Official Newsletter No. 8
Celebrating the Life and Works of Guy N Smith 1939-2020

Greetings Fans, Friends and Fiends!

Welcome to another packed issue of the GNS newsletter! Inside, you'll find highlights from the recent GNS Fan Convention 2024, updates on new and upcoming projects from Black Hill Books and GNS author-fans, plus an introduction to our new Patreon membership, created to help expand Guy N. Smith’s legacy to loyal fans and new readers alike.

We've also got details on the Halloween release for the latest book Werewolf by Moonlight, a Halloween Sabat Special from the Breakfast in the Ruins podcast, the current Big Cats series on Occultaria of Albion, and plans for the Great Scribbler podcast, hosted by Tara Paulsson and launching with Guy’s fanzine Graveyard Rendezvous. Plus, get a sneak peek at a new competition with the film and audio platform Dread Sanctum, and, as always, a further look into Guy’s teenage Mystery Man Diary. Dive in and enjoy!

More Crabs Are Coming!

You’ll remember that the last newsletter featured the republication of Night of the Crabs, Killer Crabs and Origin of the Crabs, and indeed these three books in Guy’s Crabs series were launched in ebook and paperback formats in time for the GNS fan con on September 1st (with an audiobook of Night of the Crabs still in production, due out imminently). There’s an intention to release the next three (books 4-6) in these formats by Christmas/New Year, possibly with some themed slipcases available, and perhaps both boxset and hardback versions of all 6 books to come out next year, the latter featuring some colourful Rick Melton artwork. Watch this space!

Amazon Author Page

It’s been nearly four years since we lost Guy and there have been many changes and upheavals along the way, not the least of which was making Black Hill Books into a limited company, gaining access to BHB company accounts and assets, and assigning the GNS book rights to Black Hill Books Ltd.

One thing we hadn’t managed to do until the republication of the first books was to regain – and update – the Amazon Author Page, without which it would have been impossible to obtain sales reports/stats and promote the books effectively on Amazon. Well, now we have it! It took a few weeks, corresponding with Amazon Author Central’s help centre and sending them the relevant documents proving we were his family and had the right to own the page, but now it’s done, we are relieved and proud to show it to you:

Guy N Smith on Amazon

If you use Amazon, please follow Guy’s page. He has 892 followers at the time of writing.
Let’s see if we can get to 1000 by Christmas!

Guy N. Smith Patreon Membership

In October, we set up a Patreon membership account to allow fans who wish to support the ongoing GNS project to donate on a monthly basis. By subscribing to the Patreon membership you can help Black Hill Books deliver ongoing GNS content to keep the great Scribbler’s legacy alive and keep you entertained! To find out more, visit

patreon.com/greatscribbler.

We have opted to postpone a switch to Apple subscription billing until November 2025, which means new members can’t join via the app just now (existing app members are unaffected) but you can join via the website. It shouldn’t affect anyone negatively but if you have any questions, do contact Patreon directly as a first step.

Werewolf By Moonlight

Exciting and slightly surprising news (even to us) is that we have put out a new edition of Werewolf by Moonlight (Guy’s first published novel, originally released in September 1974) on Amazon in ebook and paperback formats at lightning-speed, thanks to fast work by foreword writer Mickey Lewis (see the previous newsletter) and artist Mike McGee (see below). We are super happy with it, especially as its release date just about coincides with the 50-year anniversary of its first publication by NEL, and we now hope to wheel out books 2 and 3 of the series equally quickly. Lewis’s foreword, snappily entitled ‘Nice N’ Sleazy: lust and lycanthropy on a farm boy’s wages’ is pure cheeky joy from start to finish, and McGee’s artistry is… well, judge for yourselves! We adore it.

Mike McGee

Mike McGee is our artist of choice for the Werewolf series cover art. Here’s a bit about him in his own words:

“I’m Mike, a pop culture illustrator whose work is heavily influenced by the masters of the macabre Bernie Wrightson and Kelley Jones. The majority of my work has been poster-based but a few years ago I was approached by a good friend of mine, Justin Park, who offered me the chance to work on the cover for the next book in the Sabat series. I obviously jumped at the chance! Since then I have produced covers for From the Dark Hours, Satanic Armageddon, The Casebook of Raymond Odell and Beheaded which was co-written by Guy and Justin. Werewolf by Moonlight is my latest cover for Guy’s books and I am honoured once again to be a small part of an iconic series from such a true master of his craft.”

“Where do I buy?”, we hear you cry!

Amazon UK links:

Amazon US links:

There are Amazon links for DE, FR, ES, IT, NL, JP, BR, CA, MX, AU and IN too, so if you can’t find it on your country’s Amazon page, contact us. And if Amazon isn’t your bag, we’ll be launching on Kobo, Barnes & Noble, iBooks and selling direct digital books via the website, too.

There’s also our Official UK Seller Paul Evans for hardcopies and rare copies, on Abe Books website

What a Wicked World Wide Web we Weave…

A few words from Reverend Doom.

The shadows have shifted, and so too has our online realm. I bid you, devoted disciples, to gaze upon the Guy N. Smith website, now transformed into a sanctuary for the peculiar, the curious, and the fanatical. Within its dark corridors, you shall find:

  • Unsettlingly fresh news from beyond the veil
  • Past editions of the revered newsletter, preserved like relics in a tomb
  • The cryptic instalments of the *Mystery Man Diary*
  • A complete inventory of Guy N. Smith’s immortal works
  • A biography of the man himself, an homage to his mortal coil

Yet, beneath this, a darker engine roars—the Blackhill Books website, the commercial heart of our empire. This is the vault of e-commerce, the guarded gate where coin changes hands, and the faithful may acquire relics with utmost security.

What awaits in the Shadows? The online shop is in its final rites. Soon, you shall be able to purchase:

  • Forbidden digital tomes
  • Merchandise woven with the essence of the macabre
  • And for the brave few… mummified remains of eldritch lore

A secure payment system, woven through the dark enchantments of the Stripe on line banking system, stands ready to process your offerings. Past newsletter editions are already available in ebook format. Yet we await the final protective wards upon the policy documents before unleashing the shop upon the world. Dare to reach out if you wish to be among the first to test this sacred ground.

Into the Future… A prophecy looms: The Great Scribbler website shall rise, heralding Great Scribbler Podcast, where the dark tales and arcane voices of Tara Paulsson will echo through the void.

TLDR: We did a lot. We're going to do more. Cool websites. Check 'em out.

Buddy Plugs!

Plugging our buddies… (Why, what did you think we meant…?)

YouTube Interview – Blast from the Past

We recently connected with writer Gary Dobbs, an author contact of Guy’s, about his vintage interview with Guy for Scary Motherfucker magazine. The interview is pure gold and is available to listen to on The Tainted Tavern YouTube channel. Here’s the link:

The Tainted Tavern on YouTube

Tripping the Light Zine-tastic

After the roaring success of his first GNS zine, writer and photographer Chris Elphick is planning another one next year, featuring GNS-inspired fan fiction. Fans have until March to submit to the zine a short story inspired by one of Guy’s books or characters, to be published exclusively in Elphick’s zine with Black Hill Books’ permission. For more details, contact Chris via his blog

pixie-led.co.uk

Winter Tales ‘The Final’ by Joseph Freeman

Author and photographer Joseph Freeman was a long-time friend and fan of Guy and is putting out his last-ever Winter Tales this December. The popular online horror reading show boasts an impressive line up and features title music by Guy’s daughter Tara Paulsson. The stories are always of the highest quality and past shows can be found on YouTube and via his website. Joseph Freeman’s is a life lived amongst ghosts; both fictional and otherwise. His ancestors had various castles and mansions in Ireland – most of which were haunted and most of which were sold off before he had a chance of inheriting any. His own parents told him tales of ancestral banshees. A childhood interest in the gruesome and the ghoulish developed into a lifelong passion for horror, and after having dozens of short stories published in magazines and anthologies both in the UK and USA, his first book, 'Love Stories of the Undead' was published to great acclaim and popularity when he was still a teenager. He has now published 17 books, including the collections ‘They Come At Dusk’ and ‘Elsewhere & Otherwise’, and the novels ‘The Cold Heart of Summer’ and ‘Arcadia Lodge’.

Much of his work is based upon his own experiences of, and research into, the supernatural. In his writing, Freeman concentrates upon a vivid atmosphere, rising tension and glimpses of visionary terrors. He is highly praised for his use of subtlety, psychological techniques and mood to create an unsettling atmosphere. In 2020, Freeman created the ‘Midsummer Macabre’ and ‘Winter Tales’ series of events. At first held live, the COVID pandemic forced a shift into the online format – but this meant exposure to a much larger audience, and also the chance to work with some of the greatest living names in horror fiction.

All previous online shows can be found on his Youtube channel.

Fiends with Benefits (well, blogs…)

There are many excellent review/blog sites featuring Guy’s work. Here are a few:

If you know of a site featuring horror, including Guy N. Smith’s work, please let us know and we’ll try to add it to the list!

Find Your Inner (Dread) Sanctum!

We are hoping to team up again with the people at Shortly.film next year to run a short film competition via their new horror/fantasy streaming outfit Dread Sanctum. The run-up to the deadline will be longer and the choice of theme broader than the previously-proposed short film competition we wanted to run in August, so let us know what you think! What or who is your favourite GNS novel or character? Could you turn make a winning short film of it/them?

GNS Fan Convention September 2024

This year’s fan convention was held at Knighton Community Centre in Powys, Wales, on Sunday 1st September. Guy always held his fan cons on the first Sunday in September – and we aren’t about to break with that tradition any time soon!

The room was kitted out with an auction table, merch table, buffet table, hot and cold drinks station and, of course, the all-important book table, which groaned under the weight of the new Black Hill Books paperback editions of the Crabs books 1-3, all signed by Guy’s widow Jean Smith and daughter/editor Tara Paulsson. In the corridor, there was a full savoury buffet spread of sumptuous food provided by the Little Black Sheep Café (Knighton). We didn’t go hungry or thirsty, at least!

There was a great turn-out of fans who were treated to readings from Crabs books 1-3 – two of them were ‘live,’ by Tara, and the third was a pre-recorded ‘pre-listen’ from the forthcoming audiobook of Night of the Crabs, expertly read by seasoned voiceover artist Pete Gold.

Our IT wizard Reverend Doom had digitised Guy’s super 1990s VHS film ‘Wain House Rendezvous’ and he was able to screen a 15-minute clip on the venue’s projector for the gathered company. We watched and listened in hushed awe to a lively, enthusiastic Guy (wearing what looked like a green alien-patterned shirt!) proudly showing off his beloved vintage book collection. It was both heartwarming and a little heart-aching to see Guy immortalised in his element. We miss him - but in many ways, we still have so much of him.

Everyone was a winner by virtue of being there that day - but some winners were more ‘winny’ than others as they garnered trinkets and honours in a Crabs-themed quiz and a raffle. We all drew the top prize, however, through our immense collective enjoyment of the guest appearance of successful author Mark Morris, who read from his latest folk horror book, That Which Stands Outside - highly recommended! Morris has kindly written the foreword ‘Confessions of a Convert’ for Origin of the Crabs (Book 3), all fan con copies of which he duly signed on the day, and had driven all the way from York that morning (after undergoing some surgery above his eye, the day before) and stopped off with us for a few hours before making his way elsewhere for a book festival the next day. What a star!

The greatly-anticipated GNS auction was, in turns, jovial, lively and tense as a few ‘hot’ items generated bidding battles and Tara bumbled her way through her first experience as an auctioneer with a large helping of (unintentional) comedy! Donated to the auction were were signed copies of short story anthology Short Cuts from Steve Lockley, several signed titles from David Owain Hughes, some Graveyard Rendezvous spares, an editor-annotated manuscript of Night of the Crabs, signed proof copies of Crabs 1-3 and much much more. The big ticket item was a one-off handmade leather-bound parchment copy of Night of the Crabs, complete with embedded claw, which went to bidding behemoth Nick Caton! Guy’s snug I Bought a Vampire Motorbike t-shirt (merch from that quirky short film starring Neil Morrissey) went to writer David Owain Hughes.

There was an array of old and new merch, ranging from mugs and t-shirts to pens, fridge magnets and keyrings, and the event raised around £1200 (before costs) for Black Hill Books Ltd, which should go some way towards furthering the Great Republication Project, helping us pay for book cover and audio artists, and spread some Great Scribbler love!

For an attendee’s eye view of the event, why not visit Chris Elphick’s excellent write-up?

pixie-led, A Gathering for Guy.

All in all, a tremendous day (and weekend in some cases!) was had by everyone in this exceptionally tight-knit and friendly horror community, which is precisely what Guy loved about his fan cons.

“It’s all in the best poddable taste!”

Great Scribbler Podcast hosted by Tara Paulsson (and a fridgedoorfull of haunted magnets)

Thoughts, prayers and curses are underway as we ponder a podcast format that will summon the spirit of the Great Scribbler and resurrect the ghosts and ghouls of Graveyard Rendezvous without taking too much time away from book production! There are visual and audio options, public or Patreon subscriber-only options and even sponsorship ideas to consider! But we think that using a Graveyard Rendezvous fanzine edition-by-edition approach will give us focus and making the episodes publicly available will raise visibility (or should that be audibility?), so we might need to accept advertising as a way of funding ourselves. The launch is likely to be announced by the host Tara Paulsson on social media, so keep your eyes on the various platforms and we’ll try to spread the word when the time is right.

Sabat: The Graveyard Vultures - Breakfast in the Ruins Podcast Special

A Halloween Treat! Breakfast in the Ruins is broadcasting a Halloween episode on Sabat: The Graveyard Vultures. In his podcast, creator and host Andy Stimbot has previously featured the novels Night of the Crabs, Crabs’ Moon and Crabs on the Rampage and also interviewed his daughter (and BHB editor) Tara Paulsson. In the following passage, we meet Graham Holden, who has deservedly appeared on the podcast as a ‘Guy N. Smith expert’, and will appear in the Sabat episode. Here, he describes how he first chanced upon the Great Scribbler’s work.

Graham Holden - How I came across Guy N. Smith

It must have been when I was around 15 or so. There was a monthly book fair in the Assembly Rooms in Chichester. A rather grand building, and I often felt quite out of place initially walking into this building – but felt right at home once I was in the hall with all the book stalls. On one of my visits, whilst scanning along the bindings of some paperbacks I spotted one called Throwback by an author that I’d not heard of, a Guy N. Smith. The cover was of a grizzly-looking ape like creature gnawing on some unidentified bloody sinewy like thing. Underneath the title was “PRIMITIVE, PRE-HUMAN, THEY SWARMED ACROSS THE FACE OF THE LAND”. I couldn’t resist. I purchased it straight away. This was my gateway book into the fantastical horror world of Guy N. Smith. I devoured this book rapidly, and my teenage mind couldn’t quite comprehend what I was reading. Brutal, but compelling. I was instantly hooked.

The next month I returned to the book fair and I couldn’t quite believe my luck. The same stall had a whole bunch of Guy N. Smith books – mostly of the “Crab” series. I bought them all. And for a period in my mid-teens, I’d pick up any GNS book I spotted and had a modest collection. As I “grew up,” my interests moved on and I sold my collection.

Fast forward 30 odd years. There I was, wasting some time before a physiotherapy session at the local hospital, so I decided to pop into a charity shop for a look at what they had on offer in the book section. I stopped in my tracks. On the rotating wire rack nestled between some Mills & Boon was a cover that was so out of place it was perverse. Crabs: The Human Sacrifice. For 50p, I found myself right back into the world of BIG GIANT CRABS, animal liberation, wildfowling and more Click click clickety-click. I was again hooked, but this time I had the internet, some disposable income and a wealth of information for me to research on Guy and the discovery of his works outside of his horror writing – who knew I had an interest in Moles and their Control! After picking up Writing Horror Fiction (Writing Handbooks), I’ve now been inspired to give it a go myself with the guidance from Guy himself.

This renewed discovery of Guy N. Smith also coincided with the discovery of a podcast called Breakfast in the Ruins, which is primarily a Michael Moorcock inspired podcast, but Andy also covered other genre fiction. And there was an episode of Night of the Crabs. I got in contact, as a Moorcock fan and a GNS fan – how could I not. Over the past few years, Andy has kindly invited me as a guest to cover GNS-related books, along with some other pulp horror. It’s been a blast. Coming up for this Halloween special is Sabat 1: The Graveyard Vultures – which should be a sordid affair!

You can find out more about the podcast at *Breakfast in the Ruins

* Content warning for sexual violence and exasperated hosts.

Rather Catty!

If you want to delve into another fascinating area of Guy’s many interests, you can follow the current Lincolnshire Big Cat Investigation series on the Occultaria of Albion podcast and listen to various people’s experiences of big cat sightings, including (in episode 3) a sighting of a probable caracal on Black Hill by Guy’s daughter Tara and her husband.

Podcast creator and host Richards Daniels has recently written an article for Phantasmagoria magazine celebrating 50 years of Guy N. Smith pulp horror novels, which began with his first published book, Werewolf By Moonlight. Daniels is currently touring with his show The Filing Cabinet of Fear and his podcast is available on all major platforms.

And Last But Not Least - “Mystery Man” Diary 1957

Here is the sixth instalment of Guy’s secret teenage diary, originally handwritten and published in the GNS newsletters for the first time. Guy would have been just 18 years old when he wrote it and was already working in the Midland Bank. Enjoy!

Wednesday March 20th
Feeling much better today. In the lunch hour I went after a record - tried 8 shops but couldn’t get it. I had to take the registered letters again tonight. I got the 5.5 bus home. Did not go down to the hospital tonight. Just had a quiet evening - did a bit of study & played some records.

Thursday March 21st
Best day yet on States. I got the 4.42 train home. Today I got a record of Billy Thorburn’s “Ricochet.” I got home & went in the wood with the gun. I had a couple of shots at jays but got nothing. Helen Brewster came and taught me book-keeping. She is suffering from rheumatism in her back. She went at 9pm then I played records & went to bed.

Friday March 22nd
Quite a good day. I had a surprise. I was told I was wanted down in Securities & who should be there but Hugh Montgomery. We went out together in the lunch hour. I shall see him again next week. Got the 4.42 train home. Put in two more rows of parsnips, and another row of peas. I did some more digging. I went out with the gun in Hopwas wood but didn’t get a shot. I watched ‘Dragnet’ & then played some records. I then wrote an article on records for the ‘Tettenhall Observer.’

Saturday March 23rd
I went early this morning so I could get away early. I got home and finished off digging the centre patch. Dad came home from hospital today. He looks O.K. again now. I went shooting with Fred Cole on our own shoot. The hunt had been across & things were rather tame. I had a shot at a pigeon which began to ‘tower’ over Swinnerton’s. I didn’t pick it up. Mum took me down to Watson’s to fetch a football paper tonight. I amused myself this evening by wrapping up an April Fool parcel. I don’t know who I’m going to send it to.

Sunday March 24th
Went to church in the morning. Came back and did some gardening. I went round to see Billy and Nellie. He told me the story of how he told Kitely that it was Fred Cole’s job to climb up the T.V. mast & light the lamp at night & Kitely believed him. I came back from Billy’s and dug both banks by the wood hedge & set seeds in them & mowed the lawn. I went down to Grandma’s in the evening to exchange the Sunday papers. Quite a good day’s work all round.

Monday March 25th
A disappointing day. I am back on Remittance. We had a bit of trouble balancing & I got the 5.40 bus home. I was annoyed because I was unable to get to do any gardening. Lance has been ‘ill’ all day & Mum had put him in my room & he’d turned it into a bear garden. The old man was a bit grumpy too, on about this & that. When I took the dog for his last walk down the road I met a fellow who said he was booking appointments for the 11 plus exam. We rang the police but he was genuine.

Tuesday March 26th
Went on the bus to Longbridge this morning to fetch the Austin credit. Quite a good day. I was the only one to fly balance. I got the 5.5 bus. Walked up from Tamworth. I went up to Mrs Winfield’s tonight. A very good night apart from the fact that that girl was not there. Sam Loughead enjoyed it too. We gave the fat lady a lift home. I’ll get off with someone somehow!!!

Wednesday March 27th
Today I was given the job of helping to clear the stationery room. It was filthy! I had to take the registered letters to post. I got the 5.25pm train home & got home at 6.20pm. I did some gardening. I tidied up the steps into the wood, put in a row of spring onions, set the rest of the wood bank & put some fertiliser on the garden. I did some studying also.

Thursday March 28th
Just a normal routine day today. I got a couple of records, “Feet Up” and “Quicksilver” from the secondhand shop on Snow Hill. I got the 5.15 train & got home at 6.20. I gardened until 7.20pm. I put in 2 rows of turnips & my marrows. I dug the flowerbed beneath the rustic work. I also did some studying.

Friday March 29th
A normal day. I went to Batt’s for a haircut. I fly-balanced today. Mr Price the head messenger is retiring and at 4.30 today a presentation was made to him. Mr Iley made a speech. They gave him a spade and a fork, and electric razor & a pipe & a pouch of tobacco. I got the 5.15 train home. Home at 6.20. I finished planting the woodbank & dug the bed in front of the kitchen.

Saturday March 30th
The batches wouldn’t balance at the office today. I got the 1.35 bus home. Home at 3 0/c. I dug the flowerbed under the kitchen window and put the potatoes (ninety folds) in. Went shooting in Hopwas Wood with Fred Cole. Had one shot - got nothing. I came back and dug half that patch by the shelter. Mum ran me down to Watson’s to get a football paper and a card for Billy.

Sunday March 31st
Gardened practically all day, except for a 2 hour break in the afternoon which I spent with Bill and Nellie. I have now got practically everything done except the paths. Bill complained about Fred tipping his rubbish in front of Bill’s house so as the Coles were out this afternoon, I tipped my rubbish in front of their gate!!

Monday April 1st
I had a laugh thinking of Sid Faulkner’s face when he got the parcel this morning. A very busy day today. I was told there was someone to see me by the messages box & when I got down who should be there but Morris, Walter & Blackwall. We had a chat for 10 mins. We had a bit of a job balancing & what with being busy I didn’t get home till 8 o’clock.

Tuesday April 2nd
Very busy again today. I got the 5.50 train home & just missed my connection in Tamworth. I tried to ring home & couldn’t get through. After about a quarter of an hour I discovered that you now have to put 4d in the box instead of 3d. I went dancing with Sam Loughead. The girl I had hoped to see wasn’t up there but we had a good time all the same.

Wednesday April 3rd
Had a pretty big London Clearing today - didn’t finish listing it until quarter to eleven. We were busy today & I got the 6.5 bus home. I was very moody this evening. It’s all this social standard (snobbery) business that gets on my nerves. Much more of it & I shall be properly up the wall. I shall make a move next Tuesday.
Newsletter written and compiled by Tara Paulsson. Black Hill Books would like to say a big thank you to all our guest contributors.

©️2024 Black Hill Books Ltd.