literary horror

LOTF 13: Becky Spratford, Library World's Horror Maven, Part One

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Librarians may ask: why horror? And authors may ask: why libraries? Becky Spratford has the answers to these questions and more—her insight gave us a whole new perspective on ways to strengthen the horror community in libraries. We talk about what writers can do to build relationships with their local libraries, how reader's advisory works, the pros and cons of genres and subgenres, and so much more. Becky shares her philosophy on connecting authors and librarians with the ultimate goal of finding more readers for their books. 

Becky Spratford is a Librarian [MLIS] in Illinois specializing in serving leisure readers ages 13 and up. She trains library staff all over the world on how to match books with readers through their local public library. She is the author of The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Horror, 2d edition (ALA Editions, 2012). She is under contract to write content for EBSCO's NoveList database, reviews for Booklist, is a member of the Adult Reading Round Table Steering Committee, a 5 term Trustee for her local library, and am a proud member of The Horror Writers' Association. You can follow Becky on Twitter @RAForAll. 

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LOTF 11: Stephen Graham Jones Guest Hosts Elizabeth Discussion

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In this episode, Mackenzie and Lisa are joined by guest host Stephen Graham Jones to discuss Ken Greenhall's Elizabeth. This novel is wonderfully uncomfortable and you won't want to miss our chat.

Book Description:

"'If you were to go into your bedroom tonight – perhaps by candlelight – and sit quietly before the large mirror, you might see what I have seen. Sit patiently, looking neither at yourself nor at the glass. You might notice that the image is not yours, but that of an exceptional person who lived at some other time . . .'

"The image in the mirror of fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Cuttner is that of the fey and long-dead Frances, who introduces Elizabeth to her chilling world of the supernatural. Through Frances, Elizabeth learns what it is to wield power – power of a kind that is malevolent and seemingly invincible. Power that begins with the killing of her parents . . . 

"First published in 1976, Ken Greenhall's debut novel Elizabeth is a lost classic of modern horror fiction that deserves rediscovery."

About SGJ: Stephen Graham Jones is the author of sixteen novels, six story collections, and, so far, one comic book. Stephen’s been an NEA recipient, has won the Texas Institute of Letters Award for Fiction, the Independent Publishers Award for Multicultural Fiction, a Bram Stoker Award, four This is Horror Awards, and he’s been a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award a few times. He’s also made Bloody Disgusting’s Top Ten Horror Novels. Stephen lives in Boulder, Colorado.

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LOTF 10: Getting Honest with Grady Hendrix

In this episode, Mackenzie and Lisa chat with Grady Hendrix. We talk about his history with theater, bad author events, the appropriate number of cats, and his philosophy of honest writing.

Grady Hendrix has written about the confederate flag for Playboy magazine, terrible movie novelizations for Film Comment, and Jean-Claude Van Damme for Slate. He’s covered machine gun collector conventions, written award shows for Chinese television, and answered the phone for a parapsychological research organization. His novel, Horrorstör, about a haunted IKEA, has been translated into 14 languages and is currently being developed into a television series. His most recent novel, My Best Friend's Exorcism, is now out in paperback, and he’s the screenwriter of 2017’s Mohawk, a horror movie set during the War of 1812. He recently won a Stoker Award for Paperbacks from Hell, a non-fiction history of horror paperbacks in the Seventies and Eighties.

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