Mornin’, Creeps!
Today is my favorite day of the year. I love the costumes and the candy and everything else that goes with it. But I also love the history of Halloween and what it symbolizes. And it helps that Rocky Horror Picture Show will be on later this evening. It appeals to the creepy and the corny in me. More than anything though, I enjoy the atmosphere: thrill of terror, the anticipation that comes with a well-told story. It’s hard to please me because I’ve spent so much time reading and researching, but I have to say there are still things out there capable of making me hide under the covers. I’ll be taking my little girl trick or treating tonight, but until then I have some time to kill.
Which means I have a treat for you… the creepiest list of books you’ve probably not heard of. Click on the titles to check them out.
Dollface
by Alexandra Christian
It’s available once again, but this time as a free read on her blog.
It’s an odd little tale of love and obsession in a funeral home.
Poor Caroline is a talented reconstructive artist, but her unrequited love for Scott may have dangerous ramifications.
Mooner
by Selah Janel
Historical. Lumberjack. Vampires.
This is an amazing book. I know the premise sounds a bit quirky,
but trust me…it’s worth a read. It’s sort of fascinating to learn how a vampire survives in a different age.
Death’s Dance
by Crymsyn Hart
Grim Reapers, ghost hunters, and plot twists… oh, my!
This is a fun, quirky horror read with a good smattering of humor. Anything
goes in a ghost town when nobody’s looking.
The cover is pretty awesome too.
State of Horror: Illinois
edited by Jerry E. Benns
A solid, creepy collection of stories. I bought this one at a convention a month and a half ago and
have been working my way through it and it’s sister anthology about New Jersey.
So far I’ve not found a single story I didn’t like. There’s guaranteed to be something for everyone in these books.
Hellscapes Vol. 1
by Stephen Zimmer
I reviewed this collection of horror novellas awhile back so you may
recognize that creepy cover. Each of the stories is set in the character’s own
personal form of hell. Some are sad, some are frightening, and some are oddly poignant.
FYI, Drowning in Tears will break your black, little heart.
The Sticks
by Andy Deane
Most people now Andy Deane as the front man of goth band Bella Morte,
but he’s actually a pretty damn good writer too. This is currently one of
my favorite werewolf books, and the voice is so vastly different from anything
else I’ve read lately that I constantly come back and find myself rereading passages.
My only complaint? I wish it was longer.
Cinema of Shadows
by Michael West
I love this series. I’ve read the first two so far and the third is on the TBR pile.
It’s creepy and entertaining, and there’s nothing better than psychics and haunted movie theaters.
The Spirit Box
by J.H. Glaze
Definitely an interesting one. There are so many occult detective
stories out there these days, but this one is definitely among my favorites. I’m definitely
curious to see what else John Hazard gets into in later installments.
Southern Haunts: Spirits that Walk Among Us
edited by Alexander S. Brown & J.L. Mulvihill
A very good, very eerie collection of ghost stories. Every story in the book
is set in the south or southwest, and some of them provide interesting insight into local folklore.
One of the authors gave me a copy and I’m now on a quest to collect autographs. Yes, I’m a nerd. Shut up.
Haunted
by S.H. Roddey
And last, but not least…
So I’m plugging my own book? So what? It’s good, I promise.
We have ghosts, possession, creepy pseudo-incestual feelings,
and beer for breakfast. What’s not to love?
So there you have it… go forth and be frightened. Happy Halloween, y’all!
A Haunted Head 