Dark, soulful tales that haunt long after the last page.
book review
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Why I Write Horror — And Why You May Need It
Why I Write Horror—And Why You Might Need It People ask me sometimes—why horror? They ask it like I’ve made a strange, almost impolite choice. Like I could have written something nice. A romance. A cozy mystery. Something where the dog doesn’t die and everyone learns a heartwarming lesson by the end. I’ve written books…
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Cursed Bloodlines: Why Horror Loves Generational Sin
Some ghosts don’t come from outside the house.They come from your last name. One of the oldest horror tropes—maybe even older than the vampire or the haunted house—is the cursed bloodline. From Greek tragedies to Southern Gothic, horror keeps coming back to the same chilling idea: You can’t escape your family. You can try. You…
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Oklahoma Gothic: Horror in Flyover Country
Oklahoma Gothic: Horror in Flyover Country When most people think of Gothic horror, they imagine crumbling castles, fog-drenched moors, or Spanish moss hanging off antebellum mansions. But Gothic doesn’t belong exclusively to Europe or the American South. There’s a different kind of Gothic hiding in the plains and hills of Oklahoma. Maybe we don’t have…
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The Healing Power of Literature
This post isn’t about writing. It’s quite a bit about literature, but really it’s about personal problems and healing. I don’t usually share such personal stuff here, but I feel compelled to do it tonight. If that isn’t for you, skip this post, but come back soon. Books have always been my refuge. As a…
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2024 Books in Review
There was a time I’d read 50 books a year. I can’t seem to do that anymore. In 2024, I read 33 books. Of those, 11 were rereads (in most cases, it had been decades since I last read them). Only six titles earned my 5-star review, but only one got a 1-star review. Let’s…
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Pre-Order _Sycamore Souls_: Release Date and Special Offers
Sycamore Souls, my upcoming novel set for release on November 5, is a heartfelt homage to my hometown, Enid, Oklahoma. The story follows Kelsi, a young woman escaping a troubled past, who learns about love and community while caring for an elderly man. The book is now available for pre-order.
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Rediscovering the Impact of To Kill a Mockingbird: A Personal Reflection
Last night I finished my first reread of Harper Lee’s masterpiece To Kill a Mockingbird in the last 30 or so years. I read it several times back in high school in the early 1980s, but as my personal library grew, I stopped rereading the first novels I owned. I teared up several times during…
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Review: On the Beach
“I shouldn’t like to give too enthusiastic a review of this novel,” the reviewer said. “Oh darling, can’t you at least try?” his conscience pleaded. “Perhaps,” he answered, smiling. “But only after I’ve had another whiskey.” He paused as his sarcastic side muttered something into his beard. “What’s that, old boy?” the reviewer asked. “To…
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Review: The Violent Bear It Away
What the heck did I just read? It’s been a long, long time since I finished a book with such thoroughly unlikable characters. There was absolutely nobody in this story that was likable. Not even a little. The writing itself is beautiful, and was the only thing that kept me slogging through the train wreck…
Steven E. Wedel 