FIVE SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS THAT INSPIRED WORLDS BETWEEN MY TEETH

20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill

What I like best about Joe's collection is how diverse the themes of his stories are. There are scares alongside stories that will tug on your emotions and play with your mind. "Pop Art" is a veritable masterpiece, while other stories like "Abraham's Boys" and "Best New Horror" are just plain fun. Above all else, I wanted readers to have fun with Worlds.

Personal favorite stories: "Pop Art" and "Voluntary Committal".

The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson

Some may argue that "The Lottery" is the best short story ever written, and I'm inclined to agree with those people. The story has so many layers, and while the tales included in Worlds Between My Teeth were written solely for entertainment, I can't ignore the influence that "The Lottery" has had over my writing in general. Plus, that ending. God, what an ending.

I wish I could say for a fact that The October Country was the first single-author collection I ever read, but alas, I can't because it was so many moons ago. However, I remember picking this gem of a collection up off the top of a dusty pile of used books at a local thrift shop, opening to the first story ("The Dwarf"), and becoming quite unsettled. The story itself isn't that scary, but I think it was the way Bradbury approached it, capturing that October mood where anything and everything can (and will) happen. The stories in The October Country are atmospheric and alive with dread, an art I've tried to infuse with my stories ever since that first read through.

Personal favorite stories: "The Dwarf," "The Lake," and "The Wind".

Okay, you weren't going to get an "influential horror collections" article without mention of the master of the macabre. Night Shift was the first story collection by King that I had read, probably around the age of thirteen, and it scared me shitless. No lie. Underwear was ruined. I know, gross. Anyway, the stories within this collection are just plain fantastic, and I've yet to meet any writer who wasn't influenced by this selection of goodies.

Personal favorite stories: "The Boogeyman," "I Am the Doorway," and "Quitters, Inc.".

Probably the most unknown work on this list, Amelia Gray's collection of short stories and flash fiction pieces is diverse, often horrifying, and just plain weird. Her style is unique and her stories will either make you say, "Hm, that was really good" or "Good God, that was awesome, but what the heck did I just read?" I love the weird aspects of her fiction, especially those extremely short bits which pack so much story into so few words. Looking back at Worlds Between My Teeth, my stories "Box Game" and "The Old Church" seem to embody that similar style, vicious stories under a thousand words intended to hit the reader in the gut.

Personal favorite stories: "House Heart" and "Fifty Ways to Eat Your Lover".

Books of Blood makes a lot of horror collection lists, and I'd be a fool not to include it. However, instead of including every volume, I decided to choose just one. Volume One contains many of my favorite Barker stories. His work in this collection has had an everlasting effect on my fiction, stories I wish to read time and time again.

Personal favorite stories: "In the Hills, The Cities" and "The Yattering and Jack".