Legion, Legion, who the f*ck is Legion?

Author Biography

 

Born in 1979 under dark, Northern skies from both Scottish and Irish heritage, surrounded by a large working class family structure that had its complications, quirks and relationships. I’ve lived all over the UK based on whatever circumstances necessitated at the time. 

 

I’ve spent the last 20+ years raising children and living life. Along the way, I’ve always “dabbled” with creative writing, building the stories and worlds that I would ultimately be interested in reading, and seeing transferred to the screen via television or film. 

 

Writing was primarily a form of escapism, but it’s only in the last few years of my life, following on from the usual toils of life; breakdowns of relationships, dealing with the unfortunate certainty of death and the subsequent fallout that reverberates when someone is taken too soon, that I decided to channel these experiences into the stories that I had plotted and planned over the previous three decades. 

 

I’ve kept every document, novel, plot, plan and poem I’ve ever put to page. When creating bedtime stories or Christmas myths for my children, everything was kept digitally. An anally-obsessive level of data retention is a permanent hindsight reminder I should probably have got my diagnosis quite a few years earlier. 

 

A late life diagnosis of AuDHD made me able to channel my personality quirks into an effective tool for cathartic release and I find myself back putting words to the page, and in turn, adding more realistic personalities to the characters I have created, in the stories I wish to tell. 

 

Many people say “I’m going to write a book” and seldom do. I decided to take that cliché and fire it into the darkness that I knew I could create. 

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Influences and Logic

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I grew up heavily influenced by James Herbert, Clive Barker, Stephen King and Richard Laymon, reading their books far too young. I was also obsessed with films with practical makeup effects, which led to my horror fixation. However, it’s not just horror that’s impacted my life. 

 

Crime, noir and thrillers have all influenced me whilst serial killers and true crime have permeated my psyche. I have an interest in emotions (given I struggle to process them in normal ways most times) and the psychological reasoning behind why people act the way they do and why humans can slip into barbaric acts of cruelty. 

I have a keen interest in aspects of history. That is to say, if I am into it, I am wholly invested in soaking up as much information as possible about it with a hyperfixation. If it doesn’t pique my interest, no amount of force in the world will pull me in. I’ve never connected with fantasy because dragons and elves were just too far removed from reality - but monsters as a metaphor for humanity’s dark sides, well, pour me out a big old glass and I’ll quaff it like a glass of water in a desert. 

 

As will be evident as you read my work, you’ll see what my interests were or what I had a temporary obsession with. Rabbit holes of research can take me away from what I’m supposed to be doing (yay procrastination), but also, if I’m describing a gun, I want you to know what firearm I’m referring to. I want you to be able to search for it and see an image of it. So if I get technical, there’s a reason. It’s a matter of attention to detail. Some people would say too much detail, but, like, that’s just your opinion. 

 

Ultimately though, no matter what I am writing, reading or absorbing, I am always pulled back to horror. I think it’s the most relatable form of art (which is entirely subjective, much like this opinion) and one of the most accessible. I understand some people can’t cope with gore and there will be stories I tell where gore is a necessary storytelling mechanism. Sometimes gratuitous violence will be a necessity. It depends on the mood I am trying to encourage in a reader. I also don’t think horror should shy away from having an underlying message and, where necessary, critique current societal behaviours through a different lens. 

 

I also have a dark sense of humour. The darker the better. If you’re not supposed to laugh at the comedy, I probably will. British humour and awkwardness is engrained in my DNA. Slapstick comedy, alternative comedy, The Young Ones, Bottom, Red Dwarf, Alan Partridge, The League of Gentlemen, Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Office are all examples of things I find funny. All different ways of making something hilarious. 

 

I also like humour that cannot really be defined. I think Stewart Lee is a comedic genius. I can’t tell you a joke he’s told, because he doesn’t really tell jokes. I can’t even pigeonhole nor explain what he is other than very fucking funny. 

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About the Author (Bio for public consumption) 

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I have multiple creative identities who focus on whatever mood I am in or whatever aspect of my personality needs channelling at that time. Across all identities, I wish to be known for cinematic prose, structured intensity, and emotional depth. 

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I aim to write with the instinctual rhythm of a screenwriter and the soul of a concept musician.

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Underpinning this seemingly bizarre approach are distinct pen names, each tuned to a particular mode of storytelling:

 

S. C. Saunders 

Psychological horror, occult, supernatural fiction. Often metaphoric, always visceral.

 

Dan Campbell

Gritty crime, noir, and morally complex thrillers.

 

Professor Paddy Stevens-Samuels

Chaotic, high-energy children’s fiction. Accessible, absurd and wildly entertaining.

 

Horatio Raffles

Satirical, poetic fiction steeped in theatrical excess and dry wit.

 

Dr Richmond De’Ath

Childrens and YA ghost and horror stories. Goosebumps for a modern audience. 

 

These aren’t brand gimmicks, they are creative lenses, organically aligned with a neurodivergent process shaped by ADHD and autism. Each persona allows me, as an author to channel specific tonal registers without compromise and ensures that the audience knows fully the genre they are about to enter.  I don't want kids picking up sexy vampire novels by mistake. I don't want someone who enjoys psycho noir going down a Libertine rabbit hole in error and deciding they hate me as a result. Ultimately, you know what you are getting into with each name and genre, so, really, it's on you if you are perturbed.

 

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Creative Identity and Method

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I try to approach storytelling like a musician builds an album. Many novels are structured as literary concept albums, with chapter titles taken directly from band discographies (Iron Maiden, Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, My Chemical Romance) that mirror the emotional architecture of the protagonist’s descent. The intended result: fiction that feels scored, layered, and rhythmic. I cannot and will not ever be able to “read” music, but I can feel it. What I lack in ability to score or play on an instrument, I can channel into a feeling that tells me if a certain song or piece of music belongs to a scene or chapter. The pace, the beats or the lyrics often guide the rhythm of the story as it unfolds. 

 

I like to experiment. In works like Call of the Muse, the narrative is interlaced with "Scripture Books", lyrical fragments delivered by a muse, who also inspired the character of Meg in Legion of Blood. This adds an oracular layer to the storytelling that resonates beyond the page. This also led me to drill down further into the psychological connections between parasocial relationships and limerence. 

 

We’re all a bit weird in our own way, aren’t we?

 

I’m an extensive planner. I see the beginning, the middle and the end of a story well in advance, long before I ever start writing. Sometimes I just need a character hook or motivation, sometimes I just need the MacGuffin. I do so relish a twist in a story, and if I think you’re going to be looking left, sometimes I’m going to go right. This is entirely deliberate. If I want you to feel disorientated, discombobulated or confused, it’s by design. 

 

What can I say, I’m a git. Take it up with management. 

 

Actually, scrap that, I’m management and I’m not listening right now as I’m probably planning another novel or listening to my jukebox brain. 

 

All of my novels are planned in full. I’m not a pantser, in fact, I can’t sit down to write anything in earnest unless I know where it’s going. When I sit down to write a fully planned novel, I can normally put my first draft together within five or six weeks. It’s just the way my brain copes with it. I am not a big fan of re-writes, because once I’ve written a story and the hyperfixation and dopamine that comes from that story has worn off, I don’t really want to go back to it. Instead I want to unpick threads and see where the world I’ve created can be expanded beyond this story. There are many ideas that have come from a throwaway line of dialogue or exposition in one of my other novels that became fully formed ideas within a matter of minutes. 

 

Ideas and writer's block are not going to be my downfall, the issue for me will be motivation and time to write. But if you’re here, you’re interested, so 

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Voice and Themes

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• Obsession, identity, guilt, moral ambiguity

• Mythic cycles and ritualistic horror

• Neurodivergence, self-erasure, altered perception

• Blood, music, decay, reinvention

 

Audience Profile

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• Fans of Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, Dennis Lehane, Martin McDonagh, Alan Moore, Chuck Palahniuk

• Music-focused readers with deep emotional connection to lyrics and tone

• Horror readers who want both psychological depth and body-shock

• Genre readers who crave stylized voice and complex universes

 

Agent Wishlist

 

Looking for representation by agents who:

• Champion high-concept genre fiction

• Understand cross-media potential (novel-to-screen, soundtrack integration)

• Are open to hybrid authorship models (trad & indie)

• Value creative range and long-term IP development

 

Comparable Titles

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• Books of Blood (Clive Barker)

• The Fisherman (John Langan)

• In the Miso Soup (Ryu Murakami)

• The Sandman (Neil Gaiman)

• Seven Psychopaths (Martin McDonagh)

• The Southern Reach Trilogy (Jeff VanderMeer)

 

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Visual and Brand Aesthetic

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• Gothic-modern hybrid: distressed textures, ritualistic symbols, red/black/gold palettes

• Chapter titles as tracklists

• Visual marketing built on soundtrack integration, layered typography, character-focused dark illustration

• Merch-ready elements: scripture excerpts, bloodline maps, concept posters

 

Long-Term Goals

• Publish multiple novels across horror, noir, middle grade, and satire in both traditional and indie markets

• Launch The Legacy of Blood / Nox Sanguinem as a 10+book arc and screen/streaming series

• Develop Stinkfish Aliens as an middle grade series with animated/live-action adaptation potential

• Build a cult readership through serialised storytelling, reader engagement, and thematic consistency

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