31 Days of Horror: Day 18-- Guest Post by Benjamin Kane Ethridge

The guest posts are coming fast and furious now.  I can't believe that we are in the home stretch to Halloween.  Well check that, I can believe it as the media requests for my "expertise" are beginning to reach the overwhelming point.  It is always frustrating that we are all ignored for 11.5 months a year, and then October 15 comes and everyone starts clamoring for our attention.  Even though I know it happens every year and I plan for it, it still irks me a bit.

Just a reminder that I talk about horror all year long right here. But I digress...

Today, I am honored to offer you an award winning author who is just at the start of his promising career--Benjamin Kane Ethridge.  His novel Black and Orange won the 2010 Bram Stoker Award for best debut novel.  He has since published, Bottled Abyss (June, 2012), which I will review on Saturday, and is due to have a new work, Dungeon Brain, come out at the end of this month.

I asked Ethridge to tell me why he writes dark fiction.  He has shared an honest story of his process from evolving from the writer he thought he was going to be to the one he was actually meant to become. And good thing for us readers that he allowed his darkness to shine through.

Read on and look for a review of Bottled Abyss this weekend.

Why I write Fantasy o’ Dark

By Benjamin Kane Ethridge

It happened much like a well-performed magic trick occurs. That is, I never saw it coming, never saw which hand manipulated what and created such a surprising outcome. When I started out, I only desired to write fantasy and science fiction. I enjoyed horror immensely but that wasn’t what I was trying to do with my career. So I started submitting stories and receiving rejections. Submitted more, got rejected more. Submitted more, got an acceptance. Hold up though—this was fantasy, but it was pretty well grim subject material. I noted that and continued on. More submissions, more rejections, and then another acceptance. This one was straight up Horror. Unconsciously I think I wanted to replicate that first sale and it worked.


I got the picture and I’m sure you do now as well. My writing was most successful when I turned up that darkness dial. Thing was, I still wanted to write fantasy and science fiction, but all wasn’t lost because such a combination is completely viable nowadays. The dark fantasy writer, probably more than the dark science fiction writer, has that opportunity, but build a name and you can probably have it anyway you slice it.


So here I was, Benjamin Kane Ethridge, once open to everything speculative, but I’d not yet been defined. I’d become a Dark Fantasy writer. I have no shame in wearing the Horror badge or the Fantasy badge, but being called one or the other just isn’t at all honest. I write horrific, fantastical things, and that’s what I’ve become. For me this accident was like slipping and springing an oil well. It’s difficult to find your feet as a novice scribe; there is much to read and much to write about and therein lies a decision for every upstart writer. Building a brand means putting your marbles in a particular basket, at least during the audience building stage.


The easiest thing to say was that I didn’t choose Dark Fantasy, it chose me, but that isn’t accurate. I came to a conclusion based on my past successes and my own personal tastes for storytelling, which is how I ended up pulling free a scale-covered, fang-bearing rabbit from the magician’s hat. How cute! I think I’ll keep her.

Benjamin Kane Ethridge

Bram Stoker Award Winning Author of BLACK & ORANGE and BOTTLED ABYSS

www.bkethridge.com

31 Days of Horror: Day 13-- Review and Give-Away: Limbus, Inc

Time for a break in the guest posts for me to have 4 days of reviews on some horror books I think are worth your time.  I have a new book, an easily available backlist title, a graphic novel series and one old, out-of-print gem suggested to me by another, non-horror author all coming in that order.

So with that, let's begin with a promising new title in a shared world series by one of my favorite horror publishers (JournalStone), Limbus, Inc.  The set-up here is awesome.  From the publisher:

Are you laid off, downsized, undersized?

Call us. We employ. 1-800-555-0606

How lucky do you feel?

So reads the business card from LIMBUS, INC., a shadowy employment agency that operates at the edge of the normal world. LIMBUS's employees are just as suspicious and ephemeral as the motives of the company, if indeed it could be called a company in the ordinary sense of the word.

In this shared-world anthology, five heavy hitters from the dark worlds of horror, fantasy, and scifi pool their warped takes on the shadow organization that offers employment of the most unusual kind to those on the fringes of society.

One thing’s for sure – you’ll never think the same way again about the fine print on your next employment application!

Who are those five heavy hitters? Well three of them are HUGE; authors whose novels you should already have on your library shelves-- Jonathan Maberry, Benjamin Kane Ethridge and Brett J Talley [links to their mentions on this blog including reviews and guest posts].  The other two, I am less familiar with-- Joseph Nassise and Anne C. Petty who also edited the volume [links to Goodreads].

Think The Twilight Zone only with today's sensibilities.  The five tales here are more novellas than short stories.  They have meat on their own, but in the shared world, they take on even more depth. To add to the cohesion, their is a prologue and an epilogue tying it all together.

Each novella could be its own story, but it is the shared world idea that will draw you in or not.  Limbus is a shadowy company.  They look for people down on their luck and match them to the perfect job for them.  These jobs are unique and can entail you traveling all over the globe, even through time and space, and their is no guarantee that you will make it through alive or if you live that you will ever be employed by them again.  There is some seriously deadly fine print here.

I don't want to give away the plots of each tale at all because I really did enjoy each story for different reasons.  If I had to pick a favorite, I would go with Maberry's "Strip Search," but that is because I love the way he writes. Although Ethridge's laid off Salughterhouse worker led tale is pretty darn awesome.

Although this collection is a true sf/fantasy/horror hybrid, the horror elements shine the brightest.  An uneasy atmosphere abounds here and there are some gory scenes. Limbus, Inc. is a must read for fans of today's horror filled with high tension, and some, but not gratuitous, blood and guts.

Since we are dealing with novellas, the writing is tight.  This is not a book that will waste your time.  It flies by but without sacrificing the chills or the character development. And the shared world is very believable, allowing the entire collection to have a feel of one complete novel.

If you are looking for a fast, satisfying read that seamlessly blends the best of old horror with what is so exciting about today's crop of talented scare-meisters, grab a copy of Limbus, Inc. I was happy to see that this book is getting universal praise from readers, especially those who don't normally read horror or story collections.

JournalStone is promising more Limbus tales to come.  I hope so.

GIVEAWAY ALERT: I have an ARC from the publisher, featuring the limited edition cover art [pictured below] to give away.  Email me at zombiegrl75[at]gmail[dot]com to enter.  I will take entries through Noon on 10/18 to select a random winner.  No need to send me mailing info at this time.

This is the ARC cover

Three Words That Describe This Book: shared world anthology, original, high tension

Readalikes: If you really like one of the pieces, run out and read more by that author. I included links to more of their works up near the top of this review.

I recently finished volumes 1 and 2 of the sf/fsy graphic novel Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples.  In that series, there is an agency that is very similar to Limbus that sends out agents to do dangerous, inter-planetary jobs. 

If you want to read more recent story releases, I have also ordered Four Summoner's Tales for the BPL which while not a shared world, is similar.  Here is the set up:

Four bestselling authors. One hellraising premise.

What if the dead could be summoned from their graves—for a price? What if a quartet of distinctive storytellers took a stab at this deceptively simple idea—on a dare? The answers lie here, in Four Summoner’s Tales, as these acclaimed writers accept the challenge and rise to the occasion—in four brilliantly chilling ways. It’s all in the execution. . .

Here the authors are Kelley Armstrong, David Liss, Christopher Golden and Jonathan Maberry.  I have not read it yet (it is checked out at my library), but I am hearing people say they like it.

Again, I think with both Four Summoner's Tales and Limbus, Inc. the biggest appeal factors are if you are a fan of one of these authors and/or the shared story ideas.  So, for more readalike suggestions, start with a full novel by your favorite author from the collection and move out from there.

Back tomorrow with a YA backlist title to review.

31 Days of Horror: Day 20--Review of Bottled Abyss

On Thursday, I had this guest post by horror up an comer Benjamin Kane Etheridge.  After winning the Bram Stoker Award for his debut novel, he came back earlier this year with his Sophomore effort, Bottled Abyss.

Talk about an uneasy opening, one of the two main characters threatens to kill herself in the first paragraph.  Things are not going well in this home.  But that is okay because we are reading a horror novel, and setting up the anxiety from the first lines it what the best writers do.

So how bad is it here? Well, Bottled Abyss opens with Herman and Janet Erikson who are barely hanging on after the tragic death of their daughter due to a hit and run.  They have both given up, on each other, on life, on everything. But then, Herman goes into the woods to look for their missing dog and finds a stranger who has a bottle with a liquid that can bring things back to life.  Herman and Janet get obsessed with this bottle and, Janet in particular, wants to use the powerful liquid to hurt those responsible for their daughter's death.

Turns out the liquid is from the River Styx which according to Greek myth marked the line between the world of the living and the dead.

Bottled Abyss is more of a literary horror novel than an action oriented one.  The menacing atmosphere is intense and never lets up.  It simply goes from bad to worse.  This dark atmosphere is tempered a bit though by the lyrical writing. The lyrical language underscores the mythology frame well. But the sense of dread is unrelenting which is something horror fans pine for.

The point of view shifts frequently, but the shifts are marked with a skull graphic so following these changes in perspective are easy for the reader.  This shifting narrative also speeds up the story.

It is character development that is king here.  Personally, I prefer that in all of my leisure reading, so I was happy.  But depending on the reader's personal tastes, this could be a problem.  Just don't expect big chase scenes here.  The tension comes from watching the characters make bad decisions and then watching the consequences unfold.

Ethridge's storyline for Janet is the most interesting here.  In fact, she is one of the better horror protagonists I have read in a while.  She is seriously flawed but fascinating to watch.  Unlike a book like The Donors (reviewed here on Day 11) where the good guys are white knights, Janet is a mess.  Her storyline is complex, psychological, and constantly shifting.  I never want to meet her, but I really liked watching her.

The Greek myth angle introduces a unique evil element. Our monsters are ancient gods who hold a dangerous power in the water from the River Styx.  They are not benevolent gods either.

This is a horror story for fans of intense psychological drama.  It is also a great option for people who are bored of the boil plate storyline.  Anything can and will happen here, and the ending is perfect--uneasy, upsetting, unsettling, and unresolved.

Ethridge has proven that he is a writer to keep an eye on.  This book is both beautiful and disturbing, an uneasy combination that works perfectly.  This is a second great novel in a row for a horror author I will put on the must buy list for our library.

Three Words That Describe This Book: psychological, character centered, tense

Readalikes:  Another book that is getting a lot of attention this season for being "literary horror" is Victor LaValle's Devil in Silver.  As I said about that book in Library Journal:

"...might be described as Ken Kensey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest meets Frank Peretti's Monster.  Unjustly committed to a mental hospital, Pepper quickly realizes that not only are the inmates more sane than the staff, but that an animal-headed monster is killing the patients at night.  Character is king here as the action comes in quick spurts between Pepper's interactions with others and his internal struggles..." 

Janet also reminded me a lot of Ig from Joe Hill's Horns.  In fact, the flow and appeal of these two novels is very similar.  And both involved the death of a loved one.  Click here for my review. Horns is one of my all-time favorite horror novels because of Ig.  Janet is similarly as fascinating.

For a non-horror suggestion, Bottled Abyss also reminded me of Gillian Flynn's Dark Places.  Again we are dealing with characters who make terrible choices, and as readers we just sit there watching everything go from bad to worse, to unthinkable.  The storyline also involves death of family members.  Click here for my full review of that psychological suspense novel for more details.

*Full disclosure: Etheridge sent me a free copy of this novel for my library.

Bram Stoker Awards Final Ballot

This happened a few days ago, but I keep forgetting to post it.

The final ballot is out for the Bram Stoker Awards and friends of the blog Benjamin Kane Ethridge, Joe McKinney (in many categories), Rocky Wood, Lisa Morton, and John Everson all made the cut!

Click here for the full slate of nominees.

And click here to see how you can use awards lists as a Readers Advisory tool.

Stoker Awards Announced Last Night

Congrats to all of the winners...

HWA Announces 2010 Bram Stoker Award Winners

Superior Achievement in a NOVEL

A DARK MATTER by Peter Straub

Superior Achievement in a First Novel (tie)

BLACK AND ORANGE by Benjamin Kane Ethridge
CASTLE OF LOS ANGELES by Lisa Morton

Superior Achievement in Long Fiction

INVISIBLE FENCES by Norman Prentiss

Superior Achievement in Short Fiction

THE FOLDING MAN by Joe R. Lansdale

Superior Achievement in an Anthology

HAUNTED LEGENDS edited by Ellen Datlow and Nick Mamatas

Superior Achievement in a Collection

FULL DARK, NO STARS by Stephen King

Superior Achievement in Nonfiction

TO EACH THEIR DARKNESS by Gary A. Braunbeck

Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection

DARK MATTERS by Bruce Boston

HWA 2010 SPECIALTY PRESS AWARD GOES TO DARK REGIONS PRESS

ANGEL LEIGH McCOY AWARDED 2010 SILVER HAMMER AWARD

MICHAEL COLANGELO AWARDED 2010 RICHARD LAYMON AWARD

31 Days of Horror-- Day 10: My Love of Horror: A Guest Post by Author Jeffrey Wilson

Today's guest post comes from horror author Jeffrey Wilson:

Jeffrey Wilson has worked as an actor, a firefighter, a paramedic, a jet pilot, a diving instructor, a Naval Officer, and a Vascular and Trauma Surgeon. He also served two tours in Iraq as a combat surgeon with both the Marines and with a Joint Special Operations Task Force. In addition to his debut novel, The Traiteur’s Ring, which was released in 2011, Wilson has written dozens of short stories, including “Calling Home,” which was published in BuzzyMag and “The Writer,” which was included in the Warped Words 2011:  90 Minutes to Live anthology. Jeffrey and his wife, Wendy, are Virginia natives who, with children Emma, Jack, and Connor, call Southwest Florida home.

Wilson's latest novel, The Donors is garnering rave reviews.  You can click here to see for yourself.  In fact, Barnes and Nobel recently agreed to carry the novel in its physical stores.  This is big news for small press, paperback horror in general as well as a huge endorsement of Wilson's novel.  We will hear more from Wilson's publisher, Journal Stone a bit later in the month.  But for now, Wilson shared the attached guest post where he writes about why he loves horror as a writer and a reader.

I will be back tomorrow with my review of The Donors.

****************************************************************

My Love of Horror By Jeffrey Wilson Author of THE DONORS And THE TRAITEUR’S RING

Write what you know and love, or so the saying goes. As a reader, I grew up with a love of great horror stories and that most assuredly affected who I became as a writer. I devoured books by King, and Koontz, and Straub. As a kid, I scared myself to death reading Edgar Allan Poe by flashlight when I was supposed to be sleeping. More recently I am a fan of Joe Hill and Benjamin Kane Ethridge, of Brett J. Talley and Joe Nassise. I have read other genres and still do-- I like science and politically based thrillers-- but my real love is horror, especially supernatural horror (I am not a fan of slasher type horror) or chilling psychological thriller type Horror.

Like most Horror readers, I enjoy the thrill ride of a chilling tale. I genuinely love the adrenaline rush of being scared. Horror stories are like a rollercoaster ride and to an extent, horror readers are thrill seekers. You know that nothing bad will actually happen to you on that rollercoaster, but man, the terror of the two hundred foot drop is still a rush. Also like a great roller coaster, a great horror story will hurl you screaming down that drop, and then take you through some gentle turns and climb you back up the next hill, letting you recover a bit before hurling you down again. So, most definitely I enjoy the scare, but it is way more than that for me. I believe that Horror stories allow readers to experience characters’ lives in a way that no other genre really can. And it is the character driven stories that I am drawn to. My list of authors probably makes that pretty clear.

What I want in my fiction is a story that brings the characters alive in ways that make them so real that I feel at the end as if I have known them my whole life. Stephen King’s incredible imagination and the amazing situations he writes about make his stories good, but it is his character development that makes them great. I have often joked to friends that King could write a five hundred page book about a guy reading the phone book, and I would probably enjoy it, because only King and a handful of others could make that yellow page skimming dude so real that he might be sitting next to me. I want that same character rather than plot driven style in my other fiction genres, too, but it seems easier to achieve in Horror. Why is that?

We see the most in real people when they are at their most vulnerable, I think. I have had enough life experience to know that to be true. The macho guy at the gym reveals less about himself doing another set of curls then he does when gun fire at the grocery store leads him to trample over a little old lady on his way out the door, screaming like a little girl. The quiet girl from the library, steps in front of the escaped tiger and is mauled to death, because she couldn’t help butsave the four year old frozen in fear in the animal’s path. You see what I mean? Extreme situations reveal things about people that they probably don’t even know about themselves. Horror stories, whether supernatural like King or based on the horrifying side of man like Richard Godwin and Thomas Harris, put ordinary people in extraordinary situations and let us see the core of those people and their relationships. It is revealed in their actions, their dialogue, and their inner narrative and it shows who they are and who they become as they respond to the situations the writer puts them in. Read the older, original Robert Ludlum books and you see the same thing. Ludlum was a master at writing ordinary people into his thrillers and would surprise both the character and the reader in the way those people, driven by survival instinct, find abilities in themselves that allow them to overcome. So it is enjoyable to see this inner core of the characters revealed in other genres, but in horror, and most especially horror with supernatural elements, it is important for another reason.

In Bag of Bones, King showed us a character we liked and then showed us his very soul in the grief after the loss of his wife. We know how much he loved her and we felt his loss deeply, because King made him so real. Then he introduces uncomfortable questions about secrets she may have had, and we again feel the fear and pain right along King’s protagonist as he re-evaluates their love, their marriage, and his life with her. And so he becomes more real still. Now that the character is at least as real as the guy who sits beside us at work, King takes us on a terrifying journey with him, introducing horror elements of ghosts and unresolved murders, all the while building the human side of his character as we learn more about him and his dead wife and as he finds new enemies and allies they add another layer to the story. We can’t help but believe in the horror elements, because we already believe so much in the characters. The realism of the characters and the story makes the horror elements intensely more frightening-- after all, it is happening now to people we know!

If a horror story jumps right in from page one with some way out premise of lizard-like creatures who exist in two parallel worlds, but in our world they use healthcare workers by controlling their desires so they will harvest organs from living donors, literally torturing them to death so the lizard men can feed on the fear and pain-- well, that plot seems so beyond reality that most readers will have a hard time diving in with fully opened minds. But if the book starts with compelling characters who over the first few chapters become very real, and more importantly are characters the reader is drawn to empathetically (which makes them still more real), then when the supernatural part of the tale evolves the reader accepts the fantastic elements much more readily. Make the main character a bright and loving five year old, recovering from injuries that pull at your heartstrings. Make him brave and wise beyond his years and give him a child-like innocence that we all see in our own kids, but with the brave heart of the righteous people we want our kids to become. Dare the reader not to love that little kid. Now he is real. And if the characters have come to life, then the things that happen to them, no matter how out there, must be real-- because the little boy the writer made us fall in love with is by now very real, after all. Now we not only accept the crazy lizard-men story, because to not do so means we can no longer believe in the little boy, but we have a real emotional response to them-- not just for the strange and terrifying things they are doing, but because they are scaring the little boy we now care about so much. We hate those damn lizard men, and we want our little hero to be safe.

As a reader, that is what I love about horror. I love the way those stories can make the characters so real and emotional for us. As a writer, I find bringing the characters to life the biggest challenge, but once you do, it makes selling your crazy imagination, your stories of demons and supernatural powers, of ghosts and evil forces, so much easier to sell to your reader. I love writing horror, because once you build those characters you can unleash your imagination without limits. The mystery writer has to make the story and the plot believable. I have only to make my characters come alive and I can write the most unbelievable plots with authority and realism. It allows me to unchain myself from convention and history and reality and I become limited only by my ability to push my imagination to new limits.

So, as a writer, I find a real freedom in horror fiction. I have tried my hand before at more traditional genres, but there is always this nagging little voice in my head whispering questions like “That’s cool, but what if the hero is already dead, but just doesn’t know it?” or “wouldn’t it be cool if that Navy SEAL could actually kill with a single thought or heal his team mates with just a touch? How neat would that be?” Those whispers unleash my imagination and allow me to create things that are new and fresh—and, to me at least, way more exciting. They let me build worlds that challenge my characters in terrifying ways and my reader’s ability to hear those whispers with me.

And of course, if I do my job well, it gives us all one hell of a thrilling ride.

Bram Stoker Preliminary Ballot

The preliminary ballot came out for the Bram Stokers and many of the books I reviewed and the authors who joined me here on the blog were honored for their great work.

Click here for the full preliminary ballot.

But here is the list (with links) of books and authors who appeared on this blog.

• Ethridge, Benjamin Kane – Bottled Abyss (Redrum Horror) 
• Everson, John – NightWhere (Samhain Publishing)
• Faherty, JG – Cemetery Club (JournalStone)  [Also click here for posts from the staff at JournalStone]
• Jordan, Lee F. – Coronation (Black Rose Writing) 
• McKinney, Joe – Inheritance (Evil Jester Press) 
• Wood, Rocky, and Lisa Morton – Witch Hunts: A Graphic History of the Burning Times (McFarland) [Please click on Wood's and Morton's names separately as each appeared on the blog in separate posts]
• Morton, Lisa – Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween (Reaktion Books)

Congrats to all of those on the prelim ballot, but a special good luck to these friends of RA for All: Horror.  I am happy to help you to spread your excellent contributions to horror literature and am honored that you took the time to talk to my readers.

31 Days of Horror: Day 21-- Horror Links Round Up 3

Here is another round of Horror Links from the past 10 days or so.

• Flavorwire had this "high brow" horror reading list.
• Flavorwire also had this essay positing why The Walking Dead is so darn popular.  I love when other people besides me talk about why something appeals to readers or viewers. 
• JournalStone published Parts 2 and 3 of the Hallmarks of Horror.  Part 2 is isolation.  Part 3 is language.  I had previously linked to part 1, location.
• Check out this zombie preparation infographic.
• Criminal Element had this report from New York Comic Con's Walking Dead panel.
• The Evil Dead film is being remade.  io9 had reports here and here.
• GalleyCat is interviewing horror authors this Halloween season.  Here is their interview with Jonathan Maberry.
• From io9 here, Anne Rice confirms that Louis and Lestat are a same sex couple, but we all sorta knew that already.
• Literary costume ideas for Halloween.
• Finally, Benjamin Kane Ethridge, friend of RA for All: Horror on "The Ten Movies That Should Always Haunt Your TV on Halloween."

Horror Readers' Advisory Book Update: Authors

When I first started this blog, I promised to use it as an update to my print book, and while everything I post technically adds to the value of the book, today's post is an actual update to the authors listed in Chapter 3: Horror 101: A Crash Course in Today's Tales of Terror.

In that chapter I break up today's need to know authors into a few categories. One of those categories is "Pulps Kings." These are horror authors publishing original paperback fiction whose books I feel every library with a known horror readership should own. In other words, these should be your go-to pulp horror authors.

The book lists: Brian Keene, Nate Kenyon, John Everson, Gary Braunbeck, Robert Dunbar, and Jeff Strand.  To this list I am updating with the following authors and descriptions.


J. G. Faherty writes character driven horror which often has an ancient evil setting and incorporates teenaged protagonists.  He often uses a mix of supernatural occurrences and beings to ratchet up the fear and his use of gore is moderate.  Of the better known authors, I would compare him to Peter Straub. Try Cemetery Club which  begins with 4 friends awakening an ancient evil that they contain but don’t defeat and then flashes forward 20 years when the friends need to reunite for a final showdown.

Gregory Lamberson walks the line between horror and not quite horror, but there is no denying his popularity with horror fan because his Jake Helman Files series is scary as heck. Jake resigns from the NYC police force and becomes a private detective specializing, by accident, in supernatural crimes.  These are gory and terrifying novels, but reviewers are constantly commenting on how imaginative and original the stories feel.  More horror than Huston’s Joe Pitt series, but still with a strong investigative element, Lamberson is an author to keep an eye on. Try the first book in the series, Personal Demons

Law enforcement officer Joe McKinney knows a thing or two about catching bad guys, but in his terrifying Dead World series, he imagines an evil much worse than a mere human criminal.  After five hurricanes in a row slam into the Texas Gulf coast, “from the rubble, a virus has been born that is reanimating the dead--thousands of them at a time!  Quickly, the virus spreads across the entire state of Texas, as hordes of hungry zombies begin taking over.  This is a terrifying and action packed series with a realistic premise.” The first book is Dead City.

Finally, I would like to add a list of newer authors, all who have been mentioned on RA for All: Horror previously, who are making enough of an impact that you should be on the look out for new titles by them. All links go to areas on this blog where the author was discussed and/or his book reviewed.

• Brett J. Talley
• Benjamin Kane Ethridge
• Lee Jordan
• Douglas Wynne
• Isaac Marion 

Now that my book is a year old, look for more frequent official updates to the print here on the blog.

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.

Bram Stoker Finalists Announced

Although I had seen the list already, I was waiting for the official press release to post it.  Good luck to all of the nominees.  It is a great bunch this year.

Horror Writers Association announces:

2010 Bram Stoker Award Nominees

Each year, the Horror Writers Association presents the Bram Stoker Awards for Superior Achievement in the field of horror writing, named in honor of Bram Stoker, author of the seminal horror work /Dracula./ Since 1987, the approximately 500 members of the HWA have recommended, nominated and voted on the greatest works of horror and dark fantasy of the previous calendar year, making the Stokers the most prestigious award in the field of horror literature.

Currently the awards are presented in eight categories: Novel, First Novel, Long Fiction, Short Fiction, Fiction Collection, Anthology, Non-fiction, and Poetry Collection The organization's Active members will select the winners from this ballot, and the awards will be presented this year at a gala banquet as part of HWA’s Stoker Weekend, held June 16-19, 2011 in Long Island.

This year’s nominees in each category are:


SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN A NOVEL

HORNS by Joe Hill (William Morrow)
ROT AND RUIN by Jonathan Maberry (Simon & Schuster)
DEAD LOVE by Linda Watanabe McFerrin (Stone Bridge Press)
APOCALYPSE OF THE DEAD by Joe McKinney (Pinnacle)
DWELLER by Jeff Strand (Leisure/Dark Regions Press)
A DARK MATTER by Peter Straub (Doubleday)


SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN A FIRST NOVEL

BLACK AND ORANGE by Benjamin Kane Ethridge (Bad Moon Books)
A BOOK OF TONGUES by Gemma Files (Chizine Publications)
THE CASTLE OF LOS ANGELES by Lisa Morton (Gray Friar Press)
SPELLBENT by Lucy Snyder (Del Rey)


SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN LONG FICTION*

THE PAINTED DARKNESS by Brian James Freeman (Cemetery Dance)
DISSOLUTION by Lisa Mannetti (/Deathwatch/)
MONSTERS AMONG US by Kirstyn McDermott (Macabre: A Journey through Australia’s Darkest Fears/)
THE SAMHANACH by Lisa Morton (Bad Moon Books)
INVISIBLE FENCES by Norman Prentiss (Cemetery Dance)


SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN SHORT FICTION

RETURN TO MARIABRONN by Gary Braunbeck (/Haunted Legends/)
THE FOLDING MAN by Joe R Lansdale (/Haunted Legends/)
1925: A FALL RIVER HALLOWEEN by Lisa Mannetti (/Shroud Magazine/ #10)
IN THE MIDDLE OF POPLAR STREET by Nate Southard (/Dead Set: A Zombie Anthology/)
FINAL DRAFT by Mark W. Worthen (/Horror Library IV/)

SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN FICTION COLLECTION

OCCULTATION by Laird Barron (Night Shade Books)
BLOOD AND GRISTLE by Michael Louis Calvillo (Bad Moon Books)
THE ONES THAT GOT AWAY by Stephen Graham Jones (Prime Books)
FULL DARK, NO STARS by Stephen King (Simon and Schuster)
A HOST OF SHADOWS by Harry Shannon (Dark Regions Press)

SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN ANTHOLOGY (EDITING)

DARK FAITH edited by Maurice Broaddus and Jerry Gordon (Apex Publications)
HORROR LIBRARY IV edited by R.J. Cavender and Boyd E. Harris (Cutting Block Press)
MACABRE: A JOURNEY THROUGH AUSTRALIA’S DARKEST FEARS* edited by Angela Challis and Marty Young (Brimstone Press)
HAUNTED LEGENDS edited by Ellen Datlow and Nick Mamatas (Tor)
THE NEW DEAD edited by Christopher Golden (St. Martin's Griffin)

SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN NONFICTION

TO EACH THEIR DARKNESS by Gary A. Braunbeck (Apex Publications)
THE CONSPIRACY AGAINST THE HUMAN RACE by Thomas Ligotti (Hippocampus Press)
WANTED UNDEAD OR ALIVE by Jonathan Maberry and Janice Gable Bashman (Citadel)
LISTEN TO THE ECHOES: THE RAY BRADBURY INTERVIEWS by Sam Weller (Melville House Publications)

SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN POETRY COLLECTION

DARK MATTERS by Bruce Boston (Bad Moon Books)
WILD HUNT OF THE STARS by Ann K. Schwader (Sam's Dot)
DIARY OF A GENTLEMAN DIABOLIST by Robin Spriggs (Anomalous Books)
VICIOUS ROMANTIC by Wrath James White (Needfire Poetry)

31 Days of Horror Day 3-- Revamped and More Useful Review Index

This first week of October I am focusing the blog-a-thon on how to get the most out of me and my expertise now and all the year through.

Today I am focusing on my long standing and constantly updated Review Index which I have made even more useful. Here is the direct link to the NEW AND IMPROVED Horror Review Index, but I have also attached it below.

There is nothing more important for me to do than make sure you know about as many books as possible. Over the years I have heard from library workers, readers, and authors that my professional reviews, in official library journals, have gotten those titles on library shelves. I have seen data that shows that before I reviewed a book it was in 10 libraries nationwide and then after my review.... 50 the first month after, and hundreds more a few months out.

I am not writing this to brag, not at all. In fact, I am writing this to let you know I wish I could give you more options, but I am only 1 person and reviewing horror is only part of my job. I already do 3-6 titles a month. However, I can give you more official and professional options for reviews both to develop your collections AND to give you as many suggestion options at your fingers tips as I possibly can.

That is what I have done with the Horror Review Index. Today’s post is to remind you to use it to find suggestions and to let you know I have made it even more useful by quickly routing you to many more titles by reviewers I trust. They have the Becky seal of approval.

Now get out there and start suggesting scary reads. It’s October 3rd already. I know they are just beginning to shamble in.  Soon, the hordes will be descending. I’ve got your back though.

HORROR REVIEW INDEX:

Here is an author index to all of the reviews appearing on this blog (or before this blog began on RA for All) with the links leading you to the review itself.

But, because I am only 1 person, and I cannot possibly get to every book that could be a good fit for your patrons, I also offer the following links to Becky approved horror reviews:

• This Is Horror’s review archive: This British based site is the best regular review source for horror. Sometimes their titles overlap with mine, but because all they do is horror, they are able to get to many more than I can.
• Tor.Com’s Horror coverage contains many reviews and not just about books they have published. This link will also lead you to essays about horror, essays that also will give you more titles to suggest.
• LitReactor’s Bookshots reviews are amazing, and while they are not all horror per se, they are almost all titles with an oppressive atmosphere. Most of the reviews here are horror or horror -adjacent. But these reviews are also super useful to you, the library worker because they directly address who the title is best for by using a question and answer form. You can literally read the review to your patron in 2 minutes or less and decide together if it is a good choice. Bookshots are also a great conversation starter if you don’t know how to talk to your horror patrons. Try it out for yourself.

Between this index of my reviews [below] and the links to the others [above], you have thousands of choices of excellent terrifying reads for your patrons. No more excuses that you just don’t know what to suggest. I have given you plenty of options for every type of potential reader.

And remember, it doesn’t matter how old the book is. A great title from 5 years ago is still a good read for someone. Dig through the backlist. Here’s an example.

BECKY’S REVIEWS

• Adams, John Joseph and Douglas Cohen, eds. What the #@&% is That?: The Saga Anthology of the Monstrous and the Macabre (2016)
• Anderson, Kevin J.  Death Warmed Over (2012)
• Baker, Jacqueline.  The Broken Hours: A Novel of H.P. Lovecraft (2016)
• Barker, Clive. Scarlet Gospels (2015) [guest post by Jack Phoenix]
• Barlow, Toby. Sharp Teeth (2008) ed note: scroll to middle of post for review 
• Barron, Laird. Swift to Chase (2016)
• Bell, Alden. The Reapers Are the Angels (2010) 
• Boone, Ezekiel.  Skitter (2017)
• Brogden, James.  Hekla's Children (2017)
• Browne, S. G. Breathers: A Zombie's Lament (2009) 
• Browne, S.G.  I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Claus (2012)
• Burke, Kealan Patrick.  Kin (2012)
• Chesterton, R.B.  The Darkling (2013)
• Chizmar, Richard.  A Long December (2016)
• Colon, Christopher, ed. He is Legend: An Anthology Celebrating Richard Matheson (2009)
• Cronin, Justin.  The City of Mirrors (2016)
• Cronin, Justin. The Passage (2010)
• Cutter, Nick.  Little Heaven (2016)
• Cutter, Nick.  The Troop (2014)
• Davidson, Andy.  In the Valley of the Sun (2017)
• Datlow, Ellen, ed. Black Feathers: Dark Avian Fiction (2017)
• Datlow, Ellen, ed.  Nightmares: A New Decade of Modern Horror (2016)
• Datlow, Ellen and Lisa Morton, eds. Haunted Nights (2017)
• Deady, Tom.  Haven (2016)
• Donohue, Keith.  The Motion of Puppets (2016)
• Dunbar, Robert.  Wood (2012) 
• Duncan, Glen.  The Last Werewolf (2011) 
• Ethridge, Benjamin Kane.  Bottled Abyss (2012)
• Everson, John.  NightWhere (2012)
• Faherty, JG.  Ghosts of Coronado Bay (2011)
• Farris, John. High Bloods (2009)
• Ford, Jeffrey. A Natural History of Hell (2016)
• Forry, Lauren.  Abigale Hall (2017)
• French, Aaron, ed. The Gods of HP Lovecraft (2015)
• French, Aaron.  The Time Eater (2017)
• Gaiman, Neil. The Graveyard Book (2008)
• Garza, Michelle and Melissa Lason.  Those Who Follow (2017)
• Girard, Geoffrey.  Mary Rose (2017)
• Girard, Geoffrey.  Project Cain (2013)
• Golden, Christopher.  Ararat (2017)
• Grant, Mira.  Blackout: Newsflesh Trilogy Book 3 (2012) 
• Grant, Mira.  Deadline: Newsflesh Trilogy Book 2 (2011)
• Grant, Mira. Feed: Newsflesh Trilogy Book 1 (2010) 
• Gout, Leopoldo. Ghost Radio (2008)
• Hill, Joe. Horns (2010) 
• Hill, Joe. The Fireman (2016)
• Hill, Joe. Strange Weather (2017)
• Hill Joe, and Gabriel Rodriguez. Locke and Key: Welcome to Lovecraft (2008) 
• Hill, Joe and Gabriel Rodriguez. Locke and Key: Head Games (2009)
• Hill, Joe and Gabriel Rodriguez. Locke and Key: Crown of Shadows (2010) 
• Hill, Joe and Gabriel Rodriguez.  Locke and Key: Keys to the Kingdom (2011) 
• Hill Joe and Gabriel Rodriguez.  Locke and Key: Clockworks (2012)
• Hill, Joe.  NOS4A2 (2013)
• James, Russell. Q Island (2015)
• Janz, Jonathan.  Children of the Dark (2016)
• Jodan, Lee F.  Coronation (2012)
• Keene, Brian. Castaways (2009)
• Keene, Brian.  Pressure (2016)
• Kenyon, Nate. The Bone Factory (2009) 
• Kenyon, Nate. Sparrow Rock (2010) 
• King, Stephen.  Doctor Sleep (2013)
• King, Stephen.  Full Dark, No Stars (2010) 
• King, Stephen.  Joyland (2013)
• King, Stephen and Richard Chizmar. Gwendy's Button Box (2017)
• Klinger, Leslie S. The New Annotated Frankenstein (2017)
• Kozeniewski, Stephen.  Hematophages (2017)
• Kraus, Daniel.  Rotters (2011)
• Lansdale, John L.  Zombie Gold (2016)
• Littlewood, Alison.  A Cold Season (2013)
• Limbus Inc. (2013)
• Lukavics, Amy.  The Women in the Walls (2016)
• Maberry, Jonathan.  Dead of Night (2011)
• Maberry, Jonathan. Ghost Road Blues (2006) ed note: scroll to bottom of post for review
• Maberry, Jonathan. Patient Zero (2009) ed note: scroll to bottom of post for review 
• Maberry, Jonathan.  Rot and Ruin (2010)
• Maberry, Jonathan and George A. Romero.  Nights of the Living Dead (2017)
• MacLeod, Bracken.  Come to Dust (2017)
• Malerman, Josh.  Bird Box (2014) 
• Mamatas, Nick.  I Am Providence (2016)
• Manderino, John.  But You Scared Me The Most (2016)
• Marion, Isaac. The Burning World (2016)
• Marion, Isaac.  Warm Bodies (2011)
• Masello, Robert. Blood and Ice (2009) 
• Masterton, Graham. Basilisk (2009)
• Masterton, Graham.  The Devils of D-Day (1978)
• McCammon, Robert.  The Last Train From Perdition (2016)
• Merbeth, K.S. Bite (2016)
• Mitchell, David.  Slade House (2015)
• Morris, Keith Lee.  Travelers Rest (2016)
• Morton, Lisa.  Netherworld (2014)
• Oates, Joyce Carol. The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror (2016)
• Ohno, Nuzo. The Sleepless (2016)
• Owen, Lauren.  The Quick (2014)
• Percy, Benjamin.  The Dark Net (2017)
• Percy, Benjamin.  Red Moon (2013)
• Pessl, Marisha.  Night Film (2013)
• Phoenix, Jack.  The Tormentors (2013)
• Rawlik, Pete.  Reanimatrix (2016)
• Rector, Jeani.  What Fears Become: An Anthology From the Horror Zine (2011)
• Roux, Madeleine.  Allison Hewitt is Trapped (2011)
• Seeley, Tim and Mike Norton. Revival Vol 1 (2013)
• Seeley, Tim and Mike Norton.  Revival Vol 2 (2013)
• Silverberg, Robert, ed. This Way to the End Times: Classic Tales of the Apocalypse (2016)
• Snyder, Scott, Stephen King and Rafael Albuquereque.  American Vampire (2010)
• Snyder, Scott.  American Vampire 2 (2011)
• Sokoloff, Alexandra. The Unseen (2009)
• Stratford, Sarah Jane. The Midnight Guardian (2009) 
• Trombetta, Jim.  The Horror! The Horror! (2010)
• Vandermeer, Jeff.  Annihilation (2014)
• Whitehead, Colson.  Zone One (2011)
• Wilson, F. Paul.  The Tomb (1998, edited reprint) 
• Wilson, Jeffrey.  The Donors (2012)
• Wilson, Jeffrey.  Fade to Black (2013)
• Wolff, Nicholas. The Binding (2016)
• Wynne, Douglas.  The Devil of Echo Lake (2012)
• Zeltserman, Dave.  The Caretaker of Lorne Field (2010)