Last year was my first crack at the A-Z Blogging Challenge, a blogging phenomenon created by the amazing Arlee Bird. The object is to blog every day of the month of April (except Sundays), and to increase the challenge, to blog thematically from A to Z. No sweat, right? Last year, I blogged about music with Jessica Bell. This year, I'm heading back to my roots and blogging about all things thriller. Join me?
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The line between horror and thriller is somewhat skewed in my opinion.
While I recognize there does not need to be guts and gore in thriller books, I don't mind a little bloodshed in my literature. I just prefer it isn't gratuitous. Few books straddle this precarious line well.
Afraid, by Jack Kilborn does. Five psychopathic murderers trained to be part of a classified government-sanctioned special unit. Five Hannibal Lecters with Rambo training. Oh, there's bloodshed. Plenty of gore.
But it's so well done, it doesn't feel over the top. It's REALLY well done.
I love a good horror tale and day of the week, but the ones that stick with me have a little brains behind the brawn. I prefer Saw to Hostel, for instance.
How about you? Where do you sit on the gore scale? Like your books with a little more blood, or do you prefer to be Afraid?
- Dawn
P.S. It's muse avatar Monday and I choose Adam Garcia for my "G" muse. You may recognize him from Coyote Ugly. Yeah, me too. And that's about it. My latest thriller has a character with an accent - I loved Adam's in Coyote Ugly. Seems as good a reason as any to make him my muse this week.
RESOLUTION 2013 STATS
Total words last week: 0 (OUCH! Gonna have to haul ass this week...)
Total words to date for 2013: 68,239
Total pounds lost for week: 0 (8 days sick and I haven't been working out or eating much...gonna have to haul ass this week...)
Total pounds lost to date for 2013: 26
Books read last week: 1 (yay! Scarlet by Melissa Meyer. SO GOOD!)
Total books read to date for 2013: 7
Movies watched last week: 0
Movies watched to date in 2013: 4
Total words to date for 2013: 68,239
Total pounds lost for week: 0 (8 days sick and I haven't been working out or eating much...gonna have to haul ass this week...)
Total pounds lost to date for 2013: 26
Books read last week: 1 (yay! Scarlet by Melissa Meyer. SO GOOD!)
Total books read to date for 2013: 7
Movies watched last week: 0
Movies watched to date in 2013: 4
Nice post! I, for one, don't mind a little gore. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rockstar. xo
DeleteWriting in a theme is only a choice, not required for the a-z. I don't like any gore, and I don't like to be afraid in books or on the screen. I like to be entertained most of the time, and that's not entertaining for me. It's not pleasant or relaxing. I generally want to relax that's what tv time is for me. Likewise books.
ReplyDeleteGood point, Sandy. I should have made that more clear. Theming is the easiest way for me to be inspired for the "next post" - much more random than that and I'm likely going to miss a letter :-)
DeleteI have a friend who also doesn't like gore in her books or movies at all. You're correct - the object is to entertain, or be entertained.
I can take gore better in print than on the screen. Actually I'm kind of a wuss for TV gore-I can't even watch a medical drama like House--whereas I can read autopsy scenes (a la Patricia Cornwell) without distress. You could not pay me to see Saw.
ReplyDeleteNicole, I think I can take fictional gore much better than REAL LIFE gore. You couldn't pay me enough to be an EMT or doctor. I get grossed out by my own blood, too - which is fascinating given I WRITE thriller. But I think I also have a tolerance for on screen gore...Saw was okay for me, but Hostel? That was a very disturbing movie!
DeleteI have to say I can't really do gore. I'm not good with blood in real life and gore in movies doesn't really help. I can't write it either! :)
ReplyDeleteKrista, I'm definitely not good with real life blood either. I can't even handle when I have a bleeding nose. Yuck.
DeleteAfraid sounds pretty awesome. Anything compared to Hannibal Lecter sounds pretty awesome, actually.
ReplyDelete