Where Nightmares Come From review, Edited by Joe Mynhardt and Eugene Johnson

Reviewed by Paula Limbaugh

Wow! Crystal Lake Publishing has been on a roll this year, so many new releases and this one, I believe is the most highly anticipated! Where Nightmares Come From: The Art of Story Telling in the Horror Genre is full of advice, anecdotes, interviews, and more.   Just look at this TOC…

• Introduction by William F. Nolan
• IT’S THE STORY TELLER by Joe R. Lansdale
• A-Z OF HORROR of Clive Barker
• WHY HORROR? by Mark Alan Miller
• PIXELATED SHADOWS by Michael Paul Gonzalez
• LIKE CURSES by Ray Garton
• HOW TO GET YOUR SCARE ON by S.G. Browne
• STORYTELLING TECHNIQUES by Richard Thomas
• HORROR IS A STATE OF MIND by Tim Waggoner
• BRINGING AN IDEA TO LIFE by Mercedes M. Yardley
• THE PROCESS OF A TALE by Ramsey Campbell
• GREAT HORROR IS SOMETHING ALIEN by Michael Bailey
• A HORRIFICALLY HAPPY MEDIUM by Taylor Grant
• INTERVIEW WITH JOHN CONNOLLY by Marie O’Regan
• THE STORY OF A STORY by Mort Castle
• WRITING ROUNDTABLE INTERVIEW with Christopher Golden, Kevin J. Anderson, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• HOW I SPENT MY CHILDHOOD LOOKING FOR MONSTERS AND FOUND POETRY INSTEAD by Stephanie M. Wytovich
• BITS AND PIECES INTERVIEW WITH JONATHAN MABERRY by Eugene Johnson
• THE REEL CREEPS by Lisa Morton
• THE MONSTER SQUAD by Jess Landry
• WHAT SCARES YOU by Marv Wolfman
• PLAYING IN SOMEONE ELSE’S HAUNTED HOUSE by Elizabeth Massie
• CREATING MAGIC FROM A BLANK PIECE OF PAPER: Del Howison interviews Tom Holland, Amber Benson, Fred Dekker, and Kevin Tenney
• Z NATION: HOW SYFY’S HIT SHOW CAME TO LIFE by Craig Engler
• LIFE IMITATING ART IMITATING LIFE: FILM AND ITS INFLUENCE ON REALITY by Jason V Brock
• WHERE NIGHTMARES COME FROM by Paul Moore
• STEPHEN KING AND RICHARD CHIZMAR DISCUSS COLLABORATING by Bev Vincent
• CHARLAINE HARRIS DISCUSSES STORYTELLING by Eugene Johnson
• WHAT NOW? by John Palisano

These are all authors widely read in the horror genre who have taken the time to offer you tips on what works for them. No one is telling you to follow what they say, and you too will be a successful writer, instead, they are laying bare the little things that work for them and how perhaps by incorporating some of the things you read here, you will be able to get down on paper those thoughts in your head!

How apt to have Joe R Lansdale offer up a piece titled It’s the Story Teller, Joe has a way of telling a story that makes it feel all too real. He is the Story Teller!

Ramsey Campbell (The Process of a Tale) actually takes one of his short stories and breaks it down to show the process he went through to come up with a finished and fully polished story, how fascinating!

Ray Garton (Like Curses) does an excellent job in coming up with an answer to the inevitable question most authors face… “Where do you get your ideas?”

If you have ever read a book by Mercedes M Yardley (Bringing an Idea to Life), you know she has a way with words. Even when telling of something gruesome, it somehow comes across as beautifully said. Mercedes offers us a little insight on how words can change the way a story is read.

These are just a few things you’ll find inside this book, I could go on and on about each one all excellent, but I’ll probably end up boring you. So, I’m not going to break down each piece, but… before I end this, I just have to mention Mort Castle (The Story of a Story)! Oh my, a totally engaging piece that will have you in stitches.

Crystal Lake Publishing has stated that this is… “Book one in Crystal Lake Publishing’s The Dream Weaver series, Where Nightmares Come From focuses on the art of storytelling in the Horror genre, taking an idea from conception to reality—whether you prefer short stories, novels, films, or comics”.

Yikes! I posted this review and I forgot to mention the AWESOME cover art from Luke Spooner!! So, here it is… a nod to Luke for another great book cover!

I can’t wait to read more from this series! Pick up your copy HERE!!

5/5