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"Inferna And Other Stories" is the sum of the Bloody Parchment competition, which is run annually alongside the South African Horrorfest. The anthology is a follow up to Bloody Parchment: Volume One and is edited by Cape Town author, Nerine Dorman.
eKhaya, an imprint of Random House Struik (the South African arm of Random House – so a big deal for me in that I have only worked with the indie presses so far. Having said that, I'm fortunate in that the publishers I have worked with to date have been really, really good!), have taken on the rights for the anthology, and they describe it as a "cutting edge" piece of genre fiction.
"Inferna And Other Stories" started life as a literary competition, and the winner, as the title details, was "Inferna" by Christina Vincent. The runners up were "Hidden Things, Lost Things" by Brett Bruton and "Healing Hands" by Jenny Robson. The rest of the anthology comprises the finalists:
"Excerpt For Bryan" by Austin Malone
"Wither" by Benjamin Knox
"Death Express" by Joan De La Haye
"Flouride In The Water" by Mico Pisanti
"The Woman Who Sold The World" by SL Schmitz
"Duck Creek Road" by Stacey Larner
"A Few Withered Leaves" by Toby Bennett
And last but not least (drumroll please!), my contribution, "Masks".
I had two ideas for stories on my honeymoon of all places. I'd had a few months of wedding planning and finding funding, and the duress of getting all of our friends and families in one place without causing any combustion or drama (we need not have worried, it was an awesome day in the end!) but as soon as I hit the beach my mind started to click into "ideas mode" and I suspect it was a release from all the wedding stuff.
The initial idea was for a novel, which turned into "First Kiss, Last Breath" which is due for release in September with Lyrical Press. The second was "Masks".
I wanted to write something that touched on the different faces we have. We often project a different version of ourselves depending on the company we keep or the situation we find ourselves in. Speaking personally, the professional version of Lee is very different to the private one.
"Masks" is a horror story and it doesn't pull any punches.
It is set in a London theatre and features Cris Fletcher, the celebrated actor, who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. He struggles to deal with the grim reality of his approaching death and the impact it will have on his loved ones. Cris receives a series of cryptic notes hinting at a terrible choice he will have to make, a choice that might lead to a cure.
One point of interest with Bloody Parchment is that, although it is primarily a celebration of South African literary talent, it also features work from American, Australian, Botswanan and English writers. The end product will see a real fusion of cultures and styles.
Here is a sneak preview of "Masks":
The applause died as Cris Fletcher hurried from the stage. There was no thrill, no buzz even at the final curtain. An ovation at the Royal Elizabeth used to make him feel awed, afire – alive. But not tonight, not for a while, and as he hobbled through the annals of the oldest theatre still operating in London, he wondered whether he would experience such joy again.
He found his dressing room and sagged as he reached the door.
“Mr Fletcher!”
Cris flinched and withdrew his hand. A young actress had followed him. Doe-eyed and strong featured; she had a great look and a promising future. In the play she was the youngest daughter of the Graingers, the family at the heart of The Haunting of Ashburton Manor. Cris couldn’t recall the actress’s name but he greeted her warmly nonetheless, with mirth in his eyes and sincerity in his smile. Or so he showed her. That was the skill. Control of the face wasn’t as important in the theatre where command and presence were priorities, but on celluloid, where Cris made his career, it was everything.
"Inferna And Other Stories" will be available to buy at Amazon.com from June 1st 2012.
