2009
JMF A very happy Christmas to all my friends, family and readers the world over. The festive season has arrived in scenic style here at home - with the grounds beautifully covered in deep, white snow as far as the eye can see. I hope you all enjoy yourselves, as I plan to, with plenty of fine food and wine and good company, and a seasonal ghost story or two. I'll see you all in 2010 for another packed year and plenty more horrors of the best kind! Until then...
JMF December 28th will see publication of the second edition of 'The Final Picture'. This new version comes with a gruesome full-colour cover and an added bonus story: 'The Cold Heart Of Summer', a never before seen tale which is a thematic prologue of sorts to the novel I am about to start writing. More details about the book can be found by following the link in its title.
JMF Anyone who knows me will also know that I own a great many suits, but future visitors to Freeman Manor may still be surprised by my latest - it's a suit of armour. This marvellous piece is of the type made by the Greenwich Armouries, set up by King Henry VIII in 1525. At this time knights would pay as much for their armour as they would for their houses, and the cost could have provided for an average family's lifetime expenses. Not only did one have to be wealthy to own a suit of armour, but needless to say it also helped if one kept in excellent physical condition so that the suit continued to fit. That particular King didn't manage it: his early armour shows a waistline of 34-36 inches whilst his later armour shows 58-60 inches. The Greenwich workshop represented the last flourishing of decorative armour-making in England, and comprises a unique genre of late-Renaissance art in its own right
JMF This October, to celebrate my 30th birthday I headed across Europe to Bavaria's beautiful Black Forest. It would be difficult to find a more delightful location than here: steeped in legends of witches, ghosts and monsters, it's little wonder than so many fairy-tales had their origins amongst its mist-shrouded mountains, romantic castles and enchanting villages. Driving between the towns over the twisting and precarious passes between endless masses of snow-covered pine forests is an unbelievable experience. Amongst the places I visited were Freiburg with its medieval market-square, vast gothic minster and winding lanes, Staufen Im Breisgau, watched over by vineyards and a ruined castle, was where the devil came to claim Faust's soul, the idyllic lake of Titisee, the sleepy villages of the Elztal valley and the majestic Triberg waterfalls. Plentiful good locally-produced food and wine and hospitality of the German people themselves also added to a memorable time.
JMF 'Along The Corridors' is a collection of two grim tales to bring a chill to your Autumn evenings. The title story traps us in either a haunted flat or the haunted mind of its lonely and cantankerous resident, whilst 'The Waiting Room' allows us to escape into the great outdoors, where an unseasonable rainstorm brings worse than just delays to a train journey. More details about the book can be found here, and as always you can order your copy from the publisher themselves or from me.
JMF This September I was happy to be a guest in the house of Sir Nicholas and Lady Susan Bacon. The premier Baronet of England, Sir Nicholas showed us around the family seat, Raveningham Hall in Norfolk, and discussed the house and family history, the ongoing work and duties of living in such a place, his work with other Great Houses for the National Trust, and much else besides. An attractive red-brick Georgian house, the building was much altered both externally and internally by Sir Nicholas's grandfather, as well as being significantly reduced in size by his father. I'm a huge country house enthusiast, especially since being lucky enough to live in one myself, and it's always particularly interesting to see inside one which is still a private family home rather than a tourist attraction or, worse, some kind of institution.
JMF Ghostwriter Publications have released a chapbook version of my previously unseen story 'The Final Picture'. Priced at only £1.50, it's the ideal short read, and is available from either the publishers themselves, or from myself through the contact page.
JMF Prepare for something very strange indeed... May 15th sees release of the latest Freeman, and in this one I've been digging up my roots. 'October's Child' is a collection of 30 stories written whilst I was still a young boy, with a rather amused (or should that be bemused?) introduction by my present day incarnation. I'd certainly hate to be judged on the merits of this one alone, but it's a fun book and shows some of my first steps along the horror writing path. You can place your orders now on the book's page, and keep your eyes open for an interview and other related features which will be appearing there over the next couple of months.
JMF I'm happy to announce that I've won Best Author of 2008 in The Dead Of Night Awards, run by British Fantasy Award nominated publishers Screaming Dreams. The result was a wonderful and welcome surprise, and my thanks to each and every one of the lovely folk who voted for me - I'm really pleased you enjoyed my work!
JMF My thanks to all the fans, family and friends old and new who came along to Leicester on the 21st February. It was a gloriously bright and sunny day, to offset the horrors that awaited within the atmospheric venue. I terrorised the congregation with 'A Prayer For The Morning' from my most recent book 'This Is My Blood'. Also reading were Mark West, David Price, the always delightful Allyson Bird and my old friend Derek Fox, with whom I whiled away a fair part of the afternoon as we indulged in our love of supernatural books and film. Much wine and conversation flowed, added to good company and good book sales all made for an exhausting and enjoyable day out.
JMF This February sees the ten-year anniversary of my first book 'Love Stories Of The Undead'. Though now out-of-print (copies very rarely turn up for sale in the used book trade, and then only at extortionate amounts), quite a few of its highlights can be found in 'This Is My Blood'. As I invite you all to raise a celebratory glass with me, have a browse through a new gallery of the book's original artwork, along with accompanying scenes from the text. You can also still read one of its best-loved stories, 'Once Again' for free here.
JMF For many years I've been fascinated by the area of South-East Suffolk that contains Rendlesham Forest (scene of many an otherworldly visit), Orford, and, off the coast, Orford Ness, amidst much else of note. M. R. James recounts the local tale of how a merman was caught at Orford in the 13th Century, but 'could not be induced to take an interest in the services of the church, nor indeed to speak'. Orford Ness is a 13-mile long shingle spit, which was for many decades a top-secret military test site, and now the deserted buildings and underground chambers present an eerie sight amidst the lonely beaches and marshes. On the nearby mainland there is also the secluded area of Shingle Street - where the few residents were evacuated one night in 1940. A good deal of mystery still surrounds what actually happened here, but a great wall of flame was seen along the coast, and many dead bodies washed up on the beach some days later. Now that I live nearby, I have much more opportunity to explore. On my most recent visit, I had a great deal of fun at Butley Orford Oysterage, which was recently featured as one of Harper's Bazaar's best restaurants. We dined on smoked trout and mackerel along with a generous helping of their oysters, and a delightful Sauvignon Blanc. The night was brilliantly clear and filled with more stars than I've ever seen in a single night sky, which was majestic illumination for the nearby castle (memorable scene of the climactic fight in the Vincent Price film 'Witchfinder General'), Orford Ness lighthouse, and then a beautiful drive through Rendlesham Forest, where plentiful rabbit and deer were to be seen roaming the night.
JMF It's become tradition with each novel of mine to start writing on January 1st, and this morning I completed the first chapter of my latest, 'Vermilion Dawn'. This one is rather a departure from my previous work, and will take me into some new and interesting territory. The actual writing of it should take me through the first half of this year. You can keep up to date on the progress by visiting this page here. On the publications side, there'll be another two books appearing this year. 'October's Child', and my previous novel 'The Lost And The Lonely'. Stay tuned for more on all these, and much else that I get up to in coming months.
