When I was coming through arrivals at Heathrow Airport one day, I was struck by the sea of signs bearing names. I wondered – how do the people holding these signs know for sure that the person approaching them really is Michael Smith or Sophie Brown? What if that person was just pretending to be Michael or Sophie? How long would they be able to keep up the pretence? Where could it lead? That’s where my idea for ‘Trying On Tobias’ came from.
I have to admit, I didn’t want to write a horror story at first because… I’m afraid of horror. It’s not a specific book or film that frightens me, more the feeling I know it’ll conjure up inside me. That crawly feeling. I don’t like it.
However, I read somewhere that you should do one thing every day that scares you. I saw Create50 were putting together an anthology of horror stories and, because I had a few free days between writing projects, I decided to give it a go. A cha(lle)nge is as good as a rest and all that. I was really pleased when my entry got selected.
Today I heard the narrated version of my story for the Twisted50 audiobook, read by Gary Furlong. I’m relieved and delighted to find that his voice, and his interpretation of the story, is perfect. He skillfully portrays the air of disgust my protagonist has with the world around him, his sense of entitlement and, finally, his mounting fear. Thank you Gary, and thanks everyone at Create50.
Filmmaker, author, screenwriter and founder of Twisted50. Currently directing splinter unit on Mission: Impossible 8.
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