This Is Horror

TIH 065: Alison Littlewood on A Cold Silence, Writing and Horror

  • November 2, 2015

  • 4 mins to read

In this podcast Alison Littlewood talks about A Cold Silence, learning the writing craft and the horror genre. 

About Alison Littlewood

Alison Littlewood was raised in Penistone, South Yorkshire, and went on to attend the University of Northumbria at Newcastle (now Northumbria University). Originally she planned to study graphic design, but “missed the words too much” and switched to a joint English and History degree. She followed a career in marketing before developing her love of writing fiction. A Cold Season, from Jo Fletcher Books, was Alison’s first novel. It was selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club, where it was described as “perfect reading for a dark winter’s night.” Her second novel,Path of Needles – a dark blend of fairy tales and crime fiction – has recently been shortlisted for a British Fantasy Award. Her third, The Unquiet House, is a ghost story set in the Yorkshire countryside and has been shortlisted for a Shirley Jackson Award. Alison’s short stories have been picked for Best British Horror, The Best Horror of the Yearand The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror anthologies, as well as The Best British Fantasy 2013 and The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 10. Other publication credits include the anthologies Terror Tales of the Cotswolds, Where Are We Going? and the charity anthology Never Again.

Show notes

  • [04:10] Interview start/Alison Littlewood’s story output
  • [06:20] Shirley Jackson Awards
  • [09:55] What can romance learn from the horror genre?
  • [13:15] A Cold Silence
  • [29:10] Which story would lend itself most to film adaptation
  • [33:52] Intimidating writers
  • [35:20] Best and worst things about the horror genre
  • [38:10] Book recommendations
  • [40:00] White whales
  • [40:45] Writing short stories to learn the craft of writing
  • [41:34] Nanowrimo
  • [44:34] Connect with Alison

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