Haunted Houses

Deep thinking here at the House of Hancock about story as essential to a novel. I've been evaluating my current book effort. Since beginning it, I've seen one theme of it and part of the title appear as TV shows. That strengthens my instinct that I'm on to a good, strong tale. Other stories have occurred to me through the years, sparked by many of my homes. There's a really good storyline--think of Rose Red, Haunting of Hill House, Amityville Horror, and House of Usher.

My personal haunted house in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, featured the ghost of a lecherous old man who patted my fanny as I made the master bed. That house was preceded by a century-old relic in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where a creek ran through the basement, flowing out a hole into the harbor. Rats crept in through the hole and frolicked in the attic. A few weeks before my first baby was due, big black flies appeared in the nursery, bumbling at the locked windows to escape. Eek!

Most of the other houses of horror I've known also involved wildlife, including small rodents, reptiles, and insects. We certainly don't live on this planet alone, and I even doubt the "dominion" part of The Bible. I'm convinced that my currently cursed cottage, was created by Clive Barker and animated by Wes Craven. From the first day I moved in, the house has tried to drive me away with sewage and worms, black widow spiders, "accidents", malfunctioning appliances, cracks, and creepy crawlies. Maybe it's the ghost of the previous owner who lay dead in the living room for several days; or is it me? There's a story here, I just know it. [Tectags: stories horror fiction books]

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