I asked fellow Midnight Roost anthology contributors to share some things about themselves prior to publication and those generous enough to do so will be appearing here for the next week or so.
Each entry gives a taste of their contribution, a little about them, how to contact them, how their story came about, and definitely a link to Midnight Roost (which you should purchase because it would make each and every one of us happy.
you do want to make us happy, don’t you?
i mean, considering what we wrote, you want us to know you’re a good person, right?).
Let’s start with a Hallowe’en-themed introduction to the anthology as a whole:
M J’s contribution is The Cull. Here’s the opening:
Adrian studied his self-portrait, a medium black charcoal piece set against a white
background, turning it this way and that as if trying to understand it. As he stared, the more
disturbing it became. Its painted charcoal mouth startled him by opening wide, its tongue
swelled. It spat, twisting and turning on the page, becoming a spectre of rage.
He yelled. “Stop that! You diabolical, twisted abomination…”
Adrian brought the edge of his hand down hard against the portrait, erasing half of his face in a fury of frustration.
How the story came about:
I wrote this short story whilst working in a Sixth Form College for international students in Cambridge. I was required to have GDPR training at work. Whilst focusing on the finer details (which were quite boring,) I began to imagine what would happen if people were subjected to a computer generated cull… That’s how this story came into being! In my experience, ideas for stories can derive from all sorts of different sources: conversations, visual stimuli, artwork, and even the most mundane day-to-day work tasks can be an inspiration!
Continue reading “M J Mallon’s ‘The Cull’ in WordCrafter Press’ Midnight Roost Anthology”
