A post on my Facebook wall got me thinking about just how much of my writing has been influenced by matters "Fortean".
I have a life-long love for weird shit, from the supernatural to little green men, from the Loch Ness Monster to the Mongolian Death Worm. It's only natural that this comes through in my writing, but it has slightly surprised me to realise how much of the cryptozoological aspect has crept into my work.
Just in the past year I have written about
- a lost valley in Montana hiding ice-age relict animals
- Vikings fighting Yeti-like humanoid beasts in Northern Russia
- a 16th century Scotsman facing "The Big Grey Man of Ben MacDui"
- a "wyrm" trapped deep in a cave system in North Ayrshire
- and a giant "killer crab" attack on Manhattan
My current work in progress is in a similar vein, a retelling of the ill-fated 1924 Everest expedition with added snowmen.
I also have an idea for a British army platoon in 1750s Canada meeting a tribe of bigfoot, a Viking vs Sea Serpents tale and I'd also love to do a Crusaders vs Minotaurs story.
I think I've got my inner 15 year old Ray Harryhausen fan to thank, but at least it's keeping me busy and off the streets.
