The Beauty of Horror

When I tell people I wrote a novel, the first question is usually “what kind of novel?” I say “horror“ and then I usually meet surprise followed by, “why horror?” 

 In creating the note from the author introduction in Not Another Sarah Halls, I was intentional about both outlining and explaining in-depth my love for the horror genre and what I have discovered to be “the beauty of horror” — a revelation that has only made me that more in tune with what I write and what I want my work to be. 

"People commonly and mistakenly believe horror is about tricks: a clown lurking in the sewers enticing children with a made-up circus or a red room that disguises its hints of imminent death within the character’s own idea of a sanctuary. But horror goes so far beyond jump-scares.

It’s a way for people to come to grips with themselves, reminding them horror-monger Jordan Peele says, ‘We are our own worst enemy.’

Fear manifests from individual readers because it comes from within, from our unresolved issues or triggers from past experiences. Horror humbles us in that it asks readers to look at parts of themselves they often veil out of convenience or shame. It makes them look their fear in the face, in whatever shape it has adopted, and say, ‘This is how I beat you.’ It’s about debunking what scares us and why.

That’s what I love about horror.

It’s so revealing."

In my protagonist Autumn's, efforts to successfully navigate her past and internal struggles with anxiety and fear while making sense of the parts of her she’s always kept in the shadows, it is my hope that readers will see more than horror-tricks, jump-scares, and fear-induced visual manifestations. Autumn’s character inspires readers to look inward in that she has to not only identify and accept her anxiety but effectively identify real versus not real — an ongoing struggle for her character that holds her back in defeating the demons that lie ahead.“

-Excerpt from Not Another Sarah Halls

 Over the next weeks, I’m going to be sharing excerpts and stories from my book, Not Another Sarah Halls in this article series. Not Another Sarah Halls launches on December 2nd on Amazon! If you want to read more stories/excerpts/poems from my book - please fill out your name and email here to be a part of my Month Before Launch Newsletter to get updates on when the next article on LinkedIn/Medium goes live, and also with the link to my book when it publishes in December. If you want to connect, you can reach me here via email [email protected] or connect with me on social:

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