Samantha Lee Howe
BornSamantha Lee Harrison
Manchester, England
Occupation
  • Novelist
  • editor
  • screenwriter
  • short story writer
Genre
Notable works
  • The Stranger In Our Bed
  • House of Killers trilogy
  • Vampire Gene series
  • Jinx Chronicles series
Spouse
​
(m. 2015)​
Website
samanthaleehowe.co.uk

Sam Stone is the horror and fantasy pen name for British multi-award winning Thriller novellist and screenwriter Samantha Lee Howe. She is best known for her USA Today! best selling novel The Stranger In Our Bed published by HarperCollins imprint One More Chapter. This novel has recently been made into a film by production company Buffalo Dragon,[1] The film, directed by Giles Alderson and starring Samantha Bond, Emily Berrington, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Joseph Marcell, Nina Wadia, Bart Edwards and Terri Dwyer, was released on 1 July 2022 on Showtime Networks.[2] Samantha has since sold three more books to HarperCollins One More Chapter and all three were published in 2021 as The House of Killers Trilogy which consists of The House of Killers Book 1, Kill or Die Book 2, and Kill A Spy Book 3.

Howe is the commissioning editor of Telos Publishing imprint Telos Moonrise.[3] In 2022, Howe edited a charity anthology for Telos Publishing in aid of advocacy charity POhWER. The anthology, Criminal Pursuits: Crimes Through Time, was submitted to the Crime Writer's Association for consideration for the CWA Short Story Dagger and six stories from the 14 included were longlisted, three of which made the shortlist resulting in Flesh of a Fancy Woman written by Paul Magrs and featured in the anthology, going on to win this prestigious award.[4]

Early life and education

The youngest of seven children, Howe was born Samantha Lee Harrison in Manchester, England, which forms the partial backdrop of her novel Killing Kiss and is the common location of the Vampire Gene series. In a recent interview with The Daily Express, Howe admitted that her father was abusive and that she was also in an unhappy first marriage because of Domestic violence.[5] As a result, Howe is now a Survivor Ambassador for Yorkshire charity Independent Domestic Abuse Serives also known as IDAS. Despite this difficult start, she graduated with a BA (Hons) in English and Writing for Performance at University of Bolton, a PGCE at Manchester University and her MA in Creative Writing also at Bolton. Her eventual first novel, Gabriele Caccini, was originally written as her dissertation. Stone worked as an English teacher at St Christopher's Church of England High School, Accrington until 2007, where she decided to leave her position after it was discovered that she was the author of Gabriele Caccini, which she had written under the pen name of Paigan Stone.[6][7]

Early career

Howe's debut novel, Gabriele Caccini – published under her original pen name, Paigan Stone – was recognized by Foreword Reviews, an American literary magazine specializing in reviewing books from independent publishers,[8] at its Book of the Year Awards[9] with its Silver Award in Horror for 2007.[10] She was shortlisted for the August Derleth Award for Best Novel in the British Fantasy Awards for her second novel, Futile Flame. This book was also a 2009 finalist in the ForeWord Book of the Year Awards,[11] while the third book in the series, Demon Dance, was a finalist for the 2010 Foreword awards[12] and won the August Derleth Award for Best Novel in the British Fantasy Awards 2011.[13] This made Stone the first female writer to win the August Derleth Award since Tanith Lee did so in 1980. However, after the awards were announced, there was controversy over the voting and so Stone publicly returned the Award, not wishing to be associated with something which might have been awarded erroneously. The BFS then declared that the voting was valid,[14] but then in a later statement announced that the Best Novel would be declared a 'No Award' for that year, assuming (without asking) that Stone's return of the award meant that she did not want it.[15] She also won the Best Short Story Award in the British Fantasy Awards in the same year.[13]

In August 2012 Telos Publishing issued a press release announcing the forthcoming audio of Sam Stone's horror collection, Zombies In New York.[16] Telos also published her Steampunk/horror novella Zombies at Tiffany's.[17]

Gabriele Caccini was re-edited and re-released as Killing Kiss under the pen name Sam Stone in September 2008 by The House of Murky Depths. Writer Tanith Lee gave a quote for the back of the book which said : "A deceptively readable date with darkness – watch your step! This book is lit for the much more discerning chick (and cock) who likes to walk in the shadows. Relax with it, but be prepared for sudden jewels and little masterpieces – and the rug to be pulled from under your feet."[18]

Howe went on to write a further four titles in the Vampire Gene series: Futile Flame, Demon Dance, Hateful Heart and Silent Sand. She then moved to Telos Publishing for reprints of the series and the first print of the sixth novel, Jaded Jewel.[19]

In 2011 a short story collection, Zombies in New York and Other Bloody Jottings, was published by Telos Publishing. The collection was later picked up in October 2012 by AudioGo.[20]

In 2013 it was announced that Howe, writing still as Sam Stone was involved as a screenwriter for a Doctor Who spin-off film;[21] White Witch of Devil's End was released on 13 November 2017 on DVD as part of "The Daemons of Devil's End" boxset by Reeltime Pictures.[22]

|In May 2015 Stone became host of her own radio show, The Stone Tapes, on Lincolnshire radio station SirenRadio[23] In the June 2016 edition of Locus Magazine, it was announced that Stone had sold a new novel, Posing for Picasso, to Kevin J Anderson at Wordfire Press. The book went to print in January 2018.

Awards and nominations

  • The Stranger In Our Bed: Best Indie Film Awards Festival : BEST THRILLER SCREENPLAY [24]
  • The Stranger In Our Bed: Austin International Art Festival : BEST SCRIPT IN A FEATURE FILM [25]
  • The Stranger In Our Bed: Paris Lady MovieMakers Festival: BEST FEMALE FEATURE FILM WRITER [26]
  • The Stranger In Our Bed: Paris Lady MovieMakers Festival: BEST SCRIPT WRITER [27]
  • The Stranger In Our Bed: Rio De Janeiro World Film Festival - Winner BEST WRITER [28]
  • The Stranger In Our Bed: Milan Filmmaker Awards - Winner BEST SCRIPT[29]
  • Within Her Walls : The Script Awards Los Angeles - Winner BEST BOOK[30]
  • The Stranger In Our Bed: 2023 National Film Awards Winner of BEST THRILLER[31]
  • Gabriele Caccini: 2007 ForeWord Magazine Book of Year Awards Silver Award Winner for Best Horror Novel[10]
  • Futile Flame: 2010 British Fantasy Award finalist[32]
  • Futile Flame: 2009 Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Awards Finalist[11]
  • Demon Dance: 2010 ForeWord Magazine Book of Year Awards Finalist[12]
  • Demon Dance: 2011 British Fantasy Society Awards 2011 Winner – subsequently returned due to the initial controversy, but 'No Award' stated by the BFS despite the awards being cleared of any issues.[13]
  • Fool's Gold: Short fiction: 2011 British Fantasy Society Awards 2011 Winner[13]

Writing credits

Novels, novellas and collections

Samantha Lee Howe Novels
  • Kill A Spy Book #3 House of Killers HarperCollins' One More Chapter Imprint - ISBN 978-0008444594
  • Kill Or Die Book #2 House of Killers HarperCollins' One More Chapter Imprint - ISBN 978-0008444617
  • The House of Killers Book #1 House of Killers HarperCollins' One More Chapter Imprint - ISBN 978-0008444570
  • The Stranger In Our Bed HarperCollins' One More Chapter Imprint - ISBN 978-0008374587
Sam Stone Novels
  • Posing For Picasso SLH Ltd - ISBN 979-8781931200
  • Jinx Bound Telos Publishing - ISBN 978-1-84583-971-0
  • Posing For Picasso Wordfire Press - ISBN 978-1614756224
  • Jaded Jewel Telos Publishing - ISBN 978-1-84583-918-5
  • Jinx Magic Telos Publishing - ISBN 978-1-84583-111-0
  • Kat of Green Tentacles Telos Publishing - ISBN 978-1-84583-099-1
  • Jinx Town Telos Publishing – ISBN 978-1-84583-096-0
  • The Darkness Within – Final Cut Telos Publishing -ISBN 978-1-84583-874-4
  • Kat on a Hot Tin Airship, Telos Publishing – ISBN 978-1-84583-086-1
  • Gabriele Caccini – ISBN 978-1-4259-6656-0
  • Killing Kiss, Book 1 in the Vampire Gene Series – The House of Murky Depths – ISBN 978-1-906584-07-8
  • Futile Flame, Book 2 in the Vampire Gene Series – The House of Murky Depths – ISBN 978-1-906584-08-5
  • Demon Dance, Book 3 in the Vampire Gene Series – The House of Murky Depths – ISBN 978-1-906584-09-2
  • Hateful Heart, A Vampire Gene Novel – The House of Murky Depths – ISBN 978-1-906584-27-6
  • Silent Sand, A Vampire Gene Novel – The House of Murky Depths – ISBN 978-1-906584-41-2
Novellas
Collections
  • Crimes of Passion - Telos Publishing ISBN 978-1-84583-225-4 Nov 2023
  • Legends of Cthulhu and Other Nightmares - Telos Publishing ISBN 978-1-84583-134-9 Oct 2019
  • The Complete Lightfoot - Limited Hardback of All Kat Lightfoot Tales - Telos Publishing ISBN 978-1-84583-131-8 Jan 2019
  • Cthulhu and Other Monsters - Collection of Lovecraftian and other tales - Telos Publishing ISBN 978-1-84583-122-6
  • Zombies in New York & Other Bloody Jottings – Collection of stories and poetry – Telos Publishing ISBN 978-1-84583-055-7

Audio

  • Freya The Confessions of Dorian Gray Season 4 - Big Finish November 2015
  • Zombies at Tiffany's – Spokenworld Audio October 2013
  • The Darkness Within – AudioGo – October 2013.
  • Zombies in New York and Other Bloody Jottings – AudioGo ISBN 978-1-47131-940-2 October 2012.

Screenwriting

Samantha Lee Howe
  • House of Killer - Pilot
  • The Stranger in Our Bed - Buffalo Dragon - Release in USA on Showtime 1 July 2022
Sam Stone
  • The White Witch of Devil's End – Reeltime Pictures – Release in Nov 2017 as DVD 6 part Drama.

Short stories

Samantha Lee Howe
  • Gwen - ( As S L Howe) Short Fiction Contribution "Terror Tales of the West Country" Telos Publishing Oct 2022
  • Trophy Wife - Short Fiction Contirbution "Black in the Night" Titan Books Oct 2022
  • Slash - Short Fiction Contribution "Criminal Pursuits: Crimes Through Time", Telos Publishing Oct 2021
  • The Dead Don't Die Twice, - Short Fiction Contribution "Straight Outta Dodge City", Baen Books Feb 2020
Sam Stone
  • The Bastet Society, - Short Fiction Contribution "Tails of Terror", Golden Goblin Dec 2018
  • Prologue, The Inheritance, Epilogue - Short Fiction Contributions "The Daemons of Devil's End", Telos Publishing Nov 2017
  • Sacrifice - Short Fiction Contribution "Through a Mythos Darkly" - PS Publishing Jun 17
  • The Curse of the Blue Diamond - Short Fiction Contribution - "The Further Associates of Sherlock Holmes" Titan Books Oct 2017
  • Breaking Point - Short Fiction Contribution "Return of the Old Ones" - Dark Regions Press Mar 17
  • The Gold of Roatan - Short Fiction Contribution "Dread Shadows in Paradise" - Golden Goblin 2016
  • Tell Me No Lies - Short Story Contribution "Heroes of Red Hook" - Golden Goblin 2016
  • The Puppet Master - Short Story Contribution "Edge of Sundown" - Chaosium Dec 2016
  • Fallout - Short Story Contribution "Atomic Age Cthulhu" - Chaosium May 2015
  • The Curse of Guangxu - Short Story Contribution "The Mammoth Book of Sherlock Holmes Abroad" - Constable and Robinson April 2015
  • A Is for Acluaphobia: The Promise - Short Fiction Contribution "Phobophobias" Western Legends Dec 2014
  • The Vessel – Short Story Contribution "The Dark Rites of Cthulhu" – April Moon Books March 2014
  • Sonar City – Short Story Contribution "Eldritch Chrome" – Chaosium December 2013
  • The Jealous Sea – Short Story Contribution "Terror Tales of the Seaside" Gray Friar Press – Oct 2013
  • The Last Resort - Short Fiction Contribution "Fear the Reaper" Crystal Lake Publishing Oct 2013
  • Imogen – Short Story Contribution "Best British Fantasy" – Salt Publishing April 2013
  • Urban Wolf – Short Story Contribution "Demonologia Biblica" Western Legends – Feb 2013.
  • Imogen – Short Story Contribution "Siblings" – Hersham Horror Sept 2012
  • Hammer Out Books of Ghosts – Short Story Contributions "Immortal Monster" and "Chillers and Breathers" – ISBN 978-1-906263-58-4 Published by Fantom Films
  • Full Fathom Forty – Short Story Contribution "The Toymaker's House" – ISBN 978-0-9538681-3-1 – published by The British Fantasy Society
  • BFS Journal – Short Story Contribution "Walking the Dead" – published by The British Fantasy Society
  • The Bitten Word – Short Story Contribution "Fool's Gold" – NewCon Press ISBN 978-1-907069-07-9

Editor

Current publishers

  • HarperCollins: The Stranger in our Bed; The House of Killers; Kill or Die; Kill A Spy
  • Telos Publishing: Zombies in New York and Other Bloody Jottings; Kat Lighfoot Mysteries; Jinx Chronicles; Vampire Gene series; The Darkness Within: Final Cut; Cthulhu and Other Monsters
  • Spokenworld Audio: Zombies At Tiffany's
  • Constable and Robinson: The Mammoth Book of Sherlock Holmes Abroad
  • Titan Books: The Further Associates of Sherlock Holmes; Black is the Night
  • PS Publishing Through A Mythos Darkly
  • Golden Goblin: Dread Shadows in Paradise; Heroes of Red Hook
  • Dark Regions Press: Return of the Old Ones
  • Big Finish Productions: The Confessions of Dorian Gray
  • Chaosium: Edge of Sundown; Eldritch Chrome; Atomic Age Cthulhu

Former publisher

References

  1. ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (7 December 2020). "U.K. Outfit Buffalo Dragon Launches with Thriller 'The Stranger in Our Bed,' Starring Samantha Bond (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 22 July 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  2. ↑ Billington, Alex (29 June 2022). "New UK Trailer for Disappearance Thriller 'The Stranger in Our Bed'". FirstShowing.net. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  3. ↑ "Telos Moonrise Launches". British Fantasy Society. 23 March 2013. Archived from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  4. ↑ "Short Story Dagger 2022 Winner | Paul Magrs | From: Criminal Pursuits: Crime Through Time | Flesh of a Fancy Woman". Crime Writers' Association. Archived from the original on 13 July 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  5. ↑ Crawford, Sue (8 August 2022). "The girl least likely to succeed who rewrote her own future". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  6. ↑ Watkinson, David (10 February 2007). "Teacher investigated for 'lurid' vampire websites". Lancashire Telegraph. Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  7. ↑ "Ex-Accrington teacher's vampire book joy". Lancashire Telegraph. 10 June 2008. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  8. ↑ "About Foreword". forewordreviews.com. 19 September 2022. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  9. ↑ "Foreword INDIES". forewordreviews.com. 19 September 2022. Archived from the original on 23 August 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  10. 1 2 "2007 Foreword Winners in Horror (Adult Fiction)". forewordreviews.com. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  11. 1 2 "2009 Foreword Finalists in Horror (Adult Fiction)". forewordreviews.com. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  12. 1 2 "2010 Foreword INDIES Finalists in Horror (Adult Fiction)". forewordreviews.com. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "And the winners are … BFA winners announced!". British Fantasy Society. 3 October 2011. Archived from the original on 6 August 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  14. ↑ "Official BFS Statement Concerning Awards. - The British Fantasy Society". www.britishfantasysociety.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 October 2011.
  15. ↑ "Second Update from Acting Chair Graham Joyce - The British Fantasy Society". www.britishfantasysociety.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 October 2011.
  16. ↑ Telos News
  17. ↑ "Zombies at Tiffany's (Kat Lightfoot # 1) – Telos Publishing". 5 May 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  18. ↑ "Futile Flame (Vampire Gene, #2)". Goodreads. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  19. ↑ Howe, David J. (17 August 2015). "Sam Stone's Vampires Come to Telos – Telos Publishing". Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  20. ↑ Telos (14 October 2012). "Zombies on Audio – Telos Publishing". Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  21. ↑ "White Witch of Devil's End DVD | the British Fantasy Society".
  22. ↑ "Doctor Who News - the Daemons of Devil's End - Exclusive Preview".
  23. ↑ Gent, Jay (11 August 2017). "Podcast of the Week: 'The Stone Tapes' » We Are Cult". We Are Cult. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  24. ↑ https://bestfilmawards.com/winners/best-indie-film-award
  25. ↑ https://aiffestival.net/winners-november-2023/
  26. ↑ https://pariswomenfestival.org/winners-october-2023/
  27. ↑ https://pariswomenfestival.org/winners-october-2023/
  28. ↑ http://riofestival.org/winners-summer-2023/
  29. ↑ https://mafafestival.org/2023/11/10/winners-fall-2023/
  30. ↑ https://scriptshowcase.wordpress.com/september-2023-results/
  31. ↑ Emily, Olivia (4 July 2023). "The Winners Of The National Film Awards 2023 Have Been Revealed". Country and Town House. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  32. ↑ "The British Fantasy Society | Welcome to the British Fantasy Society".
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