In spite of the Covid pandemic, 2021 has been a productive and satisfying year for me. Early in the year, my controversial horror novel The Children God Forgot was very successfully published by Head of Zeus in the UK, by Rebis in Poland, and by Livr’S in French.
It is based on the subject of abortion, but I had felt driven to write a novel about this topic because I am an ardent supporter of women’s rights. To be honest, I had not believed that any publisher would accept it, but it was taken in by all three of those publishing houses with an enthusiasm that both surprised and gratified me, and it will be published soon in other languages as well.
This year I was fortunate enough to meet met a highly-qualified Polish psychologist, Karolina Mogielska, and she has given me some remarkable research material about domestic abuse, which is another issue that concerns me. Together with my co-author Dawn G Harris we will be writing a novel describing the various levels of mistreatment in marriages and other relationships, from gaslighting to out-and-out violence.
We are hoping that this will give readers an insight into the way that abusive and narcissistic men treat their partners, and also give women readers some sympathy and encouragement and show them a way in which they can deal with their seemingly hopeless situations.
In August - after two years of travel restrictions - I was able to fly to Poland again. I have still not been able to visit Warsaw, because my publishers remain cautious about Covid, and are not keen on losing any of their authors! However, I travelled to Wrocław, where I unveiled a bronze dwarf statue of myself on Kielbasa Street close to the city’s main square. It depicts me holding up a copy of The Manitou with Misquamacus the vengeful American Indian shaman leaping out of it. I also visited several towns around Wrocław to talk to readers and sign books.
In October I was able to return to Wrocław to present the prizes for this year’s Graham Masterton Written In Prison Award – the fifth. The standard of the short stories that the prisoners wrote for this year’s contest was extremely high, and many of them were very moving. I am grateful to Joanna Opiat-Bojarska the famous Polish crime novelist who selected the twenty best stories for me before they were translated into English and I could pick the ten best.
I also visited the orphanage in the town of Strzelin which I have supported for several years. Before meeting the 28 children there and telling them some stories I was given a very welcoming lunch by Dorota Pawnuk the mayor of Strzelin and the crime novelist Tomasz Duszynski.
Although I have been able to visit Poland, I have sorely missed my visits to book fairs in France and Belgium and Greece, where I have made so many friends over the years. I am hoping that 2022 will see a gradual return to these events.
My new horror novel The Shadow People is published in December. It is set in London and again features Detective Sergeant Patel and Detective Jerry Pardoe, from Ghost Virus and The Children God Forgot. A further horror novel The Soul Stealer will be published early in 2022. This story is set in Hollywood, and describes hair-raising events in the motion picture industry, as well as including some American Indian mythology, like The Manitou.
I have received so many encouraging messages from readers this year, and some amazing reviews. It has been a difficult time for all of us but I hope very much that you have managed to come through it without too much distress. My very best wishes to all of you.
Graham Masterton
November, 2021
Earlier letters:
Letters from Ireland, April 2020
Letters from Ireland, November 2015
Letters from Ireland, February 2014
Letters from Ireland, April 2012
Letters from Ireland, July 2007
Letters from Ireland, December 2003
Letters from Ireland, January 2002
Letters from Ireland, July 2000
Letters from Ireland, February 2000
AGENT: My agent is Camilla Shestopal at Peters Fraser & Dunlop agency, email c.shestopal@pfd.co.uk
Fan mail to Graham Masterton: manitouman1@yahoo.com
