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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.




Recent News

Nuts & Bolts: Gregory Frost on Writing Historically Based Fiction

Nuts & Bolts: Gregory Frost on Writing Historically Based Fiction

By Tom Joyce

When tackling historically based fiction, how do you split the workload between research and writing time? How do you please both casual readers and history buffs? Author Gregory Frost recently had to face those challenges three times in rapid succession with his time-hopping horror/science fiction Rhymer series. His latest is a “haunted White House” novel titled The Secret House, out this month. For the latest installment of Nuts & Bolts, Gregory shares advice on doing research and mining historical fact for genre fiction. ...More...

Pride Month 2025: An Interview with Mia Dalia

What is your novel about?

My novel, Haven, is about a family who stays at an inherited house for a month of August. And all the things that go terribly wrong. So, on the surface, it’s a “dream vacation turns nightmare” story, but there’s a lot more to it. Both the novel and the house have a backstory of a woman wronged and determined to rise above. But a terrible injustice calls for a revenge in whatever way it finds it, and the past never truly stops bleeding into the present. Haven is far from an idyllic lake house, and the Bakers are far from an ideal family. And this vacation will tear them apart. Who will be responsible, the house or the people? That I’ll let the readers decide. A choose-your-own adventure approach, if you will. Just remember that not every house is a haven. For me, Haven was a chance to indulge my curiously persistent desire to dismantle the myth of an all-American happy family. Tolstoy had famously said that all happy families are alike, making the unhappy ones more interesting by default. I wanted to see how far I could take it. ...More...

Pride Month 2025: An Interview with Briana Morgan

What is your novel about?

I write psychological, character-driven horror featuring ghosts, demons, monsters, and the scariest thing of all—the dark side of humanity. So far, I’ve written books and plays that run the gamut from queer vampires to killer mermaids and influencer horror. ...More...

Pride Month 2025: An Interview with Azzurra Nox

What is your novel about?

I actually have two novels out right now. The first one is Into the Dread Unknown, the fifth book in my Women in Horror series, and the second is Panico! a historical poetry collection that borders on the macabre. Into the Dread Unknown is an exploration of Gothic literature through sharp, feminist lenses. Some of the authors featured are familiar voices I’ve had the pleasure of including in past anthologies, while others are new additions to the Women in Horror series. I’m especially thrilled to have two Bram Stoker Award-nominated authors in this latest edition, L.E. Daniels and Rachel Bolton. Both of their stories are filled with a sense of dread and crackle with intensity. As with past collections, this anthology features many queer authors and stories too. Meanwhile, my second book, Panico! dives headfirst into the most harrowing chapter of Marie Antoinette’s life, her captivity during the Reign of Terror. So many films and books tend to skim over this period of her life, but I wanted to linger in the shadows, become intimate with her fear. I wanted readers to feel the weight of every moment, and when it came down to how would I do this in a way that wasn’t tiresome or too scholarly? That’s when I decided to tell the story from her perspective, slip into her mind as her gilded world unraveled in absolute blood and horror. I fashioned the book as a homage to Dante’s Inferno, as each moment is told in poetic cantos. You’re not simply reading history, you’re living the terrifying moments with her. ...More...

Final Frame Judges Announced!

2025 JUDGES

The judges for the Final Frame competition are always an essential part of an ever-evolving film family we love to see at StokerCon. Four returning judges and two new additions round out the discerning minds tasked to evaluate the evening’s selections. We’ll have fun hearing them scream along with the audience during an evening of cinematic mindbenders leading up to their prize determinations for Grand Prize, Runner-Up, Best Writing in a Short Film, and more! ...More...

Pride Month 2025: Celebrating in the Midst of Chaos

by Gwendolyn Kiste

Bittersweet—that’s what I recently called this year’s Pride Month in a social media post. It’s difficult to celebrate when the world is falling apart around us. It’s difficult to celebrate when you know your neighbors want to see your rights dismantled. It’s difficult to celebrate when each and every day we’re waking up to news that’s worse than the morning before. ...More...

HWA Scholarship Applications Now Open!

The  Horror Writers Association is pleased to announce that the Scholarship Committee will be reviewing applications for the following scholarships and grants: the Mary W. Shelley, HWA and Poetry Scholarships. Applications will be available via the HWA submittable and reviewed by a sub-committee of the HWA Scholarship Committee. ...More...

Nuts & Bolts: Maurice Broaddus on Finding an Agent

By Tom Joyce

Do authors need agents anymore? If so, how do they go about finding one, and what should they expect? Author Maurice Broaddus addresses those questions in this month’s edition of Nuts & Bolts. ...More...

Annual StokerCon Diversity Raffle Prizes Announced

Annual StokerCon Diversity Raffle

The Annual StokerCon Diversity Grant Raffle is here! Over twenty books, unique collectables, and other treasured items for lovers of horror, dark fantasy, and the weird will be raffled to benefit the Horror Writers Association Diversity Grant Program. ...More...

HWA Scholarship from Hell Recipient Announced

 

The Scholarship from Hell is the only scholarship offered by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) that puts the recipient right into the intensive, hands-on workshop environment of Horror University, which takes place during StokerCon®. ...More...

Nuts & Bolts: Author Josh Rountree on Transitioning From Short Stories to Novels

By Tom Joyce

Whether it’s a matter of keeping a short story tight, or of churning out the daunting number of words required to fill a novel, creating a narrative at any length comes with its own set of challenges. Drawing on the lessons he’s picked up as a short-story writer who transitioned to novels, Josh Rountree discusses the nature of those challenges and how to overcome them. ...More...

The Seers’ Table May 2025

May Seers’ Table, Kate Maruyama, Diverse Works Inclusion Committee

 

Geneve Flynn recommends:

 

Pauline Yates is the creative force behind the multi-award-winning science fiction novel, Memories Don’t Lie, recognized in awards including the 2024 BookFest Awards winner in three categories (YA – Science Fiction; Sci-fi Action Adventure; Sci-fi – Genetic Engineering), 2024 American Legacy Book Awards – Finalist (Science Fiction); 2023 Indies Today Awards – Semi-Finalist, among others. She’s also the author of the short horror read, Dream Job, the sci-fi/horror novella, Shattered, and the horror short story collection, The Connections We Keep. ...More...

2025 HWA Specialty Award Winners Announced

The Horror Writers Association announces its 2025 Specialty Award Recipients! These awards will be presented during the Bram Stoker Awards Ceremony in Stamford, Connecticut this June. ...More...

The Seers’ Table April 2025

Kate Maruyama Member of the Diverse Works Inclusion Committee

Linda Addison Recommends:

Portrait of Pedro IniguezPedro Iniguez is a horror and science-fiction writer from Los Angeles, California. He is a Rhysling Award finalist and a Best of the Net and Pushcart Prize nominee. ...More...

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