Debut Buzz

As promised, I will be posting at least once a week here on RA for All Horror from now on.  You can expect posts to come Thursday or Friday each week.  Since I teach Wednesday nights, I know that the end of the week tends to be less busy for me.  But remember, you can follow me every week day with general RA issues over on RA for All.

In the horror world there has been quite a lot of buzz about some debut novels which came out in 2011.  I wanted to share a few that look promising. Please note, I have not read these books yet myself; I am simply passing on the buzz.  I am always on the look out for new authors:

• Back in October, I posted here about a few debut titles including That Which Should Not Be by Brett Talley.  I have since received a review copy and will have my own take on it in the coming weeks.
• The Watcher by Roh Morgon is Book One of a projected series called "The Chosen."  I am pointing it out for 2 reasons.  First, it is by a female author, which is still less common in the horror world.  And second, it is geared toward a YA audience. When I help readers at the public library, I find that many want to try horror but are afraid they will be too scared by it.  Often, YA titles are a little less graphic and work well as an introduction to the genre for new horror readers.
• These Trespasses by Kenneth W. Cain harkens back to H.P. Lovecraft in that it combines SF and horror.  This too is being marketed as Book 1 in a projected series.  It also happens to be set in Illinois, which caught my attention.
• Bloom's Desk by Jeffrey Littorno combines two frightening horror tropes: ghosts and serial killers.  I have a review copy waiting for me.
• Finally, Richard Schiver has published a horror novel, Shadows of the Past, that I currently have on the to read pile (provided by the author).  I will have a review in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, you can read the first three chapters for free on his blog by clicking here.

So there are a few choices of works by some new voices.  Let me know if you know of any other new novelists who have caught your attention.