The truly scary stuff isn't about monsters under the bed, vampires sucking blood or witches casting spells.. real horror comes from the things we take for granted, the things we trust the most and the things we think could never hurt us. Real horror is lying beside your beloved husband at night and seeing something odd in his eyes and then telling yourself you imagined it and what was wrong with you to even see something so crazy? Real horror is your sister putting something poisonous into the sugar bowl at a family dinner. Have you ever read "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" by Shirley Jackson?

I read it when I was a child. I thought it was a children's story and it was... yet it was the most horrifying thing I have ever read and the book has stuck with me my entire life. Over 30 years later and I still feel an eeriness just thinking about the book, the sisters and their lives alone with their secret.

I've read other Shirley Jackson stories, as many as I could find. I even read some of her non-fiction but reading those made me wish for more of her fiction instead.

Her books aren't always listed in the horror section. She's one of those writers who are hard to pin down into one strict genre. Sometimes I find her books displayed on the shelves for literature. I think that suits her, it's a bit generic and non-threatening. Who would suspect real horror from a book you find in the high-brow section of the book store?

Pick up one of her books of short stories or the collections with both the novels and short stories. It's a short story after all, it can't hurt.

Vintage Shirley Jackson books are better than the new editions, mainly for the book cover art. I have a huge weakness for book cover art from the 1960's and 1970's. They haunt you more, they have more romance, mystery and poetry to them. Compare book art from Shirley Jackson books - I found a link to someone who has a collection of them online. Which of those book covers would have you picking up the book and then flipping it over to read the back cover?

Some books, once read, stick with you for the rest of your life whether you like it or not. I can think of a few which won't leave my mind alone. 'The Most Dangerous Game' (written by Richard Connell) is one of them.

Others include 'We Have Always Lived in the Castle' and 'The Lottery', both by Shirley Jackson and 'The Monkey's Paw' (written by W. W. Jacobs) which was a short story I read from a book I found at my Grandparent's house a very long time ago. I still remember the sick feeling of wondering what was at the door. If you have never read it and want a good short story, give it a try.

'The Most Dangerous Game' is about hunters and being hunted. Which do you think is the most dangerous animal to hunt? Lions, tigers and bears... oh my! Not any of those, according to the book. I don't want to give away the story for anyone who doesn't already know it. But, I can say there has never been an adventure quite like the chase which goes on in this book. The ending leaves you guessing, unless you choose to assume things ended in a better way and leave it at that.

You don't need to be into hunting to enjoy this book. If enjoy is quite the right word. It is not a story for children, though it was a story we were required to read when I was a school kid. The story impacted me - I didn't stay up late to sneak downstairs and watch horror on TV as my brother and one of my sisters did. I liked to avoid the gruesome stuff. I still do. But, there are some stories you need to read, some ideas which should be explored, or at least tempted a little. Not that I'm taking up hunting, not as a sport, not after having read 'The Most Dangerous Game' at least once in my life.

SuiteU is closing and will disappear soon. There is a lot of great content there. People who wrote the courses put a lot into them. It's a shame for them to just disappear. Here is the free ecourse for Horror Literature. I'd like to write horror but so far it all starts out all wrong for me. I need a new way to write it.

Horror Literature By Catherine Bitzer

Introduction

Welcome to the lair of horror literature! Dark minds over centuries have scared the wits out of their readers by harping on our most subconscious of fears. Below is a description of what you might expect to find in the course.

FEARS: CHILDREN AND ADULTS

Fear, the greatest ally of horror literature, has had a home in the human heart since the beginning of time. According to H.P. Lovecraft, a horror fiction master whom you will learn more about in the course, said that fear is the oldest and deepest emotion of humankind. And he is right.

Consider for example your childhood. Were you afraid? What were you afraid of? Abandonment? The death of your parents? These are the two greatest childhood fears. …more

Getting off-seasonal with Eliza Dashwood (Word Ferret), for a horror writing prompt. I admit, I also read a lot of the paranormal chick lit stuff. Some may call it dark fantasy, paranormal fiction, etc. I think paranormal chick lit covers it well for me. Some of my favourite paranormal writers are: Michelle Rowen, Kelley Armstrong, Kresley Cole, Gena Showalter, Tanith Lee, Rachel Vincent, Katie MacAlister, Kerrelyn Sparks. Not hard core horror but I don't enjoy being really scared.

In her post Eliza writes about her early discovery of vampires, in her own home. What would be your story for a horror tale? I am very sure you have had some idea for a horror plot at some point. Maybe not a romantic story. Maybe one with a lot more edge and real terror in your horror. Write an outline for your plot. When you've done that, could you put more work and energy into it and turn it into a full story? How about trying it as a short story for an online publication? Test the blood... I mean water, for yourself as a horror writer.

Eliza and her vampires think you should.