The HWA's New Executive Board Includes Me!

Anyone who follows me at all know that I have worked tirelessly over the last few years to help make inroads between libraries and horror as a genre [and its specific authors and their titles]. One of the ways I have done this is to work officially with the Horror Writers Association to help them connect with libraries. This is a writers group that values libraries and the work we do to build life long readers. As a professional [Active] writing member of the organization, I can be that literal bridge between the writers and the libraries in a way others cannot. As I have gotten more and more involved with the organization as a volunteer, and as I have seen great improvements in the organization as a whole over the last 5 years, I finally put my hat in the ring to stop just being a volunteer and start being one of the people who officially runs the org [although to be fair, it's still a volunteer job, just a more official one]. I ran for Secretary on a platform that I have already given many hours to the org and proven I can get work done, and that I have been a Cook County, IL elected official for 17 years as a member of the La Grange Public Library Board where I have held every office but Treasurer and been one of 7 people responsible for managing almost $3 million dollars of tax payer money [And unlike many a Cook County elected official before me, I have never been indicted]. In other words, I know what being Secretary would entail. So I wrote my candidate statement and waited. It turns out I was opposed by someone I greatly admire as a writer, business person and human being-- Michael Bailey [by the way, go buy his books, especially any anthologies he has edited, for your collections. They are amazing and win tons of awards. May I suggest beginning with The Library of the Dead; it's very good and it's easy to hand sell to patrons. My daughter in particular is an evangelist for Christopher Golden's story in the collection.] Michael has also given a lot of his time to the HWA. I actually felt bad that I was running against him because he totally deserves it too. In fact, when an author I know direct messaged me to tell me he voted for me, I was shocked. I told him, "Heck, even I was considering voting for Michael." And I was only half kidding. Sunday, I was informed that I had won, and I was both shocked and humbled. So thanks to everyone who voted for me. I am very honored because I know my opponent got a ton of votes. But I am humbled because I know that many authors had to vote for me to win; authors who know and respect Michael also, authors who felt I am doing good work and could best represent their interests on the board. This means that the work I have been doing is being taken as seriously by the authors as it is the libraries. I work in a vacuum, at home in front of my computer, advocating for horror each and every day with my written words and sometimes, with my appearances. But I don't always get feedback to know if it is working. Today, I have some proof that it is. I promise to help make sure the organization continues to work to bridge the gap between the authors and the readers. In fact, I had a breakfast meeting this morning to nail down the details on a program that will do just that; something a few of us at HWA have been working on all summer. But you will have to wait for those details until October. In the meantime I want to remind you that there are many genre writers associations that want librarian input. HWA is not the only one. I wrote a longer post about it in April of 2017: Call to Action: Get Involved with a Writers Association. Please read that post and consider joining a writers association too. It doesn;t have to be the horror one. Don't feel like they won't take you in. One thing I have learned with my involvement in the HWA is that the authors truly want our help and input. And today is proof of that. Please, go look at any writers organization and consider joining. Most have a level specifically for library workers. You can use my linked list of preferred genre resources for the full list of organizations. [This list is also always available at the bottom of my 10 Rules of Basic RA Service page.] The writers want to work with us. Go add your voice to the discussion. Below I have attached the official election results announcement, just to prove to myself that it is real. HWA ELECTION RESULTS HWA is pleased to release the results of our 2018 election: Lisa Morton (who ran unopposed) has been re-elected President. Becky Spratford has been elected Secretary. Linda Addison, James Chambers, and Ellen Datlow have been (re-)elected to Trustee positions. Becky and James will be officially taking office on November 1. All positions are two-year terms. This election saw exceptionally high voter turn-out (a good sign), so HWA is grateful to all Active members who voted. We are also grateful to all of those who took the time to run for office.Special thanks to our outgoing Secretary Joe McKinney and outgoing Trustee Alessandro Manzetti for all of their hard work on behalf of the organization.

31 Days of Horror: Day 29-- God of Lovecraft Jonathan Maberry Interview

Welcome to The Gods of Lovecraft blog-a-thon within a blog-a-thon.  From the first post:

Over 9 of the next 10 days I will be featuring 10 of the 12 authors in this collection. Each has answered a series of questions from me about their God, why they picked it, what their favorite scary books are, and more.  It’s very similar to the posts I have been running by authors all month, just with a Lovercraftian spin. Expect each day’s post to bring you a handful of new authors and titles to add to your arsenal of books you can suggest to patrons. 

Our final author is Jonathan Maberry. Readers of this blog know that I proclaimed Maberry [along with Joe Hill] as the King of 21st Century horror back in 2012 in my book. I went out on a limb by writing that; in fact, I had to defend it to my editors. Thankfully, I was not the only one to see his potential as all he has done every single day since is prove me right. From winning awards, to becoming a full fledged NYT bestselling author, to landing on the cover of Publisher’s Weekly earlier this year, if you do not know Maberry, you do not know horror. Click here to see the many, many times I have written about Maberry and/or reviewed his work.

Please remember you can also enter for a chance to win one of two copies of The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft by emailing me at zombiegrl75 [at] gmail [dot] com by today at 11:59pm.

Tomorrow I will be back to begin the final 2 day wrap up of this year’s 31 Days of Horror.

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Who are you?

I’m Jonathan Maberry, a New York Times bestselling author, comic book writer and anthology editor. I write for a living, having tried other less charming professions like actor in musical theater (as it turns out, you need ‘talent’), bodyguard (got stabbed, chopped with a meat cleaver and run over), bouncer in a strip club (it’s not at all like they show in the movies), and college teacher (grading papers sucks!). I’ve written a couple of dozen novels, a slew of nonfiction books on subjects ranging from women’s self-defense to the folklore of supernatural predators. I’ve also sold poetry, greeting cards, and a couple of experimental plays.

Who is your favorite horror author [besides Lovecraft]?

I’ve been a fan of horror, in all of its many variations, since I was a kid. I started out reading the old EC comics my brother left when he went off to Viet Nam, and then moved into the Warren books, EERIE, CREEPY and VAMPIRELLA. Around the same time I began devouring everything by Richard Matheson, Robert Bloch, and Shirley Jackson. A bit later I got hooked on Stephen King, Graham Masterton, James Herbert, and William Peter Blatty.

I actually got to know a bunch of the top horror writers of the late sixties/early seventies thanks to my middle school librarian, who was secretary for a couple of clubs of pro writers. I met Ray Bradbury and Richard Matheson –and they mentored me for three years. I also met Harlan Ellison, James Blish, L. Sprague De Camp, and a bunch of others. Most of those guys, knowing that I wanted to be a writer, made a point of bringing me shopping bags filled with books –science fiction, fantasy and horror. And it was through L. Sprague De Camp that I first learned of H.P. Lovecraft.

Why do you like to write horror?

Horror allows us to explore the complexities of our minds. We are fearful creatures by nature. We come into the world totally helpless, and much of out life is spent trying to understand life’s mysteries, protect against its threats, and build walls of personal security. Even a guy like me –six-four, built like Bigfoot, and an 8^th degree black belt—feels fear of one kind or another every day. Anyone who says they are totally fearless is either lying or delusional.

So in fiction we get to take our fears and examine them, deconstruct them, play with them, understand them, and even have some fun with them. We get to pose ‘what if’ questions about threats large and small. And we can write that story all the way to a point of closure –and the real world doesn’t always allow that.

This is not to say that horror should always have a tidy ending or a happy resolution. Not at all, but in the process of writing the story we take ownership of it. We control the fearful elements and direct those forces elsewhere.

And, also, let’s face it, we all like to stretch out hand out to the fire or lean a little too close to the tiger’s cage. Fear is also a great stimulant. I didn’t start skydiving because I liked the geographical perspective. I was in it for the adrenaline rush. The thrill. The fear.

Which “God” did you focus on in the Anthology? What features of this god do you find most interesting?

I wrote about the Night Gaunts. They’re sly and creepy, and Lovecraft never really let us climb inside their heads. They are guardian spirits, but they’re also monsters and like most Lovecraftian cosmic beings, not at all to be trusted. Also, one of the first Lovecraft drawings I ever did was of a Night Gaunt. Wish I still had it, but I gave it to a girl a long time ago. I’m sure the fact that she broke up with me a few weeks later had nothing at all to do with it.

Please share some of the authors you are reading and enjoying now.

These days most of my friends are horror or suspense writers, so it’s hard to pick favorites. At the top of my must-have lists are Christopher Golden, Tim Lebbon, Joe McKinney, Weston Ochse, Joe Lansdale, and a slew of others. Horror makes up a huge chunk of my reading list, and any slate of favorites I name will be woefully incomplete.

What other works do you have out now?

Prior to 2006 I was a nonfiction writer, doing a ton of magazine features, columns, reviews, how-to manuals, college textbooks, and mass market nonfic books. My first novel, GHOST ROAD BLUES, debuted in 2006 and was followed by two sequels, DEAD MAN’S SONG and BAD MOON RISING. They were straight horror set in a small Pennsylvania town. Since then I’ve jumped around through different genres. I like the fast-lane and I have a very energetic agent. I write the Joe Ledger thrillers, of which PATIENT ZERO was the first and the recent PREDATOR ONE is the 7^th. I just finished the 8^th and am doing research on the 9^th; and we’re in development for a feature film. I wrote five books of the ROT & RUIN post-apocalyptic zombie series for teens (also slated to be a feature film); two adult zombie novels –DEAD OF NIGHT and FALL OF NIGHT; the novelization of the remake of THE WOLFMAN; and a standalone Steampunk alt-history supernatural western, GHOSTWALKERS, based on the Deadlands role-playing game. I created the V-Wars shared world vampire series, which is in prose and comic book form and is in development for TV. My most recent anthology was THE X-FILES: TRUST NO ONE.

What are you working on currently?

I’m in the busiest phase of my career right now. I’m writing a space travel novel for older teens, and stacked up behind that are several projects including DOGS OF WAR (Joe Ledger #9); a teen bodyguard thriller, WATCH OVER ME; and GLIMPSE, a standalone horror-suspense novel for the mainstream audience. I’m editing several anthologies, including OUT OF TUNE Vol II (stories inspired by classic folk ballads), SCARY OUT THERE (teen horror), V-WARS volumes 4 and 5; and two more volumes of THE X-FILES short stories. I also have several comic book projects in early development. And a board game version of V-WARS debuts this Christmas.

31 Days of Horror: Day 25-- Gods of Lovecraft David Liss Interview

Welcome to The Gods of Lovecraft blog-a-thon within a blog-a-thon.  From the first post:

Over 9 of the next 10 days I will be featuring 10 of the 12 authors in this collection. Each has answered a series of questions from me about their God, why they picked it, what their favorite scary books are, and more.  It’s very similar to the posts I have been running by authors all month, just with a Lovercraftian spin. Expect each day’s post to bring you a handful of new authors and titles to add to your arsenal of books you can suggest to patrons. 

Next up, David Liss [Yes that David Liss. The one who you librarians know as a historical thriller writer; well he also writes horror.]

Please remember you can also enter for a chance to win one of two copies of The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft by emailing me at zombiegrl75 [at] gmail [dot] com by 10/29 at 11:59pm.

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Who are you?
David Liss, writer of historical fiction by day, writer of horror, comics, dark fantasy, and  science fiction by night.
 
Who is your favorite horror author [besides Lovecraft]?
Joe McKinney

Why do you like to write horror?
I grew up reading a lot of horror.  It was probably 50% of what I tore through in middle  and high school.  As an adult, and as a professional writer, I think a lot about what I liked about it at the time and what I liked about it now.  For me, all good fiction is character  driven fiction, and horror is a great vehicle for putting characters to the test and \ exposing them to the most extreme and unsolvable of situations. Horror is like  mainstream fiction on steroids.  
 
Which “God” did you focus on in the Anthology? What features of this god do  you find most interesting?
I opted for Shub-Niggorath, the black goat of the woods with a thousand young, for two

reasons.  First, because how can you say no to a sobriquet like that?  Secondly,  because she is referenced in several Lovecraft stories, but only obliquely.  We actually  know virtually nothing about Shub-Niggorath, so I thought that writing about her would  give me a lot of wiggle room.  I could make her just about anything I wanted.
 
Please share some of the authors you are reading and enjoying now.
I'm a huge fan of style and character driven writers who have a strong command of craft but who also don't shy away from genre conventions.  Some of my favorites are David Mitchell, Haruki Murakami, and Michel Faber.
 
What other works do you have out now?
I currently have nine novels out, most recently Randoms, a self-referential science fiction novel for middle grade readers.  I also have multiple comic book trade paperback  collections out.
 
What are you working on currently?
I'm currently working on the sequel to Randoms as well as my next book for adults, a  work of historical fantasy.

Bram Stoker Winners With Sore Loser Comments

Official word from the HWA, at this link and copied below.

But a quick note first... no, more of a question.  Did those who vote actually read the entirety of NOS4A2? Did they read through the “Notes on the Type?”  Because I don’t think they did.  I read Dr. Sleep. I haven’t written my review yet, and I agree it is very good.  However, the contrast between the absolutely amazing and original ending to NOS4A2 [which does t happen until the very last page with writing on it] with the AA preaching at the end of Dr. Sleep is the clincher for me.

Also, without giving away the ending, Hill had the courage to write a believable ending while King’s has a lot of wish fulfillment.  Too many people come away intact in Dr. Sleep.

I don’t know.  Maybe it is a generational thing.  You can’t go wrong with King’s great novel.  And just for the extra dimension of enjoyment and complexity it adds to the all ready classic, The Shining,   it may be worth the vote for best of the year.  But, I read a lot of books, and I still can’t get the ending of NOS4A2 out of my mind.  I know too many people who stopped reading before they got to that great ending too.  Did the judges read the entire story and still not vote for it, or did they stop before the kick in the gut that is the real end of NOS4A2.  Hmmmm.....

One final note, props to friends of RA for All Joe McKinney and J.G. Faherty on their much deserved wins. Both are great authors, but more importantly, good people.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The winners of the Bram Stoker Awards® for 2013 were announced at the Awards Banquet on May 10, 2014, at the Bram Stoker Awards Weekend and World Horror Convention in Portland, Oregon. The winners for superior achievement in each of the categories are:

Novel

Stephen King – Doctor Sleep (Scribner)

First Novel

Rena Mason – The Evolutionist (Nightscape Press)

Young Adult Novel

Joe McKinney – Dog Days (JournalStone)

Graphic Novel

Caitlin R. Kiernan – Alabaster: Wolves (Dark Horse Comics)

Long Fiction

Gary Braunbeck – “The Great Pity” (Chiral Mad 2, Written Backwards)

Short Fiction

David Gerrold – “Night Train to Paris” (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Jan./Feb. 2013)

Screenplay

Glen Mazzara – The Walking Dead: “Welcome to the Tombs” (AMC TV)

Anthology

Eric J. Guignard (editor) – After Death… (Dark Moon Books)

Fiction Collection

Laird Barron – The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All and Other Stories (Night Shade Books)

Non-Fiction

William F. Nolan – Nolan on Bradbury: Sixty Years of Writing about the Master of Science Fiction (Hippocampus Press)

Poetry Collection

Marge Simon, Rain Graves, Charlee Jacob, and Linda Addison – Four Elements (Bad Moon Books/Evil Jester Press)

The following awards were also presented:

The Lifetime Achievement Award

Stephen Jones

R.L. Stine 

The Specialty Press Award

Gray Friar Press

 The Silver Hammer Award (for outstanding service to the Horror Writers Assn.)

Norman Rubenstein

The President’s Richard Laymon Service Award

JG Faherty

Congratulations to all the winners!

----Ron Breznay and Norm Rubenstein

     Co-Chairs, the Bram Stoker Awards Committee

The Stoker Awards Are Coming May 10th

I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am for this year’s Bram Stoker Awards.  Stephen King vs Joe Hill with the excellent team of F. Paul Wilson and Sarah Pinboroughhoping to exploit a split vote.

And to top it all off, the Horror Writers Association is again offering a live stream of the banquet.  Please find the official press release with all the details following.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                               
April 29, 2014   
Contact Doug Murano               
doug.murano@gmail.com

27^th Annual Bram Stoker Awards® to Be Presented May 10 2014

An all-star lineup of some of the most respected voices in horror will present The Bram Stoker Awards® – the horror genre’s highest honor – as part of the World Horror Convention after an evening gala banquet (approximately 7:30 p.m.) Saturday, May 10, 2014, in the Multnomah/Holladay Room at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Portland, Oregon. Jeff Strand, author of I Have a Bad Feeling About This and known as “the funniest man in the gore business,” will emcee. 

Presenters include: Linda Addison (How to Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend), Michael Arnzen (Play Dead), Jason V. Brock (The Ackermonster Chronicles), Greg Chapman (Witch Hunts), Ellen Datlow (Lovecraft’s Monsters), James Dorr (The Tears of Isis), Scott Edelman (What Will Come After), JG Faherty (Castle By the Sea), Lois Gresh (Dark Fusions: Where Monsters Lurk!), Lynne Hansen (Shades of Blue and Gray), Nancy Holder (Buffy: The Making of a Slayer), Jack Ketchum (The Lost), Leslie Klinger (The New Annotated H. P. Lovecraft), John R. Little (Little By Little), Lisa Mannetti (The Gentling Box), Mike McCarty (Werewolf Bloodlines Book One: Gemini Rising), Joe McKinney (The Savage Dead), Lisa Morton (Netherworld: Book One in the Chronicles of Diana Furnaval), Yvonne Navarro (Concrete Saviour: A Dark Redemption Novel), Weston Ochse (Age of Blood: Seal Team 666 Book Two), John Palisano (Nerves), John Skipp (Psychos: Serial Killers, Depraved Madmen, and the Criminally Insane), Aaron Sterns (Wolf Creek 2), Steve Rasnic Tem (Blood Kin), F. Paul Wilson (A Necessary End) and Rocky Wood (Stephen King: A Literary Companion). 

In addition, Lifetime Achievement Award-winner Stephen Jones, the renowned editor behind such anthology series as Best New Horror and Zombie Apocalypse!, will be on-hand to accept; and R. L. Stine, the legendary creator of Goosebumps and Fear Street, will accept his Lifetime Achievement Award via video. 

The awards presentation will begin immediately after the banquet, approximately 7:30 p.m., and will be streamed live via the internet, courtesy of platinum sponsor, Samhain Publishing. To view the live-stream, please follow these instructions:

1. On the evening of May 10, visit
https://avms.webex.com/avms/j.php?MTID=mbfc75996326ded17427e4dad4f06c473. 

2. If requested, enter your name and email address.
3. If a password is required, enter: whc2014. Then, click "Join."

BRAM STOKER 2013 FINAL BALLOT

Here is the final ballot, and this year is going to be a doozy with Stephen King and his son Joe Hill Squaring off for the main prize.

Also of note, in the YA category, 2 books I have been a big champion of, Cat Winters' In the Shadow of Blackbirds is up against Geoffrey Girard’s Project Cain.

I am very impressed this the quality of nominees this year.  The full ballot is at this link and posted below.  Congrats to all of the nominees.

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is pleased to announce the Final Ballot for the 2013 Bram Stoker Awards®. The HWA (see WWW.HORROR.ORG ) is the premiere writers organization in the horror and dark fiction genre, with over 1,200 members. HWA has presented the Bram Stoker Awards in various categories since 1987 (see HTTP://WWW.HORROR.ORG/AWARDS/STOKERS.HTM).

“We are proud to present a particularly notable slate of nominees this year, showing the horror genre is strong and popular,” Rocky Wood, the HWA’s President, said.

IMPORTANT: Voting begins on 2/28 and ends on 3/15. Only Active and Lifetime members can vote.

The nominees are:

Superior Achievement in a Novel

• Joe Hill – NOS4A2 (William Morrow)

• Stephen King – Doctor Sleep (Scribner)

• Lisa Morton – Malediction (Evil Jester Press)

• Sarah Pinborough and F. Paul Wilson – A Necessary End (Thunderstorm/Maelstrom Press)

• Christopher Rice – The Heavens Rise (Gallery Books)

Superior Achievement in a First Novel

• Kate Jonez – Candy House (Evil Jester Press)

• John Mantooth – The Year of the Storm (Berkley Trade)

• Rena Mason – The Evolutionist (Nightscape Press)

• Jonathan Moore – Redheads (Samhain Publishing)

• Royce Prouty – Stoker’s Manuscript (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)

Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel

• Patrick Freivald – Special Dead (JournalStone)

• Kami Garcia – Unbreakable (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

• Geoffrey Girard – Project Cain (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

• Joe McKinney – Dog Days (JournalStone)

• Cat Winters – In the Shadow of Blackbirds (Harry N. Abrams)

Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel

• Ed Brubaker – Fatale Book Three: West of Hell (Image Comics)

• Caitlin R. Kiernan – Alabaster: Wolves (Dark Horse Comics)

• Brandon Seifert – Witch Doctor, Vol. 2: Mal Practice (Image Comics)

• Cameron Stewart – Sin Titulo (Dark Horse Comics)

• Paul Tobin – Colder (Dark Horse Comics)

Superior Achievement in Long Fiction

• Dale Bailey – “The Bluehole” (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, May/June 2013)

• Gary Braunbeck – “The Great Pity” (Chiral Mad 2, Written Backwards)

• Benjamin K. Ethridge – “The Slaughter Man” (Limbus, Inc., JournalStone)

• Gregory Frost – “No Others Are Genuine” (Asimov’s Science Fiction, Oct./Nov. 2013)

• Greg F. Gifune – House of Rain (DarkFuse)

• Rena Mason – East End Girls (JournalStone)

Superior Achievement in Short Fiction

• Michael Bailey – “Primal Tongue” (Zippered Flesh 2, Smart Rhino Publications)

• Patrick Freivald – “Snapshot” (Blood & Roses, Scarlett River Press)

• David Gerrold – “Night Train to Paris” (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Jan./Feb. 2013)

• Lisa Mannetti – “The Hunger Artist” (Zippered Flesh 2, Smart Rhino Publications)

• John Palisano – “The Geminis” (Chiral Mad 2, Written Backwards)

• Michael Reaves – “Code 666” (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, March/April 2013)

Superior Achievement in a Screenplay

• Fabien Adda and Fabrice Gobert – The Returned: “The Horde” (Ramaco Media I, Castelao Pictures)

• Brad Falchuk – American Horror Story: Asylum: “Spilt Milk” (Brad Falchuk Teley-Vision, Ryan Murphy Productions)

• Bryan Fuller – Hannibal: “Apéritif” (Dino De Laurentiis Company, Living Dead Guy Productions, AXN: Original X Production, Gaumont International Television)

• Daniel Knauf – Dracula: “A Whiff of Sulfur” (Flame Ventures, Playground, Universal Television, Carnival Films)

• Glen Mazzara – The Walking Dead: “Welcome to the Tombs” (AMC TV)

Superior Achievement in an Anthology

• R.J. Cavender and Boyd E. Harris (ed.) – Horror Library: Volume 5 (Cutting Block Press)

• Eric J. Guignard (ed.) – After Death… (Dark Moon Books)

• Michael Knost and Nancy Eden Siegel (ed.) – Barbers & Beauties (Hummingbird House Press)

• Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. (ed.) – The Grimscribe’s Puppets (Miskatonic River Press)

• Anthony Rivera and Sharon Lawson (ed.) – Dark Visions: A Collection of Modern Horror, Volume One (Grey Matter Press)

Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection

• Nathan Ballingrud – North American Lake Monsters: Stories (Small Beer Press)

• Laird Barron – The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All and Other Stories (Night Shade Books)

• James Dorr – The Tears of Isis (Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing)

• Caitlin R. Kiernan – The Ape’s Wife and Other Stories (Subterranean)

• Gene O’Neill – Dance of the Blue Lady (Bad Moon Books)

• S. P. Somtow – Bible Stories for Secular Humanists (Diplodocus Press)

Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction

• Barbara Brodman and James E. Doan (ed.) – Images of the Modern Vampire: The Hip and the Atavistic (Fairleigh Dickinson)

• Gary William Crawford (ed.) – Ramsey Campbell: Critical Essays on the Modern Master of Horror (Scarecrow Press)

• William F. Nolan – Nolan on Bradbury: Sixty Years of Writing about the Master of Science Fiction (Hippocampus Press)

• Jarkko Toikkanen – The Intermedial Experience of Horror: Suspended Failures (Palgrave Macmillan)

• Robert H. Waugh (ed.) – Lovecraft and Influence: His Predecessors and Successors (Scarecrow Press)

Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection

• Bruce Boston – Dark Roads: Selected Long Poems 1971-2012 (Dark Renaissance Books)

• Helen Marshall – The Sex Lives of Monsters (Kelp Queen Press)

• Marge Simon and Sandy DeLuca – Dangerous Dreams (Elektrik Milk Bath Press)

• Marge Simon, Rain Graves, Charlee Jacob, and Linda Addison – Four Elements (Bad Moon Books/Evil Jester Press)

• Stephanie M. Wytovich – Hysteria: A Collection of Madness (Raw Dog Screaming Press)

HWA’s voting members will now vote on this Final Ballot, with voting closing on March 31 (only Active and Lifetime Members are eligible to vote).

The Bram Stoker Awards® will be presented at the 27th annual Bram Stoker Awards® Banquet held during the WORLD HORROR CONVENTION 2014 in Portland, Oregon, on May 10th. Purchase of tickets to both the convention and the banquet are open to the public. The awards will also be live-streamed online for those who cannot attend in person.

31 Days of Horror: Day 23-- Dark Regions Press Kickstarter

There are a lot of horror based Kickstarter projects out there, but I wanted to point out this great one from Dark Regions Press featuring authors who are very popular in public libraries. All the details are in their official press release below.  The Kickstarter is going until 11/10.

You might want to pass this on to some of your patrons. For as little as $1 they can get to read the finished book.  For larger amounts an established author will kill you in their next book.  I would totally pick Joe McKinney.  Intrigued? Click here for more.

Also, I wanted to use this post as a reminder that there are some great small horror presses out there. I keep a directory here.  Dark Regions Press is one of my designated favorites too.

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This is where the boundaries between the innerverse and the outerverse recede

Dark Regions Press has launched a new Kickstarter campaign to support the creation of Black Labyrinth Book II: Joe R. Lansdale illustrated by Santiago Caruso. The campaign is currently live and can be viewed here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chrismorey/black-labyrinth-book-ii-joe-r-lansdale

Black Labyrinth is an imprint of ten psychological horror novels and novellas from the living masters of horror and dark fiction all illustrated by surrealist artist Santiago Caruso. The first book in the imprint, The Walls of the Castle by Tom Piccirilli has been met with wide critical acclaim and the hardcovers are considered some of the finest that Dark Regions Press has produced:

The new Kickstarter campaign will fully fund a new novella of psychological horror from Joe R. Lansdale, award-winning author of Edge of Dark Water, the Hap and Leonard series, Bubba Ho-Tep, The Thicket, Incident On and Off a Mountain Road and many other novels, novellas, short stories, comic books and screenplays. The campaign will also bring five original pieces of artwork from renowned surrealist artist Santiago Caruso to accompany the novella, including four B&W interior illustrations.

Dark Regions Press wants everyone who contributes to read the new novella. Any reward level in the Black Labyrinth Book II: Joe R. Lansdale Kickstarter campaign will get you a copy of the book. All editions are offered at planned retail price with free U.S. shipping included and discounted international shipping offered along with Kickstarter exclusive bonuses. Contributors will be regularly updated during the production of the book and many will be immortalized in the book itself.

Join the effort and help make Black Labyrinth Book II a reality: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chrismorey/black-labyrinth-book-ii-joe-r-lansdale

20 Books Every Zombie Fan Must Read

Thanks to my feed subscription to Lit Lists, I came across this Lit Reactor list entitled, "10 Books Every Zombie Fan Must Read."

I have reproduces the annotated list below, but the links for the titles are added by me.  I have read or posted about many of these titles in the past, so if you click on a linked title, it will go to my review or comments.

Also, as an expert in zombie fiction I have to say, this is a very solid list representing a wide range of options for all types of zombie fiction fans.  From teen to adult, thriller to literary fiction to pure horror, it is all here. Please go and check the honorable mention list too.  I added links on those relevant titles.

10. Patient Zero  by Jonathan Maberry

There were a few zombie books we could've chosen by Bram Stoker Award-winning author/zombie aficionado Jonathan Maberry, and this one barely won out over Rot and Ruin and Dead of Night, but Patient Zero deserves a spot on this list because it is a zombie novel for people who don't like zombie novels. Detective Joe Ledger is a tough guy leading man to rival anyone you've seen on the big screen. As part of a government task force whose mission it is to keep terrorists from deploying a bio-chemical weapon that turns us all into zombies, Ledger is full of so much bravado, action, and manly knowledge of advanced weaponry that he's almost cartoonish, but if you want a fast-moving, creepy book full of explosions, b-movie-style jumps, and evil geniuses (oh, and zombies), Maberry's got your number.

For fans of: Jonathan Spy thrillers, tough guys, Jack Bauer from 24, The A-Team, zombies

9. Day by Day Armageddon  by J.L. Bourne

Day by Day Armageddon describes the downfall of humanity through the diary of a U.S. naval officer. To keep the personal, intimate feel of a journal, Bourne originally wrote the story by hand—complete with scratch-outs, underlines, and margin notes—and uploaded the "journal" piece by piece to his website, where it became a cult hit among zombie fans. Bourne was eventually approached by Simon & Schuster, who did a 50,000 copy first print run, and have since published two sequels. The plot is fairly standard "zombie apocalypse happens, guy defends his house, guy picks up other survivors and travels for a while, group of survivors holes up in a missile facility and defends against the living and undead" style stuff, but the presentation is suspenseful, personal, and engaging. This is a quick read that feels almost voyeuristic at times.

For fans of: Reality TV/voyeurism, military terminology, first-person narration, old-school slow-moving zombies

8. As the World Dies: The First Days  by Rhiannon Frater

When a book starts with an abusive father gnawing on his three-year-old, it didn't come to mess around. Especially when it's described like so: "She found Lloyd hunched over Benjamin, eating away her baby's tender flesh." There's not much of the baby left. Probably because "Lloyd always was a big eater." These are the first images in Frater's trilogy, which was self-published before being picked up by Tor Books, and the gore, dark humor, and action just keep going. Abused (and, to be honest, fairly annoying) housewife Jenni joins up with lesbian attorney Katie for a zombie-killing road trip across Texas to pick up Jenni's step-son. This is not high-brow literature, nor is it feminist parable (goofy love triangles and catty comments abound), but it is a fun apocalyptic read.

For fans of: The Walking Dead, love triangles, gore, dark humor, Thelma and Louise, zombies

7. Forest of Hands and Teeth  by Carrie Ryan

Like most teenagers, Mary has a crush (two actually), teen angst, a mistrust of authority, and a desire to escape from the rule-laden world where she was raised. Unlike most teens, Mary lives in an isolated village separated from a forest full of flesh-eating zombies by a single fence. This—the first book of Ryan's well-received YA trilogy—could, in some ways, just as well have been set in an urban gated community with violent gangs outside its walls. The metaphor of the teenage desire to buck rules and build an adult life would have stood up, but as a general rule, if you can add zombies to a plot, go ahead and do so. Same with unicorns. Mary's own parents are among the "Unconsecrated" (religious terms and imagery are plentiful, and Mary's world is ruled by a religious order known as The Sisterhood). But before her mother started wandering around the Forest of Hands and Teeth as one of the zombified, she told Mary of a thing called the ocean, and Mary's desire to see the mythical beaches makes her consider risking everything.

For fans of: The Hunger Games, teen crushes and angst, YA supernatural fiction, fantasy, Shyamalan's The Village, zombies

 

6. Zone One  by Colson Whitehead

Thoughtful turns of phrase, biting dark humor, careful satire, and zombies, Colson Whitehead's Zone One isn't going to give you non-stop zombie-shooting head-smashing action (though the flashbacks to the outbreak are intense), but it is worth a read. Mark Spitz is a "sweeper," clearing away stragglers from Manhattan's Zone One district after the zombie attacks. These trapped souls are malfunctioning zombies, destined to ceaselessly repeat mundane acts they carried out while alive—filling balloons at a party store, working the copy machine, flying a kite with no wind. More lyrical than many zombie novels, Zone One provides careful wartime satire mixed with bleak allegories about modern life.

For fans of: Satire, uber-dark humor, New York City stories, the place where literature and genre novels meet, zombies

5. Breathers: A Zombie's Lament  by S.G. Browne

The most ridiculous (in a good way) book on our list is S.G. Browne's entertaining debut about modern life as a zombie. After Andy Warner dies, he has trouble adjusting to his new life as one of the undead. And who could blame him? He has to live in his parents' wine cellar, isn't allowed to go to the movies or even use the internet, and is constantly harassed by frat boys and other members of the living (aka "Breathers"). Things change after he meets Rita, a recent suicide who eats cosmetics for their formaldehyde content, and Jerry, a car crash victim who loves Renaissance porn, at an Undead Anonymous meeting. Together they learn the delights of devouring human flesh and find new ways to stand up for the rights of zombies everywhere.

For fans of: Max Brooks's The Zombie Survival Guide, Shaun of the Dead, black comedy, Warm Bodies, rom-coms, zombies

4. Feed  by Mira Grant (aka Seanan McGuire)

Do you want the good news or the bad news? Let's start with the good because the bad is a doozy. The good news is that, according to Feed, we have managed to cure both cancer and the common cold. The bad news? Combining those two cures reanimates the dead. It's pretty inconvenient. A zombie apocalypse story, a political thriller, and a cautionary tale about the state of modern media all at once, the first novel in Mira Grant's Newsflesh trilogy is as much about the state of the world post-zombie outbreak as it is about the zombies themselves. Our snarky heroes are three bloggers who—in a world where mainstream media almost let everyone get devoured by zombies—are, along with their blogging brethren, responsible for getting the truth to the people. In the way of the truth are zombie giraffes, corrupt politicians, grand conspiracies, and hoards of undead who share a collective consciousness and get smarter in groups. The trilogy is a bit campy and unnecessarily descriptive at times (the first book weighs in at 600 pages), but if you don't mind those minor details, this Hugo Award-nominated book is a fun, intriguing read. (On a side note: I'm fond of the subtle pop culture references to other zombie books and movies woven throughout the books, from characters named Shaun and Buffy to the acknowledgement that George Romero is "one of the accidental saviors of the human race.")

For fans of: The West Wing, political thrillers, sci-fi, campiness, bashing traditional media, blogging, zombies

3. Raising Stony Mayhall  by Daryl Gregory

In 1968, Wanda Mayhall and her three daughters discover a frozen baby in a snowstorm. He is not breathing and has no heartbeat, but he begins to move. Knowing that authorities would destroy the baby, Wanda decides to raise him as one of her own. What follows is one of the biggest twists on the zombie genre in recent memory. Stony Mayhall (the zombie kid) is raised with his human family, but realizes he is different. He is, for example, shot in the chest with an arrow at one point without pain. As he grows older, he wonders what it means to be human and this heartfelt, emotional book takes on some distinctly philosophical undertones. As an older boy, he meets other members of the living dead but realizes that, because of his upbringing in a living family, he feels different. Layers of civil rights commentary are deftly woven into the plot. If you are not a horror fan, but want an excellent read about the human condition, Stony Mayhall is your man.

For fans of: Coming-of-age stories, Philip K. Dick, heartwarming undead families, science fiction, civil rights, zombies

2. World War Z  by Max Brooks

Presented as a series of UN-commissioned interviews a decade after the zombie outbreak, World War Z is terrifying because it feels like it could happen. If zombies were real, this is actually how things would go down. And that's true horror. Author Max Brooks—who exchanged the tongue-in-cheek presentation of his 2003 Zombie Survival Guide for a gritty portrayal of loss and devastation—said, "[E]xcept the zombies ... everything else in the book is either taken from reality or 100% real. The technology, politics, economics, culture, military tactics... it was a LOT of homework." At times, Brooks's portrayal of postwar culture hits a little too close to home, forcing readers to confront the darker side of human nature, the dangers of bureaucracy, American isolationism, and corporate corruption in between tales of the murderous undead. Because the book is less about a single story arc and more about how the individuals being interviewed have been affected, it'll be interesting to see how the new Brad Pitt film handles Brooks's bestseller.

For fans of: Episodic presentation, extreme realism, social commentary, military tactics, Theodore Judson's Fitzpatrick's War, Studs Terkel's The Good War, zombies

1. The Reapers Are the Angels  by Alden Bell

Temple is a 15-year-old girl who has never known a world that didn't involve bashing in the skulls of zombies (here known as "slugs"). She handles these encounters like I handle seeing a spider in my house—as unpleasant but survivable encounters. What she does not handle as well is the guilt, grief, and emotional baggage she drags around during her quest for redemption. The bleak, painfully honest portrayal of Temple's loneliness and self-doubt—not the "slugs"—put this book at the top of our list. In fact, the origin of the slugs is never even revealed. What's passed is in the past, and the narrative lives in the present. "Beautiful" is not a word normally used to describe zombie tales, but this is no ordinary zombie book. It hits you with unexpected moments of joy amidst the horror, and with prose that owes quite a debt to Southern Gothic literature, The Reapers Are the Angels proves that zombie stories can be literary. They can make you cry. They can introduce you to introspective, believable, memorable characters that stay with you long after you've finished reading. One last thing: Don't think that because the protagonist is a teenager, this is a YA book. It's not. You'll scar your kiddos with this one.  

For fans of: Cormac McCarthy, Flannery O'Connor, William Faulkner, strong female protagonists, zombies.

Ten Honorable Mentions

• The Walking Dead series by Robert Kirkman
• Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahme-Smith
• The Aftertime trilogy by Sophie Littlefield
• Autumn by David Moody
• Monster Island: A Zombie Novel by David Wellington
• The Deadworld series by Joe McKinney
• Zombie Fallout by Mark Tufo
• The Morningstar Saga by Z.A. Recht
• The Rising by Brian Keene