IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE?
- Seán O'Connor
- Sep 26
- 4 min read
Hello? Is this thing on?
Is there anybody out there?
…I hope this newsletter finds you well, folks! It has been just under 2 years since my last one went out and for a reason I can’t explain, I’m really nervous about sending this one out to your inbox. A lot has happened and changed in the world over the last two years… Joe Biden was POTUS, Ozzy Osbourne passed away and the integration of Artificial Intelligence into most of daily lives was still pretty much a Sci-Fi concept. That said, I do feel a little bit of excitement with the thought of emerging from my creative hiatus. So, I have a few things to share that might be of interest to you…
First up is Kevin J. Kennedy is reprinting my story, 'Seven Years Gone' in the Irish themed collection of the Horror Tales of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. I’m delighted to be alongside some great writers from the emerald isle, such as, Kealan Patrick Burke, Leigh Kenny, Colin Leonard and Alexander Moore. The series artwork by Michael Bray . The book is out now.
Next up is in regards to my own publishing efforts. And over the last year, I decided to streamline my offerings under a new imprint called, Cadaver House.
Under this brand, I have redone my back catalogue and will publish all of my titles in digital and paperback (I’m no longer doing hardback editions) going forward. All editions under Cadaver House have been revised with a sharper focus on a cleaner final edit – which should improve the reader experience. The covers have had a bit of a make-over by my long-time book cover/artist collaborator, Boz Mugabe, with The Blackening getting a whole new look – one that is more fitting to the theme of that story. All titles are available now via all major online retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. But if you are after a signed copy, or indeed want to support us Independent / non-Jeff Bezos types, please visit the Cadaver House webstore HERE – where paperbacks can be purchased directly from me.
Note; after streamlining my back catalogue, my aim is to sell physical editions directly to readers at a cheaper price. I can’t compete with free shipping from the likes of Prime and shipping the global rates are scandalous these days, but I do aim to always sell the actual book cheaper directly. But if Amazon and the likes are your preferred outlet, here are some links:
Right, enough business and little bit about what’s going on since my last newsletter. Family and kids are all doing well. Still a busy household, mine you, but I think (I hope I haven’t jinxed it) I’m finally over the madness of the toddler/wobbler/young child phase at home. With that, strange things are returning to me, things like… time and sleep! As a result, I’m back writing again. Not at the obsessive pace I used to be at it, but tipping away on a few bits at my own pace and really enjoying the creative process and story-telling again. Upon reflection, after the publication of my second book, my creative drive changed from trying to better and fine tune my craft to trying to keep pace with already established full-time writers within the horror world. I took elements of King’s On Writing like writing “10 pages a day” as a minimum requirement and crippled myself with pressure for not delivering them regularly. That said, I will credit myself a little and say that from 2018 to 2023, I did manage to publish one book a year and published a few stories in Phantasmagoria Magazine, but ultimately, I burnt myself out creatively trying to juggle it all and consistently deliver on deadlines/targets suggested by one of the most prolific writers in the history of the game. Talk about trying to run before you can crawl, eh? A big lesson learnt on my expectations out of life – learn from the past, prepare for the future, but prioritise living in the present.
So, what’s next?
Well, I have a potential deal in the works with a fantastic US publisher. All going to plan, I may have something to announce in my next newsletter. My tentacles are crossed in the hope that it all comes good.
Lastly, for anyone in and around Dublin, on Saturday, October 11th. At 6.30pm in Chapters Bookstore, Christopher Golden will be in town promoting the release of his new novel, The Night Birds. I’m happy to have arranged this event and am looking forward to been in attendance on the night. All are welcome! Tickets available from HERE
That’s about it from me. I need to get back to work, but I hope you’ve found something of interest in this newsletter. Until next time!
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