On Writing Horror: A Handbook by the Horror Writers Association
by Horror Writers Association
from Writers Digest Books
The masters of horror have united to teach you the secrets of success in the scariest genre of all!
In On Writing Horror, Second Edition, Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, Harlan Ellison, David Morrell, Jack Ketchum, and many others tell you everything you need to know to successfully write and publish horror novels and short stories.
Edited by the Horror Writers Association (HWA), a worldwide organization of writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting dark literature, On Writing Horror includes exclusive information and guidance from 58 of the biggest names in horror writing to give you the inspiration you need to start scaring and exciting readers and editors. You'll discover comprehensive instruction such as:
• The art of crafting visceral violence, from Jack Ketchum
• Why horror classics like Dracula, The Exorcist, and Hell House are as scary as ever, from Robert Weinberg
• Tips for avoiding one of the biggest death knells in horror writing--predicable clichés--from Ramsey Campbell
• How to use character and setting to stretch the limits of credibility, from Mort Castle
With On Writing Horror, you can unlock the mystery surrounding classic horror traditions, revel in the art and craft of writing horror, and find out exactly where the genre is going next. Learn from the best, and you could be the next best-selling author keeping readers up all night long.
Candy in the Dumpster
by Jay Bonansinga
from Dark Arts Books
The first Dark Arts Books release is Candy in the Dumpster, a compilation of 12 "new and used" horror stories by four Chicago authors: Jay Bonansinga, Bill Breedlove, John Everson, and Martin Mundt. This volume features an introduction by another Chicago horror veteran, Mort Castle. Contents: MORT CASTLE * Introduction: Candy in the Dumpster MARTIN MUNDT: * A Perfect Plan * The Cure * Babies Is Smart JOHN EVERSON: * The White House * Swallowing the Pill * Pumpkin Head BILL BREEDLOVE: * The Lost Collection * Free to Good Home * Drowning in the Sea of Love JAY BONANSINGA: * Animal Rites * Stash * Deal Memo
Writing Horror
from Writer's Digest Books
Oftentimes how-to books fall short because they spend too much time with the basics and not enough time explaining the nuances of their subject. Writing Horror, by the Horror Writers Association, doesn't fall into that trap; the authors of the 39 articles in this anthology assume you can write, and thus they concentrate on getting the most out of working in the horror genre. The result is more like an inspirational guide than a how-to book. Of specific interest is the small section on writing horror comic books, featuring essays on E. C. Comics by Dan Chichester (who has done several Clive Barker adaptations as well as a well-received run on Daredevil), and "Breaking All Codes" by David Quinn (who broke all sorts of taboos in his bloody and sexy Faust). Other authors include Joe R. Lansdale, Joyce Carol Oates, and the one and only Harlan Ellison.
A Dark and Deadly Valley
from Silverthought Press
The ghosts of lonesome British soldiers wander the rubble-strewn beach of Dunkirk. A black wave grows to devour a Japanese fleet. Only divine intervention can save the citizens of a charred Dresden. Something dark prowls the bowels of the Fuhrer's bunker. Radioactive mutants hunt fresh flesh through the streets of Hiroshima. In the pulp tradition of Weird War Tales, and filled with mystery, madness and the macabre, A DARK AND DEADLY VALLEY hovers along the borderland between horror and history. Editor Mike Heffernan has brought together horror's best-known authors to explore the violence of the second world war and its lasting affect on collective memory. They report back from the fright-filled front lines to illuminate the past with a dark light, put fresh meat on its bones and make it come alive through shock and suspense. So Have your Enfields clutched tight, boys, your bayonets fixed. And keep your heads low. There's some dark stuff lurking in these pages.
In Memoriam: Papa, Blake & HPL
by Mort Castle
from DarkTales Publications
A tribute to Ernest Hemingway, Robert Bloch and H.P. Lovecraft. Includes the stories TEACHERS and THE OLD MAN AND THE DEAD, originally published in STILL DEAD, edited by John Skipp and Craig Spector by Bantam Books and Mark Zeising editions in 1992. DarkTales Publications is bringing this great work back to life in an attractive chapbook format, cover art by Mark Evans, artist for Clive Barker's Hellraiser comics.
Moon on the Water
by Mort Castle
from Darktales Publications
Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2000. "The stories (in MOON ON THE WATER) are by turns funny, moving, surprising and dark. Mort Castle is a writer who loves word-play, but like every writer worth his salt remembers that even for kids, play is a serious business. Play is the Real Thing. From the heart and from deep down under your skin. You'll race through one of these yarns effortlessly and then sit back and stew on it for awhile." Jack Ketchum, author of THE GIRL NEXT DOOR.
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