Guest post by Mary Maddox for the Awesome Indies Discovery Tour I was flattered when reviewer Dan Hagen described Talion as “The Silence of the Lambsmeets The Turn of the Screw.” Of course Thomas Harris’ famous thriller is quite different from Henry James’ classic ghost story, but my novel owes a debt to both. Talion explores the twisted mind of a serial killer and leaves readers uncertain whether the protagonist sees spirits or only imagines them. Ironically, these two distinctive features of the story have caused the most complaints from readers. Some are repulsed by the graphic violence and darkness of Rad Sander’s sadism. “It made my skin crawl,” one reader said. Another reader commented that Talion ought to be classified as a horror story rather than a thriller. I took her advice and began marketing the novel as horror fiction, the niche where it seems to fit better than anywhere else. And I added a warning to the book description. In The Turn of the Screw the narrator … [Read more...]