STEVE LOWE

Steve Lowe’s debut psychological horror short story, set in the heart of Lincoln, is The Seam Remains, and is available now on his Amazon Author Page. In this blog post, he discusses his fascination with Lincoln and its history and mythology, and discusses his writing processes.

If you’d told me a few years ago that I’d be introducing myself to you as a writer, I probably would have laughed. I still consider myself a bit of an amateur, a geek at heart who is nearly 60 and still loves watching old sci-fi reruns and reading superhero comics. But more than anything, I’m a storyteller who fell in love with a very specific city.

My journey with Lincoln goes back generations. I was an army brat, so my childhood was spent moving from place to place, but my mum’s family roots run deep into Lincoln’s soil. Some of my favourite memories are from staying at my Grandma’s house on De Wint Avenue. From her back bedroom window, you could see Lincoln Cathedral standing proudly on top of the hill. At night, it was lit up like a beacon over the fens. Pictures might go missing over the years, but those mental images stay forever. Later, at the end of my dad’s military career, I moved into that very same back bedroom so I could finish my education at Lincoln City School, running my poor Grandma ragged in the process!

My family has left its own physical marks on the city, too. My Grandad helped rebuild the historic Pottergate Arch after it was struck by a vehicle. Lincoln is also the final resting place of my Uncle Martin, whose ashes are scattered in the beautiful Lincoln Cathedral Cloister Garden after his life was tragically cut short. The city isn’t just a setting to me, it’s a part of who I am.

Formative Years and the Spark of Folklore

Growing up in the late 1960s and 1970s, I was utterly spoiled by brilliant, atmospheric television. I spent my childhood glued to the screen watching Doctor Who, The Tomorrow People, Into the Labyrinth, The Feathered Serpent, and later, Robin of Sherwood. I became obsessed with myths and legends. What I loved most was how these grand fantasies were anchored in real history. The idea that a local highwayman could inspire the legendary hero Robin Hood showed me that reality is just a stone’s throw away from magic.

Folklore is built right into Lincoln’s architecture. The infamous Lincoln Imp, looking down from the cathedral walls, has inspired centuries of wild imaginations, ghost stories, and local hauntings. And it got me thinking: what kind of modern legends are we ignoring today?

Meeting DCI Hale: A Different Kind of Hero

After writing a handful of 2,000-word short stories, I decided I wanted to try my hand at creating a superhero. But standard capes and tights felt done to death. During a trip home to see family, my Uncle Ian and his wife took me to visit the Cathedral again. When you stand beneath it, you remember just how staggeringly massive, overwhelming, and beautifully imposing it is. It oozes ancient history.

Right there, it clicked. I didn’t want a shiny hero in London, Manchester, or Birmingham. I wanted a protagonist grounded in a place of deep, ancient memory. I chose the historic city of Lincoln, a place founded as an Iron Age settlement by the Brayford Pool, with a cathedral whose foundations date to 1072.

Out of those shadows came DCI Marcus Hale. He is a police officer who didn’t ask for his extraordinary abilities, finds them wildly unreliable, and just wants to live an ordinary life. I intentionally keep his personal history shrouded in mystery, because I love authors like Stephen King and Jay Kristoff who regularly encourage readers to bring their own imaginations to the table. In my mind’s eye, Hale looks a bit like a cross between Richard Armitage and Dan Stevens, but when you read the books, he can be whoever you want him to be.

Writing at Warp Speed

Every writer has their own strange process, and mine is speed-writing. I pour the story out onto the page all at once, and then spend weeks sorting out the punctuation, spelling, and narrative twists.  It’s an addictive way to work. I often write two or three projects at once. Right now, I’m working on a sinister two-part AI thriller, alongside a fourth work detailing Hale’s ongoing journey.

Step Into the Story

If you enjoy regional thrillers infused with a deep sense of place, I’d love for you to join me on this journey. My debut psychological horror short story set right in the heart of Lincoln, The Seam Remains, is available now on my Amazon Author Page.

The atmospheric sequel, The Ordinary Mask, officially drops on 6th July 2026, with the third instalment arriving this August. Later this year, I will also be releasing a 12-story omnibus for readers who want to completely lose themselves.

Hale is very close to my heart. He represents the living, breathing nature of local myth, the idea that legends aren’t just things carved into cathedral stone from 1,000 years ago, but stories walking our modern streets to.

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy exploring the shadows of Lincoln with me!