Insecure Writers Support Group 3 March 2021

 

https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/
March 3 question - Everyone has a favorite genre or genres to write. But what about your reading preferences? Do you read widely or only within the genre(s) you create stories for? What motivates your reading choice?
I read a lot less horror than I used to. I've read all of Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft's works, but I return to them for reference. I've also read many of Stephen King's works, and he is my third major influence. I don't limit myself to one specific genre. I do book reviews for onlinebookclub.org and I tend to read what they offer. 
I suppose that the genre I write (outside of the m/m erotica shorts) could be classified as horror, but I tend to think of it as fantasy/paranormal with some sci-fi mixed in. There are certainly horror elements. Mormo, for instance, is a vampire of otherworldly origin. She was one of Lovecraft's creations, and I borrowed her and expanded on her, always giving credit where credit is most certainly due.
Edgar Allan Poe was the godfather of the modern horror genre. While he and Ambrose Bierce influenced Lovecraft, so did writers such as Lord Dunsany, whose works were more fantasy than horror. Lovecraft wrote steampunk before steampunk was a genre. My writing tends to lack the steampunk element although it has a strong Lovecraftian influence.
Anyway, that's what I have to say about that. I am sitting here wishing that I didn't have to go to my podiatry appointment tomorrow, but I've already put it off three times. Talk about horror--one look at my feet would give a foot fetishist nightmares. 
I won't write more about my feet. Just trust me when I say that they are not a thing of beauty.
~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~

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