Welcome and introductions

[Stacey]

You're welcome, Ashley. As far as Gothic movies go, have you seen the old classic, The Spiral Staircase? I love that movie. Taped it recently when it was on AMC. I've been checking out gothic/horror movies on Amazon and there are a lot of good ones out there from the 1960s and 70s. P.S. I just accepted your friend request.

[Michelle]

Hi again, all. WOW, sooo happy to FINALLY be among others who love and have read gothics! And I really appreciate the list, so many I still haven't read! Recently re-read Night of the Seventh Moon. Now enjoying re-reading my favorite YA gothics: LOVED Richard Peck's books, so am re-reading Ghosts I Have Been right now. Will never tire of that one! Also gonna watch The Spiral Staircase, can't believe I have never seen it, lol. Have you guys read The Singing Stones by Phyllis A. Whitney? Good one as well! Keep all the books comin, I fill my Kindle with em, lol.

[Stacey]

Hi Michelle,
I recently finished The Secret Woman and The Shivering Sands by Victoria Holt. Two more to add to your list. :) As for movies, another good Gothic-style old movie is Portrait of Jennie. And of course, if you haven't seen the classic The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, you need to watch it. If you like ghosts, I've written a collection of short stories called Haunt: A Collection of Short Ghost Stories. It's on Kindle and one of the stories is reminiscent of the Gothics we all love, as it takes place in a spooky manor on the coast.

[Ashley]

ooohhh i love the movie recommends stace! you rock!

[Michelle]

Thanks for the recommendations, Stacey! I have read all the Victoria Holt and Phyllis A. Whitney ones in my life :) But may re-read some of them. And have added your books to my To-read list as well! :) And to whoever posted that gothic blog link here, THANK YOU!! I am finally making some new best friends, lol! All my life I have been happily absorbed in these books by my lonesome figuring I was a rare one (especially so young at 11 onward, lol). NOW due to the wonderful Internet, others come out of their dark, lonely, spooky castles...:p

[Michelle]

Hi again: I have invited a fellow FB friend who reads similar books to this group. I hope it was ok? Her name is Shweta and she is in India :) She would make a great fit here, I think. If it was not ok to invite her, I am sorry, and just let her know the rules to join, otherwise, etc.

[Stacey]

You're welcome, Michelle and Ashley. A couple more good gothic movies are The Uninvited and The Innocents. The Innocents stars Deborah Kerr and it's set in a manor house with ghosts and spooky (evil) stuff going on. The movie is based on the book, The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James, if you prefer to read. The other movie, The Uninvited, stars Ray Milland (1944) and it takes place in a manor house on the Cornish coast sitting above a cliff overlooking the ocean.

[Meme23]

Hello again everybody! I've been a member for a while but take "spells" of reading and rereading Gothics. Does anybody know the author and title of the first mid-20th century gothic novel? I've read many many Victoria Holt, Barbara Michaels, Phyllis Whitney, and Norah Lofts but I'm wondering if there may be an earlier author I need to check out.

Just in case anyone hasn't found it yet, here's a great blog I found recently:
http://hauntedhearts.wordpress.com/ab...

[Laura]

Meme23 wrote: "Hello again everybody! I've been a member for a while but take "spells" of reading and rereading Gothics. Does anybody know the author and title of the first mid-20th century gothic novel? I've ..."
Thanks for the link! That IS a great blog!

[Meme23]

Welcome, Charybdis! Goodreads is just how you describe it. I hope to pop around to see your bookshelf a little later.

[Danita]

Hi! I grew up on this stuff - just love it from books to movies :) I love romance, dark and scary. My debut paranormal romance Falcon's Angel was released by Liquid Silver Books on May 28th. I love to feature authors and their work on my blog: http://romancethebookblog.danitaminni...

Happy reading!

[[deleted user]]

Hi, I'm Shell from North Wales and fairly new to gothic novels so I haven't read many of the classic older authors. I've been reading some more recent authors though and loved them so am hoping to find some new books to read and may try some of the classics too.

[Meme23]

Hello and welcome, Shell! Can you tell us about some of the recent authors you like? Hope you enjoy the group!

[Donald]

Hi everyone. I decided to join here because the Gothic Romance Forum has slowed down so much. I've enjoyed Gothics since reading my mother's Phenwick Women novels back in the 1980's. I have a fairly large collection and am currently scanning the cover art for my Flickr stream.

[Stacey]

Hi Amber,
Congratulations on finishing your gothic! Please let the group know when it's published. I'd like to check it out. I have a new gothic novella recently published and available on Kindle and in paperback now. It's called Cries in the Mist if anyone is interested. I also have a full length contemporary gothic out called Secrets of Seacliff House. You can read blurbs and excerpts on my website: http:/www.staceycoverstone.com.

[Stacey]

Amber wrote: "Hi Stacey!
I'll read your sample, Amber. I just read the blurb. I have a heroine named Tamsin in one of my unfinished novels! What a coincidence.

Thanks for the warm welcome, I checked out the description of 'Cries' and 'Secrets' and I'm looking forward to reading both! I've added them to my list!

I have a sample of my upcomi..."

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*]

Glad to have found the group! I love Gothic novels such as this and found a goldmine of them in the used bookstore today of the older ones from Victoria Holt, Susan Howatch, etc.

[Caz]

Hiya!

I read loads of Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney when I was younger and remember them fondly. I'm gradually re-discovering Holt and am looking to find more good stuff to read :)

[Pat]

Oh, thank goodness there are still people who read gothics! I was beginning to think I was the only one! How wonderful to have found this group! Looking forward to "meeting" you all and adding to the conversation!

[Hannah]

Pat wrote: "Oh, thank goodness there are still people who read gothics! I was beginning to think I was the only one! How wonderful to have found this group! Looking forward to "meeting" you all and adding to t..."

Hi Pat, and welcome!
Do you have any favorite gothic writers or books?

[Hannah]

Erin wrote: "Glad to have found the group! I love Gothic novels such as this and found a goldmine of them in the used bookstore today of the older ones from Victoria Holt, Susan Howatch, etc."

Welcome Erin!
You're lucky to have a secondhand bookstore where you can snag some oldies.

[Hannah]

Caz wrote: "Hiya!

I read loads of Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney when I was younger and remember them fondly. I'm gradually re-discovering Holt and am looking to find more good stuff to read :)"

Hi Caz! Glad you found the group. Victoria Holt was a youthful favorite of mine, as well.

[Hannah]

For anyone who's interested, we're having a huge group read of Mary Stewart's book This Rough Magic at the Mary Stewart board starting February 15th (see link below to become a member):

http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/2...

We've currently got 21 members who will be joining in.

[Annie]

Count me I , too. This rough magic is one f my favorites!

[Hannah]

Annie wrote: "Count me I , too. This rough magic is one f my favorites!"

Excellent Annie! I'll add your name to the group read list over there.

[Pat]

Hi, Hanna! I'd have a hard time picking a favorite author. Like most folks here, I cut my teeth on Holt, Stewart, Whitney, along with Jill Tattersall and Jane Aiken Hodge. Zebra Kensington had a fabulous run of gothics back in the 90s--the ones with the gorgeous artwork on the covers of a lady running from a house/single light in the tower kind of thing. Authors like Beverly C. Ware, Peggy Darty, Clara Wimberly, etc. Eve Silver did some, and Anne Knoll. They always had titles in the format of "[Adjective] [noun] of [place name]. Such as The Secret Shadows of Ravensfall. They got sort of crazy towards the end--I recall one that had something about "screaming shamrocks" of somewhere.

I got so frustrated in finding new ones that I finally wrote one of my own (unpublished) just to get my "fix". I'm always on the lookout for new authors doing this trope; Anna Campbell has one or two that sort of fit that mold (and is herself a HUGE fan of gothics--we share a mutual adoration for Manderly).

[Jackie]

Hello everyone! I am so glad I found Gothicked!! I love any and everything gothic romance. My favorites are Victoria Holt and Barbara Michaels and I look forward to reading many of the suggested authors! I started reading gothics as a teenager and after getting married, having kids, getting divorced; I've started reading them again. I had forgotten how much I enjoy them! Thank you so much for this site!

[Annie]

It's interesting how many of us started reading Gothics as teenagers. My very first was King of the Castle by Victoria Holt. I read it my freshman year in high school. She,s still my favorite Gothic author, although there are many others out there I enjoy reading. Welcome, Jackie!

[Hannah]

Jackie wrote: "Hello everyone! I am so glad I found Gothicked!! I love any and everything gothic romance. My favorites are Victoria Holt and Barbara Michaels and I look forward to reading many of the suggested a..."

Hi Jackie, and welcome!

Holt and Michaels, have influenced several generations of readers to the genre, and for that they deserve a big thank you.

[Jackie]

Hannah wrote: "Jackie wrote: "Hello everyone! I am so glad I found Gothicked!! I love any and everything gothic romance. My favorites are Victoria Holt and Barbara Michaels and I look forward to reading many of ..."

Thank you all so much! I love Victoria Holt and right now I'm reading her Philippa Carr books and really enjoying them! As I said before I'm looking forward to reading other authors as well.

[Toni]

I am searching for some of my first reads. Long, long ago I read my very first gothic novel. Now that I am older I am trying to collect a few of my favorite books from my teens and I have two books specifically I am searching for that I was hoping you Romance Gothic Diehards might be able to remember or locate. Please be patient for I'm old now and this was when I was young.
First book I ever read....written in time frame of Dorothy Eden, Phyllis Whitney, Mary Stewart (her covers were of same artist setting typical of gothic with elongated women skirts whipping in wind, dark stormy night crashing waves under cliffs hauntingly dark castle) anyways it is set in Cornwall England. Young lady protagonist is orphaned and dark, mysterious Uncle who has this huge mean dog takes her to her new home in Cornwall. Mysterious deaths occur, infidelity of gamekeeper wife, Begins with young girl sketching in woodland forest when the Handsome guy comes and embarrasses her...that is all I remember !! Aggravating!! No author! No Title but I know it's something with a Falcon-- like Falconcourt, Falconcliff, Falconheart ...I've search them all and it drives me crazy! Help plz

[Donald]

Falconlough by Monica Heath? Catherine Darby has a Falcon series. If you can't remember title or author, you can go to Flickr and look through scans of the cover art. Search Groups for "Gothic covers", they have a group with about 3500 images.

[Toni]

Thank you Monica. I don't think that's it but ill check out that cover bit! Thanks!

[Pat]

What about Falcon's Haunt by Carol Warburton? I can't find a plot summary anywhere but you might recognize the cover and it's in the right era: http://www.amazon.ca//gp/offer-listin...

[Scoober]

Hannah wrote: "Welcome to the Gothicked discussion board.

Introduce yourself here and tell us why you're a gothic novel fan."

Hi, I'm Tina... I have loved gothics since I was in middle school.. they are so hard to find now and I'm so glad to find a group of other gothic lovers!

[Toni]

Pat wrote: "What about Falcon's Haunt by Carol Warburton? I can't find a plot summary anywhere but you might recognize the cover and it's in the right era: http://www.amazon.ca//gp/offer-listin......"

Nope. That is 1988. And although I couldn't find synopsis either I'm fairly sure too young. This would've been early 70s when I read it and it was an old paperback then. I can remember many of my authors but this one eludes me. I read Dorothy Eden, Phyllis Whitney, Catherine Cookson, Victoria Holt...

[Toni]

I looked through many of those covers on Flicker Donald and not luck yet but some possibles! I must say though, some of those covers were too racy, naughty for my age at that time:) my Mom would knocked upside head for daring to touch some of said books! Ha!
I was in sixth grade I think some of those are more "mature";
I wrote down some of the possibles and check them out!
Nice surprise was finding another that I had read during the early years! I can't wait to find a possible copy still out there! Thanks for your help!
PS. This is gothic really but my favorite author for slightly dark newer books are written by Lydia Joyce and Shana Abe. My all time favorite book is written by Lynn Kurland; about love between two scarred people; Christopher and Gillian; a most read for anyone who is romanticist:) happy reading

[Toni]

I think I read Hunters Hill by Mary Bishop as kid and I saw Devils Desire by Laurie McBain and I recall getting into trouble for reading that one and Catherine Cooksons because Mom thought too mature and depressing for girl :) Bless her heart....there was no stopping me once it started, I read foraciously
My possibles are...
Falcons Cry, GyrFalcon, FalconLough you mentioned ,Ashes of Falconwyk. I better get busy

[Gill]

Just found this group - what a joy!! My first gothic indulgence was Victoria Holt's " The Shivering Sands" when I was about 14. Read loads more of her books but not all so I'm trying to fill the gaps now! I've always been a big Mary Stewart fan too and this year stumbled upon Susanna Kearsley's work which I've thoroughly enjoyed. Her work has the feel of Mary Stewart - not surprising as she is a Stewart fan herself!!

[Hannah]

Gill wrote: "Just found this group - what a joy!! My first gothic indulgence was Victoria Holt's " The Shivering Sands" when I was about 14. Read loads more of her books but not all so I'm trying to fill the ga..."

Welcome Gill!
It appears that a good majority of us gothic fans cut their teeth on the grand dames of the genre: Holt and Stewart.

Like you, I think Kearsley is a good contender to take on Stewart's mantle. Would love to see more modern writers with her touch. I appreciate the clean content and the supernatural touches.

FYI, if you (or anyone here actually) is interested, the Mary Stewart board has been pretty active this year:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/2...

We've already had some group reads of
Madam, Will You Talk?
This Rough Magic
The Ivy Tree and
The Wind off the Small Isles
and we're currently debating whether to read Wildfire at Midnight
or The Moonspinners next.

Come join us if you're interested. The more the merrier!

[Lisa]

Toni wrote: "Young lady protagonist is orphaned and dark, mysterious Uncle who has this huge mean dog takes her to her new home in Cornwall. Mysterious deaths occur"

I'm curious, Toni...Did you ever find the book? It sounds like something I'd love to read! Your memory of the word "falcon" reminded me that I should reread Catherine Gaskin's A Falcon for a Queen sometime.

[Heather]

I'm so excited to see that pretty much everyone else here feels the same way that I do about Victoria Holt. (That's how I knew my best friend and I from college were going to be close -when she said her favorite author was Victoria Holt, I had found my long-lost twin!)
My great-grandmother was in a book club that would send out a lot of Victoria Holt books, and she kept them. When she passed away, I requested her books, because most of them are out of print now. As a result, I have a majority of VH books -in hardback!
My favorite is The Shivering Sands, it's the first one I read, and there's something about it that just is perfect to me. After that, there's no real close second. I like The Landower Legacy, The India Fan, The Judas Kiss, Seven For A Secret... I don't know that I've read one and gone "that's at the bottom of my list".

[Gill]

The Shivering Sands was my first VH book too, though I confess I bought it for the cover when I was 14! But it's always held a special place for me. Of course part of the charm of old favourite books is the other memories from that time of your life, a bit like hearing well-loved songs, I suppose!

[Dorcas]

Hi everyone, Im new here. I'm excited to find this group and pore over the bookshelves for some new treats. In the gothic realm, Ive read mainly Victoria Holt (and her other pseudonyms), Mary Stewart,a Phyllis Whitney (which I wasnt too crazy about) and M.M. Kaye mysteries. (anything by M.M. Kaye is awesome). Anyway! off too look at the bookshelf!

[Hannah]

Hi Dorcas, and welcome!
I agree with you that Phyllis Whitney didn't quite make the grade with me, either. I wish she had, as she wrote alot of romantic suspense novels.

Good to have another M.M. Kaye fan aboard - she's great!

[Dorcas]

Thanks, Hannah!
I was having a look at the bookshelf and put several on my to read list. I was looking at Moondragon, it looked really good. Unfortunatly I can't find it available anywhere (I checked Amazon used books and Ebay). Bummer. Ill check my library but they're notoriously useless. I'll keep looking and meanwhile read through my endless piles of books. :)

[Hannah]

I hope you can find Moondragon Dorcas. It's one of the best gothics I've ever read - and wonderfully funny, too, which isn't what you normally find in a gothic.

[Dorcas]

I found it, Hannah! It took a bit of searching online for rare books but Biblio.com had a copy for $10.00 including shipping. My other option was someone who was selling it for 63.00. (!) Ebay and amazon had none and other rare books sites bottomed out too. So I quickly snagged it. Guys, if any of you have a copy, HANG ONTO IT!

[Hannah]

Dorcas wrote: "I found it, Hannah! It took a bit of searching online for rare books but Biblio.com had a copy for $10.00 including shipping..."

Excellent, Dorcas. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I have. Not too long ago some of my Goodreads friends read it and also enjoyed it alot, so I feel fairly confident that it wasn't just me who found it above the average for the genre.

Happy reading!

[Hannah]

Dorcas,
We did a buddy read of Moondragon a few months ago. You may be interested in our discussion:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/list_...

Feel free to add your comments once you read it if you're interested.