The horror! The Horror! Christopher Moore's New Novel
My big thrill this week was meeting one of my favorite authors, Christopher Moore, whose new book, A DIRTY JOB, was released this week. I distinctly remember the first time I picked up one of his books -- it had a glossy black cover with scarlet lettering that said BLOODSUCKING FIENDS. This hilarious story about vampires and grocery clerks gave equal shift to humor and horror. I was one happy reader and I've been buying his books ever since. If you love the humor of Vonnegut and Adams, you'll love Moore, too.
Moore didn't start out trying to be a funny writer. He just
is a funny guy, and it was inevitable that his humor came out in his fiction. He said that what he learned from horror was suspense and making every page important. Now, I've shied away from reading straight horror because I get too scared. I know, silly, but that's the way it is. Still, I'm going to pick up books by a few writers who influenced him, including Richard Matheson, and try to study the structure of the suspense.
Maybe if I'm focusing on the structure of horror books, I won't be wondering what that strange knocking sound is coming from the basement. Don't go down in the basement! Hey, I'm from California and we don't got no stinkin' basements. Marta