On Writing Horror Revised edition of the handbook with contributions from Stephen King, Harlan Ellison, Joyce Carol Oates and many others. Exploring everything from what horror is, to how to avoid falling into the trap of rehashing old tropes, there’s something here for everyone. I originally bought the paperback version of this, but due to…
Category: Genre
‘The Art of Darkness’ by W. J. Renehan
The Art of Darkness (Audiobook) Exploring the essence of what it is that makes horror literature frightening, Renehan discusses monsters, the supernatural and all things terrifying. Referring to the likes of H.P. Lovecraft, Peter Straub, Stephen King and Shirley Jackson this is an introduction to the popular genre and our eternal fascination with scary stuff.…
‘The Moving Target’ by Ross MacDonald
The Moving Target When millionaire Ralph Sampson goes missing, PI Lew Archer is called in to hunt him down before something really bad happens. The trail leads Archer all over Southern California, from sun-bleached canyons and sea-side beach houses to dodgy bars and even dodgier women. But is this case about money, sex or just…
Indie Author Interview – Maggie James
Maggie James is a British author who lives in the north east of England. She writes psychological suspense novels and excels at delving into the dark nature and psychological traits of her characters. When you started writing, what (if any) mistakes did you make that might have hindered your writing career? Ah, hindsight, such a…
‘Short Stories – Volume Two’ by Neal James
Short Stories – Volume Two In his second serving of short stories, Neal James dishes up tales of crime, horror and science fiction as well as a fair bit of humour. Of the twenty-six tales, I can truly say there is something for everyone. As always in any collection of stories, the author takes the…
‘The Invisible Man’ by HG Wells
The Invisible Man (Audiobook) An impetuous scientist manages to make himself invisible by interfering with his body’s refractive index. However, on discovering the impossibility of reversing the process, he begins to consider how this new characteristic might have unexpected benefits. Turning to crime, he becomes obsessed with making the most of his invisibility and gradually…
‘The Rats’ by James Herbert
The Rats A race of unusually large black rats creep out from their lair looking for food. But when the creatures get a taste for human flesh, the corpses quickly pile up. Discovering the rats also carry a fatal virus, it becomes apparent to the authorities that a new and very dangerous challenge faces humanity.…
‘Raising a Vampire’ by Jacky Dahlhaus
Raising a Vampire Set ten years after the events of Black October when a virus transformed ordinary people into ‘suckers’, Kate and Charlie are trying to get on with their lives. However, raising their daughter throws up new challenges – like how to keep Sue’s thirst for blood a secret. When a colleague of Kate’s…
Creating Inspiration – Where to Start
Embarking on the task of writing a new book is always a thrill, but that thrill doesn’t start for me until I have the title, because until then, I don’t have a clue where to start. I little while ago, I wrote about coming up with the idea for a series of books in the…
‘The Man Who Hunted Himself’ by Lex Lander
The Man Who Hunted Himself Former Secret Service operative, André Warner, faces a challenge of a different kind when he’s offered a contract by an American racketeer. Trouble is, the job is to kill the assassin who knocked-off the gangster’s own brother. While Andre might have few qualms about taking out a fellow hitman, the…
