C.J. Carter-Stephenson's Blog: ~ Crystal Clear ~

There's just over a week to go until the 🎃Halloween🎃 performance of Tales in the Key of Terror at the Faversham Fringe Festival. For a morning of spooky storytelling fun, join me at Faversham Guildhall at 11.30am on Saturday 21st October 2023. It's only two hours drive from London and even closer to Gatwick Airport for those who want to travel in from abroad (jk😀). Tickets are available here. For an idea of what the show is like click here to view some highlights from my recent Watford Fringe Festival performance. All are welcome at the show, though due to adult themes like death and violence, it might not be suitable for children under the age of 12. This is my last performance for 2023, though I'll be taking Tales in the Key of Terror back on the road next year, and am aiming to give some performances of my steampunk story Skysteamer to Athens as well. This story received an honourable mention in the latest round of the Writers and Illustrators of the Future contest and the show I have planned for it should be a lot of fun. Watch this space for updates.

There's just over a week to go until things go bump in the night in Watford with my Watford Fringe Festival performance of Tales in the Key of Terror. It's the perfect way to start your countdown to Halloween... two chilling horror stories brought vividly to life on stage. There will be fun, there will be fear, and the ghosts of the entertainment are just dying to meet you (or they would be if they hadn't already passed on). Tickets for the show are on sale now, but selling fast here.

For a free preview, stop by the Atria Shopping Centre at 12.30 pm this Saturday (23rd September 2023). This preview performance is part of a packed bill of Watford Fringe Festival entertainment starting at 11.00am, all of which I would heartily recommend. If you can't make it on Saturday, there is some footage of my 2023 Isle of Wight show available here.

Tickets are also on sale now for my Faversham Fringe Festival slot, which is at 11.30am on 21st October 2023 in the atmospheric surroundings of the Guildhall. The tickets for this one are available here. For information about all the great acts appearing at the Faversham festival, check out their stall, which will be outside the Alexander Centre on the 23rd September 2023, and outside Faversham Visitor Information Centre on 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th October 2023.

In other news, I'm excited to announce that I have scored an honourable mention in the third quarter of the 2023 Writers and Illustrators of the Future contest with my steampunk story Skysteamer to Athens 😊. Packed full of top hats, corsets and fantastical technology, the story is about a young woman who has a supernatural encounter while travelling to Athens on a luxury steam powered airship and is set in a fictionalised version of Victorian Europe. It lends itself well to performed readings and plans are afoot to take it on the road in 2024. Watch this space for updates. For the full Writers and Illustrators of the Future third quarter results, click here.

Hot on the heels of my unexpected HWA poetry success, I've just had a short story published in Three Cousin Publishing's Witch Wizard Warlock anthology. It's called Do You Really Want to Know? and is a murder mystery set in a university of magic. The plot centres on the university's gang culture and the efforts of one student to find the person responsible for murdering his best friend. It is one of thirty-four stories in the book. Each story is based around one or more magic users, but they are deliciously varied in setting, tone and style. Definitely worth checking out if you like magic themed fantasy. The cover (see below) is by artist and contributor Campbell Blaine. The book is available in print and electronic formats with an audio version currently in the works. Find out more at Witch Wizard Warlock

I'm excited to announce that my poem The Leech has been selected for inclusion in the Horror Writers Association's HWA Poetry Showcase X anthology. The book is being edited by bestselling author and poet, Angela Yuriko Smith, and if previous releases in the series are anything to go by, will be a great read. For the full list of contributors see https://horror.org/announcing-hwa-poetry-showcase-x-selectees/ or https://youtube.com/watch?v=h0cjJGDDxMs (my mention in the video is at 5:51). Publication is slated for September and I can't wait. In the meantime, check out the stunning cover art by Kyra Starr...



Watch this space for updates...

The Tunbridge Wells Fringe Festival is now well underway. Click here to see all the great things that are on. My Tales in the Key of Terror storytelling slot is a week away (9pm on 14th July at Chuck and Blade Burgers) and I'm greatly looking forward to it. It's a performance of two of my own stories supported by immersive sounds and projected images. There will be horror, spectacle and hopefully no technical issues, and all are invited. Tickets are available here.

Now, I'd best get back to rehearsing. Have a great weekend.

Less than two weeks to go until I roll into Tunbridge Wells for my next Tales in the Key of Terror spooky storytelling performance. For anyone who hasn't heard about the show, I use an immersive soundscape and projected images to bring two of my horror stories vividly to life. If you're going to be in the Kent area on 14th July 2023, I'd love to see you. The performance is part of Tunbridge Wells Fringe Festival and is taking place at 9pm at Chuck and Blade (who do excellent milkshakes, by the way). Tickets are on sale now here.

The next confirmed date after that is a Watford Fringe Festival appearance on 29th September 2023. This one is taking place at Pump House Theatre & Arts Centre in Watford at 6.45pm. Tickets have yet to go on sale, but the link for when they do is as follows... https://www.watfringe.co.uk/events/.

Both festivals have loads of great stuff on, so are definitely worth a look.

Here's a shot of me performing my Tales in the Key of Terror storytelling show at Chichester Fringe Festival...



All went smoothly (apart from a couple of minor glitches with the slideshows). Audience feedback was positive and I very much enjoyed taking part. There was a photographer at the event, so I should have some better pictures to share in due course.

Next stop Chuck and Blade for my appearance at the Tunbridge Wells Fringe. This one's happening at 9pm on 14th July 2023. Tickets are available here. Details of a further performance at the Watford Fringe Festival on 29th September 2023 will follow soon.

In the meantime, there's some great stuff going on at Chichester Fringe Festival as they enter their final week, so check out the programme if you're in the area.

Less than a week now until my appearance at Chichester Fringe Festival. If you'd like to see me give a live Back of the Bookshelf style performance, be at Chichester City Arts Centre at 9pm on 3rd June. Tickets are still available, but selling fast here. For more information about the show, check out https://www.carter-stephenson.co.uk/events.html. There are some outstanding acts on at this year's festival, so I'm very excited to be taking part and am rehearsing furiously. Roll on next Saturday!

Just two weeks to go until my performance of Tales in the Key of Terror at the Chichester Fringe Festival. If you're going to be in the Chichester area on 3rd June, I'd love to see you there. For anyone who hasn't seen my previous blog entries about the show, it's taking place at 9pm in Chichester City Arts Centre. I had a technical rehearsal this week as you can see below and all is good to go...



Tickets are available from V2 Radio Sussex.

Now for some breaking news... I will also be performing the show on Friday 14th July as part of the 2023 Tunbridge Wells Fringe Festival. My slot on this date is 9pm in the function room at Chuck & Blade. It looks like an ideal venue and I'm reliably informed that their milkshakes are second to none, so if you fancy attending, be sure to check them out. Tickets are on sale here.

I'm also taking the show to the Pump House Theatre in Watford (Colne River Room) for the Watford Fringe Festival, though the date for this performance is still to be confirmed.

Watch this space and https://www.carter-stephenson.co.uk/events.html for updates.

Quick update on my Tales in the Key of Terror show... The Chichester Fringe team have just partnered with V2 Radio Sussex, so tickets for the Chichester event on 3rd June 2023 are now being sold at V2 Radio Tickets. Tickets purchased through eventbrite are still valid, however. Just to confirm, this performance is taking place in the City Arts Centre at 9pm as part of a horror double bill with the play The Tragical Performance and Retelling of Doctor Faustus.

For those who haven't read my previous post, Tales in the Key of Terror sees me giving a performed reading of two of my horror stories, supported by sound effects and slide shows. For further details, please see the dedicated page on my website here.

Two new performance dates should be confirmed soon.