Madeleine likes to read and write the unusual, the surreal, horror, dark fantasy, weird fiction, bizarro and any other weirdo tag you can think of. Today I’m delighted to welcome her to Kendall Reviews for my first ever video interview. Madeleine is a truly unique author that I insist you follow on Twitter and via her YouTube Channel. If you are having a bad day go search for her and just feel revitalised. She is sunshine in a bottle, a true one of a kind. She describes herself as a Psychedelic flapper, weird fiction writer, creepy stuff lover and hideous face puller.

Tea?

Madeleine Swann: Interview.

KR: Thank you very much Madeleine.

You can follow Madeleine on Twitter @MadeleineSwann

To find out more about Madeleine please visit her official website www.madeleineswann.com

Please visit Madeleine’s YouTube channel here

You can check out Madeleine’s author page here

Madeleine Swann: Fortune Box (Kendall Review).

When Fortune Box (a collection of 9 bizarro/weird tales) arrived at Kendall Reviews, the first thing that struck me was how gorgeous this little book published by Eraserhead Press is. The sweet girl with a flower in her hat hides some incredibly dark, gross, weird and bizarre stories behind those gorgeous big eyes.

Each story tells the tale of a recipient of a parcel from Tower Ltd Surprise Packages, the contents of which will change their lives forever. I will briefly talk about my favourite but in all honesty, the stories are so short and easy to spoil I’d rather you have the same experience I did with Fortune Box. The less you know the better.

Parcel 1 was my favourite tale, it features a young girl who is desperate to find her perfect date. She’s so desperate that after yet another failed date, she has the opportunity, thanks to Tower Ltd, to ‘grow her own’. What I loved about this tale was how it was written, it was so charming, an elegant wonderful style that danced off the page. I can’t quite put my finger on how Madeleine has managed so successfully to blend the witty and sweet with such dark horrors. Imagine Enid Blyton channeling Clive Barker.

Written in a slightly more direct style, the additional 8 parcels are all a joy, offering a consistent level of quality and enough shocks to please even the most hardened of horror fans. Bizarro/Weird is a new genre for me and thanks to Madeleine Swann its a genre I’ll be reading a lot more of, starting with some of her other books, like the wonderfully titled Rainbows Suck and The Filing Cabinet Of Doom.

Switching from the light-hearted to disturbing darkness with skillful ease Fortune Box is a beautiful little book that deserves to be read.

Star Rating (out of 5): 4****

No one knows where or what Tower Ltd Surprise Packages is or why it’s sending gifts to complete strangers across The City. All they know is that each package is the best thing that’s ever happened to them…or the worst.

In one box is a packet of seeds that allows you to grow your perfect date. In another there’s a cupcake that causes anyone who eats it to grow eyeballs all over their skin. There’s also a parcel with a mousetrap that turns all your enemies tiny. Or you could receive your autobiography, which when signed, makes your every thought famous. Or maybe even a key to a secret door that leads to another dimension where all your unfinished and abandoned projects exist. But with each package received comes both fortune and misfortune that will surely result in unexpected consequences.

Like a season of episodes from The Twilight Zone or Friday the 13^th The Series, comes a collection of dark and humorous stories from the premier British female author of bizarro fiction.

You can buy Fortune Box from Amazon UK & Amazon US