“How to Make Witch Books” By Annie Neugebauer

  Halloween is the best season for crafts! It’s also the best season for horror. AND the best season for books. So what better than making your own spooky book craft? I found the perfect combination in these DIY Halloween ‘witch books’! They can be as intricate or simple as you’d like them to be, really. I even ended up painting some page edges and drilling into some of my books. They don’t have to be witch-themed, either; that’s just what I was feeling this year. You could make them demon books, monster books, whatever strikes your fancy. I took…

Halloween Haunts: 10 Tips for Creating a Wicked Halloween Costume by Annie Neugebauer

You’re at Halloween Haunts, hosted by the Horror Writers Association; I don’t need to convince you that Halloween is the best holiday. I don’t need to regale you with tales of childhood mischief to get you in the mood or win you over to the concept of costumes. You know dressing up is where it’s at. So whether you’re going to a huge gala, a friend’s backyard party, or throwing your own shindig, you’re going to need a wicked costume. Here are my ten tips for becoming the most bombawesome of them all. 1. Follow your spark. The best thing…

Halloween Haunts: Why Horror Should Be Its Own Genre by Annie Neugebauer

“Horror is not a genre, like the mystery or science fiction or the western. It is not a kind of fiction meant to be confined to the ghetto of a special shelf in libraries or bookstores… Horror is an emotion.” --Douglas E. Winter If you write dark fiction, you’ve probably come across this quote often. In fact, it appears in the very well-written essay “What is Horror Fiction?” right in the FAQ section of the HWA website. The essay makes some excellent points that I whole-heartedly agree with. And yet, several things over the past year have gotten me thinking.…