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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10 Tips on How Not to Lose Your Mind While Self-Editing Your Book

Editing your own work can be an overwhelming and mind-boggling task. The words may seem to swirl on the page, and the initial spark that ignited your passion for writing can fade away amidst the frustration. 

However, it needn’t be like that.

With a wealth of tips and tools at your disposal, you can navigate the journey of self-editing while preserving your sanity and emerge with a finished book to be proud of. 

Let’s dive into 10 invaluable tips that will guide you through this challenging endeavor and help you stay on track when creating a polished masterpiece.

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In 2006, at the urging of my wife, I began writing young adult fiction. Not horror per se, but books that featured teenage werewolves where the conflict was more about teenage problems than supernatural horror. The first book in the series, WOLF PACK was a big success, winning both the Aurora and Silver Birch Awards. The Silver Birch was a big one because there had to be 5,000 copies in print for the book to be on the award ballot, and there were four printings and 10,000 copies in print by the time the award was presented. That made the book the bestselling title for Tundra Books that year and encouraged the publisher to allow me to write three other books in the series,  LONE WOLF, CRY WOLF, and WOLF MAN.

But, without the Silver Birch Award, sales of the follow-up books weren’t nearly as good as the first, averaging sales of around a thousand copies each.

It was a good run while it lasted, but by 2008 the last book in the series had been published, and a few years later, they were all out of print.
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