'The Walnut Tree in Benevento (the Witches’ Sabbath)' - Giuseppe Pietero Bagetti (1816) (just popped up in the Public Domain Review's latest newsletter, so why not!

Writing up the biographical essay on J.W. Nicholas, author of the upcoming THE DEVIL'S CAULDRON (1886) - he was the Sheriff that oversaw a 'breach of promise' case which was pretty prosaic - then defendant has to pay £10 to a father for seducing his daughter!!! WHAT THE FUCK!!!! 🤣

Writing up the biographical essay on J.W. Nicholas, author of the upcoming THE DEVIL'S CAULDRON (1886) - he was the Sheriff that oversaw a 'breach of promise' case which was pretty prosaic - then defendant has to pay £10 to a father for seducing his daughter!!! WHAT THE FUCK!!!! 🤣

Genuinely don't know why Angela Nedyalkov's career didn't explode after T2 TRAINSPOTTING. She was properly excellent in that.

'The Walnut Tree in Benevento (the Witches’ Sabbath)' - Giuseppe Pietero Bagetti (1816) (just popped up in the Public Domain Review's latest newsletter, so why not!

This Christmas, treat yourself to a suitably seasonal night of ghost stories with our online launch for ILLUSIONS OF PRESENCE, a collection of lost tales gathered here for the first time! www.eventbrite.com/e/illusions-... #ghosts #ghoststories #ghoststory #xmas #christmas #spooky

Peter Weller, Amy Jo Johnson, Billy Zane, TED RAIMI, and... me! All guests this weekend at Grand Rapids Comic Con. If you're in Michigan, come say hi!

'Old Mirror' - Anders Zorn (1915)

Marnie's been building up to wanting a proper stramash these past few days - school is getting to her. Might wind her up a bit tonight, just to get her bealin. It's a dad's job.

I'm doing a very limited print run of this Frankenstein image, £30 for A3 Giclee on Heavy art paper, includes p&p for the UK. DM me or [email protected]

I was always used to disagreeing with my favorite writers, artists. Even over fundamental issues. Even when they’ve done terrible things. Dickens, Woolf, Conrad, Highsmith. This wasn’t ignored. It was factored in. The current situation feels naive. You don’t have to revere or condemn totally.

Don’t suppose any of my friends have a spare copy of this that they no longer need?…🤞🙂

'A Funeral', Anna Ancher (1891)

"...a movie where restraint has gone firmly out of the window." Ti West's MAXXXINE gets the posh 4K @secondsightfilms.bsky.social box set treatment, out on Monday @aimpublicity.bsky.social : johnlprobert.blogspot.com/2025/11/maxx...

BLACK!

With the help of johnny the painter i have done some paintings for a good cause t.co/i9ZKc7nEin?s...

It's been five years since we lost George Powers Cockcroft (Luke Rhinehart), author of THE DICE MAN. I had email correspondence with him in 2001/2 and he was a lovely, lovely bloke.

NORTHANGER ABBEY - my first Jane Austen, after many years of resisting all the 'classics' apart from DRACULA and FRANKENSTEIN. Holy shit, was I wrong to. Still my favourite Austen, still my favourite anything.

'Portrait of a Woman' - Paul César Helleu (1920)

My copies arrive soon, I cannot wait. Aww yeah.

'Christina’s World', Andrew Wyeth (1948)

"OLD USED COFFIN"

You'd *never* see Taylor Swift do a collaboration with Cale and that's why Charlie xcx is a treasure to be protected at all costs.

Who cares about James Bond? Why not go for a spy who is also a serial killer? Meet Russel Stickles... Link to buy book below

Publishing December 4th! 🖤

'Train Going Over A Bridge At Night' - Eric Ravilious, 1935.

British Library Publishing have sent me a photo of POSSESSED - it EXISTS!!! Am so proud to present this lost novel - nobody knew it existed until I came across it. Includes an 8,000 word introduction with the first biographical essay on Rosalie and Edward. An important work. Links to order below

BILLSON FILM DATABASE (kindle or pbk) "super pithy (like Halliwell but without the snobbery)" "the best film guide ever" "The wittiest & funniest film reviews I've ever read" "tremendously informative and very, very funny" www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1546443118

From 2010 - this wasn't performative, this was me spending time with an old friend!

"...unlike any other movie from this decade, and perhaps even this century." Ti West's (and Mia Goth's) PEARL gets the 4K whistles and bells @secondsightfilms.bsky.social treatment, out next Monday @aimpublicity.bsky.social : johnlprobert.blogspot.com/2025/11/pear...

British Library Publishing have sent me a photo of POSSESSED - it EXISTS!!! Am so proud to present this lost novel - nobody knew it existed until I came across it. Includes an 8,000 word introduction with the first biographical essay on Rosalie and Edward. An important work. Links to order below

STOCKPORT TONIGHT

My throat feels like I've been sucking off a sandpaper-covered jumbo hotdog. Oh joys.

All those monsters I drew and painted last month (and about 20 more) are in a little book now www.lulu.com/shop/happy-t...

I’m watching Frankenstein, and so far my prevailing thought is that the props master put their whole pussy into this project. I feel like I’m watching a walkthrough of Spectacular Bodies at the Hayward Gallery circa 2000

I FUCKING HATE AI

#NowWatching THE LARGE ROPE

Celebrate Christmas the way it was meant to be done - with something spook! Johnny Mains' latest collection of lost ghost stories launches online on the 18th December... www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/illusions-... #ghoststory #ghoststories #anthology #collection #shortstories #xmas #christmas

"And then I go and spoil it all by saying something spooky like I LOVE BOO"

The first ever Pink Floyd cd - Matrix # 35DP-4-1 1E2. Japan 1st pressing, gold plated from 1982.

Christmas is coming, and our books make perfect pressies! Get a huge 15% discount off our print books with the case-sensitive code CUSTOMBOOK15 until midnight on Friday November 14! Also available as colour eBooks. Store link: linktr.ee/scarredforlife

A visual prompt to kick off your creative week: what worlds can you conjure from this image? And if that whets your appetite, have we got the thing for you: Join us online for Writing the Occult: Creatures & Cryptids on 29 Nov when we’ll peer into the murky world of creatures and cryptids. 🧵⬇️

PLURIBUS *I feel seen*

FRANKENSTEIN is devastatingly beautiful to look at and I'll probably never see a film that drips such honey, is it heresy to say I prefer Branaghs? I find the pacing of KB's much easier to deal with, there's a more fascinating approach to 19th century ethics and an overall better interpretation.

Thinking about Bernard C. Blake who died during the Battle of the Lys on the 9th of April, 1918. I published his only work of speculative fiction, the lost AT THE CHANGE OF THE MOON, this year. #wewillrememberthem

Charity shop purchases are getting rarer and rarer nowadays, but this was a nice score - a pound for them all.

Dec 18th at 7pm I'll be reading from ILLUSIONS OF PRESENCE, chatting about editing anthologies and ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS (within reason and taste 😉) - tickets are £8.83 (cushion admin and fees). I'd love to see you there, please reskeet far and wide! www.eventbrite.com/e/illusions-...

Thinking about Bernard C. Blake who died during the Battle of the Lys on the 9th of April, 1918. I published his only work of speculative fiction, the lost AT THE CHANGE OF THE MOON, this year. #wewillrememberthem