Well, my site is now in full production, with at least one chapter per week being uploaded, along with chapter notes for each. I’ll be releasing the whole novel (115,000 words) through web serialisation, as a tribute to the old masters such as HP Lovecraft himself. (Never mind the fact he reportedly felt prostituted by serialisation – I love the cliff-hangers in Herbert West – Reanimator. RL Stevenson used them to great effect in Treasure Island, and they’re also a staple of Boys Own magazines in the 40s and 50s – not to mention the ending of most episodes in most series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer – so cliffhangers must have something going for them!)
I like to think of Dark Farm as a logical literary step for now-grown Harry Potter fans. Its wizards are deeply evil (though at the same time, I wouldn’t mind having coffee with them and learning some of their ill-gotten secrets). The second two books in the trilogy move into sci-fi territory, but of course they wouldn’t be my babies if they didn’t have some gross horror thrown in for good measure.
I must also admit to taking some inspiration from Game of Thrones – particularly when writing something really dark or gory. Game of Thrones (as well as Walking Dead and a host of other no-holes-barred fantasy/horror dramas) showed me that audiences aren’t as squeamish as they once were. Which gave me great comfort when I’d written something awful that I was tempted to take out.
I had the same concern with Remember My Name – which after all, is about prostitutes and street kid hustlers. My characters did some really gross things – and in that case I did sanitise a little (with the emphasis on ‘a little’!) Conclusion? – sex bad; horror good!
I hope you enjoy reading Dark Farm as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please let me know what you think.
Dean Raven 