Guest post: "Horror? Not Scary at All," by Russell James, Author of 'Q Island'

 

You really won’t believe it, but I discovered a nice group of people. In a world where everyone seems mad at everyone else, where manners seem to have gone out the window, and where everyone is out for himself, I fell in with a great bunch of folks.

The horror community.

Now if you aren’t part of it (yet) then it may seem hard to believe. They must all be weirdoes and psychopaths, reading all that twisted stuff and watching all those gory movies, right? Not even close.

When I became a horror author, several years ago, I was baptized into the community at a Horrorfind horror convention, the first con I’d ever attended. I was surrounded by people in pretty sick, scary costumes. I quickly learned that the people inside them were having a ball, sharing their natural love of a good scare with similar folks. Positive, outgoing, excited, friendly. Amazing. The opposite of what most would expect.

Then I met some horror authors. And then I met some more. Surely the minds that spend months dwelling on demonic possession and savage machete-wielding nut jobs must have a screw loose themselves. I mean, it takes one to know one, right? Wrong again. Young to old, experienced to rookie, horror writers are really stellar individuals. Tremendously open to sharing insights about the writing craft, thrilled to just chat about the genre, uniformly gracious to other writers and especially to fans. As a new author learning the ropes, there couldn’t have been a better group to guide me.

And horror people have big hearts. I’ll point to horror and zombie author Armand Rosamillia and his Authors Supporting Our Troops drive that delivers hundreds of books per year to troops around the world. All the books are donated by the authors, and the packing, shipping and postage is paid out of Armand’s wallet. There’s also Scares that Care, an organization that puts on a charity horror convention each July in Williamsburg, VA. This week they cut the donation check that put the total assistance they have provided to needy families at over $100,000, money from the hearts of the horror community.

It seems that the people closest to all that scary horror stuff are the least scary people of all. Who would have known?

About the Author

After a tour flying helicopters with the U.S. Army, Russell James now spins twisted tales best read during daylight. In addition to two horror short story collections, Tales from Beyond and Deeper into Darkness, James is the author of seven paranormal thrillers:  Dark Inspiration, Sacrifice, Black Magic, Dark Vengeance, Dreamwalker and Q Island. His next novel, The Portal, is slated for release in 2016. Visit him at www.russellrjames.com.

Fantasy Author Jane Tesh Lists her Five Favorite Books

Only five?  I have lots of favorites! A tough assignment, but here goes.

            Terry Prachett is my favorite author, and Going Postal is my favorite of his many novels set in his imaginary Discworld, an alternate universe created by Sir Terry to spoof human foolishness.  In Going Postal, a con man, given a second chance, must save the derelict postal service of Ank-Morpork.  There is romance, true danger, and an amazing satire on computers.  I am in awe of the way that Pratchett can mix comedy, drama, humor, and pathos all in one book.  That’s what I strive for in my own novels.

            Georgette Heyer is known as the creator of the Regency romance genre.  Her witty dialog and intricate plots take comedy of errors to the next level.  In my favorite book, The Foundling, the young Duke of Sale escapes his overprotective household, has adventures, and proves himself.  Heyer handles her many characters very skillfully, and I appreciate her dry and subtle comments on their foibles.

            I discovered Dorothy Sayers in my college library and became very fond of her hero detective, Lord Peter Wimsey, especially in Murder Must Advertize.  In this adventure, Lord Peter goes undercover in an advertizing agency to solve the murder of one of the employees.  I was immediately drawn into the world of upper class bon vivant Wimsey.  Again, I love dialogue, and Lord Peter never stops talking.

 Jasper Fforde is an author whose work defies description.  Mystery, fantasy, time travel, and delightful humor and invention are only a few of the things you can find in his many novels.  My favorite is The Big Over Easy.  Jack Spratt and Mary Mary of the Nursery Crime Division investigate the death of Humpty Dumpty.  Did he fall or was he pushed?  Add the evil Goliath Corporation, friendly aliens, and the All of Fforde’s books, including the Thursday Next series, and the amazing Shades of Grey (not to be confused with Fifty Shades of Gray!), in which the characters’ social status depends on what color they can see, are filled with enough literary references, wordplay, and dazzling imagination to please any English major, including myself. 

            And finally, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, by William Joyce, illustrated by William Joyce and Joe Bluhm.  As a former elementary school librarian, I love picture books, and even though I’m retired, I still like to read them.  It’s been a long time since a book affected me so.  Morris Lessmore’s house and all his books are blown away in a storm, and a cheerful book invites him to come live with him and hundreds of other little living books.  The pictures are evocative and amusing, and the story made me cry.  So that’s a good book!

//////////////////////////////////  

         

Jane Tesh is a retired media specialist and pianist for the Andy Griffith Playhouse in Mt. Airy, NC, the real Mayberry. She is the author of the Madeline Maclin Series, A Case of Imagination, A Hard Bargain, A Little Learning, and A Bad Reputation, featuring former beauty queen, Madeline “Mac” Maclin and her con man husband, Jerry Fairweather.  Stolen Hearts is the first in the Grace Street Mystery Series, featuring PI David Randall, his psychic friend, Camden, Randall’s love interest, Kary Ingram, and Cam’s career-driven girlfriend, Ellin Belton, as well as an ever-changing assortment of Cam’s tenants.  Mixed Signals is the second in the series, followed by Now You See It and Just You Wait. Jane’s mysteries are all published by Poisoned Pen Press, located in Scottsdale, Arizona. Butterfly Waltz is her first published fantasy novel from Silver Leaf Books. All of Jane’s books are on the light side with humor and romance. 

Visit Jane’s website at www.janetesh.com and her Facebook page, www.facebook.com/GraceStreetMysterySeries.  You can also find her on Goodreads, Amazon’s Author Central www.amazon.com/author/janetesh, and www.twitter.com/janetesh.

Her blog is www.janetesh.wordpress.com