Horror Writers Association Launches ‘’Alone Is Scary” Campaign
To Support Local Animal Shelters
The Horror Writers Association (HWA), the premier organization of writers and publishers of horror and dark fantasy, today announced the launch of its “Alone Is Scary” campaign to support the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ (ASPCA) Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month.
Starting October 1, the HWA’s successful Horror Selfies website (www.horrorselfies.com) will seek submissions featuring pets in costume, pets “reading” horror, and/or pets with signs supporting local animal shelters. Accepted submissions will be featured on the site and distributed via the HWA’s social media accounts. Previous Horror Selfies campaigns generated nearly 20 million impressions, and included participation from Stephen King (Finders Keepers), Peter Straub (A Dark Matter) and Craig Engler (Z Nation).
All approved selfie submissions are entered into a random drawing for one of the HWA’s largest prizes ever. ChiZine Publications (CZP), recipient of the 2014 Bram Stoker Award® Specialty Press Award, has donated a prize package featuring every ebook the press has published. With 100+ titles, the ebook prize package is worth over $1,000.
In conjunction with the Horror Selfies contest, HWA chapters across the United States are working with local animal shelters to host events to promote Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month. Events vary by location, and may include book raffles, author signings, costume contests, and more. These events are designed to collect much-needed donations for the animal shelter and to encourage community support. At the end of the month, one participating shelter will be randomly selected to receive a $250 Petco gift card.
“Hundreds of our members have adopted rescue animals. Dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, and other wonderful animal companions,” said HWA President Lisa Morton, who is an active volunteer at a Los Angeles animal shelter. “We may write your nightmares, but horror writers are, by and large, compassionate souls. When we approached the ChiZine team with the concept, Brett Savory and Sandra Kasturi [co-publishers at CZP] immediately wanted to help out. We expect ‘Alone Is Scary’ to rival any other HWA campaign to date. ”
The selfie contest begins October 1 and ends November 7, 2015 12:00 EST. Visit www.horrorselfies.com for official contest rules. The animal shelter events are scheduled through the month of October. More information is available at www.horror.org.
About ChiZine Publications
ChiZine Publications (CZP) sprang out of the successful chizine.com, which began presenting fiction and review in 1997. Since its inception in 2008, CZP has published more than 90 books by authors including Christopher Golden, Stephen Graham Jones, Gemma Files, Tim Lebbon, Nancy Baker, Tom Piccirilli, Helen Marshall, Michael Rowe, Geoff Ryman, Robert Shearman, Melanie Tem and Steve Rasnic Tem. Their philosophy is “to startle, to astound, to share the bliss of good writing with our readership.” For more information about ChiZine, please visit www.ChiZinePub.com.
About the Horror Writers Association
The Horror Writers Association 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. The HWA formed in 1985 with the help of many of the field’s greats, including Dean Koontz, Robert McCammon, and Joe Lansdale. Today, with over 1300 members around the globe, it is the oldest and most respected professional organization for the much-loved writers who have brought you the most enjoyable sleepless nights of your life. The Horror Writers Association is the home of the prestigious Bram Stoker Award® and the creator of the annual StokerCon horror convention.
For more on the Horror Writers Associations, please visit www.horror.org.
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Media Contact:
Tom Calen, tom@tomcalen.com
HWA Communications Coordinator
