Category: Guest Post

Horror Dressed in Black – A Look at Gothic Horror by Lauren Carter

Fancy walking into shadows? Gothic horror will take you there, gladly. 

Gothic horror looks at the fear we feel and the hauntings that may happen in between all of that. The genre dates back as far as the 1700’s with The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, with many classics following closely behind such as The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde or Dracula by Bram Stoker. We all know gothic horror to be a certain aesthetic, dark castles in remote areas, candle lit rooms with portraits overlooking it all, creepy gargoyles, and bats just outside. The genre, however, is always evolving, sometimes separating more for its close cousin of gothic romance or even, in some cases, pairing the two together – which is true in the case of my novelette “Your Darling Death.”

While gothic horror tends to focus on the setting on the book, there are many out there that look further than that and even don’t write much about where the characters are, instead they focus on the terror of the characters or just the story itself. Especially in the last few years, gothic horror has started to expand even more and taking more (what might be considered) risks to branch out from the norm of gothic template.  

Let’s take a look at ten of my personal recommendations that I not only love but helped inspire parts of Your Darling Death.

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Sometimes Being a Good Writer Means Being a Broken Person…

By Van Essler

Sometimes being a good writer means being a broken person…

It is often said that if there are no tears in the writer, there can be no tears in the reader. This quote is most often pulled out when you’re trying to teach writing to someone, and it is intended to imply that if the writer isn’t writing from a place of emotional connection, the writing falls flat and is bland and dull…

But is it true? How often have you sat down to write and instead of sharing the emotions of the day, you find yourself lost in escapism? We no more want to think of our own problems as a writer—whether or not the water bill has been paid, final wishes, life’s little calamities—than anyone else, but if we’re divorced from the very emotions we want to emulate on the page, how can we write compelling stories?

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After April showers (and snowstorms and flooding and tornados), Spring has finally arrived! Unfortunately for you, you can’t take the time out to stop and smell the flowers just yet…not with that horde of ravenous zombies hot on your trail. RUN!

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In his new novel, Robert P. Ottone explores the world of modern parenthood, and finds the drive to have kids is now lacking some urgency. He explains why he felt compelled to explore this topic in his suburban family folk horror The Vile Thing We Created (out April 18 on Hydra), and his own responses to society’s pressure to procreate. 

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I think the weirdest thing people say to me when they find out my wife and I are child-free is easily “who will take care of you when you’re older?”

Truth be told, I can’t imagine living to old age. Not with the cocktail of physical ailments I deal with on a daily basis, coupled with my immune system which is best described as “Dickensian orphan,” I just don’t see lasting to what I imagine people refer to as “old age.” Add to that the imminent collapse of the environment, society tearing itself apart through ignorance and inaction, and the inevitable heat death of the planet and well … you see where I’m going with this, I’m sure. 

But Rob, do you hate kids!? (I imagine you saying this while clutching a Martha Wayne-style pearl necklace)

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Reading for Writing Inspiration

Some of my fave horror writers disclose their go-to’s for inspiration.

By Shelly Lyons

“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. ” ― Raymond Chandler

While deep into the second draft of my first novel, Like Real, I got stuck. Not quite debilitating, but circling that territory, and no amount of brainstorming or power walking could free me from this one-way ticket to complete story paralysis. What I’d written so far had a workable structure, some fine set pieces and good dialogue. The problem had become a seemingly unending debate about whether some details were persnickety versus essential. Was I telling or showing? Were my words stilted and/or derivative? I’d written screenplays before, but screenplays are bare bones critters, and I needed to add some flesh—but not too much—into a story that demanded more interiority, depth and detail.

It was too much! I’d lost control! If you’ve read my essay on the writing of the book, you’ll know my need for personal control is why I failed as a drug user and liquor imbiber, and why my favorite Universal Horror Monster is The Wolfman, who loses control through no fault of his own. I don’t mind zig-zagging through a maze, but I prefer having the end of it in mind as I voyage.

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The Best Horror Books Written by Women: A List of Must-Read Titles

by: Kaaron Warren 

I have a running list in my head and on my bookshelves of must-read (and re-read) horror books. Not all of them are by women, but many are, and for Women in Horror Month, I’ve jotted down just some of the books that have impressed, horrified, delighted, and influenced me.

Horror lends itself to short fiction. The terrifying image, the unbearable ending, the twist you didn’t guess; all of these are served well by short fiction. The novella also works well because you can explore further themes in a slightly longer piece, and add some layering to your plot and to your characters.

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The Most Chilling Women in Psychological Horror: A Ranking of Most Disturbing Female Characters

By Yawatta Hosby

How does the saying go? Villains are the misunderstood protagonists in their own heads. I love horror movies so much that I thought it’d be fun to rank the most chilling women in psychological horror.

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