Comma Press presents - Phobic: Modern Horror Shorts Ed. Andy Murray £7.95, 176pp Pub: Mar 1st 2007 ISBN: 1 9055830 7 9 ISBN-13: 978 190 55830 7 2 featuring: RAMSEY CAMPBELL HANIF KUREISHI JEREMY DYSON MATTHEW HOLNESS FRANK COTTRELL BOYCE ROBERT SHEARMAN CHAZ BRENCHLEY PAUL CORNELL CHRISTINE POULSON NICHOLAS ROYLE PAUL MAGRS CONRAD WILLIAMS EMMA UNSWORTH LAVINIA MURRAY MARIA ROBERTS Where does fear lurk in 21st century life? In a technological age hardwired to keep information flowing and the unknown at bay, what irrationalities still linger for horror writers to tap into? This anthology - the first in a new series from Comma - offers 15 very different responses to the question. From ancient curses kept alive in internet chat-rooms to malevolent children's TV characters acquiring lives of their own, Phobic shines a torch into the unlit areas of the modern subconscious and suggests the more we know, the more we realise how worried we really should be. About the Authors: Ramsey Campbell is described by The Oxford Companion to English Literature as 'Britain's most respected living horror writer.' His many award-winning novels include The Face That Must Die, Incarnate, and most recently The Overnight (PS Publishing). Hanif Kureishi's first play, Soaking the Heat, was performed at the Royal Court Theatre in London in 1976. Since then he has enjoyed success as a playwright, screenwriter, novelist and short story writer. His first novel, The Buddha of Suburbia, was published in 1990 to widespread acclaim, and won the Whitbread First Novel Award. He has published also three collections of short stories: Love in a Blue Time, Midnight All Day and The Body and Other Stories. Frank Cottrell Boyce is a novelist and screenwriter. His film credits include Welcome to Sarajevo, Hilary and Jackie, 24 Hour Party People and A Cock and Bull Story. In 2004, his debut novel Millions won the Carnegie Medal and was short listed for The Guardian Children's Fiction Award. His second novel, Framed, was published by Macmillan in 2005. Jeremy Dyson is an award-winning writer for television (Funland and the Bafta Award-winning League of Gentlemen), director (Cicerones), novelist (What Happens Now, Abacus), and short story writer (Never Trust a Rabbit, Duck Editions). A recent story, 'Michael', featured in The Book of Leeds (Comma, 2006). Matthew Holness was educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge and was vice-president of the Cambridge Footlights Dramatic Club 1995-1996. He won the Perrier Comedy Award in 2001 for Garth Marenghi's Netherhead, and has since appeared in The Office, Casanova, and his own Channel 4 television series Garth Marenghi's Darkplace and Man to Man With Dean Learner. Paul Cornell is the author of eight science fiction novels. He also works prolifically as a screenwriter, writing for BBC TV's Doctor Who (where he created of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield), and for a host of other popular drama series on British television, including Casualty, Holby City, Coronation Street and Robin Hood. Nicholas Royle is the author of five novels – Counterparts, Saxophone Dreams, The Matter of the Heart, The Director's Cut and Antwerp – as well as one collection of short stories, Mortality (Serpent's Tail, 2006). He has edited twelve anthologies of short fiction including A Book of Two Halves, The Tiger Garden: A Book of Writers' Dreams, The Time Out Book of New York Short Stories, and Dreams Never End (Tindal Street Press). Chaz Brenchley has been making a living as a writer since he was eighteen. He is the author of nine thrillers, most recently Shelter, and two major fantasy series; his most recent book is Bridge of Dreams. His novel Light Errant won the British Fantasy Award in 1998. He lives in Newcastle upon Tyne with a quantum cat and a famous teddy bear. Paul Magrs has written novels and short stories for adults, teens, children and Doctor Who fans. His latest novel is the comic Gothic mystery, Never the Bride, published by Headline. He teaches Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University. Lavinia Murray writes scripts. Her last short film was shown at a Texan Splatterfest. She is writing a children's novel, and recently attended an open audition for a skincare commercial but was asked to leave when she refused to dance to 'I Will Survive' in her bra and knickers. Christine Poulson had a career as an art historian before she turned to crime writing. She has written three novels set in Cambridge, featuring academic turned amateur detective, Cassandra James, the most recent being Footfall. She has also written widely on nineteenth century art and literature and is a research fellow in the Department of Nineteenth Century Studies at the University of Sheffield. Robert Shearman is currently best known as a writer for Doctor Who as well as BBC drama Born and Bred and seven plays for BBC Radio 4. As a theatrical playwright, Shearman has worked with Alan Ayckbourn, had a play produced by Francis Ford Coppola, and has received several international awards for his work in theatre. His Doctor Who episode 'Dalek' was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form in 2006. Conrad Williams is the author of three novels - Head Injuries, London Revenant and The Unblemished - and three novellas - Nearly People, Game and The Scalding Rooms. In 2004 his first collection of short stories, Use Once then Destroy, was published by Night Shade Books. He is also a past recipient of the Littlewoods Arc Prize and the British Fantasy Award. Emma Unsworth works as a journalist in Manchester. She mostly writes short stories, but is also in the process of finishing her first novel. She is scared of the dark and probably drinks too much. Maria Roberts studied English and Spanish at the University of Manchester and has just graduated from the Creative Writing School at MMU. She has previously published a short story in Bracket (Comma, 2004), and her play White Wedding was produced by 24:7 Theatre in 2005.