Horror Writers Association Announces 2009 Stoker Winners

At long last, the anticipation is over. The Horror Writers Association has announced the winners of the 2009 Bram Stoker Awards at its annual Stoker Banquet held March 27th, 2010, as part of the World Horror Convention in Brighton, UK. Eight new bronze haunted-house statuettes were handed over to the writers responsible for creating superior works of horror last year. This year’s winners are: Superior Achievement in a NOVEL AUDREY’S DOOR by Sarah Langan (Harper) Superior Achievement in a FIRST NOVEL DAMNABLE by Hank Schwaeble (Jove) Superior Achievement in LONG FICTION THE LUCID DREAMING by Lisa Morton (Bad Moon Books) Superior…

HWA Members Enjoy a Second Dose of ‘Blood Lite’

HWA President Deborah LeBlanc unveiled the table of contents for the next official HWA anthology, Blood Lite 2. The sequel to 2008's bestselling collection of humorous horror is again being edited by New York Times-bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson and promises double the horror — and double the laughs! On behalf of the entire HWA Board, President LeBlanc offered her heartfelt congratulations to everyone who made the cut for Blood Lite 2: Death and Taxes | Heather Graham Table for Two | Jeff Ryan Treatment | J.A. Konrath Dead Clown Séance | Christopher Welch The Day the Devil Swallowed a Heapin’ Helpin’ of Pride at the…

HWA Announces Plans for Biennial Solo Events

NEW YORK, NY, August 25, 2009 — After 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…

Stoker Weekend 2009 – Simply the Best!

A message from HWA President Deborah LeBlanc: Last weekend's Stoker event was, in the words of the incomparable Tina Turner, "Simply the Best!" The lineup of special guests was to die for, the food at the banquet was spectacular, and the panels, workshops, and the awards ceremony were second to none. Oh, and the parties, folks, the parties! Huge thanks go to Heather Graham and Medallion Press for sponsoring the Gory Ghoul Ball and to Dark Scribe Press for sponsoring the Unspeakable 80's Pre-Stoker Banquet party! Congratulations to all of our Stoker winners, as well as our Lifetime Achievement Award…

Horror Writers Association Celebrates 2008 Stoker Winners!

At long last, the anticipation is over. The Horror Writers Association has announced the winners of the 2008 Bram Stoker Awards at its annual Stoker Banquet held Saturday, June 13th, 2009 as part of its Stoker Weekend in Burbank, California. Nine new bronze haunted-house statuettes were handed over to the writers responsible for creating superior works of horror last year. This year’s winners are: Superior Achievement in a NOVEL DUMA KEY by Stephen King (Scribner) Superior Achievement in a FIRST NOVEL THE GENTLING BOX by Lisa Mannetti (Dark Hart Press) Superior Achievement in LONG FICTION MIRANDA by John R. Little…

HWA at BEA 2009

For the second time in its history, the Horror Writers Association exhibited at BookExpo America, held May 29th through the 31st at the Jacob K. Javits Center in NYC. Several HWA members - including Deborah LeBlanc, Alexandra Sokoloff, Ellen Datlow, Gary Frank, Kim Paffenroth, Connie Corcoran-Wilson, Jameson Currier, and Vince Liaguno - participated in book signing events during the convention, successfully placing their titles in front of booksellers, librarians, and new readers alike. BookExpo America is the publishing industry’s largest event with literally thousands of publishers, authors, booksellers, and agents under one roof. After last year’s successful West Coast event,…

Bloodletting Wins Specialty Press Award

The Horror Writers Association is pleased to announce that the 2009 Specialty Press Award has been awarded to Bloodletting Press. Bloodletting Press is based in Modesto, California and is run by Larry Roberts and his wife, Debra Roberts. They have been publishing fine limited edition books since 2002. Their titles are all highly prized by both collectors and readers alike. Recently, Bloodletting has formed a new imprint, Morning Star Books as well as a joint venture with Delirium Books for very high-end collectible books, Infernal House Books. Bloodletting and Delirium have also collaborated to create the Horror Mall, one of…

Giron to Receive Silver Hammer Award

The Board of Trustees of the Horror Writers Association is pleased to announce that this year's Silver Hammer Award is being awarded to Sephera Giron. The Hammer Award is given periodically to an HWA volunteer who has done a truly massive amount of work for our organization, often unsung and behind the scenes. It was instituted in 1996, and is decided by a vote of HWA's Board of Trustees. The award is so named because it represents the careful, steady, continuous work of building HWA's "house" - the many institutional systems that keep the organization functioning on a day-to-day basis.…

Finalists Announced for 2008 Bram Stoker Awards

Each year, the Horror Writer's Association presents the Bram Stoker Awards for Superior Achievement, named in honor of Bram Stoker, author of the seminal horror work, Dracula. The Stoker Awards were instituted immediately after the organization's incorporation in 1987. To ameliorate the competitive nature of awards, the Stokers are given "for superior achievement," not for "best of the year," and the rules are deliberately designed to make ties fairly probable. The first awards were presented in 1988 (for works published in 1987), and they have been presented every year since. The award itself is an eight-inch replica of a fanciful…

Yarbro, Wilson Win Lifetime Horror Award

The Horror Writers Association has chosen two long-time icons of the genre to receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award this year. The award, given for an author's overall body of work, will go to Chelsea Quinn Yarbro and to F. Paul Wilson. Yarbro rose to fame with her vampire hero, Count Saint-Germain. She is the first woman ever to receive the International Horror Guild's Living Legend award. She also was the first woman elected president of the Horror Writers Association. Yarbro's novels are notable for laying the groundwork for the recent upsurge of "paranormal romance" and trans-genre fiction. Wilson is…

Forrest J Ackerman – 11/24/16 – 12/4/08

The Associated Press reports that legendary Famous Monsters of Filmland editor Forrest J Ackerman passed away on Thursday, December 4th at his Los Angeles home. Ackerman, or "Uncle Forry" as he was affectionately known by friends and fans alike, died of heart failure. He had recently celebrated his 92nd birthday. Reports started circulating several weeks ago that the venerable pop culture icon was in failing health, as he welcomed his many friends and colleagues - including Ackerman "discovery" Ray Bradbury and Fangoria editor Anthony Timpone - to say their final goodbyes at his private Hollywood residence. Until 2002, Ackerman lived…

Joseph McGee 7/07/85 – 11/27/08

It is with great sadness that the HWA reports the passing of one of its members, Joseph W. McGee. McGee, 23, of Worcester, passed away suddenly Thursday, November 27, from complications with diabetes. McGee was the author of the novels The Reaper and Snow Hill and a member of the New England Horror Writers Association. His family describes him as "a quiet giant with a mountain for a heart who left us better than he found us." Excerpted from the Worcester Telegram & Gazette: He leaves his mother, Theresa (Kwiatkowski) Conte-McGee; his brother, Anthony J. Conte and his wife Francesca;…

Rue Morgue Shows the Love…

Several HWA members enjoy noteworthy reviews in the latest issue of Rue Morgue magazine: On Lisa Morton's A Hallowe'en Anthology..."for deeper understanding of the folklore, customs and literature related to October 31, this anthology is a must-have all year round." On Gord Rollo's The Jigsaw Man..."will break readers' hearts, and continue to haunt them long after the last page is turned. With this novel, Rollo establishes himself as a name to watch on the horror fiction landscape." And, Del Howison and his co-editors on The Book of Lists: Horror get some Morgue props..."Simply put: if I were to ever pen…

Dark Whispers Watercooler: The Genre That Devoured Itself?

Rose Fox over at her Publishers Weekly blog offers up The Genre Formerly Known as Horror, and Other Stories. Horror as an effect versus genuine genre? Horror as a fluke - one named Stephen King? Did the horror genre devour itself? "Horror, swept away while this has gone on, has re-emerged as a component underneath the "thriller" umbrella, probably coming in through the serial-killer side door. I've been told that Scott Smith's superb The Ruins was to have ushered in a category dubbed "literary horror," although I'm almost certain that Thomas Harris would argue he's been delivering that for a…

HWA Proudly Presents – Blood Lite

...a collection of entertaining tales that puts the fun back into dark fiction, with ironic twists and tongue-in-cheek wit to temper the jagged edge. Edited by NYT Bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson Blood Lite Editor: Kevin J. Anderson Publisher: Pocket Release Date: October 21st, 2008 ISBN-10: 1416567836 ISBN-13: 978-1416567837 Charlaine Harris reveals the dark side of going green, when a quarter of die-hard environmentalists host a fundraiser with a gory twist in "An Evening with Al Gore"...In an all-new Dresden Files story from Jim Butcher, when it comes to tracking deadly paranormal doings, there's no such thing as a "Day…

Writers Strike Statement

The Horror Writers Association, on behalf of its writer members, stands in support of the Writers Guild of America strike in seeking appropriate compensation for writers when their work is distributed digitally, either via DVD or Internet downloads. Although HWA is not a union, it is an organization of writers that advocates for authors' rights. Writers Guild of America and its demands fall solidly into this category. All writers will be affected by the outcome of this strike, and we stand in solidarity, resisting those who seek to distribute our work on the Internet, DVD, or any format without fair…

Member Profile – Tom Piccirilli

HWA member Tom Piccirilli lives in Colorado where, besides writing, he spends an inordinate amount of time watching trash cult films and reading Gold Medal classic noir and hardboiled novels. He's a fan of Asian cinema, especially horror movies, pinky violence, and samurai flicks. He also likes walking his dogs around the neighborhood. Are you starting to get the hint that he doesn't have a particularly active social life? Well to heck with you, buddy, yours isn't much better. Give him any static and he'll smack you in the mush, dig? Tom also enjoys making new friends. He's the author…

HWA Partners With World Horror Con 2008

The Horror Writers Association is proud to announce a partnership with the World Horror Convention for the 2008 event to be held in Salt Lake City, Utah. Deborah LeBlanc, HWA president, said the partnership is beneficial to both the HWA and the convention organizers because it brings together two of the genre’s biggest events in the annual World Horror Convention and HWA’s Stoker Awards Banquet. “We were fortunate to be able to hold our Stoker Award Banquet in conjunction with the 2007 World Horror Convention,” LeBlanc said. “We are very pleased to be able to continue that partnership with the…

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Congratulations! We can't wait to meet you. Applications Checklist What is my membership category? (choose one)Supporting AllyAffiliate WriterActive Pro WriterAcademic AllyAssociate Ally For Affiliate Writer and Active Pro WriterI have documents ready to upload showing I received payment for the qualifying work. (Most members provide screenshots of PayPal or bank statements.)If the name of the qualifying work doesn't appear on my payment documents, I have a contract for the qualifying work.If my qualifying work is self-published, I have spreadsheets from the online seller (Amazon, Square, etc.) that show the title of the qualifying work and the date of sale.I am…

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Membership Documentation When you fill out the form to apply, you’ll be asked to upload documentation that shows you qualify for the membership level. Failure to provide correct documentation may significantly delay your application or result in rejection. If you’re unsure whether you have the right documentation, contact our Membership Committee via email. No Documentation is required for Supporting Ally membership. Applicants for all other levels must provide documentation of their qualifying sales to complete the application process. You must have received payment for the work and provide documentation that links the payment to a specific title. Documentation may include,…