You’ve heard of the headless horseman? How about the headless horse?

You’ve heard of the headless horseman, right? He’s a famous legend that grew from a character in a story published in America nearly 100 years ago. But…have you heard of the headless horse? The headless horse is the favourite method of transport for a Japanese ogre called Mr Yagyo, or Yagyo-san. Introducing Yagyo-san Mr Yagyo [...]

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Japanese ghost stories: of a mirror and a bell

Lafcadio Hearn, also known as Koizumi Yakumo, was a journalist best known for Kwaidan, his book of super-spooky Japanese ghost stories. Hearn’s ghost story “Of a mirror and a bell” appears in Kwaidan and is a spooky tale of curses and regret. “Of a mirror and a bell” is reproduced below… ENJOY! OF A MIRROR [...]

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Super spooky Monster Brains

I recently came across this awesome blog, Monster Brains, featuring regular updates of the horrific, disgusting, hungry and inspiring. If you’re a writer and you’re looking for inspiration: look no further. And if you don’t like horror movies (like me!), or if you’re prone to scary dreams…don’t look too long The site has featured some [...]

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Ride on the yokai train? I’d be too scared!

BAKE-DEN NI NOTTE Ride the “Transforming Train” YOKAI SUTORITTO E! To Yokai Street! The awesome artwork on the left is part of a promo for the Bake-den, a train service in Kyoto that occasionally features some spooky Japanese monsters, or yokai. Bakeru is a verb meaning  “to transform” (pronounced BA as in BARber;  KE as [...]

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Filming for the Booked Up DVD

Exciting times! As part of the Booked Up program, WalkTall Media are producing a DVD introducing the 19 books on the Booked Up list. Each book is introduced by its author, then reviewed by a Year 7 student. And to keep things short and sweet, each segment is only 30-40 seconds long.  So…I was asked [...]

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Enma Daio, Datsue-ba, and one great reason to die with your clothes on

Want to catch a glimpse of what your afterlife might be like if you don’t behave properly? Check out this great You Tube introduction to some scary supernatural types who make their home right in the centre of Tokyo, Shinjuku, in a temple called Taiso-ji (built in 1596). The big scary guy at the back [...]

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80,000 words in a week: Alexander Gordon Smith

What a champion! The endlessly energetic Alexander Gordon Smith took some time out from working on his new series to talk to us about getting his big break, marketing kids books,  running a publishing company and film company, and writing 80,000 words in a week. It’s exhausting just reading this interview: inspiring stuff! Take it [...]

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