The Affects of Effects

One thing I will do in this blog is write about writers, stories and books that I like that probably influence me. Though my first love is basically horror fiction (which bears some definition) I frequently delve in to science fiction, fantasy, mystery, crime, true crime, etc. Usually the more fucked up the better, but what I like most are stories that affect me. The deeper the better. If I cry the writer has done his work well. If am enthralled but don’t know if I want to continue reading for what I might discover, the writer is successful again. If I have a hard time staying awake and getting through a book, then I’m probably not, and I don’t consider it successful writing. I realize everyone doesn’t feel this way. I do occasionally read a book just to get mindless for a while. My favorite book of all time is Some of Your Blood by Theodore Sturgeon. I just re-read it for the 4th or 5th time and I’m still not sure I can tell you why. I think what I like about it most is that it gives a fair portrayal of the dark and the light side of reality within the container of an enjoyable, exciting story. What I’ve read of Sturgeon includes some the most horrible things you can imagine told through loving eyes. I’ll talk more later but I want to mention some my favorite writers: Thomas Ligotti, Jessica Amanda Salmonson, Brian Hopkins, Jeffrey Thomas, Scott Thomas, George R.R. Martin, Michael Shea, W. P. Pugmire, Theodore Sturgeon, Mark Samuels, Laird Barron, Joe Lansdale, Jonathan Carroll, and many others.