Wednesday, September 1, 2010

"Doorstep Horror"

We've discussed this just a bit here at the Corner, of how crime shorts can fit into the horror market. Well, Conrad Williams says it much better in his essay "Doorstep Horror" go have a read. http://www.mulhollandbooks.com/2010/09/01/161

The horror market is a wide open field for short crime stories to find a fit.

4 comments:

Fred Zackel said...

Great advice to all. I just made my transition. "The Blonde in the Red Corvette." "Sheriff's Deputy Owen Kaczala noticed the red Corvette first. An absolutely gorgeous car, even in a howling blizzard after midnight. Then he saw the blonde. Tall, thin and beautiful, she wore only a bright yellow sun dress. She was also barefoot and wore no winter clothes. That’s when he saw, on the belly of her bright yellow sun dress, the huge bloody hand print." Hey, if Ken Bruen can write about the Devil, and Lehane visits Shutter Island, and John Connelly has The Whisperers ....

Conda Douglas said...

Good point about the crossover possibilities.

sandra seamans said...

Okay, give it up, Fred! Where's the rest of that story?

The truth is you don't need ghosts and spirits for a crime/horror story. That nice "normal" guy next door might just surprise you with what's in his basement!

Noir crime stories tend to walk that edge between the two genres and can find a home in either market, Conda.

Fred Zackel said...

Ahhh. It's a 20,000 word novella at kindle & smashwords ... but we're still tinkering with the cover. (A bloody red hand print, of course.)