Horror Aficionados discussion

In another thread there was some interest in a short story group read. Drop your ideas here about the best way to go about choosing the short stories we read, how long should the discussion last, etc.

SUGGESTED READS:

* The Doll by J.C. Martin
* The Bottle Imp by R.L. Stevenson
* The Willows

SHORT STORY WEBSITES:

http://www.underworldtales.com/classi...

http://www.dailyfreebooks.com/free_eb...

Maybe we can alternate between classic stories and contemporary ones?

I'm in!

Should we read/discuss one a week? How are they chosen? Does anyone want to be in charge of the short story group read?

Okay.

Tressa wrote: "Should we read/discuss one a week? How are they chosen? Does anyone want to be in charge of the short story group read?"

I think one short story a week would be good. Should all those interested in being in the group suggest a story or two and from that list we choose a story. Maybe each person could select the story for a specific week, sort of like "taking turns". This is the way the horror group does over on Shelfari and it seems to work out. I can not take the responsibility of being in charge, sry.

Woo hoo count me in, great idea.

I'm in, if I can. :)

You can. ;)

So Jon volunteered?

For what?

Is this about us writing our own short stories and featuring which to read? If not that could be interesting. Think of a horror theme and length and then see what type of short story everyone comes up with.

Justin, no. You may want to create a thread in the author promotional folders for that. This is for us to read and discuss a short story from established authors in the horror field.

I asked for a volunteer up there in message #4 and in message #5 you posted "okay."

Start posting your short story suggestions and I'll list them in my original message and we'll just go in the order that they're posted.

Tressa wrote: "Justin, no. You may want to create a thread in the author promotional folders for that. This is for us to read and discuss a short story from established authors in the horror field.

I asked for ..."

I said "Okay" to reading one a week.

I will post tomorrow. I have so many books on my kindle and I want to make sure I give you SS. Talk to you then.

I'm in... Great of Jon for accepting to look after this! ;-P

Carnacki!

Jon Recluse wrote: "Carnacki!"

Bingo!

I have a whole bunch of classics that I want to read. I'll put together a list tomorrow.

How about a suggestion?

The Bottle Imp by Robert Louis Stevenson

14,000 words, public domain

"Offering an engrossing spin on a time-honored theme--the risky business of making a pact with the devil--this short story is a radiant jewel. It recounts the mercurial lot of Keawe, a Hawaiian who purchases a bottle inhabited by an imp capable of granting any wish. Yet this enticing object holds a dark curse: anyone who dies with it in his possession will burn forever in hell. And here's the rub: one can sell the bottle only for less than its purchase price. Keawe rids himself of the bottle after acquiring a palatial home. But when he needs it again to ensure his happiness with a newfound love, its cost is, chillingly, one cent, and the responsibility of ownership becomes a good deal more complex."

That's a good one.

And the story behind that story is incredible.

Check out this beautiful site:

http://www.underworldtales.com/classi...

Be sure to scroll down to the bottom!

Nice!

Serial

8000 words
56 pages

Read this a few years ago and really enjoyed it

(Oops! I meant to follow in Ken's footsteps and add the description)

The #1 Amazon Kindle Bestseller, downloaded over 250,000 times, now back in its original version…

Jack Kilborn (aka J.A. Konrath) and Blake Crouch turn their attention to the twin golden rules of hitchhiking:

# 1: Don’t go hitchhiking, because the driver who picks you up could be certifiably crazy.

# 2: Don’t pick up hitchhikers, because the traveler you pick up could be a raving nutcase.

So what if, on some dark, isolated road, Crazy #1 offered a ride to Nutcase #2?

When two of the most twisted minds in the world of horror fiction face off, the result is SERIAL, a terrifying tale of hitchhiking gone terribly wrong. Like a deeply twisted version of an “After School Special,” SERIAL is the single most persuasive public service announcement on the hazards of free car rides.

Beyond a thrilling piece of horrifying suspense, SERIAL is also a groundbreaking experiment in literary collaboration. Kilborn wrote the first part. Crouch wrote the second. And they wrote the third together over email in 100-word exchanges, not aware of each other’s opening section. All bets were off, and may the best psycho win.

These need to be true SHORT stories that can be read quickly. No long stories or novellas.

Tressa wrote: "These need to be true SHORT stories that can be read quickly. No long stories or novellas."

Can you give us a range? Would 56 pages be considered a short story. I know of some that are around 10 pages, but I thought that would be too short?

Since it was the topic of conversation where this came up, maybe The Willows would be a good idea, unless everyone's read it already.

I was thinking from 10-20 pages. What does everyone else think?

Here's an example of a short story group read from the past.

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/8...

I like the idea of keeping them short. Especially if it is a weekly read. Between 10-20 sounds about right with some give.
Also, I like the idea of alternating classics and contemporary stories. Or at least reading some contemporary.

Tressa wrote: "I was thinking from 10-20 pages. What does everyone else think?"



Oh, thanks, Tressa! How big is the Stevenson's book. I was think it was longer than 50 pages. Obviously the story I suggested is out.

There is a posting of free short stories at this link, I'm sure many of you already know of it, but it might help.

http://www.dailyfreebooks.com/free_eb...

Should they be short stories found online for free? I'm sure nobody wants to go searching for one that can only be found in an anthology.

Lot's of the classic collections are free.

Tressa wrote: "Should they be short stories found online for free? I'm sure nobody wants to go searching for one that can only be found in an anthology."



The Bottle Imp is free on amazon.com. It is one of the stories from Island Night's Entertainment. Also a few places to read on line.

So do you want the group to only read short stories that can be found on line. Like the classics. That would be fine with me, however you want to set it up, Tressa!

I really don't care which direction we go with this. I prefer the classics. But there are a lot of contemporary short stories that I am interested in as well. If we pay attention to the Amazon deals, we can pick off a few contemporary freebies here and there. We should be certain to point those out to the group when we see them so that we can queue them up for the next read.

I'm just happy to have someone to read these with. I haven't read a short story in years. I blew through Somerset Maugham and Anton Chekhov (among others) years ago and kind of burned myself out on the shorter reads. I guess with all of the stuff that I have going on right now (my wife just had child #1, work, etc.) that I can't mentally get into anything longer. It is taking me weeks to get through some titles that I should have read in three or four days.

Really looking forward to these!

In fact, go pick this one up:

http://www.amazon.com/Girls-Parties-e...

How to Talk to Girls at Parties - Neil Gaiman

Some short stories can be hard to hunt down and there are so many to be found online for free, both old and new stuff, it should make things easier.

And here's another that we should look at:

http://www.neilgaiman.com/mediafiles/...

A Study in Emerald - Neil Gaiman

OK. We'll just do the online thing. I'll read any short story as long as it's good; I don't care if it's new, old, whatever.

Let's do "A Study in Emerald" by Gaiman.

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

There is one called THE DOLL that has been free on kindle for quite a while--it was really good! I can't think of the author offhand, but when you type in "free horror stories" in the kindle store, it's usually in the first page or two.

Thanks, Kimberly. Can't beat a horror doll story.

This one The Doll? I read this one and thought it was good too, especially for a freebie.

Traci L. wrote: "This one The Doll? I read this one and thought it was good too, especially for a freebie."

I had recommended it to 2 other people, and they both loved it. I'm pretty sure it's still free (and I can loan my copy to someone), if anyone is interested. I'm curious to discuss it with others!

BTW: I just read A STUDY IN EMERALD. :)

YAY!

BTW: The Doll is still free.

Oh, I already bought that one on March 4. Good. We'll read that one week after next.

Do you think we could do two short stories per week? One classic and one contemporary?

That sounds like a good idea. How about the Bottle Imp?

http://gaslight.mtroyal.ca/bottlimp.htm

Spark: a creative anthology...Well worth checking ut

Kimberly wrote: I had recommended it to 2 other people, and they both loved it. I'm pretty sure it's st..."

As someone else stated The Doll is still free! Kimberly, I would love to read it and discuss. A few other ppl have read it and may like to get in on the discussion. I can probably read it within the next 24 hours.