Welcome back to SCARY OUT THERE, the Horror Writers Association’s new blog on scary fiction for teens.

My guest this week is Tonya Hurley the New York Times and international bestselling author of the GHOSTGIRL young adult series and author of THE BLESSED.  Tonya has also created video games, two television series, written for film and is a contributor to The Huffington Post.  She lives in New York with her husband and daughter.

JONATHAN MABERRY: Let’s jump right in and talk about. With Scary Out There we’ve been exploring that nature of fear and what makes each of us afraid. What scares you, Tonya?

TONYA HURLEY: I’ve always been terrified of death, since I was a little girl.

JONATHAN MABERRY: There are a lot of ways to die. Is there a particular kind of death that pushes your buttons?

TONYA HURLEY: Death from the inside, like an undetected aneurysm, a sudden heart attack, an incurable acute illness, or anything that occurs without warning.

JONATHAN MABERRY: Was there something that ignited that fear in you?

TONYA HURLEY:  Yes. I remember being a little girl in the shower and screaming for my mother that my eyes were falling out of their sockets.

JONATHAN MABERRY: Yikes.

TONYA HURLEY: I was a terribly morbid child.

JONATHAN MABERRY:  No kidding. Does anything else scare the bejeezus out of you?

TONYA HURLEY: Sure, possession.  The idea of losing control was a big one with me.

JONATHAN MABERRY:  In what way?

TONYA HURLEY: The “monsters” inside. This is probably the same reason I am drawn to writing young adult.  There is so much going on inside mentally, emotionally, hormonally when you’re a teen that you have absolutely no control over.  It’s the best of times and the worst of times.

JONATHAN MABERRY: That speaks to a recurring topic here on Scary Out There. Some critics have voiced concerns about scary stories for teens, suggesting that they’re bad for kids. Do you agree with that view?

TONYA HURLEY: No, I don’t agree with the concerns.

JONATHAN MABERRY:  Why not?

TONYA HURLEY: Scary stories can often be our best teachers, especially when we are young.  They help us to understand the actual horror in the world and how to process and deal with it. I think that is one of the reasons why the fairytales of childhood are so brutal.  They are all just cautionary tales to one degree or another. Not to mention they are incredibly entertaining and they get teens reading.

JONATHAN MABERRY: Yup. So, makes good horror fiction?

TONYA HURLEY: I define ‘horror fiction’ simply as a story that scares you.

JONATHAN MABERRY: Is that an across-the-board view?

TONYA HURLEY: In a way. Everyone has a different fear threshold, so I don’t think we can limit it to tales of ghosts, monsters, real or imagined, and the supernatural.  Growing up, some of the most frightening stories I ever heard, and horrific images I ever saw, were in church on Sunday. My favorite horror fiction books mix horror with heart and humor.

JONATHAN MABERRY: Where you influenced by teen horror fiction?

TONYA HURLEY: Absolutely.  CARRIE by Stephen King is why I do what I do.  I read it when I was young.

JONATHAN MABERRY: That’s young adult fiction?

TONYA HURLEY: I think it’s the first YA novel before they were classified as such. All the elements are there.  High school, teenagers, peer pressure, parental conflict, fitting in, bullying, buckets of blood, sex, mayhem, murder and of course the supernatural.  It has influenced my work greatly.

JONATHAN MABERRY: As you see it, is horror fiction different for adults and for teens?

TONYA HURLEY: I don’t think it needs to be although you do want to take into account how graphic you can be without turning a younger reader off completely.  Teen readers perhaps react and relate more to characters like themselves and prefer to see those characters in familiar situations, i.e., high school, summer camp, because their life experiences are necessarily more limited than an adult’s.  But I don’t think the essence of what frightens us – the unknown – ever really changes.

JONATHAN MABERRY: Apart from an influence of CARRIE, what drew you to write horror?

TONYA HURLEY: I never set out consciously to write YA horror. I set out to write a trilogy that reimagined the martyr stories through three modern, confused but ultimately empowered, female characters who were chock full of badassery.  What I didn’t fully appreciate was how frightening those legends could be once I’d dragged them out of the past and into the present.

JONATHAN MABERRY: What’s the basic story?

TONYA HURLEY: The Blessed is the story of three Brooklyn teens at the lowest point in their lives, who fall for a mysterious guy who believes they are the modern-day incarnation of ancient female martyrs Lucy, Cecilia and Agnes.  Those saints died horrific, brutal and bloody deaths at very young ages as punishment for their defiance, so to stay true to those legends I really had to go there with my story and these characters and make no apologies.

JONATHAN MABERRY: Pretty intense stuff.  Kind of suggests that we’ve had horrific stories for teens for a long time.

TONYA HURLEY: For me, these legends are probably the first YA stories we have, and definitely some of the first YA horror stories we have.  As I was writing it, I kept thinking: Girls meets the Exorcist with a Tarantino twist.

JONATHAN MABERRY: That’s one hell of a tagline. So, what’s next?

TONYA HURLEY: I’ve got two more books in Å trilogy.

JONATHAN MABERRY: When will we see them?

TONYA HURLEY: The first paperback ,PRECIOUS BLOOD, will be released June 25^th. The second book, PASSIONARIES, will be released early 2014.  Aside from that, I am working on a ghostgirl ‘Day Of the Dead’ novella.

JONATHAN MABERRY: Nice!  Okay, apart from CARRIE, hit me with a couple of other YA horror novels that you feel are must-reads.

TONYA HURLEY: I’m not sure if these qualify as ‘YA horror’ since they pre-date the genre, but they are nevertheless scary as hell and shaped me as a person while I was coming of age, and certainly as a writer.  Kickin’ it classic with The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty. As frightening and memorable as the film was (and still is), you haven’t truly been scared out of your wits until you read it.

JONATHAN MABERRY: Why so?

TONYA HURLEY: Is there anything more horrifying than being taken over by an evil spirit? For many of us raised Catholic, this is not a fantasy but a distinct possibility and gives the story even greater power over the imagination. The slow roll out of the story requires patience but somehow makes the whole thing more unsettling.  I had to hide the book before I went to bed each night so I couldn’t see it!

JONATHAN MABERRY: And what else?

TONYA HURLEY: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.  It always comes back to this one somehow. We all know the big themes addressed and the cultural impact they’ve had over the years but at the core of its horrific plot is a mad scientist turned grave robber who lives to stitch together parts of corpses and reanimate them.  The stuff of nightmares.

JONATHAN MABERRY: Yes it is. Thanks for swinging by to open a vein for us, Tonya. Best of luck with THE BLESSED novels!

You can find Tonya at www.tonyahurley.com, Twitter @TonyaHurley, or www.facebook.com/Tonya.Hurley

And visit these sites for more on her writing: www.facebook.com/ghostgirl, www.facebook/TheBlessed, www.theblessed.com, and www.ghostgirl.com

Also, here’s a trailer for BLESSED trailer on EW / also on youtube if you prefer:

http://shelf-life.ew.com/2012/09/14/tonya-hurley-the-blessed-exclusive-book-trailer/

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NEXT TIME: Tune in next week when I sit down to talk with Darren Shan, internationally bestselling authors of thirty novels for teens (and adults), Cirque Du Freak, The Demonata, The City trilogy, and his new series Zom-B.  Until then, hurry home before it gets too dark!

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Jonathan Maberry is a NY Times bestselling author, multiple Bram Stoker Award winner, and freelancer for Marvel Comics. His novels include EXTINCTION MACHINE, FIRE & ASH, PATIENT ZERO and many others. His award-winning teen novel, ROT & RUIN, is now in development for film. He is the editor of V-WARS, an award-winning vampire anthology. Since 1978 he’s sold more than 1200 magazine feature articles, 3000 columns, plays, greeting cards, song lyrics, and poetry. He is the founder of the Writers Coffeehouse, and co-founder of The Liars Club. Jonathan lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with his wife, Sara Jo. www.jonathanmaberry.com   Find him on Twitters at @JonathanMaberry and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jonathanmaberry

Welcome back to the Horror Writers Association’s new blog on scary fiction for teens.

My guest this week is JAMES ROLLINS, the New York Times bestselling author of thrillers whose books have sold to over thirty countries. His Sigma Force series has earned national accolades and hit bestseller lists around the world. Jim also writes a middle-school adventure series featuring Jake Ransom, boy archaeologist, and has finished the first book in a collaborative adult horror series with award-winning mystery writer, Rebecca Cantrell, titled The Blood Gospel (published in January 2013). Jim also wrote a number of notable fantasy novels –The Banned and the Banished series and the Godslayer series–under the pen name of James Clemens. Aside from his writing career, Jim is also a veterinarian.

He’s also a new active member of the Horror Writers Association.

JONATHAN MABERRY: With Scary Out There we’ve been exploring fear in its many forms and how that is presented in fiction. What’s your take on the nature of fear?

JAMES ROLLINS: I guess you can categorize fears as phobias and as real-life concerns of disease, disability, and death.

JONATHAN MABERRY: Gotta ask. Do you have a phobia?

JAMES ROLLINS: I don’t like driving over drawbridges.

JONATHAN MABERRY: Is that the result of some trauma?

JAMES ROLLINS: Not really. Phobias aren’t grounded in reality, so they’re the same whether you’re a kid or an adult.

JONATHAN MABERRY: Is this different for teens and adults?

JAMES ROLLINS: Sure. I think what scared me more as a kid (like ventriloquist dolls) was often tied to supernatural elements, but as an adult, it’s more about what really goes “bump” in the night that sets my teeth on edge.

JONATHAN MABERRY: As an author you’re new to horror fiction. Were you a fan before that?

JAMES ROLLINS: I certainly grew up reading horror.

JONATHAN MABERRY: A frequent topic of conversation lately has been the increase in horror fiction for kids. Some folks want to keep scary stories away from teens. What’s your take?

JAMES ROLLINS: I think it does kids a disservice to believe they must be insulated against things that might frighten or challenge their sensibilities.  Horror stories are a way for teens to dealing with the emotional rollercoaster of growing up.  It’s an outlet for blowing off steam, a way to safely deal with fear, a method for broadening their perspectives about life and people.

JONATHAN MABERRY: Even though there are a lot of subgenre in which dark and strange things happen, we tend to group them under the umbrella of ‘horror’. Is that a fair assessment?

JAMES ROLLINS: That is certainly a large umbrella under which many stories could be sheltered, but at its root, I would define ‘horror’ as stories where the express purpose is to disturb a reader’s sensibilities of security and normalcy and create a feeling of menace and fear.

JONATHAN MABERRY: Why are these scary elements so common in thriller fiction?

JAMES ROLLINS: Fear is a survival instinct.  It’s that tingle of hairs on the back of the neck that warns of impending danger.  So it’s almost impossible to write a thriller without thumbing that bowstring of fear, of survival.

JONATHAN MABERRY:  What separates horror for adults and teens?

JAMES ROLLINS: I think there are only two elements that separate adult and YA horror.  First, the level of descriptive gore is likely dependent on your audience. Second, certain subject matters may be more appropriately “adult” (i.e., sexual themes).  But beyond that, I don’t think a writer should water down their prose, their themes, or the level of terror to suit a teen audience.  Kids can smell falseness on the page.

JONATHAN MABERRY:  What draws people to scary fiction?

JAMES ROLLINS: I think it goes back to fear being a survival instinct.  People live defined, orchestrated lives and enjoy the titillation of putting themselves into the jeopardy found within the pages of a story.  It’s the thrill of the rollercoaster ride, where you “feel” like your life is in danger, but at the same time, you know you’re safe.

JONATHAN MABERRY:  Is there a line in fiction between acceptable scary and too much?

JAMES ROLLINS: I don’t believe there is a line in regards to the “scare” level. I think every story needs an ebb and flow of its frightfulness to be effective, so it doesn’t read one-note.  But in regards to the heights of terror reached at those peaks of storytelling, I don’t think there should be boundaries, and I love writers who deliberately push them.

JONATHAN MABERRY:  Tell us about your YA thrillers.

JAMES ROLLINS: My books feature Jake Ransom the son of a pair of archeologist parents, who vanished during a dig in Mexico.  Three years later, a parcel arrives on their doorstep containing the logbooks from his parents.  This sets young Jake on an adventure that spans time and space in a quest to discover the true fate of his parents.

JONATHAN MABERRY: Loss of parents is scary as well to a lot of teens.

JAMES ROLLINS: It’s a primal fear.

JONATHAN MABERRY: Will Jake Ransom be returning for more thrills and chills?

JAMES ROLLINS: Yes, in fact, next up is Jake Ransom and the Cauldron of Doom. The release date isn’t set yet, though.

JONTHAN MABERRY: Tell us about your new horror novel for adults.

JAMES ROLLINS: Written with the award-winning Rebecca Cantrell, The Blood Gospel is a new twist on vampire mythology. An earthquake in Masada reveals a tomb buried in the heart of the mountain, where the body of a young girl is found crucified and where an ancient text, written in Christ’s own blood, might have once been buried.

JONATHAN MABERRY: Yeah, that’s creepy. Okay, last question: If you had to recommend just three YA horror or thriller novels –past or present—which books make your must-read list?

JAMES ROLLINS: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, Feed by Mira Grant and Uglies by Scott Westerfield

 JONATHAN MABERRY: Thanks, Jim. Great stuff, and best of luck with your first adult horror novel, Blood Gospel. I read it and it’s a killer.

Find James Rollins online at www.jamesrollins.com, or follow him on Facebook. And for information and updates, join his YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/authorjamesrollins

NEXT TIME:

Tune in next week when I sit down to talk with Rick Yancey, author of the chilling MONSTRUMOLOGIST series.

Until then, make sure you check under the bed and keep that closet door locked!

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Jonathan Maberry is a NY Times bestselling author, multiple Bram Stoker Award winner, and freelancer for Marvel Comics. His novels include EXTINCTION MACHINE, FIRE & ASH, PATIENT ZERO and many others. His award-winning teen novel, ROT & RUIN, is now in development for film. He is the editor of V-WARS, an award-winning vampire anthology. Since 1978 he’s sold more than 1200 magazine feature articles, 3000 columns, plays, greeting cards, song lyrics, and poetry. He is the founder of the Writers Coffeehouse, and co-founder of The Liars Club. Jonathan lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with his wife, Sara Jo. www.jonathanmaberry.com   

By: Jonathan Maberry

Welcome back to the Horror Writers Association’s new blog on scary fiction for teens. This week we chat with dynamic newcomer Victoria Schwab, who has been turning out an impressive number of works in a short time –and gathering critical and commercial acclaim with every step.

Victoria is the author of THE NEAR WITCH–which Kirkus Book Review praised for its “shivery horror tang”–as well as THE ARCHIVED, and several upcoming novels. Victoria suffers from a wicked case of wanderlust, but when she’s not haunting Paris streets or trudging up English hillsides, she can usually be found tucked in the corner of a coffee shop in Nashville, sipping tea and dreaming up monsters.

Jonathan Maberry: Let’s talk about being scared.  Are you scared of the same things now as you were as a kid?

Victoria Schwab: Not…as a teen I was scared of monsters. As an adult, I’m far more scared of humans.

Jonathan Maberry: Does that mean you’ve completely left the childhood fears behind?

Victoria Schwab: No, it’s not because I’ve stopped believing in beasts and things that go bump.

Jonathan Maberry: Really?

Victoria Schwab:  I guess my default is to believe in something until it’s proven to be fake.

Jonathan Maberry: But as an adult the focus of your fear has changed?

Victoria Schwab:  Sure. I find people, and what they’re capable of, to be more terrifying. I’ll always be a sucker for ghosts and urban myths.

Jonathan Maberry: Such as…?

Victoria Schwab: You won’t catch me saying “bloody mary” in the mirror at midnight.

Jonathan Maberry: Me, neither. Hard to admit that outside of the horror crowd without people looking at you strangely.  Getting back to humans, though…

Victoria Schwab: Serial killers and crimes–especially senseless or random ones–top my scare list these days.

Jonathan Maberry: Some people have raised arguments against horror, saying that dark content creates a negative influence on kids and that such books should be restricted.

Victoria Schwab: I’m pretty anti-censorship in all forms.

Jonathan Maberry: Does that mean no restrictions?

Victoria Schwab: I think now and then we need to do a better job of letting readers know what a book is and isn’t, but that graying exists more in other genres than in horror, probably due to the more targeted cover designs in this area. It will probably sound trite but the world is filled with horrors, fictional and real, and I don’t see the point in putting blinders on anyone.

Jonathan Maberry: Horror seems to be blossoming in teen fiction, but the definition is becoming fuzzy. How do you define ‘horror fiction’?

Victoria Schwab: Personally I see horror as anything that follows me to bed at night. When I first turn out the lights after reading or watching something scary, I feel that simple, bone-deep fear of what might be out there in the dark. And I don’t think a book has to be overtly or thoroughly grounded in the more classically defined horror genre to have horror elements.

Jonathan Maberry: Is horror, as a concept or a literary theme, different for teens and adults?

Victoria Schwab: I don’t think it is. I think there are different kinds of horror to suit every taste, but I’ve never really delineated them by age. Though teen boys do seem to enjoy gore more than anyone else I know.

Jonathan Maberry: Where do your books fall within that broad definition?

Victoria Schwab: I’d say I fall into that category of books that are not homerun horrors, but have spine-shivery elements. My first novel, THE NEAR WITCH, was primarily a mystery, but it also played heavily on the childlike fear of things that go bump or lurk beyond the window or whisper in the dark. My new book, THE ARCHVED, deals with a library of the dead, and the fear factor comes in in a place called the Narrows, a set of dark corridors where the dead who’ve woken—all restless, some violent—must be hunted down.

Jonathan Maberry: Nice! So…what’s next for you in YA horror?

Victoria Schwab: I’ll be continuing the story of THE ARCHIVED for at least another book, and fear takes a different face in the sequel, where nightmares begin to bleed into reality for my main character. It’s a more psychological horror, and I’m excited to play with that.

Jonathan Maberry: Sounds great. Now, if you had to recommend just three YA horror novels –past or present—which books make your must-read list?

Victoria Schwab: ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD by Kendare Blake, THE SUMMONING by Kelly Armstrong, THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH by Carrie Ryan.

Jonathan Maberry: Great choices, Victoria.  Thanks for taking time to talk teen horror with us.

Find Victoria online at http://veschwab.wordpress.com or on Twitter at @veschwab.

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Jonathan Maberry is a NY Times bestselling author, multiple Bram Stoker Award winner, and freelancer for Marvel Comics. His novels include EXTINCTION MACHINE, FIRE & ASH, PATIENT ZERO and many others. His award-winning teen novel, ROT & RUIN, is now in development for film. He is the editor of V-WARS, an award-winning vampire anthology. Since 1978 he’s sold more than 1200 magazine feature articles, 3000 columns, plays, greeting cards, song lyrics, and poetry. He is the founder of the Writers Coffeehouse, and co-founder of The Liars Club. Jonathan lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with his wife, Sara Jo. www.jonathanmaberry.com

By: Jonathan Maberry

Welcome back to the Horror Writers Association’s new blog on scary fiction for teens. We kick things off with Barry Lyga, a finalist for this year’s Bram Stoker Award for Young Adult Fiction. In his own words: Barry Lyga “writes lots of stuff, some of which makes people question their safety around him. But really, he’s just a nice, normal guy. Really. Honest. (Could you hold this hammer for a sec? Thanks.)”

Jonathan Maberry:

What scares you, Barry?

Barry Lyga: OK, this will sound weird, but—

Jonathan Maberry: It’s a horror blog, man.

Barry Lyga: Fair enough. Right now I’m sort of terrified of stairs. I know, I know. But about six months ago, I fell down a flight of stairs and broke my foot in four places. It’s still not entirely healed, and every time I look at a staircase, I get this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I imagine that’ll go away, though.

Jonathan Maberry:
Seriously, man…ouch. Anything else that scares you? Maybe something deeper-seated?

Barry Lyga: Well, my more typical fears are the kinds of fears most of us have: Will I succeed at something I’m trying to accomplish, or will I be a big ol’ failure and laughingstock?

Jonathan Maberry: It’s a fear of failure…?

Barry Lyga: No, it’s a fear of the unknown, really, that gets me. You can plan and plot and scheme all you want, but at the end of the day, there’s always going to be an unknown X factor that sneaks up on you and sends you off in a direction you could never anticipate.

Jonathan Maberry:
How is that different as an adult from what scared you as a teen?

Barry Lyga: When I was a kid, I was too focused and too self-absorbed to be scared of much. Well, except for girls.

Jonathan Maberry: I seem to remember the same dread.

Barry Lyga: Man, when I was 16, nothing was more terrifying to me than a 16-year-old girl.

Jonathan Maberry:
Some critics have voiced concerns about writing scary stories for teens. Where do you land on that?

Barry Lyga: I read a lot of Stephen King as a kid, as well as stuff like Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing comics. As best I can tell, I still managed to grow up to be a productive member of society.

Jonathan Maberry: So, this isn’t something new? Something we’ve started inflicting on the current crop of teens?

Barry Lyga: There have always been horror stories for teens, and even younger — think about most fairy tales. Those things are terrifying! And besides, a kid’s imagination run amok is more frightening than anything you can write in a book.

Jonathan Maberry: Does that mean the argument has no merit? That horror fiction can’t sink its claws into teens in a harmful way?

Barry Lyga: I never agree with those concerns. To my way of thinking, there’s no such thing as writing “for teens.” Everyone is different. “Teen” is not a single-definition, monolithic group. Some teens can handle the horror, some can’t. I write for the ones who can and assume the others aren’t reading. Why on earth would I change what I write for someone who isn’t reading it in the first place?

Jonathan Maberry: Let’s shift gears for a bit. How do you define ‘horror fiction’?

Barry Lyga: Once upon a time, I would have said that horror had to have an element of the supernatural. But I’ve been rethinking that lately — especially with so many people calling my books “horror” even though they don’t have any sort of magic to them — and I think it’s fair to say that what horror really needs an element of the unknown or unknowable. That same thing I was talking about before. There needs to be a sense of total lack of control. It’s about taking everyday life and then exposing some random element that spins it wildly away from the quotidian. That’s what makes a story horror.

Jonathan Maberry: Okay, so how is horror fiction different for adults and for teens?

Barry Lyga: I think you’re afraid of different things when you’re a kid. Not fitting in. Standing out too much or at the wrong time. You fear what you might become or what you might not become. Adults have a fear FOR their children. Teens have a fear OF their parents. Or of becoming their parents. So, horror fiction for teens has different fears to exploit, but the tools are basically the same — you’re still taking a comfortable, known scenario and turning it on its head. Preferably with something bloody tossed in there for good measure.

Jonathan Maberry: Tell us about the spooky stuff you write for teens. Give us a quick pitch?

Barry Lyga: What if the world’s worst serial killer was your father? What if he wanted you to grow up to be just like him? What if he trained you since you could walk and hold a knife? What if you’re pretty sure you have no say in the matter? That’s I HUNT KILLERS.

Jonathan Maberry: 
Geez.

Barry Lyga:
 The second book in the I HUNT KILLERS series — GAME — comes out in April.

Jonathan Maberry: Fan recommendation time. If you had to recommend just three YA horror novels –past or present—which books make your must-read list?

Barry Lyga: Probably Libba Bray’s THE DIVINERS, Holly Black’s TITHE, and — it’s not YA, but it’s great — THE STONE CHILD by Dan Poblocki.

Jonathan Maberry: Thanks, Barry. And best of luck at the Stoker Awards in June.

You can find Barry online in all the usual places: barrylyga.com, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr.

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Jonathan Maberry is a NY Times bestselling author, multiple Bram Stoker Award winner, and freelancer for Marvel Comics. His novels include EXTINCTION MACHINE, FIRE & ASH, PATIENT ZERO and many others. His award-winning teen novel, ROT & RUIN, is now in development for film. He is the editor of V-WARS, an award-winning vampire anthology. Since 1978 he’s sold more than 1200 magazine feature articles, 3000 columns, plays, greeting cards, song lyrics, and poetry. He is the founder of the Writers Coffeehouse, and co-founder of The Liars Club. Jonathan lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with his wife, Sara Jo. www.jonathanmaberry.com

What scares you?

Is it the same thing that scares me?

Are the things that scare us now the same things that made us tremble as kids? Are they the same monsters? The same fears and doubts? The same shadows? The same threats, real and imagined, that troubled us on the way to school? Or in school? In the playground?

No.

Fear, like everything in life, changes. Just as we change.

And horror –that personal reaction to something that makes us afraid—is as changeable as it is individual. Horror is no more the same to you and me as it is you our adult selves and the kids we once were.

Beginning this week, the Horror Writers Association launches a new blog on horror as defined and published for the Young Adult audience. Each week I’ll interview another player in the booming market of YA horror fiction.

However some of those players will surprise you. Because, as we agreed, not everyone defines horror the same way. So one of my motivations for this blog is to explore the dimensions and nuances of what defines horror. Horror can, of course, be supernatural, but it doesn’t have to be. Horror can be psychological, it can be grounded in science fiction, it can be steeped in fantasy, or it can be the dread of peer pressure and social awkwardness. If you don’t immediately agree, think back to what genuinely made you afraid as a teen.

That diversity in subject matter is reflected in the HWA’s new Bram Stoker Awards category for Young Adult Horror. I was so very honored to tie for the win last year with my friend and colleague Nancy Holder. This year’s final ballot reflects another wide, wide range of books that are covered by the YA Horror umbrella.

Joining us for this exploration to the unknown limits of horror is a wide range of authors. Some are well-known to the ‘horror crowd’; others are more familiar in other aspects of YA fiction –including paranormal thrillers, paranormal romance, psychological drama, science fiction, urban fantasy, dark fantasy, and more. Some are publishing giants, others are talented newcomers. All of them write horror.

If you don’t yet see how, or if some of these authors and their books don’t yet fit into your definition of ‘horror’, then that’s why we’re doing this blog. Horror, as a genre, resists easy definition. Especially in teen fiction.

Over the weeks and months you’ll hear from R. L. Stine, Holly Black, Kelley Armstrong, Barry Lyga, Lish McBride, Marie Lu, Carrie Ryan, Charlie Higson, Dan Wells, Ellen Hopkins, Heather Brewer, Kim Harrison, and many, many others.

Our first installment will be going up soon.

And, I encourage you to check out the books on this years final ballot for the YA Bram Stoker Award. Read. Get scared. Have fun.

-Jonathan Maberry

FINAL BALLOT FOR YOUNG ADULT NOVEL BRAM STOKER AWARD

Bray, Libba – The Diviners (Little Brown)
Lyga, Barry – I Hunt Killers (Little Brown)
Maberry, Jonathan – Flesh & Bone (Simon & Schuster)
McCarty, Michael – I Kissed A Ghoul (Noble Romance Publishing)
Stiefvater, Maggie – The Raven Boys (Scholastic Press)
Strand, Jeff – A Bad Day for Voodoo (Sourcebooks)

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Jonathan Maberry is a NY Times bestselling author, multiple Bram Stoker Award winner, and freelancer for Marvel Comics. His novels include EXTINCTION MACHINE, FIRE & ASH, PATIENT ZERO and many others. His award-winning teen novel, ROT & RUIN, is now in development for film. He is the editor of V-WARS, an award-winning vampire anthology. Since 1978 he’s sold more than 1200 magazine feature articles, 3000 columns, plays, greeting cards, song lyrics, and poetry. He is the founder of the Writers Coffeehouse, and co-founder of The Liars Club. Jonathan lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with his wife, Sara Jo. www.jonathanmaberry.com

There’s a sense of urgency that comes with horror. That feeling of your blood icing in your veins, sending your heart beating violently in your chest. Your breath hitches in your throat, anticipating what will happen next. You don’t know whether to turn away, or continue to witness what torturous thing the character will encounter before they’re out of reach. It’s that moment where you know it’s wrong to want to see the pain inflicted on their face, but somehow you can’t help but watch. You’ve invested so much already. There’s no going back now. You’re caught in the moment, watching, hoping, and fearing what anguish awaits. You want to know. You need to know. And when the moment comes, you can see it before they do. You want to scream. You want to tell them to turn back. But they keep running, colliding with their untimely end.

The adrenaline that accompanies this sort of setup is something we all look for. It’s the rush of it that’s intoxicating. There’s something about it that eats you up and you can’t help but let that fear mix with pleasure, because deep down we all need that excitement of the unknown. Whether you’re watching it on T.V. or flipping the pages of a book, horror gets your mind racing, and it’s the adventure of it that makes your chest ache with exhilaration and despair. People can deny it all they want, but they like being scared. And what’s better than being scared? Being the person who creates it. I find that even I get scared as I’m writing––fighting the urge to look over my shoulder, or avoiding the glare from the T.V., in fear that someone lurks behind me. That’s when I know I’m doing it right. Creating those images in someone’s head and getting the right reaction is difficult to pinpoint at times, but its the intensity, the buildup in which it’s described is what drives the fear. The excitement that comes with writing horror is what keeps me going. It took me a long time to discover that supernatural/horror was what I’m meant to write. I’ve loved it ever since I was a kid, and fear is one of those things I can’t deny. It’s such a strong emotion, and dabbling in that and getting a reaction from readers is what I live for.

So the next time you find yourself alone, give your old friend, Horror, a call.

Go on . . . try it. Don’t be scared.

—

Heather Marie is a YA writer represented by Michelle Witte at Mansion Street Literary. She lives in Northern California with her husband and baby box turtle. When she’s not writing or plotting her next idea, she spends an unhealthy amount of time watching Netflix and picking apart plot holes in movies.

2011 Bram Stoker Nominee

Kenneth Oppel

Author bio:
Kenneth Oppel is the author of numerous books for young readers. His award-winning Silverwing trilogy has sold over a million copies worldwide, and been adapted as an animated TV series and stage play. Airborn was winner of a Michael L Printz Honor Book Award, and the Canadian Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature; its sequel, Skybreaker, was a New York Times bestseller and was named Children’s Novel of the Year by the London Times. His most recent books are THIS DARK ENDEAVOR and SUCH WICKED INTENT, prequels to the gothic classic Frankenstein. Born on Vancouver Island, he has lived in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, England, Ireland, and now lives in Toronto with his wife and children.

Book synopsis:
Victor Frankenstein leads a charmed life. He and his twin brother Konrad and their beautiful cousin Elizabeth take lessons at home and spend their spare time fencing and horseback riding. Along with their friend, Henry, they have explored all the hidden passageways and secret rooms of the palatial Frankenstein chateau. Except one.

The Dark Library contains ancient tomes written in strange languages, and filled with forbidden knowledge. Their father makes them promise never to visit the library again, but when Konrad becomes deathly ill, Victor knows he must find the book that contains the recipe for the legendary Elixir of Life.

The elixir needs only three ingredients. But impossible odds, dangerous alchemy, and a bitter love triangle threaten their quest at every turn.

Victor knows he must not fail. But his success depends on how far he is willing to push the boundaries of nature, science, and love – and how much he is willing to sacrifice.

Buy This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein on Amazon

This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein, was published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

For more information, please visit:
http://www.kennethoppel.ca/

Or email Kenneth Oppel at Kenneth.Oppel@sympatico.ca

Bram Stoker 2011 Nominee

Patrick Ness

Author bio:
Patrick Ness is the author of the Chaos Walking trilogy. The Knife of Never Letting Go, book one of the trilogy, won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize and the Booktrust Teenage Prize. The Ask and The Answer, the second book in the trilogy won the Costa Children’s Book Award 2009. The third book, Monsters of Men, was released in September 2010.

He has also written a novel (The Crash of Hennington) and a short story collection (Topics About Which I Know Nothing) for adults, has taught Creative Writing at Oxford University, and is a literary critic for the Guardian. Born in Virginia, he lives in London.

Book synopsis:
At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting– he’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It’s ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd– whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself.

Buy A Monster calls on Amazon

A Monster Calls, a Bram Stoker Nominee, was published by Candlewick

For more information, please visit: http://www.patrickness.com

Or contact Patrick Ness at: publicity@candlewick.com

Bram Stoker 2011 Nominee

Daniel Kraus

Author bio:
Daniel Kraus is a Chicago-based writer and filmmaker. His novel THE MONSTER VARIATIONS (Random House, 2009) was selected to New York Public Library’s “100 Best Stuff for Teens.” Fangoria called his acclaimed, Odyssey Award-winning, Bram Stoker-nominated second novel, ROTTERS (Random House, 2011), “a new horror classic.”

Upcoming novels include SCOWLER (Random House, 2013) and TROLLHUNTERS (Hyperion, 2013), co-written with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. Kraus has written regularly for such magazines as Cosmopolitan, Playboy, Maxim, and Salon.com. Visit him at www.danielkraus.com.

Book synopsis:
Grave robbing. What kind of monster would do such a thing? It’s true that Leonardo da Vinci did it, Shakespeare wrote about it, and the resurrection men of nineteenth-century Scotland practically made it an art. But none of this matters to Joey Crouch, a sixteen-year-old straight-A student living in Chicago with his single mom. For the most part, Joey’s life is about playing the trumpet and avoiding the daily humiliations of high school.

Everything changes when Joey’s mother dies in a tragic accident and he is sent to rural Iowa to live with the father he has never known, a strange, solitary man with unimaginable secrets. At first, Joey’s father wants nothing to do with him, but once father and son come to terms with each other, Joey’s life takes a turn both macabre and exhilarating.

Buy Rotter on Amazon

Rotter, a Bram Stoker nominee, was published by Random House

For more information, please visit: http://danielkraus.com/

Or contact Daniel Kraus at: mail@danielkraus.com

2011 Bram Stoker Nominee

J. G. Faherty

Author bio:
A lifelong resident of New York’s highly haunted Hudson Valley region, JG Faherty grew up amid Revolutionary War graveyards, haunted roads, and woods filled with ghostly apparitions. His varied professional career includes working as a resume writer, laboratory manager, accident scene photographer, zoo keeper, scientist, and salesman. He began writing fiction in 2001, and his short stories, poetry, and articles- have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies.

Book Synopsis:
By all accounts, 16-year-old Maya Blair is a typical teen-age high school student. She hangs out with her best friend Lucy, has a turbulent relationship with her ex-boyfriend Stuart, and works at her family’s diner – the main restaurant on the island of Coronado Bay.

But Maya has an extraordinary secret – she can see, hear, and talk to ghosts. And when spirits are near her they revert back to solid form. She is what her deceased grandmother Elsa calls a Seer.

For years, Elsa was the only ghost Maya knew. But that changes when the century-old wreckage of the Black Lady, a ship that capsized in Coronado Bay’s waters, is raised from the ocean floor and placed on display in the local museum. During a school tour of the Black Lady exhibit, Maya meets Blake Hennessy, a young, fair-skinned boy to whom she is instantly attracted. Shortly thereafter, a sensual, gothic young man named Gavin Hamlin crosses her path, and she is equally smitten. Her feelings bloom before she realizes they are both ghosts – Blake, the kind- hearted spirit who cares for Maya’s well being, and Gavin, the dark wizard who thirsts to finish the evil task he longed to complete 100 years before.

To accomplish his nefarious plan, Gavin has to be human again. And for that, he needs the blood of a virgin witch. In his mind, Maya is the perfect candidate. Now it’s up to Maya, Lucy, and Blake to save Coronado Bay and the world from destruction. But time is running out, people are dying, and Gavin’s powers are growing.

Things were so much simpler when all she had to worry about was a date for the dance.

Ghosts of Coronado Bay, A Maya Blair Mystery, was published by Amazon Digital Services

Buy Ghosts of Coronado Bay on Amazon

For more information, please visit:
www.jgfaherty.com

Or contact J. G. Faherty at:
jg@jgfaherty.com