The hobby of visiting the resting places of my favourite novelists – the haunts of famous horror, fantasy or detective writers – to pay my respects and ensure their memories are honoured, has now become a mission. You see, while I’m there, at each author’s graveside, and no one’s looking, I try to make contact with their departed spirit in the hope of picking up advice from the afterlife, some snippets from across the Styx, funeral writes, charnel house chapters, even an idea for a best-seller from beyond that I could ghost write.

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Having attempted to commune with these creative genii, I can now officially state that so far… I’ve heard nothing. From any of ‘em.  Although my associate Stephen is convinced he has heard the noise of said authors turning in their graves….

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At least I now know how Arthur Conan Doyle felt after waiting for Harry Houdini, who died in 1926, to fulfil his promise of coming back and saying hello if there was an afterlife. In 4 years Conan Doyle heard nothing. Not a peep. And Arthur sincerely believed in the spirit world… although Harry firmly didn’t, so it’s unlikely the great magician would have wanted to make contact from beyond, even if he could, because that would have defeated his own argument.

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Anyway, click on any pic to be magically spirited to the relevant graveside and you have a go. Or pay a visit yourself, all the details are there. You might have more luck…

Oh, and I’ll be adding more grave visits very soon.