What began as a casual conversation at the Tucson Festival of Books has turned into a wonderful working relationship, and we're happy to announce that R.J. Cavender is now a member of our editorial staff. R.J. has many years of editing experience, and has recently worked with Cutting Block Press to bring several horror anthologies to print. He is passionate about the horror genre, from things that go bump in the night to explorations of the darker side of humanity and nature.

To welcome him to the fold and introduce him to genre writers, we're giving away one free Introductory Critique. This is your chance to receive feedback from a professional editor, and to make your novel or short story's first pages shine. If you're a twitter user, simply retweet this article and your name will go in the hat. You can even use the handy "retweet" button at the top right of this page.

Not a twitter person, but want to enter the drawing? No problem. Leave a comment on our Facebook wall, send a direct message through Facebook, or email drawings@editorialdepartment.com and include your name and the working title of your piece.  We'll select a winner on Monday, August 9th.

We're also taking a week to scratch the surface of the horror genre. While most people have read a book by Stephen King, few bother to delve deeper into the genre. Horror is much more than monsters and gore, and there are many classics and new voices to discover. We'll ponder the lament that "the horror genre is dead", take a lot at the intersection of horror and science fiction, and provide a round-up of helpful tips for those who write horror and its various subgenres. We hope our Horror Week feature will inspire you to try your hand at writing something dark or scary, or to pick up a novel or anthology and see what's happening in this vibrant branch of genre fiction.

Don't miss the rest of the series, and don't forget to Retweet your favorite articles to enter our Intro Critique drawing!

Other articles in this series:

• Horror is Dead! (Again?)
• AFTER FRANKENSTEIN: Modern Classics of Horror/Science Fiction