Home » Posts tagged "short story collections" (Page 23)

Women in Horror Fiction: Suzanne Robb

Image of Suzanne Robb Suzanne Robb is an editor and the author of the zombie novels Z-Boat (being re-released 2014 Permuted Press) and Contaminated: A Zombie Novel (2012 Severed Press), as well as the e-book short story collection Werewolves, Apocalypses, and Genetic Mutations, Oh My! (2014 Dark Continents). Her short stories have appeared in anthologies including Tales of Terror and Mayhem (2012 Evil Jester Press), Canopic Jars: Tales of Mummies and Mummification (2014 Great Old Ones Publishing), Bigfoot Terror Tales Volume 1: Scary Stories of Sasquatch Horror (2012 Coscom Entertainment), Read the End First (2012 Wicked East Press) and Women of the Living Dead: A Zombie Anthology (2012 Open Casket Press).

1. Can you give our readers a brief introduction?

I am horrible at talking about myself. I just want to make that clear in case I start to write about my dog or LEGO’s for no apparent reason. On that note, I have been writing for several years. I started out doing fiction articles on anxiety. A friend mentioned an anthology to me and the premise sounded interesting and that was how it all started. I enjoyed writing short stories, but after a year or so, my stories were getting too long. I moved on to write a novel titled Z-BOAT, and the rest, as they say, is history.

2. Why do you write horror? What draws you to the genre?

I write in multiple genres. The horror stories I do usually have an element of something else in them. Paranormal, humor, science-fiction, and fantasy. When I have written a story with horror in it, it is usually because I felt it was the best way to get across what is in my head (Not a pretty place in there sometimes).

3. Can you describe your writing style or the tone you prefer to set for your stories?

I have no style, and that totally came out wrong. I write whatever comes to mind. If I had to pinpoint some particular tone, I would say it is dark humor. I like to write a funny line, or have a character come up with a funny comeback at a serious moment. I think there is also a very strong message about how we are screwing up the world, and possible results. At least I like to think that is what I am doing.

4. Who are some of your influences? Are there any women authors who have particularly inspired you to write?

Christopher Moore. I love that man. I hope one day to be 1/10 as funny as him. I also like early Dean Koontz (Lightning, Watchers) Jasper Fforde, and Gregory Maguire. There were some very influential female writers when I was younger, Madeleine L’Engle and Enid Blyton being the two at the top. Because of them I became a voracious reader and as an only child would scribble little stories down to keep myself occupied.

5. What authors do you like to read? Any recommendations?

I like to read a variety of authors. I like Suzanne Collins of The Hunger Games fame. As for horror writers, I have read fantastic stuff from are Emma Ennis, Hollie Snider, Rebecca Snow, Tonia Brown, and Jessica Meigs, to name a few.
6. Where can readers find your work?

I have a collection of short stories on eBook on Amazon called Were-wolves, Apocalypses, and Genetic Mutation, Oh My.

In March, Permuted Press will be re-releasing my novel Z-Boat, and later in the year Z-TOPIA and Z-END will be released.

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Thanks, Suzanne, for participating!

Interested in learning more? Visit Suzanne Robb’s Amazon page, her Facebook page, or her blog.

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Kirsten, Reply

Women in Horror Fiction: Joan Aiken– Give Yourself A Fright

Joan Aiken, born September 4, 1924, was a British author well known for her children’s novels (especially for The Wolves of Willoughby Chase), but she also wrote excellent short stories, and fiction for teens and adults. While her work could be fantastic (as it is in the Armitage Family stories) and subversively funny (such as the tales of Arabel and Mortimer, her raven) her writing for all three audiences often contained dark, Gothic, or supernatural elements.

Can you tell that I love Joan Aiken?

I have enthusiastically read everything of hers that I have found since I first read her A Necklace of Raindrops, when I was about eight years old. Which is not to say I have read everything she’s written. The book she’s probably most well known for is her Gothic historical fantasy for middle graders, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, but that was published in 1962, and she continued to write for the rest of her life. Although she died in 2004, her works are actually still being published (The Monkey’s Wedding and Other Stories, from Small Beer Press, was released as recently as 2011). A review from Bookslut, quoted on Small Beer’s website, compared Aiken to Shirley Jackson.

Because Aiken is mainly identified as a children’s author, it’s quite possible that you have never considered reading her work. But if you love ghost stories, Gothic atmosphere, and tales both disturbing and enchanting, you should.

In a blog post on Aiken’s short fiction, Jed Hartman notes:

…In general, Aiken doesn’t much distinguish between stories for children and stories for grown-ups… And it’s often hard to decide whether to class a given Aiken story as a kids’ story or a grown-ups’ story, which is all to the good. Almost all of the best children’s books — from Alice onward — can be enjoyed by adults as well.

Ready to give yourself a fright, Joan Aiken style? Here’s the official Joan Aiken site’s list of books specifically with supernatural themes. And here’s the complete biblography, just in case you get carried away.

Enjoy!

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Kirsten, Reply

Teen Read Week: Stories to Give You the Shivers

As I’ve said in the past, what better audience could there be for short stories than the teen audience? For every teen who loves hauling around gigantic tomes, there is another who prefers to consume reading material one small, satisfying, bite at a time. October is the season for short and scary stories, in my opinion– a fall campfire is the perfect occasion for the right tale, or a sleepover could involve tempting “Bloody Mary” out of the mirror. There are so many opportunities to fit a scary story in as we approach the day of the dead.

So here’s a short list of short story collections you (and by you I mean anyone, but especially teens) can check out if you’re seeking out a story to give you the shivers.

The Restless Dead: Ten Original Tales of the Supernatural, edited by Deborah Noyes. With authors like Kelly Link and Annette Curtis Klause contributing, you will surely find something here to give you the creeps.

Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror, edited by R.L. Stine. This collection has an interesting collection of writers, including F.Paul Wilson and Heather Graham, who write thrillers for adults, and Peg Kehret, who writes middle grade mysteries and suspense. So it’s not surprising that the collection is somewhat of a mixed bag– but there’s also quite a lot of variety!

All Hallows’ Eve: 13 Stories by Vivian Vande Velde. This is an individual collection, and again, these are stories of the supernatural and spooky rather than the gory. Vivian Vande Velde is a fantastic writer and this could be a good way to see if you like her stuff before trying out a longer work. And, of course, this collection is thematically about Halloween, so how could I leave it out?

Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link. One of the stories in this book, “The Wrong Grave”, is also in The Restless Dead, mentioned above. So if you tried that and liked it, definitely pick up Pretty Monsters. These are not typical scary stories, but they’ll definitely creep you out! Kelly Link is a favorite author of mine, and I really recommend this one.

Extremities: Tales of Death, Murder, and Revenge by David Lubar is his first venture into the young adult genre. We’re giving a copy away this week, that’s how good it is!

Ghostly Gallery: Eleven Spooky Stories for Young People edited by Alfred Hitchcock. This is just one of a series of short story anthologies that Hitchcock published in the 1970’s and that were available in libraries and through Scholastic book orders in the 1980s as well. It’s really a tragedy that these volumes and others like them are no longer in print, as most of the early exposure I had to scary stories was through these types of books.

Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories edited by Roald Dahl. You may think of Roald Dahl as a children’s author, but he also wrote for adults and really, even in his children’s books, proves that he is a master of the macabre. His choices here include many older, classic, ghost stories, from authors such as Sheridan Le Fanu, Edith Wharton, and Robert Aickman. These are literary horror stories, some quite frightening, so I’d recommend it for older teens.

The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural by Patricia McKissack, illustrated by Brian Pinkney. These stories have the eerie feeling of truth to them, possibly because of McKissack’s introduction, where she describes listening to the stories the adults around her told when she was a child. This is a Caldecott Award winner, and also a Coretta Scott King award winner, but beyond that, it’s just really good storytelling, made even better by the dramatic illustrations. I have this on Kindle, and I’ve got to say, this is one of the books that you really need to hold in your hands and see the artwork complementing the story across a double page spread, to truly appreciate. Don’t let the award for children’s book illustration fool you: this book is often used with and appreciated by middle school aged kids and older.

The Scary Stories Treasury: Three Books to Chill Your Bones, Collected From Folklore, edited by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Stephen Gammell. Make sure you have the books illustrated by Stephen Gammell. I don’t care how old you are, these are still scary. And I’m definitely not the only one to think so– read this article and you’ll see what an impact these books make.