Andie P

Thanks for the suggestion Ben, that has given me an idea actually. I will download the story you tell me about and have a good read. Thank you!! Will keep you informed of my developments!! Andie P x

My review for The People Next Door, by Christopher Ransom. “You will never guess their secret, you will never forget the twist” This statement on the front of the book, plus the great artistry grabbed me straight away, I love to be scared and it sounded so very intriguing. For this reason only I persevered through the confusing plot which failed to grab me. The story is based around the ‘Nash family’, a dysfunctional lot all with their own individual complicated problems. These sub-plots, I assume, were added to create more depth but the swapping of narrative throughout the chapters confused the hell of out me. The Nash family become intrigued by a strange new family who have just moved in next door called ‘The Renders’, I enjoyed learning about these new characters more so than the protagonists, their strange ways and suggestive dialogue made me stop reading for a second, sit back and try to figure out what was going on. The plot itself is a great idea but it’s delivery let it down, I guessed half way through what was going on but hoped I was wrong so I could have experienced the ‘big twist’. On a plus side, Ransom writes very descriptively, some of the gory scenes were very detailed and he certainly didn’t hold back, fans of gore type horror may enjoy this book. I am a sucker for a suspense story but this had just too much, there were so many different things going it became over complicated. This was a strange read for me, my interest and praise for the book fluctuated, and the ending was a big let down. There were some good chilling scenes but you have to dig your way through to get them, I would describe it as an ‘OK’ book but certainly not a must read. Andie P x

I make a cottage pie and use the sweet potato as the topping with a bit of cheddar cheese. I have also made chips with the, lovely and chewy and delicious with mayo! Andie P x

What example would you give of paranormal crossing over with sci-fi? I write to scare/spook hopefully. I am nowhere near a successful writer and have never had anything published (well apart from this forum!!) so I can't pretend to be an expert! I write what I think would scare me but with good entertainment value too so a good story helps! I totally agree that graphic murders etc isn't an approach I like either, I don't think I explained myself very well. When I said serial killers I meant things like Michael Myers etc...not really something with a crime investigation but just pure psychological/thriller entertainment. I suppose most novels can cross over can't they? Such as historical romance, erotic thriller, etc. I suppose it's very subjective really. I imagined myself writing a story about a witch, if I had the out look I used to have (before this conversation) I would have thought it was a fantasy based story but then I thought about my plot and suddenly realised that if I had to class it myself it would become paranormal/fantasy/horror!!! What I am saying is that I think you're right, we shouldn't pigeon hole genres so distinctively. Hey I would never have said I was a fantasy writer! It's only because I love horror and I am very protective over the genre so wanted it to stand alone by itself. Thanks for the enlightenment Timstar! Andie P x

Thanks for the replies Ian and Ben. I think you're right Ben, I'm just going to concentrate on one or two stories and base something around that. I tried to watch the film to see if I could pick up any 'quick' tips but it just confused me more! Not sure I can cram all of the stories in after looking on Project Gutenberg! Thanks for the tip Ian! I will let you know how I get on...fingers crossed! Andie P x

Wow, what an introduction. Don't think I really believe your first sentence and I quote ''Milhouse2011 is not an established writer, self published writer or even an aspiring writer. Milhouse2011 is a rare specimen known as the unwilling writer. Milhouse2011 believes that writing is neither a talent nor the result of hard work. Writing, by his definition, can be achieved by anyone with a writing apparatus and a basic command of the English language'' In my (humble) opinion writing is a talent, and most certainly is a result of hard work. Writing may be easy in itself as an action but constructing something of quality is hard work! However, welcome to the forum, I think we have some interesting discussions!! Andie P x

Wow Michelle, you are one busy women!! Thanks so much for setting this forum up and giving me a great way of sharing my passion. You must have met some great people, I am not jealous at all! Really, I'm not! Andie x

mmmmm......this really is interesting, making me think ! Timstar, when you say when writers choose the 'paranormal' range, how would that fall into the sci-fi/fantasy side of things, are you including things like vampires into the supernatural genre? I see what you mean though about the other side of 'normal' type of horror but then where does thriller come into it? Could a serial killer horror be called a thriller? Interesting stuff. I'm interested because I write horror (mainly) and would never class it as fantasy or sci-fi, but I could probably put it into a sub genre as supernatural. Ha ha...what do you mean they should try harder? ...how do you think it could be improved? Andie P x

Aww Michelle, please don't think I was moaning about the forum because I love it! And I realise I wasn't around when this brilliant creation was being made. It's just hard as a horror fan to search for a new book and then trawl through what is fantasy/sci-fi as they are so regularly grouped together. As Timstar said, they do have a tenancy to overlap but I think 'horror', if that is what the author intends it to be, should be able to stand out as a stand alone genre. Just my humble opinion!! Andie P x

I am an absolute obsessive about anything to do with horror, films, documentaries, novels, short stories...(paranormal probably my favourite)..well you get the point!) Anyway, I am getting a bit fed up with being put into the 'sci-fi and fantasy' genre...not just on this forum but it seems a consensus with publishers and other similar forums alike. I can't read fantasy/sci-fi but love love love anything to do with horror. Although I must admit that sometimes the genres can overlap. Is it just me or would you like to see horror as a stand alone genre on it's own?? Andie P x

Ben, please don't think I am weird but I woke up this morning and suddenly realised 'hey, I know of a classic that has to be read!' The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery. Have you read it? If not I have a copy you can lend, it's only a small book so you could read it quite quickly. Andie P x

Has anyone read, Mrs Peregrine's home for peculiar children'.....I can't wait to get into this...I think I'm going to love it. Andie P x

Hi Mariana!! Welcome you are in great company! Andie P x

I'm going to enter a flash fiction competition on the subject of Sherlock Holmes, where can I find quick information about the man himself rather than reading all the materials? Does anyone know where I can download some of the short stories? Any advice I would be very grateful of! Andie P x

Hi welcome to the forum! Wow, that sounds interesting. What books are they? Andie P x

Everyone I seem to work with is encouraging me to read the trilogy, I suppose I can't really judge what they are like without reading them. However, I suspect it's not going to be my type of thing. Andie P x

If only the story could be just as scary in a book? It is definitely a visual thing. Andie P x

Hi April, welcome to the forum..you won't go back!! It's very addictive. What are you reading right now? Andie P x

I am a huge horror fan so will give the 'books of blood' a go but don't really fancy the fantasy side of his, that's not really my bag. Andie P x

Paranormal activity........again!!! Andie P x

Thanks Timstar... Andie P x

The Rose-Bette Midler Andie P x

I paid £13 for it....I can't find Adam on Facebook though. Andie P x

So, here is my review for The Man in the Picture by Susan Hill. As a new fan of Susan Hill I just couldn’t wait to get my teeth into this novella. I shouldn’t really compare it to ‘The Women in Black’ but it just doesn’t have the same grip and eeriness about it. The story is narrated by Theo, an old Cambridge lecturer who is telling a former student; Oliver about a Venetian party painting that hangs upon his wall. As you have probably guessed it is no ordinary painting, it appears just as ordinary as any other oil painting but it is full of evil, hatred and revenge. The sub plots within the story created more depth but sometimes made it a little disjointed for me and I found it hard to follow. An interesting story but I wouldn’t recommend if you are a ‘ghost story connoisseur’ as it just doesn’t have that bite. However, despite my disappointment I have to give well deserved credit for Hill’s descriptive and atmospheric writing skills, there wasn’t much left to the imagination when I was reading, she creates a scene just perfectly. Andie P x

I can't wait for this to arrive and get my teeth into it!! (I bought mine off Amazon). Andie P x