Without further ado, I leave you in Willie’s and The Midnight Eye’s capable hands.

The Origins of Derek Adams, The Midnight Eye.

I read widely, both in the crime and horror genres, but my crime fiction in particular keeps returning to older, pulpier bases. My series character, Glasgow PI Derek Adams, is a Bogart and Chandler fan, and it is the movies and Americana of the 40′s that I find a lot of my inspiration for him, rather than in the modern procedural.

That and the old city, are two of the main drivers for the Midnight Eye stories.

When I was a lad, back in the early 1960′s, we lived in a town 20 miles south of Glasgow, and it was an adventure to the big city when I went with my family on shopping trips. Back then the city was a Victorian giant going to seed. It is often said that the British Empire was built in Glasgow on the banks of the river Clyde. Back when I was young, the shipyards were still going strong , and the city centre itself still held on to some of its past glories. It was a warren of tall sandstone buildings and narrow streets, with Edwardian trams still running through them. The big stores still had pneumatic delivery systems for billing, every man wore a hat, collar and tie, and steam trains ran into grand vaulted railway stations filled with smoke. To a young boy from the sticks it seemed like a grand place. It was only later that I learned about the knife gangs that terrorized the dance halls, and the serial killer, Bible John, who frequented the same dance halls, quoting scripture as he lured teenage girls to a violent end.

Fast forward fifteen years, and I was at University in the city, and getting an education into the real heart of the place. I learned about bars, and religious divides. Glasgow is split along tribal royalties. Back in the Victorian era, shiploads of Irishmen came to Glasgow for work. The protestants went to one side of the city, the catholics to the other. There they set up homes…and football teams. Now these teams are the two biggest sporting giants in Scotland, two behemoths that attract bigots like bees to honey. As a student I soon learned how to avoid giving away my religion in bars, and which ones to stay out of  on match days.

Also by the time I was a student, a lot of the tall sandstone buildings had been pulled down to make way for tower blocks. Back then they were the newshiny future, taking the people out of the Victorian ghettos and into the present day.

Fast forward to the present day and there are all new ghettos. The tower blocks are ruled by drug gangs and pimps. Meanwhile there have been many attempts to gentrify the city centre, with designer shops being built in old warehouses, with docklands developments building expensive apartments where sailors used to get services from hard faced girls, and with shiny, trendy bars full of glossey expensively dressed bankers.

And underneath it all, the Old Glasgow still lies slumbering, a draming god waiting for the stars to be right again.

Derek Adams, The Midnight Eye, knows the ways of the old city. And if truth be told, he prefers them to the new.

Plus there are new antecedents-occult detectives who may seem to use the trappings of crime solvers, but get involved with the supernatural. William Hjortsberg’s Falling Angel (the book that led to the movie Angel Heart) is a fine example an expert blending of gumshoe and deviltry that is one of my favourite books. Likewise in the movies, we have cops facing a demon in Denzil Washington’s Fallen that plays like a police procedural taken to a very dark place.

But I think it’s the people that influence me the most. Everybody in Scotland’s got stories to tell, and once you get them going, you can’t stop them. I love chatting to people, (usually in pubs) and finding out the -weird-shit they’ve experienced. Derek is mainly based on a bloke I met years ago in a bar in Partick, and quite a few of the characters that turn up and talk too much in my books can be found in real life bars in Glasgow, Edinburgh and St Andrews.

He’s turned up in three novels so far, THE AMULET, THE SIRENS and THE SKIN GAME. The first two are out now in print and ebook at all the usual online stores, and THE SKIN GAME will be along in the next week or so. There’s also looking for funding to bring him to life, several short stories, and an anthology appearance in the forthcoming CTHULHU 2012 anthology from Mythos Books.

Links to Derek’s appearances can be found at my website at http://www.facebook.com/l/7b1a6Xz2liDISoXIkLZRu-2427w;www.wiliammeikle.com

Derek has developed a life of his own, and I’m along for the ride.

William Meikle is a Scottish writer with ten novels published in the genre press and over 200 short story credits in thirteen countries. He is the author of the ongoing Midnight Eye series among others, and his work appears in a number of professional anthologies. His ebook THE INVASION has been as high as number 2 in the Kindle SF chart. He lives in a remote corner of Newfoundland with icebergs, whales and bald eagles for company. In the winters he gets  warm vicariously through the lives of others in cyberspace, so please check him out http://www.facebook.com/l/7b1a6Xz2LiDISoXIkLZRu-2427w;www.williammeikle.com

Moving on I’ve had four stories featured in the number one ebook, Horror Showcase, along with stories from the ultra talented Dave Jeffery and Ian Woodhead. To add to the fun and frolics, my short story collection, The People’s Fiend hit the number one spot in Smashwords horror best sellers list for a short time, repeating the feat which my other works, Giant Killer Eels and Gnomes also managed. And just in time for Christmas I released a festive little tale called Staggered for all digital formats. To round off the year nicely, Spring Heeled Jack Awakes should be hitting the Amazon Kindle and Smashwords for a Christmas Day release.

But out of all this, my favourite bit of news is the fact I’ll be co-writing with Dave Jeffery the 7th Crab book and it’s endorsed by the man who started it all, Guy N Smith. This years been pretty good. Hopefully next year will be even better. Fingers crossed.

Old Slippery is the legendary giant eel of The Lake Discrict. For years there have been supposed sightings of him, but never quite like this and what’s more, Old Slippery is not alone.

Devastation, death and giant killer monsters run amok, as not only do the inhabitants of The Lakes question if they can survive this unstoppable juggernaut of creatures, but the whole human race does too.   

Available right now from Amazon US, UK and Smashwords on all digital formats.

A group has been set up on Facebook with all the latest info at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=112874538731124

On top of that, things are still shaping up nicely with Old Friend. Old Friend Producer and directer Wayne John Davies will also be co-producing Dame Demise with myself. And if you’re checking out facebook with regards to the Dame, why not check out the Mandog Entertainment group on there at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=110123632354693 

I promise you’ll like it……

The 30th of November 2009 sees the return of ghost hunter Boag-Munroe from the novel A Haunted Man and with him the even more spectacular return of England’s most haunted house ever. The Return Of Borley Rectory is the first in a series of Boag-Munroe chapbooks coming out from Ghostwriter Publications new imprint label The Penny Dreadful Dreadful Company. But it won’t be just Boag-Munroe stories I’ll be writing. Each month The Penny Dreadful Company will be bringing out a different chapbook by me, as well as chapbooks from a list of other great authors such as William  Meikle, Rhys Hughes, Scott Nicholson, Ian Faulkner, Carson Buckingham, Frazer Lee, Brooke Vaughn, Neil Jackson, Bob Freeman and David Jeffery.  The Return Of Borley Rectory is available to order at http://www.thepennydreadfulcompany.com/page4.html

Borley Rectory before its desctruction in 1939 was, and still is, seen be many as England’s most haunted house.

This house and this ghost hunter were never supposed to meet. But now, 2009, Borley Rectory has been resurected, miles from its original position and many years after it was apparently burnt down to the ground.

Renowed ghost hunter Boag-Munroe, finds himself standing at the entrance to this strange foreboding building, with three questions to be answered, how, why and what is happening?

Next up it’s the turn of a giant killer eel to take centre stage with OLD SLIPPERY by yours truly, followed by the first Guy N Smith story in the volume, THE FISH THING. Trust me, you will never look at a goldfish or a pike in the same way after reading this. Ian Faulkner’s story SUN is the next up to bat, complete with a battleaxe of a wife who gets more than she bargained for. I could really imagine this story being filmed in the style of one of those old Amicus horror shorts.

BELVEDERE by Daniel I. Russell features normal creatures tampered in such a way you wouldn’t want to meet them in the spooky old mansion in this story, and after reading WOOKEY HOLE by Peter Mark-May you could be put you off visiting this English attraction for life.

DAY TEN is the first of the trilogy of Simon Kurt Unsworth stories in the volume. Here a team are plotting to capture an unknown beast that is about to make itself very known.

LATE SHIFT by Maxwell Dowie gives a stern warning about working in supermarkets after closing and who or what you’re working with. This one has got a nice critters feel about it, real nasty.

IT LIVES IN DARK PLACE by the always on form David Jeffery takes us on the run from the police and into the arms or teeth and claws of something worse.

RICKMAN’S PLASMA by William Meikle is a cracking concept and story which I’m not going to spoil here, trust me, you’ve just got to read it, as you should THE MOTHS THAT ATE NEW JERSEY, by Rakie Keig. I’m guessing this is an introduction to Rakie’s upcoming novel THE MOTHS, and a fine introduction it is to. Speaking of introductions, introduce yourself to one Steve Jenson and his DEVIL OF MONS. This one about a hell hound in the trenches of world war one has got atmosphere by the bucket load.

LAST OPTION is the second of Simon Kurt Unsworth’s appearances and has the motto if a beast is captured; he may not captured for long and on your head be it. THE FLIES by Steven Lockley and LE CARCAJOU by Kevin Lumley have the feel of the old Pan horror stories so many horror fans used to love.

THE LAKE by David McAfee has the atmosphere and setting a Stephen King short story would feel at home in, just watch out for the green stuff. And we’re still looking out for the green stuff in Brooke Vaughn’s CREEPER.

EACH STEP I TAKE IS IN DARKNESS by Robert Morrish, what a title and what a story. PEEK-A-BOO is Simon Kurt Unsworth final story, the creature, whatever it is, is among us. STINGERS by WILLIAM MEIKLE , need I say this one has a sting in its tail, and THE BEAST IN THE MIST by my favourite author Guy N Smith wrap up the volume in style.

All in all Creature Feature is an excellent volume. Of course everyone will have their favourites amongst these stories, but there’s no fillers here. I’m aware there’s a second printing of the book soon minus Simon’s stories which is a shame, but another big hitter has been lined up to replace him. What with an audio version available soon of some of the stories and no doubt Creature Feature 2 in the works for next year, the future of creatures running amok anthology looks to be in good hands.

Fingers crossed I make it into Creature Feature 2 in 2010.

I have to say it’s been a real honour to have one of my stories feature in this collection which houses a bestselling, personal horror hero of mine, Guy N Smith, as well as William Meikle, David Jeffery, Simon Kurt Unsworth, Ian Faulkner, Peter Mark May, Barry J. House, Daniel I. Russell,Maxwell Dowie, Rakie Keig, Steve Jensen, Steve Lockley, Kevin Lumley, Brooke Vaughn, Robert Morrish, David Mcafee and edited by Neil Jackson.

Full review coming shortly, but trust me, get this ordered pronto from either amazon.co.uk or from Ghostwriter Publications themselves.