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Jez Conolly

@jezconolly.bsky.social

1.9K followers 570 following 3.2K posts

I’ve got away with words Books: The Thing | Dead of Night | Seconds Essays: Routledge Companion to Folk Horror | Scarred for Life volume 3 Horror fiction writer NEW BOOK COMING SOON: CAPTURE SPIRAL Aberdeen dweller He/Him https://linktr.ee/jezconolly

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Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · Aug 12

As of now, you’ll find me in the directory of members of the Society of Authors. societyofauthors.org/soa-member/j...

Jez Conolly - The Society of Authors

Writer

societyofauthors.org

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Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 1h

#HorrorWritersChat

A few years ago I wrote a book about the Ealing Studios classic portmanteau horror film Dead of Night, released in 1945. To mark its 80th anniversary, STUDIOCANAL will release a new 4K version on October 20th. If you haven’t seen this film, correct that deficit immediately.

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Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 2h

#HorrorWritersChat

Every single time. Sorry, ghosts are meh. Monsters? Forget it! There’s nothing more frightening than other human beings who are driven to do terrible things to you.

Eryn McCee @erynmccee.bsky.social · 2h

Q4.
Do hang around for the outro, in around 10 minutes.

Which is the easier route? Or the more satisfying?

#HorrorWritersChat

Q4
In your stories: is desperation scarier than the supernatural?

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Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 2h

#HorrorWritersChat

Hashtags aren’t working for me on BlueSky at the moment, so apologies for not liking folks’ posts as I usually do. It’s proving hard to find them…

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Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 2h

Funnily enough, I was thinking about my experiences of super-wealthy students earlier today. I used to work at a Russell Group university. I could tell you some real horror stories…

Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 2h

#HorrorWritersChat

I don’t think there’s much point in writing anything expressly for the wealthy, however at some stage I’d quite like to write a story designed to make the wealthy scared of the poor. Because they should be.

Eryn McCee @erynmccee.bsky.social · 2h

#HorrorWritersChat Q3.

Who do you scare? As a writer, it's our chance to bite back, perhaps.

Q3
Do you write horror that scares the poor, the wealthy or everyone equally?

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Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 2h

It’s easily the most nausea-inducing thing I’ve written, which is saying something.

Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 2h

#HorrorWritersChat

It’s ever present. My story ‘Nuggets’ is all about the most dreadful black market in early 70s London, a place of abject squalor. I’ll just use the phrase ‘food chain’ and leave it at that.

Eryn McCee @erynmccee.bsky.social · 2h

Q2. So many of you are diving in courageously. I salute you. Don't worry, now we go more abstract.
#HorrorWritersChat

Q2
How does scarcity or deprivation shape the worlds you build in your stories?

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Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 2h

Oh I’m a loveable old scrote, it’s true.

Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 2h

#HorrorWritersChat

Watcha kids! - this is Jez pinging in from Aberdeen, Scotland. As you probably know, I write ‘kitchen sink horror’. This is a world in which everyone is poor and desperate. I’m neither of those, I’m pleased to say, although some would have you believe that I’m morally bankrupt.

Eryn McCee @erynmccee.bsky.social · 2h

Oh right then here we go, if it glitches I'll wait till it's back up then fire the next.
Can't say fairer than that. Hi #HorrorWritersChat, let's talk riches. Or poverty. Moral or cash, I don't mind which.
Horror is one of the more egalitarian genres I think. More room for poor...

No links please.

Question One
Assemble, horror bods!
Tell me what kind of horror you write, and how poor are you - financially or morally? You choose....

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Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 14h

#Spooktober

Every day this month I will post an excerpt from one of my scary stories, just to get you in the mood for Spooky Season.

Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 23h

There are people out there, many people, who will tell you with great pride that they have never read a book in their lives. These people, my friend, are arseholes. Which makes books arsehole detectors. Consequently, we must surround ourselves with lots of books, in order to keep the arseholes away.

Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 1d

Sad to learn of the passing of the artist Drew Struzan, who among many other familiar images, created the poster artwork for The Thing.

Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 1d

If anything, they rather enjoy the thought of other people picking up the pieces after their wrecking ball. It pleases them. I guess if someone’s life is already shit, they take pleasure in making everyone else’s life shit. What a lovely way to live, eh?

Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 1d

I know, it’s tribal, which it should never be. Those Reform football tops are no accident. They know what they’re doing. All part of the mob mentality. Nothing really means anything to these people, other than winning. They don’t give a fuck about what happens after they’ve celebrated winning.

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Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 1d

Wouldn’t it just.

Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 1d

Do they expect leniency from the victor if they give them their votes? These voters just become the bully’s henchmen. They’re weak, and they only survive by being within the inner circle. Thing is, such a construct is a house of cards, so if you’re sheltering currently, enjoy the coming collapse.

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Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 1d

It is sickening, is it not, to realise that millions of people simply don’t know that it would be better to vote for a party/candidate who is principled and might just do the right thing for the common good, rather than vote based on who they think is going to *win*. This isn’t football.

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Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 1d

#Spooktober

Every day this month I will post an excerpt from one of my scary stories, just to get you in the mood for Spooky Season.

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Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 2d

I think they toyed with the idea of basing the name on the expression ‘SHeer grIT’ for a while, but ultimately decided against it.

Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 2d

#Spooktober

Every day this month I will post an excerpt from one of my scary stories, just to get you in the mood for Spooky Season.

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Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 3d

Yeah, runny porridge basically. As healthy as whatever you might add to it. Which life you were in a Victorian workhouse, was probably nothing. ‘Huel’ also makes me think of ‘hurl’. I had a relative who’s motto was ‘food is fuel’ which he’d say while posting biscuit after biscuit into his head.

Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 3d

#Spooktober

Every day this month I will post an excerpt from one of my scary stories, just to get you in the mood for Spooky Season.

Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 3d

I think it might be Complan with croutons. ‘Huel’ is in fact the sound you make when you bring it all back up. I tried a different protein powder meal replacement a while back. It set like concrete in my insides. I practically needed a C-section to get it out of me.

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Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 3d

I assumed it was cold sick.

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Jez Conolly @jezconolly.bsky.social · 3d

Just another rubbish Aberdeen sunset.