Dark London | the anthology
I’ve written a post or two already about my inclusion in the upcoming anthology Dark London, so now I think it’s time to tell you a little bit about my story within it, the inspiration behind it, and - oh, yeah - the GREAT CAUSES you would be supporting by purchasing a copy.
(on that note, I happen to know the paperback versions are almost ready and they’re looking glamorous)
My story appears in the first volume and is called an invitation. It follows what should be a straightforward journey for Leah, as she tries to commute home after work. But when she falls asleep, she realises she has missed her stop, and so finds herself in a tube station she’s never even heard of before, a tube station with sinister rumbles under her feet and not a single other passenger in sight. There doesn’t even seem to be a line going the other way…
It’s only a short story, probably one of the the shortest in the collection, and, look, I was trained to churn out 2,000 words completed arcs every week of term on my undergraduate degree so can you blame me? So, I won’t give any more of the plot away.
I will say it was inspired by how I felt when I first moved to London, from Yorkshire, in September 2019. I’ve always said, incidentally, that I’d never do it - move to London, I mean. S’expensive. The people are less friendly (but that hasn’t been my experience, and anyway I’m an antisocial cowbag at the best of times).
It’s weird how you can experience so much culture shock when moving between two different parts of the same country. London does in some ways feel like a completely different world to where I’m from, and it took some getting used to. Not least: the tube.
I don’t like crowds. I don’t like the crush of strangers at ungodly hours of the morning. I don’t like the pushing, the shoving, the determination to get on THIS train, even though there’s another coming in less than 2 minutes. I also don’t like the feeling that no matter where I put myself, I’m in the way. How dare I not know whether to turn left or right for Southbound? How dare I stop and read the signs?
And thankfully my biggest fear, of missing my stop and having to navigate an unfamiliar tube station to find my way back, hasn’t transpired - but Leah’s story is inspired by that very real fear that launches my anxiety into overdrive every time I get on one.
I am also acutely aware that other people have it far worse than me with my benign fear of missing my tube stop in London.
Especially now - and that’s one of the main reasons I bit the bullet and submitted a story for this anthology.
Darkstroke, the publishers behind Dark London, have pledged that all proceeds from these two volumes will go to London-based charities, both aimed at improving lives within London communities.
The first of these, The London Community Foundation work tirelessly to bridge the extreme gap between rich and poor in our city, which is a huge one despite being one of the wealthiest cities in the world. Right now, they’re working to support families and individuals who have fallen through the gaps of support during COVID-19, and I can’t explain how proud I am to be adding to work that supports them.
The other charity is Centrepoint, an anti-homelessness charity with specific projects like those supporting the end of youth homelessness. Anyone who knows me personally knows how important this is to me; before moving to London I was a host for another anti-homelessness charity and I think that will remain my proudest achievement until the day I die. It was the hardest decision to make when considering moving to London, giving up hosting, and the fact that I can still support amazing initiatives through writing is incredible.
Of course, a quick and simple way you can support us in supporting these initiatives is to buy the books, so…
Pre-orders are available for the e-books now, via these links: mybook.to/darklondonone & mybook.to/darklondontwo