StokerCon™ 2021 Special Announcement

The Horror Writers Association has made the difficult decision to shift StokerCon™ 2021 from an in-person event to a virtual platform during its originally scheduled May 20 to 23 dates. With the ongoing pandemic, the emergence of viral variants, and the broad range of travel obstacles around the world, we have deemed this to be the safest, most responsible way to hold the event. As might be expected with an event of this size, switching to a virtual footing poses many challenges, but Con co-chairs, James Chambers and Brian Matthews; HWA President, John Palisano; Vice President, Meghan Arcuri; Administrator, Brad…

The Seers’ Table February 2021

February 1, 2021 by HWAWeb Kate Maruyama, Member of the Diverse Works Inclusion Community Theresa Derwin recommends: Azaaa Davis is an International Bestselling American author of urban fantasy and paranormal romance novels. She fell in love with reading as a high school freshman and continues to read, write, and draw today. Her background in social work helps her portray realistic characters in otherworldly—and sometimes terrifying—situations. A New York native, Azaaa currently lives in New Hampshire (USA) with her husband and daughters. Azaaa is working diligently to finish writing more fantasy novels while raising her daughters. Thank you for showing an…

“Mastering Your Pitch” Workshops
   Free for HWA Members Only

We’ve partnered with Roadmap Authors to offer our members a series of free workshops. “Mastering Your Pitch” will be hosted by prominent literary agencies. You must be a member in good standing to sign up and participate. The workshop series will include the following: Pitch Prep with Cate Hart, Agent at Harvey Kingler Agency In this 2-hour pitch prep session, Cate will discuss her do's and don'ts for pitching. After her lecture, volunteers can practice their pitch with Cate for feedback in a roundtable setting. Query Clinic with Agent Mark Gottlieb from Trident Media Group In this 2 hour Query…

2020 Bram Stoker Awards® Preliminary Ballot Announced

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is pleased to announce the Preliminary Ballot for the 2020 Bram Stoker Awards®. The HWA (see https://horror.org/) is the premier writers organization in the horror and dark fiction genre, with more than 1,700 members. We have presented the Bram Stoker Awards in various categories since 1987 (see http://www.thebramstokerawards.com/) Works on this ballot are not referred to as “nominees” or “finalists.” Only works appearing on the Final Ballot may be referred to as “nominated works” and their authors as “finalists.” The HWA Board and the Bram Stoker Awards® Committee congratulate all those appearing on the Preliminary…

Poetry Showcase, volume 7

The Horror Writers Associations presents their seventh annual Poetry Showcase, featuring the best in never-before-published dark verse. Edited by Stephanie M. Wytovich, this year's featured poets are K. P. Kulski, Sarah Read, and Sara Tantlinger, plus dozens of poems from the talented members of the Horror Writers Association. Cover by Robert Payne Cabeen.  

2020 HWA Diversity Grant Recipients

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is pleased to announce the following recipients of the 2020 HWA Diversity Grants: Jacqueline Dyre (they/them) is the editor and publisher of Novel Noctule. You can find them in the sunshine state, drinking poorly-made coffee and consuming psychological horror in lieu of meals. Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki (he/him) is a Nigerian speculative fiction writer, slush reader and editor. He has been awarded an honourable mention in the L Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest, twice, and won the Nommo award for best short story by an African with his short story "The Witching Hour." He…

The Seers’ Table January 2021

The Seers Table! December 30, 2020 by HWAWeb Kate Maruyama, Member of the Diverse Works Inclusion Community Linda Addison Recommends: Hailey Piper writes horror and dark fantasy, and is a member of the HWA. She is the author of The Worm and His Kings, The Possession of Natalie Glasgow, Benny Rose, The Cannibal King, and others. Her short fiction appears in publications such as Daily Science Fiction, The Arcanist, Flash Fiction Online, Year’s Best Hardcore Horror, Tales to Terrify, Blood Bath Literary Zine, and many more. She lives with her wife in Maryland, where she haunts their apartment making spooky…

Members New Releases – 2020

Welcome to the showcase of member publications! Select a book cover to purchase or learn more about it or the author. You can view the wall of amazing cover art from past years by using the dropdown in the menu above. And members, please sign into the members-only area to submit upcoming releases. Thank you!

The Seers’ Table December 2020

Linda D. Addison, Member of the Diverse Works Inclusion Community You can see any of The Seers’ Table posts since inception (March 2016) from the menu item “Diverse Works” on the top of the HWA’s main page. Kate Maruyama introduces: Grace Chan is a speculative fiction writer and doctor. Her family migrated from Malaysia to Australia where she grew up. She writes near-future science fiction about medical technology, far-future space escapades to strange worlds, and psychological horror where the real and the unconscious blend together. Her short fiction can be found in Clarkesworld, Black Cranes, Going Down Swinging, Aurealis, AntipodeanSF,…

The Seers’ Table November 2020

The Seers Table! October 30, 2020 by HWAWeb Kate Maruyama, member of the Diverse Works Inclusion Committee So many of our local bookstores are hurting during these times. If you give books at Christmas, might I suggest spreading out your purchases over time (I do this so our budget in December doesn’t get crushed) and over local bookstores. Most ship or have curbside pickup. Or, to support indie bookstores at large from your home, Bookshop.org functions like Amazon, but works through indie bookstores. Here are some awesome titles to start with! Theresa Derwin recommends: Nikki Woolfolk. I first found out…

Halloween Haunts: When Captain Howdy Visits on Halloween: The History of the Ouija Board

By Lisa Morton Whenever I tell people that I’ve written a book about séances, the subject of the Ouija board usually comes up very soon. Ouija boards have fascinated us for almost 130 years now; for the price of a board game, they offer us the promise of communicating with spirits in the comfort of our own living rooms. Unlike a more traditional séance, which must be guided by a medium with some experience or skill, anyone with fingers can use a Ouija board. Ouija boards connect with Halloween in the idea of easing contact with ethereal spirits. Halloween is…

Summer Scares Reading Program

The Horror Writers Association (HWA), in partnership with United for Libraries, Book Riot, and BookList, has launched 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. The goal is to introduce new authors and help librarians start conversations with readers that will extend beyond the books from each list and promote reading for years to come. Each year, a special guest author and a committee of four librarians will select 3 recommended fiction titles in each of 3 reading levels (Middle Grade, Teen, and…

Halloween Haunts: From Birthdays to Doorbells to Arson: Mischief Night

By Kevin Wetmore My mother’s birthday is October 30.  She told us that when she was growing up her parents would throw a Halloween-themed birthday party. My grandmother would call my mother’s friend Bunny’s father, who ran a bakery, to make a Jack-o-lantern cake decorated with plastic witches on broomsticks holding the candles and all sorts of Halloween themed plastic paraphernalia.  (To me that sounds like Heaven).  As a result, however, my mother does not much care for Halloween, as it required her to share her birthday with a national holiday aimed (at the time) at children and she felt…

Halloween Haunts: The Haunter of the Cul de Sac

By Nancy Holder Oh, Halloweens of my childhood, those halcyon days when our parents hardly ever supervised us and had no idea of the traumas we underwent in the name of fun—most of the time. How it is that I have teeth and am still alive is a mystery to me given all the perilous adventures I took myself on. Yet here I am, remembering not a terrifying Halloween tale of menace most shambling, but the Halloween season when my father shared in the soaring triumph and ultimate defeat of the robot costume he made for me when I was…

Halloween Haunts: The Hungry Ghost Festival

By Lee Murray & Geneve Flynn Lee Murray: As a girl, I remember my Kiwi-Chinese mum lighting joss sticks for the spirits of the dead, always three or five slender sticks since those numbers are auspicious. She would hold the sticks in both hands, the tips glowing red, and bow respectfully, before placing the still-burning bamboo on a stand on the windowsill where the aromatic smoke would curl upwards and permeate the kitchen. I loved that smoky scent. And the solemnity of the moment, quiet amid the general busyness of my childhood. It’s a practice that seems out of place…

Halloween Haunts: “You don’t have to be mad to work here, but it helps”

by Frazer Lee In another life, and another time (1998 to be specific) I was hired to work crew for several weeks on a film shoot. The movie production in question was Siamese Cop, which had the awesome logline: ‘Two cops. One jacket’. A low-budget affair (no kidding) the bulk of the shoot was confined to one main location, which would also serve as the production base, equipment store, and – as it turned out – a place to haunt your every waking step. Friern Barnet Mental Hospital, as it was then known, opened its doors as Colney Hatch Asylum…

Halloween Haunts: The Voice and Poe

by Naching T. Kassa   When I think of Halloween, sweet memories come to mind. The scent of caramel apples, the brisk chill of October’s dying breath, horror films flickering on a small screen, and the smooth taste of chocolate on my tongue. These memories are beautiful, but my most favorite is the sound of my dad’s voice reading Edgar Allan Poe. My father loved Poe. Growing up, he’d read every story, from “The Masque of the Red Death” to “The Gold-Bug.” He also loved the movies, and my first introduction to Poe was through the Roger Corman films starring…

Halloween Haunts: Rising from the Dead

by Chris DiLeo Every Halloween, my father rose from the dead. He would wait until his victims were so close there was nowhere they could run, and as those quivering trick-or-treaters’ hands stretched across the open coffin reaching for the individually wrapped Twizzlers splayed across his chest, my father’s eyes would open and he would attack. My father died when I was eleven. Happened right before my eyes. His hand reached out, fingers trembling, and a crackling moan rattled in his throat. His eyes were wide, frightened, and he stumbled and fell. He never got up again. At the funeral…