For me, goth is about what’s on the inside. Seeking out the dark and romantic and weird is a lot more important to me than getting my eyeliner right. This is why I’ve been getting back into horror and gothic novels. I’m all old and stuff, so I get distracted by bills and kids and basic life stuff, and this new year I want to carve out time (with a sharp, bejeweled dagger) to reconnect with the dark and spooky.

Before Christmas I finally finished Penny Dreadful and just about fainted from awesome. Madame Kali (leader of the nightwalkers) is my new role model. In a world full of young and pretty things, she refuses to fade away with age. Not her. She’s just entering the prime of her evil power and she’s clearly as seductive as ever. I love all the characters, but I want to be her as I get older and older. But more than showing me how to age more spookily, Penny Dreadful reminded me how much I’ve missed delving into horror and romance, so this year I’m trying to get back to it.

Most of my New Year’s resolutions are book-related, and one is to read 12 gothic and/or classic horror novels to feed my geeky, gothy mind and heart. This month I’m finally going to finish one of the original gothic novels, The Mysteries of Udolpho. I’m about 3/4 of the way through it, and I’ll tell you all about it when I’m done.

It’s free for Kindle, by the way. I’d love to hear from anyone who’s read it.