The Seers’ Table January 2022

The Seers Table! December 31, 2021 by HWAWeb Linda D. Addison, Member of the Diverse Works Inclusion Community You can see any of “The Seers’ Table” posts since inception (March 2016) by going to the HWA main page and selection menu item “Our Blogs / Diverse Works”. Kate Maruyama introduces: Darcie Little Badger is a Lipan Apache writer with a PhD in oceanography. As an author, she specializes in speculative fiction, especially horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Her critically acclaimed debut novel, Elatsoe, was featured in Time Magazine as one of the best 100 fantasy books of all time. Elatsoe also won the Locus award for Best First…

The Seers’ Table December 2021

The Seers Table November 30, 2021 by HWAWeb Kate Maruyama, Member of the Diverse Works Inclusion Community Tish Jackson suggests: Briana Morgan loves all things literary: from Gatsby to vampires. Using her Bachelors in English, she has been editing manuscripts and writing reviews for a decade, but has also been writing her own stories at the same time. She started her fiction career writing compelling Young Adult stories. Her debut novel, Blood & Water, is especially chilling for its subject matter. The protagonist is a young teenager trying to survive a deadly pandemic and save what’s left of his family. The virus has killed…

Horror U Courses Begin in January!

The HWA is pleased to announce our Winter 2022 Horror University Online session! From January 10th to March 7th, 2022, Horror University presents six workshops for horror writers everywhere interested in refining their writing, learning new skills and techniques, or perfecting their manuscript presentation. Full descriptions and registration information is available in the Horror University School on Teachable: https://horror-university.teachable.com/courses. REGISTRATION IS OPEN NOW! The Winter 2022 Session includes: January 10: Building Your Very Own Haunted House: How to Write Effective Ghost Stories with Gwendolyn Kiste. January 24: Into the Dark Woods: Incorporate Fairy Tale Symbolism and Archetypes in Your Stories with Carina…

In Memoriam: Anne Rice

It is a difficult day as we at the Horror Writers Association join the legions who mourn the loss of beloved author Anne Rice. A true titan in her field, her works have influenced several generations of readers and writers, and continue to do so. May her works become as immortal as her Lestat, forever a gateway into her many unforgettable worlds. Thank you for all you've given us. Our best to her family and loved ones during this difficult time. John Palisano President, Horror Writers Association In 2003, the Horror Writers Association awarded Anne Rice with the Lifetime Achievement…

Seeking Member Volunteers

Two (2) Volunteers for Horror University The Horror University team needs two Assistant Coordinators to work with the Coordinators in planning, scheduling, and running Horror University Online and Horror University at StokerCon. The work will include gathering and compiling information from instructors about their workshops, such as images and support materials to set up classes. Assistant Coordinators may also help with running actual workshops online or in-person as needed. The time commitment will be cyclical, requiring two to three hours per week for up to four weeks during the scheduling phase and one to two hours a week during a…

Dragon’s Lair Post #1 : Hello

For those that don’t know me, I am your friendly neighborhood winged beast, quietly sleeping on a hoard of jewels, gold, and other assorted treasures far off in some dark mountainous place. Not really, but as your HWA Treasurer, it’s cool to think so, right? I want to be the first to welcome you all to the Dragon’s Lair, a blog dedicated to candid conversations about the business of the Horror Writers Association where I’ll talk about everything from fundraising ideas, networking, branding, you name it! There will also be interviews from industry professionals and authors. It is my hope…

New Bram Stoker Awards® Category: Superior Achievement in Middle-Grade Novel

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is proud to announce the addition of a brand new category in the Bram Stoker Awards®: Superior Achievement in a Middle-Grade Novel. For purposes of this Award, Middle-Grade novels are defined as novels (see clause IVe) intended for the age group 8-13 with word length beginning at 25,000 words. A Middle-Grade novel that is deemed to be a ‘First Novel’ according to Rule IVf may qualify for consideration in the ‘First Novel’ category (see Rule IVr) if the author insists in writing that the work be considered for ‘First Novel’ rather than ‘Middle-Grade' novel; otherwise,…

HWA Poetry Showcase Volume VIII Now Available!

The Horror Writers Associations presents their eighth annual Poetry Showcase, featuring the best in never-before-published dark verse. Edited by Stephanie M. Wytovich with judges Angela Yurkio Smith and Sara Tantlinger, this year features the first Crystal Lake Poetry Contest winner, poems from Cynthia Pelayo, Lindy Ryan, Sarah Reed, Alicia Hilon, Corrinne DeWinter, Sumiko Saulson, Querus Abuttu, Carina Bissett, Lee Murray and many more poems from the talented members of the Horror Writers Association. Cover artwork by Robert Cabeen. Now Available in Print and on Kindle

Interview with Winner of the Rocky Wood Scholarship 2018

Winner of the HWA’s ROCKY WOOD SCHOLARSHIP in 2018, Joe Maddrey has recently released the fruit of those labors with the release of Adapting Stephen King Volume I: Carrie, ‘Salem’s Lot and The Shining from Novel to Screenplay from McFarland press. What inspired you to tackle such an interesting topic? In a way, this book was an offshoot of two of my previous books. The first one was a biography of Stephen King, for which I read all of King’s published works. (Everyone says they’ve read all of King’s books… but they’re usually lying. I even made it through The…

HWA ANNOUNCES SUMMER SCARES READING PROGRAM 2022

Spokesperson and Timeline The Horror Writers Association (HWA), in partnership with United for Libraries, Book Riot, and Booklist, is proud to announce the fourth annual Summer Scares Reading Program. Summer Scares is a reading program that provides libraries and schools with an annual list of recommended horror titles for adult, young adult (teen), and middle grade readers. It introduces readers and librarians to new authors and helps start conversations extending beyond the books from each list and promote reading for years to come. Summer Scares is proud to announce their 2022 spokesperson as author Alma Katsu: "I'm thrilled to be…

Letter from the Disney Must Pay Joint Task Force

Dear Members, In April 2021, we let you know about a contract issue with Disney that affected multiple authors across different writer organizations. We’ve made some progress and a few authors have been paid. Unfortunately, we’ve also uncovered more concerning issues in the process. We still need your help to raise awareness of the #DisneyMustPay campaign, which has yet to be resolved. Authors may still be missing royalty statements or checks across a wide range of properties in prose, comics, and graphic novels. As of today, our list is incomplete and only based on properties and/or publishers for which we…

The Seers Table November 2021

Kate Maruyama, Member of the Diverse Works Inclusion Community   Linda D. Addison introduces: Erica Ciko Campbell was obsessed with short fiction all her life, and was lucky enough to start reading for the pro SFF magazine Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores in June 2019. From here, her love of short fiction reached twisted new apexes and took over her life, so she reached out to the creators of Novel Noctule literary horror magazine to take it even farther. She started there as a Trainee Editor in October of 2020, and was promoted to the Flying Fox Flash Editor in February 2021. The stars were…

Final Frame Horror Short Film Competition Special Viewing

PRE-ORDER FOR FREE NOW! Save your seat! Limited capacity screening! For six years, the Final Frame Horror Short Film Competition has unleashed a host of terrors upon our unsuspecting StokerCon audiences. Before we embark on our seventh edition, we would like to invite our members to enter the darkness once more to experience some of our very best and most memorable nightmares. For 24 hours, Saturday, November 6th at 8pm EST to Sunday, November 7th at 8pm EST, The Best of Final Frame, will be available FOR FREE to all StokerCon members worldwide. This special screening will include a suggested…
SALE! Special Ad Rate Extended for the HWA Newsletter

SALE! Special Ad Rate Extended for the HWA Newsletter

The HWA Newsletter is offering a special rate on full-page ads for the rest of 2021! All issues are jam-packed with lots of goodies (columns, special articles, puzzles, photos, artwork, poems), so you don’t want to miss out on advertising in it! Full Page Ad 650px wide by any height – only $25! The ad deadline for this sale is December 31, 2021. Order yours today!

Halloween Haunts: Real Life Halloween Candymen by Sumiko Saulson

If you have read Clive Barker’s “Forbidden” or seen either of the Candyman movies, you know that one of gut-wrenching images in the story is that of razorblades buried in candy. Director Nia DaCosta uses that imagery to particularly disturbing effect in Candyman (2021), the body horror special effects masterpiece that earned her a place in history as the first Black woman director of a #1 Box Office smash. The movie has impressive horror writing chops. DaCosta co-wrote it with Win Rosenfeld and two-time Bram Stoker Award winner Jordan Peele, who picked up the award for Best Screenplay in 2017…

Halloween Haunts: Full Circle Halloween by Yvonne Navarro

When I was a kid... You know what the first thought that popped into my head was when I typed that? “Get off my lawn!” Which is not at all where I want this to go. In Chicago, in the 1960s and 1970s—there, I’ve dated myself and so what—kids used to go trick-or-treating pretty much fearless. Late into the night, too—I remember knocking on doors at close to ten p.m. (and yeah, the adults who opened were pretty grumpy). The year to year weather was varied: if Halloween fell on a Saturday or Sunday, you could be laughing and running…

Halloween Haunts: The October Blues by Amaris J. Gagnon

October was here and Halloween was right around the corner. Fall time was my favorite season because I loved all things spooky and horror. I was fourteen and right at the edge of when kids stop going trick or treating. As an eighth-grader, I noticed my friends wanting to wear more revealing costumes. I guess it wasn’t cool to dress up as vampires or ghosts anymore. The more cleavage the better and the higher you could roll up your skirt the more Myspace comments you got. Things were tough at home. My mother had lost her job and my father’s…

Halloween Haunts: Halloween Goal by Sèphera Girón

Halloween is always a fun time for horror lovers whether you’re a creator or a consumer or both. This Halloween may be a bit different where you are because many parts of the world are still in a pandemic or lockdown or just coming out of one and so on. And of course, many parts of the world don’t celebrate Halloween. This Halloween, try doing some self-care in-between all the festivities, if you are able to get to any. Halloween night instead of being sad you still can’t go clubbing or dancing or attend a giant Halloween party or even…

Halloween Haunts: Beneath the Tortured Willow by Lee Murray, Geneve Flynn, Angela Yuriko Smith, and Christina Sng

On the edge of the village, beneath the gravid leaves of a tortured willow, I gather with my sisters, Geneve Flynn, Angela Yuriko Smith, and Christina Sng, on the eve of Halloween. When the village is quiet, its inhabitants slumbering in their beds, I stoke our campfire with a stick, stirring up sparks in the darkness. “Shall we begin?” I whisper. My sisters nod, shuffling closer to the fire. “I have a ghost story to tell you,” Angela says. “I was about 12 years old, and my family was moving from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Bethesda, Maryland. As all this moving…