Avast M’hearties Pirate Day be a’coming. So batten down y’hatches. Splice the main sails. Steer with the wind, and damn y’eyes, for that callow cove Captain Duckman will keel haul the lot of y’ if y’nay pay him some mind…

International Talk Like A Pirate Day is on the horizon, and with it comes the release of Harvey Duckman Presents, The Pirate Special.

Just like the main series of Harvey Duckman Anthologies this is a collection of fifteenth exciting new writers and established independent authors of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, horror and Steampunk. To celebrate this I’m running a feature for the new few weeks on the authors and stories featured in this edition, cause Captain Duckman made me and there was mention of rum…

Mostly because of the rum…

Melissa specialises in fantasy writing, ranging from mythical to urban. She loves reading about different folklore and myths, especially Arthurian, and always has music on when she’s writing. She loves nature and the land, especially Wales where she is from originally. She writes both short stories and novels, bringing something different to them with her dyslexia. She’s had many short stories read on radio and published in anthologies. She wrote her first proper short story at the age of eighteen, and through serendipity it was promptly broadcast.

She was also one of the winners of Writing Britain 2015 with her short film script about Aspergic women, ‘Unbroken’, which was shown at cinema screenings of short films in Hull and Leeds in 2017. It is now available to view at: https://studio12.org.uk/2020/07/14/unbroken/

This is Melissa second outing in Harvey Duckman, her short story, Heta’s Journey, appeared in Harvey Duckman Volume 3.

Reino has dabbled with writing for a number of years and across a number of genres from sci-fi to thriller to fantasy to steampunk to the just plain weird, and when once asked, “Why do you write?” replied, “To get rid of the voices, of course. What other reason is there?”

Reino previously appeared in the first every Harvey Duckman Anthology, where his unique approach to story telling, and insights into the inner workings of government, drew many plaudits among the drunk, destitute and morally ambiguous members of her majesties civil service, or as they are otherwise known the home office. Perhaps the voices were quiet for a while afterwards which is why it has taken so long for him to return to the hallowed pages of Harvey. One suspects he will return again when the voices get too much…

Mark Sayeh refuses to be drawn on question of whether he truly exists or whether is he is a cunningly created pen name that is impossible to decipher. What is known is that he has previously written about the experience of becoming a fan of Middlesbrough football club in the 1990s. This was possibly a cunning fiction, much like his name, no one knows for sure.

This is Sayeh’s first outing in a Harvey, a story of treasure, betrayal, and tattoos.

Previously Sayeh was published with The short story ‘Us’ in The Little Book of Boro   

The Harvey Pirates Special comes out on International Talk Like A Pirate Day on the 19th of September and will be available in paperback and on kindle, the kindle version is available for pre-order now… So get it or I’ll make yer walk the plank…

Regular readers may wonder why I did three in one go in this post, it may be because two of the writers only technically exist in an alternative universe, but mainly its because there are seventeen writers and stories in the pirate special and I needed to cram a few together about whom I had less to say… Unlike the next writer I will be featuring about which I can seldom say enough…