American Author and Screenwriter
McDowell's earlier works fall into two basic categories -- turn-of-the-century
period pieces and creeping
southern horror stories, often featuring angry ghosts.
Gilded Needles and
Katie fall into the first category.
All of his novels that I have read are well-written with a nice sense of pace. In lesser hands they would seem slow, but he lets it build patiently. His later work with
Tim Burton seems to have a much more developed sense of humor.