Scarborough, Eng.—north of Hornsea on the North Sea (from right to left) Peter Crowther, Nicky Crowther, and an amiable lunatic who wandered into the photo.

Don't let the phrase "small press" fool you; in the seven years since Pete founded the company in 1999, they have published over ninety titles by authors such as Ray Bradbury, Michael Marshall Smith, Ramsey Campbell, and Jeffrey Ford.

Hill House recently spent a couple of days with Pete and Nicky in their home and offices in the lovely town of Hornsea, England, situated right on the shore of the North Sea.

Here's a concise description of PS taken from their web site:

Launched in the spring of 1999, and specialising in the novella (20,000 to 40,000 words), PS is now acknowledged as one of the premier specialist publishers in the fields of SF, Fantasy and Horror fiction. With the company and its output being feted with nine awards in 2003 alone, PS has expanded its output considerably in terms not only of sheer volume but also of the projects with which its involved, with full-length novels/collections and, increasingly, non-fiction becoming key elements of the imprint.

In most cases a young author develops his or her skill and technique over the course of years of writing, until their work finally coalesces into a recognizable style. In Joe Hill's first anthology, however, one has the privilege of seeing a young author—already in possession of that narrative drive and skill—as he flexes his stylistic muscles, trying out a variety of styles and approaches. His stories run the gamut of moods and tones, from the beauty and sentiment of Ray Bradbury, to the darker regions of horror at its best—and there are even one or two experimental efforts that defy any simple categorization.

In short, 20th Century Ghosts—an astonishing collection in its own right—also whets one's appetite for Mr. Hill's foray into novel-length fiction. You won't have to wait long for this—his first novel, Heart-Shaped Box, has been acquired and scheduled for early 2007 by William Morrow in the U.S. and Gollancz in the U.K.

Pete Crowther and the cathedral at Whitby—the town in which Dracula's ship miraculously landed in a storm.

To read more about 20th Century Ghosts—and the many other fine titles published by PS Publishing—visit their website at: http://www.pspublishing.co.uk

And while you're there, make sure to also check out Postscripts magazine. Published and edited by Pete Crowther, Postscripts features around 60,000 words of fiction (SF, Fantasy, Horror and Crime/Suspense), plus a guest editorial, book reviews and occasional non-fiction.