Alan Ryker | Horror...A Work of Love

Sometimes a genre catches on and there's a sudden deluge of new writers, and you have to wonder at their motivation. Do they love the material, or are they in it for a quick buck? Horror is not one of those genres. The only genre that makes less money than horror is western.

In other words, every horror novel is a work of love.

October is the one month of the year when the horror author gets to bask in the attention usually reserved for the writers of more popular fiction. As the trees catch fire with fall colors and the air turns brisk, just about everyone enjoys giving themselves a few safe chills, culminating in Halloween, the celebration of all things spooky. To help people choose their poison, book reviewers on television, in print and on the web turn their focus to the horror novel. We horror novelists—accustomed to skittering around in dark corners—peer stunned into the spotlight for a few moments before it moves on. November first, we go back to weaving our webs in darkness (I need to work that into a novel...).

I was lucky enough that the advanced review copies of my horror novel, THE HOARD, went out just in time for reviewers to include it in their October festivities. However, THE HOARD is being released throughout November in its different formats and at different vendors, and people's thoughts have turned to other things.

But I'm a horror author all year long. I spend every spare moment pouring my energy into the genre, regardless of which holiday is around the corner. I know that there's more to a good horror novel than some fun chills and thrills. Yes, I certainly want those to be present, but for me, that's gravy. That's the frosting on the cake. That's not the meat of the genre. It's the gravy frosting on the meatcake of the genre.

So what do I claim to be the substance of the genre? Well, most good horror writers are character writers. It's not a coincidence. Horror scenarios are thought experiments. They are a way of testing people under very specific extreme conditions.

If you've read a lot of horror, then you know that it is probably the least predictable genre of fiction. The good guy is not guaranteed to win. Sometimes the monster wins. Sometimes the good guy turns out to actually be the monster. Sometimes, everyone dies! I love the fact that, unlike in most genres, when a character is in danger in a horror story, he's really in danger. It's likely that the author isn't go into step in and deus ex machine him out of the situation, even if he's the protagonist and he's made it to the final chapter. That's the tension that keeps me turning pages.

It's also what keeps my fingers tapping the keys. As a horror writer, I don't know what's going to happen when I drop my characters into a bad situation. I just get in their heads and go along for the ride. With their humanity pushed to the brink, I don't know where they'll go or what they'll do. I know that some will snap, and I'll catch a glimpse of that dark, selfish, animal core that we all fear might be revealed if we're pushed too far. I know that I'll also sometimes see nobility and empathy beyond what can rationally be explained.

And those are things worth experiencing at any time of the year. So, despite its November release, consider checking out THE HOARD and other horror novels (but mostly THE HOARD). If enough people do, maybe we can even get back our own section in the bookstore

THE HOARD is available on the Kindle now, and everywhere November 20^th.

A new breed...a new evil...

Hidden deep beneath its landfill lair of trash and filth, a strange new organism has come to life. When an accidental fire drives it out, the mysterious creature escapes across the drought-blasted Kansas prairie and finds the home of elderly hoarder Anna Grish. In desperate need of shelter, it burrows in, concealed amidst the squalor and mess.

When Adult Protective Services force Anna to vacate her junk-riddled home, she moves in with her son and his family. But there is something wrong with Anna, something more than her declining mental condition and severe hoarding disorder. Something sinister has taken hold of her, and it's not only getting stronger, it's spreading.

Amidst the wide-open Kansas plains, with endless blue sky above and flat, open vista stretching from one horizon to the next, there is nowhere to hide from...THE HOARD.