Friday Feature: Karen A Foster

HELLD by Karen A Foster is an abduction story that caught me completely off guard. I didn't really have any expectations, other than , "I hope this doesn't suck...," and I was rewarded with a thrilling crime-drama. Foster did an excellent job of creating concern for Hannah, as well as her family, which is somewhat difficult with the short story format. The drama not only arises from the kidnapping, but also the family history. I was so impressed, I decided to immediately read something else by the same author.

Insignificant wasn't as good as the other Foster story, but it held my interest. Norma is a terrible mother, cruel to her only daughter, Celia, who has a learning disability, among other problems as a result of Norma's constant berating. The ending is a twisted surprise.

I went one step further, and read her anthology, Twisted. The collection has everything from family issues and spiders to astral projection and murder. Foster's best work, in my opinion. However, when I reached the end of the anthology, I found the title of another story by the author...

Vine is unpredictable...I knew Kenny had screwed up, but I didn't realize just how bad everything would become. It's a good story, but not nearly as entertaining as the stories in Foster's anthology, Twisted.

Having read several stories by Foster, I think she is a very creative writer, but she would probably get better reception from readers if she hired a professional editor. In the meantime, I highly recommend HELLD and Twisted for horror fans.

As always,
AstraDaemon