Paul Finch

{{Short description|English author and scriptwriter}} {{Infobox writer  | name = Paul Finch | image = Paul Finch.jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Paul Finch at Liverpool One's Waterstones, 13 March 2015 | native_name = | native_name_lang = | pseudonym = | birth_name = | birth_date =  | birth_place = Lancashire, England | death_date =  | death_place = | resting_place = | occupation = Author, screenwriter, former policeman and journalist | language = | nationality = British | ethnicity = | citizenship = | education = Goldsmiths, University of London | alma_mater = | period = | genre = Crime, thriller, horror, science fiction | subject =  | movement = | notableworks = The "Heck" novels, ''Doctor Who'' | spouse = Catherine Finch | partner =  | children = Eleanor and Harry | relatives = | website = [http://paulfinch-writer.blogspot.co.uk Walking in the Dark] | portaldisp =  }}

'''Paul Finch''' is an English author and scriptwriter. He began his writing career on the British television programme ''The Bill''.<ref>{{cite journal|url= http://www.shotsmag.co.uk/feature_view.aspx?FEATURE_ID=218 |title=Paul Finch on 'Stalkers' and 'Sacrifice' |first=Ayo|last=Onatade |magazine=Shots Crime & Thriller EZINE|access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref> His early scripts were for children's animation. He has written over 300 short stories which have appeared in magazines, such as ''All Hallows'', the magazine of the Ghost Story Society<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ash-tree.bc.ca/GSSregpubs.htm |title=GSS Regular Publications Index |website=ash-tree.bc.ca |year=2014 |access-date=23 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150116002740/http://www.ash-tree.bc.ca/GSSregpubs.htm |archive-date=16 January 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and ''Black Static''.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Martin|first=Thomas L.|url=http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2011/Black-Static-14-Dec-2009Jan-2010-16044.php|title=Black Static 14 Dec 2009/Jan 2010|date=5 January 2011|magazine=SF Crowsnest|access-date=23 November 2014|quote=Issue 14 of 'Black Static' opens well with the excellent story "We, Who Live In The Wood" by Paul Finch.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215042745/http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2011/Black-Static-14-Dec-2009Jan-2010-16044.php|archive-date=15 December 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> He also edits anthologies of Horror stories with the overall title of ''Terror Tales''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Finch|first=Paul|url=http://paulfinch-writer.blogspot.co.uk/p/edited-anthologies.html|title=Edited Anthologies|publisher=Paul Finch|access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Catalogue|url=http://www.grayfriarpress.com/catalogue/index.html|website=Gray Friar Press|access-date=24 November 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030040410/http://grayfriarpress.com/catalogue/index.html|archive-date=30 October 2014}}</ref> He has written variously for the books and other spin-offs from ''Doctor Who.''<ref>{{cite web|last=Finch|first=Paul|url=http://paulfinch-writer.blogspot.co.uk/p/doctor-who.html|title=Doctor Who|publisher=Paul Finch|access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref> He is the author of the ongoing series of DS Mark ''Heck'' Heckenberg novels.

==Early life and education== {{Expand section|date=November 2014}}

Finch is the son of British television scriptwriter and dramatist Brian Finch.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1555954/Brian-Finch.html |title=Brian Finch - Telegraph |work=The Daily Telegraph |publisher=TMG |location=London |issn=0307-1235 |oclc=49632006 |access-date=25 November 2014}}</ref> He studied History at Goldsmiths, University of London<ref>{{Cite web |title=Paul Finch |url=http://blakefriedmann.co.uk/paul-finch-1 |access-date=2026-05-26 |website=Blake Friedmann |language=en-GB}}</ref>. He was a police officer with the Greater Manchester Police until 1988<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-13415710 |title=Wigan writer's delight at Cannes debut film premiere |publisher=BBC|date=16 May 2011|access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref> and later a journalist.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.thisishorror.co.uk/interviews/paul-finch-part-i/ |title=Paul Finch: Part I » This Is Horror |first=Jim |last=Mcleod |website=This Is Horror|access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref> After being made redundant a few times, he turned to freelance writing in 1998.

==Children's animation== In 1998 Finch wrote one episode of ''Little Hippo: Hippos Ahoy'' for Siriol Productions.<ref name=BlakeFriedmann>{{cite web|title=Paul Finch Page|url=http://blakefriedmann.co.uk/paul-finch-film/|website=Blake Freeman|access-date=23 November 2014}}</ref> In 2002 he worked on fifty 6½ minute episodes of an animated TV series for children called ''Nora and the Magic Tree'' for Hogg's Back Films.<ref name=BlakeFriedmann/>

== Film == 400px|thumb|Filming ''The Devil's Rock'' at Wrights Hill Fortress, Karori, Wellington, New Zealand Finch wrote additional material for the 2005 film ''Spirit Trap'' and co-wrote the 2011 film ''The Devil's Rock'' with Paul Campion and Brett Ihaka.

Finch wrote the screenplay for ''War Wolf'', which is in pre-production at Amber Entertainment, with Paul Campion attached to direct.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.amberentertainment.com/#!pre-production/cbdw |title=In Pre Production: War Wolf - Paul Campion|publisher=Amber Entertainment|access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref>

==''Doctor Who''== *"Spoil Sport" - story in ''Short Trips: Destination Prague'', published in 2007 in the series Big Finish ''Short Trips'', featuring the Third Doctor and Jo Grant. The story is set in Prague. {{ISBN|1-84435-253-6}} * Leviathan (audio drama) - this story was originally written by his father, Brian Finch. The script was initially for season 22 of ''Doctor Who''. Paul Finch adapted it for a Big Finish Productions audio in 2010 for ''Doctor Who: The Lost Stories''. It features the Sixth Doctor and Peri Brown and concerns Herne the Hunter. * Hexagora - another ''Doctor Who: The Lost Stories'' audio drama from Big Finish Productions in 2011. This features the Fifth Doctor, Tegan Jovanka and Nyssa. * The Sentinels of the New Dawn - a Companions Chronicles audio drama from Big Finish Productions in 2011. This features the Third Doctor and Liz Shaw. This story is a prequel to ''Leviathan'', which was written by his father Brian Finch.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/leviathan-423 |title=1.03. Leviathan - Doctor Who - The Lost Stories - Big Finish |website=bigfinish.com |access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref> * ''Hunter's Moon'' - this novel featured the Eleventh Doctor, Amy Pond and Rory Williams. (BBC Books 2011, {{ISBN|978-1-84990-236-6}} ) * "Strangers in the Outland" - a story in ''Doctor Who: Tales of Trenzalore: The Eleventh Doctor's Last Stand'' (BBC Books 2014, {{ISBN|978-1849908443}}) thumb|right|180px|Arthur and Mordred in combat, from ''Le Morte d'Arthur''

==Abaddon Books== Paul Finch writes for Abaddon Books, which publishes a number of books with similar themes or in a shared universe. * ''Stronghold'' is in the ''Tomes of the Dead'' series, with the linked theme of zombies; each book has an unusual twist on the theme. This story is set in mediaeval Wales, where druids summon an army of the undead to attack the stronghold of the title. (2010, {{ISBN|978-1907519109}}) * ''Dark North'' is in the ''Malory's Knights of Albion'' series about the knights of King Arthur. The stories come from a fictional sequel to Thomas Malory's ''Le Morte d'Arthur.'' (2012, {{ISBN|978-1907992889}} )

=="Heck" novels== thumb|right|180px|Red Sands Fort - the scene of the finale of ''Stalkers'' * 1. ''Stalkers'' (Avon Books 2013) {{ISBN|978-0-00-749229-9}} * 2. ''Sacrifice'' (Avon Books 2013) {{ISBN|978-0-00-749231-2}} * 3. ''The Killing Club'' (Avon Books 2014) {{ISBN|978-0-00-755125-5}} * 4. ''Dead Man Walking'' (Avon Books 2014) {{ISBN|978-0-00-755127-9}} * 5. ''Hunted'' (Avon Books 2015) {{ISBN|978-0-00-749233-6}} * 6. ''Ashes to Ashes'' (Avon Books 2017) {{ISBN|978-0-00-755129-3}} * 7. ''Kiss of Death'' (Avon Books 2018) {{ISBN|978-0-00-824398-2}} Detective Sergeant Mark Heckenberg, or "Heck", is a British Police Officer and a member of the fictional National Crime Group based at New Scotland Yard. The other constant character in the series is his immediate superior Detective Superintendent Gemma Piper, with whom he has an on and off romantic relationship. In the first book - ''Stalkers'' - they investigate the "Nice Guys Club"; a highly secretive organised crime group that provide highly unpleasant sexual services to the very rich. ''Stalkers'' became a number one e-book bestseller, selling almost 150,000 copies across e-book and paperback.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.thebookseller.com/news/avon-signs-five-finch |title=Avon signs five from Finch|first=Joshua |last=Farrington|website=thebookseller.com |date=14 June 2013|access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref> The second book - ''Sacrifice'' - concerns a group that is killing people in a highly graphic way on particular days of the year, such as being burned alive on Guy Fawkes Night. ''Sacrifice'' was the most pre-ordered ebook in HarperCollins’ history, with more than 12,825 pre-orders.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.wigantoday.net/news/author-makes-history-with-biggest-ever-pre-order-1-5839434 |title=Author makes history with biggest ever pre-order|first=Richard |last=Bean |newspaper=Wigan Today|date=10 July 2013|publisher=Johnson Publishing|access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref> [[File:Buttermere - geograph.org.uk - 288161.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Buttermere in the Lake District - renamed Witch Cradle Tarn in ''Dead Man Walking'']] The third book in the series was to have been ''Hunted'' and the first two chapters of this appear at the end of ''Sacrifice''. However Paul Finch's publishers Avon Books wanted the return of the "Nice Guys Club" sooner than he had intended. Accordingly, they do in ''The Killing Club''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Finch|first=Paul|url=http://paulfinch-writer.blogspot.co.uk/search?updated-max=2014-01-15T14:53:00-08:00|title=Old enemies return in 'The Killing Club|date=19 December 2013|publisher=Paul Finch|access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref> At the end of this book Heck transfers out of the National Crime Squad. The fourth book in the series is now ''Dead Man Walking'', which is now followed by ''Hunted''. ''Dead Man Walking'' is set in the Lake District.

The books are published as eBooks and paperback originals by Avon Books. In 2014 ''The Sun'' newspaper gave away free eBooks of ''Stalkers'' to its readers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blakefriedmann.co.uk/news/paul-finch-ebook-for-sun-readers|title=Free Paul Finch ebook for Sun Readers!|date=1 May 2014|work=Blake Friedmann|access-date=23 November 2014}}</ref> The first 6 chapters of ''The Killing Club'' were made available free to download onto Amazon Kindle.

== Lucy Clayburn novels == * 1. ''Strangers'' (Avon Books, 2016). {{ISBN|978-0-00-755131-6}} * 2. ''Shadows'' (Avon Books, 2017). {{ISBN|978-0-00-755133-0}} * 3. ''Stolen'' (Avon Books, 2019), {{ISBN|978-0-00-824401-9 }}

The title character in the Lucy Clayburn series is an efficient detective, promoted from the uniformed constabulary of the Greater Manchester Police, who struggles to overcome the twin burdens of having once made a life-threatening mistake and the knowledge that her estranged father is a vicious gangster.

==Awards and nominations== * Nomination: 2000 British Fantasy Award ''Ordeals, Inc.'' Best Short Fiction * Nomination: 2001 British Fantasy Award ''The Day After the Day the War Ended'' Best Short Fiction * Nomination: 2001 British Fantasy Award ''The Wayside Woods'' Best Short Fiction * Win: 2002 British Fantasy Award ''After Shocks'' Best Collection Ash Tree Press {{ISBN|1-55310-021-2}}<ref name="BFS Theaker">{{cite web|last=Theaker|first=Stephen|url=http://www.britishfantasysociety.org/british-fantasy-awards/the-british-fantasy-awards-a-short-history/|title=The British Fantasy Awards: A Short History|date=3 March 2009|publisher=The British Fantasy Society|access-date=24 November 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110192543/http://www.britishfantasysociety.org/british-fantasy-awards/the-british-fantasy-awards-a-short-history/|archive-date=10 November 2016}}</ref> * Nomination: 2002 Bram Stoker Awards ''Cape Wrath'' for Best Long Fiction Telos Publishing {{ISBN|1-903889-60-X}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.horror.org/awards/stokerwinnom.htm#2002|title=2002 Bram Stoker Award Nominees & Winners|publisher=Horror Writers Association|access-date=25 November 2014|archive-date=9 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009013055/http://www.horror.org/awards/stokerwinnom.htm#2002|url-status=dead}}</ref> * Nomination: 2002 Bram Stoker Awards ''Long Meg and Her Daughters'' Superior Achievement in Long Fiction * Nomination: 2003 British Fantasy Award ''Cape Wrath'' Best Short Fiction Telos Publishing {{ISBN|1-903889-60-X}}<ref name="SFADB">{{cite web|url=http://www.sfadb.com/Paul_Finch|title=Paul Finch|website=Science Fiction Awards Database|publisher=Mark R. Kelly and the Locus Science Fiction Foundation|access-date=26 November 2014}}</ref> * Win: 2006 International Horror Guild Award ''The Old North Road'' Best Mid-length Fiction<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.horroraward.org/prevrec.html#2006|title=IHG Award Recipients 2006|publisher=International Horror Guild|access-date=25 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051828/http://www.horroraward.org/prevrec.html#2006|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> * Win: 2007 British Fantasy Award ''Kid'' Best Novella<ref name="BFS Theaker" /> * Nomination: 2007 International Horror Guild Award ''The Tank'' Best Short Form<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.horroraward.org/|title=The International Horror Guild Awards for Works from 2007|publisher=International Horror Guild|access-date=25 November 2014}}</ref> * Nomination: 2011 British Fantasy Award ''Sparrowhawk: A Victorian Ghost Story'' Best Novella Pendragon Press {{ISBN|978-1-906864-25-5}}<ref name="BFS Coleborn">{{cite web|last=Coleborn|first=Peter|url=http://www.britishfantasysociety.org/british-fantasy-awards/bfs_fantasy_awards_2011_shortlist/|title=BFS Fantasy Awards 2011: Shortlist|date=27 June 2011|publisher=The British Fantasy Society|access-date=24 November 2014}}</ref> * Nomination: 2011 British Fantasy Award ''Walkers in the Dark'' Best Collection Ash Tree Press {{ISBN|978-1-55310-125-3}}<ref name="BFS Coleborn" /> * Nomination: 2011 British Fantasy Award ''One Monster Is Not Enough'' Best Collection Grey Friar Press {{ISBN|978-1-906331-20-7}}<ref name="BFS Coleborn" />

=={{Anchor|Critical reaction}}Critical reception== John Pelan in a review of ''After Shocks'' said, "I'll go out on a bit of a limb here and say that I think that Finch owes far more to Sheridan Le Fanu than to M R James. A main strength of Finch's work is his deft portrayal of classic supernatural creatures of myth such as the pooka, goblins and dandy dogs, and the incorporation of local legends and mythology was one that certainly served Le Fanu well."<ref>{{cite journal|last=Pelan|first=John|title=After Shocks|date=June 2001|journal=All Hallows|issue=27|page=109|publisher=The Ghost Story Society}}</ref>

Dan Howarth in his review of ''Sparrowhawk'' for the website ''This Is Horror'' said, "One of the principal triumphs of Sparrowhawk is how the story captures the sense of Christmas. The images of deep snow drifts and produce on display in the markets are brilliantly festive, yet Finch still manages to create a sense of terror that holds true to the Victorian spirit of the Christmas ghost story. The scares in the book are sharp and perfectly accentuate a measured and believably atmosphere of dread."<ref>{{cite web|last=Howarth|first=Dan|url=http://www.thisishorror.co.uk/read-horror/book-reviews/sparrowhawk-by-paul-finch/|title=Sparrowhawk by Paul Finch|website=This Is Horror|access-date=23 November 2014}}</ref>

David Marshall<ref>{{cite web|last=Marshall|first=David|title=About|url=http://opionator.wordpress.com/about/|website=Thinking about books|access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref> wrote about ''Dark North,'' "The chase away from the battlefield and into the foothills of the Alps is a magnificently sustained piece of writing."<ref>{{cite web|last=Marshall|first=David|url=http://opionator.wordpress.com/2012/07/07/dark-north-by-paul-finch/|title=Dark North by Paul Finch|date=7 June 2012|website=Thinking About Books|access-date=23 November 2014}}</ref>

==Personal life== Finch and his wife Catherine live in Standish, Greater Manchester;<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.wigantoday.net/news/heck-of-a-time-for-author-paul-1-6969072 |title='Heck' of a time for author Paul|newspaper=Wigan Today|date=24 November 2014 |access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref> he has two children, Eleanor and Harry.<ref name="MEN">{{cite news|author=|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/film-and-tv/wigan-author-puts-a-chill-in-cannes-860088|title=Wigan author puts a chill in Cannes|date=6 May 2011|newspaper=Manchester Evening News|publisher=Trinity Mirror|location=Chadderton, United Kingdom|access-date=26 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://about.me/paulfinch |title=Paul Finch - Author and Screenwriter|first=Paul|last=Finch|website=About.me |access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links== *[http://paulfinch-writer.blogspot.co.uk Paul Finch's blog] *{{IMDb name|1290765}} * {{LCAuth|n2010073979|Paul Finch|0|ue}} * {{isfdb name|11268}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finch, Paul}} Category:Crime novelists Category:Living people Category:People from Wigan Category:English screenwriters Category:English male screenwriters Category:English horror writers Category:English male novelists Category:Year of birth missing (living people)