In this delightfully terrifying Eerie Extra,  Such a Nightmare co-host Katherine Troyer speaks with cosmic horror writer Mark N. Drake. We discuss Mark's Darkisle series and how he created this particular world, what it takes to build a memorable and unique horror setting, and the power--and challenge--of blending genres such as cosmic horror, noir, and gumshoe detective. While we discuss Mark's 2020 novel The Gathering of Shadows, this interview is relatively spoiler free.

This interview occurred on March 15, 2023; the episode first aired on June 2, 2023.

Mark N Drake is a British author of Lovecraftian fiction (though he has been known to write for other genres as well). Most of his works feature his fictional creation Darkisle, a British island of dark secrets and whispered terrors. His first novel, ‘The Gathering of Shadows’, was published in 2020. It was the first in a series of Cthulhu Mythos-inspired novels centred upon the cases of private detective Jack Glennison. Based in the Northern England of the 1920s, the stories follow Glennison as he explores Darkisle and gradually learns of the ancient horrors that stalk that island... and beyond. The follow up novel, ‘Those Under The Hill’, was published in 2021, with ‘What Festers Within’ following in 2022. More in the series are planned. In 2023, ‘Shards of Shattered Darkness’ – a collection of eighteen of his horror short stories – was released. Despite a misspent youth spent seeking out Panther horror paperbacks in second-hand bookshops, Mark graduated in Applied Physics and became a defence research scientist. Later, he went on to work in Higher Education management and return to education, obtaining an MBA. Now semi-retired, he divides his time between rural County Durham and Carcassonne in southern France.

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