Check out my guest post on the Bibliophile Support Group where I share some of the horror covers that I drew when I was a teenager...

(image by Bryce Gibson)

Bibliophile Support Group: Guest Post with Author Bryce Gibson!: I was a teenager during the 1990s. I loved horror movies and reading horror books (I still do, but this post is about the...READ MORE

Guest post on The Book Girl's blog

The Book Girl: Guest Post: Summer of '88--Roger Rabbit and the Li...:

Today I have a guest post on the blog of Andrea Sicade (aka The Book Girl). Follow the link above to read about the summer of 1988 when Judge Doom from Roger Rabbit and a local monster called the Lizard Man were vying for a lasting impression.


image credit dearoldhollywood.blogspot.com

And while you're on Andrea's blog, be sure to check out a few of her book reviews. She knows what she's talking about.

Stepping into the woods

Over the past five or six years it seems that I have been incapable of writing a story that doesn't involve a character that takes a step into the darkness of the woods.  This theme has played an important role in each of my books.

The characters' motivations for doing so are varied - pushing boundaries, taking risks, seeking answers, nostalgia, rebellion, romantic intentions, a youthful curiosity, a place to hide, an attempt to save a loved one, hope, escape, just to name a few - and the motivations are oftentimes not a singular drive; sometimes there are multiple reasons that he or she chooses to step into the darkness.

There is usually a clearing that is within the woods.  The clearing is the place that the character is setting out for or just so happens to accidentally stumble upon.  Usually the clearing is a sanctuary, a respite, a safe spot; it is where answers are waiting to be found.  It is what is waiting through all of the darkness, briars, and bramble.

But sometimes...

The clearing is just another trick, another obstacle, an illusion to make you feel safe.  At least temporarily.  But what if something changes?  What if something sinister finds its way into that charmingly sunny spot?

Sometimes, after the fact, you may realize that you need to press on even further.  

You might have to venture into the woods all over again.   
  
BryceGibsonWriter.com
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"Southern fiction that takes readers to charming and oftentimes sinister areas of The South"

Writing a book is hard work; I'm not going to lie.  Marketing the book is even harder; I'm not going to lie about that either.  

One of the most common questions people ask is this: "what genre is it?"   

Okay, an easy answer here would be to give them a simple, one word response like "mystery, historical fiction, fantasy, horror, romance, YA" etc.  

For some reason I just can't do that.  Without fail, I stumble over my answer to this question  Every. Single. Time.  Why?

Well, as a reader, I am interested in all sorts of books.  For example, two of my favorite authors are Sarah Addison Allen and Clive Barker.  I love historical, YA, literary, horror, among others.  You see, variety.

So naturally when it comes to writing, a little bit of various genres begin to creep into my work.  My upcoming book, Perennials, is a novel that features a teenage protagonist and is set during a particular summer when there is a serial killer roaming about.  I think of it as a contemporary Southern fiction coming-of-age mystery YA/adult crossover novel that has the backdrop of a slasher flick.  LOL!

I like what I write.  I would read it.  I really would.  Heck, I would even buy it ;)    

Trying to sell it to other people is the trick.

There is one major thing that everything I've written so far has in common - the setting.  I write stories that take place in The South.  It is what I know.  It is a place that I love.  I love the quaint towns, the endless miles of farmland, the culture, the food, the pace, the weather, the history, I could go on and on. 

Here is a link to a Wikipedia article that describes Southern Gothic fiction.  The characteristics pretty much hit the nail on the head when it comes to my writing style.

  

A tag line that I recently came up with for myself is this:  "I write Southern fiction that takes readers to charming and oftentimes sinister areas of The South."  

What I write is kind of like, what if Nicholas Sparks and Stephen King wrote a book together?  

and called in Alice Hoffman to help.             

Oh, and Lauren Kate.

BryceGibsonWriter.com

follow me on Facebook 

follow me on Twitter
you can buy my books here

Look for my first full blog later this week!

Thanks.