Mammoth Books presents Oh I Do Like To Be Beside the Seaside

Book 260: Mammoth Books

by Christopher Fowler

Genres: Horror

Synopsis

'Oh I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside' came about firstly because I was commissioned to write a story for the World Horror Convention souvenir book and, as the event was to take place in Brighton, it seemed logical to set a tale on the South coast of England."I had written a fantasy novel, Calabash, some years earlier, hinting at the dark madness of such seaside towns, which are the antithesis of their Mediterranean counterparts. I thought of the depressing Morrissey song "Every Day is Like Sunday", which captures the awfulness of English resorts."Coincidentally, Kim Newman and I were discussing the inherent creepiness of pantomime dames, and I decided it was time to give vent to my horror of these coastal pleasure domes. I wish I'd thought to include screaming gangs of hen-nighters as well. And I thought it was a nice touch to have everyone in the story telling the hero to 'fuck off' until he finally does.

Release date: July 26, 2012

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Print pages: 160

Sample

CHRISTOPHER FOWLER WAS BORN in Greenwich, London. He is the award-winning author of thirty novels and ten short story collections, and creator of the “Bryant & May” series of mysteries.

His memoir Paperboy won the Green Carnation Award. He has written comedy and drama for the BBC, has a weekly column in the Independent on Sunday, is the Crime Reviewer for the Financial Times, and has written for such newspapers and magazines as The Times, Telegraph, Guardian, Daily Mail, Time Out, Black Static and many others.

His latest books are a homage to Hammer horror called Hell Train, The Memory of Blood, and a two-volume collection of twenty-five new stories entitled Red Gloves. Forthcoming are two further novels, Dream World and The Invisible Code.

As Fowler explains: “‘. . . Seaside’ came about firstly because I was commissioned to write a story for the World Horror Convention souvenir book and, as the event was to take place in Brighton, it seemed logical to set a tale on the South coast of England.

“I had written a fantasy novel, Calabash, some years earlier, hinting at the dark madness of such seaside towns, which are the antithesis of their Mediterranean counterparts. I thought of the depressing Morrissey song “Every Day is Like Sunday”, which captures the awfulness of English resorts.

“Coincidentally, Kim Newman and I were discussing the inherent creepiness of pantomime dames, and I decided it was time to give vent to my horror of these coastal pleasuredomes. I wish I’d thought to include. . .