S.J.Budd

Coraline is a dark children's story that's not for the faint of heart. It centres around a remarkable little girl, Coraline Jones who moves with her parents to a new home which holds a secret door. Coraline has gone on to win the 2002 Bram Stoker Award for Best Work for Young readers, the 2003 Hugo Award for Best Novella  as well as the 2003 Nebula Award for Best Novella. This is the third book I have read by Neil Gaiman and as usual I have not been left disappointed. Neil Gaiman possesses an extraordinary ability to take one of his unique characters and just leave them all alone in a most ridiculous situation facing the most dire circumstances. I have to admit when I read his books I always think this character will never find their way out of this hell hole. The plot seems too preposterous, Gaiman will never get out of this alive. But each time he creates these fantastic stories. His stories are so strange believable. They seem to write themselves. I am incredibly je...

To me Cornwall is a wild and magical landscape still deeply in touch with its celtic roots and influences. A little corner of the British Isles where pixies and other fey creatures still roam. There's magic in the air. If you've never been to Cornwall you're missing out on a wonderful experience. This little book is one of those books that just mysteriously appear in your life. The short ghostly tales within capture beautifully the raw undiluted Cornish landscape and its  lingering aura of forgotten arcane history. This is not the Cornwall that the tourists know and love but of the older primal Cornwall. The author, Mary Williams is just as mysterious as her wonderful tales. She has written dozens of books yet there is very little information about her. She was born in 1928 and lived in Cornwall from 1947 until she died at the grand age of 97. She has published an impressive 17 volumes of ghost stories as well as romantic novels, all set in Cornwall. It's a shame...

I've been fortunate enough to have one of my short stories accepted for Bewildering Stories in issue 639. In this tale I've moved away from horror, this is my attempt at comedy writing, hopefully it hasn't gone too badly! It's very loosely based on a very old legend,that has captivated me since I was a little girl. Try and see if you can guess which one it is. You can read it for free on the link below. The Secret Lake in Bowmere Industrial Estate by S.J.Budd

It gives me great pleasure to announce that one of my short stories has been published in the rather excellent InnerSins magazine. You can read it here  "A young woman with a caring heart and a giving spirit helps a young waif on the street and finds her way into a nightmare. To survive, she must go against her very nature to escape the horror."  If you would like to submit your work to InnerSins or any other magazine that features dark fantasy and horror fiction click here for a list of magazines currently accepting submissions.

Some children's books are too good to be only enjoyed by children, Fablehaven is one such example. It's like reading the Chronicles of Narnia for the first time, when I first read Fablehaven it was like being a kid again and seeing the world with innocent wonder and curiosity. Had I read this book as a child my life would have been different. I would have been on the first plane, armed with a packed lunch and my trusty cereal box, to Connecticut to look for Fablehaven. I most definitely would have drank a lot more milk. Fablehaven, written by Brandon Mull is a remarkable debut. It's the first of a series which includes; Rise of the Evening Star, Grip of the Shadow Plague, Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary and Keys to the Demon Prison. In 2012 Schaffer Studios announced it had bought the rights and Fablehaven the movie is currently in production. It starts off with siblings Kendra and Seth being forced to stay with their mysterious grandparents whilst their parents ...

What are adverbs? Adverbs  are words employed to modify a verb,  adjective  or other  adverbs. The cat walked slowly. The  adverb  is  slowly , it is describing how the cat was walking. It described further the verb which was  walked . The cat was particularly ruthless.  Here the  adverb   particularly  is describing the adjective  ruthless. The cat walked very slowly. The  adverb  phrase  very slowly,  describes the verb  walked. Why should adverbs be avoided in your writing? Because Stephen King said so. Whether or not you rate his books he really knows what he's talking about and is probably one of the most successful writers on the planet. He's written 54 novels, 6 non-fiction books and 200 short stories. So yeah, he's knows what he's talking, or should I say writing, about.  Using too many adverbs is generally considered lazy writing. Excessive use of a...

Sanitarium is a magazine that brings you the best cutting edge horror fiction, dark verse and macabre entertainment. It's a fantastic read and I recommend to anyone who loves horror. It's out on the 20th of every month and is available in print and download from Amazon. In issue 32 there are eight brilliant short stories, incredible dark verse from William.J.Hugel, H.H.Bond, Colin Browen. There are two interviews with award winning writer Craig Davidson and Benjamin Percy, and if that's not enough there's numerous articles and reviews. As well as fantastic cover art by the hugely talented Kevin Spencer. Help support horror's finest and talented authors by buying your copy! Flesh or Fantasy by Gwendolyn Kiste We all have our wildest fantasies known to no one but ourselves, but what would happen if they came true? Would our lives be changed for the better?  Should our dreams remains in our heads or come out and join reality? This brilliant short story...