🎙️ Mark Granger

Read Mark's story, The Lion Slide, now!

Was there any particular park you had in mind while writing this story?

It’s an amalgam of two parks near where I live. 

Were there any good ghost stories or local legends where you grew up?

I asked my wife about this and she told me about St Wistan.

In 849 AD, after he was murdered by his cousin Brifardus who wanted to take the throne from St Wistan’s mother Queen Elfleda, a church was built in his honour. Since then it is said that human hair grows between the blades of grass in the churchyard on the anniversary of death. This was ‘verified’ in the 12th century by a church commission sent by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

When you were a kid, do you think you’d have the guts to go down the slide at night?

Of course. I ain’t yeller.

Do you think you’d have been the one looking back, contemplating, or pulling your friend to keep going forward?

I’m getting the hell out of there. I ain’t yeller, but I ain’t stupid.

How many times has this story been rejected by other markets?

None of your business, mate.*

*too many.

What’s a great short story you’ve read recently?

It’s going to be a Stephen King one because I’ve recently been re-reading Nights Shift. So I’ll say The Last Rung On The Ladder.

But the last ‘new’ story that’s been stuck in my head for ages now is ‘The Island with the Animals’ by Stephanie Malia Morris that you can find in Uncanny Magazine.

What book are you reading right now?

I’ve got a few on the go.

• Game of Thrones (for the first time - never seen the series)
• Black Wave - Michelle Tea
• The Roominghouse Madrigals  - Charles Bukowski
• Night Shift - Stephen King

Do you have anything else you’d like to share?

I’d love people to check out my short story “The Valley That Wasn’t There” in Behind the Revolving Door, an Anthology of Choices, Volume II and the comic I co-wrote with the excellent Liam ‘Pais’ Hill, ‘Portal Loo’, which is in the anthology Secrets of The Majestic.

Also check out series 5, episode 10 of The Weakest Link (UK version) on BBC iPlayer for my proudest ever joke related moment, where Romesh Ranganathan tells my Mario joke.

And if you’re sick of me, please check out some work from these uber talented writers and performers:

If you have access to BBC Sounds you should check out ‘Fantasy Park: Fifty Years On’ written by Henrik Persson and others. From the description on the Sounds page: Imagine this: 1975 and middle America coming to a standstill as almost a million people descend on Fantasy Park – for the 'greatest rock concert ever staged'. 50 years on, Bob Harris hears the story.

Field Trip Sketch Comedy Presents is a fantastic and weird sketch comedy podcast available everywhere and written by Field Trip Sketch Comedy who include the very talented Max Kreisky.

Hannah Rose May’s most recent comic The Exorcism At Buckingham Palace is currently out.

Liam Johnson most recent comic Who is Adrian Apollo?, a new 3riller for 2000AD, is part of Prog 2473. Also, if you’re able, check out his episode of Emmerdale from the 4th of February - available on YouTube.

Another great podcast is Hail Chaos hosted by Alex Garrick Wright. It’s an improvised fantasy comedy. It’s very silly.

And finally, (I think finally - sorry to anyone I know who I’ve forgot to include) if you have kids, a series based on Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s Zog books and head written by Matt Baker is coming out this year via the BBC and Magic Light pictures.

I’ll just add here, anyone I’ve mentioned has more work out there so do look them up.

Thanks to Mark for sharing all this goodness and chatting about parks and urban myths!