The Mysterious Murders Short Story Comp 2026 is Open for Entries!

The 2026 Mysterious Murders Short Story competition is now open for entries! The Mysterious Murders Short Story Competition was created to honour Anja Boersma’s deep love of writing and to help nurture that same passion in others. I was lucky enough to be a judge on last year’s competition, and the standard was so high that I didn’t hesitate to return when organiser Angela Nurse asked me.

The theme this year is “Locked Room Murder Mystery”, the prizes are cash prizes, it’s free to enter and you’ve got till the end of September to submit. What are you waiting for? Click on the image below for more details…

Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu on the Authorized Podcast

I always have a good time on the Authorized Podcast, but the novel Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu by noted Libertarian SF author L Neil Smith is its own special kind of weird… and that’s not a bad thing! Step back and enjoy a time when Lucasfilm clearly wasn’t reading any of its tie-in material…

Available on all the usual podcast platforms…

Michael S Jackson on the Creative Differences Livestream

Michael S Jackson, author of the Ringlander fantasy series will be discussing high fantasy, creating beautiful editions of his books, selling direct, Kickstarters, writing sequels and much more!

Join us live: THURSDAY 21ST MAY, 8PM BST

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK

Or on Youtube…

Lean into the Weird on The Write Place

I had a great time chatting to Wayne on the Write Place podcast about writing, why I love selling books at comic cons, why I’m not that worried about Ai, and why I like leaning into the weird.

You can listen to the podcast at all the usual providers and there are some Youtube snippets below to whet your appetite…

The End of Dragons and Gods Special Offer

Enjoyed The End of Magic and want to complete the trilogy? I’ve got a special offer on the paperback bundle of The End of Dragons and The End of Gods over on my online store. Signed and dedicated editions are included! Click on the image below to check it out…

Karen Storey: I Get This Build Up of Excitement | Mark Stay’s Creative Differences ep23

Karen Storey, award-winning author of the brilliant debut novel THE APPROVAL OF SHEEP, reveals how her stories let her know when they’re ready to be written.

WE DISCUSS:
A brilliant tip for writing award-winning short stories
Why you need to get a website and newsletter right now
And why her cat gets more fan mail that she does…

And much more!

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

LINKS

Karen’s website: https://karenstoreyauthor.com  
The Law of Consequences short story collection: https://books2read.com/b/mvzrW2
Quite Ugly One Morning (I earn commission if you purchase using this link): https://amzn.to/3OMLiit
Raye: https://rayeofficial.com

Support the show

Visit https://markstaycreativedifferences.com/
Join The Green Room: https://ko-fi.com/markstaywriter/tiers
Buy my books here: https://witchesofwoodville.com/#bookshop
And there’s more about me at: https://markstaywrites.com/

Unwelcome is now on NETFLIX UK

Unwelcome is now on Netflix UK!

Here’s the quick synopsis…

Londoners Maya and Jamie (played by Hannah John-Kamen and Douglas Booth) escape their urban nightmare by moving to the tranquility of rural Ireland – only to discover malevolent, murderous goblins lurking in the gnarled, ancient wood at the foot of their new garden. Additional cast includes Golden Globe nominee Colm Meaney, Jamie-Lee O’Donnell (DERRY GIRLS), Chris Walley (YOUNG OFFENDERS), and Kristian Nairn (GAME OF THRONES).

watch UNWELCOME ON NETFLIX UK

And there’s a lot more about the film here, including making of clips, a spoiler special and a link to download the screenplay and posters if that’s your thing!

Overseas readers: not sure where it’s showing elsewhere. I think it’s on SHUDDER in the USA, but if you know don’t be shy and let me know in the comments. Thanks in advance…

What’s the favourite line I’ve ever written?

This, and the answer to more questions, can be found in the images below…

Charlotte at the wonderful Books & Brews asked me a few questions ahead of the Canterbury Gaming Convention on 15/16th August. We’re going to have a special corner dedicated to authors at the event, and if you love books and/or games then this is a must!

GET TICKETS HERE

And here are my answers to Charlotte’s questions…

Karen Storey on the Creative Differences Livestream

Karen Storey is the award-winning author of the brilliant debut novel THE APPROVAL OF SHEEP. Karen is a prolific short story writer, and and her memoir pieces have been published in The New York Times and the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and… her newsletter is written by her cat Tiffany. We’re going to discuss why you should set up a website and newsletter before you’ve finished your debut novel and much more…

Join us live: MONDAY 13TH APRIL, 8PM BST

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK

Or join us on Youtube…

Things People Say to Authors at Comic Cons: April 2026 edition

Here are some of the more peculiar comments from recent comic cons…

Check out my events diary here: https://markstaywrites.com/diary-and-appearances/