The penultimate story in Corpse Road Blues from Demain Publishing is a story of contrasts. Within This House uses a combination of diary form and present tense narration to create a more traditional ghost story which I used with a dystopian setting. I also tried to combine real-life horror – both alluded to and on the page – with supernatural horrors.

On her website, horror writer Sarah Budd (author of Enter the Darkness, pub. Brigids Gate Press), wrote that “to really scare your readers, you need to write about your own fears”. Like many, one of mine is the continually de-stabilising world (both politically and environmentally) that our children will inherit. A fear Within This House explores. The story is a response to the present political landscape in my country, in particular, the hostile environment that exists, and sadly, shows no signs of abating. Writing fiction can be a cathartic experience. If I can take you, the reader, along for the ride, so much the better.

Once again, if you’d like to read Within this House, and the other stories, Corpse Road Blues is available here.