Cliff McNish, a seasoned young adult writer, met a small yet determined group of readers on a rainy afternoon at the Edinburgh Book Festival.

As we huddled together listening to the rain battering off the canvas roof above us, Jane Sandell who introduced Cliff admitted, ‘After reading Cliff’s latest book, The Hunting Ground, I know what it means to have your skin crawl.’

During the hour, we were taken on a journey through the history of ‘the ghost story’ as it has evolved over the last couple of centuries. Where does our obsession with the supernatural come from? Does every story have romance at its heart, even if the lovers are dead?

Cliff used amazing imagery and encouraged the kids attending to consider their own bookshelves in order to prove his theories about why we love to be frightened.

Why is it that no horror film can ever truly live up to where our own imaginations take us, when we are sitting peeping with one eye through white knuckled fingers at the seemingly harmless page before us? It’s because of people like Cliff McNish; a true inspiration for writers and readers alike. If you’re brave enough…