CONTRIBUTOR SPOTLIGHT: Dan Coxon
DAN COXON is an award-winning editor and writer based in London. His non-fiction anthology Writing the Uncanny (co-edited with Richard V. Hirst) won the British Fantasy Award for Best Non-Fiction 2022, while his short story collection Only the Broken Remain (Black Shuck Books) was shortlisted for two British Fantasy Awards in 2021 (Best Collection, Best Newcomer). In 2018 his anthology of British folk-horror, This Dreaming Isle (Unsung Stories), was shortlisted for a British Fantasy Award and a Shirley Jackson Award. His short stories have appeared in various anthologies, including Shakespeare Unleashed, Unspeakable Horror 3: Dark Rainbow Rising, Beyond the Veil, Mother: Tales of Love and Terror and Great British Horror 7: Major Arcana. His latest fiction anthology—Isolation—was published by Titan Books, while the sequel to Writing the Uncanny—Writing the Future—will be published by Dead Ink Books in September 2023.
The Fiends in the Furrows III: Final Harvest
“Come Sing for the Harrowing”
What do you like most about Folk Horror?
Confession time: for a while, I thought I was done with Folk Horror. It felt like it had moved back into popular culture again and was in danger of being overexposed. But then the realisation hit me: we’re never done with Folk Horror, not really. Any story can be FolkHorror – it’s more a frame of mind and an approach than a genre, and you can apply it to all sorts of different stories. That renewed my interest and enthusiasm for it, and since then I haven’t looked back.
What inspired you to write your FIENDS III story?
Usually, I really struggle with titles – but in this instance, the title came first. I wanted to come up with a title that encapsulated everything I liked about Folk Horror, something that sang Folk Horror from the very first word. Hopefully you’ll agree that ‘Come Sing for the Harrowing’ hit the mark! As part of the renewed interest mentioned above, I’ve been trying to apply the Folk Horror mindset to different types of stories. This was an attempt to tell an entirely contemporary story that still has its long, long roots buried in the Folk tradition.
What upcoming projects are you working on?
I have several stories appearing in other anthologies this year, including Shakespeare Unleashed and Unspeakable Horror 3: Dark Rainbow Rising. They’re also part of my ongoing project to apply Folk Horror techniques to a wide variety of stories – I’m hoping to pull them all together into a collection at some point. I also work as an editor, so there are a couple of anthologies of my own in the pipeline – watch this space. Plus I’m looking for a home for a weird crime-time travel-Satanism novel, and I’ve broken ground on a new novel too. I like to stay busy – it helps keep the demons at bay.
THE FIENDS IN THE FURROWS III
THE FIENDS IN THE FURROWS III: FINAL HARVEST is a collection of nineteen stories embodying the menacing essence of Folk Horror.
Folk Horror fans will uncover in these short stories tales of rampant rural monstrosity and agrarian horror within rustic settings, where dread sinks its roots deep into the earth to bring forth a bountiful crop of unforgettable terrors.
Nosetouch Press is proud to present THE FIENDS IN THE FURROWS III: FINAL HARVEST to horror readers everywhere.