I’ve been thinking a lot about the nature of fear lately, for two reasons. First, my short story collection, Shy Ghosts Dancing: Dark Tales from Southeast Alaska will soon be released. Second, in the Halloween season my thoughts tend toward such subjects anyway.
What is it, exactly, that scares a person? I sometimes wonder if my efforts might miss the mark, because I don’t seem to scare as easily as some. Certain things scare me very much—losing a loved one, particularly my child, electrocution, and the actions of deranged killers and irresponsible governments, but I don’t write about those things, as I take no pleasure in thinking about them. The subjects I write about give me pleasure, but perhaps they don’t scare me enough? Continue reading