Web Page

I've had a bit of a fiddle with my long neglected web page. It's still a work in progress but it's an improvement on the disaster zone that it once was.

http://davidhaynesfiction.weebly.com/

See what you think!

Beneath the Boards is Out Now!

I'm thrilled to announce the official release of my new book - Beneath the Boards.

The cover was designed by Michaela Margetts - http://mmillustrations.com/
and it was edited by David Wailing of Storywork Editing Services - http://www.storywork.co.uk/

I don't suppose there's much else to say, other than I hope you enjoy it!

Beneath Jim Stokes’s shirt is a scar, one last horrific reminder of his old job in the police force.

Beneath the everyday normality of the village Stormark is a shameful secret, haunting people’s dreams.

Beneath the floorboards of the lake house is a hatch, sealed and forgotten for years until Stokes opens it up.

Beneath them all is blackness, and unheard screams, and scratching sounds in the night…

…and her whispers.

It's available on Amazon for 99c/99p and here's a multi region link.

http://authl.it/B00T55085S    

Classic BBC Horror and a Brief Update

I'm a huge fan of BBC Radio drama but have recently discovered the joys of the 'On Demand' feature on the iPlayer. I've always woken up very early compared to Mrs H and in the past have been accused of huffing and puffing, tossing and turning until I've made sure she's awake. This, of course, is completely true, although don't let her hear me admit it.

As a result I started listening to the radio in an attempt to lie still and fall back to (fat chance) sleep. I got bored with Farming today, although it's a fine programme in its own right, and so I found the iPlayer. And what a find it was.

Under the cloak of darkness I put my earphones in and make my choice. This morning I listened to an adaptation of Sheridan Le Fanu's classic gothic vampire tale - Carmilla. 
It was wonderful and extremely atmospheric. From the echoed footfalls in the castle to the howling wind and the clattering of horses hooves it was excellent. The cast was impressive too. 
David Warner (Original Omen film), Kenneth Cranham and Celia Imrie, among others, only added to the experience. 

There's no way I'd fall asleep during that! 

 I don't know if anyone outside of the UK can listen but here's a link anyway.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b016q2l5

I hope to be in a position to publish Beneath the Boards in early February.

Beneath the Boards

Hi, I thought it was about time I introduced my new book properly. As some of you may know it's called Beneath the Boards. You can see the cover below which was once again designed by the artist Michaela Margetts - http://mmillustrations.com

 

 

So where did the story come from?

 

Well it originally started quite some time ago. We've been doing some renovations to our house and during one phase we ripped up the carpet up in our dining room. What did we find? A pair of hatches cut into the floorboards, complete with metal loops. Of course, as you can imagine, my mind went into overdrive and I came up with all sorts of reasons for these hatches. Unfortunately, the one which saw me grovelling around in the void - buried treasure, wasn't right.

 

People 'in the know' have given some fairly mundane reasons why the hatches are there but for me they're simply too boring.

I prefer to imagine something much more sinister...

 

Of course, the reasons I've come up with don't always meet with approval, especially from my wife, so I decided to write a story about them.

 

Beneath the Boards has me returning to a more modern style of writing rather than my Victorian ghost and macabre tales.

If I'm honest I find this modern style more challenging but no less enjoyable to write.

 

The story itself is much darker with a little more gore than usual and again this was a challenge. I'm nearing the end of the first drafting of the tale and expect to release the book in February 2015.

Watch this space!

Short Story Competition Runner Up

I had some fantastic news yesterday - I finished second in Michael Brookes short story competition!.
My entry was called The Truth and was different to my usual style of writing. I really enjoyed writing it and the story just popped into !y head one Sunday teatime. It's strange when inspiration strikes!

Anyway, if you'd like to mread my entry and the other winners, follow the link. -

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/july-short-fiction-contest-winners.html

A Gathering of Ghosts is Unleashed!

I'm delighted to announce the release of A Gathering of Ghosts.
I've always wanted to write a traditional ghost story and I hope, with these six, I've done it justice. The book is available in all formats and is priced for the next couple of weeks at 77p or 0.99c.

It was edited by Storywork Editing Services which I found to be a brilliant experience. I hope to be using them again for future projects.

The cover art, which is amazing, was once again designed by MM Illustrations

Without further ado, here's the blurb and the cover. At the bottom of the page is a multi region Amazon link to the book, if you feel like treating yourself!

*

 



A Gathering of Ghosts

In the shadows of Victorian England, the ghosts are gathering. Prepare to have your blood chilled by six tales of fear and phantasmagoria…

 

The Silent Bell: A doctor’s invention to prevent people being accidentally buried alive backfires on him with horrific results.

 

The Stonegate Manor Collection: Lord Feltham’s paintings are worth a fortune, but also conceal a gruesome tragedy that has yet more lives to claim.

 

The Haunting of Reverend Carson: The charlatan Musgrave makes a living pretending to talk to the dead, until he discovers his new client’s demons are more than merely spiritual.

 

The Last Waltz: Through that miracle of technology, the Zoopraxiscope, a lonely man’s long-lost love is brought back to life before his very eyes.

 

The Speaking Tube: John Barker is consumed with hatred for his malicious father and torments him with voices from hell, unaware of how close to the abyss he is himself.

 

The Ghost Train: Alone aboard an empty train running along a dead track, Godfrey witnesses the grotesque secret that is entombed beneath Paddington Station.

 

 

Go deeper into David Haynes’s world of the macabre…

 

Click here to buy it from Amazon!

 

 

A Gathering of Ghosts - Cover!

I'm pleased to reveal the cover for my upcoming book - A Gathering of Ghosts. Once again Michaela Margetts designed it and once again delivered exactly what I wanted. She's very talented!
If you'd like to read how she did it, here's the link - http://mmillustrations.tumblr.com

 

I'm still hard at work on the book but I'm hoping for a late summer release. If all goes to plan that is.
The book, as you might expect, is inspired by traditional ghost stories, which I love. So far, there are two short stories and two novellas completed with another novella almost finished. I plan to include another short story or two to the list to make the book around fifty thousand words.
So far we have;
The Silent Bell
The Stonegate Manor Collection
The Haunting of Reverend Carson
The Last Waltz
The Speaking Tube (title subject to review)
Anyway I won't waffle on too much and thanks for having a look.