Christine Feehan's Blog - Posts Tagged "sheila-english"

There are some characters that stick with you long after you’ve read the book. And there are some couples who leave an imprint on you because their journey, conflict or love affair touched your heart in some way that every time you think of them you believe in the power of love.
It’s Romance Week and I wanted to invite my friends and fellow storytellers to share a favorite or memorable romantic couple with us. And I invite you to comment with your own favorite fictional couple!


CHRISTINE FEEHAN -




My favorite couple is Lauren and Tate from Kristen Ashley’s Sweet Dreams. I love the uniqueness of this couple.






JONATHAN MABERRY-



I’m a sucker for Shakespeare and my favorite literary couple appear in my favorite play by the Bard of Avon –Beatrice and Benedict in Much Ado About Nothing. They are both whip-smart, incredibly snarky, very independent, very much their own people, and yet very much in love. The process of them falling in love is, admittedly, a bit like a love affair between two runaway trains on a collision course, but it is so much fun and, beneath all the sarcasm, there is real love there.



ANNE ELIZABETH -



Two of my favorite romance novels are by Christine Feehan- Dark Prince and Dark Gold. In both of these stories, the manner in which the heroes and heroines have to fight for love—to wade through their own hurdles with a determination to become one—literally takes my breath away. Feehan’s ability to hold readers at the edge of our seats while she fills our hearts and heads with emotional upheaval and passionate fervor is transcendent. I could read these books again and again, and each time I always find these brilliant nuances that draw me deeper into the characters and the stories. What a mind-blowing author with astoundingly original and unforgettable creations!



LORI FOSTER -



I've been on a historical reading kick lately, and I've been devouring Johanna Lindsey novels, most recently MAKE ME LOVE YOU. Fantastic read, but my fave historical couple ifs James Mallory and Georgina "George" Anderson from Gentle Rogue. Even during a reread, they make me laugh. Just wonderful!




CARRIE ANN RYAN-




Lucas and Sasha from the PsyChangling series by Nalini Singh was the first couple to come to mind. I fall in love with them every time I reread or listen to the series. I think the series is into it’s 14th book or so with a spin off series coming soon and yet the first couple of the entire saga will always be my favorite. Lucas is so growly and protective and yet LOVES the fact that Sasha is strong in her own right. Sasha is learning to live with emotions for the first time in her life and throughout their book and the series, grows into this fierce and fantastic woman that I can only admire and want to emulate in my own life. These two are wonderfully in love, hot between the sheets, and seriously strong. I love everything about them.



J KENNER-




I absolutely adore J.D. Robb’s In Death series, starting Eve Dallas and Roarke. Why? Because hello? Awesomeness. Seriously, their romance is intense, their chemistry off the charts. They’re both smart and fiesta and sexy, and even though she sees the world in black and white (or did; she’s changing) and he’s very shades of gray, they mesh together brilliantly. And did I say hot?




JON LAND-



Crawford Hunt and Holly Spencer in FRICTION by Sandra Brown: The mismatched relationship between Texas Ranger Hunt and sitting judge Spencer opens explosively amid a courtroom shootout and sparks more conflict and fireworks from that point on. No romance works better, in my mind, than one centered around the flaws of characters who live their lives amid the ambiguous shade of gray, instead of black or white.



KAREN ROSE-



Elena and Raphael from Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter series.





SARA HUMPHREYS-



I’ve read a number of excellent romance novels with memorable characters but there’s one couple that stands out above all the rest—Ken and Mari from Deadly Game by Christine Feehan. I’m a sucker for a broken hero and and a kick ass heroine and Feehan is a master at writing both. Watching those two wounded people, who have skillfully guarded their hearts, slowly but surely learn to trust and open up to each other was nothing short of spellbinding. It’s one of the only books that I’ve read when I actually shouted out loud when they got together.



CL WILSON-



Limiting to just one is virtually impossible. Of course, there is Jacques and Shea from Christine Feehan’s fabulous DARK DESIRE. I love love tortured heroes, and Jacques, quite literally, has been tortured nearly unto madness. I love how their connection draws Shea from half a world away, and how determined she is to save him. It has a very beauty and the beast feel, which is one of my favorite fairy tales. Jacques will always be my pookie face, the one who made me fall totally head over heels in love with the Carpathians. (And Christine knows he’s mine, mine, all mine! Well, Shea can have him sometimes.) Other favorite couples include Derek Craven and Sarah Fielding from Lisa Kleypas’s fabulous, DREAMING ABOUT YOU. And more recently, Charles and Anna from Patricia Brigg’s Alpha and Omega Series, and Kate Daniels and Curran from Ilona Andrews’ Kate Daniels series, and Dragos and Pia from Thea Harrison’s Elder Races series.



KATIE RUGGLE-



Elinor Pembroke and Captain Miles Ramsay (Burning Bright by Melissa McShane) are my current favorite book couple. Why? Because they straight-up like each other. It’s easy to understand why, too; they’re both extremely likeable people. Elinor, when presented with Life Option A and Life Option B (both were gross), decided to go with Life Option Z—and then made it happen. She’s a badass in a drama-free, ethical way, always doing the right thing without making a fuss over it. Miles is respectful and clever and forthright, destroying any possibility of a dramatic misunderstanding simply by immediately telling the truth. As if this list of admirable qualities isn’t enough, he literally walks through fire for the woman he loves. That has to be worth at least fifty bonus hero points right there.

Nice work, Miss Pembroke and Captain Ramsay. You win my favorite couple award, just by being your awesome selves.




SHEILA ENGLISH-



Kev Merripen and Winnifred Hathaway from Seduce Me at Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas. I love the quiet, sacrificing hero who doesn’t think he deserves the heroine and the quiet-but-strong heroine who longs for the hero. I love all of the Hathaway characters but these two hold a special place in my heart. If you love historical romance you need to read Seduce Me at Sunrise…or anything else Lisa Kleypas writes!





JOANNA WYLDE-



My favorite romance couple are Lauren and Tate from Kristen Ashley's Sweet Dreams. When I first read that book, I was struck with how different their story was from almost every other couple I'd read up to that point--they're older, it's their second chance at love and they're both in personal transition. Throw in incredible romantic tension and super steamy scenes on top of all that, and you have a book that truly stands out.



DONNA GRANT-





My favorite fiction couple is Mac and Barron's from Karen Marie Moning's Fever series. I love Mac's tenacity and loyalty, and her character arc is so wonderfully written. Then there's Barron's. You don't know if you want Mac to trust him, and then you fall in love with him like the best kind of character - slowly, savoring him word by word, and discovering all of his wonderful, amazing, scary, delightful layers. With each book you see just how much Barron's loves Mac and that he'll walk the depths of Hell and disregard any and all rules for her. Because there is so much to explore about these two characters, I can't pick just one book. It has to be the entire series.




REBECCA ZANETTI-




My favorite fiction couple is Ian and Charlotte Taggart from Lexi Blake's Masters and Mercenaries series. I like Ian because he's hilarious in a tough-guy, heart of gold, totally Alpha way. I love Charlotte because she's sensitive, smart, and knows how to wield a nail gun against an international assassin. Their story is called LOVE AND LET DIE, and I re-read it every chance I get.



CD REISS-



Right now I love Elder and Pim from Pennies and Dollars by Pepper Winters. They’re not normal, just so you know. She was held captive for two years and he rescued her to make her a captive. She hasn’t uttered a word or sound in those two years and more than having sex with her, Elder wants her to SPEAK. The tension is off the charts and I cannot wait for the next in the series.


Who are your favorite couples? Have you read all the books mentioned by our guest authors? Are you surprised at any of the couples chosen?
Now I invite you to tell us who you love as a couple!

Follow @AuthorCFeehan

I thought it would be fun to ask my friends and fellow authors what movie or TV show/series they felt was a wonderful adaptation from a romance novel!




CHRISTINE FEEHAN -



My pick was pretty easy. I absolutely love the BBC adaptation of Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen starring Colin Firth. If you’ve ever watched it, and enjoyed it, I challenge you to tell us how many times you went back and re-watched just the scene where Colin Firth walks out of the water, shirt clinging to his wide shoulders and masculine chest, hair tousled and wet…sigh… I freely admit to re-watching that scene a time or two. Or three. LOL




KRISTEN ASHLEY-




THE PRINCESS BRIDE by William Goldman - I'd love to say a fabulous, well-known novel by a brilliant romance author like Judith McNaught, but Hollywood hasn't gotten it together to realize we romance readers will go out in droves to see films made of novels we adore. But this is not second fiddle by a long shot. Sweeping, hilarious, filled with action, adventure, and love of all kinds: lovers, friends, a grandfather and his grandson, there's so much love and hope in this (short) book and fabulous film, it's timeless and pure beauty. It never gets old. It never fails to make me laugh. It never fails to make me swoon. And I've met the real-life Westley and he's swoon-worthy too. "As you wish..." Perfection.



MAGGIE SHAYNE-



Favorite Movie based on a book: The Princess Bride

This is a rare case where the movie was better because of the delightful cast and pitch perfect adaptation. “Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.” Truer words have never been written. A novelist could map out this story’s structure as the outline for a perfect romance.



JONATHAN MABERRY-



The Princess Bride will always be my gold standard for romances that transition well from book to screen. I loved William Goldsmith’s book and I will always love the quirky, hilarious, occasionally goofy, and very romantic movie adaptation. It’s highly quotable, it bears up very well to repeat viewings, it doesn’t age at all, and it’s accessible to anyone. And Wesley and Buttercup are wonderful ridiculous lovers who are beautiful, funny, faithful, and ultimately, triumphant. What more could you want?




NALINI SINGH-



It's not a movie but a tv series, but I love LOVE the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, featuring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. The cast, the attention to detail, it was just beautifully done.



ANNE ELIZABETH-



Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice holds a special place on the top of my favorite’s list. Though I’ve seen many adaptations of this great tome, including Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, I will always believe that the original written word by Austen is the best form.



LORI FOSTER-



Ohhh, just to be different - and because I love horror movies the most - I'm going to say Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. LOVED the historical aspect, the action, the zombies, and yes, the romance. The heroine was so strong and capable, but then so was the hero, which made it work on many levels. The book was great fun, but the movie was more so - maybe because I'm a movie junkie. Even better, my husband enjoyed it, too!



JON LAND-



There are so many options here, but I'm going to go with GONE WITH THE WIND because neither books, nor movies, were the same afterwards. For books, the Margaret Mitchell classic changed the paradigm of American romance from frontier based machismo and male bonding to what is now considered traditional male-female relationships. Adjusted to today's dollars, the film remains among the most popular of all time and the book was a monumental bestseller. A pop culture phenomenon in which both book and movie resonated to comparable and sterling degrees in their respective mediums.



KAREN ROSE-



Pride and Prejudice (the Colin Firth miniseries, of course!)




SARA HUMPHREYS-



In most cases, I have found the book to be a much better version of a story than the film but when it came to the Twilight series, I have to admit I preferred the movies. Being able to see the werewolves come to life on screen was probably the tipping point for me. Don’t hate me.



CL WILSON-



LORD OF THE RINGS!!!! Hands down. OMG. My favorite movie(s)! I’ve watched them so many times my poor husband, when he sees one of them on the screen, rolls his eyes and says, “Not this again!” LOL. In this case, I like Peter Jackson’s movies better than Tolkien’s books, although most often I prefer the book to the movie.



KATIE RUGGLE-



Although I love The Princess Bride for so many reasons, the best part for me is the humor. Every good romance needs a heaping helping of laughter; it makes everything sweeter.




SHEILA ENGLISH-



So many romantic movies adapted from books, but I love the one that most follows my own real-life: Bridget Jones Diary. Okay, it followed my life back when I was dating. No, really, it did. I love books and movies that make me smile or laugh and Bridget Jones Diary did both!




JOANNA WYLDE-



There was a mini-series version of Anne of Green Gables staring Megan Follows that I loved as a kid. Her slow romance with Gilbert Blythe absolutely mesmerized me. I actually like the film version better than the book, which is out of character for me, but their on-screen tension (played out over years) was incredible. Even at that age, I knew that I wanted to write romance novels when I grew up. Anne and her Gilbert were a big part of my inspiration.



REBECCA ZANETTI-



One of my favorite movies of all time is called LIFE WITH FATHER. It was based on a true book written by Clarence Day Junior in 1935 about his parents. It became the longest running Broadway play in history and was turned into a movie in 1947. I like the movie because it's sweet and innocent and shows how women were smart and ingenious even back in the day when they didn't have many rights. It's just a pick me up movie for fun when I'm under the weather.



CD REISS-



The Princess Bride is one of my favorite movies and a romance for the ages. I love the idea of a man coming back to his hometown to claim the woman he loves. He has to overcome childhood obstacles and prove to his woman that he’s a worthy man.
I prefer the movie to the book. It flows well and the actors added layers to the story. It has a crazy, madcap humor that makes me laugh every single time. That kind of humor is harder to get across in a book.



ANDREW PETERSON-



Shrek! Shrek & Fiona - Shrek played by Mike Myers. Fiona by Cameron Diaz. The movie is based on the Children's picture book by William Steig. I truly believe it's a great romance between the characters with all the classic elements of Beauty & The Beast.


Now it's your turn! Name a romantic movie based off a book. Tell us which you liked best; the book or the movie!


Follow @AuthorCFeehan

Happily Ever After is good for the soul. Hope, courage, love, these are all things important to believe in. Sometimes people get caught up in the fact that romance often has a sexual component to it. But, a good romance story is so much more than that, just as a romance in real-life does. There is conflict and the need to overcome that conflict, just like in real-life. There is the need to grow as human beings, to overcome our own fears, to stretch beyond our comfort zone in order to have things we want. There are struggles and obstacles to the things we truly desire. And in a good romance novel we get to feel the courage a hero or heroine must find within themselves in order to overcome those obstacles and there is hope and love at the end of that struggle that makes us, as readers, feel good.

Today’s romance has characters you can relate to and issues you can understand and empathize with. These stories are relatable and when the hero and heroine finally get together in the end we soar with happiness. We believe love can conquer all and that hope will get us through. We believe in kindness and supporting one another. Reading romance is cathartic and good for the soul.

I believe in the power of love and in reading romance and have invited some wonderful authors to share their ideas and beliefs in the importance of reading romance!


MAGGIE SHAYNE-

I’ve learned one lesson that stands above all others; the more time we spend in a state of joy, the better our lives become. We can choose to reject the temptation to wallow in misery, no matter what’s happening outside ourselves. We can choose, instead, to spend our time and attention on things that make us feel good, make us smile, warm our hearts. Life is full of such things! They’re all around us. The sunrise, the full moon, little birds frolicking in a fountain. Romance novels are feel-good fiction. They uplift and inspire. They warm our hearts and we want to cheer for our heroines at the end, for they triumph over every challenge and we triumph with them. Romance novels are empowering to women, this we know. But they are also a source of pure, calorie-free delight, and the more of that we give to ourselves, the happier, healthier, wealthier, and more fulfilled we will be.



JONATHAN MABERRY-

The importance of reading romance for your well-being seems obvious to me. It’s all about optimism. We live in tough times –socially, culturally, politically, economically. One of the effects of this kind of stress and depression is a loss of imagination. You see, when we’re depressed we can’t imagine feeling anything except that depression. It blinds us to the possibility that whatever our current troubles are they will one day end. Love, on the other hand, brings with it an antidote to depression: hope. Love is about the future, it’s about possibilities, it’s about joy. All of those things conjure images of a new phase of life that exists on the other side of depression. A good romance story transports us out of the now and into a wonderful possible future where light shines in and a new day is a joy rather than a prison sentence. The novel (and movie) Warm Bodies by my friend Isaac Marion, played with that theme rather brilliantly. In the gloom of a post-apocalyptic zombie apocalypse it’s love that spreads like a new infection and brings characters –human and living dead—back to a new and better life. That’s why I dig romance in even the darkest of fiction, and it’s why I include it in my own, admittedly grim, novels. Because there should be light at the far end of darkness, and love –let’s face it—is the brightest light. Once we see it we can imagine what our lives will be like when we step out of the shadows of our own sorrows.





ANNE ELIZABETH-

Romance touches the heart, lifting the spirit and bringing to light aspects of hope, joy, passion, and excitement. For me, that’s the gift romance writing brings…celebrating life.




LORI FOSTER-

Romance is important because of the affirmation of love. It's not just an escape, but an escape that, at the core, is based on the truth that love makes everything better. We all face hardship, some problems enormous and some trivial, but whatever challenges come our way, they're more easily conquered - as shown in the romance genre - when you have your true love in your corner, offering support or understanding or sometimes, just being there with you so that you're not facing those challenges alone.
Unlike the misconceptions that romance are fluff or porn, at heart, it's all about the basic instinct to be loved.


LAURA KAYE-



Romance has so much to offer readers. Besides offering a fun, page-turning, heart-pounding experience, romances are some of the most hopeful and positive books you can find. They give the message that there's someone for everyone, and that you can overcome whatever obstacles your life and relationship faces. And, in the diversity of characters they include, they argue that everyone deserves love. I think it's important for readers to be able to see themselves and the kinds of relationships they cherish reflected in books, and romance novels are at the forefront of embracing that.


JON LAND-

I think the answer to this question is not specific to Romance, because reading anything is important to your well being! Kind of like fill in the blank. Reading in general, and reading romance in particular, takes us into other worlds, offering escape from our own minutia while providing the kind of entertainment that makes us feel like kids again. The key word there is "entertainment," and no literary form fits that bill more than romance, since it tends to be about people working out their problems by working together and, hopefully, finding love. Unfortunately, real life doesn't often work that way and it's nice to be able to lose yourself, for a few hours anyway, in a story that does.



KAREN ROSE-

The defining element of the romance genre is the happily-ever-after ending. Some may say it’s trite and predictable, but I believe it’s dependable, warm and lovely – a place to escape the real world for a while when burdens become too heavy. The optimism of romance is heart-lifting and reminds us, especially in times of uncertainty, that the people around us are basically good. That love is stronger than fear and hate and at the end of every long day, love remains. Happily-ever-afters heal the soul.



SARA HUMPHREYS-

Let’s be honest, the world is in a state of unrest at the moment and we are surrounded by uncertainty. Now, more than ever, we need romance novels because these lovely pieces of fiction guarantee us a soul satisfying happily ever after. As readers, we know that when we pick up a romance, there will be a happy ending because that is the hallmark of a romance novel. Our hero and heroine might go through hell. They might be fighting for their lives in the darkest of places but we know that in spite of it all, they will end up blissfully, gloriously happy in each other’s arms. No matter what. So, if you feel down or scared, and you need a respite from the craziness of the world, pick up a romance and get lost for a little while in the glow and hope of true love.


CL WILSON-

The romance I love and read (voraciously) is literature entirely infused with hope. No matter how bad, how hard, how broken our characters or their lives may be, the heroes and heroines of romance novels will always find a way to earn their happy ending. Romance celebrates the healing power of love, the redemptive power of love, the joy and the hope of finding that one soul in the universe that resonates in a perfect harmonic rhythm with your own. No matter how hard, difficult, devastating, or despairing real life may sometimes be, romance reminds us all that even from the worst days of our lives we can recover, grow strong, and find happiness, peace, and love again. And that is a story always worth telling, and a tale always worth reading.


KATIE RUGGLE-

Writing and reading romance keeps me sane. When I open a book or pull up a manuscript on my computer, I get to escape into a world where goodness prevails and the hero and heroine always get their happily ever after. The best romances encourage the idea that every person, despite flaws and insecurities and mistakes, is worthy of love. For me, it’s both escapism and a way to hold onto hope.
Plus, I like the sexy parts.


SHEILA ENGLISH-

Reading romance helps encourage us to believe in love, hope, each other and happily ever after. In a world that’s full of so many daily challenges, where kindness often gets overlooked, reading romance helps us to recall the importance of caring and that love should conquer all. Reading romance puts hope into the world.



JOANNA WYLDE-

www.joannawylde.com

Why should people read romance? Because it's full of strong women. Romance heroines come from every walk of life, but the one character trait they share is personal strength and the desire to make their lives better. Women are so often portrayed in films and novels as two dimensional consorts for the heroic men around them. Women in romance novels may find strong partners in their heroes, but if they aren't strong themselves, the readers usually reject them. As a teenage girl, I loved romance novels because they inspired me. As an adult writer, I love the freedom to write strong women who aren't afraid to meet their men halfway.


REBECCA ZANETTI-



I think romances are important because they're full of hope and possibilities. It's good to be able to escape reality for a little while, and doing so with the assurance that there will be a happy ending at the last page takes the anxiety away. Plus, in reading, we get to live many different lives without truly being in danger. It's the best of multiple worlds.


CD REISS-

Many bestselling books are about adventure, and that’s great. Murder mysteries and fantasy adventure sagas give readers a sense of power and wonder. But Romances do more than that. Romances teach us how to be in relationships. Romance is about hope. It’s about saying you’re sorry. Becoming a better person. Not about getting a vault full of gold or exacting vengeance. What I’ve learned from romance novels has had real life applications. Honestly, and this is hard to admit…romance novels have made me a better wife. When I’m acting like an immature, self-centered nag, I put my actions and words on a page and I say “am I being the villain in this story?” I can’t slay an orc but I can be a better partner because of what I’ve learned from romance novels. I’m proud of the genre I write in. Nothing is more important than growing as people together.



Has reading a romance ever given you hope or helped you during a difficult time? Do you have a "comfort read"? Please share YOUR story about the importance of reading romance!


Follow @AuthorCFeehan

Have you ever noticed how the music of a scary or suspenseful movie affects you? The music can tip you off that something bad is about to happen and you feel your heart begin to race. If you watch scary movies, which I don’t normally like to, ‘cause I’m not particularly fond of being scared out of my wits, you know there are rules to scary movies, right?





• If the music becomes ominous, something bad is about to happen.
• If the couple have sex, they are most likely to become victims.
• If it gets too quiet for too long, we’re about to get a good scare.
I’m sure there are tons more rules, but those come to mind right away.
I thought it would be fun for us to share our favorite scary movies. I always wonder who else has my faves on their list.

Mine are-




Jaws. I live near the ocean, so of course this makes my list! And, talk about music, this is one I think most people recognize when they hear it.

Dracula. Perhaps not scary to everyone, this movie has a way of marrying scary and sexy together that has made this classic an undying favorite (lol see what I did there?). I have two movies that are favorites and they are both based off of Dracula.



First is Bram’s Stoker’s Dracula starring Gary Oldman. The movie shows Dracula as a beast and you realize he is something evil. But, we see him as this romantic character, driven by the death of his beloved wife. This is one of the most romantic of the Dracula tales and for that, in spite of having scary scenes, it is one of my favorites.



The other is Dracula Untold. This Dracula was scary before he became a vampire. A hero to his people he was also a loving father and husband. So, when his family and his people are threatened, he is willing to make a deal with the devil (or a sinister vampire) in order to have the power to protect them.
I asked some other authors to share what their favorite movies are and I’d love to hear what yours are!

Douglas Clegg


I love a lot of scary movies, and often the ones with obvious scares do nothing for me. I prefer the movies that portray on the outside of the skin what is psychologically going on underneath. And still, with the supernatural involved. I don’t want absolute reality in my horror movies, I want a bit of fun and magic. Ghosts if possible, witches are desirable, and that feeling of being around a flickering hearth fire on an October night, telling tells while the shadows grow.



The Innocents - screenplay by Truman Capote, starring Deborah Kerr, based on Henry James’ genre-defining short novel, The Turn of the Screw. This, in my opinion, is the best of all adaptation of the Henry James story. The Turn of the Screw is one of the most constantly-adapted stories, and much modern ghost story fiction owes a debt to this one. Just watched it for the umpteenth time the other evening and it still gives me the right chills and disturbances.

Children as subjects of horror has a grand tradition, and it’s not coincidental that most of the movies of horror I love deal with children one way or another because I think we all become children in the face of what’s terrifying.




The Witch - A recent movie, full of a nameless dread that finds name soon enough. A Puritan family is expelled from the safety of the colony and must live on the edge of a vast and mysterious wilderness. The story is mostly the coming of age of a teenaged girl within this family – and it is the most unusual coming of age story I’ve ever seen portrayed on the screen. Its imagery suggests absolute horror, yet it is a quiet unfolding of a nightmare that leads to an inevitable and unexpectedly beautiful (if horrific) end.

And yes, I’d love to live deliciously. Also, there’s a cool and malingering goat in this one.




The Others - Nicole Kidman strikes me as a unique film actor of her generation because she can portray cruelty and vulnerability at the exact same instant and elicit empathy from an audience. In this one, Alejandro Amenabar does a reversal in upside-downsville of The Turn of the Screw and creates a slow burn build to a traumatic climax that turns into a kind of peaceful nightmare.


Kim Jones





I do not have a "favorite" scary movie. All scary movies scare me. I hate them. I've only watched a handful. So, I'm gonna have to stray from topic a little and give you the "scariest" of the scary instead of the favorite.



#3 Silent Hill

Like a fool, I thought this movie was more of a mystery, less of a horror. I was wrong. So, I'm sitting in my very safe house, watching this woman run into the fog searching for her little girl who should've been wearing a monkey backpack. I could handle everything up to the point that the cop was burned alive. Now, every time I see an open flame, I think of that cop's skin turning to ash. And how she tried so hard not to scream. But she screamed. They always do.


#2 Strangers

My husband loves this movie. Every time it's on T.V., he watches it. And I have to leave the room. It doesn't take long before he's knocking on the door, asking me, "Is Tamra home?" That movie still freaks me out. I mean, they were just a sweet couple, enjoying a romantic evening, in a very safe house, and here comes these people. Asking, "Is Tamra home?" Then they breaking in, tying folks up, murdering one in front of the other... Nope. Never again. Tamra is most definitely not home.



#1 Texas Chainsaw Massacre

The scariest of the scary. Why, because this shit could actually happen. I've been to small, butthole Texas towns like the one from that movie. They really do exist. From the farm house to the homely girl feeding the baby beans, it was all terrifying to me. But the absolute worst was when that friend was caught while running through the sheets hanging on the line. Leather face cuts his leg off with the chainsaw, carries him down to the cellar, hangs him on a hook and literally puts salt in his wound. That sound bad? It gets worse. The girl comes downstairs to find her friend hanging from this hook. He's alive. And she tries to help him, but his toes are on a piano and they making too much noise and she's too weak to lift him off the hook... Bad shit, right? Wrong. Still gets worse. He asks her to kill him. Begs her. So she takes a random butcher knife that's just lying around, and sticks it in his chest. Kills him dead. And all I could think was, if that was my friend, would I kill them? Or leave them to suffer in hopes someone might save him? I hate that movie. It screwed with my head. They all did.

You wanna give me some ghosts? Goblins? Vampires or children with creepy eyes and a horn in their head? Fine. But real life scenarios that could actually happen? Nope. I'm done. I'm chicken and I'm okay that.



Sheila English

I was never one for traditional slasher-movie horror, but there have been a few that got to me. I love monsters in my movies as rule.



Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in almost any traditional version. There's something horrifying in knowing what evil lurks within ourselves. When we become the monster, losing control of our humanity, we are terrifying.



The Thing with Kurt Russell from 1982. It's a particular favorite of mine. And again, you see these horrific creatures, which I love. This time, the alien finds a way to get inside us and take over and it often morphs into these horrific things. It is a scary movie for so many reasons. They are isolated with no help. The alien can look like anyone. And if it escapes, the world is doomed. Who wouldn't love that movie? LOL



I, Frankenstein with Aaron Eckhart. Actually, I love most Frankenstein movies because I love the story of Frankenstein. This one is set in modern time and I saw it just after writing my story about Frankenstein and I really connected with it. There are creatures in addition to the Frankenstein creature. But, it also looks at what defines evil and it gave the creature depth and the ability to be a hero.








#1 Jaws! Growing up in Miami Florida, the beach and ocean seemed like my backyard and Jaws came along and the question of what might be lurking beneath the surface has never left my mind since.




#2 Jagged Edge. This movie gave me nightmares for months!

#3 Seven. Will never forget the head in the box!


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Are any of these movies new to you? Any of them that you wouldn’t watch because they might scare you? Have you ever passed on a movie because the idea of it scared you? Tell me some of your favorites! Even if they’re funny (think Ghostbusters)!

My two favorite holidays are Halloween and Christmas. Yes, I do own the movie A Nightmare Before Christmas! LOL and have seen it dozens of times.

At my house, we go big with the Halloween decorations. And of those decorations I have a few particular favorites.

My first favorite isn’t a single decoration, but a collective scene made up of many decorations. Dining with the Dead is set up in my dining room each year. We try to add something new each year, but basically, it’s a ghostly celebration with a skeleton bride, skeleton dogs, poison, bugs, snakes, and other fun, scary items. The bride’s eyes light up and my little grandchildren love to look from afar, but are not willing to walk by them.



My second favorite would be my doll collection from Evil Nursery. These are customized dolls and some are clearly themed, but some are just wicked, which I love. From Frankenstein to Edward Scissorhands and from Pin Head to Dracula and the Mummy, there are several of these unusual, unique and unnerving little dolls. I love them. There’s something unnerving about dolls staring at you, (at least that’s what my guests say). * insert wicked laughter here*








I have several motion sensor and battery-operated Halloween items that are fun. From a haunted typewriter, phone and book to a spooky Ouija board and Jack Skellington who greets little trick or treaters at my front door, just about anywhere you walk in my house will set something off.








My house is covered in skeletons and my yard has a cemetery in it this time of year. The plane my grandchildren play on have skeletons riding it. We all have fun enjoying the decorations. Do you decorate for Halloween? Do you have a favorite decoration or display?



Here are some other authors and their favorite decorations from home!

Douglas Clegg







In the photo, it’s our house at Halloween time, and my favorite is the spider lady who is truly creepy. We put out gravestones and a few skeletons in tattered clothes, but that spider, I feel, is from one of my nightmares. Bought at a Halloween store but feels very personal to me.





Jennifer St. Giles











This is in front of my home and it always makes me laugh when I see it.



Sheila English










I like to mix a bit of normal with my macabre. LOL This "Fairy Garden" has skulls and a guillotine and bones in the dirt. It's more of a Cemetery Garden and I hope people will see it from afar, walk up and be totally creeped out! LOL

As a rule, I don’t watch or read books that are truly scary. I’m not a slasher movie fan either, even though my books are in the movie Happy Death Day, which came out this weekend. But, I like suspense and I like scary movies that are silly. I think those should count as Halloween reads, right?

My three favorite “scary reads” include –



Dracula by Bram Stoker. This classic horror story just never goes out of date. And though you may have seen the movie (my favorites of those include Dracula Untold and the Dracula movie with Gary Oldman) I suggest reading the book.



Boy’s Life by Robert R. McCammon, which has won some prestigious awards including the Bram Stoker award. This is from the cover copy-

One frosty winter morning, he and his father watch a car jump the curb and sail into the fathomless town lake. His father dives into the icy water to rescue the driver, and finds a naked corpse handcuffed to the wheel. This chilling sight is only the start of the strangest period of Cory’s life, when the magic of his town will transform him into a man.



The Wolf’s Hour also by Robert R. McCammon. Very interesting look at the werewolf myth and one of my all-time favorite books by this author. I love his writing style. This is from the cover copy-

Now, as shifting as the shadows on the dangerous streets of Paris, a master spy is on the scent of unimaginable evil. But with the Normandy landings only hours away, it’s going to be a race against time. For Gallatin, caught in the dark heart of the Third Reich’s twisted death machine, there is only one way to succeed. He must unleash his own internal demons and redefine the meaning of the horror of war.

I thought it would be fun to have some other authors tell us what their favorite scary books are. If you put any of these on your shelf, let me know!



Douglas Clegg





My favorite scary books are too vast in number to mention. And I could just jump up and down and say Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe over and over again because the first poem my mother read to me as a child was by Poe (Annabelle Lee, which I still know by heart) and because I continually re-read his stories and poetry.

But here are the ones that in one way or another changed my life in terms of how they hit me. Plus these three books mostly set up the horror genre’s literary boom that came soon after:



The Other by Thomas Tryon. This was a huge bestseller of my early teen years, beautifully written and loads of fun. When I first read it I was struck by two things: first that it felt supernaturally-tinged but in fact it may not have been as a story. In this one there’s a good and evil twin story set in Connecticut during the Depression and for a relatively quiet horror novel it goes to some very dark places. Many stories since have borrowed or played with these story twists that Tryon did here. The book was that influential on the genre.



Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin. A perfect novel in sentence style and story. The most fun for me, with one of the first bestsellers around the idea of the most lapsed Catholic young woman in the world, is re-reading this and watching a master craftsman at work. It is still creepy, though never quite as scary as the first time you read it without knowing where it’s heading. For any writers, if you read this first page you may detect where Rosemary makes the first unknowing misstep into the dark.



The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty: A solidly commercial bestseller by design and a rip-roaring page-turner about a single working mother who returns home one day to find that her only child is cussing up a storm. Well it’s terrifying on first read, and after that, it’s a marvel of shocks and creeps, with an underpinning of religious dogma mingled with psychological fears that your home may be the least safe place on Earth. Oh, and the Devil. Plus, I grew up in and around Washington D.C., and anyone who’s lived there has always loved that famous stairway in Georgetown.


Jennifer St. Giles







#1 Mindhunter by John Douglas, reading about real monsters never fails to prey upon my calm.



#2 The Shining by Stephen King I read this book when stuck in the nursing dorm over Thanksgiving Holiday. I was the only person there and believe me I heard every creak that long weekend.



#3 Take Down by Brad Thor The scenario of terrorists isolating Manhattan rang really true.


Kim Jones













Scary books? I read a few Goosebumps in school. But reading is more of a reality than television to me. I visualize every tiny detail. My imagination would scare the absolute shit out of me if I tried to read a scary book. Can't do it. Again, (raises hand) chicken here.



Sheila English




Books are always scarier to me because those monsters, killers, and the scary music all live inside the private theater of my mind...where I tend to always go "worst case scenario" with everything. With movies you get hints that something is coming, at least as a rule. With books, your mind is trying to put you inside the story, not just watch it, which can be very frightening.




IT by Stephen King. Why? Why does he have to do scary stuff with little kids? Oh the anxiety! And clowns? Oh no! I read this book when I was 12 or 13 and it scared the crap out of me. It still does to this day. The remake of the movie is pretty darn scary too!




Innocence by Dean Koontz. It's not really scary in a horror way, though the main character frightens people to look at him. It's a sort of Beauty and the Beast story with a twist and Koontz's writing is so beautiful and haunting.




Neverland by Douglas Clegg. It goes back to the thing with kids, only this time you're a little scared of the kids. Things lurk in the darkness, calling to the kids "Let me out" is kind of the theme here.




And I'd like to give an honorable mention to Graham Masterton's The Manitou. This book changed my life. I was 9 years old when I read it. Way too young for something like this, but it made me want to read all the time, which I did. Great author!




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There’s are a lot of great suggestions and as Halloween approaches perhaps you’ll spend time in the moonlight, with the wind howling outside your door as creaking of the house raises the hairs on the back of your neck to treat yourself with a scary read.