A lifetime working in sales is enough to give anyone nightmares but for Clifton Spring author Mark Towse, it\u2019s perfect material to fuel a passion for horror and dark fiction writing.<\/p>\n
After leaving a lucrative career in sales Mark, 45, ventured into writing seven months ago and has had many pieces published \u2013 including a story in the Vegan Tales anthology.<\/p>\n
\u201cI recently won my place in the Vegan Tales anthology. It is proving to be a worldwide success and authors have already appeared in newspapers and on local radio in the UK,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is an international collection of authors and I am the only Australian.<\/p>\n
I was staying with my family in the UK when my wife\u2019s dad passed me a leaflet at a Vegan restaurant, advertising the competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d just started my journey into writing at that point and it wasn\u2019t a sign as such, but too good to be true. I wanted to do something unique that would reach a wider audience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark, a vegan himself, wanted to steer away from the common misconception that all vegans are into activism and combined horror and dark fiction in his entry.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a 3,000-word limit and I came in at 2,995. It\u2019s called Empty Seat at the Table. It was very unique and the only story in the series that involves eating a person. It\u2019s about trying to understand what\u2019s on your plate and where it comes from,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEssentially, what\u2019s the difference between one piece of meat to another? The story centres around a woman whose husband died and whose last wish was to be served up as dinner to a non-vegan couple.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very strange take on it, tongue-incheek and doesn\u2019t go into any gory details.<\/p>\n
For the couple that took part in the meal, the thought of eating meat again is not an option moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
From 1,000 entrants, Mark was one of 20 chosen for the anthology.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was pretty chuffed to receive the email. I worked in sales for 25 years but always loved writing. I came out of university though with a maths degree and drifted into sales,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter 25 years I thought \u2018there has to be more to life than this\u2019. I took a bold step and went part time and wrote for the other half. I focus on psychological horror and dark fiction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark said his ambition is to write novels and earn enough to become a fulltime writer, eventually hoping to see his works turned into film.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince I got my first library card, the first book I read was Cujo by Stephen King, I couldn\u2019t get enough, one after the other. I submerged myself in it, it was escapism for me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy parents didn\u2019t really get along when I was growing up so I\u2019d take a book in my room and digest it. Ultimately, I want to turn on Netflix and see some of my stories turned into film or write a bestseller.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all a pipe dream but you\u2019ve got to have a dream and faith, a lot of faith in what you\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A lifetime working in sales is enough to give anyone nightmares but for Clifton Spring author Mark Towse, it\u2019s perfect material to fuel a passion for horror and dark fiction writing. After leaving a lucrative career in sales Mark, 45, ventured into writing seven months ago and has had many pieces published \u2013 including a […]<\/p>\n