Going Gothic Books

I accidentally wrote a gothic novel some years back. I didn’t do it on purpose. The setting in the Lousiana countryside just lent itself to the gloomy setting and haunted characters that populate what used to be a very popular genre of fiction. 

I’d also kind of lost my sense of humor and was on a tight deadline, so I couldn’t wait to get it back. I think there is still some humor in DANGEROUS DANCE, but it is much darker than most of my other books. 

So, are you wondering just what is a gothic novel?

Let me help you out with that. 

Gothic novels tend to be dark, mysterious, may contain supernatual stuff and haunted characters that are trying to deal with fear, desire, and the unknown. 

Perhaps the most famous gothic novel is Mary Shelley’s FRANKENSTEIN. There’s also DRACULA, which is seriously creepy. 

I prefer the “lighter” dark gothic novels. (Haha) Most of my early reading was gothic women’s fiction handed to me by my mom or my grandma. 

Some of my early favorite authors were Victoria Holt, Mary Elgin, and Jane Aiken Hodge. There were a lot more, but most of the books I consumed back then were paperbacks that had been passed around to all of my grandma’s friends. The titles and the authors are lost in time. 

I do think they laid the foundation of the “peril” part of my perilously fun fiction vibe. I would like to write another gothic, but it is hard to get into that head space. I find myself drawn more to humor to deal with all that Life is dishing out right now.

How do you escape reality? Do you go light or dark?

Perilously yours,

Pauline