5212777929901781692020-12-04T15:01:00.004+00:002021-12-01T16:15:22.331+00:00The Governess<p class="MsoNormal">A stocking filler or secret Santa for less than four quid? </p><p class="MsoNormal">I’ve written this Edwardian-style chapbook featuring <b>The Lost World</b>’s Professor
Challenger and Edward Malone. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Paperback, 40 pages, illustrated. Would suit Sherlockian or similar. No
time wasters. </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5h3kypYgHyO_NxXd55R84WvynOM3sni1_Q1aS04yW568w3AZqJyvmdZ6huxpF87pfiWfPOwPXCFnyaIf7yTO1JNALjraEKtOn-UXppJ6aeQS9hiuzUNKwis38MdqJp71GLe_mRu7R/s1174/Governess+front+800px.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1174" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5h3kypYgHyO_NxXd55R84WvynOM3sni1_Q1aS04yW568w3AZqJyvmdZ6huxpF87pfiWfPOwPXCFnyaIf7yTO1JNALjraEKtOn-UXppJ6aeQS9hiuzUNKwis38MdqJp71GLe_mRu7R/s320/Governess+front+800px.jpg" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcUG2HikMg1ZfGkfLl_oHlss0ENQJ_9_q2d8sn5VYE4HG8V37jF9CAaOdYPq4WMlYdGsr463fhRIvC7RxsqDDspbM1PGZdappt1sxRiHkEKnzFtCtwRRLoOzKJUfzgsZZXC9TfnFF/s969/2+page+spread.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="743" data-original-width="969" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcUG2HikMg1ZfGkfLl_oHlss0ENQJ_9_q2d8sn5VYE4HG8V37jF9CAaOdYPq4WMlYdGsr463fhRIvC7RxsqDDspbM1PGZdappt1sxRiHkEKnzFtCtwRRLoOzKJUfzgsZZXC9TfnFF/w374-h286/2+page+spread.jpg" width="374" /></a></div></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://getbook.at/thegoverness" target="_blank">Click here to buy The Governess </a><br /></p>Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-20000246451564336602020-10-19T02:00:00.002+01:002020-10-19T02:00:49.362+01:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBou-Nxze_kTqpYtGaaR1tmydAIDHn4G2_9_wDw-bU-hDdjnvnPv477afpGCPjfc7GEK1n_tapPzWHNsCgwPlaWS4to4MqDPv6q9KKQRPjr5viVNbO4oFNX1tJQ63YVeF3LuuzcEuMfQst/s2048/back+pages+ad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1344" height="677" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBou-Nxze_kTqpYtGaaR1tmydAIDHn4G2_9_wDw-bU-hDdjnvnPv477afpGCPjfc7GEK1n_tapPzWHNsCgwPlaWS4to4MqDPv6q9KKQRPjr5viVNbO4oFNX1tJQ63YVeF3LuuzcEuMfQst/w446-h677/back+pages+ad.jpg" width="446" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbU_EH3I9utvmkwomnJr9ecuhx2wM5J0Gf-7AtAD6jcn66nxihrwjL5cAechn8DzhrhkJQMzsorYtgimtO3d9pYt21SxNY_38EpUeAkM1pYWsKLdtWX7zOCjMxuAj9v2p38cOaiTZz7kWO/s2048/back+pages+ad+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1344" height="684" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbU_EH3I9utvmkwomnJr9ecuhx2wM5J0Gf-7AtAD6jcn66nxihrwjL5cAechn8DzhrhkJQMzsorYtgimtO3d9pYt21SxNY_38EpUeAkM1pYWsKLdtWX7zOCjMxuAj9v2p38cOaiTZz7kWO/w449-h684/back+pages+ad+2.jpg" width="449" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-12354885449793093822019-06-20T13:42:00.001+01:002019-11-15T09:15:44.136+00:00William James New Edition<div style="text-align: center;">
The full wrap. Cover photograph by Joseph T Needles of Leadville, Colorado.</div>
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<a href="http://getbook.at/Authentic" target="_blank">Find the book</a></div>
Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-20375164744549227902018-10-26T15:41:00.000+01:002018-10-26T15:41:01.513+01:00Becker's World<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKFDTPjEHaR2tz8Sm1-2yMbhQtoeWjZc27RWRbLji6FjsQshOFbthWoaUYzsW9P9Tb0R2SsZlq9Sp1KmOqJgViFnFlYJDexmSI_u5XulU5pNQskjfpPNyWYr5NOT9CXV7MRJtOY2TG/s1600/Melody+James+front+cover+800px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1178" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKFDTPjEHaR2tz8Sm1-2yMbhQtoeWjZc27RWRbLji6FjsQshOFbthWoaUYzsW9P9Tb0R2SsZlq9Sp1KmOqJgViFnFlYJDexmSI_u5XulU5pNQskjfpPNyWYr5NOT9CXV7MRJtOY2TG/s320/Melody+James+front+cover+800px.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
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<i>"We have a man. We want to know if we can trust him and I think you can get us the answer."</i></div>
<br />
Sebastian Becker was never meant to live, but sometimes you just don't plan these things.<br />
<br />
He made his first appearance in <i>The Kingdom of Bones</i>,<i> </i>pursuing the fugitive Tom Sayers from London's Music Hall circuit to a final confrontation in a Lousiana furniture store, a Javert to Sayers' Valjean. <i>The Bedlam Detective</i> found him back in England with his young family, working cash-in-hand to support them as an investigator for the Lord Chancellor's Visitor in Lunacy. In <i>The Authentic William James</i> he's handed a job with political implications that he turns into a personal mission.<br />
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<i>“You feel others’ pain. But you won’t share your own. There are people who love you. They love you more than you know. But you can never bring yourself to believe that you deserve it.”</i><br />
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<br />
Along the way I've been adding shorter pieces, fleshing out Becker's world, filling in some of the gaps. <i>Out of Bedlam</i> falls between <i>The Kingdom of Bones</i> and <i>The Bedlam Detective</i>; the action of <i>One Dove</i> slots in between <i>Bedlam Detective</i> and <i>William James</i>. The new novella takes us forward with a character whose potential I'd begun to sense along the way.<br />
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://getbook.at/melodyjamespbk" target="_blank">buy the paperback, 102pp</a><br />
<a href="http://getbook.at/melodyjamespbk" target="_blank">ISBN 978 999920784</a> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://getbook.at/melodyjames" target="_blank">buy the ebook</a></div>
Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-79173496574991193802018-10-16T19:46:00.002+01:002022-03-03T14:00:22.832+00:00Dark Mirages: Dracula<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiab1GKmgxUs_Kz2AFvwFOBaT7ENraArcaPTbOM_alUyp5Vw3YPssR7R9n2g_QykNqjSfhyphenhyphenwJXsqiqkMFGRIsB2hggCLRb6Q4rwmcJIvXblsVuijv6VWrQbmhRpJP6JPuU-zHt7NSpA/s1600/DarkMirages.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="281" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiab1GKmgxUs_Kz2AFvwFOBaT7ENraArcaPTbOM_alUyp5Vw3YPssR7R9n2g_QykNqjSfhyphenhyphenwJXsqiqkMFGRIsB2hggCLRb6Q4rwmcJIvXblsVuijv6VWrQbmhRpJP6JPuU-zHt7NSpA/s200/DarkMirages.png" width="126" /></a><b>Dark Mirages</b> is a new book presenting unproduced screenplays by writers with genre credentials, each with a story behind it<span id="goog_1034973012"></span><span id="goog_1034973013"></span>.<br />
<br />
In my case <b>Dracula </b>was commissioned by the BBC and cancelled, unread, on the
very day that I delivered the script. The producers were Deep Indigo
working with BBC Wales.<br />
<br />
My angle was that nobody had 'done' the book properly since Gerald
Savory's 1970s adaptation. <b>Dracula</b> is a work that's often plundered
and rarely honoured. Stoker never gets the respect that's
automatically accorded to an Austen, an Eliot, or a Hardy, maybe
because he wrote an instinctive classic rather than a cerebral one.<br />
<br />
Things would have to change, as in adaptations they always do. But
for me the guiding motivation would always be the question, What was
Stoker getting at, here?<br />
<br />
I won't insult you by explaining how the novel is a collage of
second-hand perceptions, cast in the form of letters, journals, and
dictated notes from the principal characters. The character of Count
Dracula is offstage for much of the novel, which adds to his mystery
and enhances his credibility.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnsvdkHmwC6WQYMnoHO-EXJkz48hiIlEmRlu4rmpfbVabXiXUBe4vMEOQmVEDDEUILSfGxKaxxBBM2ZQ0Z5eArqlnqvYBKIrMFx_TSTCjAJ3NjY7j-U87j6t-9LAAryVJIRya0csV0/s1600/VincentCassell.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="777" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnsvdkHmwC6WQYMnoHO-EXJkz48hiIlEmRlu4rmpfbVabXiXUBe4vMEOQmVEDDEUILSfGxKaxxBBM2ZQ0Z5eArqlnqvYBKIrMFx_TSTCjAJ3NjY7j-U87j6t-9LAAryVJIRya0csV0/s200/VincentCassell.jpg" width="151" /></a>Because of this approach, you don't get Count Dracula's version of
the events. You can work it out by a kind of literary triangulation,
but I've never seen it done and still come out as Stoker. Dracula's
role gets rewritten, as if his character somehow isn't integral, nor
needs to be rendered with any fidelity to the author.<br />
<br />
What we
usually get is either a romantic rapist or, if the makers want to
signal that they've seen <b>Nosferatu</b>, a hideous cockroach.
Rarely has anyone made a serious attempt to show us Stoker's
nasty-minded, empty-hearted predator, who insists to his dissipated
party-girl 'brides' that he's capable of love, and then goes on to
prove at great length that he isn't.<br />
<br />
It was the fastest, fiercest script I've ever written. We opened a
discussion with Vincent Cassel's people for our Dracula of choice.
And as my script made its way to Cardiff a drama executive in London
heard of a proposed ITV version over lunch and cancelled our project
that same afternoon.<br />
<br />
We had a completed script, we were way ahead.
The other project didn't even have a writer yet. But the news took
over a week to reach us, during which time the producers of the ITV
project got out a press announcement and effectively bombed the
BBC's boat.<br />
<br />
There's a coda. About two years later, the BBC financed ITV's
version and screened it as their own. I didn't - couldn' t -
watch, but the general opinion seems to be that it was not great.<br />
<br />
So there's that.Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-79612301215624191892018-07-09T15:17:00.002+01:002018-09-20T16:31:31.338+01:00Coming Soon<div style="text-align: center;">
Publication November 2nd 2018. Paperback and <a href="http://getbook.at/melodyjames" target="_blank">ebook</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1w3E_R2aI0EasWrdQTHA3vKnwr97lAt5Du933pv_OCb1vSjQMmlIE2106cxyq9_H9gxZvj2EkPGMVhYC_S6gZ80lRe_Lv0fDFwsQh6i4GJuJhu1NPRCICMPtDEPX3C-qnc8cEhjnR/s1600/Melody+James+full+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="734" data-original-width="1000" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1w3E_R2aI0EasWrdQTHA3vKnwr97lAt5Du933pv_OCb1vSjQMmlIE2106cxyq9_H9gxZvj2EkPGMVhYC_S6gZ80lRe_Lv0fDFwsQh6i4GJuJhu1NPRCICMPtDEPX3C-qnc8cEhjnR/s400/Melody+James+full+cover.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>In the lobby of a Blackpool hotel, one year after the end of the Great
War, Britain's spymaster recruits a young sideshow fortune-teller for a
mission of historic importance.</b><br />
<br />
A standalone novella from the author
of the Sebastian Becker novels The Kingdom of Bones, The Bedlam
Detective, and The Authentic William James.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://brooliganpress.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">MELODY JAMES: a novella Stephen Gallagher The Brooligan Press $7.95 (102p) ISBN 978 999920784</a>
</div>
<br />
<b>The Sebastian Becker Stories: Reviews</b><br />
<br />
The
New York Times: "The Kingdom of Bones... shows the occult mystery in
its best light. Vividly set in England and America during the booming
industrial era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this stylish
thriller conjures a perfect demon to symbolize the age and its
appetites… although Gallagher delivers horror with a grand melodramatic
flourish, his storytelling skills are more subtly displayed in scenes of
the provincial theaters, gentlemen’s sporting clubs and amusement parks
where a now-vanished society once took its rough pleasures.”<br />
<br />
The
Sunday Times, London: "From its attention-grabbing opening, this period
thriller moves back and forth in time to tell a compelling story of a
man battling against what he believes to be demonic forces … [Gallagher]
is brilliantly successful at evoking the shifting, transient world of
travelling theatres and cheap carnivals that provide the backdrop to his
twisting tale."<br />
<br />
Ed Gorman: "He's an elegant stylist, a shrewd
psychologist and a powerful storyteller with enormous range and depth. I
finished his latest novel The Kingdom of Bones and I was honestly
stunned by what he'd done. The sweep, the majesty, the grit, the grue,
the great grief (and the underpinning of gallows humor from time to
time). This is not only the finest novel I've read this year but the
finest novel I've read in the past two or three years."<br />
<br />
Kirkus
Reviews: (for The Bedlam Detective, 100 Best Fiction selection for 2012)
“Monsters, actual and metaphorical, are at the heart of this superbly
crafted thriller. Gallagher loves character development but respects
plotting enough to give it full measure. The result is that rare beast, a
literary page turner.”<br />
<br />
Jonny Lee Miller, via Twitter: "Just
finished Stephen Gallagher’s The Bedlam Detective. Only bad thing about
his books is that they eventually end. Brilliant." <br />
<br />
New York
Times: “Gallagher's detective is a man of fine character and strong
principles, but he's upstaged by the monsters he pursues. Watching
Becker track down a pedophile is gratifying, but it can't beat the sight
of 20 overburdened boats hurtling through white-water rapids or Sir
Owain, armed to the teeth and blasting away at giant serpents only he
can see.”<br />
<br />
The Historical Novel Society: “It’s certainly a
thriller, but with a literary depth unusual in the genre, and
fascinating in the complexity of its construct. Gallagher’s prose is
swift, sure, and occasionally darkly comedic… Three words of advice:
read this book.”<br />
<br />
Stephen Volk: “It's a blinding novel (The
Authentic William James)… each chapter had me chuckling with joy—if not
at the acerbic wit, the brilliant dialogue—the sheer spot-on elegance of
the writing: the plot turns, the pin sharp beats. Always authoritative
and con-vincing, never showy. Magnificently realised characters in a
living breathing world... Absolutely stunning.”<br />
<br />
Publishers Weekly
(starred): “British author Gallagher gives Sebastian Becker another
puzzle worthy of his quirky sleuth’s acumen in his outstanding third
pre-WWI mystery... Gallagher makes the most of his unusual concept in
the service of a twisty but logical plot line.” <br />
<br />
About the Author<br />
<br />
Stoker
and World Fantasy Award nominee, winner of British Fantasy and
International Horror Guild Awards for his short fiction, Stephen
Gallagher has built a career both as a novelist and as a creator of
primetime miniseries and episodic television. His fourteen novels
include Valley of Lights, Down River, The Spirit Box, and Nightmare,
With Angel.</div>
Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-43365958117249816802018-06-29T10:12:00.001+01:002018-06-29T10:13:27.259+01:00The Brooligan Press WebsiteThe Brooligan Press website is now up and running, with details of all the titles in our list and global links for ordering paperbacks and ebooks.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://brooliganpress.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">You can find it right here</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-MD-OoNH2qtNTPB1EoXAMr5IVoUIt3K1pQBZxpgP5SGqoKnlWZKQi-Cj0vyywishf2aUvt6aWdcocv6ZN7Ug0xUO3YkUg20uHIbY15W2HlTvCU8EsIt4_yefZ_5vaOsjs0QhllQW/s1600/webpage+for+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="919" data-original-width="1389" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-MD-OoNH2qtNTPB1EoXAMr5IVoUIt3K1pQBZxpgP5SGqoKnlWZKQi-Cj0vyywishf2aUvt6aWdcocv6ZN7Ug0xUO3YkUg20uHIbY15W2HlTvCU8EsIt4_yefZ_5vaOsjs0QhllQW/s400/webpage+for+blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-53393124980036467302018-05-11T08:49:00.000+01:002018-05-11T09:25:40.680+01:00Two New Titles from The Brooligan Press<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfag1scsRS3hc5t6JUSvk8qgp6h0VreG67nPj1R-br2nvNGgq-vgi1r1CEyQQTtB9OSBr9DbOy9c59WPfIVhul-vxA4xRef5TdpIDW2WkQHPupJ66NoHQ2gbHNhOaveL__YNGzC6n-iFD/s1600/FP+andCompanionCovers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="800" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfag1scsRS3hc5t6JUSvk8qgp6h0VreG67nPj1R-br2nvNGgq-vgi1r1CEyQQTtB9OSBr9DbOy9c59WPfIVhul-vxA4xRef5TdpIDW2WkQHPupJ66NoHQ2gbHNhOaveL__YNGzC6n-iFD/s400/FP+andCompanionCovers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Available now... two new trade paperback titles from <b>The Brooligan Press</b>.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Frankensteins-Prescription-Tim-Lees/dp/1999920767" target="_blank"><b>Frankenstein's Prescription</b></a> Banished to an isolated rural hospital for killing a fellow student in a duel, Hans
Schneider meets the mysterious Dr Lavenza and learns about
Frankenstein's prescription<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">—</span>the secret of eternal life. Together,
Schneider and Lavenza set out to collect the missing pieces of the
formula. But they are not alone. From Germany to Rome, from Rome to
Paris, to the failed and wretched Eden of an all-too-human God, a
dreadful creature follows in their wake and brings destruction wherever
they go.<br />
<br />
First appearance in paperback. "A unique piece of work; fast, funny, and with a terrific sense of period and place. <i>Frankenstein's Prescription</i> reads like the bastard creation of Jonathan Swift and Jimmy Sangster."<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Companion-Laurence-Staig/dp/1999920775" target="_blank"><b>The Companion</b></a> A broken church window, smashed in a bid to contain the power trapped within its stained glass... The desperate sobbing of a child who isn’t there...
When restoration expert Kit Farris moves into the adjoining Grange with his three daughters, how can he possibly know what dark forces his work will unleash?<br />
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Previously published as <i>Shapeshifter</i>, now appearing for the first time under its original title in an edition revised and expanded by the author. "An excellent book, which celebrates and transcends genre.
As much family story as ghost story, a tense drama of abuse,
neglect and longing... An old-fashioned ghost tale with a modern
edge, consciously a tribute to M R James in its setting and
atmosphere.” <i>Neil Philip,
The Times </i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Frankensteins-Prescription-Tim-Lees/dp/1999920767" target="_blank">Buy Frankenstein's Prescription</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Companion-Laurence-Staig/dp/1999920775" target="_blank">Buy The Companion</a></div>
<i> </i>Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-86676047276988816692018-02-21T17:16:00.000+00:002018-02-21T17:16:04.896+00:00Showreel for 2018<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="309" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I7q1-sQEdjA" width="550"></iframe>Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-66982292361773475802018-02-21T17:15:00.000+00:002018-02-21T17:19:20.756+00:00Incoming...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiv9dCDuzmYP9ywQRI4y2SAVOZpe7A1htwS578Ou5G29HHgiOqrgBUry5JJb1kNIN38tYpV9beADo-O-srZYRPZ9V8O4XVhBH1RIsfQCLNsrazNdNI5Hs2mRUDgXx7xSw43XfC1HwQ/s1600/Year%2527s+best+horror+2018.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiv9dCDuzmYP9ywQRI4y2SAVOZpe7A1htwS578Ou5G29HHgiOqrgBUry5JJb1kNIN38tYpV9beADo-O-srZYRPZ9V8O4XVhBH1RIsfQCLNsrazNdNI5Hs2mRUDgXx7xSw43XfC1HwQ/s640/Year%2527s+best+horror+2018.png" width="425" /></a></div>
Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-23688691937858477872018-01-21T10:13:00.001+00:002018-02-21T17:20:22.041+00:00Now Available<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxzE-DTj2gPVOBkLPO323ecZDz3SdHdlUxxkwC8Sx04TdTbfr1QK1LoAeL9CdLNW5YzY5FyC2-eQJXi_GYk38PxyEUkvlXbqLsqjH4V8wgPRMoO-oqdVeDFnKyFrlt1kNpcLsj4jCdHYQy/s1600/Out+of+his+Mind+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="800" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxzE-DTj2gPVOBkLPO323ecZDz3SdHdlUxxkwC8Sx04TdTbfr1QK1LoAeL9CdLNW5YzY5FyC2-eQJXi_GYk38PxyEUkvlXbqLsqjH4V8wgPRMoO-oqdVeDFnKyFrlt1kNpcLsj4jCdHYQy/s400/Out+of+his+Mind+5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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With a third, new collection of material to follow later in the year</div>
Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-78584214823292456362018-01-10T16:47:00.001+00:002018-03-04T16:02:04.166+00:00The Spirit Box: First Appearance in Paperback<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXC3EDA6ybT4Nc7f9JVu8ANV9jm6rjv68NZKo2xSpuKIAOGZj126I9_DF3X8bM2HCPkgq0BhxezjvzCD76Vm6qZ0MKMX_jIuyB5nA0SiynijzkpaKWnjUZIg2gSUChyphenhyphenyFgAEE_T-vQEAZH/s1600/Spirit+Box+2017+pbk+cover+800px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="800" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXC3EDA6ybT4Nc7f9JVu8ANV9jm6rjv68NZKo2xSpuKIAOGZj126I9_DF3X8bM2HCPkgq0BhxezjvzCD76Vm6qZ0MKMX_jIuyB5nA0SiynijzkpaKWnjUZIg2gSUChyphenhyphenyFgAEE_T-vQEAZH/s400/Spirit+Box+2017+pbk+cover+800px.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
This is kind of exciting... following on from the mass-market publication of <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Authentic-William-James-Sebastian-Becker/dp/0995797307/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1515601151&sr=1-1&keywords=stephen+gallagher" target="_blank">The Authentic William James</a> comes the first paperback appearance of <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spirit-Box-Stephen-Gallagher/dp/0995797374/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1515601151&sr=1-12&keywords=stephen+gallagher" target="_blank">The Spirit Box</a>, previously available in this gorgeously boxed format with a cover by Chris Moore:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicI7YBPklqeP86_3OVr3kogXzHvfmsi-G0xsj5D1c_NRh8LGVrx8HyjYHoYyL6QjearDm84l660hDKilcj2_8to2K4LY2kVON2GV6r3iCU9HVg1gCtdcw97qSbXAqAtOrr_jfVrCFi3mb7/s1600/spirit+box+cased+collaged.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="1280" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicI7YBPklqeP86_3OVr3kogXzHvfmsi-G0xsj5D1c_NRh8LGVrx8HyjYHoYyL6QjearDm84l660hDKilcj2_8to2K4LY2kVON2GV6r3iCU9HVg1gCtdcw97qSbXAqAtOrr_jfVrCFi3mb7/s400/spirit+box+cased+collaged.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spirit-Box-Stephen-Gallagher/dp/0995797374/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">The Spirit Box</a> is closely followed by the paperback debut of <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Painted-Bride-Stephen-Gallagher/dp/1999920708/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1515601151&sr=1-3&keywords=stephen+gallagher" target="_blank">The Painted Bride </a>and then, for the first time ever, my backlist titles gathered together in a uniform edition. Not reprints, but new settings from the original texts.<br />
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Available now. You can find all these titles, plus links to the ebook editions, <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stephen%20Gallagher/e/B001HPYQ02/ref=la_B001HPYQ02_pg_2?rh=n%3A266239%2Cp_82%3AB001HPYQ02&page=2&sort=author-pages-popularity-rank&ie=UTF8&qid=1515601752" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-23410472754399099932017-12-06T09:09:00.000+00:002017-12-06T09:12:03.735+00:00Now in Paperback from Amazon, Waterstones, Barnes & Noble... You Name It<div dir="auto" id="iframeContent">
As the Special Investigator to the
Lord Chancellor’s Visitor in Lunacy, Sebastian Becker delivers justice
to those dangerous madmen whose fortunes might otherwise place them
above the law.<br />
<br />
But in William James he faces a different challenge; to
prove a man sane, so that he may hang. Did the reluctant showman really
burn down a crowded pavilion with the audience inside? And if not, why
is this British sideshow cowboy so determined to shoulder the blame?<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0995797307" target="_blank"><b>The Authentic William James</b></a> is the third novel to feature ex-police
detective and former Pinkerton Man Sebastian Becker, joining <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingdom-Bones-Stephen-Gallagher-ebook/dp/B00A0OIOGI/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" target="_blank"><b>The Kingdom of Bones</b></a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bedlam-Detective-Stephen-Gallagher-ebook/dp/B00C2SNR2G/ref=pd_sim_351_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=X0Z3A1TY0FK6SGJH95KM" target="_blank"><b>The Bedlam Detective</b>.</a><br />
<br />
Praising "this superbly crafted
thriller", Kirkus Reviews named <b>The Bedlam Detective </b>one of their 100
Best of the Year and called it "that rare beast, a literary page
turner".<br />
<br />
MysteryTribune.Com described it as "a rare literary masterpiece
for lovers of historical crime fiction." <br />
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<br />
Of <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-authentic-william-james/stephen-gallagher/9780995797307" target="_blank"><b>The Authentic William James</b></a>, author and screenwriter Stephen Volk (Ghostwatch, Afterlife, The Parts We Play) says:<br />
<br />
<i>"It's
a blinding novel... the acerbic wit, the brilliant dialogue - the sheer
spot-on elegance of the writing: the plot turns, the pin sharp beats.
Always authoritative and convincing, never showy. Magnificently realised
characters in a living breathing world... <b>Absolutely stunning</b>."</i><br />
<i> </i> <br />
In their starred review of <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-authentic-william-james-stephen-gallagher/1124214314" target="_blank"><b>The Authentic William James</b></a>, Publishers Weekly wrote: <br />
<i>"Gallagher
gives Sebastian Becker another puzzle worthy of his quirky sleuth’s
acumen in this outstanding third pre-WW1 mystery."</i><br />
<i> </i> <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
"Only bad thing about his books is that they eventually end. Brilliant.”</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
—Jonny Lee Miller</div>
<br />Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-19642903954744746742017-11-16T13:00:00.000+00:002017-11-16T13:07:30.343+00:00Five QuestionsTowering insights. Answers to the great questions of life. My short interview with Lucy Hay on her <a href="http://www.lucyvhayauthor.com/criminally-good-interview-with-stephen-gallagher-author-and-screenwriter/" target="_blank">Criminally Good</a> blog.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.lucyvhayauthor.com/criminally-good-interview-with-stephen-gallagher-author-and-screenwriter/" target="_blank">Read it here</a><br />
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Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-25339675536840913382017-11-07T01:51:00.001+00:002017-11-07T01:58:45.938+00:00Winter Draws OnThe Goodreads people have drawn five names from their virtual hat and it's congratulations to Stephanie, Betty, Antoinette, Beryl, and Courtney.<br />
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Signed copies of The Authentic William James are on their way.<br />
<br />
More Brooligan Press titles and promotions coming soon.<br />
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<br />Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-38777692587230132072017-11-01T14:38:00.003+00:002018-02-05T09:47:46.243+00:00The Northern Crime Quartet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItJuO1hnn9_8EUfsdZG5T2jTFescw_aR1R4FLmOZ9TxkMuGa1dOfSaw3Ajb6EOQ9S3vylnzStXFP9ulYmq3H2-RtShHRx8jDf95XLiawzFd6O6qbaN_Ge1tsQQ032CA6GyjW7FJN4CrnQ/s1600/Northern+quartet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="493" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItJuO1hnn9_8EUfsdZG5T2jTFescw_aR1R4FLmOZ9TxkMuGa1dOfSaw3Ajb6EOQ9S3vylnzStXFP9ulYmq3H2-RtShHRx8jDf95XLiawzFd6O6qbaN_Ge1tsQQ032CA6GyjW7FJN4CrnQ/s320/Northern+quartet.jpg" width="313" /></a></div>
A retrospective ‘umbrella title’ that’s become attached to four consecutive novels written during my publishing run with Hodder & Stoughton, just before the balance of my career tipped more toward screenwriting.<br />
<br />
Four linked stories in a shared Northern landscape, playing variations on a theme of flawed good versus complex evil. Though it was never my intention, some were inclined to read it as a deliberate move to leave my horror/fantasy roots behind and claim a piece of the mainstream. It wasn't, but no matter. I was just looking to create different monsters.<br />
<br />
<b>Down River</b> is the story of Nick Frazier and Johnny Mays, two childhood friends reunited as plainclothes police officers, one of them tragically unbalanced and ultimately dangerous. It features the promotion of Jennifer McGann from uniformed duties to CID trainee, and includes witness evidence from a teenaged hitchhiker named Lucy Ashdown.<br />
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In <b>Nightmare, with Angel</b>, a convicted criminal (Ryan O’Donnell) earns redemption through a self-sacrificing act that reconciles a lost child (Marianne Cadogan) with her equally lost father. Jennifer McGann is the investigating officer on her first big solo case.<br />
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<b>Rain</b> follows Down River’s hitchhiking teenager Lucy Ashdown to London in her murdered sister’s footsteps. She’s pursued by suspended DC Joe Lucas as a favour to her dad. She outwits Joe at every turn, but fails to see that the closer she gets to an answer, the closer she is to sharing her sister’s fate.<br />
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<b>The Painted Bride</b> features Sandra Novak, lead detective in the case of Frank Tanner, a car dealer whose wife has gone missing; no one believes he’s killed her apart from Molly Gideon, his sister-in-law. She’s a recovering heroin addict with no credibility, but she sacrifices everything to protect the children and bring him to justice.<br />
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They’re tales of ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances. The settings are Northern cities, moorland, marshes and coastline, plus the ‘80s London of <b>Rain</b> and <b>Nightmare’s</b> European angle with the fall of the Berlin Wall. In each of the stories, the violent are broken and the victims are strong. They prevail. Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-46131262527310694802017-10-31T10:42:00.003+00:002017-10-31T10:43:34.328+00:00Next Offer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPKZa1cnr3h117KdsQsNCrB2h6FjSyLyZvMD4mV4ui6w-apr0DssDpiymsFX4__xX_-SvE9udguExXxDNfrr1xcF9iYRLrm16Hr99T139oyqSTkOYAdm6qe-0OtsWdIukmKK7lApbq/s1600/Out+of+Bedlam+new+cover+451px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="651" data-original-width="451" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPKZa1cnr3h117KdsQsNCrB2h6FjSyLyZvMD4mV4ui6w-apr0DssDpiymsFX4__xX_-SvE9udguExXxDNfrr1xcF9iYRLrm16Hr99T139oyqSTkOYAdm6qe-0OtsWdIukmKK7lApbq/s320/Out+of+Bedlam+new+cover+451px.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>
As the $1.99 Bedlam Detective ebook promotion from Crown continues until the end of the week, here's another story download offer for the coming weekend.<br />
<br />
Crown's promotion is restricted to its own territories but the Kindle story offer will be worldwide. <br />
<br />
This one includes two short stories. <b>Out of Bedlam</b> is a Becker story originally written for Random House's <b>Dead Good Books</b> online magazine. <b>The Plot</b> is a standalone which, taken together with the novella <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gethsemane-Stephen-Gallagher-ebook/dp/B00B5BSHOO" target="_blank">In Gethsemane</a>, represents one of my earliest ventures into historical fiction. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Out-Bedlam-Stephen-Gallagher-ebook/dp/B00BI0T5V6" target="_blank">Click here for the 2 stories</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-bedlam-detective-by-stephen-gallagher-2017-10-27?ebook_deal" target="_blank">Click here for The Bedlam Detective promotion</a><br />
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Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-41756309490042491002017-10-26T15:50:00.002+01:002017-10-26T17:01:34.619+01:00This Weekend's Offer<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxP0s20goWMyZJtBoyptBtw4JUiouKIaCpmUQI2E06WU9Axsr1F5bJ6Ut2DCtcdejJbZuMwjPFC_MFTqKOIHK3BQO4IIUfDYfUoDDL0Um9a89DTZhyg2911x0f-lUtBHU0k2pS90Q/s1600/One+Dove+cover+art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="572" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxP0s20goWMyZJtBoyptBtw4JUiouKIaCpmUQI2E06WU9Axsr1F5bJ6Ut2DCtcdejJbZuMwjPFC_MFTqKOIHK3BQO4IIUfDYfUoDDL0Um9a89DTZhyg2911x0f-lUtBHU0k2pS90Q/s320/One+Dove+cover+art.jpg" width="205" /></a>The Random House $1.99 price-cut promotion on <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/57616/the-bedlam-detective-by-stephen-gallagher/9780307406651/" target="_blank">The Bedlam Detective ebook </a>applies across all platforms but not, as far as I can see, in all territories... if you're in the UK, for example, the links will take you to the Ebury Press ebook at a (still very modest) £3.99.<br />
<br />
So over the weekend, by way of compensation, you can get this Becker short story for nothing in an Amazon free ebook promotion.<br />
<br />
Of course, some of you can get the cut-price book <i>and</i> the free story... in which case, yay, Go You.<br />
<br />
There's another free Becker story scheduled for the following weekend. More on that soon. In the meantime click <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Dove-Sebastian-Becker-story-ebook/dp/B076CRTQ5C" target="_blank">here</a> or on the cover in the right-hand column for the story link.Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-48062975780540780622017-10-16T18:14:00.000+01:002017-10-16T19:39:50.171+01:00The Authentic William James: the paperbackFor a limited period from October 22nd, and backed by an ad campaign on Bookbub, Random House will be cutting the price of <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/57616/the-bedlam-detective-by-stephen-gallagher/9780307952783" target="_blank"><b>The Bedlam Detective</b></a> ebook edition to $1.99.<br />
<br />
No a bad curtain-raiser for this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp1vyjvW7uZLKj2H1zZFEKkkyvTOpRiFuKG40wA7Vi0ioDzp3t12e-GhyAYida_plQ5P4at2lVkub9c_tUydNkBrwr6tOJ713diYfpznKIZj8WPIp8v6y5a3lNsj3TLQI6OGio93R1YMmd/s1600/cover+for+ebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp1vyjvW7uZLKj2H1zZFEKkkyvTOpRiFuKG40wA7Vi0ioDzp3t12e-GhyAYida_plQ5P4at2lVkub9c_tUydNkBrwr6tOJ713diYfpznKIZj8WPIp8v6y5a3lNsj3TLQI6OGio93R1YMmd/s640/cover+for+ebook.jpg" width="417" /></a></div>
<br />
Publication of <b>The Authentic William James</b> trade paperback edition is set for December in all territories. Copies for review were dispatched last month, but I can tell you that some of the books are escaping out into the wild ahead of the date.<br />
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At the end of October <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> will be running a giveaway promotion, with five signed copies in a free-to-enter draw.<br />
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Here's a taster:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyH5HTTzfWosXk1Ud-mupQfjTwVIyXv_yLuppvn1qWx7-6H971tsU6pOGiKBc6mcS0uVKXG6q1r4y02dBDlyMR_CFVAFFTJ1BjZVj8HSKFILLJvA-3CYH4IANMQEyWWfHh8OT8boWtqKu2/s1600/WJ+first+page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="578" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyH5HTTzfWosXk1Ud-mupQfjTwVIyXv_yLuppvn1qWx7-6H971tsU6pOGiKBc6mcS0uVKXG6q1r4y02dBDlyMR_CFVAFFTJ1BjZVj8HSKFILLJvA-3CYH4IANMQEyWWfHh8OT8boWtqKu2/s640/WJ+first+page.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
<br />
The ebook's been on sale in the US from Subterranean since last September, but the exclusivity period is now over. Which means that <b>The Authentic William James</b> will be available digitally in all territories and on all platforms as of November 2nd.Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-39728568799569481322017-05-05T10:04:00.002+01:002017-05-05T10:04:19.213+01:00Richard Dalby 1949-2017<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTo8MI4Uix4x3WT2_tdFqNx1UJFBP_a-8heo3X1JTYYhpK0K3J8mvk0ZRibsy_q33h80ou-vi5qLpsAJ3itIB8hI7NKzHfPcttvhhNqAEPXclhjkWxLMcBJ5tsCSWxtfGrQaCUswmc/s1600/Dalby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTo8MI4Uix4x3WT2_tdFqNx1UJFBP_a-8heo3X1JTYYhpK0K3J8mvk0ZRibsy_q33h80ou-vi5qLpsAJ3itIB8hI7NKzHfPcttvhhNqAEPXclhjkWxLMcBJ5tsCSWxtfGrQaCUswmc/s320/Dalby.jpg" width="221" /></a>A supreme scholar, a gentle soul, and a great loss to the field and all
who knew him.<br />
<br />
We met in the '90s when Richard invited me over to
Scarborough to talk about my Stoker-inspired project (then called <i>Victorian Gothic</i>, it would later become <i>The Kingdom of Bones</i> and the first of the Sebastian Becker books).<br />
<br />
Richard had produced the
definitive Stoker bibliography and also had a wonderful selection of
early editions and other material. These included a <i>Dracula</i> first, found
in a West Country book shop for £8, and Stoker's personal annotated copy
of <i>The Man</i>. Richard had discovered that one in the back of a dusty
bookstore and when he took it to the desk to pay, the shop's owner
thumbed through it and then knocked a couple of quid off the price
"because it's been written in".<br />
<br />
Richard had two houses, one to live in
and one for his books; the book house was entirely that, as far as I
saw, shelved like a library in every room. He kindly photocopied Stoker's
then-unobtainable <i>Snowbound</i> story collection for me, and later as editor
picked up some of my own stuff for his anthologies.<br />
<br />
I don't claim we
were close, and in later years we pretty much fell out of touch, but I
count our meeting as one of the significant waypoints in my life.Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-71884451292587946132016-11-09T11:50:00.001+00:002016-11-09T11:50:15.902+00:00Victorian Fun (2)Well, no matter how long you've known them, your friends never lose the capacity to surprise you. Jo Armitage, with whom I worked back when I was represented by the Curtis Brown Agency, read my last entry on the <a href="http://brooligan.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/victorian-fun.html" target="_blank">British Library's <b>Victor</b></a><a href="http://brooligan.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/victorian-fun.html" target="_blank"><b>ian Entertainments</b> exhibition</a> and wrote:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Well I never, just read the blog about your visit to the BL. Can’t remember if I’ve ever told you but my great grandparents (paternal side – Armitage) were a part of the George Sangers Circus. I believe that my great grandfather Armitage was a Ringmaster for them. Small world and when they left the circus he became the Manager for one of the Music Halls in SW London (think Clapham but not sure).</i></blockquote>
In dire need of some diversion on this election-dominated morning, I flipped through Sanger's autobiography <b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seventy-Years-Showman-George-Sanger/dp/B0007JDY66" target="_blank">Seventy Years a Showman</a></b> and spent some time down the wonderful rabbit-hole of information that is the <b><a href="http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/index.html" target="_blank">Arthur Lloyd Music Hall and Theatre History</a></b> site. If the Clapham association is correct, then it's quite possible that <i>Grandpere</i> Armitage may have been involved with Dan Leno's ventures in the area. Leno lived in nearby Clapham Park and was a partner in a business consortium that first took over <b><a href="http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Clapham.htm#munts" target="_blank">Munt's Hall</a></b> on St John's Hill, renaming it <b>The Grand Hall of Varieties</b> before going on to commission and build Clapham Junction's <b><a href="http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Clapham.htm#grand" target="_blank">Grand Theatre</a></b>. I turned up nothing useful that I could add to the family story, but was grateful for the excuse to go browsing.<br />
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When I asked Jo for permission to pass this along she added that the Ringmaster story came from relatives who are no longer around, so she'd no immediate means of corroborating it. But that her great grandfather worked for Sanger, and met and married her great grandmother while both were in the showman's employ, is beyond doubt.Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-66956762078310260702016-10-19T10:59:00.002+01:002016-10-20T09:12:11.742+01:00Victorian FunIn London for a couple of meetings last Thursday, I called by to spend a few minutes at the <a href="https://www.bl.uk/events/treasures-of-the-british-library"><b>Treasures of the British Library</b></a> permanent exhibition. That's the beauty of our free museums, as I found in the 70s when I was in the capital looking for a way into film or TV; when you're broke (as I was then) and have time to fill, a regular half-hour in the National Gallery or the odd hour in the V&A can lift the spirits and leave you with a sense of the time well spent.<br />
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A chap was tuning up a piano. Not something you expect to find in the foyer of a library. When I took a closer look I saw that a stage was being set for the launch of a new exhibition titled <a href="https://www.bl.uk/events/victorian-entertainments-there-will-be-fun"><b>Victorian Entertainments: There Will Be Fun</b></a>. The barriers were still up but I could see enough to know right away that I'd surely find it of interest.<br />
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As described on the BL's own website:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Roll up to celebrate some of the most popular entertainments of
Victorian times performed in a variety of venues from fairground tents
to musical stages. </i><br />
<br />
<i>Focusing on five colourful characters, follow their stories as we
bring the worlds they inhabited to life. These Victorian A-listers
include Dan Leno, the original pantomime dame and ‘funniest man on
earth’, John Nevil Maskelyne, magician and manager of ‘England’s Home of
Mystery’, and the great circus showman ‘Lord’ George Sanger. Also hear
of those whose fame has now faded such as Annie De Montford, a mill
worker turned mesmerist, and Evanion the Royal conjuror</i>. </blockquote>
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<br />
If you're familiar with the Becker novels you'll know that they largely play out against a backdrop of the entertainment business from the 1880s to the Edwardian era. From Music Hall touring companies to fairground boxing booths, from Wild West acts to the legitimate stage. And if you aren't familiar... well, you'll have to take my word for it. <br />
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Two of the personalities covered in the exhibition (and the live presentation<span id="goog_159825203"></span><span id="goog_159825204"></span>s scheduled to accompany it) were central to the stories' conception, with their lives and histories providing a wealth of insight and detail. 'Lord' George Sanger was a prominent showman, and John Nevile Maskelyne was probably the most eminent British illusionist of his day. Here's where Maskelyne - in spirit, rather than in person - figures in <b>The Kingdom of Bones</b>: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3aUfCjiDkWkPbklVpH3bfvWI5dPVWqZTxiUQ_gRt_ilzd-_CijsDPvsmUW6QGntkkpkMvnqPrZMkk0N3qVkUf9ZharBkpeFPPlpOQt00qxX3nRWPSC_JwTafX1M-PyoKtGtBVYnw6v7oB/s1600/KingdomofBonesUK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3aUfCjiDkWkPbklVpH3bfvWI5dPVWqZTxiUQ_gRt_ilzd-_CijsDPvsmUW6QGntkkpkMvnqPrZMkk0N3qVkUf9ZharBkpeFPPlpOQt00qxX3nRWPSC_JwTafX1M-PyoKtGtBVYnw6v7oB/s200/KingdomofBonesUK.jpg" width="131" /></a><i>The Egyptian Hall stood in Piccadilly, and had been England's Home of Mystery for the past sixteen years. It had the frontage of an antique temple, four storeys high and with the look of something hewn from the rock of the Nile valley. Two mighty columns braced the lintel above its entranceway. Two monumental statues stood upon the lintel. All illusion, in plaster and cement. To either side of this slab of the ancient desert continued a row of sober Georgian town houses. </i><br />
<br />
<i>Within the building there were two theatres. One had been taken by Maskelyne and Cooke for a three-month run of magic and deception that still showed no signs of ending, more than a decade and a half after it had begun. The other was used for exhibitions and the occasional show. </i><br />
<br />
<i>A few minutes before midnight, their four-wheeler drew up outside. Edmund Whitlock stepped down to the pavement, where he turned and offered his arm to Louise.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>To an observer’s eye the halls were shut-up and dark, but a watchman waited to let them in. Louise moved with her eyes downcast, looking neither to left nor right. They went directly backstage, where the Silent Man waited to lead them to the auditorium. </i><br />
<br />
<i>It was an intimate house, with a small stage and a runway out from the footlights across the orchestra pit. The house lights were on and the curtains were up; Maskelyne was between shows, so his sets were half-struck and the theatre’s back wall was visible. About a dozen figures were out there in the stalls, all male, no two of them sitting together although some were conversing across the rows in raised voices. They fell silent as Whitlock led Louise to the centre of the stage, where a chair waited. He left her there and moved to the footlights. </i><br />
<br />
<i>“Gentlemen,” he said, his voice ringing all the way up to the hall’s domed ceiling. “Welcome. I have spoken to each of you in turn before this evening.” </i><br />
<br />
<i>Louise sat on her chair and continued to look down at the stage. Whitlock had taken her to Bond Street the day before, to be fitted for a new dress that the milliners had run up overnight. Her hair had been artfully pinned by the Mute Woman, who had a talent for such. Her face was powdered and her natural pallor relieved by the merest hint of rouge. </i><br />
<br />
<i>Over by the wings, she was aware of the Silent Man easing out of the shadows and into a spot from where he could observe the auditorium. </i><br />
<br />
<i>“I know you are intrigued,” Whitlock said. “I know you will be discreet. And I know the fascination that Miss Porter holds for each of you. Tonight I offer the chance for one man to pursue that fascination to the full.” </i></blockquote>
I stayed on an extra day in order to return when I knew the exhibition would be open. It's sited in the BL's entrance hall and isn't huge - several display cases and some video material, along with walls of vintage poster art - but for someone with a love of such ephemera it didn't disappoint.<br />
<br />
There are some props and personal effects but it's mostly printed matter in the form of handbills, tickets, programmes and other publications, much as you'd expect from a library's archive. Most interesting to me was the material from the collection of Henry Evans, illusionist, who as 'Evanion' had a fifty-year touring career on the stages of Britain. Presented here as 'one of those whose fame has now faded', to me Evans represents the true heroes of popular entertainment, hard-grafting professionals with a lifelong commitment to their often thankless trade. He was to die, elderly and impoverished, of throat cancer in the Lambeth Infirmary, a charity hospital joined to the workhouse in which Charlie Chaplin had been a child inmate. Forgotten, perhaps. But faded? No. <br />
<br />
Afterwards I looked in the gift shop, and was a tad discouraged to see no merchandise in the exhibition-related area. Just Shakespeare stuff and, let's face it, he hardly needs the publicity. The main part of the bookshop offers a nice line in vintage detective fiction, all rather well-chosen, some of it in <a href="http://www.booksmonthly.co.uk/codeclub.html">retro bindings</a>, and with some rare old titles republished under <a href="https://shop.bl.uk/mall/departmentpage.cfm/BritishLibrary/_488718/1/British-Library-crime-classics">the BL's own imprint</a> (and kudos to whoever came up with the idea of returning the great Eric Ambler to public attention).<br />
<br />
But hey, BL, if you'd care to stock some titles that can relate to the show, I've a suggestion or three for you. <br />
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<a href="https://www.bl.uk/events/victorian-entertainments-there-will-be-fun"><i><b>Victorian Entertainments: There Will Be Fun</b>, Entrance Hall, The British Library, until Sunday, 12th February 2017</i></a>Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-59270398907193922192016-09-27T13:47:00.000+01:002016-09-27T13:47:09.038+01:00Spotted in the Wild<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fCR-jAO_tA_e6ZHhJsf9jnMAB7V4kl4v3iird8f83921MvPQOKGBOasc2Nnx_GbKnUjH9KdDfyZQIRiNQ7UmT56noaRt9Xss69PMX4_gg2870I0OjxMhXs8kIlfAINUvK-62UhEI/s1600/AuthenticWJ+at+Fantasycon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fCR-jAO_tA_e6ZHhJsf9jnMAB7V4kl4v3iird8f83921MvPQOKGBOasc2Nnx_GbKnUjH9KdDfyZQIRiNQ7UmT56noaRt9Xss69PMX4_gg2870I0OjxMhXs8kIlfAINUvK-62UhEI/s320/AuthenticWJ+at+Fantasycon.jpg" width="240" /></a>Just back from a weekend of frolics, wine and conversation at 2016's Fantasycon by the Sea in Scarborough, a town of shabby-chic Edwardian charm with a fantastic coastline and some, er, interesting after-dark streetlife. The Grand Hotel made for a highly sociable venue in a spectacular clifftop location. Dining options on the doorstep, and some fine autumn sunshine for those moments where you just had to take time out and wander. I had a great time meeting up with friends old and new.<br />
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There was no single dealers' room, as such, more a bazaar that spilled through small rooms and passageways off a corner of the main hall. I'm pretty sure I didn't get to see everything, but I did get my first-ever sighting of the new hardcover in its finished form. PS Publishing regularly handles UK distribution of Subterranean titles and had rushed a stack of advance copies expressly for the convention. So, many thanks to all involved, with further thanks to those who bought out the stack!<br />
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A damn handsome piece of book production, if you ask me. I couldn't be more pleased. The hardcover editions of both <b><a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/stephen-gallagher/the-kingdom-of-bones/" target="_blank">The Kingdom of Bones</a></b> (Shaye Areheart Books) and <b><a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/stephen-gallagher/bedlam-detective/" target="_blank">The Bedlam Detective</a></b> (Crown) were something to behold, and this new title equals and, dare I say it, surpasses them. Subterranean also holds ebook rights for US territories, <a href="http://subterraneanpress.com/store/product_detail/the_authentic_william_james_ebook" target="_blank">details of which can be found here</a>. I'll have paperback news in due course.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjRKV24C1lPlb2z0yRYYZGUak0D80Qrz3LRgew56EA7aNU-4bM8ejhoCtfm5v3g39PNsqr-nuJb7SDQ8XyftT2tXhFdHL4UrvStaq-tDXFa6BwInXFDyvLJmFKwSMi0KnYtrzIK_czfXx/s1600/AuthenticWJ+at+Fantasycon2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjRKV24C1lPlb2z0yRYYZGUak0D80Qrz3LRgew56EA7aNU-4bM8ejhoCtfm5v3g39PNsqr-nuJb7SDQ8XyftT2tXhFdHL4UrvStaq-tDXFa6BwInXFDyvLJmFKwSMi0KnYtrzIK_czfXx/s400/AuthenticWJ+at+Fantasycon2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-19478302200965953892016-07-11T14:40:00.001+01:002016-07-11T14:40:46.201+01:00New Readers Start Here!<br />
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<b><i>The Kingdom of Bones</i></b>,
Stephen Gallagher, Shaye Areheart Books, New York, 368 pp, hardcover, $24.95,
ISBN 978-0-307-38280-1.</div>
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Set primarily in the England of
the 1880s but also in 1903 Philadelphia and New Orleans, Stephen Gallagher’s <i>The
Kingdom of Bones</i> is part murder mystery, part occult thriller, and part
loving re-creation of a bygone era.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Someone has been killing poor children, and Detective Inspector
Sebastian Becker believes ex-boxing champion Tom Sayers has something to do
with the slayings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After an understated
opening, the novel kicks into high gear when Sayers escapes arrest and tries to
clear his name by finding the real killer. In a move by Gallagher that will
delight genre fans, Sayers enlists the help of Bram Stoker. This leads Sayers
into a world of possible occult influence and secrets that will change his life
forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Throughout the novel,
Gallagher’s careful, restrained writing creates great tension and
surprise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sebastian as the pursuing
detective is convincing, but Gallagher’s careful, often brilliant
characterization of Sayers is <i>The Kingdom of Bones’</i> main touchstone.<br />
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<i>(Review, Realms of Fantasy magazine) </i></div>
Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425651004564546701.post-57184569003793019192016-07-07T12:07:00.001+01:002016-07-07T12:08:22.030+01:00Publishers Weekly Starred Review<div style="text-align: center;">
Click to enlarge</div>
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Stephen Gallagherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280419153030490653noreply@blogger.com0