A Christmas Treasury |
Short story “Spookasem”, first published by
Big Finish Productions in December 2004, ISBN 1-84435-112-2
In January
2004, Paul Cornell invited me to submit a proposal for Big Finish anthology for
release at Christmas 2004. He was looking stories about Christmas—set at
Christmas, or featuring the icons and trappings of Christmas, or illustrating
something of the spirit of the season.
At the
same time, he also asked for poetry, songs, non fiction essays, puzzles and
Features
(like in an old Doctor Who Annual).
I had
corresponded with Paul about a story idea set in a theme park, and realised I
could adapt this to suit the anthology’s feel—based on the way that friends and
family members born around Christmas time would celebrate their birthdays in an
unusual way.
I
submitted my proposal straight away, and was commissioned shortly afterwards.
The story was edited in August, I saw the whole collection in proof during
September, and it was published in December. Originally, the story was called
‘Dragon Ride’, but I realised I had a better title during the submission stage.
Another alternative titles I considered was ‘Ghost Breath’.
I’ll provide more information about the writing process once the book
has been published and available for a while—to say anything else at this stage
will spoil the fun!
Last
revised: 08 October 2008