Mark Stay's Blog

April 29, 2026

Unwelcome is now on NETFLIX UK

Unwelcome is now on Netflix UK!

Here’s the quick synopsis…

Londoners Maya and Jamie (played by Hannah John-Kamen and Douglas Booth) escape their urban nightmare by moving to the tranquility of rural Ireland – only to discover malevolent, murderous goblins lurking in the gnarled, ancient wood at the foot of their new garden. Additional cast includes Golden Globe nominee Colm Meaney, Jamie-Lee O’Donnell (DERRY GIRLS), Chris Walley (YOUNG OFFENDERS), and Kristian Nairn (GAME OF THRONES).

watch UNWELCOME ON NETFLIX UK

And there’s a lot more about the film here, including making of clips, a spoiler special and a link to download the screenplay and posters if that’s your thing!

Overseas readers: not sure where it’s showing elsewhere. I think it’s on SHUDDER in the USA, but if you know don’t be shy and let me know in the comments. Thanks in advance…

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Published on April 29, 2026 23:14

April 24, 2026

What’s the favourite line I’ve ever written?

This, and the answer to more questions, can be found in the images below…

Charlotte at the wonderful Books & Brews asked me a few questions ahead of the Canterbury Gaming Convention on 15/16th August. We’re going to have a special corner dedicated to authors at the event, and if you love books and/or games then this is a must!

GET TICKETS HERE

And here are my answers to Charlotte’s questions…

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Published on April 24, 2026 02:01

April 8, 2026

Karen Storey on the Creative Differences Livestream

Karen Storey is the award-winning author of the brilliant debut novel THE APPROVAL OF SHEEP. Karen is a prolific short story writer, and and her memoir pieces have been published in The New York Times and the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and… her newsletter is written by her cat Tiffany. We’re going to discuss why you should set up a website and newsletter before you’ve finished your debut novel and much more…

Join us live: MONDAY 13TH APRIL, 8PM BST

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK

Or join us on Youtube…

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Published on April 08, 2026 09:02

Things People Say to Authors at Comic Cons: April 2026 edition

Here are some of the more peculiar comments from recent comic cons…

Check out my events diary here: https://markstaywrites.com/diary-and-appearances/

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Published on April 08, 2026 03:24

April 7, 2026

Andorks: Star Wars, Accents and Pizza

Andorks is an engrossing podcast that dives deep into one of my favourite shows of all time: Andor! Each episode investigates 7 minutes of screentime, and my allotted 7 minutes are right at the end of The Eye, and come right after the Aldhani raid and Nemick’s unfortunate incident. We dig into that moment with Andor and Skeen, Doctor Quadpaw’s surgery and the fallout from the raid.

We also discuss…

My relationship with Star Wars, including working with the wonderful Declan MulhollandAccents in the Star Wars universe, including the Thames Estuary accent versus Received PronunciationAnd what David Cameron has in common with Jar Jar BinksAnd much more!LISTEN HERE

Or watch/listen on Youtube…

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Published on April 07, 2026 06:28

April 3, 2026

Kathleen Whyman: Bring Your Imagination | Mark Stay’s Creative Differences Ep22

Kathleen Whyman, author of the MOTHER OF ALL COMEBACKS, reveals how her brilliantly funny novels are a combination of real life, invention and her imagination…

WE DISCUSS:

Receiving her first publisher rejection, aged 10!

How an encounter in the loo led to her debut

Balancing writing with marketing and PR…

And much more!

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

Or watch it on Youtube…

LINKS

Kathleen’s website

Kathleen’s Unboxing Video…

The Julie Wassmer episode

The Amazon links below are affiliate links and I earn commission if you buy with them… 

Zippo by Richard Cave

Shrinking

The Other Bennet Sister 

Don’t Make Me Laugh by Julia Raeside

Pixie by Jill Dawson

Qualityland by Marc-Uwe Kling

Katherine Priddy, These Frightening Machines

A huge thanks to Emily Stay-Newton for production assistance, to Kai Stay-Newton for the edit, and Dominic Currie for the jingle. 

Support the show: 

Visit https://markstaycreativedifferences.com/

Join The Green Room: https://ko-fi.com/markstaywriter/tiers

Buy my books here: https://witchesofwoodville.com/#bookshop

And there’s more about me at: https://markstaywrites.com/

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Published on April 03, 2026 09:31

March 31, 2026

E.T. gets the hots on Authorized…

I loved listening back to my first – dare we say, classic? – episode of Authorized where we dig into the wonderfully strange novelisation of E.T the Extraterrestrial by William Kotzwinkle.

We discuss telepathic cucumbers, ET getting the hots for Elliot’s mother, Lance, who tries to blackmail Elliot, and the extraordinary number of synonyms there are for an alien, and there’s a brand new game at the end. Enjoy…

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Published on March 31, 2026 07:31

March 24, 2026

Julie Wassmer: Libraries have a Special Meaning for me | Creative Differences LIVE

I speak to Julie Wassmer, author of the Whitstable Pearl Mysteries and screenwriter on shows like Eastenders in a special episode, recorded LIVE at the Staines Library Hub as part of the Escalate Arts Festival.

We Discuss: 

How Julie’s TV experience affected the Whitstable Pearl Mysteries

Using dictation and writing by hand

The role that libraries played in Julie’s writing journey 

And much more! (And there’s a lovely bit with some horsies) 

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

Or watch it on Youtube (best choice for the horsey bit)…

LINKS

https://juliewassmer.com

A huge thanks to Emily Stay-Newton for production assistance, to Kai Stay-Newton for the edit, and Dominic Currie for the jingle. 

And a very special thank you to the team at the Staines Library Hub, Susan Dinmore at Surrey Arts and everyone who came to the recording on the day. 

Support the show: 

Visit https://markstaycreativedifferences.com/

Join The Green Room: https://ko-fi.com/markstaywriter/tiers

Buy my books here: https://witchesofwoodville.com/#bookshop

And there’s more about me at: https://markstaywrites.com/

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Published on March 24, 2026 05:29

March 18, 2026

A Place for all your Books: The Canterbury Gaming Convention, August 2026

I had a really good time selling and signing m’books at the Canterbury Gaming Convention last year. I hadn’t done a gaming convention before, so wasn’t sure what to expect, but it turns out that gamers are a well-read bunch and really friendly and enthusiastic (it really shouldn’t have surprised me: so many of my writer friends are big gamers).

The organisers got in touch and told me that they’d had so much positive feedback from convention goers on the authors at the con that they wanted to do it properly this year. So, we proudly present a special corner of the Canterbury Gaming Convention: A Place for all your Books! This will be a dedicated area to authors and their books. We’ll be selling and signing, as you’d expect, but there will also be panels and maybe even some gaming!

The authors joining me offer a fantastic range of brilliant fiction, so there’s going to be something for everyone…

JENNIFER DREWETT

PHIL ODDY

IAN HUNTER

MALCOLM DIXON

TRACY CARVIL

FRANCESCA MCMAHON

ARTHUR BILLINGTON

LOZ CADMAN

NEIL J HART

TOBY FAULKNER

JACK HALE

JAMES GRAY

And it’s being presented in association with the wonderful BOOKS & BREWS!

Early bird tickets are selling fast, and the convention was a sell-out last year, so make sure you grab your tickets asap!

GET TICKETS
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Published on March 18, 2026 12:00

March 16, 2026

Kathleen Whyman on the Creative Differences Livestream

Join me and Kathleen Whyman bestselling humorous women’s fiction author whose new book THE MOTHER OF ALL COMEBACKS is out now!

Kathleen writes for all the multi-tasking, mentally-overloaded women, who put themselves on the subs bench for the sake of their family, and are beginning to realise that they don’t have it all – they do it all!

Kathleen’s books, one of which was shortlisted for the Comedy Women in Print prize, are inspired by her own struggle to juggle a career with children, housework, life admin and never-ending laundry. The laundry’s winning.

Join the conversation LIVE on Monday 23rd March, 8pm GMT

Please note that the date has changed from the one advertised on the previous episode of the podcast.

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK

Or join us Youtube…

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Published on March 16, 2026 08:28