Top literary blogger Sacha Black has published a new article featuring an interview with author James Howell.

In the article - 8 Ways to Maximise Your Book Series - Howell discusses how he developed the character Hannah Harker over the course of his Disturbed Girl trilogy.

He also talks about his new book, Guinea Pigs, and the different challenges of writing an anthology with three separate sets of characters.

You can read the Sacha Black article here.

The paperback version of James Howell's new book, Guinea Pigs, is out now.

The first 100 copies purchased directly through this website will be personally signed by James and include free postage and packaging.

You can order your signed copy for just £6.99 right here.

The Amazon Kindle version of James Howell's new book Guinea Pigs has been published ahead of schedule and is available for download now, priced just £3.99.

The book will be available in paperback and other eBook formats from March.

Download the book for your Kindle here 

The brand new collection of short stories by James Howell is now published.
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Guinea Pigs is a dark anthology which examines three seemingly unconnected people as they hurtle along separate paths towards depravity, chaos and tragedy.  

Howell, who has achieved worldwide success with his infamous Disturbed Girl novels, said: “The characters in the three stories appear to have nothing in common, apart from their decaying minds and deviant behaviour, but a common thread unites them all. This thread will gradually be revealed as the stories develop and it is going to form the basis of my next full length novel.”

He added: “After exploring a single character (Hannah Harker) over the course of the Disturbed Girl trilogy, I wanted to create some new characters from different walks of life. The anthology features a miserable local council employee in suburban England, a female banker on a trip to the Gambia and a cynical policeman who specialises in hate crimes and domestic violence.

“I won’t reveal what connects them, but, as with Hannah Harker, the stories blur the boundaries between right and wrong, explore how the mundane can become warped and serve up scenes to curdle your stomach and make you blush.”

Guinea Pigs is published by Amygdala Press in paperback and all major eBook formats.
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The first 100 paperback copies ordered through this website will be signed by author James Howell.
 
Who are the Guinea Pigs?

The Man Who Couldn't Laugh - [Guinea Pig 1]
Colin Jones is a neurotic suburban nobody who has a serious problem with his new neighbours. Spurred on by what he reads in the tabloid press, how far will he go to get them evicted?

A Wild Life - [Guinea Pig 2]
A damaged woman travels to Africa to escape from her life of sex and violence. As she touches down in the Gambia, she has no idea that her nightmare is just beginning.

Red Demon - [Guinea Pig 3]
Detective Josh Brody works in the bleak underbelly of south London trying to protect victims of hate crime. It is a grim world, and he might be closer to the misery than he realises.
 
You can now order signed paperback copies here.

The excellent Sacha Black blog features an exclusive in-depth interview with Disturbed Girl author James Howell. You can read the blog in full here http://sachablack.co.uk/2015/02/13/interview-with-james-howell-author-of-the-disturbed-girl-trilogy/

An abridged version of A Disturbed Girl’s Guide to Curing Boredom is being used as the pilot for an international multi-media project that aims to revolutionise literature.

The Black Page (TBP) is a collective of cutting-edge European writers, designers, photographers and musicians who are working together to create new multi-media literature.

TBP started life in 2013 when Creative Director Erik Zwiers invited author James Howell and other artists to Antwerp, Belgium, to brainstorm ideas.

Following this meeting, Howell wrote Birth of a Disturbed Girl, a shortened version of his debut novel, leading Dutch photographer Look J Boden shot a series of Hannah Harker portraits, and UK electro artist Himuro Mansion produced a soundtrack.

Zwiers has now established a brand new Development House near Amsterdam where a team of creatives are using these various multi-media elements to work on design concepts for Birth of a Disturbed Girl.

Zwiers also met with the Haarlem Events Foundation in Holland recently and The Black Page will be the lead concept at the Haarlem Literary Festival in June 2015. This will bring together people from across the Netherlands, Belgium and further afield as TBP reaches out to a global audience.

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Q) What can you tell us about Guinea Pigs, your new collection of short stories?

A) The anthology will include three separate stories about everyday people who slide into depravity. The characters seemingly have nothing in common, apart from their decaying minds and deviant behaviour, but a common thread unites them all. This thread will be revealed over time and it is going to form the basis of my next full length novel.

After exploring a single character (Hannah Harker) over the course of the Disturbed Girl trilogy, I wanted to create some new characters from different walks of life. The anthology features a seemingly dull local council employee in suburban England, a female banker on holiday in the Gambia and a veteran policeman who specialises in missing persons and domestic violence.

I won’t reveal what connects them, but as with Hannah Harker I will blur the boundaries between right and wrong, explore how the mundane can become warped and serve up scenes to curdle your stomach and make you blush.

Q) The first story in the collection is The Man Who Couldn’t Laugh. What’s it about?

A) It’s a bit like the Michael Douglas film Falling Down, but set in a quaint English village.

The main character is a guy called Colin Jones who wants to just stroll through his mundane life and be left in peace, but he is constantly antagonised by his wife, work colleagues, motorists, people in the supermarket and so on.

He lives in a narrow-minded white neighbourhood and avidly reads the right-wing tabloid press, so when a family from Somalia move in next door it’s the final straw…

Q) When will Amber’s Haunt be released?

A) I’m very excited about Amber’s Haunt as it’s the first short film to be produced by Disturbed Girl Productions.

It’s been written and directed by Joe James, who has previously produced a Disturbed Girl soundtrack under his Himuro Mansion artist name. The first cut of the movie has recently been finished and I love what Joe has put together with his cast and production team.

The original plan was to release it in winter 2014, but we’ve decided to take it onto the film festival circuit first to generate publicity. We are now looking to release it to the world sometime around spring 2015.

Q) How is The Black Page coming along?

A) The Black Page (TBP) is a collective of European writers, designers, photographers and musicians who are working together to create new multi-media literature.

I was first invited to Antwerp a couple of years ago to join the project, but things moved quite slowly while we struggled to figure out what exactly TBP was going to look like and how it would work with so many international collaborators.

In the last couple of months, however, there has been some real progress. TBP has established a brand new Development House near Amsterdam, where a team of creatives are currently working on design concepts for Disturbed Girl, which is the pilot project.

TBP Director Erik Zwiers has also recently met with the Haarlem Events Foundation in Holland and The Black Page is going to be the lead concept at the Haarlem Literary Festival in June 2015. This will bring together people from across the Netherlands, Belgium and further afield and I’m really looking forward to seeing it develop.

Q) You’ve also become a father this year – how do you find time for all your projects?

A) Yes, my life has been more about disturbed sleep than Disturbed Girl since baby Athena was born in March, but I’m loving fatherhood and just about finding time for the various projects too.

Writing is obviously a solitary profession, but The Black Page and Amber’s Haunt are real team efforts so there has been plenty of work going on while I’ve been changing nappies!

Q) Will Hannah Harker return?

A) The poor girl has been through hell and needs a well-earned rest. That said, I’ll never say never again.

Dutch photography magazine Zoom.nl is the latest international publication to print a feature about the Disturbed Girl photography project.

Disturbed Girl author James Howell teamed up with leading Dutch photographer Look J Boden and model Sharon Elslander to create a unique portfolio of portraits based on Hannah Harker's exploits in the novel A Disturbed Girl's Guide to Curing Boredom.

The photographs are part of a wider multi-media project called The Black Page, which will launch soon.

You can read the article (in Dutch) here.