Archive for Horror Organizations
Howe Resigns From BFS Committee
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The British Fantasy Society is currently embroiled in controversy regarding the administration of their 40-year-old British Fantasy Awards.
The awards were announced last week at FantasyCon in Brighton and have been drawing criticism since then, culminating in Sam Stone, the winner of the best novel award making an announced that she is returning the award.
The biggest attack on the awards was delivered by editor and anthologist Stephen Jones, who posted a lengthy blog decrying the organization of the BFAs and making several allegations against awards co-ordinator and British Fantasy Society chairman David Howe.
Jones said the awards were weighted towards the small presses rather than “mainstream” publishing, and said: “To put it bluntly, this year’s results made a mockery of the British Fantasy Award and everything it has always stood for. Even if you ignore the embarrassing ceremony and clichéd platitudes, few of these awards actually reflected genuine quality or what is happening in mainstream genre publishing today.”
Jones drew attention to the fact that several awards were given to books published by an imprint called Telos – which is co-run by the coordinator of the BFAs, David Howe. Jones said: “Without any proof, I’m not accusing anybody of doing anything underhand. But there is certainly a strong case for the BFS chairman to have removed himself from the entire process once it became apparent how many of his own titles and those of his partner were on the initial nomination list.”
Howe’s partner is Sam Stone, who won the August Derleth award for best novel for Demon Dance, published by speculative fiction publisher Murky Depths. Stone – the first woman to win the award since Tanith Lee in 1980 – responded to the furore yesterday on her own blog, saying that while the FantasyCon weekend was “one of the proudest moments of my life”, she was giving back the award.
Now, following the allegations concerning the administration of the British Fantasy Awards, David Howe has resigned from his position on the British Fantasy Society despite exoneration of any wrong-doing from the organization. Ramsey Campbell, the President of the organization, notes that Howe had stepped up to procure the awards, but had nothing to do with the nominations or tabulations of results and has thanked Howe for his service, particularly regarding the past year.
Official BFS Statement Concerning Awards
Following the recent public allegations made regarding this year’s British Fantasy Awards, The British Fantasy Society Committee would like to state for the record that it is our firm belief that no corruption or wrongdoing took place during the administration of the British Fantasy Awards, and that in this respect all awards should still stand as presented. We confirm that the summation of the votes cast was performed electronically and once the results were checked they were confirmed and verified by another member of the committee.
As Chairman of the Society, David’s responsibilities made him duty bound to fill in for committee members if they were unable to perform their nominated tasks, and in this case he was forced to step in when the actual awards administrator was unable to continue due to personal issues. Having to organise the awards at short notice, and with no-one else on the Committee able to assist due to time constraints, David was obliged to organise everything connected with the presentation of the Awards.
David did not have any involvement with the nominations, short listing or the voting process, other than the with the awards administration (procuring the statuettes, plaques, etc) and we are happy that the voting/counting process was 100% accurate within the scope of the current rules. We therefore completely exonerate David from any wrongdoing in the administration of the 2011 Awards.
David has worked extremely hard for the society this past year and has, we believe, raised the profile of the BFS significantly with the changes he has instigated and the work he has put in. We are very sorry, therefore that this situation, and the words of members of the society aimed personally at David, have forced him into a position to tender his resignation. The Committee regretfully respects his decision to stand down.
There are several issues, notably the awards procedure, that need to be addressed going forward in order to maintain the integrity of the society. These measures are already being discussed and will be announced and implemented as soon as practicable.
Ramsey Campbell
President, British Fantasy Society
Statement to Members of the BFS from Graham Joyce
Following this week’s events I have agreed to take on the role Acting Chair until an Emergency General Meeting can be staged in December. It will be my responsibility to organise and service the EGM, where elections will be held for a new Chairperson ratified by the membership.
The Chairperson and new members of the committee will be elected at the EGM to fill the current vacancies.
A formal set of the Society’s accounts will be presented to the EGM.
Meanwhile I will charge the committee with a priority agenda, which will include overhauling the Awards system; identifying and recommending new committee members; ensuring that proper records of meetings, decisions and accounts are transparent to all members of the society; and seeking to enfranchise a wider “Fantasy” base for the Society.
The proposed Corby Fantasycon will not now go head and we are looking for an alternative for 2012. The situation at this moment is fluid and we will attempt to keep members informed.
Whatever has happened recently, we should remind ourselves that in a time of serious economic downturn we had in Brighton our best-ever supported convention with well over 500 members. That’s astonishing. It proves that there is growing support for the Society and an appreciation of all that it offers. There are a number of things we need to address but right now we are looking for people who want to roll up their sleeves to restore and develop the reputation of the Society in its 40th year.
The EGM will in all probability take place before the next London Open Night. We look to the membership to help and support us in going forward.
Graham Joyce
Acting Chair
HWA Launches Halloween Haunts
Posted by: | CommentsIn honor of horror’s favorite month, the Horror Writers Association has launched a special month-long blog schedule featuring work by many of its members.
They have a terrific line-up of posts, art, and some great prizes to run the entire month of October. Throughout the month, they’ll be giving away books and e-books, and on Halloween, they’ll be giving away a Nook e-reader preloaded with novels by HWA authors, courtesy of Christopher C. Payne and Journalstone Publishing.
The activities have already started, so you’re invited to drop by and check them out daily: HWA Halloween Haunts
First Thrills: High-Octane Stories From The Hottest Thriller Authors
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First Thrills is set to be released as a mass market paperback from Forge Books on May 24th. The anthology includes never-before-published stories by New York Times bestselling authors Lee Child, Stephen Coonts, Jeffrey Deaver, Heather Graham, Gregg Hurwitz, John Lescroart, John Lutz (with Lise E. Baker), Alex Kava (with Deb Carlin), Michael Palmer (with Daniel James Palmer), Karin Slaughter, and Wendi Corsi Staub. The anthology also serves as an introduction to a new generation of thriller authors, including Sean Michael Bailey, Ken Bruen, Ryan Brown, Bill Cameron, Rebecca Cantrell, Karen Dionne, JT Ellison, Theo Gangi, Rip Gerber, CJ Lyons, Grant McKenzie, Marc Paoletti, Cynthia Robinson, and Kelli Stanley.
All proceeds from the sales of First Thrills have been donated by the authors to support International Thriller Writers’ efforts to promote and elevate the thriller genre, and to maintain our no-dues policy for author members.
How You Can Help:
1. Two of the stories in First Thrills, “The Thief” by Gregg Hurwitz, and “Children’s Day” by Kelli Stanley are available for free on this page. Click on the link, then use the page’s “share” buttons to spread the news to your followers on Twitter and Facebook.
2. Ten copies of First Thrills are being given away on Goodreads. The contest runs through the end of the month. You can share the page, or paste the widget’s embed code (available here) on your blog or website.
3. Pre-order the book from your favorite online retailer or bookstore.
Remember – the contributors to this anthology don’t make a dime.
HWA Announces 2010 Stoker Nominees
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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)
Midnight Echo #5 Released
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The fifth edition of the Australian Horror Writers Association’s fiction and poetry magazine, Midnight Echo, showcases the diversity of horror and should cement the publication’s reputation as a genre leader, according to editor and new AHWA president Leigh Blackmore.
Leigh Blackmore, widely-published author, poet and anthology editor has revealed details about his edition, which was released for sale today and offered a glimpse of its promising future.
“There is no overall theme for the issue – the stories range over a wide gamut of horror themes and approaches,” Blackmore said.
“For issue five I concentrated on stories of psychological and supernatural horror, a bit of Cthulhu Mythos, some post-apocalyptic scenarios and anything that was well written enough to rivet my attention as a reader who has been absorbing horror for well over 45 years. As to standouts, that will vary with individual reader’s tastes, so I won’t try and sway them.”
“I wanted to build on what has come before (in previous issues), in terms of presenting a range of quality writing in the genre. That said, I applied some of my own preferences to selecting the stories, although I endeavoured to be even-handed about presenting stories ranging from the supernatural to the visceral.
“Horror is in many ways such a diverse genre that I wanted issue five to represent this diversity.”
Readers will notice an abundance of darkly delicious poems in issue five as well.
“In the shake-up due to space limitations there are now a few less of each genre, but it was deliberate on my part to include numerous weird and darkly fantastic poems as well as stories,” Blackmore said.
“As a horror poet myself, who also writes stories, I’m aware of the fantastic talent poetry out there, and think the AHWA should be supporting this often-overlooked aspect of the genre.
“We also have a graphic story in the issue which helps us support our claim that we promote horror in all media and manifestations.”
Blackmore received 150 submissions from authors across the globe for issue five and while he couldn’t publish all of them, he was overwhelmed by the plethora of talented scribes coming out of the shadows.
“The talent out there is very promising. Lots of new and emerging writers who still need to hone their craft, but many writers who are publishing widely and producing material that expands the genre’s boundaries in terms of quality and entertainment value,” Blackmore said.
The first edition of Midnight Echo was released in October 2008 and Leigh believes the publication has well and truly earned its place among the world’s best speculative fiction magazines.
“The magazine is definitely cementing its reputation, which I believe is in large part due to the high benchmark set by the magazines founders and early editors,” he said.
“There are also some big changes afoot for Midnight Echo. With issue five we are bringing printing onshore to Australia, which will enable better quality printing and distribution in this country.
“We also have some new distribution and promotional ideas which should improve our visibility – so watch this space for announcements!
“Putting out two issues a year is a realistic goal for us at present. Everyone donates their labour out of love of the genre, and I have to say that without the fantastic art team we have, and their many hours of toil, the Echo would not be nearly as attractive and well-packaged as it is.”
“When Midnight Echo becomes more financially viable, we might look at producing more than two issues per year, but that is still some way off.”
But as President, Blackmore wanted to assure readers and AHWA members that the Echo still had plenty of room to grow.
“We are going to do some bookstore and newsagent testing on sales. I hope to push the magazine more at local conventions, and make it available in other venues, as well as continuing to run our online shop and have international copies available via lulu.com to save on international postage.
“Midnight Echo is an important voice for new horror in Australia, and I believe the AHWA has the vision and commitment to seeing it continue for quite some time.
“It’s great that members of the Association can download copies of the PDF version absolutely free, and I hope that alone may encourage some people interested in horror to join the AHWA.
Midnight Echo #5 is on sale now at AU$S3.50 for PDF and AUS$11 (+$3 postage) for a printed copy. Log on to Australian Horror now to purchase your copy.
AHWA members receive a free PDF of the Echo or a print copy at a discounted price of $10 plus postage.
SFWA Places Dorchester on Probation
Posted by: | CommentsThe board of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) has placed Dorchester Publishing Co, Inc. on probation after an inquiry in which they asked their members with Dorchester contracts to make the organization aware of any improprieties involving payment or rights.
By vote of the board, Dorchester Publishing is on probation as a qualified Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America market for a period of one year from December 10, 2010 to December 10, 2011.
In this case, “probation” means that although Dorchester would remain on the official list of qualified SFWA markets, during the term of probation, fiction published by Dorchester may not be used to apply for membership until after the probation is completed.
If Dorchester successfully completes its one-year probation, fiction contracted during that term will be viewed as acceptable for qualification for SFWA membership. If it does not SFWA will remove it from the list of approved markets.
You can read the full SFWA statement online here: Dorchester on Probation
New Big Thrill Website
Posted by: | CommentsEach month, The Big Thrill, the newsletter and ezine of the International Thriller Writers,features dozens of original interviews with ITW members discussing their new releases. The new Big Thrill website includes all this, and more.
You’ll find a collection of video trailers. And whether you’re a fan or an author, you’ll want to join the Thriller Roundtable discussions, where each week a new group of authors discuss what inspires them, who their favorite hero characters are, what advice they’d offer the next generation of thriller authors, and more.
Week of November 1-7: What is the primary job of a thriller?
What’s the primary job of a thriller? Is it to provide entertainment and escapism, or is it something more? Post your thoughts in the comment trail, and join ITW members Linda Fairstein, Carla Neggers, Keith Raffel, Clea Simon, JT Ellison, Brett King, Chris Kuzneski, Andrew Peterson, Jonathan Maberry, Andrew Gross, Robert Dugoni and Mary Kennedy for this week’s Thriller Roundtable discussion!
Coming the week of November 8-14: Why do you read/write thrillers?
Why do you enjoy reading and writing thrillers? Is it the pace? The adrenaline rush? The gut-twisting danger? Join authors Jeff Sherratt, Joe Moore, Carla Buckley, Lorenzo Carcaterra, Mark Terry, Janice Bashman, Todd Ritter, and Caridad Pineiro for another thrilling Roundtable discussion!
It’s all free. Check it out: The Big Thrill
