Sticking my exhausted in to squee.

Peter Straub and his wife Susan are coming over to dinner Saturday night. I am melting. He's one of my writing idols. We recited the opening paragraph of "The Haunting of Hill House" together.

Chelsea Quinn Yarborough may be coming along, as well.

But PETER STRAUB! The man who wrote "Ghost Story" and "Floating Dragon"!

MEEP MEEP MEEP MEEP.

I second the "Meep" for Straub. Always loved his character driven poetic horror.

Even thinking about the opening of "Hill House" raises my goosebumps. Very MEEP for Straub indeed!

Jilli, that's just lovely. Thank you for sharing.

Ah Jilli. No wonder you're you. What a letter.

I haven't read any Straub other than The Talisman which wasn't all him. But I loved it. From hearing the squee, I might go a little farther and read a little more.

You guys can squee all you want over Straub, that means all the CQY is left for me!! I love her St. Germaine stories. She set my expectations for all vampires with her stories and ruined me for anyone else. By anyone else, I mean Rice, and what's to ruin, there? Ugh.

Ah, that's where I know her name from. Thus the vampire at the Santa Fe Opera story. Awesome.

ita, I write ghost stories, and I am severely fussy about horror writers. As in, there are maybe three of them I'll read.

"Ghost Story" - to me - is the best horror novel written since Shirley Jackson wrote "The Haunting of Hill House".

Unbefucklinglievable. He hits every note. He just gets it.

And he writes like an angel.

I'm thinking you might love "Shadowland" and "If You Could See Me Now."

If You Could See Me Now was gorgeous and spooky and nostalgic.

I feel like rereading all of his books now. Even though Floating Dragon fricking terrified me.

I feel like rereading all of his books now. Even though Floating Dragon fricking terrified me.

All of them. "Julia" is so chilly and pristine and terrifying, I can barely read it. And "Ghost Story" - oh man. "Could you defeat a dream, a poem, a cloud?"