A Spooky Interview with DJ Tyrer

Samhain Screams will be released on the 17th of October—but the Kindle version is available for pre-order today at just $1.99 instead of $3.99. You can also add the anthology to your Goodreads list. Our aim is quite simply to make Halloween 2025 the spookiest ever with this anthology featuring twenty scary tales handpicked by Greg Chapman and Cameron Trost. Do you dare peek into the troubled minds of our contributing authors?

Hi DJ,

Without giving too much away, is there a story behind your contribution to this anthology?

The Knock is part of my Black and Red Mythos of loosely-connected stories, which had its very first stirrings in a nightmare I had many years ago. Some elements (somewhat exaggerated) are drawn from the housing estate where I live, combined with accounts of sink estates in London.

What are you working on at the moment? What are you writing?

I’ve just finished putting together a collection of Lovecraftian poetry, which should be out shortly from Island of Wak-Wak, called Madness Rides the Star-wind. Now, aside from a few stories and poems I hope to complete and submit to forthcoming anthologies, I have a few bigger projects that I’m working on.

The first is a Yellow Mythos novella that I’ve been promising for… a number of years. If I tell you it’s called Perfect Yellow, you can probably guess what inspired it; unfortunately, I found myself cleaving rather too closely to that inspiration, meaning I had to scrap what I had and start again in order to avoid it becoming a rip-off rather than a thematic homage. That cost me my momentum and I ended up distracted with other things, but it is currently top of my list to resume work on.

I’ve also got a couple of fantasy novel ideas that I’ve been working on the backgrounds and plots for, as well as a couple of ideas for role-playing games that might actually see print at some point.

Where can we find you online?

The best place to look is my author website at https://djtyrer.blogspot.co.uk/ which has the latest on my published writing. I also have an author page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/DJTyrerwriter/

Thanks for playing along!

Pirate Anthology: DJ Tyrer

The Black Beacon Book of Pirates is sure to shiver your timbers when it's published on Friday the 21st of June. The Kindle version is already available for pre-order at just $1.99 instead of $3.99 and you can add the anthology to your Goodreads "want to read" list today. In the meantime, to get you in the mood for a spot of swashbuckling, we’re interviewing the contributing authors.

Hi DJ,

Why pirates?

Pirates have a great deal of potential for exciting adventure and varied characters. My story, Sting of the Schorpioen, features some characters I created for an as-yet unwritten horror novel involving pirates and a mysterious island. Even though I have yet to write that novel, the pirates had their hooks into me and I ended up writing some stories featuring them, of which this was one. Quite probably, if I fail to get them to their destination, they’ll insist on my writing some more.

Are there any pirate legends set where you live?

Although Southend-on-Sea was once the location of Milton, once an important port on the Thames, and nearby Leigh-on-Sea long had naval connections, any pirates presumably sailed off elsewhere to seek plunder and didn’t leave any local legends. However, the area does have plenty of tales about smugglers, including legends of smuggler tunnels running beneath the city, including some said to be haunted.

If you were a pirate, what’s the first thing you’d do?

Being a fan of Gilbert and Sullivan, I would have to burst into song. Doubtless I would be as inept as the Pirates of Penzance and do poorly at the whole capturing ships and treasure, but at least it would be a merry experience.

Have you ever found treasure?

Sadly, no. There is probably some down in those smuggler tunnels, but the stories of what happens to those who enter them are enough to put me off searching. Still, a hoard would be quite handy, so if anyone has any old maps where X marks the spot, please do send them my way…

What do you do when you’re not dreaming up tall tales?

My hobbies include history, roleplaying, wargaming, and languages and conlanging, all of which come in useful for worldbuilding. I’m also the editor/publisher of the Atlantean Publishing small press, when I can find the time.

Where can we find you online?

You can find my website at https://djtyrer.blogspot.co.uk/ and my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/DJTyrerwriter/