Steven Mace

I am very pleased to announce the publication of my latest novel, Staccato House. It is available to buy at Amazon as a paperback here:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Staccato-House-Steven-Mace/dp/152276416X   and also in Kindle format here:  http://www.amazon.com/Staccato-House-Steven-Mace-ebook/dp/B019E88514 I started writing Staccato House a long time ago- as far back as 2004. The basic premise initially was about a central male character who was taken to a stately mansion and where various entertainments and staged theatre were being acted out for his benefit- while secretly he was being manipulated and could not trust a single person he met there. Just as those he encountered were 'puppets', so was he. The antagonist was the sinister 'puppet master' who was behind it all. As the story and plot evolved over the years, I added 'thriller' genre elements rather than surreal 'fantasy' elements- for example the link to organised crime with a  loan ...

Watch this space...

You can find sources of inspiration for fiction anywhere. Sometimes even, amongst the trolls and supercilious commentators, on internet forums. I saw this interesting discussion about a so-called 'message from the future' while I was browsing online, researching conspiracy theories and I noted it down. It falls into the category of urban myth, or a televisual hoax that fooled people. I don't necessarily doubt the veracity of the person who is relating what he saw, it's just that most likely it was a advertising gimmick, a promotion for an upcoming television series or film. Nevertheless, it makes an intriguing story and perhaps the starting point for the premise of a separate work of fiction: I remember this, at least I remember an incident such as this. This is what I recall. It was on Channel 4 and it was an advert break. In the middle of one of the advertisements the television made a bizarre noise with interference, not like simulated interference but I r...

As part of the background research for my new book  Staccato House,  I undertook a great deal of research into the occult, and into conspiracy theories which related to occult knowledge and traditions. I was very interested in weaving these themes into my story (a work of fiction, of course). There is a great deal of esoteric and arcane knowledge which is available out there, but is rarely ever formally studied- this made it intriguing as a sideline hobby to explore while I was working on the plot elements of Staccato House and in the process of writing my novel.  Central to much of Western occult theory is the Kabbalah. The Kabbalah, or Cabala is synonymous with Hermeticism  or Hermetic occult magic . Our word in English, ' cabal ' which means a secret organised group of people, derives from this name. The Cabala was Jewish-Babylonian 'magic', according to occultists. It began to get widespread notice in Europe after the Enlightenment period. The Great Py...

My flash-fiction piece "Fox-Curse" has been published in the latest issue (Fall/Winter) of the literary magazine The Stray Branch , edited by Debbie Berk. You can check out and purchase a copy of this issue from Amazon Createspace here:  https://www.createspace.com/5741011   The Facebook Page for The Stray Branch is here:  https://www.facebook.com/The-Stray-Branch-136553993096921/ Stray Branch website:  http://www.thestraybranch.org/    Editor Debbie Berk on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/debbiedberk

My horror-fantasy short story "The Vacancy" has been published in KZine Issue 13 (unlucky for some...) It's a sinister tale about an unemployed man living in an eerie, unknown city; he accepts a job offer at an ancient mansion and begins work for a peculiar organisation. A few words about this story- "The Vacancy" was mainly inspired by the monochrome visions of the comics artist David Hine (see his blog here  and here ) and the writings of the notable American horror author Thomas Ligotti. As a child I first became aware of Hine's artwork and tales in the now defunct Revolver comic and 2000AD, and I was very impressed by Ligotti's work, notably his collection Teatro Grottesco . Ligotti was also a major influence on the creators of the American drama series 'True Detective'. I admire Ligotti's fatalism and ability to capture the eerie and surreal to a disturbing extent, and I hoped to emulate that with my own story. 'The Vacancy...

Publication Update: It is now possible to buy my short story collection "Echoes and Exiles" as a paperback from Amazon:   http://www.amazon.co.uk/Echoes-Exiles-Steven-Mace/dp/1511997699

I'm very pleased to announce the publication of my latest book, Echoes and Exiles, which is a collection of my most recent short stories. You can currently buy 'Echoes and Exiles' as a Kindle book from Amazon:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Echoes-Exiles-Steven-Mace-ebook/dp/B00WSW0POE   as an e-book from Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/538946 or in print form from Lulu:  http://www.lulu.com/shop/steven-mace/echoes-and-exiles/paperback/product-22149194.html I hope to make a print copy at Amazon CreateSpace available very soon. This is the cover artwork for Echoes and Exiles by Derren Toussaint, alias MonkeysvsRobots. "Echoes and Exiles" cover artwork by Derren Toussaint Derren's portfolio can be found here at his website:  http://www.monkeysvsrobots.co.uk/  and Derren's Facebook Page is  https://www.facebook.com/MonkeysvsRobots The Background to Echoes and Exiles, and some words about the stories I...

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Where you can buy The Splendour of Shadows: Lulu (hard print copy):  http://www.lulu.com/shop/steven-mace/the-splendour-of-shadows/paperback/product-22049351.html Amazon Kindle (eBook for Kindle version):  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Splendour-Shadows-Steven-Mace-ebook/dp/B005JJU322 Smashwords (eBook version):  http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/295027 The cover artwork for The Splendour of Shadows : "Fear No More" by Janne Olkkonen After Copper Moon Rising , Beyond Twilight , and The Pirate Princess were published in 2010, I had plenty of ideas for a new collection of short stories, entitled  The Splendour of Shadows . All of the stories in this collection were written between 2010 and 2011, with the exception of 'Bloodlines', which I had an earlier draft for, but rewrote in this period. Many of the stories in The Splendour of Shadows were almost mini-novellas rather than standard modern short stories, with lengths ranging between 10,000 and 25,000 ...