As an author of horror and thrillers, I have always been drawn to big mysteries, the darker the better. I blame this fascination on my love of David Lynch movies, which had originated in my early teens and persists to this day. I have also found that incorporating ‘found objects’ into mixed media narratives can help better simulate reality while also twisting it in unpredictable ways. It is no surprise that my debut What the Woods Keep is a mixed media genre-bender. While this storytelling method is not new, recent horror novels have used it in incredibly inventive and impactful ways.
On her eighteenth birthday, Hayden inherits her childhood home—on the condition that she uncover its dark secrets. Hayden tried to put the past behind her, and it worked. But when she returns to her hometown, it’s all catching up with her: her mother’s mysterious disappearance a decade before, her father’s outlandish fringe science theories, and Hayden’s own dark dreams of strange symbols and rituals in the Colorado woods where she grew up.
As soon as Hayden arrives, it begins: Neighbors whisper secrets about Hayden’s mother; the boy next door is now all grown-up in a very distracting way; and Hayden feels the trees calling to her. And among them, deep in the woods, Hayden will discover something incredible—something that threatens reality itself.
Night Film is a great example of impactful mixed media storytelling. It is a cult horror novel about a journalist’s obsession with a cult horror director. By combining mixed media ‘found objects’ like film posters, interviews, and newspaper articles with the main character’s narration, the novel achieves a high level of suspense as the reader is fully immersed into this dark ghostly world. I admire this book because it speaks to my own love for dark, cult movies; and I believe it is also a great learning text for all writers who want to develop their own mixed media storytelling craft.
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • Cosmopolitan • Kirkus Reviews • BookPage
A page-turning thriller for readers of Stephen King, Gillian Flynn, and Stieg Larsson, Night Film tells the haunting story of a journalist who becomes obsessed with the mysterious death of a troubled prodigy—the daughter of an iconic, reclusive filmmaker.
On a damp October night, beautiful young Ashley Cordova is found dead in an abandoned warehouse in lower Manhattan. Though her death is ruled a suicide, veteran investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise. As he probes the strange circumstances…
White Fox is another excellent example of a fictional mixed media narrative formed around a cult object of art – in this case, a film script. The author’s technique of alternating the dual narration of two sisters with excerpts from the eponymous script, White Fox, written by (and about) their missing mother, does an excellent job of mixing the real with the surreal. While the mystery at the heart of this sophomore novel is a very human one, the addition of the mysterious film script and the mythology around it bolsters a terrific atmosphere and makes for a compelling reading experience.
“Eerie and sly, White Fox is a trap waiting to be sprung. I was completely enthralled.”―Rory Power, New York Times-bestselling author of Wilder Girls
“A ghost story that will spook even the most hardened grown-ups.” ―Entertainment Weekly
After their world-famous actor mother disappeared under mysterious circumstances, Manon and Thaïs left their remote Mediterranean island home―sent away by their pharma-tech tycoon father. Opposites in every way, the sisters drifted apart in their grief. Yet their mother's unfinished story still haunts them both, and they can't put to rest the possibility that she is still alive.
A recent addition to the horror genre, this excellent debut novel excels in creating a surreal narrative drenched in dark atmosphere. To Break a Covenant centers around a terrifying, fractured faux-documentary about a town under control of a sinister presence. I dare you to read creepy descriptions of ‘found’ footage and not feel a chill as this mystery unfolds.
Debut voice Alison Ames delivers with a chilling, feminist thriller, perfect for fans of Wilder Girls and Sawkill Girls.
Moon Basin has been haunted for as long as anyone can remember. It started when an explosion in the mine killed sixteen people. The disaster made it impossible to live in town, with underground fires spewing ash into the sky. But life in New Basin is just as fraught. The ex-mining town relies on its haunted reputation to bring in tourists, but there's more truth to the rumors than most are willing to admit, and the mine still has a hold…
Another faux-documentary horror novel Rules for Vanishing expertly combines such elements as ‘found’ footage and interview transcripts as it stitches together a fractured narrative of a terrifying urban legend coming to life. If you were ever a fan of The Blair Witch Project, chances are you will appreciate the twisted scares of Rules for Vanishing.
In the faux-documentary style of The Blair Witch Project comes the campfire story of a missing girl, a vengeful ghost, and the girl who is determined to find her sister--at all costs.
Once a year, a road appears in the forest. And at the end of it, the ghost of Lucy Gallows beckons. Lucy's game isn't for the faint of heart. If you win, you escape with your life. But if you lose....
Sara's sister disappeared one year ago--and only Sara knows where she is. Becca went to find the ghost of Lucy Gallows and is trapped on the road…
No mixed media horror novel list can ever be complete without this mind-bending gem of a book. The plot revolves around a fictional (?) documentary about a family who moves into a house with strange dimensions – the house appears larger on the inside than the outside. House of Leaves creates a realistic illusion of authenticity by presenting a text rich with footnotes, citations from fictional sources, and ‘found’ footage. I do not normally find horror books scary (perhaps because I write horror myself and have seen way too many horror movies to be easily surprised or terrified by anything), but House of Leaves genuinely unsettled me, in the best possible way.
“A novelistic mosaic that simultaneously reads like a thriller and like a strange, dreamlike excursion into the subconscious.” —The New York Times
Years ago, when House of Leaves was first being passed around, it was nothing more than a badly bundled heap of paper, parts of which would occasionally surface on the Internet. No one could have anticipated the small but devoted following this terrifying story would soon command. Starting with an odd assortment of marginalized youth -- musicians, tattoo artists, programmers, strippers, environmentalists, and adrenaline junkies -- the book eventually made its way into the hands of older generations,…
Neuroscience PhD student Frankie Conner has finally gotten her life together—she’s determined to discover the cause of her depression and find a cure for herself and everyone like her. But the first day of her program, she meets a group of talking animals who have an urgent message they refuse to share. And while the animals may not have Frankie’s exalted human brain, they know things she doesn’t, like what happened before she was adopted.
To prove she’s sane, Frankie investigates her forgotten past and conducts clandestine experiments. But just when she uncovers the truth, she has to make an impossible choice: betray the animals she’s fallen in love with—or give up her last chance at success and everything she thought she knew.
Frankie Conner, first-year graduate student at UC Berkeley, is finally getting her life together. After multiple failures and several false starts, she's found her calling: become a neuroscientist, discover the cause of her depression and anxiety, and hopefully find a cure for herself and everyone like her.
But her first day of the program, Frankie meets a mysterious group of talking animals who claim to have an urgent message for her. The problem is, they're not willing to share it. Not yet. Not until she's ready.
While Frankie's new friends may not have her highly evolved, state-of-the-art, exalted human brain,…
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