Introducing The Blood Texts, a new horror series by Colm Field
About Author
Missing children, a creepy basement and a boy who sees ghosts . . . We dare you to read Colm Field's Uncle Zeedie, the latest addition to the terrifying Blood Texts series.
Who is Colm Field? Well, he was born in the witching hour, beneath a blood-red moon, and under a bad sign. His first words were not fit to print. Now he scratches stories with yellowed fingernails, across the mouldering walls of the abandoned nuclear power station he calls home. If you like what you read, we'll dare you to find out more . . .
Interview
October 2025
Colm Field introduces The Blood Texts, his new horror series
If you love creepy settings, jump-fright reads and unsettling endings, then visit The Blood Texts, the new horror series by Colm Field including You'd Better Watch Out - a disturbing Christmas read - and his new book, Uncle Zeedie, a terrifying tale about missing children.
ReadingZone spoke with Colm to find out more about the books, and also to get his top tips - and a Creative Challenge, below - for writing great horror stories.
Q&A with Colm Field: Writing horror in The Blood Texts
"The Blood Texts is part of the conundrum at the centre of these horrors; the mystery of how everyday lives
can be visited by unspeakable horror."
1. Thank you for joining us to talk about horror and your Blood Texts series. Can you start by telling us what has taken you into writing horror - and what scares you the most in real life?
Oh, but I loved horror books as a kid. The experience was so visceral, and you could never predict what you might go through - one story might give you nothing more than heebie-jeebies, while another might force you to confront things about yourself that you'd never considered before. (I mean, I probably didn't define it like that as a child, but still . . .) There was also a forbidden aspect to them, these horrible tales that adults didn't want told, which made it more acceptable to read them during those difficult ages where reading wasn't the done thing for a boy. The forbidden aspect isn't there anymore, but I still get excited about a new horror.
It's amazing how the things that scared me then can still get me now - I still remember the bit in R.L. Stine's 'Welcome to Dead House' where the local kids turn from bullies into brutes. Some things scare me even more. I'm worse with rats now than I ever used to be, and now, with kids of my own, the idea of somebody's child being in danger tips me right over the edge.
2. What are your 'must haves' for a great horror story? Who are your go-to writers or films for young people?
It's funny you mention this, as it's what I talk about when I visit schools. I reckon you can break a horror into three elements: Monsters, Scares, and Cares. These can all take wildly different forms, and you can emphasise one to the detriment of another. But if one of these elements goes missing, I'll miss it.
In terms of writers, there have been LOADS lately that have knocked me for six. Grady Hendrix has brilliant characters I want to spend lots of time with. Mar Romascu-Moore's YA shocker Deadstream had a tone that truly unsettled me, with some great set-piece scares to boot. And Philip Fracassi's Boys In The Valley was excellent from start to finish. For younger readers, I'd recommend S.J. Wills' Bite Risk, Jennifer Killick's Dread Wood, and Dan Smith's Crooked Oak series - among many others.
On TV, there have also been some mega horror series aimed at younger viewers. On Netflix, there was Creeped Out which creeped ME out. The Goosebumps movie was cracking. I've also heard a lot of good things about Secrets of Sulphur Springs - that's going to be my next watch, the moment I can persuade my eldest to go for it.
3. What is your series The Blood Texts about, and what happens in the first two Blood Text books - You'd Better Watch Out and Uncle Zeedie?
So The Blood Texts is a horror anthology series, in which every story features Blood Texts magazine - a gorey, slightly corny horror magazine from back in the day.
In You'd Better Watch Out, a bullying teenage girl gets landed with a horrifying elf doll which is not only more alive than it first seems . . . but also has a Naughty List you do not want to end up on.
In Uncle Zeedie, two siblings whose parents are in a messy divorce have to stay with a family friend in his massive house over in the Welsh woods. But Uncle Zeedie seems off, and when the siblings hear rumours of children being killed in the area, they wonder: is Uncle Zeedie a serial killer?
And as for the magazine that connects these gristly tales? Yes, the Blood Texts is more than just a harmless rag. It is part of the conundrum at the centre of these horrors; the mystery of how everyday lives can be visited by unspeakable horror. That doesn't mean it is a friend, or a foe. Nope, if anything, this mysterious fanzine is Mischief incarnate, and while it may serve as a guide to any reader unfortunate enough to leaf through its withered pages . . . it might just ruin their lives instead.
4. Did a particularly creepy Christmas elf help inspire the first novel? What about book two, the missing children in Uncle Zeedie?
Will I be sued if I mention Elf On The Shelf? To be honest I always found the idea behind it messed UP; a creepy looking doll that you move around to scare your kids into 'being good'. Part of the joy I got from writing You'd Better Watch Out was having a character who might actually deserve such a doll get the fright of their life when they found out they were wrong, that this doll was truly dangerous.
Those creepy missing children in Uncle Zeedie came from a few places. I love a ghost story, and for a matter of fact I love ghosts. There have also been certain books and films - such as The Sixth Sense - which sat in my mind as I pondered the costs of seeing them. Also, and I say this with three kids of my own, but children can be creepy as owt.
5. The novel Uncle Zeedie follows siblings George and Lacey when they go and stay with their Uncle Zeedie. How do you develop the tension at the start of the story?
The best fun to be had writing horror is in setting the mood. For this book I spent a lot of time working (and reworking) the buildup to our first encounter with Uncle Zeedie. Lacey meets a local girl, Rose, who almost warns her about Uncle Zeedie's house - she calls it 'Murder House' - but then plays it off as a childish rumour.
On the drive in, while he's feeling increasingly isolated by the thick woods of this deep valley, Lacey's younger brother George then spots two things that are deeply disturbing. First, he sees a local noticeboard covered with Missing Child posters. Then, as the car drives through the dilapidated grounds of Uncle Zeedie's house, he spies a boy whose mouth is stretched open unnaturally wide. By the time the siblings meet Uncle Zeedie, his unusual character tics and awkward personality aren't just eccentric, they're sinister.
6. Why did you decide to write the novel from the siblings' perspectives?
The sibling relationship in Uncle Zeedie meant a lot to me; an opportunity to think about my own family, albeit subconsciously. Me and my own sister didn't always get on, and even though we do now, thinking of the differing responsibilities and rages we both felt as children, big sister and younger brother, was cathartic. Writing, pal, it's like free therapy on tap.
6. Was George's psychic ability inspired by any other characters in film or books? If you could have psychic abilities, would you want them? Or do you already have them?!
Again, The Sixth Sense is one of my favourite films, although it wasn't the first time I'd seen a kid see things that others didn't - that 'Am I just crazy?' feeling adds tension to a lot of my most cherished chillers. However, in terms of wishing for such abilities myself . . . I can remember thinking very clearly when I first saw Hayley Joel Osmond see dead people, I don't want to ever have that gift. I still haven't changed my mind.
That having been said, the idea of psychic abilities, or at the very least the ability to see something on another plane than we'd understand, fascinates me. Listen to this, right: So, I was driving my old Ford Escort van a few years ago, and the traffic was busy but fast. It was a crowded part of town - lots of pedestrians - and I drove past this mum and her toddler son, who was walking alongside her holding her hand.
Now I'm sure there are plenty of people who'd say there was some physical sign that this was going to happen, but not to my mind. All I remember is that I suddenly had this absolute certainty that the boy was going to dash into the road. It was such a visceral feeling that I hit the brakes, sharp enough that the car behind me to screeched to a halt. A millisecond later, with the driver behind me mouthing off every wrong word there is, the kid broke free of his mum and dashed out into the road. I would've definitely hit him. Of course, it might be nothing, and I'm not saying it's not. But it makes you think.
7. Do your stories ever scare you? What do you find the creepiest element in Uncle Zeedie?
My own stories don't scare me in the same way as something I didn't write, but when it's going well, I'll find myself getting trapped in the nightmare with my characters. Time will go very slowly and I'll feel the same fraught tension those poor protagonists are going through. When the scene is finished, and I make myself a cuppa, I'll breathe out and it'll feel like the first breath I've took in ages. (I get this might sound grim, but honestly if you're a horror fan it's a flipping rollercoaster.)
The creepiest element for Uncle Zeedie for me is the isolation these kids go through. The idea that they really are miles from help should something go wrong, that cuts deep.
8. The reader's expectations in Uncle Zeedie are often turned on their heads, especially in discovering who are the real monsters in this story. What would you like your readers to take from these surprises?
That's a good question. The answer is a bit complicated though, to be honest. The first thing I'd pondered when starting Uncle Zeedie was, What makes a monster? Because until you know their actual deeds, the answer to that questions are loaded with all the little assumptions we make about people, based on the assumptions we've drawn from society as a whole. And what I find interesting is that everyone makes these assumptions, and will keep doing so, and will, on occasion, be proven right. People who would speak eloquently on the dangers of 'othering', or about our need to understand and be sensitive to difference, will happily talk about another's 'red flags' in the next sentence. But one person's red flag might be another person's peccadillo… and vice versa.
It was genuinely exciting to write Uncle Zeedie, because Lacey and George's both reacted to their family friend in different ways, and for a long chunk of this book, I don't reckon you could say for certain that either of them are wrong.
9. What else do you have planned for The Blood Texts?
Ah, what don't I have planned, so long as they keep letting me write them? I have been working on an idea set in a Youth Hostel that's a bit Traitors-ey - albeit of course with a twisted twist. Longer term, I've always wanted to write a creature feature with one particular rodent that freaks me right out… and I've got this idea that dwells on these boys our society has deemed problematic.
10. Halloween is around the corner - do you enjoy this time of year? Which Halloween traditions do you enjoy the most, and how do you plan to spend it this year?
I love Halloween - we didn't really do much for it when I was a kid myself, I don't think many British families did, so now I'm trying to experience it as much as possible, both myself and vicariously through the kids. I love getting our flat ready with our own mad decorations, then taking my children round to the flats and houses that go all out with their Halloween scenes. Hopefully my kids will be grateful enough to share some sweets on the walk. Then, when the youngers are off to sleep, I'll watch a medium-tension horror with my other half - she's not got the bug like I have, so it won't be too mad. After that, however, if she's fallen asleep and I've still energy left, I'll watch something truly soul-shaking, the kind of please no more terror that turns your hair white and makes you switch all the lights on. Then I'll get freaked out myself and wish everyone was still awake. I love Halloween.
Creative Challenge: This Challenge comes in two parts; one that is enjoyable, and another that is, erm, challenging.
Here's the first part. Take a scary bit from Uncle Zeedie - or at least a part you think I was trying to be scary, even if you didn't think it was that scary. Then, cut it out the second half of it, so that you just have the beginning of the scene; George waking up at night, Lacey creeping down to the basement, take yer pick. Then finish it in a way that you think would be more frightening.
Think coldly of all the ways you could frighten someone . . . then turn them into weapons. You could create something gruesome - body horror, say, or grisly gore - but can you describe it in a way that won't just sound like you're trying to throw intestines at the wall? You could build up the surreal atmosphere, make the walls crawl and all of reality skewiff - but will it make sense? Imagine what would truly terrify you, then put these poor siblings through it instead. Happy days!
The second challenge though? That asks a bit more. See, the reason I love horror and find horror fans to be some of the most well-adjusted people out there, is because we force ourselves to confront the things that make us dread. And now you have honed all of these tools for terror; these body horrors, these jump scares, I think you should use them… on your own life.
Take a moment when you were truly scared. Write that moment down, and make it much worse, as bad as you can handle. Include in it people who you care about, your darkest phobias and their reasonings, secret guilts you pray nobody will ever discover, because as Shirley Jackson said, 'Fear and guilt are sisters'. Rewrite this terrifying moment in your life, and make it even more awful. Then, when it's done, share this story if you want. I guarantee, if you've been honest enough, it will shake another soul, and they'll thank you for the terror. But if you don't want to, keep it secret and close. Sob it out, and feel better. Because you don't have to write for anyone but yourself.
School Visits
Visiting schools to talk about books and writing has been one of the best parts of this job! As I mentioned before, I have a Horror Writing Workshop / Assembly that I'm particularly proud of, a Powerpoint presentation in which we break down the three aspects of a good horror; Monsters, Scares and Cares. We talk about the basic mechanics of writing a good scare - jump scares for example - but then we get into how a scare can become much more effective when it carries some emotional resonance - ie, a Care. It's had some brilliant responses, and that moment when a student tells me they're planning to write something up themselves . . . that gets me every time.
I can be contacted via email at [email protected], or my brilliant publishers Fox and Ink Books can be reached at [email protected].
Uncle Zeedie (The Blood Texts, book 2)
You'd Better Watch Out (The Blood Texts, book 1)
