Andrew McGuigan
Creator of
Cumbrian Cthulhu
Author of ‘The chamber in the hillside,’
‘Ashness bloody bridge,’ ‘A fell faith,’ ‘The elusive valley,’ ‘The treasure of
the Moresby swan.’ Co Author of ‘Return to the Grange.’
It has been an interesting few years
watching Cumbrian Cthulhu grow from one story to (at the time of writing) two
books! It is my intention to produce four books of stories and also a contest
leading to a full colour Cumbrian Cthulhu art book. More on that another time.
If the writers and stories keep coming in, and the sales and donations keep
going out, there is no reason why Cumbrian Cthulhu could not be a much longer
series of volumes. So keep buying them!
A big thank you to the following people who
helped smooth the evolution of the Cumbrian Cthulhu project. Thank you David Stewart and Northumbria
University for helping us recruit the talents of Kate and Lucy. Thanks to Allan
Mitchell for additional proof reading, and to those who have kindly listened to
me babble on, specifically Pete Stocker, Maggie Fraser and Louise Stals. Thanks
to my parents Stephen and Jennifer McGuigan for the Cumbrian history books and
the image for the back of volume two. Thanks to Dick Preston of Kemplerigg for
accent assistance in ‘Ashness bloody bridge.’
The stunning Wastwater sunset featured on
our first cover was photographed by
Żaneta Miderska, who was born in the seaside town of Gdansk and has been living
in London since 2005. See more of her beautiful images at: miderska.digart.pl
My biggest thanks goes to my lovely wife Suzanne
who was mostly patient with my constant requests for help with the endless
technical problems I was unable to overcome myself, such as correctly sending
emails and using page-break.
Andy Paciorek
Cumbrian Cthulhu illustrator
Author of ‘House of dark lanterns,’ ‘The
stones of pestilence,’ A quiet place,’ ‘The bells of Blencathra’ and ‘The echo of echoes.’
Andy Paciorek is a graphic artist, drawn mainly to the worlds of myth,
folklore, symbolism, decadence, curiosa, anomaly, dark romanticism and otherworldly
experience, and fascinated both by the beautiful and the grotesque and the
twilight threshold consciousness where these boundaries blur. The mist-gates,
edges and liminal zones where nature borders supernature and daydreams and
nightmares cross paths are of great inspiration.
Andy was the first to join the Cumbrian
Cthulhu project alongside Andrew McGuigan, and has been an enthusiastic partner
throughout, eager to discuss and assist with its evolution. Apart from
occasions when a writer specifically wishes to provide accompanying art, Andy
is the official illustrator for Cumbrian Cthulhu.
Andy has found a great deal of artistic
inspiration during trips to the Lake District, capturing images through
photography and sketching, to manipulate later.
Andy also expresses a different part of his
creative psyche by working with other varied creative souls, most notably and
very differently through the Balcan~Paciorek Symbiosis and as part of the
Stegorek mongrel art collaborative.
To see more artwork by Andy Paciorek please
visit www.batcow.co.uk/strangelands
Lucy
Elizabeth Collier
Editor
I live in Northallerton, North Yorkshire. I
am a recent graduate from Northumbria University, where I studied English
Literature and Creative Writing. I am currently undertaking an internship as an
Editorial Assistant at Mslexia Publication in Newcastle, where I hope to
further my interest in publishing. I'm a keen badminton player having competed
for my University and town and I am an unashamed Zumba-bopper. Aside from
Cthulhu, I am currently editing a couple of previously unpublished author's
novels whilst also, determinedly slogging over my own.
I was made aware of CC through a
mass-circulated email within uni. Editing has always been a pleasure for me, as
I am lucky to behold a meticulous eye, so the opportunity for involvement was a
snap-up from the start. CC boasts a manic amount of writing talent in what can
only be described as an exciting niche of genre and very different to your
usual reads. It's the unusual aspect of CC that will appeal to readers and
writers who want to extend an arm out to the wild and whacky. It's wonderful to
be a part of something that genuinely delivers on effort and quality for the
purposes of the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association charity.
(Also, it's hard not to appreciate the irony of this when you read some of the
stories!)
Anyone who's been walloped by Wordsworth
will appreciate just how spectacular this area of England is. As a frequent
Holiday goer to the lakes
I am continuously amazed by its sights. My
best friend has a little cottage in Keswick, which will always freeze the
memory of my boyfriend attempting to 'plank' on the bonnet of our 4 man boat on
Derwent Water Lake... Water: Unharmed. Matthew: Slightly less so
Ben
Powell-Jones
Cover artist
Ben is originally from the North East but
now resides in London which flips between feeling like a divine blessing and a
horrifying curse, depending on the mornings commute. He works in TV, devising
Entertainment shows and preparing graphics for pitch documents.
His main interests are practicing Muay Thai and freestyle wrestling and reading
comic books. He realises this is not what his parents wanted his interests to
be at 31.
He also enjoys writing about himself in the third person.
I think the CC project is an excellent
initiative and was most pleased to be invited to be a part of it. I was also
most pleased at Andrew McGuigan's patience as I consistently missed deadlines.
I think the proceeds are going to an excellent and worthy cause, and one that
deserves more exposure.
Growing up in the North East, with a
grandmother that lived in Kendal, I have many memories and a strong feeling of
attachment to the Lake District. I remember as a child feeling that the old,
stony houses and dark, unlit lanes were a different world from where I was
growing up. A special place, certainly. After reading the stories included,
I'll probably never un-terrified walking after dark there anymore, so thanks
for that, writers!
Matt Walby
Social network
promotion
I live and work in
Newcastle Upon Tyne as a call centre advisor. Outside of work I am a martial
artist training in jun fan and kali. I have helped with the promotion of
Cumbrian Cthulhu by running the Twitter account (@CumbrianCthulhu), building
relationships with other Cumbrian, Lovecraft or Cthulhu related Twitter users
in order to spread the updates and promotional material to as many people as
possible and by association, hopefully promoting the work of the Lake District Search
And Mountain Rescue Association in some small way.
I heard about the
project through my friend Andrew McGuigan and wanted to join as I am a big fan
of horror. I will be spending quite a bit of time in the Lake District in 2013
in preparation for the Pen-Y-Fan Fan Dance in May and The Wall Run along the
route of Hadrian's Wall in June. I very much approve of the profits going to
LDSAMRA. They do fantastic work which they could never receive enough credit
for. They provide a great service to all Lake District visitors and help keep
the Lakes the great tourist attraction it is.
Kate
Taylor
Cumbrian Cthulhu advertising and promotion
I live just outside the popular Cumbrian
tourist town of Keswick on the shores of Derwentwater but study at the
University of Northumbria in Newcastle. I have recently completed a degree in
English Literature and Creative Writing and have been awarded a studentship to
study an MRes in Creative Writing.
When I'm not writing for my tutors I'm
writing my own brand of fantasy and/or magical realism: currently I'm working
on a fantasy trilogy, a web drama set during the apocalypse and a detective
noir reimagining of Greek mythology. You can find a weekly blog about my life
and writing on blogspot under the name a.k.a Kate.
LDSAMRA is close to my heart because my
family are big walkers. It's good to know that the proceeds from this anthology
will be keeping them and others safe on the fells.
Glen
Colling
Author of ‘That is not dead which can
eternal lie.’
I was born in Sunderland in the North East
of England. I currently live in Seaham with my wife Veronica, my son Phillip
and two gerbils Thomas and Blackbird.
I have been a great fan of H.P. Lovecraft
for thirty years and have read, and re-read, his books many times. I based my
story under Lake Windermere and I have, on a number of occasions, looked into
its waters and wondered what may lie beneath.
My family and I have often holidayed at the
Lakes, usually a B&B at Windermere or a cottage at Kendal. The area is so
striking it takes the breath away, especially on a dark, foggy, damp day when
the clouds hang low over the hills. Great material for books!
Tony
Paulazzo
Author of ‘The Overlords.’
I now live in West Yorkshire but originally
hail from London. My main source of income (and second love) is working with
and repairing computers. I keep a dream diary which should probably tell you
more than you need to know about me. Many of my stories, or at least the seeds
of them, come from my unconscious dreams, and I love the blurred boundaries
that dreams create.
I loved the ruggedness of Cumbria, and
thought about surviving here in end of the world stories, you know the sort,
unexplained plague, nuclear war, but then someone took me to White Scar Cave
(my first ever cave, slight claustrophobia, not somewhere I would willingly
go), and Cthulhu whispered into my ear and from that visit the story pretty
much wrote itself. Now I love the Cthulhu mythos, but I’d never read what
happened when they finally reclaimed the Earth as their birthright, what
happened to us, humanity, when Gods truly walked amongst us, so here is my
attempt. I hope you like it.
Paul
Musgrave
Author of ‘A mist friend.’
I live in Staithes, a picturesque village
in North Yorkshire just 10 miles north of Whitby. I work for Revenue and
Customs at Stockton and deal with work involving individual tax returns. In my
spare time, I like running and do a lot of the local 5K to 10k runs and also
play 5 aside football in the evening. My favourite hobby though, is drawing and
doing caricatures for friends and family. When doing a few cartoon strips, I
have enjoyed the writing part and that is why I was interested in writing a
story on one on my favourite subjects. I visit Keswick (the place where I set
my story) regularly for walks and to enjoy the scenery of one of the most
beautiful places in Britain, if not the whole world.
Richard
E Straw
Author of ‘Thy deep and dreaming sleep,’
‘Langdale and pike investigate.’
Co Author of ‘Return to the Grange’
These stories represent Richard's first
actual completed prose since he wrote a story about an exploding rocket for a
school exam. Yet another member of the contingent from the North-East of
England, he spends most of his time in the world of amateur musical theatre,
and enjoys playing old men for shows with his local Gilbert and Sullivan
Society. Most of his recent writing involves editing the scripts of short
Victorian Operettas. He is however working on a sequel to 'Langdale and Pike Investigate',
entitled 'Langdale and Pike Strike Back' (any rumours of a third part, 'Langdale and Pike's Last Stand', are
completely without foundation).
Rich
Blackett
Author and illustrator of 'Invisible'
Rich lives with his family in the North
East of England. He has written for online and print based music magazines as
well as stories in the Steampunk Compilations
"Tales from the Asylum" and it's
follow-up "Beyond the Asylum."
He also contributed to the ebook anthology
"Like a Corset Undone” and as part of The Nothing Machine has released a download
only dark ambient album.
The story was inspired by a blend of true
and (hopefully) fictional events, and was partly influenced by a an archive
newspaper article of a figure leading a car through dangerous fog in Langdale.
It should also be noted that the excellent Townend library does not contain any
books of dark knowledge, at least not anymore...
Rich has been a visitor to The Lake
District and Cumbria nearly every year of his life and is now introducing the
next generation of his family to the beauty and tranquillity of the area. He
and his family stay in Ambleside often twice a year and relish the chance to
unwind and explore the ancient hills. When he saw the article asking for
contributions in the internal Civil Service publication Pulse, he immediately
responded to the chance of giving something back to the area and to such an
important charity as LDSAMRA
Richard
Gore
Author and illustrator of ‘Odd sausage.’
Painter of volume two’s Cumbrian Cthulhu
flag.
Richard Gore grew up in the north east of England, gaining his
degree in Illustration in 2006 before heading off to travel around the world
for a year, visiting every continent, excluding Antarctica , on route. He
currently combines working in an office with as many creative external projects
as he can muster. Some of his recent endeavours include writing an illustrated
children’s novel which he aims to get published in the near future, showing
artwork at regional and national galleries and producing wildlife artwork for
an international agent, recently getting to the finals of the BBC wildlife
artist of the year for his work.
Richard heard about the Cumbrian Cthulhu
project through friend and colleague Andrew McGuigan, who was looking for
writers to contribute to the project. Richard being interested in both writing
and illustration offered his services in both fields, writing a short Cthulhu
piece and helping add to the illustration of the novel.
Richard has visited the Lake District on
numerous occasions, sampling the culinary delights, whiling away time in second
hand book shops and hiking in the hills and mountains, most notably getting to
the top of Scafell Pike last year.
Through travelling the world Richard has
visited many wonderful natural sights and believes that the beauty of the Lake
District is not outshone by such sights as Northern Italy, Southern New Zealand
or The Andes of South America. He is delighted that profits from the sale of
this book will be donated to the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue
Association allowing others the explore the beauty of this area of the world in
increased confidence and safety.
Casey
Rae-Hunter
Author of ‘The Cove.’
He is a musician, recording engineer, author and editor from Washington, DC. In
addition to his work in political communications, he is the founder and CEO of
The Contrarian Media, a popular online hub for writings on music, media and
metaphysics. His 2009 album, Eldritch Musicks, is based on the weird fiction of
HP Lovecraft, Arthur Machen and Algernon Blackwood.
