Could a Gothics micro-market exist today?

[Jace]

Thank you so much, Tammie! I really appreciate that. I remember finding your book and being so drawn to the cover. It reminded me of my Gothic days. It's a great cover!

[Tammie Clarke Gibbs]

Thank you so much, Tammie! I really appreciate that. I remember finding your book and being so drawn to the cover. It reminded me of my Gothic days. It's a great cover!

Oh you are so welcome. I really do hope it's very successful. It would be awesome if we are on the verge of the new trend. They happen all the time and I think Vampires were the last one. Who knows. All it takes is a spark...

[Jace]

I think that would be wonderful. I know there are many out there like us. My Mom had hundreds of gothics and when the genre died, she switched to the Harlequin Intrigues, but it was never quite the same for her. She found that although the writing was good and the stories interesting, there was more and more sex introduced and as an older lady, it really offended her. So she kind of gave up on them. It was sad as she always had a gothic in her hand every night for years.
I have no idea why they died out, but the only reason usually is that sales decrease. But everything old is new again! So let's go for it! If there are enough, maybe I'll do a site like paranormal indies....only just for the new gothic.

[Tammie Clarke Gibbs]

I think that would be wonderful. I know there are many out there like us. My Mom had hundreds of gothics and when the genre died, she switched to the Harlequin Intrigues, but it was never quite the same for her. She found that although the writing was good and the stories interesting, there was more and more sex introduced and as an older lady, it really offended her. So she kind of gave up on them. It was sad as she always had a gothic in her hand every night for years.
I have no idea why they died out, but the only reason usually is that sales decrease. But everything old is new again! So let's go for it! If there are enough, maybe I'll do a site like paranormal indies....only just for the new gothic.

Sorry, I got sick and between that and then getting back to work, I missed this post. I know exactly what you mean. I believe it would definitely be awesome and last week I had a huge spurt of sales all at one time and they have been really steady. My best ranking was in the Gothic Romance category.

[Jace]

I'm so sorry you've been ill. That is awesome news about your book! I didn't even know there was a Gothic Romance category there. How cool is that?

I found the old Gothic I had outlined years ago (just for fun). It is pretty detailed and I had forgotten all about it. I would love to try it just to see if I can do it. But, at the same time, I'm nervous about it. I've never written a novel other than my pet psychic book but that was just relating readings and it was a memoir type of book. It was very easy. All I've done in fiction so far is a short story so it seems very daunting.

[Tammie Clarke Gibbs]

[quote='Jace' pid='2987' dateline='1315640483']
I'm so sorry you've been ill. That is awesome news about your book! I didn't even know there was a Gothic Romance category there. How cool is that?

I found the old Gothic I had outlined years ago (just for fun). It is pretty detailed and I had forgotten all about it. I would love to try it just to see if I can do it. But, at the same time, I'm nervous about it. I've never written a novel other than my pet psychic book but that was just relating readings and it was a memoir type of book. It was very easy. All I've done in fiction so far is a short story so it seems very daunting.

You should try it. What do you have to lose? I started out writing short stories too. Think of it like your chapters are small "stories" the only difference is you should end each chapter with a hook so they want to continue to read more.

I'm better now, but just got back from Memphis. We've been there since Tuesday. I didn't have much time for my normal internet routine so I'm trying to catch up now.

It's wonderful you have everything all outlined. I wish I could plot that way, but I'm one of those crazy ones that just sets out with a general idea and runs with it. I plot as I go. Then by the time I get to the end it's always been near impossible for me to write a synopsis. I am just so bogged down with all the details it's hard for me to encapsulate it all. Add that to the fact the I write complicated plots anyway. Whew! I'm glad I don't have to worry as much about synopsis now.

[Jace]

Hi,

I'm so glad you are feeling better. Well, I don't know how good the outline is. It is very formulaic. I'm not sure if I'm capable of coming up with an intricate plot. But I thought maybe I could try like a short cozy and maybe it would be enjoyed anyway. I don't mean to sound self-deprecating, but I'm just not sure what kind of chops I have yet. I wish I could find some advice on plotting.

Some fun news. I received a small cash gift for my upcoming birthday so I bought some old Gothics to reintroduce myself to the genre. Sadly the following paperbacks are in rough shape but I did manage to also buy 6 Dorothy Eden hardcovers in really good shape with dust jackets. Here are the paperbacks:

The Embroidered Sunset - Joan Aiken
The Man in the Shadow and Where is Mary Bostwick? - Rae Foley
Thunder on the Right - Mary Stewart
A Tear in the Silk - Louise O'Flaherty
Heiress to Evil - Sallie O'Brien
The Cormac Legend - Dorothy Daniels
The Haunted - Alice Brennan
The Girl with the Key - Mary Kay Simmons

I recognize Mary Kay Simmons, Joan Aiken, Dorothy Daniels, Mary Stewart and Rae Foley. I'm not familiar with the others. But I'm looking forward to reading them.

It looks like Angelina had to delay her gothic for a publishing commitment. I can't wait until she gets back. It is fun watching the progress. J.

[Tammie Clarke Gibbs]

Hi,

I'm so glad you are feeling better. Well, I don't know how good the outline is. It is very formulaic. I'm not sure if I'm capable of coming up with an intricate plot. But I thought maybe I could try like a short cozy and maybe it would be enjoyed anyway. I don't mean to sound self-deprecating, but I'm just not sure what kind of chops I have yet. I wish I could find some advice on plotting.

Some fun news. I received a small cash gift for my upcoming birthday so I bought some old Gothics to reintroduce myself to the genre. Sadly the following paperbacks are in rough shape but I did manage to also buy 6 Dorothy Eden hardcovers in really good shape with dust jackets. Here are the paperbacks:

The Embroidered Sunset - Joan Aiken
The Man in the Shadow and Where is Mary Bostwick? - Rae Foley
Thunder on the Right - Mary Stewart
A Tear in the Silk - Louise O'Flaherty
Heiress to Evil - Sallie O'Brien
The Cormac Legend - Dorothy Daniels
The Haunted - Alice Brennan
The Girl with the Key - Mary Kay Simmons

I recognize Mary Kay Simmons, Joan Aiken, Dorothy Daniels, Mary Stewart and Rae Foley. I'm not familiar with the others. But I'm looking forward to reading them.

It looks like Angelina had to delay her gothic for a publishing commitment. I can't wait until she gets back. It is fun watching the progress. J.

Wow! That is so nice. The old gothics had flair. I know you'll enjoy that collection.

I've started plotting my next gothic. I have to finish up with all the pre-publication stuff on my Historical Romantic Suspense before I can delve full force into it, but I have been playing around with it. My husband is even going to try to get me in the house that's inspired part of the story. It sits right out in the middle of nowhere, literally miles from a town of any size. It's beautiful, with gingerbread and lots of gothic details. Strangely enough, for as long as I can remember, it's sat vacant. It would make a lovely bed and breakfast because of it's isolation, but it has always made me curious why no one lived there. The house itself seems to be in really good shape. Years ago I mentioned to someone in passing that I was interested in the house and they told someone who told someone and I got a phone call. The call was from some distant relative or something, but she GAVE me a very old photo book (the small brag type) with b/w photos that are probably at least 50+ years old. They are only photos of the house inside (staircase / entry) and different angles of the house on the outside. It also included a small overseers house. I'm really interested in this house and I'm excited about digging into the story it's going to inspire. LOL

[Jace]

That's great! Good luck with it. It will be nice to soak up the ambience. I worked for the temp services for a short while and one of my assignments was an old Victorian house that had been converted to office space. The first day there, I realized it was haunted and it was a weird feeling. It had this old wide staircase and every time I would have to go upstairs, the original owner (I believe) would stand on the landing and glare at me. I actually got so nervous, I tripped and fell on the staircase. No one else noticed it, but when you are psychic, you get into those situations sometimes. I actually left the assignment early as it was too nerve wracking to be feeling these waves of anger.

Tammie, do you know if any of the old gothic writers ever wrote a book on writing one? I couldn't find anything. Any tips on plotting would be greatly appreciated. I'm not sure how to proceed to make it not so formulaic. If you ever have a psychic in any of your stories and need some inside insight...please feel free to give me a shout. Jeanne

[Tammie Clarke Gibbs]

That's great! Good luck with it. It will be nice to soak up the ambience. I worked for the temp services for a short while and one of my assignments was an old Victorian house that had been converted to office space. The first day there, I realized it was haunted and it was a weird feeling. It had this old wide staircase and every time I would have to go upstairs, the original owner (I believe) would stand on the landing and glare at me. I actually got so nervous, I tripped and fell on the staircase. No one else noticed it, but when you are psychic, you get into those situations sometimes. I actually left the assignment early as it was too nerve wracking to be feeling these waves of anger.

Tammie, do you know if any of the old gothic writers ever wrote a book on writing one? I couldn't find anything. Any tips on plotting would be greatly appreciated. I'm not sure how to proceed to make it not so formulaic. If you ever have a psychic in any of your stories and need some inside insight...please feel free to give me a shout. Jeanne

That's interesting. I'll definitely file you in my resource file (well not literally, LOL) I really don't recall ever running across a book on writing Gothics. I have just reconnected with a friend who published Gothics back in the 80s. She had the rights back to her back list and her son is helping her convert them for Kindle/Nook etc. She told me yesterday that she was going to need some help with promotion / online stuff. Maybe, I can get her to do a guest blog or article on writing gothic. She may even be interested in doing a book like that. I think you're on the right track, if you're studying the old ones. Sometimes just reading extensively in the genre helps more.