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Happy Thanksgiving!

We have so much to give thanks for here, and at the top of the list are all the talented volunteer reviewers and contributors who make it possible to keep the site going. That’s right, every single one of them is a volunteer, committed to encouraging literacy, supporting libraries, and raising awareness of horror and paranormal fiction for all ages.

We are thankful as well that so many people, and so many libraries, find the site to be a useful resource for the often underserved community of horror fiction readers.  I am especially excited whenever I see a school library has linked to us!   Thank you all!

Beyond that, we are so thankful to have a tradition of free public libraries in this country, and an excellent one in our own community.  Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

 

Dear Ms. Cadwalladr…

I loved your interview of Nora Roberts. I really did. But I think you misunderstand the place of horror in the world of genre fiction. You describe romance as “lower than crime, lower than horror, lower, even, than sci-fi.” Let’s take a look at that, shall we?

How many romance imprints are there, Ms. Cadwalladr? How many mainstream publishers devote entire lines to romance fiction? There are major publishers, like Harlequin, that produce ONLY romance. There is a well-oiled professional organization devoted to promoting romance fiction and romance author (including me). According to the Romance Writers of America, almost 75 million people read at least one romance novel last year.

Romance is not a stepchild of genre fiction. It’s a STAR.

Let’s compare this to horror. How many horror imprints are there in the mainstream press? Most mainstream publishers will do almost anything to avoid calling a book “horror”. Literary “supernatural fiction”; dark fantasy; urban fantasy; dark science fiction; paranormal thriller; YA paranormal; paranormal romance; ANYTHING but horror.

Let me ask you- Do you know the names of any horror authors besides Stephen King, Anne Rice, Clive Barker, and Laurell K. Hamilton? Did you know that when you browse for subjects on Amazon.com, you can find mysteries, thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, and (yes) romance, but not horror? What’s the demographic for horror readers? I doubt you can find that out(if you can, I’d love to know), because nobody has collected that information. Romance fiction is a tidal wave in genre fiction, compared to horror fiction’s tiny ripples.

That doesn’t mean we aren’t here. Horror readers and writers are everywhere, and they’re terribly under-recognized and underserved. That’s exactly why MonsterLibrarian.com exists. It’s just that most people have decided it’s a genre that doesn’t matter. RWA, the same organization that reported nearly 75 million readers in its genre, didn’t even bother to compare its market share to horror. Mystery, science fiction and fantasy, literary fiction, and even religious fiction, sure. But to miss out on an entire genre?

It doesn’t get any lower than this.

But, thanks, at least, for noticing that the horror genre exists.

Free Halloween Reads Online

Need a quick Halloween read? Here’s a list of free reads you can find online, compiled by Michele Lee.  These have not been reviewed at MonsterLibrarian.com, so proceed at your own risk. But since the Wall Street Journal informed me today that horror lovers live for risk, I know you’ll want to at least try one out. The Journal mentioned the thrill day traders get out of playing the market in almost the same sentence… Believe me, you’re better off getting your kicks from reading free Halloween stories online. Enjoy!

Web-hosted Titles

″The Inn Keeper’s Widow″ by K. H. Koehler

″Saving Up″ by R. Thomas Riley

″Do Better″ by R.J. Sullivan

The Sepulchral Library (a short fiction blog)

″As the Crow Flies″ by Kevin Lucia

″October Blizzard″ by Joel Arnold

″The Sliding″ by Kevin Lucia (web-hosted graphic novel)

Ebooks- available for download

Fright Files by Peter Swift (available October 21st)

″The Disembodied″ by John Grover

The Turtle Boy by Kealan Patrick Burke

E-zines

Strange, Weird and Wonderful, Fall 2011

YA

The Count’s Halloween by Rusty Fischer (long poem ebook)-

The Werewolf’s Halloween Costume by Rusty Fischer (short story ebook)-

Zombies Don’t Trick or Treat by Rusty Fischer (long poem ebook)-

Children’s

On Halloween: A Choose-Your-Own-Path Book by Michele Lee & Mini Lee (ebook short story)-