Dantalion is a Quiet Place

What’s new with you?

Hi!

It’s Mat here. I hope all’s well with you and yours.

I’ve got news! Last month, over on Twitter, I did some obligatory vague and mysterious Tweeting about signing an exciting thing.

Well, now I’m ready to unveil that thing, and you’re the first to hear about it.

In January 2025, DarkWinter Press will be publishing a collection of my short speculative stories, called Dantalion is a Quiet Place. It’s all new work — only one of the 15 pieces has been previously published. And the book isn’t just an amalgam of disparate tales. All of the stories take place in the town of Dantalion — a place lost in time, beset by bleak and strange events, populated by inhabitants who are weirded, warped, and deformed by trauma. A place where generations and social classes wage a silent war.

The stories are all written in epistolary formats — letters, diaries, newspaper clippings, court transcripts, and the like — collected and compiled by a modern-day academic, trying to get to the root of Dantalion’s mysteries. The themes, characters, and events of the various pieces overlap and interweave with one another, building to create a rich picture of a very curious community. Most of the stories work as standalone pieces, but there’s also an over-arching narrative that plays out across the entire book. In a way, it’s part short story collection, part novella. I’m hoping readers will enjoy this element of audience-participation — where they get to play detective and piece it all together.

I’m really proud of how the collection has turned out and very excited that DarkWinter are helping me unleash it into the world. Editor-in-Chief Suzanne Craig-Whytock has been a joy to work with and has already given me the space and time to make these stories really special.

Oh, and feedback from early readers is looking good too:

I’ll keep you all updated as the project develops. In the meantime, if you want to read the only Dantalion story that’s currently published, you’ll need to pick up a copy of the just-released Hunger anthology from Urban Pigs Press. It contains my story This Tender Monster, alongside more than 20 other tales, ranging from gritty crime and bold transgressive narratives to realistic contemporary fiction. Every copy sold supports families in need, with all profits donated to a charity distributing food parcels to people facing poverty and crisis.

Top tip: Follow the list

My writing tip this month is short and sweet.

Keeping up with all the latest lit mag goings-on is not easy — seeking out those inspiring themed calls, discovering the new-kid-on-the-block presses, and the soon-to-close submission windows. Love it or hate it, one of the best ways to stay in touch with the indie lit scene is on Twitter. Or X, if you choose to live you life that way. It’s up to you. I’m not judging. (I’m totally judging.)

Wouldn’t it be great if there was some sort of one-stop shop where you could instantly follow more than 750 literary magazines and presses with a single click? Imagine if someone curated that list and you could add it alongside your regular feed.

Well, brace yourself… (And then click HERE)

What am I writing?

This month I completed two really spiky, angry stories — one flash length, the other pushing 3,000 words. They’re out on sub with a few places and have already earned themselves a couple of rejections apiece. But I think I’m okay with that. As I say, they’re prickly, unfriendly tales about nasty people doing horrible things. I needed to write them to get some things out of my head and I know that, at the right time and the right place, an editor will eventually see their merits. But they won’t be easily homed. Some stories are like that.

I’m also still working on a strange tale of espionage, cults, and weird powers, with one of my writing buddies. It’s the longest and most ambitious single narrative I’ve ever worked on and I’m finding it so inspiring (and occasionally quite humbling) to bounce off my co-writer’s remarkable prose and excellent ideas.

What am I reading?

I was caught unawares by this beautiful piece on Granta. It feels like a masterclass in understatement — using carefully-selected, precisely-observed detail to deliver a powerful emotional payoff without resorting to cheap tricks or mawkishness. Stunning writing.

Generation Gap by Sarah Moss

The next story is a surreal, satirical dream of a tale. I was hooked (nay, harpooned) by the title, but utterly transported and surprised by what followed.

Fuck Me in a Whale by Sasha Brown

Open calls

Roi Fainéant

Always open for subs, and always publishing really great prose and poetry, Roi Fainéant is one of the best online lit mags. They’ve got sass and style for days, their team is ultra-supportive, and they care about the work. The editors are all active writers themselves, so you know they understand what it feels like to send precious words out into the world.

Broken Antler Magazine

With two stunning issues already under their belt, Broken Antler Magazine is seeking more fiction and poetry exploring the dark, speculative, experimental, unsettling, and absurd. The design and layout of the mag’s website is a cut above the norm, as are the stories they publish.

Writing Prompt

I’m a great believer in harnessing the power of random events for inspiration. In the past, I’ve played around with using playing cards and other oracles as writing prompts. And this week I’ve been toying with a new way of letting chaos into my creative process.

First you need to generate a random Wikipedia article, by clicking here.

Then you need to squeeze a random image out of the internet, by clicking here.

Finally, you have to challenge yourself to connect the two, scrunging them together to create a cohesive story, or a repugnant cockatrice.

I just tried it and got an article about the 1990 Bucknell Bison football team, and an image of a wandering guitarist in a desert landscape. I’m getting strong Americana vibes here.

Immediate thoughts… Perhaps this modern day minstrel is named Bucknell. But why is he out walking with his guitar? Maybe he played a solo that went on so long everyone at Burning Man just packed up and went home. Did he just duel with the devil at a crossroads and lose? Or could he be on his way to serenade a very special bison? We may never know.

You might have to click the links a few times each before you find a combination that sparks with you - but it’s definitely worth a try. I’d love to hear from you if you end up writing a story this way.

Signing off

That’s probably enough from me for now. Next month, I’ll be back with more thoughts, tips, prompts and other groovy things.

Until then, take care and enjoy your writing.

Best wishes,

Mat