Gary McMahon is a prolific, modern day horror writer hailing from the United Kingdom. His work has been featured in several Best Of horror anthologies and has been nominated for multiple prestigious awards. He always does a superb job of investing you in his characters as well as conveying the terrifying supernatural events they encounter. Along with writing bone-chilling short stories and novels, Gary is also a black belt in Shotokan Karate.
Here’s a bit about a few of his stories:
1. “The Sand King” (2006) – While working on illustrations for a book based on the M.R. James story “Oh Whistle and I’ll Come To You, My Lad”, a man rents a place by the sea with his wife to try and mend their fractured marriage. While they struggle to move past the pain and guilt they’re experiencing, the husband begins to catch glimpses of a hazy figure on the beach who seems to be trying to gain his attention. This is a fantastically creepy tale, thick with atmosphere and well developed characters. It does an excellent job of evoking dread at the supernatural menace of the figure on the beach. Highly recommended!
2. “Guidance” (2008) – After discovering an obscure, altered handbook in a store, a man convinces his unfaithful wife to travel to the remote location noted on its hand drawn map. For reasons he doesn’t fully comprehend, he’s compelled to go there.
3. “Black Glass” (2008) – A recently divorced, wealthy businessman purchases the opulent house of a deceased rock musician. He begins to notice an attractive goth girl lingering around the place through the house’s uniquely designed glass windows and becomes enchanted with her. After inviting her to dinner, he learns she used to live there with the musician and his wife, who later disappeared without a trace. This is another fabulously creepy tale by McMahon!
4. “Diving Deep” (2010) – An underwater diver is sent down to explore a tunnel carved into the ice of Antarctica. The tunnel is so perfectly formed it can’t be a natural occurance. Who created it and what purpose it serves is the driving mystery of this evocative tale?
5. “Kill All Monsters” (2012) – A woman tries to shield her young daughter from witnessing her father’s violent attacks on people he sees which he believes to be monsters.
6. “Some Pictures in An Album” (2012) – After his father dies, a man finds a nondescript picture album containing thirteen odd pictures, most displaying him as a child, but a few are of a door. There’s also a strange, tall man appearing in many of these pictures. His presence there is disturbing.
Gary’s Website: http://www.garymcmahon.com
Gary’s Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/Gary-McMahon/e/B004B6NN3A
Article by Matt Cowan
Horror Delve 
I’m intrigued by Black Glass. Putting that on my list. 🙂
It’s a fantastic story! You can listen to it on The Tales To Terrify Podcast: http://talestoterrify.com/tales-to-terrify-no-3-gary-mcmahon/
I rarely comment on story titles, but “Some Pictures in An Album” is the straight-forward simple description that I like for horror stories. It reminds me of Robert Bloch’s “Notebook Found in a Deserted House.” Based on your description, I’d like to read that one, as well as “Kill All Monsters.” I’ll be tracking them down.
I found both of those in Ellen Datlow’s The Years Best Horror Volume 5.
Thanks!