Alex Hunter's Blog

I'm pleased to announce that my second novel (title TBD) will be published in the summer of 2026!

What can I tell you about it? Well, think The Amityville Horror x The Conjuring and you'll have a clue.

What I can tell you for sure is that it's a slippery, twisty tale which takes place in two timelines, 25 years apart.

It's also dark. Very dark (yay!), with a lot of creeping dread and heaps of tension.

I've been having great fun writing this one, and am looking forward to it being unleashed into the world!

While all that's going on, I'll spend some time on short stories before getting stuck in on my 3rd book, the plot of which is currently burrowing through my brain. Lots to do.

It been a couple of busy weeks behind the keyboard!

I've got deals with two publishers for short stories, which is very exciting. I'll be saying more about these closer to publication.

One of the stories is a satirical monster tale. The other is rather Lovecraftian, and different to anything I've attempted to write before. It is, in a word, disgusting, and I'm delighted a publisher decided to go with it.

What of my second novel? It's going really well! I'd originally intended to write something of a 'romp' - still horror, but a bit tongue in cheek. Some light relief after 'The Harvest'.

Well...that's not where it's gone. It's a dark tale, very dark, brimming with ghosts, tragedy, and grief (I'm a jolly soul really - don't know where it all comes from).

The very last paragraph of the book is written in my head (as was the case with 'The Harvest') so I'm enjoying a full-tilt journey to that climactic destination - the final act beckons.

Book three is brewing away nicely in the back of my mind, and I'll probably start work on it while I'm in the edits of book two.

Wherever you are, I wish you well, and happy reading.

Alex

A little update on what's been happening.

You may have seen that 'The Harvest' is now available as an audiobook! The narrator, Samuel Pitt, has done a brilliant job bringing the story to life. His take on the characters is unique, and he really brings out the creepy factor.

Check it out if you listen to books!

In other news, I've just sold my short story 'The Book of Howard' to an upcoming anthology. I'm really excited to see what readers think of this deeply strange Lovecraftian horror. It's a little different to my usual style.

Work continues on my new novel. The manuscript is bubbling away and I'm around halfway through the first (rough) draft. I'm hoping to get to the end in March, although I'm going to need a strong wind in my sales.

The new book is very different to 'The Harvest'. I'm really leaning into classic horror tropes, think Amityville/Poltergeist, but with a twist. It's my love story to classic haunted house horror, and considers what happens after a family flees a haunting. Ooohhh.

Until next time.

Imagine, if you will, the creepiest, most atmospheric book you've ever read.

Now, go and check out its goodreads page.

I guarantee there's 1-star reviews that say something like 'This is the least scary book ever. I don't know how anyone can be frightened by it!'

Horror stands alongside comedy as possibly the most subjective of genres.

What causes one reader to have a sleepless night will bore the next rigid. Much as I'd like to think my stories will cause everyone who visits them to feel like a cold hand has landed on the back of their neck, I know it'll never happen.

But, isn't this wonderful!

It means that horror has the most diverse stories. Some are cozy, others extreme.

Others are subtle, they don't worry you when you're reading. After you've turned out the lights, it's a different story.

Some plunge you into a waking nightmare from page one (but not the next person).

As a writer I find the best rule of thumb, and the easiest approach, is to write about things I find scary.

Unseen things that scuttle in the dark. The bizarre. Loss of control. Seeing something moving from the corner of my eye - in an empty room.

Are these thing frightening? To me they are. To everyone? Of course not.

But, to capture just one reader. To be able to have them tear through the pages, afraid of what they might find?

That's where I find my joy in this most wonderful of genres.

2025!

Like all grown-ups, I wonder where the years go. It seems like last week that I was toasting the arrival of the year 2000 in beautiful Prague.

Last week saw the culmination of a three-year exercise for me - that being the publication of my debut novel. 'The Harvest'.

That it's become an Amazon bestseller in a range of categories in less than a week is a huge surprise!

Having spent three years drafting and redrafting, it's a sobering thought that people are reading it.

And, quite rightly, it will be judged. Will I celebrate the good reviews? Of course.

But, I will also learn from the bad. Writing, especially fiction, is something you learn on the job.

Sure, you can take lessons (and I did). You can read thousands of articles by countless 'experts' online, and discount many of them.

At the end of the day, it's on me. This is my story, and these are my words.

If you are entertained, then I've done my job.

If you aren't, then I'm sorry. Perhaps the next one will work better for you.

Speaking of entertainment, I went to see the new 'Nosferatu'!

The film takes gothic to the max. It's so drained (exsanguinated) of colour that it's almost B&W.

I highly recommend it. The visuals are ravishing, the sound design is on point, and the whole thing is just marvellous.

I hope your 2025 goes well, and thank you for your time.

x

It's amazing, and weird, that 'The Harvest' is just a few days out from publication (2 January 2025).

Did I imagine, three years ago, when I sat down to write my debut novel that it would ever get to this point?

Honestly, no. Not really. My worst fears came true when I failed to get an agent - it put me in a bit of a melancholic funk.

Deciding to submit direct to publishers was the next step and more than one liked the story enough to say 'yes'. Woohoo - off to the races.

I now hope that people will discover 'The Harvest' and enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing.

Speaking of reading, where am I on that.

I recently finished my first re-read of 'The Shining' by Stephen King in about 25 years.

My goodness, it's such a great story, well told. I'd forgotten how creepy it is, it gets under your skin.

Also right up there is 'A Hole in the World', the final part of the 'White Harbor' trilogy by Carlos E Rivera.

What a monumental achievement this trilogy is. Small-town, cosmic horror by a writer who's a master of the craft.

By turns scary, moving and funny, Rivera writes horror with great warmth and deserves all the love.

See you on the other side.

Alex
x

Each year I re-read a well thumbed book in honour of the season!

Last year, it was the turn of ''Salem's Lot' - a classic.

In 2024 it's been 'Ghost Story' by Peter Straub.

In my opinion it's simply the finest horror novel I've ever read.

That doesn't mean the best - who am I to judge?! - but it is the one that I get the most out of.

'Ghost Story' has every type of horror contained within its many pages, essentially it serves as an expansive love letter to the genre itself.

It's also ambiguous. Very ambiguous. I've read it many times since I was a teenager and I'm still not totally clear what it all means!

And, for me, that's fine. It's a puzzle, a mystery. It's also very, very frightening. Perfect for a dark London evening.

Keep reading!

Alex

Ghost Story