Welcome to the secret horror lair in my website. Read all about my horror books and click on the pictures at the bottom of the page to acccess a couple of free stories.
I have always loved ghost and horror stories. When I was a kid I used to seek out houses and places reputed to be haunted and try to 'encounter' the ghosts. I never saw an apparition but I did develop a taste for stories of the macabre, and devoured any horror story that came my way. In those days there were very few novels of the supernatural aimed at kids so I used to read a lot of adult books, behind my parents' backs, of course. My favourite were the collections of short stories called Fontana Books of Horror. I liked them because the stories always seemed to end with a cliff hanger, or a gobsmaking twist in the tail. And you could finish a story in one sitting.
I guess it's those old fashioned stories that I tried to recreate when I had the opportunity to write some horror books of my own. As by then I had made a name for myself retelling folk tales, my agent suggested I write them under a pen name, which I did. It's Sam Godwin, an amalgam of my first three names, which are Saviour Mario Godwin.
I don't use the pen name anymore and my next book of horror stories, called THE GHOSTS WHO DANCED will be published under my own name. It's due in 2015, from the wonderul Frances Lincoln. Meanwhile you can download and print out some short horror stories for free by clicking on the icons at the bottom of the page.
TUNNEL OF FEAR
Wayland, 2001
There's something strange about the tunnel at Ayling-on-Sea. Some people say it's haunted. When Lucy hears the story of a young thief who got run over by a train there, she can't get it out of her mind. But then Lucy is accused of stealing, too. Is history about to repeat itself?
Although this is my favourite book written for TREMORS, it is sadly out of print. You can still get hold of copies on the net, though, and I hear that there are plans to bring it back to life with a new cover.
BURNING SECRET
Funfax Horror, UK
Dorling Kindersley, US and Canada
DH, France [as The Tears of of the Vampire]
This was my first attempt at writing for the horror genre, and a full-blown novel. It was part of a series launched by the people who owned the Funfax company. They wanted to break into the fiction market and this was their very first project. Some of the books in the series, including mine, did extremely well, both here and in the US. Some others, however, failed to hit the mark. There were also issues with the cover images which some chain stores found too gory. Eventually the series went out of print but you can get hold of copies online.
The story is about a powerful vampire who is burnt at the stake. To stop him from regenerating, his ashes are sealed into four different urns, which are buried in four secret locations around the world. Cue the late 20th century, and a famous rock star who collects weird aretfacts decides to bring the four urns together, and open them.....
THE HEADMASTER'S GHOST
Wayland, 2000, 2008
Danny's school trip would be great if he wasn't being bullied by Adam and Melissa. They try to scare him senseless with stories of the evil headmaster's ghost that is said to haunt the building. Then one dark night, Danny accepts to prove that he's not scared. But the dare brings more than he bargained for...
The first edition of this book went out of print when Wayland became part of the Hachette group in the early 200os. The Tremors series proved so popular, though, that many of the titles were brought back into print with new covers.
WELCOME TO THE WAXWORKS
Wayland, 2002
New edition 2008
Nothing interesting ever happens in Skipton. The only thing for Becky to write about in her diary is the old Waxwork museum. But the museum is not all it seems. Each night the exhibits come to life and it appears they want something, something that Becky has got. But what could it possibly be.....?
Strangely enough, I thought I'd made up the name for the town in the story. I wanted to have a moniker that sounded fun - hence the use of the word Skip - when in fact the place was boring. Turns out there really is a place called Skipton, and I go there often because I moved to a village nearby. It's in fact a gorgeous town with plenty of history, a castle and some really nice cake shops. It's a weirld world we live in...
This book is still in print.
PICTURE OF EVIL
Wayland, 2000
When Rachel finds an old portrait at her gran's house, strange things start to happen. Why does Rachel feel tired all the time and why are wrinkles appearing on her hands and face? Why does the woman in the painting seem to be getting younger? There could be more to this picture than meets the eye....
This books is currently out of print although there are plants to bring it back. Meanwhile you can purchase second hand copies online from amazon or alibris.
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