A Night of Literary Horror: Hosting a Spooky Book Dinner Party

Now is the perfect time to host a horror-themed book dinner party. Your guests will love getting dressed up for the big night and you’ll enjoy playing the part of the charming, somewhat sinister host. 

 

Ensure that the night is a success by pairing spooky reads with an appropriately interesting menu. Consider planning some engaging activities, too, as this will get folks invested in the revelry and build excitement for a night of literary frights. 

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The Pros and Cons of Gore in Horror Fiction

 

When writing horror, there are several elements to consider in addition to setting, character, plot, theme, and conflict. For many horror writers, gore is often a topic of debate. Is there such a thing as too much of it? Does a story even need tons of bloodshed and brutality to disturb or frighten its readers?

 

In this post, I’m going to explore the pros and cons of adding gore — which includes blood, violent acts, and vile imagery — to help you decide whether to incorporate it into your own writing.

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Fear Fiction – The Branches of Horror

by Rachel Knightley

Twenty and a bit years ago, I was an English Literature BA student at the university where I’m now a visiting lecturer. Authors were not human beings like me, but grown-ups like my lecturers. Oh yes, and I didn’t like horror. 

 

Sure, I loved gothic literature: that was different. I loved nineteenth century novels full of literal and psychological ghosts, locked rooms, hidden histories, imprisoned wives, questions of identity and alternate versions of self. But horror? Horror was people’s limbs falling off. It was gore. And I was squeamish. So no, I didn’t like reading horror. And I certainly wasn’t going to write it either. Definitely not.

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GHOSTS WITH THE MOST!

Five tips to make your ghost stories truly haunting

With the evenings drawing in and a chill sneaking into the air, we’re starting to enter spooky season – that time of year when thoughts turn to the ghostly and supernatural and we can cosy up around the fire with a good book, a good audiobook or even a classic movie chiller.

Of course creating a great ghost story is no simple matter, and if you wanted to turn your hand to writing your own this winter, then here are five tips to help you develop a tale that will stay with your reader long after they have put it down..
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My Book is Coming Out This Month. Here are Ten Things I Learned on the Way to Getting Published.

 

For all you writers out there currently embarking (or getting ready to embark) on this potentially soul-battering journey, I hope this helps you get your book on track. At the very least, just know you’re not alone in this. 

 

By Luisa Colón

 

My horror novel, Bad Moon Rising, is coming out this month. How many years have I waited to be able to say those words? I can tell you exactly, because I’ve been counting. It’s been almost eight years since I started writing my book. The path to publication, while ultimately resulting in the most rewarding creative project I’ve ever done, has been, quite frankly, torturous. Here are some things I learned along the way that might be helpful. 

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The Horror of it All

by J L Hill

There are two genres of writing that lends itself to every other, romance and horror. Every story contains a love story. But even more, every story has suspense and fear, the basis of horror.

You can dissect any story, be it sci-fi, fantasy, or romance and you will find suspense that moves the plot along. And a fear of not knowing what will happen next that keeps you reading. I am not a horror writer. I started out as a science fiction and crime author, but my two biggest influencers and favorite authors are Edgar Allan Poe and Stephen King. Both men include the five elements of horror in their stories, suspense; fear; violence; gore; and the supernatural.

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Set Your Sights On Adventure

By Michael Clark

Creativity! How does it happen? For me, it always starts with a spark of inspiration: a seed, a kernel of something that stirs in my gut. But how does that seed grow into a full-length novel? The quick answer is “slowly,” but that’s no help. In order to explain better, I’ll use my adventure-horror novel Hell on High to help spell it all out.

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Five Folk Horror Favourites To Get You Started…

By: Kelly White

There is something about folk horror that runs deep. Rooted in landscape, religion and ritual, it speaks to our primal fears. But if you’re new to the genre, welcome! Here are just a handful of recommendations to get you started…

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