Time for G in the A to Z Blogging Challenge! Today I’ve got Bonnie Dodge talking about Gothic fiction. Here’s Bonnie.

Most writers come to writing through a love of reading. Myself, I have always loved to read. Some of the first novels I read remain favorites: Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Rebecca, anything by Shirley Jackson, and everything by Edgar Allan Poe. What is it about these stories that have me rereading them again and again? I like them because they are well-written Gothic fiction.

Gothic fiction is a genre of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Think terror (both psychological and physical), mystery, supernatural, ghosts, and haunted houses. Add Gothic castles, darkness, death, decay, madness, secrets, and curses.

Besides being eerie, Gothic fiction has interesting characters. Think powerful tyrants, madwomen, magicians, monsters, demons, and ghosts. Maybe even the Devil himself.

Gothic stories are filled with high drama. Will the “Devil” win? Will the woman escape the evil presence haunting her house? Will the protagonist go mad? There is always another door to open, another question, “What’s next?”

A good setting with interesting characters and life or death conflict. That’s what makes a book a classic, and keeps readers coming back for more.

Set in a small town in Idaho, my novel Waiting isn’t Gothic fiction, but it does have interesting characters and lots of conflict. You can read more about it here.  http://tinyurl.com/mt79mzb 

Bio: Bonnie Dodge lives and writes from her home in southern Idaho. Her award-winning fiction, poetry, and non-fiction have appeared in several newspapers, magazines, and anthologies in the Pacific Northwest. For more information visit her web page at http://bonniedodge.com and follow her on Twitter @BJDodge.

Cindy here again!

Thanks for stopping by the blog today. I love the chills of Gothic fiction. I think I need to add some books to my reading list.

Keep writing!