Writing Nightmares with Ramsey Campbell

February's podcast guest is none other than legend of the horror genre, Ramsey Campbell. Bea finds him at World Fantasy Con 2025 in Brighton to discuss his novel, An Echo of Children, which offers a terrifying glimpse into the practice of exorcising children. An illuminating conversation in which Ramsey reflects on 60 years in the genre and how he continues to find inspiration, refine his craft and unsettle his readers six decades on. 

This month Flame Tree is releasing a new edition of his 1980s novel Incarnate, a classic exploration of malevolent dreams and monstrous forces. If this episode has got you curious about Ramsey Campbell’s novel, An Echo of Children, you can listen to an extract in our October episode ‘Not So Alive and Spooky’ or find out more on our website. 

Biography

Ramsey Campbell was born in Liverpool in 1946 and lives in Wallasey. First published by Arkham House at just eighteen, he has become one of the most acclaimed voices in modern horror, blending psychological unease, the uncanny, and cosmic dread across a body of work that spans decades. His many honours include lifetime achievement awards from the World Horror Convention, the Horror Writers Association and the World Fantasy Convention. In 2015 he was named an Honorary Fellow of Liverpool John Moores University for services to literature. Several of his novels have been adapted for film, including The Influence and The Nameless which is being adapted by Netflix . A longtime BBC film reviewer and President of the Society of Fantastic Films, Campbell remains a defining figure in contemporary horror.

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Music is an extract of Sunbeams by Allen Stroud, from his Fractal Series album, licensed courtesy of fpl-digital 2025.

This podcast is hosted and sometimes narrated by Beatrix Ambery (also audio editor), Olivia Jackson (also podcast coordinator), Shilpa Varma and Nick Wells (also producer). 

Chosen from hundreds of wonderful tales, short stories such as these are selected by our short window open submission process, giving opportunities to writers of all levels of experience, culture and location. Look out for our submission announcements, and see the full list here:  flametreepublishing.com/gothic-fantasy-book-series-list.html

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