Highlights from the blog tour of Nightmare Asylum & Other Deadly Delights!

I recently had my first ever book tour, which was hosted, beautifully by Blackthorn Book Tours. It was an exciting experience as I didn’t know what was going to be posted in advance and my book is kind of weird, so it was always going to be a bit of a surprise!

Usually, the book tours are organised to coincide with the book’s release date from the publishers. But this didn’t happen in my case due to a couple of factors, I didn’t help that I was on a ship travelling t through the Suez canal with poor internet. This was also my first indie book that had a professional publisher, and I wasn’t quite sure where to start with promotion.

I paid for the tour with my first royalties payment, which felt a little self-indulgent. Still, I wanted to mark the occasion and celebrate after a long and tricky path to publication – the book was finally out there, on its own in book-world, which can be a dangerous and unpredictable place for little books that don’t really fit in…

Obviously, I have my favourite reviews and so did BlackThorn Tours. They very helpfully sent me a break down of the reviews, with highlights and quotes, which and would have been brilliant at the beginning, had I organised the tour sooner! (The first couple of days I had no sales or reviews, and this would have been amazing to have had at that time).

So as promised the highlights:

beauty

“Horror, more than any other genre, lends itself to short stories so perfectly. There’s no dragging things on and overstaying the welcome. Instead, we’re intrigued, hooked, surprised, and satisfied in short measure, ensuring maximum impact.

Nightmare Asylum and other Deadly Delights collects 18 stories, some as short as just a few pages, that pick at the scabs and scars of all-too-human horror. “Read more

Amy

“This book deserves a second read! (and maybe more). This author is not just a writer but a great storyteller. The collection fit together with varying themes, but all with deadly twists and the unexpected. I look forward to reading more by this author. This book is a definite recommendation by Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews.”Read More

Books

“From the very beginning, I knew that each story was going to be unique and very well written. Overall, this was a fantastic read and it is something I highly recommend. If you are looking for horror or just some creepy reads, this is definitely an anthology for you. Especially if you can’t decide on a story to read and you need something nice and short to get you back into it. Read more…

reader

Reader Gal

‘… I am recommending this book because why not? It’s amazing. If you are looking for something action paced and horror and mystery then read this one here…. ‘ Read more…

anazstasia

Anastasia on Goodreads

‘… Do you like trigger warnings? (I don’t. I think they’re for snowflakes). But here you are: if you’re a snowflake you might not like this book….Read More…

And finally… this gorgeous photo and great review is from Dana at Open My Pages!

Dana

“Did you read Scary Stories to tell in the Dark as a kid? I did and loved them. I loved their dark and macabre nature and the abrupt often startling endings. Sonia Kilvington brings us the adult version of those stories. Haunting and dark, Nightmare Asylum will twist your mind and leave you wanting for more after the jaw dropping twist. The anthology continues with tale after tale of creepy stories that leave that unsettled tickle in your brain.” Read More

 

book cover

 

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

 

 

My first book tour was amazing! – Many thanks to Blackthorn Book Tours!

Blackthorn

 

Interview at Chat & Spin Radio & the “real” Nightmare Asylum!

In a recent radio interview with Ron Clark at Chat and Spin Radio, a station based in Washington Tyne & Wear England, I was asked what influenced me to write my short story Nightmare Asylum.

As I have mentioned in previous interviews, I experienced a recurring dream in my twenties, which really frightened me. I do believe the nightmare was associated with visiting a relative in a couple of scary-looking mental hospitals when I was young.

Winterton 2
I based the design of the building in my story on the Winterton Psychiatric Hospital just outside of Sedgefield, County Durhan (see photos). I remember it was such a chilling place to visit as a child. The building initially opened as the Durham County Lunatic Asylum in 1858. It had a dark, foreboding atmosphere, and many former patients were afraid of being admitted there, including a member of my family, who was terrified of not coming back out. This was in the seventies when electric shock therapy was used for many psychiatric conditions including, paranoia, agoraphobia and even postnatal depression.

 

winterton3

It remained a place for treating mental illness until it was closed in 1996 when something very chilling was discovered. During the demolition of the building, contractors broke through into a series of underground basements tunnels and discovered hidden rooms which contained, “various preserved specimens” which had been removed from unfortunate inmates…

 

 

 

 

Interview at Chat and Spin Radio

 

Meet the Author ∼ A New Interview by Camilla Downs

I have a new interview at Meet the Authors today! Camilla Downs interviews writers from all around the world on her exciting blog. This interview is in-depth and I am a lot more forthcoming than usual…

Here is a snippet:

Today we travel to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus to chat with Sonia Kilvington about how becoming a journalist, teaching ESL, being accused of stealing, and The Invisible Man come together as part of Sonia’s past and present life.

In which genre do you write?

I write in many different genres as I like to challenge myself, and I don’t want my writing to be predictable. I began writing murder mysteries and have two books with a detective, who moved out to Cyprus at the same time as I did! Over the last couple of years, I have concentrated upon writing short stories, in noir, crime, psychological horror and a couple of ghost stories. To push my boundaries, I decided to write a science fiction story, and I came up with the idea of infusing human emotions into a ‘companion android’ who would not have the emotional intelligence to control or understand them. The story is called ‘Perfect Love,’ and it’s the best thing I ever have written. Its included in my short story collection; Nightmare Asylum & Other Deadly Delights.

Can you tell me something interesting about your career path – were you always a writer? Read more…

 

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