The Dead Have the Best Candy

by James Chambers To be honest, I can’t say for certain whether or not the dead have the best candy. But, I know they can arrange for some nasty Halloween tricks. I learned that when I was five. That Halloween, I went as Superman in a single-piece costume that slipped on over my clothes and a cape that tied around my neck. I wore that costume on a regular basis for most of the year after that Halloween, until it wore down to threads in places, because I preferred being Superman to an ordinary first grader and wearing it kept…

HWA ANNOUNCES NEW WEBMASTER

We are proud to announce that Angel Leigh McCoy is the HWA’s new Webmaster. Angel has been part of the HWA Web team for some time and steps into the rather large shoes of the late Mark Worthen. Angel has two loves: writing and web design. During the day, she works as a writer/game designer at ArenaNet, part of a vast team effort to make the coolest online world ever: Guild Wars 2. In the evening, in addition to her volunteer webmastering for various sites, she is also head editor at WilyWriters.com and recently edited Night-Mantled: the Best of Wily…

Mark Worthen (1962-2011)

As most of you probably know by now, HWA's Webmaster Mark Worthen passed away on September 19, 2011. Mark suffered a seizure while at work and died shortly thereafter. Mark was an integral part of HWA, and a list of all of the duties he performed for us on a daily basis would take up the entire page. He assigned user IDs and passwords, he kept the Web site current and clean, he moderated the message board, he compiled Bram Stoker Award recommendations, he wrote two monthly columns for the newsletter, and he did a lot of those behind-the-scenes things…

CURIOUSLY TWISTED TALES by HWA Member P.S. Gifford

Author: P.S. Gifford Curiously Twisted Tales is a masterful collection of short stories from the devious imagination of horror writer P.S. Gifford. If you are not familiar with Gifford's previously published works, this book will serve as a deliciously wicked sampler of some of his most fiendish tales-both old and new. "The stories of P.s. Gifford are smart, inventive, and scary as hell. This is horror writing at its very best." Jonathan Maberry (From book cover) "P.S.Gifford is a writer of great wit and talent. He remembers that most treasured of all storytelling purposes:entertainment. Keep an eye on this writer,…

L.A. Banks (1959-2011)

Leslie Ann Peterson Esdaile Banks died on August 2 from adrenocortical carcinoma, a rare cancer. She left behind a wonderful daughter, Helena Marie Esdaile, who in many ways can be said to have started her on her writing career. In the winter of 1990 her daughter was injured in an accident, and Leslie--who had a degree from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School--left the corporate sector to be with and attend to her daughter. At this time, she tried her hand at writing, which resulted in her first novel, Sundance. Before that, she had helped develop business plans for small…

…TOM SAWYER AND HUCK FINN by HWA Member Lisa Mannetti

Full Title: The New Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn Author: Lisa Mannetti Huck always said it was a powerful lot of trouble to write a book, and if he’d a known it ahead of time, he wouldn’t a gone through with it. That’s his version of the truth, anyhow. And it’s a lot more work than anyone bargains for when they sit down to write—but you add writin along with me and Huck comin back as twin brothers and the feline familiars of a twenty-first century witch—and you got even more trouble. A whole cauldron-full more. Anyhow, this…

JACK-O’-SPEC edited by HWA Member Karen A. Romanko

Editor: Karen A. Romanko Full Title: Jack-o'-Spec: Tales of Halloween and Fantasy Jack-o'-Spec: Tales of Halloween and Fantasy features the many faces of science fiction, fantasy, and horror Halloweens: steampunk Halloweens, post-apocalyptic Halloweens, alternate history Halloweens, outer space Halloweens, and noir Halloweens, not to mention new speculative takes on Halloween perennials, such as haunted houses, witches, ghosts, vampires, and, of course, jack-o'-lanterns. Twenty-six authors have contributed short stories, flash fiction, and poetry to the anthology, transporting us to the mysterious realm of the Pumpkin King, introducing the trick-or-treating Norse gods, or describing a lover's visit on a brief reprieve from…

CROSSROADS by HWA Member Jeanne C. Stein

Author: Jeanne C. Stein Anna's past is catching up with her. The death of her vampire mentor is raising questions no vampire wants to answer. Her ex, Max, seeks her help to bring down a vicious coyote leaving a slew of drained bodies near the Mexican border. Then some stunning news from an unexpected source sends Anna and Daniel Frey on a journey that will change both their lives forever. Publisher: Ace Books Release Date: August 25 2011 ISBN_10=0441020771 ISBN_13=9780441020775

THE TRAITEUR’S RING by HWA Member Jeffrey Wilson

Author: Jeffrey Wilson After a troubling childhood Ben Morvant finds a home as a medic in Viper Team, of The US Navy SEALs. He was raised in the Louisiana Bayou by his grandmother – a spiritual healer – and despite his attempts to put his past behind him he continues to be haunted by nightmares. The circumstances of her death creep into his life, challenging his very hold on reality. Ben battles not only the creatures that haunt him during the night, but his own self-doubt about who he is and what he has the potential to become. His team,…

IL POSTO NERO – August Links (HWA Italy)

Horror in Italy is alive and hungry! Catch up with what's been happening by browsing this collection of posts from the month of August on the HWA Italy Chapter website, sent in by Alessandro Manzetti. HWA Italy: The Raven -News From Hell # 2 -The Italian HWA Bulletin (in Italian)  Autopsies: Review of La Felicità dei Cani by Adamo Dagradi edited by Sergio Gilles Lacavalla (in Italian)  Interview with Dacre Stoker (in English)  Black Pills: Interview with Daniele Serra (in Italian)  Autopsies: Review of The Haunter of the Dark by H.P. Lovecraft edited by Giancarlo Marzano (in Italian)  Interview with…

SURREALITIES by HWA Member Bruce Boston

Author: Bruce Boston SFPA Grandmaster Poet Bruce Boston brings together 29 poems surreal and about surrealism. Along with seven poems appearing here for the first time, Surrealities includes reprints from leading genre and literary publications such as Chiaroscuro, Dreams and Nightmares, Paper Crow, The Pedestal Magazine, and Strange Horizons. Also includes six original and striking Rorschach illustrations Boston has created specially for this collection. “Here, the surreal beauty of a muscular mind, poems like evil flowers, cachinnating snow monkeys, blue-eyed chateaus, scarlet snails. Here, all the boats are drunk, all the architecture soft and hairy, all the nights lit by…

ANNOUNCEMENT: Bram Stoker Vampire Novel of the Century Award

The Horror Writers Association is the premiere writers’ organization in the horror genre, with almost 600 members. It has presented the Bram Stoker Awards in various categories since 1987. MEDIA QUERIES Direct media queries to: Rocky Wood (President, HWA) Leslie S. Klinger (Jury Chair) The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is proud to announce it will present the Bram Stoker Vampire Novel of the Century Award at the Bram Stoker Awards Banquet in 2012. The Banquet will be held at World Horror Convention in Salt Lake City on 31 March next year. The Award will mark the Centenary of Bram Stoker’s…

VAMPS by HWA Member James Dorr

Author: James S. Dorr Illustrations by HWA Member Marge B. Simon. Meet the vampiress Annchuck who first saw night in 1990′s out-of-print chapbook TOWERS OF DARKNESS, Max Schreck (with a nod, too, to Bela Lugosi), “Guillemette” (née Mina Murray), Nadja, Nikki, a modern Medusa, a tourist who meets up with “Cape Man” in France (“… he had a tendency to change the subject when I asked him what he did. Eurotrash, I suppose”), a competitive runner who races the sun, a baseball fan who dotes on night games, a modern Carmilla who also likes jazz, a future version of Kipling’s…

IL POSTO NERO – July Links (HWA Italy)

The first episode of Il Posto Nero's link collection is here. In the month of July, Alessandro Manzetti posted an awesome list of articles and interviews for our Italian HWA members and other horror fans in that country. Some come with an English translation, but even if they don't, remember that most browsers offer a "translate" feature. While it may not be perfect English, you'll definitely be able to understand the great information in these articles. Horror Street: Interview with John Everson (in English, in Italian)  Queen Anne’s Resurrection – Journey II – The Voice of Elsewhere with Lisa Morton,…

ALERIC: MONSTER HUNTER by HWA Member Fred Wiehe

Author: Fred Wiehe Aleric Toma Bimbai is a two-hundred-year old Gypsy who hunts monsters for bounty. His task this time, however, is to save a zombie rather than exterminate it. But Wasso Wonko is no ordinary zombie. He can still think. He can talk. Besides, Wasso is Gypsy. In his search for answers Aleric uncovers a sinister plot that threatens the very existence of his people. He will have to go up against the self-proclaimed King of the Gypsies and test his reputation of being unkillable. Gauthier Publications, Inc. Release Date: 9/2/2011 ISBN_10 0983359318 ISBN_13 978-0983359319

Benefit Bash for HWA Member L.A. Banks

L.A. Banks has been fighting cancer. In order to raise money to help her and her family cover medical expenses, the Philadelphia Liars Club is holding a benefit auction event designed specifically for writers, readers, and anyone who loves L.A. Banks or hates cancer. So, if you're a writer and can get to Philadelphia for this amazing event, go! Writers' Bash: Benefit for Author L.A. Banks Saturday, August 6 7-11:30 p.m. Smokey Joe's Bar 208 S. 40th St. (University City) Philadelphia PA Cost: $20, $10 for students with college I.D. Join the Liars Club and tons of authors, editors and…

MULTIPLEX FANDANGO by HWA Member Weston Ochse

Author: Weston Ochse Multiplex Fandango is subtitled "A Weston Ochse Reader" for good reason. This collection contains a comprehensive representation of short fiction and novellas by the Bram Stoker award winner and Pushcart Prize nominee, including his recent powerful Stoker finalist short story, "The Crossing Of Aldo Rey" and his brilliant Stoker finalist novella, Redemption Roadshow, as well as acclaimed favorites, "Catfish Gods" and "Big Rock Candy Mountain". Also included in this omnibus volume of sixteen short stories and novellas are six original new works of short fiction written especially for this collection including such future classics as "Tarzan Doesn't…

STEPHEN KING: UNCOLLECTED by HWA Member Rocky Wood

Full Title: Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished Revised for this special eBook edition, Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished is the most comprehensive review of the Stephen King works you've never read, including coverage of nearly one hundred unpublished and uncollected works of fiction — novels, short stories, screenplays, and poems! Best of all, it features the first book publication of two lost works written by King, including an entire chapter from King's unpublished 1970 novel Sword in the Darkness that has never been published anywhere in the world! Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished also gives in-depth coverage to the nearly one hundred variations…

IN THE SHADOW OF DRACULA edited by HWA Member Leslie S. Klinger

Editor: Leslie S. Klinger, ed. (editor of the acclaimed "New Annotated Dracula") As popular and influential as Bram Stoker's classic tale of nocturnal menace is, this 1897 novel did not invent vampire fiction, nor was it alone in feeding the Gothic fantasies of the Victorian period. IDW Publishing presents an expertly selected menu of outstanding vampire stories that either informed or benefited from Bram Stoker's hugely popular creation. These eerie tales of the undead - some 22 in all - form the core cannon of classic vampire literature. Chosen and introduced by celebrated literary scholar and author Leslie S. Klinger…