Statement from Clive reported by John Squires, Bloody Disgusting, 8 March 2024
"My dear friends,
"For the last almost forty years, I’ve been visiting conventions in cities in Europe and America to talk with
my supporters, signing books, movie posters, Pinhead (A.K.A. The Hell Priest) models, and countless precious
keepsakes which you’ve brought for me to sign. The most precious? The arms, legs, and other body parts, that
brave souls have asked me to sign to later be tattooed over. What an honour!
"However, it’s time to focus entirely on writing. I’m not stopping public events because I’ve lost delight in
meeting you all over the years. I’m as passionate as ever about sharing my imagination with readers and moviegoers
around the world. In the very room where I’m writing these words, I have the manuscripts for a very large number
of projects (Thirty-one of them), some very close to completion, others still telling themselves. There are some
wild projects in this collection of works, whether close to finished or done. There are also stories that you all
knew I would be finishing. Abarat IV and V are amongst the books at my feet. So is the Third and final book of
The Art and the sequel to The Thief of Always. There are also return visits to characters and mythologies you
may have thought I would never return to. I hope I am still able to surprise you in the decades ahead.
"And if you don’t see me at conventions, you’ll keep seeing new Clive Barker books being published, as well as
some movie and television adaptations.
"I feel strangely emotional writing these words, but I’ve got an enormous amount of work to do. So, if you’ve
noticed I’m less public than I’ve been over the last forty years, please know I’ll be there in every new book I
publish, painting I exhibit, or film I produce.
"My love to you. I hope to see you over the next year.
"Clive."