(Returning) Thomas Simpson
Hailing from the gritty heart of the East end of Glasgow, Scotland, Thomas Simpson is a horror writer. His love affair with the macabre began at a young age, with a core memory of the paperback cover of Salem’s Lot giving him nightmares. The bad dreams also came from TV with Nightmare on Elm Street, a film he was too young to see. It ignited a spark within him and a flame that still burns today. A natural storyteller, Simpson’s creative flair was evident from a young age. School was a playground for his imagination, where he immersed himself in comics and short stories. With pen and paper as his weapons of choice, he conjured up terrifying tales and brought them to life with his own illustrations. In his twenties, he traded written words for moving images, directing a series of short films that showcased his talent for creating unsettling atmospheres. His work garnered attention, with several projects premiering at the prestigious Glasgow Film Festival. With a return to prose, he unleashed a new wave of terror. He adapted his unproduced screenplays into prose, resulting in his debut novella, One of Us. This marked the start of his writing career, with the subsequent novel, Blackened, solidifying his position as a rising star in horror. Simpson’s love letter to horror, Unknown Pleasures: 13 tales, 13 Nightmares, is a collection of short stories that pays homage to his greatest influences. With each tale, he delves deeper into the shadows, exploring the darkest corners of the human psyche and the twisted machinations of fate. His Glasgow upbringing has infused his work with a brutal honesty, a relentless exploration of the darkness that resides in us all. With each new story, he invites readers to step into the abyss, to confront their own nightmares, and emerge changed.
