Small Spec Book Awards – 2026 Semi-Finalist Feature

I thought I was done with the 2026 Small Spec Book Award Semi-Finalist Features, but I received two more responses (yay), so I have a bonus feature for you today. Today’s authors are:

Mark T. Bates, author of The Curse of Six; and
Alexandra Beaumont, author of Ballad of River Bones.

More information on the awards can be found here. The full list of the 2026 semi-finalists can be found here. Each author has been asked the same questions:

1. What inspired you to write this book?

2. What was your favourite part of writing it?

3. Where can we find you and your work? (socials, blog, website)

The Curse of the Six by Mark T. Bates

How can you survive, when your fate comes calling?

Stephen McCarthy is a troubled young man, haunted by an eerie presence who seems hell-bent on summoning him to the edge. As his life spirals out of control, he finds himself in a desperate tug of war for both his sanity and his soul. He is beaten down by the relentless entity, and his own crippling lack of self-worth. As his world crumbles around him, Stephen finds himself increasingly afraid. Can he hold on before he loses everything–before all hope is lost … and his soul, forever damned?

His mortal existence, and all that comes after, will depend on him unraveling the mystery of … The Curse of Six.

Buy the book here!

1. What inspired you to write this book?

I wanted to write a story that explored the darkness of a character struggling with their mental heath, and I wanted to blend this with a supernatural angle that perhaps only they could see or were aware of. One that left the reader wondering whether the events as told in the story are real, or only in my characters head.

2. What was your favourite part of writing it?

Once I had the basic idea outlined, I really enjoyed discovering the bones of the story as I went. Creating the lore and the backstory of the curse which all came together nicely as i worked through the various drafts.

3. Where can we find you and your work? (socials, blog, website)

You can find me primarily on Instagram and X. I also have a webpage – www.kult-zilla.com – where I host my short story series ‘The Curious Dark’. I also publish non-fiction features there – book reviews, cult movie features, some Heavy Metal music stuff.

Ballad of River Bones by Alexandra Beaumont

Ballad of River Bones is the conclusion of lyrical folklore fantasy and Indie Press Award Distinguished Favourite, Dissonance of Bird Song, ending the critically acclaimed tale of “love, loss and sacrifice.”

Cursed by ghosts of her victims and haunted by her past, Nessa searches for her lost sister. In the enchanted Myst, change is devastating. To survive, Nessa makes a pact with a mysterious druid to protect herself from the ghosts of those she has killed. As the shadows draw long over ancient Cornwall, Nessa’s path leads her to a choice: Save her sister and doom herself to a cursed life, or destroy the Myst and banish her sister to the sea.

Buy the book here!

1. What inspired you to write this book?

Wild nature folk songs which have always snared my heart sit behind this whole series, which is a reminder of why we need to coexist with the natural world. This began with the sea. We have so many songs and stories about the sea and the mysteries of it, and I wanted to capture that in a wild and lyrical way.

I also wanted to write about families. They are knotty and complicated, filled with love, care and also struggles when things change or the story with your family doesn’t unfold in the way you expected it. Ballad of River Bones explores the events following straight after the first book, where Nessa has to deal with the fall out of her sister’s choices and actions. It’s a story of love, sacrifice and metamorphosis when you understand someone has changed and you have to choose what that change means for you.

I often think of writing fantasy family dramas in terms of what people would argue about over a festive meal, and then reconcile over while still tensely looking at each other over a giant stack of roast potatoes. I think of this often when I consider the love and tension between Nessa and Eseld. Fierce, compassionate and fragmented. These stories capture what it is to love and learn as people grow.

2. What was your favourite part of writing it?

Definitely writing the spooky nature magic. One of my favourite things to do is make unusual magic systems, and in this world I leant heavily into folk horror and created root bowls in forests to sacrifice people in as well as fierce storm songs that lash their vengeance down on islands. I wanted it to feel wild and anger, like thunder drumming in the skies.

3. Where can we find you and your work? (socials, blog, website)

FolkloreFantasyBooks.com is where I dwell. I am most active on Instagram as @Abeaumontwriter and you can also find me on all the usual socials. I am slowly fanning the flames of my Substack here, and one day it will roar into a glorious folkloric blaze: https://folklorefantasy.substack.com/