{"id":6858,"date":"2021-02-12T15:43:14","date_gmt":"2021-02-12T15:43:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/?p=6858"},"modified":"2021-02-12T15:43:14","modified_gmt":"2021-02-12T15:43:14","slug":"opening-the-book-of-carnacki","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/opening-the-book-of-carnacki\/","title":{"rendered":"OPENING THE BOOK OF CARNACKI"},"content":{"rendered":"

Behind The Book of Carnacki<\/em>: For many years my late friend Sam Gafford and I delved, quite unbeknownst to each other, into the life and works of writer William Hope Hodgson<\/a>, one of the \u2018uncles\u2019 of 20th<\/sup> century weird fiction. Sam was in fact a leading scholar\/expert on Hope Hodgson and his writings; I was a mere enthusiast. And as chance would have it, at around the same time as Sam began his studies, I had conceived of a cycle of strange stories which centred around the Edwardian era, with references \u2013 direct or in passing \u2013 to the world of Hope Hodgson\u2019s occult detective, Carnacki the Ghost Finder<\/strong>. Not pastiches, but a development of period themes.<\/p>\n

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Valdemar (2011)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Sam and I met on-line at last, we found that both of us had great affection for this character. Sam edited two anthologies of further Carnacki adventures (amongst other Hodgsonian publications) via his own Ulthar Press; I finally launched the series of loosely inter-connected stories called \u2018Tales of the Last Edwardian<\/em>\u2019 (though I rarely write anything which features Carnacki directly). Our shared enjoyment of the character was also instrumental in us founding Occult Detective Magazine<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Sadly, Sam passed away too early, in 2019, but I was delighted last year when Belanger Books suggested following up the success of their Sherlock Holmes and the Occult Detectives<\/em> anthologies with one devoted entirely to Carnacki. So, everything you need to know is laid out below.<\/p>\n

THE SHORT VERSION<\/h2>\n

THE BOOK OF CARNACKI<\/em><\/h4>\n

A Belanger Books Project, edited by John Linwood Grant<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

Core concept:<\/strong> <\/span>5<\/span>,000\u201310,000 word sto<\/span>ries featuring William Hope Hodgson\u2019s character Carnacki the Ghost Finder in a major role. Carnacki\u2019s general behaviour and mannerisms should be canonical, much as in the original tales, though inventive and reasonable extrapolations from those are welcome. We may take a handful of stories with non-supernatural resolutions.<\/p>\n

Also:<\/strong> For this particular book, we are interested in 3000\u20135000 word non-fiction articles relating to Carnacki and his world (see LONG VERSION below).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Your pitch must be accepted for your completed story or article to be read. See PITCH section below.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Pitch Deadline:<\/strong> 16 April, 2021.<\/p>\n

Final Submission Deadline:<\/strong> 30 September, 2021.<\/p>\n

Payment:<\/strong> Authors shall receive a payment of $100 or $50 plus 1% of the Kickstarter net profits, whichever amount is GREATER, and a paperback copy of the anthology. The Kickstarter will run March 2022, and publication of book is expected early Spring 2022.<\/p>\n

PITCHES AND QUERIES ONLY TO occultholmes@virginmedia.com<\/a> BY 16th<\/sup> APRIL 2021, PLEASE<\/p>\n

You MUST put CARNACKI in the subject line of your pitch or query. Failure to do so may invalidate your submission; it may also get lost in general occult detective queries.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Reprints:<\/strong> We are open to the possibility of taking a small number of reprints, by negotiation. In order to receive full payment, and to increase reader interest, we would prefer that these were \u2018refreshed\u2019 or revised versions rather than straight, word-for-word reprints.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

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LONG VERSION<\/h2>\n

THE BOOK OF CARNACKI: THE PITCH<\/h3>\n

IF YOU DO NOT PITCH FIRST, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CONSIDER YOUR STORY\/ARTICLE.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Why the pitch system? Because otherwise it\u2019s possible to end up with loads of stories which are very similar, however well written, and thus loads of rejection letters. This allows us to open to everyone, but not be swamped by works we cannot use.<\/p>\n

For The Book of Carnacki<\/em>, we require short pitches \u2013 say one hundred to three hundred words \u2013 telling us about your planned story:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The period and general physical setting(s), e.g. London in 1905; a decaying Yorkshire farmhouse, just before WWI; a ruined castle in Scotland; Cornwall in 1899.<\/li>\n
  2. The sort of supernatural threat\/mystery, e.g. classic ghostly appearances; physical monstrosities on the loose; madman possessed by something; cursed item, etc. Get us intrigued.<\/li>\n
  3. A hint of plot, to show you already have a story broadly in mind.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    For non-fiction articles, give us an idea of your approach and focus.<\/p>\n

    If you\u2019ve never pitched before, have a go at it, and we\u2019ll tell you if you have something there which we think is worth pursuing. If you\u2019ve done it before, you know the drill.<\/p>\n

    The authors of the most suitable pitches will be invited to write up a full submission for possible inclusion, so you\u2019ll then have a further five months. No guarantees, but it means that you\u2019re at least on the right lines; your work will get more attention and your chances will have gone up.<\/p>\n

    PITCHES AND QUERIES ONLY TO occultholmes@virginmedia.com<\/a> BY 16th<\/sup> APRIL 2021, PLEASE<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Fiction should have all the following elements:<\/p>\n