Most people know something about 𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑖𝑛 by Mary Shelley. They might not have read the book, but still they know at least one thing about the story: it’s about a monster made by a human, a mad scientist. But who is the real monster? Is it Frankenstein? Or is it the mad scientist?
Is bacon served with every meal in Bacon Level, Alabama? Was Deadhorse, Alaska named after a dead horse? Is it always Christmas in Santa Claus, Indiana and Santa Claus, Arizona? Is it a crime to eat your meals without ketchup in Ketchuptown, South Carolina?
I write horror stories. I’ve written book series about Count Dracula, the monster of Frankenstein, the ghouls Hugo and Edgar, and I have plans for quite a few more tales of the macabre. Many of the stories awaiting publication are ghost stories. As each of these series is based on one or more famous monster,…
How old was Melissa when she fell in love with books? Why did she start this business? What will you find in her store? If you’re having problems finding the perfect book-related item to buy for yourself or the book lover in your life, browse through the items in Literary Book Gifts, Melissa Chan’s online…
Whether it be the 1910 horror film, Frankenstein, written and directed by J. Searle Dawley, or the 1974 comedy from Mel Brooks, Young Frankenstein, the image of the monster and his creator are forever etched into our minds. But with all the great adaptations to this fine story over nearly two centuries, we should not…
Like any writer of horror, I have a desire to create a monster that will have people trembling in their seats. I have been researching how to do that. Thinking up a monster should be easy, right? Well, in a way it is, but if the readers don’t think your monster is believable, you will…
“Why do you like vampires? What’s so special about them? Why read about them? What’s so appealing?” Thus do the philistines speak. What’s so appealing about literary vampires? Let me count the ways… …by doing a bit of history… The literary vampire didn’t begin to flourish until the mid-1880s. I’ve heard it said that before…
Are you looking for idioms and words that can be used to set a creepy tone to your scene or story? Do you want to use words that will send shivers up your readers’ spines? Is it your desire for those who hold your book in their hands to be frozen with fear? Will they…
There is no need to make up a creepy town name for your Halloween tale when there are so many already in existence. One or two of these unusual names belong to a county instead of a city. The states that have cities with Halloween related names are listed in alphabetical order, as are the…
How far would you go for love? What would you do to bring the one you loved back from the dead? If you did bring someone back, would this person still be the same? Would this person’s personality be any different? All of this raises the question: is it morally right to play God? Kate…
