April Knight

Mirror, mirror on the wall…

April Knight — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 11:49:40 +0000

…who’s the scariest of them all?
The first famous mirror I thought of was the mirror of Venus. The symbol of the female of the species and all that. There is actually one interesting perception phenomenon associated with it. The Venus effect. It comes from a painting by Velazquez where Venus appears to be admiring her reflection in the mirror. But actually since we see her looking straight at us in the mirror, Venus must be looking at the viewer and not herself…

The reflective implement pops up regularly in fairy tales and other works of fiction thanks to its mysterious qualities of parallel reality. And we can hardly go about our daily lives without one. Apart from being our favourite grooming object, the mirror has many uses. From one-way (or should that be two-way??) mirror to rear-view mirror. It is everywhere – from microscopic mirrors in high definition TV to space telescopes. Not surprising that it was my inspiration for the latest story.

April Knight
♀

A midsummer’s knight-mare

April Knight — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 11:51:26 +0000

I realised we aren’t actually having a summer this year right after I had my hastily ordered fan delivered. Instead of providing “the hottest summer on record”, the heavens opened with impeccable timing for my trip to the Open Air Theatre at Regent’s Park…
   Most of the day had been cloudy but dry, so I was hoping for more of the same for the evening. My quiet optimism depleted on the way to the park hailed by the distant rolls of thunder and disappeared altogether as soon as we got there. As the patrons gathered for a performance of “A midsummer night’s dream”, we were held back by a torrential downpour. I’ve never seen so much water thrown out of the sky in such a short time! The already dampened collective mood sank to murky depths.
   But the seasoned production team did not give up. After consulting with the met office they decided to carry on and simply delayed the show to let the monsoon pass. And it is amazing what some plastic rain macs and a few mulled wines can do to restore the atmosphere! Half an hour later everyone was in their seats happily watching the fairies play havoc with the Greek lovers.
   In the words of Shrek the second - “would you like to see my donkey?”

A.K.
x

The Venus Effect

April Knight — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 14:58:14 +0000

“Constance surveyed the room. The few visitors there stared at exhibits; no one seemed to notice their strange entrance. She nodded to Ares and they moved out.
   They went through endless corridors and hallways and out of the museum. The next foyer they came to led into another wing of the building. Bear-like security guard sat behind the desk next to a spiralling staircase. A scarecrow, Constance thought. They strode towards him. The guard stood up and blocked their way.
   ‘This area is closed to the public. The museum is…’ His eyes turned to saucers as his gaze fell on Constance. She saw his hand inching towards a clear prism fixed to his belt. Despite his size, the man presented no threat in himself, but his power blaster was packed to the maximum. No need for fireworks yet. She smiled.
   ‘Lovely place you’ve got here.’
   ‘State your purpose,’ the guard demanded, his hand gripping the prism.”

Years ago Constance made a pact with her opponent to save a child. Constance kept her end of the bargain, but has she been foolish to trust her ancient rival? She should have known better… A wicked betrayal brings the eternal feud to its inevitable conclusion, but who will win in the deadly battle of equals?

Knight watch

April Knight — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 18:07:39 +0000

Last week I finally managed to read Night Watch, the book on which the cult film was based (well, it was based on the first part of it; although, confusingly, the second and third parts of Night Watch the book were also made into film - Day Watch, which is the second book in the trilogy…)
Anyway, very enjoyable read, structured like a game of chess. There was one very witty bit – when the hero switches bodies with a female friend. He is talking to another girl, so he reckons that to outsiders it might look like there are two women talking along the lines of the usual scenario – firstly, that all men are bastards, secondly, one’s got nothing to wear, but thirdly and most importantly – what is the best diet?! That made me laugh out loud! It took me totally by surprise coming from a male author… Male chauvinist pig! But very funny…
A.K.
:)

Under my umbrella

April Knight — Sat, 26 May 2007 12:33:55 +0000

I always think of the month of April as both cheery and cool at the same time (just like me, ha!). Hot in the sun, but chilly in the shade. And we are meant to have April showers. But, as we launched April Knight website in April 2007, wasn’t it sunny and warm in England? Freakishly so.
“It’s raining. Ooh, baby, it’s raining!” – the radio blares. And it certainly is. After the driest April in Britain for 350 years, May brings rain. I’ve just straightened my hair and, now that I am about to step out of the door for the third pirates instalment, it pours it down. Typical… But, actually, I do like the rain. The air always smells so sweet after the dust is washed away. It reminds me of my current track of the month - Primavera by Ludovico Einaudi. Spring. Which, in turn, evokes Vivaldi, the four seasons. The cycle of nature.
Now, where’s that umbrella?

April
x

Spooks

April Knight — Fri, 11 May 2007 12:00:05 +0000

When we’d first put up the homepage a few weeks ago, a friend told me (sounding rather disappointed) that he was expecting something strange to happen in vain. He kept looking at the picture because the blurb suggested something weird would be happening… But it was just a picture. Sorry about that, TC, and thanks for the tip!
We decided to add some “spooky” effects to the home page. In fact, one mini animation is already live now (although you might need to look hard to spot it), and Lpixel have some cool ideas for others.
Any suggestions for creepy effects are very welcome! Before you say, I’ve already thought of a bat flying over the moon, but - from a technical point of view - we want to keep the download time to a minimum, so the effect would have to be more static, e.g. a shadow appearing…
A.K.
x

Welcome

April Knight — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 22:03:29 +0000

Hello! I am April Knight and this is my gothic fiction website.
   A bit about me: I’d like to think I’m quite a creative soul - I write, draw, design, take photos of interesting clouds and such (there’s my day job as well, but that’s really boring). Love gothic books, films, music. Give me dark and mysterious and I am happy, basically.
   Ok, just to clarify, I am not a vampire (despite what some of my friends may think…) and neither am I involved in any kind of vampiric activity (although I’ve worn black and shopped in Camden on occasion). I write vampire/ horror/ mystery fiction. Of course it is a very much explored and, you could say, saturated topic, but there just isn’t enough modern gothic horror for my liking. Let me qualify though. There is “horror” (usually found bundled with the sci-fi/ fantasy genre in the bookstore) and there is “gothic horror”. There is plenty of the former. But I am talking about the latter. You know – moonlit castles, creepy shadows, warped fairy tales for grown ups, love and death. These are clichés, I know, but you get the picture. That stuff proliferated in the late nineteenth century, but it is a little thin on the ground these days and finding a fresh new perspective is tricky. So I thought I’d chip in.
   The purpose of this site is, firstly, to make some of my fiction available as a taster for anyone who is interested, and, secondly, to provide regular new AK fiction for registered members. Short stories & serials, that sort of thing. As you can see, the membership area is still under construction. It is expected to go live in a few weeks; apologies in the meantime. I am not planning to publish other writers’ fiction, but your comments & suggestions would be very welcome… (unless they are rude, of course, in which case they will be removed!)
A.K.
x

Cornflower Blue

April Knight — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 13:16:37 +0000

“ ‘Truly, “a rose by any other name…”,’ the lady waved her hand. She did not seem to notice Will’s open-mouthed stare. ‘But do you know where the proper name - Centaurea Cyanus - comes from?’
   ‘No, Ma’am.’
   ‘It has Greek origin. The genus name “Centaurea” comes from Centaur – a half man, half horse creature. According to a legend, Chiron, a wise centaur, was once wounded in a battle with an arrow spiked with the toxic blood of hydra. He healed himself by applying the wild cornflower to the wound.’
   The lady was speaking quickly. Will concentrated hard but the ache in his hand seemed to blank out every other one of her words. He hid his hands behind his back.
   ‘- and the flower name comes from another legend about flower goddess Flora. She had a favourite pageboy called Kyanus. It means “blue” in Greek according to the colour of the clothes he wore. When he died, she turned his body into a beautiful blue flower. From henceforth that flower was called Kyanus, or Cyanus in Latin. And there you have it - Centaurea Cyanus.’
   With the sun behind her, the lady’s face was a dark outline, but something about her stance reminded Will of the enduring expression that his Latin teacher had when he listened, with the head slightly tilted, to readings from a prepared passage. Will could not think of an appropriate response and waited politely.”

St George’s School is like any other boys’ school – peaceful and orderly to an outsider, but for its residents it is steeped in secret conflicts and injustices where only the strongest rule. These laws of the jungle do not sit well with Will, but what can he do? He is only one person. A bunch of blue flowers starts off a chain of mysterious events that may hold the answer.

Flesh and Blood

April Knight — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 19:17:13 +0000

“Scott ran up the path and jumped over the steps two at a time. He stopped at the heavy wooden door. It was blocked by a rusty chain wrapped loosely around the handles. The chain was fastened by a padlock the size of a massive horseshoe. He pushed the door as far as he could. A child could have squeezed through the opened narrow gap afforded by the chain, but it was too small for Scott. He tried the lock. It snapped open in his hurried hands. Great security. Mind you, who in their right mind would want to break in here? The chain rattled on the stone floor. The door gave in with a creak of complaint. Scott hesitated for a moment and stepped over the threshold. Inside the air was thick with the smell of wet earth. The gloom made him stop.
‘Alex!’ the sound of his voice echoed through the darkness.
Scott blinked several times to adjust his eyes and walked a few steps forward. The top floor formed a platform of a few feet in front of him and circled the perimeter of the crypt leaving a dark gap to the level below. Scott followed the steps down slowly, feeling them out with his feet first. A torch would have been useful here. He remembered looking at one of those pocket ones recently. He should have bought it then.”

Detective Inspector Scott is on a trail of a missing boy. At first it looks like a straightforward case of teenage runaway. But as the story begins to unravel, it makes Scott re-evaluate his personal situation. And with no shortage of suspects can the truth be more horrifying than he could have imagined?

Twisted

April Knight — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 14:05:12 +0000

“Dave bends closer to the tank and accelerates. The road contracts into a narrow line. It trembles and snakes in front of his eyes. His Ducati Dark Monster purrs like a panther, tamed and obedient now, but ready to turn wild at any moment. One jerky move or a bit of gravel under the tyre and it will pounce.
White blobs of scattered golf resort buildings pop out of the trees like a flock of sheep. There is a tricky turn coming up just behind them. Dave thinks it would be cool to scrape his virgin knee sliders there so he can casually drop it into a conversation with Snow. He releases the throttle.
The road circles the edge with nothing but the sea to the right. A heady trace of petrol mixes with the fresh salty air and it is the best smell in the world. Dave flies into the bend. He leans into it and his knee almost touches the ground. But he is going too fast. The corner suddenly grows very tight. The Monster wants to go straight. The front tyre crosses over the line into the other lane and begins to travel towards the outer edge. For a fraction of a second Dave’s body freezes up, just riding along with it. His first instinct is to hit the brakes, but something deep inside him knows that will force him upright and send him off the cliff.”

Dave had always dreamed of owning a racing motorcycle, and now he has one. All thanks to his cool new boss, Snow. She is a generous employer, has a gang of wicked friends and knows how to party. Who cares that her business dealings might be shady? It does not concern Dave. Or has he fallen in with a bad crowd? A chance meeting with an old friend may change everything.