Hello, I hope this e-mail finds you well,

You know; its funny how, if you’re known for writing a novel, it makes people think you can write anything and maybe it’s not the truth. I was asked to interview the principal of my son's school and to write it up for the school news letter, I did so with no problem—the principal Mr. Brown is great, the schools terrific and it was and easy story to write---but, it got me thinking about the things I feel—I almost know—I can’t write well or I would struggle like crazy to do such as writing horror. I love horror to read but writing it; gives me the shivers; writing horror is a complicated process exampled by just about every Stephen King novel. It’s not just the scary stuff he gets right, it’s the dead-on (don’t mean to be funny) character development where they are real, even the minor ones , all wonderfully thought out and unforgettable, he’s creating these characters while plotting in the scary stuff happening in mostly ordinary situations; take Carrie for instance. Carrie is a story about teenage angst which is everyday, but the way he uses this as a foundation for terror is phenomenal.

I have tried my hand at two horror short stories and they were not bad, I liked them but there was a reason they were short, I don’t believe I could sustain a larger work. Someday—you never know—I might venture into the unknown land of horror writing but for now I’m definitely sticking with what I feel I write best and for the most part, I’m just working my way around how to do that and have a long way to go, its enough of a challenge; so God willing I be allowed to do it as long as possible.

Keep up the writing,

If you have any comments or suggestions please e-mail me at my new address: shabazzl@adasbcc.org.

Until next time, God willing,

Lori