Last year saw the publication of my first book — my volume on The Mummy for the Devil’s Advocates series. So, I’ve decided to start 2020 by getting stuck into my second non-fiction book; the title I’ve chosen is Thoughts and Fears: Essays on Horror and Culture.
Most of the book will consist of my past blog posts on the horror genre, dusted off and given a new coat of polish where necessary, but I want to give my readers something new on the side. So, I’m aiming for around a quarter to a third of the book — roughly 30,000 words, say — to be all-new material.
Of course, this will necessitate producing roughly 30,000 of all-new material by the end of the year. Here are some ideas I’m currently playing with:
- An analysis of how Christina Henry derives horror from children’s stories in Alice and Red Queen
- An exploration of the Creature from the Black Lagoon’s sex life
- A deep-dive into Dan Simmons’ The Terror and its historical inspirations
- A deconstruction of the gender-bending serial killer motif in Psycho, Silence of the Lambs, Seed of Chucky et al
- A celebration of the feminine side of lycanthropy
If any of this sounds like your bag, then perhaps you could consider donating to me via Patreon or Ko-Fi to help cover expenses.
Doris V. Sutherland 