An Interview with Marcus Blacksmith
Marcus Blacksmith is a resident of the Cotswolds, England. Wolds End was his first independently published work. A collection of eight stories of supernatural retribution, all set in the area he lives in.
Into Darkness is the second of a collection of three books of short stories called Twisted Tales. All with supernatural and psychological horror themes. As this book is published, he is working on a separate project, an illustrated novella, which he hopes to publish in 2026.
Marcus lives with his wife and daughter and still has a full-time job in the tourist industry.
His other interests are, music – going to gigs to watch up and coming indie and punk bands. Reading – dystopia, history, horror, and magical realism. Old and decayed buildings; the older, more decayed, and creepier, the better. And anything to do with carnivals and freakshows.
What inspired you to start writing this book?
Like my previous book of short stories, this collection blends the everyday with the supernatural. People like you and me caught in a situation either outside of their control or plunged into a world of terror of their own engineering. These particular stories were shaped by the brilliance and brittleness of the human mind. A mind that can be distorted by the pressures of the world around us. The feelings of helplessness, loss of control, and the descent into madness. Either by factors entirely outside of our control, or by choices we make to plunge into the dark corners where we should, perhaps, not venture.
Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
I finally decided on the title after three different attempts. The trickier part was the subtitle, but I think it encapsulates where the book takes you.
Describe your dream book cover.
As horror is my genre, one that sears the image into your brain like a branding iron. Or makes you do a double take. I believe that if you ever make it as an author, and gain a following, the cover becomes less important as a tool for drawing in your audience. It’s the part trying to obtain that audience that’s the tricky bit.
If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?
Slippin’ Into Darkness – War, Bela Lugosi Is Dead – Bauhaus, Enter Sandman – Metallica, Come To Daddy – Aphex Twin, United – Throbbing Gristle.
What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?
I am currently reading Goliath’s Curse by Luke Kemp. A non-fiction tome about how societies and civilisations grow and collapse. Also, some of Charles Bukowski’s short stories. I tend to mix up my non-fiction and fiction these days. My favourite genres being humanities, speculative fiction, and dystopia.
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
I have been writing as a hobby for the last decade and feel confident enough as I approach retirement to pursue my ambition as an indie author. I have had many occupations in the past, including working in a sex shop, night porter, valet parker, landscaper, and maintenance engineer among them. I currently work in the tourist trade in the Cotswolds, England.
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
I have had an interest in the bizarre, the occult, the unknown, and the strange for as long as I can remember. The outsider and the misfit, who stand at the edge of things, separate from the crowd. Those unique individuals who live outside of the parameters of accepted norms. This is something I have always had an affinity with. I was never brave enough, growing up, to fully immerse myself in the kind of culture I was really interested in. Chronically shy as a child, I diverted my thoughts inwards instead of expressing them outwards, with confidence. It has taken me a long time to find the security in myself to write. Although, writing is a very exposing thing in all honesty. It comes from within, an intimate glimpse into the psyche of the author. You can’t make everything up, some of the words on those pages are reflections of your inner self. The author I have read the most, and whose storytelling I have admired for many years, is Stephen King.
Where is your favorite place to write?
At home, at my desk is where I usually write. Although, if I could, it would be in an old castle or lighthouse perched on a rocky outcrop. Somewhere Gothic, eerie, still and quiet.
What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?
Be braver, be bold, start sooner. Life is woefully short to live in a state of mental paralysis about fulfilling your dreams.
What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?
To be both highly entertained and deeply disturbed. Sorry, that’s two. The feeling of not wanting to venture too far into the darkness without a tether.
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