Everyone has certain authors they admire and strive to emulate. My tastes have leaned toward horror since a very young age, but that is not to say there are not a few fantasy/adventures that did not capture my fancy. Edgar Alan Poe is, in my mind, so very under-rated. Yes he has a loyal following but the true depth of his writing and the anguish related can only be understood through multiple examinations. This was a man tortured whose heart allowed the darkness within to flow upon the page and draw readers deep inside his world. I also admire the works of Washington Irving, Algernon Blackwood, and my beloved Bram Stoker. Mary Shelley…my goodness there are nearly too many to list.

I am a bit of a romantic and tend to lean toward those considered to be the writers of the classical age of literature, however there are a few more modern authors who strike my fancy. I do have a slight obsession with Dean Koontz partly because he is from the same small town in Pennsylvania where I was raised. Silly as it may seem, it gives me hope that a small town girl like me can achieve a great dream just the same as Mr. Koontz did. He also is a genuinely nice person and not at all what one would expect.

Fred Saberhagen is another favorite. The very first book I read of his was Empire of the East followed by Thorn; a book which is part of his Dracula series. The ease at which he wove a story inspired me that one day, with practice, I could hope to do the same.

If I were asked what has inspired my writing style the most, it would have to be said the great classics of horror have been the most influential. For me, nothing is better than a beautifully written, complex, sentence that harkens to days of old; days before the age of film when the only tool available to frighten was the resources of the mind as it drew a grand picture of the words upon the page.