Today, I am featuring YA author Justine Manzano, and her latest book, NEVER SAY NEVER, out now from Sword and Silk Books, about a teenage girl who has sworn off love…until the meddling goddess Aphrodite tries to change her mind.

Although weather as a plot element can easily fall into stereotypical cliches, it can also be an effective symbolic tool for the writer.

It’s always a pleasure to interview a fellow author who writes Gothic fiction. And today, I’m happy to feature Nicole Willson, the debut author of TIDEPOOL, a historical horror novel set in a fictional seaside town beset by an ancient eldritch curse.

Today, I’m so pleased to feature fellow Lake Union author Elissa Grossell Dickey and her debut novel, THE SPEED OF LIGHT, a compelling and suspenseful story about a woman living with multiple sclerosis.

Gothic and horror fiction often feature isolated locations, beyond the reaches of the familiar and comfortable.

When world building goes deeper—when the author uses the setting as an actual character you can almost see and hear from the page—that’s a hallmark of Gothic fiction I find absolutely irresistible.

Today, I’m so pleased to feature Nekesa Afia, the author of DEAD DEAD GIRLS, a propulsive, snappy historical mystery set in 1920s Harlem.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Carly Heath, debut author of THE RECKLESS KIND, her queer YA historical that defies genre classification and centers a wild and reckless trio who fly in the face of small town tradition.

Tropes in Gothic literature are inextricably linked to the darker side of our characters’ humanity and serve a vital purpose within the genre. As part of my ongoing blog series about Gothic fiction, I’ll be exploring each of these themes in greater detail in the weeks to come.