Archive for Horror Organizations
Australia’s Pinnacle Horror Award
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The Australian Horror Writers Association (AHWA) is proud to announce its annual literary prize, the Australian Shadows Awards, is now open and seeking entries. This year, there is an important difference – the AHWA is offering a prize pool of $750 to the winners, making the Australian Shadows currently Australia’s richest genre fiction award.
The judges seek submissions in the following categories:
- Short Fiction (short stories up to 25,000 words)
- Long Fiction (novellas, novels, and single-author collections)
- Edited Publication (anthologies and magazine issues)
Works must be written or edited by Australians or New Zealanders, published in the 2010 calendar year, and have horror/dark fiction content either as a focal point or integral element.
Renowned horror literature critics Craig Bezant, Stephanie Gunn, and Jeff Ritchie comprise the preliminary judging panel, and authors Chuck McKenzie, Kaaron Warren, and Rocky Wood are the guest judges. The judges’ bios are listed on the Australian Shadows Awards website.
To arrange for work to be entered, contact Awards Director Shane Jiraiya Cummings via australianshadows@australianhorror.com. He will then supply the judges’ postal addresses and further information.
The Australian Horror Writers Association (AHWA) is the peak professional body for Australian authors of dark fiction (horror, dark fantasy, and paranormal fiction) and has more than 250 members. The AHWA was founded in 2003, and since its incorporation in 2005, the Association has implemented an annual short story competition, a mentorship programme, online forums and resources, news and article archives, the fiction magazine Midnight Echo, and the Australian Shadows Awards.
The Australian Shadows is an annual literary award presented by the AHWA and judged on the overall effect – the skill, delivery, and lasting resonance – of horror fiction written or edited by an Australian. A shortlist of works in the categories of Long Fiction, Edited Publication, and Short Fiction is decided by a panel of three judges and presented to a Guest Judge in each category, who then selects the winners.
Midnight Echo Issue #4 Released
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The fourth edition of the Australian Horror Writers Association’s fiction and poetry magazine, Midnight Echo, has just been released.
“It’s hard to pick out any (of the works) as highlights – after all, I chose them, so I love them all,” said Lee Battersby, award-winning author and anthology editor. “But I do think we end the issue with a stunning final image – hopefully people will walk away from the final story with that image stuck firmly, and disturbingly, in their frontal lobes.”
The edition features: Steven J, Stegbar, Don Norum, Dan Braum, Geoffrey Maloney & Andrew Baker, Jason Crowe, Chris Green, L.L. Hannett, Patty Jansen, Philip Roberts, Richard Barber, Graham Fielding, B.L. Hobson, Holly Day, Jenny Blackford and Jude Aquilina. The edition also boasts a plethora of dark artwork by some of the best in the business, including Justin Randall.
The first edition of Midnight Echo was released in October 2008 and has since published many well-known and first-time authors.
“A magazine is only good as its submissions, and I think the quality of submissions makes for a very good magazine indeed in this instance,” Battersby said. “And with such a large subscription list, which I believe is the largest of any Australian speculative fiction magazine, authors know that placing a story within the magazine means their work will be seen by a substantial number of readers.”
Midnight Echo #4 is on sale now at AU$S3.50 for PDF and AUS$13 for a printed copy. Visit Midnight Echo to purchase a copy. AHWA members receive a free PDF of the Echo or a print copy at a discounted price of $10 plus postage.
The Australian Horror Writers Association (AHWA) is the peak professional body for Australian authors of dark fiction (horror, dark fantasy, and paranormal fiction) and has more than 250 members. The AHWA was founded in 2003, and since its incorporation in 2005, the Association has implemented an annual short story competition, a mentorship program, online writers forums, news and article archives, the fiction magazine Midnight Echo, and The Australian Shadows Award.
HWA Announces Plans For Solo Events
Posted by: | CommentsAfter record attendance at its recent Stoker Weekend in Burbank this past June, the Horror Writers Association announced today that it would be hosting a stand-alone convention every other year, beginning with a partnership with World Horror Convention in Brighton, England, in 2010 and an East Coast solo event in 2011. Panels, author signings, pitch sessions with publishers, networking opportunities, and the annual Bram Stoker Awards Banquet are just a few of the popular convention features that will be on tap when the venerable HWA brings its yearly gathering to the eastern half of the United States -its first time since 2006.
On the decision to step out on its own, HWA President Deborah LeBlanc said, “Due to the overwhelming, positive response we received at this year’s Stoker Weekend, the HWA’s Board has decided to take yet another step towards the organization’s overall growth and development.”
LeBlanc went on to say that the organization’s “current plans are to hold a stand-alone Stoker event every other year, and for those events to occur on a rotating basis across North America from the West coast to the East coast, and in the Midwest. This every-other-year format is the perfect balance that will allow us to partner with other conventions, like WHC, in alternate years, while still maintaining individuality on par with HWA’s rising visibility and status in the publishing industry. It will also allow members from various parts of the country easier access to organizational gatherings, while keeping an open door with the World Horror Convention, which allows options for gatherings with international members.”
The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is a nonprofit organization of writers and publishing professionals around the world, dedicated to promoting dark literature and the interests of those who write it. HWA was formed in the late 1980′s with the help of many of the field’s greats, including Dean Koontz, Robert McCammon, and Joe Lansdale. Today, with over 400 members around the globe, it is the oldest and most respected professional organization for the much-loved writers who have brought the reading public the most enjoyable sleepless nights of their lives.
The Big Thrill
Posted by: | CommentsThe July issue of The Big Thrill, the International Thriller Writers online newsletter, is up and ready for your enjoyment. They’ve got 35 impossible-to-put-down novels from many of your favorite authors including Brad Thor, Karin Slaughter, John Gilstrap, and Heather Graham. And this month, author Jeremy Duns makes his debut with his new novel Free Agent.
You can catch it all at: The Big Thrill
Thriller 2: Stories You Just Can’t Put Down
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Thriller 2: Stories You Just Can’t Put Down, edited by Clive Cussler under the umbrella of the International Thriller Writers, is scheduled for release on June 9th, on the heels of the successful Thriller.
Featuring some of the top thriller writers in the world, including some household names (Phillip Margolin, Ridley Pearson) and some lesser-knowns (Javier Sierra, Harry Hunsicker), this anthology gathers together twenty-three stories. All contributors are members of the International Thriller Writers, the organization that came up with the concept for the series. From Jeffery Deaver’s tale of international terrorism to Lisa Jackson’s dysfunctional family in the California wine country to Ridley Pearson’s horrifying serial killer, this collection has something for everyone.
Thrillers are not an easy genre to define, as Cussler points out in his introduction, as they have more to do with pace than with plot. But we believe you’re bound to discover some “horrific” tales here.
Check it out for yourself: Thrillers 2
WHC Announces Special Guest Of Honor
Posted by: | CommentsWorld Horror Convention 2010 has announced that their very Special Guest of Honour is Britain’s most influential and successful horror writer of all time – James Herbert.
James Herbert created the modern mass-market horror genre with the publication of his first ground-breaking novel, The Rats, in 1974 (for the record, Stephen King’s Carrie was published a few months later). Since then he has reigned as Britain’s undisputed #1 author of chiller fiction, with more than 20 novels to his credit — which have sold more than fifty million copies world-wide. His books have been translated into more than thirty-five languages, including Russian and Chinese.
The Rats has never been out of print, and Jim’s list of best-selling titles includes The Fog, The Survivor, Fluke, The Spear, Lair, The Dark, The Jonah, Shrine, Domain, Moon, The Magic Cottage, Sepulchre, Haunted, Creed, Portent, The Ghosts Of Sleath, ’48, Others, Once, Nobody True and The Secret Of Crickley Hall.
The Rats (aka Deadly Eyes), The Survivor, Fluke and Haunted have all been made into movies, the latter starring Aidan Quinn, Kate Beckinsale and Sir John Gielgud.
In his 1992 Introduction to the bio-bibliography James Herbert: By Horror Haunted, Stephen King wondered “with real excitement” what James Herbert might be up to in the year 2010. Well, now we know — he’ll be at World Horror Convention in Brighton!
British Fantasy Awards Longlist
Posted by: | CommentsThe 2009 British Fantasy Award longlist has been announced. Voting on it is open until May 31. The long list includes all works recommended by British Fantasy Society and FantasyCon members and will be winnowed down to a short list of nominees following the May 31 deadline. All members of FantasyCon and the BFS are eligible to vote.
Best Anthology
- Cone Zero, edited by D.F. Lewis
- Killers, edited by Colin Harvey
- The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 19, edited by Stephen Jones
- Myth-Understandings, edited by Ian Whates
- The Second Humdrumming Book of Horror , edited by Ian Alexander Martin
- Subterfuge, edited by Ian Whates
- Subtle Edens, edited by Allen Ashley
- We Fade To Grey , edited by Gary McMahon
Best Novel (The August Derleth Fantasy Award)
- The Afterblight Chronicles: Arrowhead , by Paul Kane
- The Amethyst Child , by Sarah Singleton
- Black Glass, by John Shirley
- The Burning Man, by Mark Chadbourn
- Chaos Space, by Marianne De Pierres
- Coffin County, by Gary A. Braunbeck
- Couch, by Benjamin Parzybok
- Dark Blood, by John Meaney
- Dawn over Doomsday, by Jaspre Bark
- Dingo, by Charles de Lint
- Duma Key, by Stephen King
- Escape from Hell!, by Hal Duncan
- Everdead, by Rio Youers
- Going Under, by Justina Robson
- The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman
- The Gypsy Morph, by Terry Brooks
- The Ice Crown, by Sean Beech
- The Infected, by Michael McBride
- Iron Kissed, by Patricia Briigs
- The Kingdom Beyond the Waves, by Stephen Hunt
- Last Argument of Kings , by Joe Abercrombie
- The Last Watch, by Sergei Lukyanenko
- Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow
- Memoirs of a Master Forger, by William Heaney (a.k.a. Graham Joyce)
- Midnight Man, by Simon Clark
- Midnight Never Come, by Marie Brennan
- Moontown, by Peter Atkins
- Nation, by Terry Pratchett
- The Night Sessions, by Ken MacLeod
- The Painted Man , by Peter V. Brett
- The Perils and Dangers of This Night , by Stephen Gregory
- Rain Dogs, by Gary McMahon
- Ravensoul, by James Barclay
- The Reapers, by John Connolly
- Ritual, by Mo Hayder
- The Riven Kingdom, by Karen Miller
- Small Favour, by Jim Butcher
- Song of Time, by Ian MacLeod
- The Summoning , by Kelley Armstrong
- The Victoria Vanishes, by Christopher Fowler
- Thieving Fear , by Ramsey Campbell
- Vengeance Child, by Simon Clark
- Victory Conditions , by Elizabeth Moon
The PS Best Small Press Award
- Beccon Publications
- Cemetary Dance
- Creative Guy Publications
- Elastic Press
- Immanion Press
- MonkeyBrain
- Newcon Press
- Pendragon Press
- Screaming Dreams
- Skullvines Press
- TTA Press
- Delirium Books
Best Collection
- Bull Running for Girls , by Allyson Bird
- Gleefully Macabre Tales , by Jeff Strand
- How to Make Monsters, by Gary McMahon
- Glyphotech , by Mark Samuels
- Islington Crocodiles , by Paul Meloy
- Coffin Nails, by John Probert
- Just After Sunset, by Stephen King
- Mythophidia , by Storm Constantine
- Mama’s Boy & Other Dark Tales , by Fran Friel
- Secret Lives, by Jeff VanderMeer
- Other Voices, by Andrew Humphrey
Best Novella
- “1200 AM Live,” by Brian Knight
- “The City in These Pages,” by John Grant
- “Cold Stone Calling,” by Simon Clark
- “Crystal Nights,” by Greg Egan
- “The Enigma of Departure,” by Nicholas Royle
- “Gunpowder,” by Joe Hill
- “Heads,” by Gary McMahon
- “The Mill,” by Mark West
- “Miranda,” by John R. Little
- “The Narrows,” by Simon Bestwick
- “Overturned,” by Neil Ayres & Aliya Whiteley
- “Pride and Prometheus ,” by John Kessel
- “Red,” by Paul Kane
- “The Reach of Children,” by Tim Lebbon
- “Reunion,” by Paul Kane
- “The School House ,” by Simon Bestwick
- “The Shallow End of the Pool ,” by Adam-Troy Castro
- “The Worst of all Possible Places,” by David Riley
- “Vault of Deeds,” by James Barclay
Best Short Story
- “A Chaos Demon Is For Life,” by Paul Kane
- “All Mouth,” by Paul Meloy
- “And Their Blood Will Be Prescient to Fire,” by Freda Warrington
- “The Caul Bearer,” by Allyson Bird
- “Chasing Waterfalls,” by Andrew Hook
- “Chill,” by Gary McMahon
- “Comus Of Central Park,” by M.K. Hobson
- “Cone Zero: page 33,” by Kek-W
- “Do You See,” by Sarah Pinborough
- “The Fantasy Jumper,” by Will Macintosh
- “Hanging On Her Every Word,” by Ian Whates
- “Heart Song,” by Kim Lakin-Smith
- “In the Howling of the Wind,” by Marie O’Regan
- “Jasmine,” by Andrew Tisbert
- “The Killing Fields,” by Kim Lakin-Smith
- “Lifelike,” by Paul Kane
- “The Mist of Lichthafen,” by Seth Skorkowsky
- “The Moth,” by Neil Williamson
- “N,” by Stephen King
- “Noble Deceit,” by Juliet E. McKenna
- “Owlspeak,” by Storm Constantine
- “Pinholes in Black Muslin,” by Simon Strantzas
- “The Pit,” by Alexander Glass
- “The Point of Oswald Masters,” by Neil James Hudson
- “Queen of the Sunlit,” by Liz Williams
- “Seaborne,” by Kari Spelling
- “The Ships Like Clouds Risen By Their Rain,” by Jason Sanford
- “The Suicide Room ,” by Paul Kane
- “The Tobacconist’s Concession,” by John Travis
- “The Vague,” by Paul Meloy
- “Wind Chimes” by Paul Kane
- “Winter Journey,” by Joel Lane
- “Yin and Yang,” by Paul Kane
