Paul Finch

Agent:  Kate Burke and Julian Friedmann

Biography: Paul read History at Goldsmiths and then embarked upon a career in the police, working the tough streets of Salford, inner Manchester. During this time, he experienced a wide range of assignments, from traffic and accident-investigation duty to anti-vandal patrol and riot control, not to mention numerous plain clothes attachments … Drugs Squad, Robbery Squad, Street Thefts, plus basic CID and 'Scenes of Crime' postings. Paul enjoyed the police and logged a large number of arrests, but after several years and various hair-raising experiences, he decided enough was enough, and moved, in 'gamekeeper to poacher fashion', into professional journalism, where he spent the next decade, concentrating mainly on crime.

Both jobs provided him with plenty of research material, and he has now sold numerous TV scripts (including three episodes of The Bill), four movie scripts, ten books and nearly 300 short stories, mostly crime, horror and fantasy, many of which have been listed in various 'Best Horror' collections for their appropriate year.

His novel 'Cape Wrath', published in 2002, made the final ballot of the prestigious Bram Stoker Awards, while several collections of his short stories have been published, including 'After Shocks', which won the British Fantasy Award for 2002. His stories 'Kid' and 'The Old North Road' respectively won the British Fantasy Award and the International Horror Guild Award in 2007.

Paul is married with two children, and now works as a full-time writer. He is currently working on a Medieval werewolf feature, WAR WOLF, with Amber Entertainment, as well as his hugely popular DS Heckenburg crime novel series.

STALKERS was released in February 2013 (Avon/HarperCollins) to great commercial and critical acclaim and SACRIFICE was published in July 2013: in the first year, combined sales on the two titles (e-book and print) exceeded 275,000 copies, with over 1000 Amazon reviews and an average rating of 4.6 out of 5*.  The third novel in the series, THE KILLING CLUB, will be published in May 2014.


Praise for Paul Finch: 

"Consistently inventive. Consistently excellent. Paul Finch writes distinctive dialogue-driven horror that truly grips. Satisfying stories, tautly written with a real sense of authority." - Simon Clark, author of THE FALL and VAMPYRRHIC

"Paul Finch is an exciting new voice in the realms of macabre fiction. He sketches out a disturbing landscape, filled with deep shadows and uneasy emotions where stories both traditional and modern are played out to chilling effect. Highly recommended." - Mark Chadbourn, author of WORLD'S END and SCISSORMAN

"Finch places considerable stock in atmosphere, and builds fear and unease well with a judicious balance between what is seen, unseen and merely hinted at." - Brian Hodge, author of PROTOTYPE and THE CONVULSION FACTORY

"Paul Finch's supernatural stories combine a poetic imagination with a sharp eye for the complexities of human evil. Within precisely realised settings, both past and present, he evokes supernatural terrors which are never wholly 'unknown'; rather, they represent the darker aspects of human experience recast in mythic form. This sense of historical and moral conflict gives the stories their grim resonance. Trapped in neglected places and blighted times, Finch's characters struggle not only to survive, but to hold onto their humanity. We share with them a fear that goes deeper than the fear of death." - Joel Lane, author of THE EARTH WIRE

"Proclaiming an individual as 'the future of horror' is a chancy business at best. However, unless I'm very much mistaken, the future of horror is bound to be much brighter due to the presence of Paul Finch." - John Pelan, US editor of the best-selling DARKSIDE series

"Paul Finch is unique. He creates modern thriller and crime stories with supernatural overtones one minute, and sparkling traditional horror stories the next. One of the most exciting story writers in the business today." - Masters of Terror ,  international horror website

"A cold hand in the dark, Paul Finch knows where you're most vulnerable." - Cemetary Dance, mass-market US horror magazine

 

Feature film scripts:

  • WAR WOLF (Feature for Amber Entertainment)

  • THE DEVIL'S ROCK (Feature horror commissioned by Chameleon Pictures)

  • THE BELFRIES (Feature horror)

  • THE FREEZE (Feature thriller)

  • HUNTING GROUND (Feature horror commissioned by Menan Films)

  • DARK HOLLOW (Feature horror commissioned by Nimble Pictures)

  • CHARNEL HOUSE (Feature horror commissioned by Nimble Pictures)

  • CAPE WRATH (Feature horror optioned by Dean O’Toole)

  • DARK GROUND (Rewrite horror for Wild Films Ltd and UniTal UK)

  • VODYANOI (Feature horror commissioned by Archangel Films)

  • SPIRIT TRAP (Rewrite horror for Archangel Films)

  • THE GOLEM (Feature horror commissioned by Talisman Films)

  • HEART AND MIND (Thriller screenplay)

  • BACKLASH (Thriller screenplay)

Television:

  • THE BILL (2004. Episode 219. Thames TV)

  • NORA AND THE MAGIC TREE (2002. 50 X 6 ½ minute episodes of an animated TV series for children for Hogg's Back Films)

  • THE BILL (2001. 1 Episode: APPROPRIATE ACTION: Thames TV)

  • THE BILL (2000. 1 Episode: PROTECT AND SURVIVE: Thames TV)

  • MAISIEMAC: MAISIE IN THE RAINFOREST (1999. 1 Episode: Siriol Productions)

  • LITTLE HIPPO: HIPPOS AHOY (1998. 1 Episode: Siriol Productions)

  • FIX AND FOXI: A KNIGHT TO REMEMBER (1998. 1 Episode: Siriol Productions)

  • URBAN GOTHIC (2 Treatments)

Published books:

  • STALKERS

  • SACRIFICE

  • DON'T READ ALONE

  • DARK NORTH

  • SPARROWHAWK

  • ENEMIES AT THE DOOR

  • STRONGHOLD

  • ONE MONSTER IS NOT ENOUGH

  • WALKERS IN THE DARK

  • GROANING SHADOWS

  • GHOST REALM

  • STAINS

  • THE EXTREMIST

  • AFTER SHOCKS

  • CAPE WRATH

  • THE EXTREMIST

  • DARKER AGES

  • BY THE GAS FLAME FLICKERING

  • THE DARK SATANIC

  • THE SHADOWS BENEATH

  • Also numerous appearances in short story anthologies, including many award-winners