Horror fiction fans from the 90s will undoubtedly recognize the name Ronald Kelly among the genre’s authors. His award-winning southern horror stories have earned him a place amongst the genre’s veterans. After a decades-long career, he has decided to reflect on his experiences and lend advice to aspiring writers in Southern Fried & Horrified. 

Admittedly, I´ve never read any of Kelly’s work before. But after learning about his unique experiences as a man from a traditionally blue collar family who decided to break the mold and pursue a writing career, I’m going to do my due diligence and add his work to my reading list. After all, if his talent for horror writing is half as good as his memoir style, then I’m absolutely looking forward to it. 

In Southern Fried & Horrified, Kelly outlines his writing career – from hopeful teenager with his sights set on his professional goals, through his successful run and devastating shutdown at Zebra Horror, and the following ten-year hiatus. But the most rewarding part of his story is that we know he gets over that slump and gets back to the keyboard. The “Bits and Grits” moments, the pieces in between where readers get to know more about Kelly (i.e. favorite movies, favorite characters, etc.), are a delightful way to share more, while also giving readers more examples of his writing style. 

I appreciated both Kelly’s storytelling style and vulnerability in Southern Fried & Horrified. He is authentic from the very start, warning readers that he doesn´t pull any punches. Sure enough, he remains genuine and to-the-point in his storytelling and his advice to aspiring writers. Though I do not fall into this category, Kelly’s story was entertaining and informative. Anyone who got knocked down and got back up again is worth learning about, in my opinion. 

Overall, the group that would benefit most from reading Southern Fried & Horrified is aspiring horror writers, or readers who enjoy older horror fiction. Nevertheless, I think that audience spans much wider – Kelly’s story is worth reading about, and his writing style is enjoyable to read. And I’ll leave it at that. 

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