Monday, 9th of July

The week has been subdued, but also quite unnerving. Each night now we’ve had the same dream – The Manor as a God given sanctuary appearing over a hill. In the morning I wake up feeling safe, as if the walls are protecting me and nothing can harm me here, but then the realisation comes of what that means to the rest of the world if we’re the last bolthole. Nothing has happened yet, when I saw it Saturday the TV was still talking about Barclays, Libor and Andy Murray – while we sat together and talked about the end of the world. But surely there’s a way we can still warn people what’s about to happen. Surely there’s some chance we can make a difference.
For now Dexter Phillips doesn’t feel the same and is cutting off our internet access and removing our televison and radio to keep the world out – to “allow us to get used to what’s about to happen’. Everyone is going along with it for now, but there is a dark mood amongst us.

I will blog again when I get chance.

Monday, 2nd of July

The same dream two nights in a row for all of us. Again we all woke up having seen visions of The Manor appearing over the hill as a haven, a sanctuary. Once more this caused a buzz of excitement around the dining room in the morning. As having spent the last few weeks discussing the same dreams we’ve all endured for months on end, this is something exciting.
Only Dexter Phillips was unperturbed, only he retained his calm. Finally Elvina/Denise asked why – and his reply was astonishing.

Apparently he’s been having this very dream for months, seeing this house as a sanctuary – and that was one of the reasons why he brought us here to Wales. He has determined that London is not safe (indeed no cities are), that it’s tainted. As he explained this to us, he even pointed to me and said that the same thing is in my book, a sense of London as a place filled with danger and fear. That’s why he wanted us to leave. Not that we could all be together in the country necessarily, but so we could all be safe from London.

We are the chosen ones he told us, and so we have to be together and protected away from those in the towns and cities.

Thursday, 17th of May

Dexter Phillips tells me he has managed to get hold of a copy of my book, express delivery from Amazon. Elvina/Denise also has a copy. He says that he hasn’t read too much of the way into it yet, but he thinks he can see signs of the dreams already there. In some of my imagery, in the descriptions, he claims to see the beginnings of what is now happening to us. I told him that I wrote it two or so years ago now, before this began, it surely couldn’t be possible for him to see hints there.
There was a pause on the phone and then his voice raised slightly – both gently and determinedly. He asked if I seriously imagined that this has only just started happening. Did I not realise that this is something that has stretched back for millions of years? If this is the end of the world, then its roots are not new. Its roots would, undoubtedly be there at the beginning, and so what we are now tapping into is ancient.

Actually speechless, I just nodded numbly.

Thursday, 12th of April

A most gratifying review of my novel by the kind people at Spinetinglers: 

"Tell me about your devil..."

Hell's Secrets - Spinetinglers Review

Mark Anthony hates his life. He hates his job, he’s not overly keen on his flat and he’s not even sure he likes his friends anymore. Then out of the blue he receives an email that changes everything.

It sounds simple enough – all he has to do is take credit for a book that someone else has written. The only fly in the ointment is that the book was actually written by Giles White, a somewhat strange individual Mark knew from university. The two had a tense acquaintanceship in those days, which had ended with Giles spitting in Mark’s face and taking off into the night. Surely there had to be an ulterior motive for such an offer? Why, of all the people, in all world, did Giles want Mark to get the glory for his work?

Despite his better judgement Mark agrees to Giles’ offer and takes on the identity of M.J Anthony, author of Hell’s Secrets. To begin with everything goes swimmingly, the book is a massive hit, he bags himself a new girlfriend and he has movie producers practically beating down his door to buy the rights to his bestseller. And then the shit rather spectacularly hits the fan, as Mark’s life, and the lives of those closest to him begin to spiral out of control…

Hell’s Secrets had me hooked right from the get-go. The chapters are short and snappy, which is perfect for the tale being told, and helps to create the uneasy tension which is woven so brilliantly throughout the story. Giles White is so fabulously creepy that you can’t wait to get to bottom of what is driving him, and you can’t help but feel sorry for Mark, who seems to be descending further and further into madness with the turn of every page.

Hell’s Secrets is another wonderful offering from F.R Jameson, which firmly cements him as one of horror’s most exciting authors.

I’m of course very happy with that, and I feel like it could be the start of a good period for me.

Thursday, 5th of April

I’ve received a very positive review of my novel from the nice people at Spinetinglers (which I will post here when it’s published). At the moment it’s one of the few things in my life that I’m feeling positive about. There’s something odd in that as it’s a novel about the publication of a book which looks to be the central character’s salvation. But of course, that salvation proves ephemeral.

Maybe I shouldn’t rely solely on my novel’s existence for good feeling.

But please do buy a copy.