Behind the scenes on Unearthed
From invitation to publication: the making of my new short story, out today!
It's a new book day! Unearthed, a collection of short stories based around horrific and spooky goings-on at ancient sites, is published by Titan Books, just in time for spooky season.
I'm very pleased to have a story within its pages, sharing the table of contents with such legends as:
- Tananarive Due
- Christopher Golden
- Josh Malerman
- Tim Lebbon
- Eric LaRocca
- A.M. Shine
- Jonathan Maberry
- Hildur Knútsdóttir
- Ai Jiang
- A. G. Slatter
- Mark Chadbourn
- Priya Sharma
- Benjamin Percy
- V. Castro
- Gemma Amor
- Premee Mohamed
- Hache Pueyo
- Steve Toase
What a collection!
PITCHING REHISTORY
I got the invitation to join their number on Monday, 13th November 2023, when editor Dan Coxon emailed to say:
Would you be up for writing a story for me? I'm working on a new pitch for an anthology that I'm co-editing with Philip Fracassi, and we're both very keen to include you if we can. Here's the pitch:
UNEARTHED: NEW HORROR OF ANCIENT RUINS
Buried cities. Forbidden tombs. Cursed temples. These ancient sites lie abandoned across the globe, their mysteries lost to history: Stonehenge. The Great Pyramids. Machu Picchu. What are the secrets that lie beneath these very real places, buried under the weight of timeworn stones? Who – or what – once dwelled in the darkness of their hidden spaces?
Forgotten gods? The ghosts of lost civilisations? Or something darker… something we haven’t yet thought of?
Unearthed digs beneath these crumbling structures to reveal their archaic pasts and their darkest secrets. Featuring the best modern writers of horror and dark fantasy, these stories explore the caverns and the catacombs, the ruined temples and the monoliths – and drag an ancient evil back into the light.
I bit his hand off, although it would be May 2024 before we got the official go-ahead from Titan Books.
I immediately pitched Stonehenge, a place I've always been fascinated by, but had only finally visited a few months earlier in March.
It was as magical and atmospheric as I hoped, complete with a crow that cawed on cue.
I like to think it was Merlin come to visit.
Of course, I had seen the stones many times before then, but never up close. Instead, I had spotted them as I zipped past on the A303, loving the tension of ancient stones and a modern trunk road complete with articulated lorries and speeding cars.
My story – ReHistory – deals with this clash of eras. In it, controversial billionaire Sebastian Langley has somehow managed to purchase Stonehenge and plans to restore the ancient monument to its former glory, creating a perfect reconstruction of how the site would've looked nearly four thousand years ago.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF STORY
I also suggested something I never thought Dan would go for. Instead of writing ReHistory as a traditional short story, I proposed delivering it as a transcript of a fictional BBC news report. The inspiration came from my love of Quatermass and The Dæmons, the classic Jon Pertwee Doctor Who serial by Barry Letts. Both feature mock outside broadcasts, and ReHistory would be no different: an intrepid correspondent reporting back to the BBC Breakfast studio.
I even mentioned the Doctor Who link in my pitch to Dan:
"It's a bit The Dæmons, a bit Lovecraftian and properly bonkers"
Dan loved it, but said he expected a lot of other people to pitch Stonehenge stories as well, so he'd have to see what was submitted before deciding. I replied:
"No worries. Let me know who else pitches, and I'll sacrifice them to an ancient deity..."
GETTING STARTED
Thankfully, no sacrifices were necessary. On 16th September 2024, Dan confirmed that I was good to go. Another writer had pitched Stonehenge, but they'd decided that it was the one location they could get away with having twice.
I was so happy. The idea had been knocking around my head for years, and Unearthed seemed to be the perfect home for my ill-fated OB. And so I set to work, leaning heavily on my scriptwriting past.
I delivered the story on 31st January 2025, and – as is always the case in publishing – it's been a long wait to see it in print, but here we are!
Unearthed is now available from all good bookshops.
And don't forget, I'm taking part in a free Unearthed book event on 5th November at Bristol Folk House with Dan, Gemma Amor and Tim Lebbon. We'd love to see you there!
Let me know what you think of ReHistory and the rest of the collection.
Until then, look after yourself and each other,
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Cavan Scott
Cavan Scott
Cavan Scott
WHAT I'M WORKING ON
Thanks to pesky NDAs, I can’t reveal many details about what I’m writing at the moment, so I’ve come up with a sneaky list of project names. Keep an eye on future editions. I'll update everything as the work progresses!
Project: Avarice
- A novelisation for a fantasy franchise, currently in copy edits.
Project: Passer
- A graphic novel adaptation of a top romantasy novel. Currently scripting.
Project: Soldier
- A newly commissioned fantasy novel, currently awaiting editorial feedback on the outline.
Konflikt ‘47
- Working with Warlord Games on the lore and creative direction for the weird World War II tabletop game.
COMING SOON
Star Wars: Scoundrels and Smugglers - Race for Jabba’s Bounty
An all-age graphic novel starring Han Solo, Chewbacca, Jaxxon and a host of scum and villainy. On sale 6th October.
Godfather of Hell
My new creator-owned graphic novel for mature readers. Think Goodfellas meets The Exorcist. On sale 27th October.
MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE GENESIS #4
The beginning of a new arc featuring Man-At-Arms unravelling a dark mystery with his friend, Prince Randor. On sale 16th December,