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Exploring Literary Genres: Horror, Mystery, Thriller, Biography, and Autobiography
Narration provided by Wondervox.
By Mark McNease
I’ve written in several genres, formats and mediums over the years. Each has its own requirements, expectations and parameters: short stories, novellas (generally under 40,000 words), novels, poetry, screenplays, television scripts, and stage plays. For now let’s focus on some working definitions for genre fiction, nonfiction, and biography/autobiography.
For that past 15 years I’ve written primarily mysteries, thrillers, and some horror/supernatural fiction. I’ve also written countless blog posts, columns and articles, but that’s for another day and would require more words than most people want to read on this, so let’s narrow it down. Note that a lot of these apply to the genres in any form: movies, stories, TV shows, books and more.
Horror
Horror is designed to evoke fear, dread, and a sense of the uncanny. Horror as a literary and cinematic form explores the boundaries between safety and danger, reality and the supernatural. There are also degrees of horror, from the everyday to the gruesome, from blood splatter to something simple but startling. We can be horrified without being repulsed.
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NEW! Three Online Workshops in October
FICTION WRITING ESSENTIALS
Thursday, October 2 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Via Zoom
REGISTER HERE: 2 Hour Fiction Writing Essentials October 2 | October 02, 2025THEY’RE ALIVE! CREATING REALISTIC CHARACTERS
Thursday, October 9 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Via Zoom
REGISTER HERE Character Creation: They’re Alive! Creating Realistic Characters | October 09, 2025SELF-PUBLISHING WITH KDP (KINDLE DIRECT PUBLISHING)
Thursday, October 16 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Via Zoom
REGISTER HERE 2 Hour Self-Publishing Workshop (with KDP / Kindle Direct Publishing) (copy) | October 16, 2025 -
Act 2 Books Hosting Scary Story Fest September 13 – Look for Me Among the Tombstones!
I’ve attended Act 2 Books‘ Flemington Book Festival twice in the past few years, and this year they’re offering something special: Scary Story Fest, for authors in the horror and supernatural genres. I’ve written a few books myself under the name M.A. McNease (it’s my initials, not really a pen name), and I’ll have a booth among the tombstones. I’ll also be able to promote my writing workshops, as well as the audiobooks for A House in the Woods, narrated by Daniela Acetelli, and A House in the Woods 2: The Devil’s Due, narrated by my own Wondervox
It’s been a nice boost, too, for finishing Spellbound, the second book in my duology that began with I, Warlock: The Warlock Wars Book 1.
It’s my favorte time of year, in one of my favorite locations, offering books in my favorite genres (after mysteries, of course). Hope to see you there!
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Happy Anniversary in Song! August 22, 12 Years in Paradise for Mark and Frank
Yes, we've been married for 12 years! We've been together for almost 19. This is for my husband Frank, all the memories, and the adventures yet to come. – Mark
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The Twist Podcast #302: P-town Bound, Rick Reunites with Bev, and Emma Visits Mr. Rogers Neighborhood
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose in this pre-Provincetown vacation podcast. Rick fills us in on some hot new Rice Krispy treats, chats with Bev about their game show past, and joins Emma for her review of the Mr. Rogers documentary.
SURVEY RESUKLTS
Imagine yourself doing something else at the moment. What would it be?
Walking along a country road or hiking path. 44 percent
Taking a nap. ZERO –
Reading a favorite book or watching a favorite show. 20 percent
Eating a favorite meal or snack. 6 percent
Something else entirely. What would it be? 22 percentSOMETHING ELSE / OTHER:
Traveling somewhere new and exciting.
If time travel is permitted: An afternoon of sex at the age of 32!
Writing.Grocery shopping!
Relaxing by the Italian seaside with a handsome Italian man. -
NEW! Audiobook for ‘A House in the Woods 2: The Devil’s Due’ Now Available Directly!
LISTEN TO THE PREVIEW!
I’ll be distributing this through INAudio to Spotify and other select retailers, but I’ve also made it available directly from me for half the cost! Just click here for the product page on my PayHip storefront and check it out. There’s even a free preview you can listen to (or just listen to it with the audio above). This is exciting, and it’s only $8.95 from me. Fasten your headphones!
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This Week’s Survey: What Would You Rather Be Doing Right Now?
Imagine yourself doing something else at the moment. What would it be?
Walking along a country road or hiking path.
Taking a nap.
Reading a favorite book or watching a favorite show.
Eating a favorite meal or snack.
Something else entirely. What would it be? -
A House in the Woods 2: The Devil’s Due – Chapter 6 (Audio)
CHAPTER 6
Welcome to the episodic audio edition of A House in the Woods 2: The Devil’s Due. Fasten your headphones and enjoy one new chapter each week. You can find all the episodes here.
A House in the Woods 2: The Devil’s Due picks up where A House in the Woods left off. Laurel Calloway is still in the mysterious town of Strickland, New Jersey, where nothing is as it appears to be. Two years have gone by, and they’ve been good to the Calloways. Laurel and her husband Jeremy have a new house, and a new family with baby Isabel about to celebrate her first birthday. Everything seems perfect, until Laurel begins to have dreams. Bad dreams. Something tells her these dreams could really be memories. But of what? Of whom, and of when?
Did she really run over a woman in the road at night? Had they once had a dog? Why are these things trying so hard to surface, swimming slowly up from her subconscious? The more she begins to tell the people around her about these dreams, the more convinced she is that they’re part of it, and that these nightmares aren’t really dreams at all. Page after page, the pace escalates as Laurel begins to learn the truth and plot her escape. But will she succeed? The Devil is in the details.
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The Twist Podcast #300: Fireworks, Jumbotrons, Birthday Wishes, Zachary James Interview and So Much More
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we throw a studio party for our 300th episode. We started The Twist in 2018 and we’re as irreverent as ever. They’ll never paint over our rainbow lives or our sparkly podcast, as we enjoy a PBS review from Emma, Rick’s interview with Zachary James, and an up-and-personal chat with Jo Klett, whose wisdom and humor offer a balm for these chaotic times.
This Week’s Survey Results
If you could master one thing instantly what would it be?
Playing an instrument 65 percent
Speaking multiple languages 47.06
Cooking like a super chef 5.88
Painting or drawing 23.53
Other – what would it be? 5.88COMMENTS:
- Any and all! I always dreamed of being able to speak and understand whatever language of the country i was visiting, instantly and without study. That would be my superpower!
- Spanish and French so I can speak with my friends in Europe in their language
- Piano
- spanish, Portuguese
- understanding and predicting stock market fluctuations
- Ukulele
- Spanish and/or Portuguese, since we might end up moving to a place where that’s the primary language.
- Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic. Not French tho- I already speak the language of love bahahahahahaha!
- Singing
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Book Club Event a Success with Talk and Dinner
My book ‘Open Secrets: A Maggie Dahl Mystery‘ was chosen by a local book club several months ago. This past Thursday I was invited to their monthly get-together at a restaurant in Glen Gardner, NJ, where they meet for a meal and discussion. I was treated to dinner and talked about the book and about writing. What a treat!
