The Doll Who Ate his Mother
Category: Famous Horror Writers
There are many famous horror writers out there, both classic and modern. Here we will explore famous writers.
TikTok: Mary Shelly
It’s Alive
RIP Peter Straub
Yesterday we lost Peter Straub.
For those of you who are not familiar with this gentleman by name you may still have read his works, he was a prolific writer of dark fantasy, horror and thrillers.
My favourite of his was Ghost Story, which I have already spoken about on this website and TikTok.
He has been nominated for a dozen World Fantasy Awards and won four of them, as well as 14 Bram Stoker awards. His last novel was A Dark Matter published in 2010, though he published short stories and novellas since then.
He also worked with Stephen King on The Talisman and its sequel Black House.
It was actually Stephen King’s tweet that made me aware of Peter Straub’s passing.
King called Straub a “good friend” and “amazingly talented colleague and collaborator” “Working with him was one of the great joys of my creative life.”
Famous Writers: Robert William Chambers
The King in Yellow
Today I am writing to discuss Mr Robert William Chambers with you.
Robert William Chambers was a writer from America who is best known for writing The King in Yellow in 1895.
Robert was born in Brooklyn in New York, his father worked as a lawyer and it was through this work that he met Robert’s mother when she was just 12 years old. Robert’s father and his grandfather on his mother side formed a law firm together after the marriage.
Robert was well educated and was part of the Art Students League in his twenties. He also studied in Paris before returning to New York. He worked as an illustrator for some time selling to prestigious magazines.
His first book, ‘In the Quarter’ was written in 1887, his second ‘The King in Yellow’ was published in 1895. This collection was very well received by authors such as H. P Lovecraft. His next collection was ‘The Maker of Moons’ published in 1896, followed by ‘The Tree of Heaven’ in 1907. While these were well received, they did not match the reception Robert received for ‘The King in Yellow’.
He also wrote historical fiction with ‘The Red Republic’, ‘Lorraine, and ‘Ashes of Empire’ published in 1895, 1998 and 1901 respectively. He also wrote ‘Cardigan’ in 1901 before turning from historical fiction to Romantic fiction. The dude was a very prolific writer, from 1894 to 1933 he churned out over 80 titles, including seven children’s titles. Some being published posthumously.
In July 1898 Robert married his wife Elsa and they had a son the following year, also called Robert.
Robert, senior, died in December 1933.
Famous Writers: Edgar Allen Poe
Nevermore
Today I am writing to you to tell you about Edgar Allen Poe.
Famous Horror Writers: Mary Shelly
Today I wanted to write to you about Mary Shelly.
Famous Writers: Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu
Stoker before Stoker
Today I want to write to you about vampires… Kinda.
I’ve spoken before about Carmilla, now let’s take a brief look at her Author, Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu.
Joseph was an Irish writer, born on 28 August 1814 and died on 7 February 1873 of a heart attack. His three best known stories are Carmilla, Uncle Silas and The House by the Churchyard.
Joseph was born into a literary family, both his grandmother Alicia and his great-uncle Richard were playwrights his niece Rhoda was a successful novelist, and his mother was a writer.
In 1826 the family moved to Abington in Limerick, where Joseph used his father’s library to educate himself and by the age of fifteen he was already writing poetry
In 1844 Joseph married Susanna Bennett, and their first child, Eleanor, was born in 1845, followed by Emma in 1846, Thomas in 1847 and George in 1854. In 1856 Joseph’s personal life became difficult when his wife suffered from poor mental health. She had a crisis of faith and suffered from anxiety after the deaths of several close relatives, including her father. In April 1858 she suffered a “hysterical attack” and died the following day in unclear circumstances. Joseph’s diaries suggests that he felt guilt as well as loss. From then on he did not write any fiction until the death of his mother in 1861.
In 1861 he became the editor and proprietor of the Dublin University Magazine. He published The House by the Churchyard and Wylder’s Hand via this magazine. Joseph then signed a contract with his London publisher, which specified that future novels be stories “of an English subject and of modern times”, Joeseph then published Uncle Silas in 1864.
Famous Writers: Edgar Allen Poe
Nevermore
Today I am writing to you to tell you about Edgar Allan Poe.
To say Poe’s works have influenced literature is like saying water is wet. He and his work appear throughout popular culture in literature, music, films, and television. He has influenced many other great writers, such as H.P Lovecraft and Stephen King to name drop just two. His impact on the horror genre (as well as Sci-Fi and Detective) cannot be overstated.
I could probably write an entire blog series on this man, and if you would like me to do so then by all means speak up. However, today all I am going to do is a very brief summary of his life, and works.
Edgar Allan Poe was born Edgar Poe on 19 January 1809 and was the first well-known American writers to earn a living through writing alone. He was a writer, poet, editor, and a literary critic.
Poe was born in Boston, the second child of actors David and Elizabeth Poe. Sadly, his father abandoned the family in 1810, and his mother died the following year. Poe was raised by John and Frances Allan, though his relationship with them was not without its problems.
Poe attended university, though due to financial reasons he left after one year and joined the army. However, he was not content in the military life and shortly after the death of his brother he left to be a full-time writer.
However, due to shitty copyright laws Poe struggled as a writer, this was because American publishers often reproduced unauthorized copies of British works rather than paying for new work by Americans.
That is not to say he had no success at all, he spent several years working for literary journals and periodicals
He received a prize in October 1833 from the Baltimore Saturday Visiter for his short story “MS. Found in a Bottle”. This brought Poe to the attention of other writers and editors and landed him a job as assistant editor of the Southern Literary Messenger in 1835.
He married his 13-year-old cousin in 1836 (he was 26 at the time and they lied about her age in order to marry), sadly, she died of tuberculosis in 1847. It is said that her passing influenced some of his writing.
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket was published in 1838 and Poe became the assistant editor of Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine the following year. He later took a position as a as writer and co-editor at Graham’s Magazine
In January 1845, he published his poem “The Raven” which made him a household name. He planned for years to produce his own journal The Penn (later renamed The Stylus), but before it could be produced, he died. The cause of his death has never been unearthed.
On the day before his death he was found in great distress and delouse on the streets, he was taken to hospital and passed away. All medical records have been lost, including his death certificate.
Poe is buried in Baltimore, Maryland.
Famous Horror Writers: R.L Stine Writing Prompts
Lets have some fun
One thing with this lockdown is that even as it’s being lifted in many places, we still need to be sensible and protect ourselves and our communities.
So, while many places are reopening and businesses will need your support, we still shouldn’t be flippant about going outside and mingling with sizeable crowds.
That being said, it has been a long few months. Speaking of my experience, I’ve been working from home since mid-March and restricting my time outside to essential trips maybe once or twice a week. Cabin fever has well and truly taken hold.
To keep my mind from turning into mush, I’ve been testing myself with writing prompts and thought I’d share some with you, as I cannot be the only person going slowly mad with being indoors this much.
Just to be clear, I did not make these myself, R. L. Stine did! Over on masterclass.com
These are my favourite three 😊
Continue reading “Famous Horror Writers: R.L Stine Writing Prompts”Famous Horror Writers: Edgar Allen Poe
Nevermore
Today I want to talk with you about one of the world’s most famous horror writers is Edgar Allen Poe.
A name synonymous with Ravens, secret shadows, and dark deeds. He has inspired countless other writers, filmmakers and creators across the board. To sum up such an important figure for the horror genre in a simple blog is like trying to strike a match on jelly. But that’s not going to stop me from having a go.
Continue reading “Famous Horror Writers: Edgar Allen Poe”
Letters from a Horror Writer 