Recently we’ve been sorting through the many new magazines coming out for lovers of weird, supernatural or speculative fiction – Skelos, Ravenwood Quarterly, Turn to Ash, Gamut, Cirsova and more. We’re trying to cover these newcomers as we go along, but there is one magazine which has been at this game for nearly sixteen years – Supernatural Tales, edited and published by David Longhorn. So perhaps this is the right time to highlight that publication’s virtues.
Just a glimpse into Supernatural Tales shows that it is both a labour of love and a source of fiction from many fine writers. We interview David Longhorn further below, but here’s a seasonal reminder of the contents of last Autumn’s issue, in order to make our point very quickly:
In ’30’ by Helen Grant, a room at an Oxford college contains something that should never be confronted. But inevitably, someone does. ‘Tears From An Eyeless Face’ is a bizarre prose-poem by Canadian author Michael Kelly. ‘An Element of Blank’ by Lynda E. Rucker sees three friends revisit an ill-starred house where, as teenagers, one of them was assailed by an occult entity. ‘Wild Dogs’ by Adam Golaski takes us out to a night club where the floor show leaves something to be desired – survivors. And in ‘Even Clean Hands Can Do Damage’ two women who have suffered terrible loss are brought together by the ghost of a child, but it seems that closure is not always on offer to those who deserve it most. Mark Valentine’s story ‘Vain Shadows Flee’, a tribute to the late Joel Lane, sees a man haunted by a hymn-singing vagrant.
The magazine was started up in the early 2000s, to be followed by a blog in 2006, around the time of Supernatural Tales 11. The blog started in a typically self-effacing and open fashion:
“I thought some of the readers of Supernatural Tales, my thrilling magazine, might like to know what I get up to. The life of an amateur editor is fascinating. Sometimes I have tea and biscuits. Sometimes I have an existential crisis. Sometimes I actually do some editing…”
And we were amused when we found that the writer and poet Paul St.John Mackintosh, who we interviewed only a week or so ago (transgressions, lovecraft and inner demons), said this of Supernatural Tales in 2014, for Tele-Read:
“The magazine’s own blog is also recommended for a quick rundown on horror publications and events of interest, and the editor’s own inputs on the genre, which also tend to confirm the quality of his taste. All in all, looks like a must-have for any fans of the genre. What have you to lose aside from a few minutes of time and a few megabytes of memory?”
Author S P Miskowski makes much the same point:
“This is one of the best fiction magazines specializing in quiet horror, or what Robert Aickman called strange stories. Readers and writers of dark-edged fiction owe it to themselves to follow ST. This is one of the magazines routinely read by editors searching for the year’s best in horror and weird fiction.”
We shall go to the man himself and explore a little further…
An Interview with David Longhorn
greydog: Welcome to greydogtales, David. Your magazine Supernatural Tales has been going for some time, putting out stories of strange events, ghosts and hauntings for years. Maybe we could start by asking how it all began.
david: It began in 2000 when I attended a ceremony at a place called Great Livermere, in East Anglia, where some ghost story enthusiasts unveiled a plaque to M.R. James, who grew up there. Somebody remarked that there were very few British magazines publishing supernatural fiction. Like an idiot I said ‘I could start one!’ I’ve been doing it ever since. Force of habit, I suppose.
greydog: Is ST a one-man show, or do you co-opt others in to browse submissions and for other tasks?
david: So far as submissions go, it’s all down to me. I do have an assistant editor and proofreader who helps out in return for a free subscription.
greydog: Tell us something of your own taste in terms of supernatural reading matter. Classical, modern, or all sorts?
david: I read a lot of contemporary fiction, because people send it to me! Not just as submissions, but also for review. But I have probably read a lot more of ‘the classics’ than most. Not just M.R. James but also Arthur Machen, Algernon Blackwood, and many of the other Victorian/Edwardian authors.
greydog: And do the stories you publish reflect that personal taste, or do you sometimes put out tales which might appeal to a different range of readers?
david: If I like a story enough I’ll publish it, assuming it fits the criterion of supernatural. I generally favour stories with contemporary settings, for instance. It has to be, first and foremost, a good story. But I don’t rule anything out and I hope each issue has a very diverse range of styles, ideas, and themes.
greydog: Being rather unfair, can you mention some of the stories which have given you the most personal pleasure to publish? In other words, what have been the highlights?
david: The highlight so far has been the thirtieth issue, which contained stories by some of the veterans of the magazine, i.e. people who’ve either been submitting since the early days or more recently rose to prominence. These include Helen Grant, now quite well-known as an author of thrillers, Lynda E. Rucker, and Steve Duffy. There was also a tribute by Mark Valentine to Joel Lane, who was very supportive of ST in its early years, contributing fiction and essays. Stories from issue 30 won awards, were included in ‘Best Of…’ anthologies, and so on. I was pleased.
greydog: That was, indeed, an outstanding issue. Has the magazine changed substantially in over thirty issues, in terms of what you look for these days and how you handle it?
david: When I started I got a steady trickle of submissions by post and relatively few by email. It gave a very different feel to the process, coming home to see if there was a new story lying on the doormat. I could often tell if an author was a smoker, for instance, by the smell of tobacco when I opened the envelope. Today it’s all online and the sheer number of authors out there looking to submit means I have to narrow the window of opportunity to a few weeks a year.
greydog: You maintain a Facebook Page, a blog, and ST is available on-line. Electronic interaction on social media seems to be essential for writers and publishers nowadays. Is this something you embraced cheerfully or with reluctance?
david: I have mixed feelings about it, because of the crazy stuff that can sometimes erupt online. That said, I’m a fairly retiring person and find maintaining an online presence a lot easier than, say, going to conventions, which aren’t my cup of tea at all.
greydog: With a range of new supernatural and weird fiction magazines coming out this year, what would you say are the particular attractions of your own publication?
david: Plenty of back issues! I also hope it combines ‘tried and tested’ authors with new writers and that in every issue there’s something for you, if you love ‘quiet horror’ as I do.
greydog: So do we. What would be your core advice for someone looking to submit to ST?
david: Read the magazine, or at least the list of authors who’ve already been published. If you do the latter and don’t recognise any of them, perhaps you’re not familiar with what I’m after.
greydog: As you might have seen, we’ve started another of our themes, Edwardian Arcane, this time exploring various aspects of supernatural fiction, weird tales and folk-lore during those times, along with recent pastiches of classic literary figures. What writers of that period appeal to you?
david: Apart from the ones already mentioned I’m a huge fan of H.G. Wells, my boyhood hero and still one of the greats. Kipling I also admire, especially his more macabre and weird tales.
greydog: Given the nature of our own site and interests, we can’t let you go without asking your opinion of William Hope Hodgson’s works? Are you an enthusiast?
david: I am! I’ve read his novels and I think most of his short fiction. The House on the Borderland is a favourite of mine, but I also love sea stories, so he scores in that respect too.
greydog: And finally, Supernatural Tales 33 is available – what can we expect to find within?
david: Good short stories! Subjects include Cornish folklore, the doppelgänger, cursed artefacts, troublesome minor deities, and of course ghosts. Among other things.
greydog: Many thanks for joining us. We wish Supernatural Tales continuing success, and look forward to the new issue.
As David says, there are many back issues available for a very modest outlay of pennies considering what you get. Most of them can be found here:
supernatural tales available issues
The blog, which covers a range of related topics, is here:
And Supernatural Tales 33, Fall 2016, is out now – new tales of the supernatural by Sean Padraic McCarthy, Tim Foley, Sam Dawson, Tom Johnstone, Rosalie Parker, Keith Coleman, and Jane Jakeman.
issue 33 on amazon ukA reminder that this is the last week of the Occult Detective Quarterly Kickstarter campaign. It’s gone spiffingly – we’ve reached our target and our first Stretch Goal – but if you haven’t already pledged, there are still some terrific rewards and offers there, including great value subscritions and freebies, including a free e-book from 18thWall Publications just for ordering a copy of ODQ.
Authors will include Ted E Grau, Adrian Cole, Joshua M Reynolds, Willie Meikle, Amanda De Wees and more, so we have a fantastic line-up (plus there will be some serious dark art as well). Do have a look, or you’ll be missing out…
occult detective quarterly kickstarter
Coming in the next few weeks: Edwardian Arcane – Writer/Editor James Bojiacuk on a forgotten illustrator; ghost stories and anarchist airships, and award-winning author Amanda De Wees on creepy period tales. Plus that promised next Lurchers for Beginners chapter, and much more…