Time once again for my occasional series "Women with great hair fleeing gothic houses!"

And today It's an open thread. Ask me anything you like about this popular pastime and I'll do my best to answer it below for the next hour.

Over to you...

One frequent question I'm asked is "do I need long hair to flee a gothic house?" The answer is no; many short-haired heroines have vacated gothic domiciles in the past. However most have worn evening gloves whilst doing it.

"Am I in the UK?" Yes I am.

"Do I own all these books?" Alas no. I have about 90 or so gothic romances but I have sold many more. I used to work in the book trade and these things went like hot cakes!

"What's your most recent gothic romance?" Well there are many new, often self-published ones available in ebooks format so the genre is still alive and kicking! The classic gothic romance pretty much petered out by 1986 alas...

"Don't they get cold in those flimsy nightgown?" Well yes, but that's the point. The heightened senses, the goosebumps, the chill of the air on the skin. That said many gothic nighties are remarkably sturdy things: they have more material in them than my overcoat!

"Does the gothic house need to have a light on in the window?" Artistically yes: there needs to be a sense that someone / something is constantly watching the heroine. It needs to be an upstairs light too, the more deserted the room the better!

"Do these women ever flee gothic houses at dawn?" Well it's not the best time: dawn is usually associated with hope. Normally if a cover involves daylight fleeing there will also be snow or mist around to add a touch of atmosphere.

"How do they keep their hair out of their eyes and mouths?" Practice! Ideally you want to run into the wind , and you should try to keep a hair grip or two handy as well.

"Who is my favourite gothic romance cover artist?" Lou Marchetti (L) always had a great eye for the dramatic. Walter Popp (R) was also a great cover artist, though he did like making the gothic dress as long and folded as he could!

"Are these books actually worth reading?" In the vast majority of cases - yes! Most are by solid, experienced writers with a good sense of plot, character and rhythm. They also knew how shrewd - and loyal - the readership was so most writers gave it their best efforts.

"Who is your favourite gothic romance writer?" Ooh, tricky but I'm going with Victoria Holt - and not just because I'm re-readig her at the moment!

My least favourite writer? A gentleman never tells...

"What's your favourite gothic house?" I think it's this one. There's a similar house to this near me, so I get to flee past it on the way back from Sainsbury's!

"Has anyone ever fled a gothic house in pants?" If they have I've yet to see it. Sensible clothing and fleeing doesn't quite go together...

"Why is it mostly brunettes who flee gothic houses?" I'd say it's 60% brunettes, 30% blondes and 10% redheads. The artist normally goes with the author 's description, though they will try to get a good contrast with the dress colour on the cover if they can!

"What's my under-the-radar gothic writer pick?" I'd probably day Edwina Noone - a.k.a. Michael Avallone. He was a great pulp writer and he knew how to handle drama well. He also knew how to please an audience and always did his research.

"How did I first get into gothic romances?" Mostly by selling so many copies of them when I was working in the book trade. Once I read a couple I thought 'this is very close to detective noir - the themes, the mood etc,' so I stuck with it and have never regretted that decision.

OK, we're out of time - and my phone's out of battery! But I hope I've whetted your appetite to read a gothic romance or two. Or at least to ask for a billowing nightgown for christmas.

Mind how you flee now...