The Davis Girl (TDG): Everyone, I am overjoyed to welcome illustrator and author Eric Orchard. Hello, and good day sir. Eric Orchard (EO): Good morning! TDG: Yes. Good morning. Are you ready for this, Eric Orchard? EO: Yep! TDG: First, who is the awesome cat in your profile picture? It has a pipe and there's a moon and it's awesome. EO: Ohhhh! That’s a bat often mistaken for a cat! It’s Inky from Maddy Kettle. In the book he’s a bat who guides Maddy through the ancient bat kingdom under the Arizona desert to the Thimble Witch’s house on a Mesa[...]
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1 First Impressions I have always judged books by their covers so it was no surprise to me that Stephanie Perkins's There's Someone Inside Your House was an instant YES. There's a lot I love about this cover, but my hearteyes were first sewn to three things: That hint-of-late-eighties neon pink projection lettering. How some of the words are broken across the stairs and railing (why do those creeps in the movies always go upstairs when they're alone? Constant disappointment. My fellow screenwriters could know better. You don't go upstairs. You wait for the[...]
Usually I try to let you know when I hear about or see an amazing new book. Today I heard about one coming out soon that I can't stop thinking about, so naturally I wanted to share it with you here. It's a murder mystery that I've read described as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo meets Gone Girl OR Ocean’s Eleven meets Blood Diamond. It's written by Natalie C. Anderson. You can check out her Goodreads profile here. Reader, meet the City of Saints & Thieves! ABOUT CITY OF SAINTS & THIEVES The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo meets [...]
Last week I wrote Gothic Literature – A History, and discussed what the genre is and where it came from. I also recommended a few fabulous books that helped to shape the genre itself. One of the things I mentioned was that the cool thing about Gothic literature, is that it’s still around today, even after hundreds of years, still haunting and thrilling, delighting and scaring. Today I wanted to highlight a few young adult Gothic novels for your reading pleasure! Above, from left to right, top to bottom. Click on the title to read a little more abo[...]
Man oh man oh man. I have just finished THE BEST BOOK. And now you all have to hear about it because you're welcome. If you have not heard of the middle grade book The House on Creep Street by The Blood Brothers, you are doing yourself a grave disservice. I can honestly say that The House on Creep Street is the best middle grade book I've ever read and it's one of the best I've read this year in any genre. There are several millions of reasons why I love this book but here are a few of the main reasons that I wanted to read this book in the first place. It in[...]
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, I have chosen The First Love Stories by Diane Wolkstein. Included in her lovely book are the tales of: 1. Isis and Osiris 2. Inanna and Dumuzi 3. Shiva and Sati 4. The Song of Songs from the Old Testament 5. Psyche and Eros 6. Layla and Majnun 7. Tristan and Iseult Oh, these were not very happy people and some of their tales are pure horror! Yes, If you think these are perfectly happy stories, without any horror, you need to think again. Like most fairy tales, these first love stories are rooted in the primal emotions of hum[...]
It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark Under the moonlight you see a sight that almost stops your heart You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes, You're paralyzed ......'Cause this is thriller! Thriller night... - Thriller, Michael Jackson Ahem. Sorry guys, I am known to break out in song. Does anyone else always think of 13 Going on 30 when they hear this song? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhbYxXg7p-A#t=41 And yeah, I got side tracked again. That'[...]
The Scream by Edvard Munch I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to write YA horror. I suppose a lot of fiction that I like is horror but maybe not in the typical ways. I love Gothics of all kinds and am reading a book by Carol Goodman right now. In some places, it’s pretty horrific. People die. There’s constant tension over a really nasty villain. Even some of the good people are willing to kill over their beliefs. But I don’t think many readers consider The Blythewood series horror, but it’s very dark, dark in all the right places. So, I did so[...]
As 2015 begins, I can’t help but reflect on my favorite books of 2014. Probably one of the most influential was The Glass Casket by McCormick Templeman, a Gothic Horror wrapped very neatly inside the structure of a fairy tale. Like most Gothics, the story is set in an exotic place. Though we don't have the Gothic castle, we do have the snowy and isolated village of Nag’s End where our heroine, Rowan Rose, lives with her father, Henry Rose, and their maid, Emily. On the opening page, death has come to Nag’s End, when some strange beast attacks a group of sold[...]
Happy Halloween Boys & Ghouls! Halloween is believed to be the one night a year where the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead are blurred, allowing spirits to roam free! Some believe that on Halloween the ghosts of the dead return to earth. How will you be celebrating your night? Whether you're trick-or-treating, watching horror flicks, or telling tales in graveyards, we wish you a happy and safe evening! How Are We Celebrating Halloween? We're celebrating with treats, tricks, and Neil Gaiman's All Hallow's Read! What is All Hallow’s[...]