Ancient folklore and local mythology adapted for contemporary fiction.
Author Media Kit 2026 | Simon McCall — Mac Versus Monsters
Mac Versus Monsters Universe
Simon McCall
Two worlds. One Guardian.
Contemporary British folk horror rooted in Cumbria, the Borders, and Scotland—where real landscapes, inherited loyalties, and ancient creatures collide.
★★★★★ Readers’ Favorite
Official Editorial Review:“The writing is exceptional… gripping, refreshingly original, and the perfect work for fans of folk horror.” — Romuald Dzemo
9–11 October 2026 | Crowne Plaza Glasgow
Official attending guest and author panelist. Available for in-person media interviews, podcast recordings, book signings, and rights discussions.
Britain’s old stories, brought back into the weather.
Simon McCall writes atmospheric supernatural fiction where ancient folklore is not safely contained in the past. It waits beneath reservoirs, beside lonely fells, and inside the names of places people think they know.
Across two published collections and the forthcoming novel The Corpse Road, retired Royal Military Police investigator Connor “Mac” McClymont (51) is drawn into a hidden conflict between the human world, the Fae, and corporate syndicates weaponising landscape, ancestry, and memory.
Books in the Universe
Published collections and forthcoming full-length novels.
Eight interlinked folk-horror encounters introducing Connor “Mac” McClymont and his converted Land Rover ambulance, “The Badger.” When corporate deep-drilling breaches an ancient tomb under Skiddaw, Mac must navigate rogue mercenaries and awakened aquatic horrors.
The conflict expands across the border. The Campbell Heritage Trust systematically provokes Scotland’s most dangerous dormant entities (the Each-Uisge, Baobhan Sith, and Nuckelavee) to forge a geographic blood-sacrifice circle. Mac must invoke his Norse-Gaelic heritage to break the contract.
When drought exposes the drowned ruins of Mardale, an ancient coffin road awakens. A riderless packhorse bears an empty coffin while a wounded Fae woman seeks sanctuary. Pursued by Ironbound guardians, Mac must prevent the deadway from becoming a permanent crossing.
Press, Podcast & Festival Angles
Ready-made discussion topics for broadcasters, reviewers, and event chairs.
Folklore Beneath Familiar Ground
How real British fells, drowned valleys, and Gaelic lore operate as active narrative forces rather than decorative scenery.
Investigator to Monster Hunter
Deconstructing Mac’s military policing discipline—approaching supernatural entities as tactical problems rather than gothic tropes.
When Old Routes Wake Again
The history and legal customs of corpse roads and coffin paths, exploring the fictional question: Who decides where the dead belong?
Across the Border
Expanding a dark fantasy universe from Cumbrian ghost lore into Scottish clan history and isolated island mythology.
Author Bio & Press Assets
Official bios approved for festival programmes, podcasts, and reviews.
Short Bio (50 Words)
Simon McCall is a Cumbrian author whose supernatural fiction draws on the folklore, ghost lore, and ancient mythology of Cumbria and Scotland. He is the creator of Mac Versus Monsters, combining action-thriller pacing, regional history, and a reluctant former military investigator who tracks monsters hidden in the landscape.
Available For
• Guest Author & Panel Appearances
• Podcast, Radio & Broadcast Interviews
• Regional Press Features & Folklore Articles
• Review Copies (ARCs) & TV Rights Discussions
Britain’s old stories, brought back into the weather.
Simon McCall writes atmospheric supernatural fiction in which ancient folklore is not safely contained in the past. It waits beneath reservoirs, beside lonely roads and inside the names of places people think they know.
Across two published books and the forthcoming full-length novel The Corpse Road, retired Royal Military Police investigator Connor “Mac” McClymont is drawn into a secret conflict between the human world, the Fae and forces that treat landscape, ancestry and memory as weapons.
The stories combine the forward momentum of a thriller with place-based folklore, dry British character work and the unsettling idea that every legend began as a warning.
“A loch, a fell, a ruined church or an abandoned road can carry a story before a character even arrives.”
01
Cumbria
Eight interlinked encounters move through Skiddaw, Bassenthwaite, Muncaster, Windermere, Armathwaite Hall and the Solway coast.
02
Across the Border
Scottish lochs, glens and island coasts open a wider conflict shaped by folklore, clan rivalry and old bargains.
03
The deadway
A drowned village and an awakened coffin road draw Mac into his first full-length standalone supernatural thriller.
Simon McCall Media Kit — The Cumbria Chronicles
Published book one
Published
Mac Versus Monsters: The Cumbria Chronicles
Eight interlinked folk-horror novellas rooted in the landscape, legend and ghost lore of Cumbria.
Cumbria is a land of brooding fells, mist-shrouded lakes and secrets that have slumbered since the last Ice Age. Retired Royal Military Police investigator Connor “Mac” McClymont wants only the quiet of the road, travelling in “the Badger”, his black-and-white former military Land Rover ambulance. Instead, he is pulled into an ancient war armed with an investigator’s instincts, silver-tipped rounds and the weight of a past he cannot outrun.
FormatComposite novel / complete collection
GenreFolk horror and supernatural thriller
ISBN9781036957926
Amazon ASINB0GYS91JMN
RRP£9.99
Direct price£8.99
The eight encounters
The Skiddaw Ghost
The Fae of Elva Hill
The Genius Loci
The Bassenthwaite Eachy
The Muncaster Boggle
The Witch of Windermere
The Grey Lady of Armathwaite Hall
The Solway Phantom Barge
“A fantastic read with a very well plotted storyline. Looking forward to another book.”
★★★★★ Amazon customer review
Simon McCall Media Kit — The Clan Chronicles
Published book two
Published
Mac Versus Monsters: The Clan Chronicles
Scotland’s lochs, glens and island coasts become gateways to old folklore and a clan conflict that refuses to stay buried.
The world of The Cumbria Chronicles expands north. Each story offers a self-contained supernatural encounter while a wider arc reveals the human and otherworldly consequences of old bargains, inherited loyalties and the Lamont–Campbell feud.
SettingCarlisle, the Highlands and Scotland’s island coasts
GenreScottish folklore, supernatural mystery and dark fantasy
Mythic threatsEach-uisge, nuckelavee, Cù Sìth and more
Amazon ASINB0H8P5TD4F
The opening story uses Carlisle as a borderland threshold. From there, the narrative moves towards Highland water, ancient glens and exposed island coasts — places where landscape and legend seem to occupy the same ground.
Why it stands out
Across the Border: a connected regional fantasy universe moving from Cumbria into Scottish folklore and clan history.
Short-form intensity: novella-length supernatural encounters that stand alone while feeding a larger mystery.
Folklore with consequences: traditional beings are treated as living forces with motives, territories and history.
Two worlds. One Guardian. One road the dead must travel.
When drought exposes the drowned foundations of Mardale, an iron-bound object is removed from the ruins and an abandoned Cumbrian coffin road awakens. A riderless packhorse begins carrying an empty coffin towards Shap, while an impossible funeral procession gains a new mourner every time it crosses running water.
A wounded Fae woman asks Mac for sanctuary. On the Corpse Road she cannot disguise herself, alter a memory or speak an outright lie. The Ironbound guardians hunting her claim she stole something from the dead centuries ago — and the Campbell Heritage Trust intends to turn the road into a permanent crossing between worlds.
FormatFull-length standalone novel
GenreSupernatural thriller, dark fantasy and folk horror
Primary settingHaweswater, Mardale, Swindale Head and Shap
PublicationAutumn 2026
The central rule
A coffin road does not lead from one place to another. It leads from one state of being to another.
The dead may travel the road once. The Fae may cross it only in their true form. The Ironbound may never leave it.
Simon McCall Media Kit — Press and Author Biography
Press and programming
Strong editorial angles
The books offer ready-made entry points for regional press, literary festivals, podcasts, book clubs, folklore programmes and genre features.
Folklore beneath familiar ground
How real Cumbrian and Scottish landscapes become active forces in contemporary supernatural fiction.
From military investigator to monster hunter
Building Mac as a dry, practical and reluctant hero whose investigative discipline collides with the impossible.
The road from novella to novel
Moving from eight tightly connected encounters to the broader, full-length architecture of The Corpse Road.
Cumbria as dark-fantasy territory
Why fells, drowned villages, lakes, halls and the Solway coast provide more than atmospheric scenery.
Across the Border
Expanding one supernatural universe from Cumbria into Scottish clan history, folklore and island landscapes.
When old routes wake again
The historical idea of coffin roads and the fictional question at the heart of the new novel: who decides where the dead belong?
About Simon McCall
Short bio • 52 words
Simon McCall is a Cumbrian author whose supernatural fiction draws on the folklore, ghost lore and ancient mythology of Cumbria and Scotland. He is the creator of Mac Versus Monsters, a dark-fantasy series combining action-thriller momentum, regional history and a reluctant former military investigator who keeps finding the monsters hidden in the landscape.
Feature bio • 111 words
Simon McCall is a Cumbrian author and creator of Mac Versus Monsters: The Cumbria Chronicles and The Clan Chronicles. His fiction draws directly on the fells, lakes, coastlines, folklore and ghost lore of northern Britain, combining action-thriller pacing with supernatural mystery and place-based storytelling. At the centre is Connor “Mac” McClymont, a retired Royal Military Police investigator and reluctant monster hunter whose practical instincts are repeatedly tested by forces older than the roads he travels. McCall’s forthcoming full-length novel, The Corpse Road, returns Mac to the eastern Lake District, where an awakened funeral route turns grief, identity and the boundary between worlds into weapons.
Available for
Author interviews and profiles
Podcast and radio conversations
Festival and library appearances
Folklore and regional-history panels
Book-club discussions
Review copies and extracts
Cover artwork and press images
Advance coverage of The Corpse Road
Simon McCall Media Kit — Contact
Press • Events • Reviews
Step onto the road.
For interviews, review copies, cover artwork, extracts, event appearances and advance information about The Corpse Road, contact Simon directly.
PublishedThe Cumbria Chronicles • The Clan Chronicles
NextThe Corpse Road • Autumn 2026
“What leaves the house must reach the earth.”
Press use: cover images and supplied promotional artwork may be used in connection with editorial coverage of Simon McCall and the listed books.
Monster Hunting in 21st Century Britain: Mac’s Arsenal
Mac’s Arsenal — A4 Summary Sheet
Mac Versus Monsters / field inventory
Mac’s Arsenal
Five field assets developed for subtle and safe tactical use against supernatural threats in the UK.
Reality boundary: The supernatural payloads, manifestation effects, and tactical ratings are fictional story-lore. The physical product images represent real-world objects that must only be used lawfully, with manufacturer-approved components and safe handling.
M46A–IL
Iron-Leaf M46A
Double Eagle FAMAS-style spring airsoft replica, carried in the fiction as a controlled non-lethal platform firing Iron-Leaf-coated ball bearings for manifestation deterrence.
ENERGY / threshold DISRUPTION
WIND–IL
Kaya Wind Fighter Bow and Iron-Coated Blunt Arrows
Korean traditional bow assigned a quiet field role: a 50 lb draw strength, 70 m effective range carrying fictional Iron-filings-coated blunt arrows for stealthy manifestation disruption.
Stealth / ENERGY DISPERSAL
SANCTUM–3
Consecrated-Water Projector
Cordless pressure washer paired with a three-litre CamelBak reservoir of consecrated holy water. Accurate, high pressure, long range delivery of manifestation-disrupting holy water
ENTITY DISTRACTION OR DETERRENCE
VEIL–50
Iron-Silver Veil Cannon
50 cm twist-base confetti cannon, filling replaced with iron and silver foil slivers used in fiction as a single-burst device aimed into the materialising core of a poltergeist or malevolent spirit.
NON-CORPOREAL HAND GRENADE OR CLAYMORE
M.I.C.K.
Mythical Intelligence and Cryptid Knowledge (M.I.C.K.)
Mac’s portable research, intelligence, and real-time monitoring AI assistant: a custom mobile app linked to a collar-mounted Bluetooth microphone and speaker, drawing on Yusuf the Magi’s metaphysical library and a GCHQ-programmed tactical layer.
Research / intelligence / live monitoring
Field note: M.I.C.K. is included as the support system rather than a weapon. All fictional ammunition, consecrated-water effects, Iron-Silver Veil effects, and supernatural ratings belong to the story world; real devices must never be modified with metal, foil, particulate payloads, or unapproved fluids.
Image and product provenance:
M46A reference: Just BB Guns ·
Kaya reference: LA Sports ·
JML reference: eBay listing /
JML Direct ·
Veil reference: SFX Supplies ·
M.I.C.K. visual: generated blueprint illustration for this fictional dossier.
Mac Versus Monsters – The Cumbria Chronicles: The ….
Cumbria – an ancient corner of England, rugged and remote. The Romans built a wall to keep things out, but they never dealt with what was already here. The Norse, the Celts… they left their mark, and their myths. And myths are just memories of things that were, and often, things that still are. Someone’s got to deal with these supernatural creatures, and guess who drew the short straw?!
We all experience those times when our minds are in ‘overdrive’…lots of things all competing for our attention at the same time, all going around and around in our heads.
The exercises in this book are designed to act as your ‘Circuit-breaker’ and quieten those noisy thoughts to give your mind a rest, and help you to regain your sense of calm control. Whenever you feel the need to give yourself a ‘time-out’ and give your mind a break from all the noisy thoughts swirling around in there, reach for this book…and Relax.
Visualisation exercises are particularly good for quieting the mind before sleeping, and colouring exercises are a great way to relax on your commute. This book has been designed to be small and light enough to carry with you so it can be within reach wherever and whenever you need it.
Combining two powerful techniques for relieving feelings of anxiety, guided visualisation and distraction, ‘First Aid For The Anxious Mind’ is your take-anywhere, use-anytime toolkit for the times when you sense those overwhelming feelings are looming.
Simon McCall is a contemporary author and artist in digital/new media whose work is deeply rooted in the landscapes and legends of Northern England. Living and working in Cumbria, his creative process is a constant dialogue between the written word and visual expression.
Combining the disciplines of art and writing, Simon’s literary works often possess a cinematic quality, painting vivid pictures of the human condition against the backdrop of the wild Cumbrian fells. His novels explore themes of isolation, heritage, and the thin veil between reality and folklore.
Previously exhibited at the Florence Arts Centre, and finalist in the prestigious Anthology Magazine International Creative Awards, Simon is a British contemporary New Media artist, and author of ‘Digital & AI Art’ (Amazon & Kindle Unlimited).
Inspired by the landscapes of the English Lake District and seascapes of the Cumbrian coast, his style utilises colours, textures, light and perspective to represent, rather than recreate, landscape scenes.
“A fusion of traditional, heavily textured ‘impasto’ painting with modern digital design techniques, the results are Simon’s beautiful and unique abstract landscapes and seascapes which adorn the walls of homes, offices, hotels and public around the world.” – Fine Art America
When not at his writing desk or digital studio, Simon can be found navigating the high ridges of the Lake District, which serve as his primary source of inspiration for both his prose and his atmospheric landscape paintings.
A collection of visual works inspired by the rugged textures and shifting light of the Cumbrian landscape.
Additional works and private commissions available upon request.
All images are printed to order, at any size up to A0 (64cm x 112cm). Prints can be onto a range of media including textured art paper, stretched canvas, lightweight rigid panels, acrylic sheet, aluminium panel, weatherproof boards and fabric. Prints can be personalised by request.
Image Licensing is also available.
Let’s connect and have a chat about what you’re looking for, and what options/prices I can offer. I aim to keep my artwork accessible and prices reflect this. As an indication, my most popular format is:
High definition (300dpi) full colour print, onto A3 size traditional textured art paper (unframed), including free shipping (*UK mainland only) = £24.99
*I have a network of trusted printers in Europe, North & South America, Asia and Australia, and for international orders I always aim to have the product produced as locally as possible to minimise shipping costs and import/export tariffs.
Press & Media
Welcome to the online press room for Simon McCall. Simon is available for interviews, author events, guest podcasts, and articles.
Media Assets Below you will find approved high-resolution images and book covers for media use.
Short Bio (50 words) Simon McCall is a contemporary author and artist in digital/new media whose work is deeply rooted in the landscapes and legends of Northern England. Living and working in Cumbria, his creative process is a constant dialogue between the written word and visual expression.
Medium Bio (100+ words) Simon McCall is a contemporary author and artist in digital/new media whose work is deeply rooted in the landscapes and legends of Northern England. Living and working in Cumbria, his creative process is a constant dialogue between the written word and visual expression.
Combining the disciplines of art and writing, Simon’s literary works often possess a cinematic quality, painting vivid pictures of the human condition against the backdrop of the wild Cumbrian fells. His novels explore themes of isolation, heritage, and the thin veil between reality and folklore.
Author of the critically-acclaimed dark fantasy series ‘Mac Versus Monsters‘ Simon is currently working on the next installment The Corpse Road which he is aiming to release in Autumn 2026.
Interview Topics & Angles Simon is an engaging guest and is always happy to discuss:
The Sense of ‘Place’: More than just a backdrop…Location as a character and storyline driver.
Adapting Traditional Folklore for Contemporary Fiction: If a story has endured for generations, it’s already a good story…don’t fiddle too much with it!.
Monster-Hunting in 21st Century Britain: The traditional rock salt-loaded shotguns and revolvers firing silver-tipped ammunition used to great effect by our American cousins, if used here in Blighty, may draw unwanted attention! So how have we adapted (and improved!) the British monster hunter’s arsenal?
Contact & Booking For all press inquiries, interview requests, or event bookings, please reach out directly at: hello@simonmccall.art
