Brood: Mark Anthony Smith
DEMAIN welcomes Mark Anthony Smith to the Short Sharp Shocks! series with Book 60 – Brood. The book is being published on the 27th November but is available now for pre-sales.
There’s a house in every neighbourhood that no-one likes.
Elizabeth used to cross the road to avoid its long shadows.
Kim wakes from fevered, sweat-soaked nightmares if she finally sleeps.
That house is the focus of many tall tales.
But some friends can get away with murder to dispel a few ghost stories.
Some friends are strong enough to confront their darkest fears and put a few skeletons to bed.
Aren’t they?
That house…it penetrates the soul!
(with a cover by Adrian Baldwin)
You can preorder Brood from Amazon UK & Amazon US
Mark Anthony Smith Talks To Demain Publishing
(Originally featured on the Demain Publishing Blog 15th November 2020 HERE)
DEMAIN PUBLISHING: Hi Mark – hope you’re well, for those that don’t know you can tell us a little about yourself and why you became a writer?
MARK ANTHONY SMITH: Hello! I’m Mark from Hull. I read a lot of Horror in my twenties – particularly James Herbert, Shaun Hutson and Clive Barker. I love The Rats. But it was the exactness of Ian McEwan’s Black Dogs that made me want to hone my style through fiction.
DP: Cool, were these great writers your first introduction to the horror genre?
MAS: No…definitely Betamax video rentals such as Critters and Day of the Dead. Bub [in Day Of The Dead] freaked me out at the time (I was 14). Dawn…is one of my favourite films now.
DP: What is your Short Sharp Shocks! all about then?
MAS: Brood is my fourth book. I’d describe it as a bawdy Christmas day soap opera, on a bloated stomach, with blood. I tried to kill some of my characters but they came back!
DP: Did you find it difficult to write?
MAS: Yes. It started as a really simple idea. Then, as I wrote, it threw up lots of questions and I had to unknit the relationships, events, plot twists…and entrails.
DP: What is your biggest success to date would you say?
MAS: Keep It Inside And Other Weird Tales has received good book reviews. I’m always trying to build on previous successes by keeping it fresh.
DP: That’s often the best way – is there a horror book or film you’re looking forward to?
MAS: I can’t wait for The Dunwich Horror if Richard Stanley directs it. Wilbur Whateley will be really creepy. The Color out Space was fantastic.
DP: I’m a great fan of Richard’s work too and glad that he’s returned to film making…is the horror genre dead?
MAS: Absolutely not! It seems everyone is writing Horror. There’s a lot of adaptations and remakes gracing screens. Take The Lighthouse and Midsommar, for example. Horror seems more mainstream than ever.
DP: Mark is writing a short or long term career for you?
MAS: I’ll write as long as I can. It feeds my soul and surprises me too. Writing is meditative.
DP: Do you interact a lot with your fellow writers?
MAS: The Writing Community on Twitter is really supportive. I do have a few funny stories but my Mam will read this!
DP: Good for you and finally, can you tell us something surprising about yourself?
MAS: I’ve written a fair bit of poetry and I can’t dance. But I sing well…
DP: You and me both! Thanks for your time Mark, all the best with your Short Sharp Shocks!
Mark Anthony Smith
Mark Anthony Smith was born in Hull. His writings have appeared in ‘Planet Raconteur’, ‘The Horror Tree’ and many other small presses.
Other stories have surfaced in several Horror Anthologies.
Brood is his fourth book.
You can find out more about Mark via his official website www.markanthonysmith.com
Follow Mark on Twitter: @MarkAnthonySm16
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