Horror Roundtable 9 – The Future of Agents

When: June 10, 2013 Time: 3pm EST (use the Time Zone Converter to find your local time) The Future of Agents Do you think all the recent technological advances in publishing are sounding the death knell for the literary agent? Agents used to be the gatekeepers in the classical publishing model, deciding who gets through and who remains in obscurity, but that barrier seems full of holes now. If literary agents are to remain part of the publishing process, how will they need to adapt? * * * * * You can follow the Roundtable discussion in the comments section of this post. Note:…
Interview with Ramsey Campbell at Darkeva’s Dark Delights

Interview with Ramsey Campbell at Darkeva’s Dark Delights

Darkeva interviews World Horror Convention’s Guest of Honor, Ramsey Campbell. Darkeva: To quote the Oxford Companion to English Literature, you’re “Britain’s most respected living horror writer,” which is a great esteem. What do you feel have been some of the great honors of your writing career so far? RC: Well, that was certainly one. The Lifetime Achievement awards from HWA and WHC were two spectacular ones, and some years ago I was honoured in Rome at the Fantafestival with a similar career award, together with the great Ennio Morricone, no less. But having my own issue of Weird Tales –…

Scary Out There: A Blog on Horror in Young Adult Fiction: A Chat with Ilsa Bick

Welcome back to SCARY OUT THERE, the Horror Writers Association’s new blog on scary fiction for teens. My guest this week is Ilsa J. Bick. Ilsa’s bio reads like it belongs to ten other people. She’s a child psychiatrist, a film scholar, a surgeon wannabe, a former Air Force major, and an award-winning author of dozens of short stories and novels, including the critically acclaimed Draw the Dark (Carolrhoda Lab, 2010); Drowning Instinct (Carolrhoda Lab, 2012); Ashes, the first book in her YA apocalyptic thriller trilogy (Egmont USA, 2011) and Shadows (2012); and the just-released The Sin-Eater’s Confession (Carolrhoda Lab, 2013). Forthcoming:  Monsters, the final volume of the ASHES Trilogy, (Egmont USA,…
The Future of Agents to be decided on Monday

The Future of Agents to be decided on Monday

The HWA’s ninth Horror Roundtable will take place on Monday the 10th of June at 3pm EST. It’s a topic a lot of folks have asked about, and one very relevant to the current state of the publishing industry. The topic this round is The Future of Agents (thanks for the idea, Joe McKinney!). Please join our special guest Joe McKinney, Robert Fleck, Doug Grad, and Richard Curtis, as they discuss the following: “Do you think all the recent technological advances in publishing are sounding the death knell for the literary agent? Agents used to be the gatekeepers in the classical publishing…

HORROR! UNDER THE TOMBSTONE by HWA Member David A. Sutton (Editor)

Author: David A. Sutton (Editor) IMAGINE THE SIXTIES and Seventies... Hammer films and American International Pictures... The time of Plague of the Zombies, Lust for a Vampire, Quatermass and the Pit, Tales of Terror, The Haunted Palace and The Masque of the Red Death. Imagine we're back there now. No mobile phones, no videotapes or DVDs, no personal computers. And iPads and Kindles are decades away. Where we are now, music is played on vinyl records with a stylus picking up the recorded sound on an old fashioned "radiogram" or a "portable" record player. Horror stories had their emphasis on…

SEASON OF THE WOLF by HWA Member Jeffrey J. Mariotte

Author: Jeffrey J. Mariotte When Alex Converse, heir to a coal company fortune, visits Silver Gap, Colorado to make an environmentally themed documentary film, he's hoping to change some minds and to soothe his own troubled conscience. But there's more going on—in his mind, and in Silver Gap—than Alex knows. People are dying and women are disappearing. Some of the killers have fur, fangs, and claws—but some don't. What is Alex's connection to the missing women? Will anyone live long enough to find out? And what's up with those wolves? Season of the Wolf is a heart-stopping supernatural thriller about…

Interview with Jonathan Maberry at Darkeva’s Dark Delights

Darkeva interviews Bram Stoker Award® Weekend's Guest of Honor, Johathan Maberry. Darkeva: You’re a frequent fixture at several types of genre and horror conventions, in particular, and you’ve also long been involved with the Horror Writers Association. In addition, you also run a hugely successful website and offer fantastic advice to aspiring and published writers alike. Some writers in your position don’t attend many conventions, or any at all. What attracts you to conventions, and what do you most look forward to when you’re going to one? JM: Even more than I’m a writer of horror I’m a fan of…

Welcome to Poetry Awareness

*** Welcome, we're kicking off Poetry Awareness with a new poem by Marge Simon, from her Stoker nominated book THE MAD HATTERY...among other goodies... Lovecraft's Wife   I owned a hat shop when we met, a tradeswoman of distinction, beloved by my aunts, who frowned when they saw his long jaw and meager prospects.   "Sonia," he would say, "may we dine at home, as proper folk, for I fear your aunts will eat me live."   And I would tell him otherwise, for I so craved human company, after reading his most gruesome tales, that crept into the fine…

Scary Out There: A Blog on Horror in Young Adult Fiction: A Chat with Charlie Higson

Welcome back to SCARY OUT THERE, the Horror Writers Association’s new blog on scary fiction for teens. My guest this week is Charlie Higson, one of the top teen horror writers in the UK. He’s the author of the million-copy-selling Young Bond series that began with SilverFin and was followed by Blood Fever, Double or Die, Hurricane Gold and By Royal Command. All five novels entered the children’s bestseller charts in the top five. He’s also written much scarier books, including the truly creepy THE ENEMY and THE DEAD. Those books received well-earned critical and commercial success. Charlie’s novels have…

Scary Out There: A Blog on Horror in Young Adult Fiction: A Chat with Holly Black

Welcome back to SCARY OUT THERE, the Horror Writers Association’s new blog on scary fiction for teens. My guest this week is Holly Black, author of bestselling contemporary fantasy books for kids and teens. Some of her titles include The Spiderwick Chronicles (with Tony DiTerlizzi), The Modern Faerie Tale series, The Good Neighbors graphic novel trilogy (with Ted Naifeh), the Curse Workers series, Doll Bones, and her new dark fantasy novel, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. She has been a finalist for the Mythopoeic Award, a finalist for an Eisner Award, and the recipient of the Andre Norton Award. She…

Scary Out There: A Blog on Horror in Young Adult Fiction: A Chat with Darren Shan

Welcome back to SCARY OUT THERE, the Horror Writers Association’s new blog on scary fiction for teens. My guest this week Darren Shan has published over 30 books for YA and adults, including Cirque Du Freak, The Demonata, The City trilogy, and his new series Zom-B. His books have sold over 20 million copies worldwide. He lives in Ireland. Website: www.darrenshan.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/darrenshan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darrenshanofficial JONATHAN MABERRY: You write some creep stuff, but how well do you take it? Do you scare easily?  DARREN SHAN: I actually scare a lot easier now than I did when I was younger. JONATHAN MABERRY: Why’s that? DARREN SHAN: Maybe it’s…

Scary Out There: A Blog on Horror in Young Adult Fiction: A Chat with Tonya Hurley

Welcome back to SCARY OUT THERE, the Horror Writers Association’s new blog on scary fiction for teens. My guest this week is Tonya Hurley the New York Times and international bestselling author of the GHOSTGIRL young adult series and author of THE BLESSED.  Tonya has also created video games, two television series, written for film and is a contributor to The Huffington Post.  She lives in New York with her husband and daughter. JONATHAN MABERRY: Let’s jump right in and talk about. With Scary Out There we’ve been exploring that nature of fear and what makes each of us afraid. What…

Scary Out There: A Blog on Horror in Young Adult Fiction – A Chat with Rick Yancey

Welcome back to SCARY OUT THERE, the Horror Writers Association’s new blog on scary fiction for teens. My guest this week is Rick Yancey, an author who writes powerful novels across genre and age lines. He’s the author of several adult novels and the memoir, CONFESSIONS OF A TAX COLLECTOR. His first young-adult novel, THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF ALFRED KROPP, was a finalist for the Carnegie Medal. In 2010, his novel, THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST, received a Michael L. Printz Honor, and the sequel, THE CURSE OF THE WENDIGO, was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His latest series, THE…

Scary Out There: A Blog on Horror in Young Adult Fiction – A Chat with James Rollins

Welcome back to the Horror Writers Association’s new blog on scary fiction for teens. My guest this week is JAMES ROLLINS, the New York Times bestselling author of thrillers whose books have sold to over thirty countries. His Sigma Force series has earned national accolades and hit bestseller lists around the world. Jim also writes a middle-school adventure series featuring Jake Ransom, boy archaeologist, and has finished the first book in a collaborative adult horror series with award-winning mystery writer, Rebecca Cantrell, titled The Blood Gospel (published in January 2013). Jim also wrote a number of notable fantasy novels –The Banned and…

Scary Out There: A Blog on Horror in Young Adult Fiction – A Chat with Victoria Schwab

By: Jonathan Maberry Welcome back to the Horror Writers Association’s new blog on scary fiction for teens. This week we chat with dynamic newcomer Victoria Schwab, who has been turning out an impressive number of works in a short time –and gathering critical and commercial acclaim with every step. Victoria is the author of THE NEAR WITCH--which Kirkus Book Review praised for its “shivery horror tang”--as well as THE ARCHIVED, and several upcoming novels. Victoria suffers from a wicked case of wanderlust, but when she's not haunting Paris streets or trudging up English hillsides, she can usually be found tucked in…

Scary Out There: A Blog on Horror in Young Adult Fiction – a chat with Barry Lyga

By: Jonathan Maberry Welcome back to the Horror Writers Association’s new blog on scary fiction for teens. We kick things off with Barry Lyga, a finalist for this year’s Bram Stoker Award for Young Adult Fiction. In his own words: Barry Lyga “writes lots of stuff, some of which makes people question their safety around him. But really, he’s just a nice, normal guy. Really. Honest. (Could you hold this hammer for a sec? Thanks.)” Jonathan Maberry:

What scares you, Barry? Barry Lyga: OK, this will sound weird, but— Jonathan Maberry: It’s a horror blog, man. Barry Lyga: Fair enough. Right now…

Scary Out There: A Blog on Horror in Young Adult Fiction – by Jonathan Maberry

What scares you? Is it the same thing that scares me? Are the things that scare us now the same things that made us tremble as kids? Are they the same monsters? The same fears and doubts? The same shadows? The same threats, real and imagined, that troubled us on the way to school? Or in school? In the playground? No. Fear, like everything in life, changes. Just as we change. And horror –that personal reaction to something that makes us afraid—is as changeable as it is individual. Horror is no more the same to you and me as it is you our adult selves…

The Adrenaline Rush of Writing Horror by Heather Marie

There’s a sense of urgency that comes with horror. That feeling of your blood icing in your veins, sending your heart beating violently in your chest. Your breath hitches in your throat, anticipating what will happen next. You don’t know whether to turn away, or continue to witness what torturous thing the character will encounter before they’re out of reach. It’s that moment where you know it’s wrong to want to see the pain inflicted on their face, but somehow you can’t help but watch. You've invested so much already. There’s no going back now. You’re caught in the moment, watching, hoping,…

Bram Stoker 2011 Nominee – Kenneth Oppel

2011 Bram Stoker Nominee Kenneth Oppel Author bio: Kenneth Oppel is the author of numerous books for young readers. His award-winning Silverwing trilogy has sold over a million copies worldwide, and been adapted as an animated TV series and stage play. Airborn was winner of a Michael L Printz Honor Book Award, and the Canadian Governor General's Award for Children's Literature; its sequel, Skybreaker, was a New York Times bestseller and was named Children's Novel of the Year by the London Times. His most recent books are THIS DARK ENDEAVOR and SUCH WICKED INTENT, prequels to the gothic classic Frankenstein. Born on Vancouver Island, he has…