Joe Hill Talks Comics

Here is the link to his live appearance in NYC on the Comic Book Club Podcast. 

He talks quite a bit on how to write horror that works.  He explains the appeal of how to best scare readers in text and comics.  He compares good horror writing to bad horror movies, and how Locke and Key corrects those problems.

I am thrilled to hear him make many of the same arguments that I have made in the new book about the appeal of horror.

Also, he gives a few story line spoilers, including one that hits at one of the biggest trends in 21st Century horror...no character is safe.

For the record, if you listen you will see that I am not the only one out there who thinks Locke and Key is THE BEST comic series in the world!

Is the Zombie Apocalypse Here?

Okay, first I must have full disclosure.  I am reading the last book in Mira Grant's Newsflesh series which is all about a world where the cure for the common cold mixed with the cure for cancer has caused a small zombie problem. So although everything in this post is factually correct, please understand I am in a zombie apocalypse frame of mind.

But, oh my, did you see this article in the Miami Herald this past weekend about the naked guy who was eating another man's face.  It took 6 shots to make him stop.  He only stopped when he died.  Seriously.  Sounds like a zombie to me.

And I read this first in The New York Times.  It doesn't get any more serious than that.

And then, courtesy of io9, I saw this Tweet from the University of Illinois: "Hazardous materials released at Institute for Genomic Biology.  Escape area if safe to do so.  Otherwise seek shelter."

First Miami and now my home state.  Freaky....

Thank God For My Husband's Esquire Subscription

From Joe Hill's Twitter:

"Yeah, did a story for the June/July Esquire with my dad. Beyond that, I can't say nuttin until @Esquiremag sez so."

Backlist Not to Miss: Castaways

One of my guilty TV pleasures is Survivor.  Even when I tell my husband I am going to stop watching it with him, I keep going.  I begin each season hating it and by the end, I am totally absorbed. It is the same pattern every season, for 23 seasons.  I know, I should know better by now, but it has become a habit by now.

Brian Keene must also have a similar tormented relationship with the show because in the 2009 novel Castaways he imagines a Survivor like show which urns deadly.  From my original review:

Here is the plot... A television crew and contestants in a Survivor-esque reality show are literally caught in a fight for their lives-- the island they have been left on is populated by an indigenous tribe of bloodthirsty monsters! Castaways is a grisly page-turner.

The reality TV slant in this novel is genius! The contestants are on an uninhabited island and a cyclone is approaching. All but three crew members are evacuated and the contestants are left alone to ride out the storm. That is when the horrors begin. This is a bloody book, but Keene's ability to add humor and his well enough described band of characters makes this novel a good choice for a wide audience. As a warning I should say there are a few brutal rape scenes, but they are necessary to the plot. And even though many, many people die and are torn limb from limb (literally), our main characters make it out alive and live happily ever after. Although, I dare you not to be rooting for the monsters to get a certain Welsh contestant.

Keene uses gore and snarky humor in equal parts.  This is a great read for anyone who loves or hates Survivor.  It is also an excellent choice for fans of the late, great horror-master Richard Laymon, as Keene's monsters here are a direct homage to the devolved monsters of some of Laymon's best work.

So, with another season of Survivor having just ended this past Sunday night, why not give this fun and frightening backlist title a try for yourself.

For more Backlist Not to Miss posts, go to the Features Archive.

The Shining Sequel Has a Date

From Early Word, I got the news that Dr. Sleep, the sequel to Stephen King's classic The Shining will be released January 15, 2013.

Just today during my presentation, I was talking about the impending release of this novel.  Now We all have a date to match our excitement.

RA for All Road Show: Horror in Mundelein

In case you haven't noticed, my new book is out.  I have been busy making the rounds to promote it.

Today, I am stopping in at the Fremont Public Library District to present the 3 hour version on the book in a program I call "Thrills and Chills @ Your Library: How to Help Your Scariest Patrons."

Use this link to access all of the handouts.

Remember, if you want me to come and get your staff ready for Halloween, I am currently booking for September appearances on a first come first serve basis.  Contact me for more info.

Childrens' Book Week: Horror Style

It's Childrens' Book Week, and although I work with adult horror readers, I also known that children love a great scary story.

I volunteer at my kids' elementary school library 2x a month and I get at least one request for a "scary" book each and every time I am there.

I am not even close to an expert on horror picks for kids, but in honor of Children's Book Week I thought I would share a few ideas and then point you to where you can find more information.

Of course, R.L. Stine is the master of the scary kids story.  If you have never read a Goosebumps tale you are missing out.  Also, in terms of working with horror readers as they grow up, knowing what they read as kids (probably these books) helps you to find them a book as they grow up.

Alvin Schwartz is another master of the scary story appropriate for a kid.  My kids love his short story collections.

But that is about where my expertise ends.  That's okay though.  Like the good librarian I am, I know who does know...Monster Librarian.

Click here for for their annotated list of scary books for kids 12 and under and here for their teen selections.

Try a horror book for kids in honor of Children's Book Week.