"The Confirmed Bachelors" nominated29/5/2026  Delighted to have one of my stories nominated for the 2026 Shirley Jackson Awards. Here are the nominations in the category Best Novelette:
The Confirmed Bachelors by Stephen Volk (Black Shuck Books) “Emily” by Vanessa Santos (Make a Home of Me) Letter Slot by Owen King (Amazon Original Stories) “The Millay Illusion” by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine Issue Sixty-Seven) “The Severity of Things” by Mo Moshaty (Clairviolence: Tales of Tarot and Torment)
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Hammer Horror Omnibus 1+2 reprinted2/4/2026   Out of print for decades, The Hammer Horror Omnibus returns.
Featuring eight novelisations across two volumes, this curated collection captures some of horror’s most enduring icons from Hammer’s classic era of macabre storytelling - from Frankenstein and The Reptile, to The Gorgon and Dracula. Written by John Burke, these novelisations also showcase brand new cover artwork in beautifully presented editions - an essential for fans of gothic horror and film fiction. With Introductions and Afterwords by Stephen Gallagher, Ramsey Campbell (vol 1) Stephen Laws and yours truly (vol 2). A great honour to be asked. For all the reasons I give in print! Order page here Pandora's Library interview1/4/2026  Karen Hamilton-Viall interviews Stephen Volk on "The Confirmed Bachelors", his new chapbook from Black Shuck Books, the notorious Ghostwatch, the attraction of ghosts and horror, and a life of writing for the page and screen.  I really enjoyed chatting to critic and writer John Bleasdale about film, life, writing and a life of loving stories. We had a surprising amount in common, not least our love of Horror movies and Don't Look Now. John's books include Darkness Visible, a remarkable study of film director Jonathan Glazer, and, more recently, the novel Connery.
Hear our conversation here  Dr Alessandra Pino introduces a new episode of "A Curious Appetite" (link below)...
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6qC4WdhRvvgDlfmc1Cup4u... "Today’s guest is the brilliant screenwriter behind Ghostwatch, Afterlife, Gothic, The Guardian, and one of my favourite supernatural films, The Awakening. We talk about séances as the perfect storytelling device, Dickens and “The Portrait-Painter’s Story” and how it inspired one of his stories, belief and doubt as the engine of ghost stories, food, eggs, and everyday objects in horror. Volk also discusses his excellent short story collections The Good Unknown (2023) and The Confirmed Bachelors (2025). "There is a moment from Ghostwatch that has stayed with me since childhood. The poltergeist makes itself known through a ruined dinner when the family’s mackerel suddenly appears covered in something that looks disturbingly like saliva. I remember thinking how awful it was that not only were they experiencing something terrifying, but they now could not even sit down and eat their meal. Because horror does not just interrupt fear. Sometimes it interrupts dinner! "Part of this conversation also appears in Haunted Magazine #49, out now. Listen now and let me know what you think. If you enjoy it, please share and follow the podcast." Words, Images & Worlds18/11/2025 Author Stephen Volk discusses what makes horror work, exploring new grounds and literary wellsprings, and his new book, The Confirmed Bachelors.
No Pain, No Gein17/10/2025  "A theatrical and visceral essay in moral transgression and society's reaction to the most extreme outsiders who break its norms" - could be the unweildy elevator pitch for the continuing Ryan Murphy-produced MONSTER franchise. The very idea of which is repugnant, or interesting - depending. As I've just written a novel on almost the same subject of moral transgression and society, you could say, I had - ahem - "skin in the game" watching it. A potential chainsaw to grind. But people seemed divided. Always a good sign.
Putting one's personal preferance (and "taste", for god's sake) to one side, there is no questioning (and even Lucy Mangan doesn't question) that MONSTER: THE ED GEIN STORY is the kind of powerful, cinematic storytelling that makes BBC drama look as if it's 40 years out of date. It's polished and incredibly well-crafted "entertainment" (Mother said to add the quote marks. Quiet, Mother!). What's more, in its blurring of fact and fiction, sometimes venturing into Ken Russell or Dennis Potter extravagance, THE ED GEIN STORY is finally about the stories we tell and about the story that is ourselves. While I'd quibble about some of the detail - did Hitchcock ever meet Bloch? Did he press an eye to the peep hole? And the Weegee girl stuff... - in the end it doesn't matter. The theme is a potent one for anyone brave enough to look in the mirror. Whether writing a best seller, reading the headlines of the latest mass killer, or dressing up in Halloween cosplay, we are all culpable for creating monsters. If you find that uncomfortable, look away now. Ambagious Tactics6/10/2025  Nice to see my contribution "Think Hitchcock" made it into the deck of Ambagious Tactics for aiding creative thinking outside the box. The project, created by Northampton Arts Lab, is a celebration of Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt's original Oblique Strategies, created 50 years ago, and was made with the involvement of the Schmidt family. Thank you to Alistair Fruish.
If anyone wants to get hold of a set of Ambagious Tactics, please email [email protected] Stephen VolkScreenwriter and author Archives
May 2026
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