Horror authors are often asked where they get all their wonderful, horrible ideas, but rarely why they get them. Librarian Becky Siegel Spratford wondered about this herself. Since 2007, she’s maintained a readers advisory training blog and offered training for librarians and library workers who need help connecting readers with books they’ll love. Over time, she discovered many librarians were skittish about recommending horror titles to patrons in particular. She lays their fears to rest by telling them, “horror readers aren't monsters. They just like to read about them.”
A horror fan since childhood, Siegel Spratford recalls how Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends, with its dark and mysterious verse, both provoked anxiety in her and helped her deal with it. Silverstein was eventually joined by authors like V.C. Andrews, Edgar Allan Poe, Shirley Jackson, Henry James, Stephen King, and other gothic and horror writers. Her tastes have expanded. She now reads and reviews close to 70 books a year. She became known as a horror literature expert, training others in matching readers with books and writing textbooks, including The Readers' Advisory Guide to Horror (ALA Editions), now in its third edition. Siegel Spratford started a horror-themed version of the advisory blog in 2010, and began asking authors to share, in 1,500 words or less, why they enjoyed the genre. It became a regular feature.
“I gave them no other rules except to say…provide an example of someone who loves horror, and a sense of how you write… I did that for many years, and I got so much positive feedback, I'm still doing it on the blog.”
From that series came the idea for her recent anthology Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature. When she started the project, Siegel Spratford drafted a list of authors she felt would provide a wide range of experiences and perspectives, eventually paring it down to 18 (among them Chicago-based author Cynthia Pelayo).
“I wanted to make sure I had a range of people, from big names that are bestsellers, to critically acclaimed , to newer voices I felt really strong about.”
The essays aren’t just about a love of scary stories and things that go bump in the night—though those attributes are part and parcel of almost every horror writer’s youth. The writers dig deep and explain what makes them spend their days crafting nightmares, sharing stories of how horror helps them deal with past traumas, prejudice, and the many real-life frights and miseries humanity creates for itself every day.
Spratford describes the book as an excellent way to see how the writers write as well, serving as a great introduction to their work and a continuation of her vocation as a readers advisor. Obviously, Siegel Spratford has no truck with those who dismiss horror as a gutter genre.
“People want these stories,” she emphasizes about Why I Love Horror’s essays and authors, "I'm hearing from people…in a backhanded compliment, ‘Wow, I don't like horror, but they're good writers.’ Horror authors are authors. They are excellent at what they do. Don't denigrate the genre, right? Give it a try.”
Why I Love Horror is available at most bookstores and through the publisher's website.
