Black Meadow at the Ryedale Book Festival - Saturday 19th October 2013 - The Mystic Moors

I was very nervous.

We arrived early and set out a stall in the main hall at the fabulous Milton Rooms in Malton.

At about ten to 12 we set up in a black box studio theatre to the side of the hall.

We set the ambiance with the first few tracks of "Tales from the Black Meadow".

I.R. Johnson went first with readings from his fascinating book "The Witcher Keys". He spoke of how he had witnessed the effects of elementals whilst working in this area. I was struck by his vivid descriptions of landscape and atmosphere. I look forward to settling down in the the coming winter months with this book.

Of course by now I was getting even more nervous.

Theresa Tomlinson was next and she read extracts from "A Swarming of Bees" an intriguing and exciting Anglo-Saxon set murder mystery. She and Ian were both charming and excellent in their delivery.

Now it was my turn.

A roomful of strangers and I had dared to write a book set in their home county. 

My mouth was dry and I asked for water. Ana our gracious host and MC obliged.

I thought I'd try smiling which seemed to help.

I spoke of our journey from Whitby to Malton across the misty moor by RAF Fylingdales and how we thought we could see the horsemen dancing and hints of roof and chimney through the mist.

I talked of the tragedies and mysteries of Black Meadow.

I read "Can you tell me Maiden Fair". The audience were silent.

I spoke of the folklore surrounding the disappearance and reappearance of the village.

I performed "The Devil and the Yoked Man", Nigel and Kev providing the voices of The Devil and TheYoked Man from behind the audience.

I finished off with "The Horsemen" which provoked laughter and gasps.

Once it was all over we were asked questions about Black Meadow.

People seemed confused and shocked that they hadn't heard of it before.

Then I sold quite a few books and Kev Oyston sold quite a few CDs too.

A wonderful day.

Malton is a beautiful town and the Ryedale Book Festival a very welcoming and exciting event.

Coalman and the Creature - Christmas Card - Spook up your Christmas!

Click here to buy the card! 

 

Make someone very scared this Christmas...

Lambert the Writer: A day out on the Black Meadow

Lambert the Writer: A day out on the Black Meadow: Kev Oyston and Chris Lambert - Black Meadow Collaborators Just before appearing at the Ryedale Book Festival on October 19th October, ...

Tales from the Black Meadow - The Launch - Article in Reading Post

Amazon Review of "Tales from the Black Meadow" - "Groundbreaking new concept..."

5.0 out of 5 stars
Ground-breaking new concept.,
7 Sep 2013 By MR N H WILSON

This review is from: Tales from the Black Meadow (Paperback) 

Wonderful stories, richly illustrated, which describe strange happenings in and around a fictitious(?) location in a real part of North Yorkshire. Cleverly written to convince you it is recounting established, but rarely spoken of, folklore. There is even a separately available CD with haunting compositions by Kev Oyston and a "documentary" giving added authenticity to the tales. Can be enjoyed by readers of all ages, depending on their ability to deal with creepy material.

17 Days to Halloween - The Black Meadow Pumpkin

How to make a Black Meadow Pumpkin...

1. Find a pumpkin.
2. Cut off the top.
3. Hollow out the innards.
4. If you don't have an artistic bone in your body (like me) print out a design and stick it to the outside of the pumpkin. Use Gaffer tape (sellotape tends to fall off).

 

5. Using a pumpkin saw from a pumpkin carving kit cut out the largest bits of the design.

6. Remove the paper and gaffer tape.

7. Put a tealight inside. Light it.

8. Display in window on a dark night when the mist is high.

9. Read "The Land Spheres" and then "The Horsemen" to your lit pumpkin. You can find these here.

Chris Lambert Author Page on Amazon

Check out my Author page on Amazon.

Some fascinating facts on there!

Chris Lambert has been writing since 1991, creating plays for Tilt, Voice, Workswell Productions and his own company Exiled Theatre. He is currently working on his second novel, a time-travelling religious satire. He won the 2012 Reading playwright competition, Off the Block. Chris has been working with Yorkshire musician Kev Oyston on a musical collaboration called "Tales from the Black Meadow" inspired by the strange folk tales surrounding the North York Moors. Chris is also a secondary school Head of Drama and works as a sound artist.

Highlights of his artistic career so far include:

Turning St Mary's Minster into a massive jukebox playing sounds captured from the area.

Mixing fiction, lies and truth in the ghost play "Deadman's Lane" set in the Theale road of the same name.

Recording the "Whispered Hopes" of over a thousand individuals in the creation of a sound installation.

Writing and recording a song about his new moustache for Movember.

Writing and touring the "Official" prequel to "King Lear" - "Edmund Son of Gloucester"

Collaborating with the writer Jonathan Shelley on Shakespearean romp "Kill the Messenger", black supernatural comedy "Vampire Hospital", Poe adaptation "Some words with a Mummy" and portmanteau homage "Detention of Terror".

For more visit the page!