Collections of Modern and Classic Horror

Collections of Modern and Classic Horror

Horror is an extensive genre with many different sub-genres: psychological, dark and speculative to name just a few.

With this in mind, I wanted to feature some of the best and most frightening of horror anthologies some of which are in my own personal collection. These stories are written by the finest fiction horror writers that have ever existed.

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The Gift of Girls by Chloe Thurlow

Thievery, promiscuity and (soft) slavery all feature in this latest acquisition. Its heroine Magdalena Wallace has a head for figures and this helps her secure a great summer job as an intern at City accountants Roche-Marshall. Here she is trusted to check accounts but she doesn't tell her boss that she works at night as a waitress, dressed in fishnets and a corset, at Rebels Casino. 

Magdalena is desperate for the extra money the job brings and she sees an opportunity to earn more when she learns about a 'secret' system from a high-roller, she plays the tables but loses her university savings. Sure that her system will eventually pay out she dips into the accountancy firms clients' money - losing that as well. Her boss finds out. Should he go to the police and report Magdalena, or will she agree to be his slave until the debt is paid. He proposes that she act as a slave for the next six weeks and her debt will then be paid. 

Could The Gift of Girls be Ms Thurlow's most daring novel to date? 

 

This novel could definitely be described as 'racy' and Ms Thurlow leaves nothing to chance. My only concern is that when I first started to read The Gift of Girls I mistakenly believed that I was again reading her previous novel, Being a Girl. 

The similarities between the two novels at the start was off-putting and, I have to say, it did affect how I perceived the novel to begin with - though some may find the familiarity comforting. Aside from this, this latest addition to her repertoire will be sure to keep active imaginations working overtime and the blood flowing to the most sensual organs of the body for many hours to come.

Carrie White, Writer & Reviewer
http://www.squidoo.com/bookreviewing
http://fourstarrating.blogspot.com/

No longer accepting Express Review Requests

I no longer accept book review requests (express reviews) from authors.

I only accept Squidoo lens requests (book review included) and requests direct from publishers which include Nexus/Black Lace/Virgin.

Please accept my apologies for this change in the service provided by Four Star Rating.

Eileen Thornton Interview

How would you describe yourself? Who is Eileen Thornton?

I am a very ordinary person. Never been the sort to make people turn their heads in the street. I have always been the ‘also ran’. However, I do have a mind of my own and once I get an idea in my mind, I have to go for it. The word ‘stubborn’ springs to mind. I am passionate about animals and support various animal charities. I enjoy meeting up with friends for a drink and a chat.

What sort of books did you enjoy as a child and what do you like to read now?

I liked all the Enid Blyton Books – Famous Five, Secret Seven, Mallory Towers – I thought they were great. Now I enjoy reading thrillers, something, which is going to hold me. On the other hand, I like the odd romance, but by that I don’t mean – the see it, want it, grab it stories. I prefer something a little more subtle.

What were your dreams or ambitions as a child? How do these compare with where you are now?

When I left school, I wanted to be a nurse. However, I was only fifteen and to enter as a cadet nurse you had to sixteen. I took on a job in an office, planning to stay there for one year. However, I settled into the office routine and I never did go into nursing. I have to say being a writer never entered my head back then.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer? Has your career progressed the way you thought it would be?

I wasn’t born to be a writer. At school I was useless at essays. I could always write everything I wanted to say in about six lines. I think the teacher despaired of me. The same applied with letter writing. It was only in 2001 that I decided that I might like to give writing a shot and embarked on a correspondence course with The Writer’s Bureau. Four months into the course, my very first article was published in The Lady magazine. Now my debut novel, The Trojan Project, a thriller, has been published and so far I have had some good feedback. So I sometimes wonder where I might have been today, if I had decided to start writing earlier in my life??

Are there any particular authors who've been influential to your work?

No. I don’t think there are. As I said, I am stubborn. I tend to do things my way. Set a trend, so to speak. Not always wise, but what the heck – I just go for it!

What is the greatest challenge of being an author?

Dreaming up the next story!! Whether it is a short story for a magazine or a novel, the first glimmer of an idea has to come from somewhere.

How can writers avoid scams and pitfalls on the path to publication?

I’m not sure how to answer this one. I can’t say I have succumbed to any scams or pitfalls. If I didn’t think something sounded right, or I could afford to do it, then I didn’t apply in the first place.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

I can only tell them to keep going. My novel, The Trojan Project was rejected numerous times and I could quite easily have given up the idea of being a novelist and stuck to short story writing. But I didn't. I kept on sending out the manuscript and then, one sunny morning in September 2007 I received a contract from Austin & Macauley together with a modest advance, so my persistence paid off in the end. (Stubborn does it in the end)

Do you ever get writer's block? And, if so, how do you overcome it?

Yes, I do get writer’s block sometimes. Like I said, dreaming up a story is hard enough, but once I start writing I tend to make up my stories as I go along. This also applied to my novel. So, as you can imagine, there is always a point when I wonder where I am going next. When this happens, I usually play a game or two of Patience or FreeCell on the computer. This helps to take my mind away from what I am doing for a few minutes, and then when I go back to my work, I find I have an idea. Mind you, the odd glass or two of wine works even better!!

Do you see the internet as a good tool for upcoming writers? How should they be using it, if it is?

I think the internet can be excellent for writers. So much information is there at your fingertips. Writers of non-fiction in particular, can do so much research for their books or features without having to move from their chair. Even if the information isn’t available on the internet, they can learn where to find it without traipsing from one library to another.

Has writing changed who you are or how you see the world? Are there themes that matter most to you?

Yes I do think that writing has changed me. I have found a voice! I’m not a nonentity any more. Thousands of people actually want to sit down and read something I have written. Now that can’t be bad.

Do you have a writing schedule?

I tend to write most days, but I don’t get up at the crack of dawn the way some writers do. If I am not going out, then I sit at the computer whenever I can. The problem is meals, cleaning and washing and ironing can get in the way.

What's the best thing about writing? What's the worst?

I think I answered the best thing about writing, two questions up. The worst is the rejection slips, because they do still come in.

What have you found to be the most lucrative means of marketing yourself? The least?

I really haven’t got this one sorted yet, though I am trying really hard. Getting yourself known is very difficult. Since my novel was published at the end of May, I have approached several newspapers, radio and TV. Only the local papers have shown any interest and they gave me a great spread. Regional/National newspapers, local radio and TV haven’t even bothered to reply.

What do you have coming out that we should look for? What sort of things do you plan, or hope to write in the future?

I did start another novel. It was going to be something light and frothy, quite different from The Trojan Project. However, I’m not sure about that anymore. I think I will start again and go for crime. I seem to be better able to write about criminals and the like. Meanwhile, I am still writing short stories for magazines, so you will see my name appearing there.

Nexus and Black Lace closing?

I've been hearing that both Nexus and Black Lace are closing and the editor that I receive books for review from has been made redundant.

As there is also a 'new boss', I do not know if I will receive a book for review from Virgin ever again.

It's a shame. I would love to know if there is any truth in this.

Bang goes my dream of being published by Black Lace, too. I was far too late and spent far too much time procrastinating. There's a lesson to be learnt there.

Now, I shall be putting together a list of erotic publishers for future reference. Maybe I can strike up a relationship with a new one :)