The Black Beacon Book of Horror 2 will be released on the 1st of October, but in the meantime, the Kindle version is available for pre-order at just $1.99 instead of $3.99 and you can add the anthology to your Goodreads TBR list. To get you pumpkin-spiced up for an unforgettable Halloween 2026, we’re interviewing the contributing authors. Step into the corridors of their dark minds, if you dare!
Hi David,
That classic question to get started. Do you have to be a horrible person to write horrible things?
I'd say to write horrible things you need to be aware of horrible things and exactly why they are horrible, which is miles better than someone who does horrible things and is oblivious to what a horrible person they are.
Which horror writers do you admire—old or new, famous or hidden gems?
I'm a sucker for Stephen King. The first thing I read of his was Salem's Lot. I was a big fan of Dracula but the main characters - a lawyer, a professor, a doctor, a Lord - all seemed a bit far removed from the world I knew. King's characters were ordinary people in a small town, which made the notion of vampires all the more scary. King's novels usually come out in Autumn which means I usually end up with his latest outing for my birthday gift in November.
Are there any urban legends, folktales, or real-life tales of horror that happened (just maybe) where you live or grew up?
In the town of Selkirk in the Scottish borders where I grew up, there's a story of a poor old woman called Tibby Tampson who stole a ball of wool and was denounced by her neighbours as a witch. She was unjustly put to death. The stone rolled over her unmarked grave in the hills allegedly cracked when it was struck by lightning. There is a marker there and people leave coins wedged in the crack for good luck. As a kid it I used to have nightmares about going to visit the stone and being chased over the hills by Tibby on her broomstick.
Would you share something about yourself that your readers don’t know yet?
In another life I was the officer in Unite the Union responsible for the Fair Tips Campaign. I coordinated strike action in TGI Fridays and campaigns in Pizza Express for the fair distribution of tips and helped change the law concerning tip and service charge allocation.
Where can we find you online?
You can find my regular Substack London Fantastical here London Fantastical | David Turnbull | Substack
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