Photos from Hellbound Hearts

On Friday we held our special event Hellbound Hearts: The Influence of Clive Barker on 21st Century Horror. Despite contending with some decidedly un-spooky weather, it being a gloriously sunny day outside, you arrived in your droves to hear readings from Marie O'Regan, Paul Kane and Mark Morris. The authors were then joined by Twisted Tales stalwart Ramsey Campbell and the quartet discussed the influence of Clive Barker, their favourite moments of his career and some of the issues raised by his work. Particularly wonderful to hear were the anecdotes Ramsey was able to offer as someone who was present at the emergence of Clive as a figure in the Horror community, and who played a role in his development as an author (albeit one downplayed with some modesty by Ramsey who insisted that he just happened to be a writer who was there, and thus showed a young Clive that "it can be done").

The event also doubled as the UK book launch for the Hellbound Hearts anthology and we were glad to sell a good number of copies of this wonderful collection of stories inspired by the Hellraiser mythology written by such horror luminaries as Conrad Williams, Neil Gaiman, Karen Armstrong, Tim Lebbon, Christopher Golden and others. If you didn't pick up a copy on the night (you missed the opportunity to get it signed by both editors Paul and Marie, as well as a contributor in the form of Mark) you can pick it up from all good stockists.

Here are the photos from the event, we'd love to hear your thoughts so please comment below, send us an e-mail, facebook message, or tweet. 

(I apologise for the darkness of some of these photos, as I've already mentioned it was very sunny outside and positioning our readers in front of a glass wall may have confused my camera...)

Marie O'Regan reading her story 'The Real Me' to our audience

Paul Kane takes to the podium to read his story 'Strobe'

Paul Kane reading with Mark and Marie looking on

Mark reading his story 'Salad Days'

Ramsey Campbell regales the audience with Clive Barker anecdotes.

Four horror authors discussing the work of Clive Barker

There are plenty more Twisted Tales events in the pipeline so keep checking back for the latest news, in the meantime we'll have plenty of weekly content in the form of reviews, interviews and features.

Marie O’Regan interviewed by David McWilliam

Marie O'Regan is a British Fantasy Award-nominated horror author and editor. She has had fiction published in the UK, USA, Canada, Italy and Germany, and her first collection, Mirror Mere, was published by Rainfall Books in 2006. Her genre journalism has appeared in such magazines as Dark Side, Rue Morgue, Total Sci-Fi Online, Fortean Times and Death Ray, among others, and she is currently editing a number of anthologies, both separately and with her husband, as well as co-Chairing FantasyCon 2011, to be held in Brighton [about which we've previously interviewed her]. Her first, co-edited, anthology, Hellbound Hearts, was released in 2009. A book of interviews with luminaries in the horror field, Voices in the Dark, was released early in 2011 by McFarland. Marie served in various roles on the British Fantasy Society Committee from 2001-08, including editing their publications and maintaining their website, and was Chairperson from 2004-08. Marie lives in Derbyshire with her husband (author Paul Kane) and children. To find out more about Marie, please visit www.marieoregan.net.

DM: What were your formative influences as a horror reader?

MOR: The first book of horror fiction I ever read was an anthology, Thin Air, aged nine. I kept taking it out of the school library every week until I left, at which point they gave it to me. It was a huge book, with stories such as ‘The Ash Tree’, ‘The Monkey’s Paw’, ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’… classics. After that I was hooked, and read everything I could find in the genre, moving from classic stories like those above to books by King, Herbert… and then I found the Books of Blood, which was quite unlike anything I’d read before. Barker has remained one of my favourite authors ever since. I didn’t just read horror, though – as a child I read Enid Blyton, Agatha Christie, adventure stories such as the Wilbur Smith novels, Edgar Rice Burroughs, crime novels, Westerns (I went through a big Western phase in my mid-teens: Louis L’Amour, Zane Grey etc.), fantasy and science fiction, including Heinlein, Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Moorcock, Mary Gentle, Tolkien, to name just a few – but horror was, and is, my first love. In film and TV, I remember watching Saturday night adaptations of things like The Ash Tree and The Signalman and being terrified, and of watching horror movies at the weekends in the dark, so as not to disturb my parents; the old Universal movies, Hammer films – Christopher Lee was the first Dracula I saw, so that remains a favourite; Peter Cushing, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney – fantastic films.

DM: What was your first introduction to Clive's work? How did it affect you and how did it alter your perceptions of what horror is and can be?

MOR: It was the Books of Blood; I had the six-volume paperback set that came out. I still have them, and they’re very worn now, but I love them – especially since Clive Barker very kindly signed and drew in all of them for me a few years ago. The stories just had such a broad canvas – they wrote about horror in ways I hadn’t come across before, and there was a beauty and lyricism to even the most graphic tales. And subsequent books and then the films just enlarged upon that – showing a fantastical element I hadn’t come across in quite that way before.

DM: In what ways do you consider yourself to be influenced by Clive's work as a writer of horror fiction?

MOR: Oh God, where to start – I think probably in every way. I love his use of language, the breadth and scope of his work, the sheer scale – and, whether a short story or a novel, the emotion contained in his work and the way he expresses that. As with all writers, I read a lot, and very widely – Clive has always stood out, and continues to do so. And since I was lucky enough to meet him, he’s always been so kind – he continues to be an inspiration, to this day.

DM: One of the distinctive features of your fiction, like Clive’s, is the way in which you invest a great deal in your characters, lending your horror stories real emotional intensity. Is this something you consciously aim for?

MOR: Yes, it is. The key element to any story, for me, is the emotion invested in the characters. Without living, breathing, feeling characters, a story will fall flat, and won’t engage the reader. I try to make my characters as human as possible, and want readers to be able to empathise with them. It’s important to feel a story, as well as just read the words, to evoke an emotional response.

DM: What do you think of the numerous adaptations of Clive's works in various different media?

MOR: I think some of the early adaptations, like Rawhead Rex, were a bit suspect – but from Hellraiser on I’m a huge fan. I think my favourite movie adaptation, even though it’s flawed and could have been a much better film, is Nightbreed. I also love Candyman, Midnight Meat Train, Dread… pretty much all the later ones, really. There’s a very distinctive tone to Clive’s work that I love.

DM: How did the idea for Hellbound Hearts come about? To what extent did you aim to remain true to the mythology of the Cenobites and Lemarchand's Configuration?

MOR: Paul [Kane] had the initial idea and chatted to Clive about it on the phone – Clive loved the idea, and was so supportive, right the way through – even to painting us the first new Cenobite in twenty years, ‘Vestimenti’. He also gave us a foreword for the book. We wanted to remain true to the original mythos as contained in Clive’s novella, The Hellbound Heart, but we also wanted to allow the authors free rein to create new Cenobites and visions within that mythos. We were lucky to get a stunning line-up of authors, including Kelley Armstrong, Christopher Golden & Mike Mignola, Peter Atkins, Conrad Williams, Sarah Pinborough, Mick Garris, Tim Lebbon, Richard Christian Matheson, Nancy Holder, Simon Clark, Steve Niles, Sarah Langan, Nicholas Vince, Yvonne Navarro, Mark Morris, Barbie Wilde, Jeffrey J. Mariotte, Nancy Kilpatrick, Gary A. Braunbeck & Lucy A. Snyder and Chaz Brenchley, an introduction by Stephen Jones and afterword from Doug Bradley – and Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean kindly allowed us to reprint their Hellraiser graphic story, ‘Wordsworth’. I think Hellbound Hearts shows a very broad interpretation of that mythos, and it’s all the richer for that.

DM: As was discussed in my interview with Paul, the two of you are editing the Mammoth Book of Body Horror. What was the impetus behind putting this anthology together?

MOR: Both of us are big fans of body horror, in literary and film form. We realised there’s very little out there in this sub-genre, so set about collecting both classic and new takes on the field.

DM: What are the attractions of body horror for you as a writer?

MOR: I think body horror is such a varied subgenre, when you look at it – the options to write in that area are wide open; from straightforward stories of bodies changing or altering through horrific or even supernatural means, to the more psychological aspects – such as the lengths people go to in order to achieve the perfect body, diseases like body dysmorphia and what that could make a person do… body horror offers a valid way of writing about all these things.

DM: I believe that you are also editing an anthology of women’s ghost stories; could you tell me a little about its focus and aims?

MOR: I am, it’s called The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women, and that’s about as much detail as I can give at the moment, in terms of content. It’ll be released towards the end of 2012. Ghost stories are my favourite form, and I’ve always wanted to edit an anthology of these. That tied in with the current fuss about gender bias, lack of women submitting to markets etc… I wanted to put together a book of classic and new ghost fiction by women, to show that there is (and has always been) a lot of female talent out there, regardless of arguments to the contrary, and perhaps to encourage some new talent in the process. I’ve been lucky to find some amazing stories, from some amazing women.

DM: Aside from the publications mentioned above, what are your plans for writing and editing in the near future?

MOR: Editing-wise, there are a number of other projects at varying stages – some in progress, some still at very early stages. As far as my writing goes, I have some short stories out in anthologies this year, and am currently searching for a home for a supernatural novel. I’m also working on a script, and various other fiction projects here and there. As soon as I have concrete news on any of those, I’ll put them on my website. 

NEW EVENT: Hellbound Hearts: The Influence of Clive Barker on 21st Century Horror

It is our pleasure to be able to announce the next Twisted Tales event!

On Friday 5th August at 6pm we are proud to be presenting...

Hellbound Hearts:

The Influence of Clive Barker on 21st Century Horror

Aside from Twisted Tales' resident legendary writer, RamseyCampbell, Liverpool has also produced another great master of horror: Clive Barker. Barker's fiction came to international attention with the publication of his Books of Blood in the mid 1980s. His status was considerably enhanced when he adapted his novella The Hellbound Heart into the film Hellraiser, which conquered the world in 1987 and went on to spawn many sequels, as well as a series of comics that explored its mythology. Clive also directed cult film classics Nightbreed (1990) and Lord of Illusions (1995). He designed the creatures and wrote the stories for two successful computer games: Undying (2001) and Jericho (2007) and is the author of many novels, including Weaveworld (1987) and Imajica (1991).

Join Twisted Tales for an evening celebrating and discussing Barker's enduring legacy at the UK's official launch of the Hellbound Hearts anthology- a collection of stories from some of the top names in contemporary horror that explore the Hellraiser mythology. Featuring readings by:

Mark Morris: Award-winning and bestselling author of The Immaculate, Torchwood: Bay of the Dead and contributor to Hellbound Hearts.

Paul Kane: Co-editor of Hellbound Hearts and award-winning author of The Hellraiser Films and their Legacy and the bestselling Arrowhead trilogy.

Marie O'Regan: Co-editor of Hellbound Hearts and award-nominated author of Mirror Mere.

Followed by a Q&A with the authors, who will be joined by Ramsey Campbell to discuss the influence of Barker's work on 21st century horror.

There will then be a signing session with all four authors.

Hellbound Hearts:

The Influence of Clive Barker on 21st Century Horror

Waterstone’s Liverpool One

6-8pm, Friday August 5th

Tickets £2*

*redeemable against any horror bought on the night.
To book tickets please visit the Waterstone's store or call (0151) 709 98 20

Link to Official Facebook Event.

Marie O’Regan talks to David McWilliam about the BFS and FantasyCon

Marie O'Regan is a British Fantasy Award-nominated horror author and editor who lives in Derbyshire with her husband – author Paul Kane – and children. She has had fiction published in the UK, USA, Canada, Italy and Germany, and her first collection, Mirror Mere, was published by Rainfall Books in 2006. Her genre journalism has appeared in such magazines as Dark Side, Rue Morgue, Dreamwatch, Fortean Times and Death Ray, among others, and she is currently editing a number of anthologies, both separately and with her husband. She served in various roles on the British Fantasy Society Committee from 2001-08, including editing their publications and maintaining their website, and was Chairperson from 2004-08. Her first World Fantasy Convention was in 2009 in San José, California, where she and Paul launched their co-edited anthology, Hellbound Hearts. Marie ran the registration area at the 2010 World Horror Convention and chaired FantasyCon 2008 with her husband.

DM: I attended my first FantasyCon in 2010 and had a great time. It is, without doubt, the friendliest and most welcoming convention I have been to. If you were to sell a ticket to a fan of fantasy and/or horror fiction who had never been to a convention, how would you describe FantasyCon?

Guest of Honour Brian Aldiss

MOR: FantasyCon is a convention the BFS organises every year; open to BFS members and non-members alike, and providing interviews with Guests of Honour (this year, so far, we have John Ajvide Lindqvist, Peter Atkins and Gwyneth Jones, as well as Special Guest Brian Aldiss), panels on all aspects of the genre, both from a fan perspective and also from a literary one; as well as providing a platform for author readings, book launches etc. It’s true that we’re primarily a ‘literary’ convention, and that a large proportion of our attendees are professional authors, artists, editors, agents and publishers – but we’re not limited to that, we have a large number of people coming who are fans of genre fiction, and want to meet their favourite authors/artists etc. For regular attendees (and there are many who come every year), it’s a chance to meet up with old friends, make some new ones, and keep up with what’s going on in the genre.

DM: How did you become involved with the BFS? What is your current role within the organization?
MOR: A friend of mine, author Gary Couzens, asked if I’d help edit the BFS newsletter, Prism, at the end of 2001 – that was my first Committee role. From there I went on to be web editor, Dark Horizons editor, Membership secretary briefly, and then Chair from 2004 – 2008. I also helped on FantasyCon from 2001 to 2007, doing many jobs from contacting Guests to editing the souvenir programme. I co-Chaired 2008’s Convention with my husband, Paul Kane, and edited many of their publications along with Paul, after I brought him on board as Special Publications Editor. We’re no longer on the BFS Committee as work commitments meant we had to take a step back, but we put in a successful bid to run FantasyCon 2011 with Alex Davis (founder and organiser of the Alt.Fiction event in Derby), in Brighton, on the BFS’s behalf.

DM: Despite being named the British Fantasy Society, the BFS has as many (if not more) horror authors, editors, critics, and fans as members as those associated with fantasy. Given the distinction made in the publishing industry that delineates fantasy and horror as two very distinct genres (a division that I consider to be highly problematic), how do you think the BFS could make its horror credentials more obvious to prospective members from the wider horror community?
MOR: Traditionally, the numbers have tended to be roughly equal. I’m not entirely sure it could be made more obvious without antagonising the Fantasy side of the society. There has to be a fair balance, and – just as important – there has to be seen to be a fair balance, with no one subgenre being advertised more prominently than another, whether that’s the Fantasy or the Horror side of the membership. The British Fantasy Society is a broad church; it was created to celebrate ‘all aspects of genre fiction’, be that science fiction, horror or fantasy; film, book, TV or magazine, or art. As such, the BFS has to be very careful not to be seen to favour one aspect of the genre over another. There are, and always have been, complaints that the Society is ‘too horror’, or ‘too fantasy’, depending on critics’ viewpoints, but the BFS has always endeavoured to remain impartial, and to make sure they offer a fair balance of material and events to their members. I know that when I was Chair for every ‘horror’ event or publication, we’d balance it with a ‘fantasy’ one, so that things were kept balanced. The BFS does also include SF, of course, but traditionally there’s the BSFA, which has SF as its sole focus. As it is, we have a fantastic president in Ramsey Campbell, and the committee also reflects both the horror and fantasy sides of the membership – publications reflect all aspects, as does the Convention… I think to promote the horror side more actively would shift that balance, and the balance is vital. One of my favourite quotes on the subject came from Clive Barker, when he spoke at the FantasyCon Awards Banquet in 2006. He was making the point that we’re all ‘genre’ writers, but that genre writing was the first storytelling. He said: ‘Fuck genre; we are a continent of the imagination,’ and I think that’s right – whether we’re telling stories of Fantasy, Horror or Science Fiction, we’re telling imaginative fiction; and we’re all fans of the same thing, at that point.

DM: Can you describe some of your favourite experiences from previous FantasyCon?

MOR: Oh, there are so many, over the years (I’ve been going since 2003). I first met Paul, my husband, at FantasyCon 2003; that’s the best one. I’ve also met some of my favourite authors, including Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, Christopher Fowler, Conrad Williams, Muriel Gray… and many of them have since become friends. Meeting Clive was something both Paul and myself had always wanted to do; we’re huge fans of his work, and have even been lucky enough to work with him (and Neil, Chris Fowler, Stephen Jones, to name just a few) on projects such as The British Fantasy: A Celebration, Hellbound Hearts, and Paul’s book The Hellraiser Films and their Legacy. The BFS has become family; so many of our friends were met first at an Open Night or a FantasyCon.

DM: As a writer and editor, how have the BFS and FantasyCon helped your artistic and professional development?

MOR: As a writer… the BFS and FantasyCon have provided a forum for me to be published (I had a short story published in Dark Horizons, many moons ago), and I’ve also made many friends and professional acquaintances at Open Nights, FantasyCon or through my membership of the Committee that have proved invaluable in terms of giving me advice, sharing market information etc. I first met Stephen Jones, editor of the Best New Horror series among other titles, at my very first Open Night in 2001, when he introduced me to my fellow Committee members – since then he’s become a very good friend both to myself and Paul, and is always there with advice if its needed. I’ve made friends with some of my favourite authors, something I never imagined happening before I joined the BFS.

As an Editor… my first editing job was on the BFS newsletter, Prism. Since then I’ve edited Dark Horizons, co-edited various BFS Special Publications with Paul (BFS: A Celebration for example), and learned valuable skills while doing so. I’ve also been part of the reading committee for the BFS Short Story competition in the past. Since leaving the BFS Committee I’ve been lucky enough to edit an anthology with Paul (Hellbound Hearts), and hope to do more of this in the future.

Details of how to join the British Fantasy Society can be found on their website: www.britishfantasysociety.org.uk