00:00 Welcome and Introduction

00:43 Meet the Panelists

01:32 Agent Linda Camacho’s Horror Wishlist

02:15 Agent Tamara Kawer’s Horror Wishlist

04:01 Agent Erica Bauman’s Horror Wishlist

05:29 What Makes a Good Horror Novel?

11:34 Mini Class: Withholding Details in Horror Writing

23:58 Query Critique with Tamara Kawer

34:48 Word Count Debate

35:18 Linda’s Horror Writing Class

37:24 Desire Lines in Horror

38:55 Exploring Pet Cemetery

42:21 Tension and Conflict in Horror

44:28 Sacrifice in Horror

49:25 Q&A: Horror Trends and Tips

58:23 Prizes and Closing Remarks

Key Trends

• Social & Political Commentary: Horror as a vehicle for fighting back with words
• Resurgence in Publishing: 25% increase in US, 50%+ in UK
• Editors Are Responsive: Open to subversive, politically-charged content
• Deep Character Work: The advantage books have over film

Hot Sub-Genres

• Psychological horror
• Gothic horror
• Historical horror
• Contemporary horror with sociopolitical commentary
• Fairytale/horror mashups
• Monster romance
• Queer, trans, and feminist horror

The Principle: What’s in the box? Weaponize your reader’s imagination.

Tools for Creating Horror

1. Tension & Pacing – Build slowly, break strategically
2. Heightened Emotions – Put readers in the character’s skin
3. Vivid Description – Sensory details that linger
4. Misdirection – Let imagination fill the gaps

Techniques for “Looking Away”

• Scene/Chapter Breaks – Cut at the moment of horror
• Time Skips – Jump to aftermath, let readers infer
• Brevity – Less description = more impact
• Close Eyes (first person) – Character literally averts gaze
• Focus on Reaction – Show horror through character response

Famous Examples

• Rosemary’s Baby (1968): Never shows the baby, only Mia Farrow’s reaction
• The Hitcher (1986): Cuts to black at moment of death
• Se7en (1995): “What’s in the box?” – we never see it, but our brains fill in the blank

Key Takeaway: By averting the reader’s eyes and alluding to horror, you make them an active participant. Nothing is scarier than imagination.

Core Principle: When stuck on plot, look to character. You cannot separate plot and character.

The Three Desire Lines

1. External Desire

• What character wants to physically accomplish/gain
• Must be specific
• Can evolve, but must align with internal desire

2. Internal Desire (The “Why”)

• Character’s underlying fear or motivation
• Critical Question: Why is this situation particularly difficult for THIS specific character?
• Specificity makes readers care

3. Desire + Intention = Tension

Formula: Character’s Want + Obstacle = Tension

The monster/environment must run counter to the character’s desire line

Case Studies

Pet Sematary

• External: Doctor wants to provide for family in new town
• Internal: Cannot accept death, loss of family
• Why It Works: Both parents refuse to discuss death (trauma-based), making the story particularly tragic for them

The Shining

• External: Jack wants fresh start, career success
• Internal: Overcome father’s legacy, feelings of inadequacy, alcoholism
• Why It Works: The Overlook Hotel exploits his specific insecurities

Arachnophobia

• External: New doctor wants to establish practice
• Internal: Paralyzing fear of spiders from childhood
• Sacrifice: Must literally face spiders in his basement to save family
• Perfect Bookend: Paralyzed as baby with spider = paralyzed in basement with spider

Desire and Sacrifice

Good horror requires surrendering to fear. Character must “run back into the burning building” – face what terrifies them most because something bigger is at stake.

Remember: If a character doesn’t surrender in the climactic scene, there’s no real showdown.

Strong Query Elements

1. Tone-Setting Opening – Match your query’s mood to your book’s mood
2. Clear Stakes – What will be lost if protagonist fails?
3. Character Baseline – Show us their starting point
4. Turning Point – What disrupts the status quo?
5. Beautiful, Horrifying Language – “forest that lies stitched over hours like a second skin”

Common Improvements

• Specs: Always include age category (adult/YA/MG)
• Comp Freshness: Aim for 2-3 years old, not 5
• Comp Reasoning: Explain WHY these are your comps (the X of Title A meets the Y of Title B)
• Streamline Summary: Combine related information, avoid repeating the “things get real” moment
• Word Count: ~330 words for summary, leaving room for bio
• Always Include Bio: Even with query managers, put it in the letter itself

Ending Strong

Leave agents wanting more by showing:

• What’s at stake for characters
• The looming threat
• Why readers will care about the outcome

On Vampires

Status: BACK IN! Enough time has passed, and fresh takes are emerging. Think: Sinners, Interview with the Vampire series.

On Comp Age

Not an automatic fail, but balance older comps with recent book comps to show you’re reading in the genre currently.

On Genre Mashups

Good news: Editors are finally open to horror/thriller, horror/fantasy blends. Use what feels natural for your story.

On Trigger Warnings

• Be overcautious – everyone’s tolerance differs
• Include in query letter for major triggers
• Also use query tracker fields when available
• “Why not both?”

On Pacing

Slow burn is fine – as long as tension varies. Not everything needs to be Michael Bay explosions. Master the craft of sustained dread.

On POV/Tense

No preference – Use what sounds most natural for your story and fits your vision.

Linda Camacho Seeks

• Horror across all age ranges (picture book through adult)
• Stories that use horror as comfort and exploration
• Deep, character-driven scares

Tamara Kawar Seeks

• Queer, trans, and feminist horror
• Ghost stories with sociopolitical commentary
• Historical horror (comp: Buffalo Hunter)
• Fairytale horror mashups (comp: Butcher of the Forest)
• Monster romance (comp: The Monster of Elendhaven)

Erica Bauman Seeks

• “Auteur horror” – surprising depths
• Gothic, rural, psychological, and social horror
• Horror with the sensibility of A24 films
• Middle grade and up, light genre on adult side