Included with that show, I would have to add The Outer Limits and Way Out which were spooky shows of the day. Certainly, The Twilight Zone television show was part of the inspiration.

NTK: Did The Twilight Zone inspire you to become a writer?ĮM: I think a lot of things inspired me to become a writer. So many favorites! Here are a few at the top of my list…”Midnight Sun,” “Eye of the Beholder,” and “The Lonely.” So, the horror hit me emotionally on two levels.ĮM: Oh, gosh! That’s a difficult question to answer. Yet, even though they were scary, the characters were more often than not sympathetic. While some of the episodes were funny, some were thought-provoking, and some were sad, others were very scary. NTK: How old were you when you first discovered horror?ĮM: I guess it was back when I was eight or ten years old and we as a family watched The Twilight Zone television show. NTK: Thank you for chatting with me today, Elizabeth.

We discussed middle-grade and YA horror, Ameri-Scares, and what horror can teach young people today. She lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her creative and wonderfully wacky counterpart, illustrator Cortney Skinner.Įlizabeth is a kind person and a terrific writer. A former 7th-grade science teacher with 19 years in the classroom, she now spends her time writing, presenting creative writing workshops, and drawing ghosts, monsters, and other creatures–all part of her Skeeryvilletown cast of cartoon characters. Her favorite genres are historical fiction and horror fiction (which she often calls “skeery stories!”) She also writes nonfiction and fiction for nationwide educational programs. Elizabeth Massie is a Bram Stoker Award-winning and Scribe Award-winning author of novels and short fiction for middle-grade readers, teens, and adults.

Sineater by elizabeth massie