Halloween Haunts: A Scream on Burke’s Circle by Marlena Frank

Halloween Haunts: A Scream on Burke’s Circle by Marlena Frank

It’s difficult to convey just how much I love Halloween. We spend hours each September (cause decorations always go up early around here) putting up our wall clings, making sure the front door is suitably creepy, and getting the lighting on our fireplace mantel just right. For us, it’s an aesthetic more than just a holiday. But unlike most horror fans, I was terrified of horror movies as a kid. Most of the time I just tried to avoid them because I got too anxious. It took a long time for me to be desensitized to the gore I saw…
Halloween Haunts: Do People Still Bob for Apples? by Peter Sutton

Halloween Haunts: Do People Still Bob for Apples? by Peter Sutton

When I was a child, before the commercialisation and Americanisation of Halloween, apple bobbing was always a part of the Halloween celebration. I also remember that we used to carve turnips rather than pumpkins. Ah Britain in the 70’s , truly a different country. The increasing popularity of Halloween in the Uk from the 80’s onwards was probably mostly due to Bonfire Night celebrations becoming less family and community oriented due to safety concerns. Bobbing for apples, for those not in the know, involves filling a bucket with water, adding floating apples, tying the arms behind the back and forcing…
Halloween Haunts: Dirty Ghost by David Ghilardi

Halloween Haunts: Dirty Ghost by David Ghilardi

"I'll trade you three Clark bars for one Snickers." Jerry said. My little brother nodded. They made the candy exchange quickly, both satisfied with what they considered a total score. They both ripped into the candy like sharks. Jerry had never found a food group he didn't like. We all were pillaging from our full bags of treasure. It was a great night. We had scored big. One of the only Halloween's in memory where it had not rained, in Chicago, that was a miracle. It was building though, you could feel it. The weather was changing, pressing at my…
Halloween Haunts: Satansville: Collecting Ghost Stories by T. Fox Dunham

Halloween Haunts: Satansville: Collecting Ghost Stories by T. Fox Dunham

Local legend tells of a conclave of buildings hidden by dense forest and fences that can only be reached by haunted back roads. This urban legends draws ghost hunters and daring teens to a small patch of forest in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, deep in the Delaware Valley on the border of that name state. The locals call this domain Satansville, also been called the Cult House—a colonial building made of brown river stone sitting on a hill. And the stories abound, frighten and challenge. The foundation of the building drank the blood of sacrificed virgins in rituals that called upon…

The Seers’ Table October 2016

The Seers Table! Linda Addison, Member of the Diverse Works Inclusion Community Happy October! Give yourself a treat by picking up books by writers you haven’t read before! We have an outstanding selection of authors this month to choose from. Linda Addison recommends: Steven Van Patten is a Brooklyn native, raised in Fort Greene. After graduating from Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus on a full scholarship, he pursued a career in television production. When he's not writing scary stories, he can be found stage managing various TV shows in the New York area. The storyline of his first novel was…
Halloween Haunts: Four-Color Frights by James Chambers

Halloween Haunts: Four-Color Frights by James Chambers

Every Halloween I follow certain traditions. A handful of movies I dig out to watch, some music I like to play, favorite candies to pick up at the store. But my favorite is diving into some classic horror comics. There’s nothing quite like the experience of reading a well-written, beautifully drawn, scary story. And my favorites and perennial Halloween reads are EC Comics. There’s something special to those creepy, old tales from the 50s that makes them resonate as much today as they ever have, something beyond their tightly plotted stories and stunning illustrations, something vital and fundamental to the entire…

Interview with Matt Betts

Matt Betts is a pop culture junkie-sometimes to levels that are considered unhealthy by the Surgeon General. He grew up on a steady diet of giant monsters, comic books, robots and horror novels, all of which creep into his own work. Matt’s speculative poetry and short fiction have appeared in a number of anthologies and journals. His poem “Godzilla’s Better Half” was nominated for a Rhysling Award for speculative poetry in 2010. Matt’s first novel, the steampunk/zombie/alternate history adventure Odd Men Out was a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Award for excellence in independent publishing. Matt is a former radio…

Officer Candidate Statements 2016

Officer Candidate Statements collected by the 2016 HWA Election Committee (Chair: Jason V. Brock). Ballots will be distributed on 9/26/16. Only Active and Lifetime members may vote. There are three open Trustee positions.

The Seers Table – September 2016

The Seers Table! Kate Maruyama, Member of the Diverse Works Inclusion Community Happy September! Take advantage of that back-to-school feeling by picking up some books by writers you haven’t read before! We have a fantastic selection of authors this month to choose from. Linda Addison recommends: Paula D. Ashe is a writer of dark fiction, who only feels comfortable writing about herself in third person. Originally from Ohio, she resides in Indiana with her wife and too many animals. Paula works as an instructor of English at a community college. She is also a Ph.D. student in American Studies at…

HWA Poetry Showcase: An Interview With The Judges

At 9:59 AM on February 11, 2014 I wrote an email to Rocky Wood (then President of the Horror Writers Association), Lisa Morton (then Vice-President), and Board Member Marge Simon. For purposes of historical accuracy, here is the email in its entirety: I was trying to think of something that the Poetry Page could do for future months and, in speaking with Marge who suggested tying one thought into National Poetry Month in April, I had an idea I was hoping to get board approval for. I was wondering if we could do an HWA Poetry Page poetry contest for…

Halloween Recipes Contest!

Something fun for HWA members only... Please send submissions to either Robert Cabeen or Marge Simon. Now get cookin'!
Ambiguously Ever After: Ending the Children’s Horror Story

Ambiguously Ever After: Ending the Children’s Horror Story

There’s much handwringing in publishing for children about what is “right” or “appropriate.” There are many controversial subjects and editorial choices, but today we’re talking about endings. Do endings in books for children need to be happy? Or should writers of children’s books portray a realistic version of the world where things don’t always end well? Critics and authors have come down on both sides of the issue. When the 2014 Carnegie Award was given to The Bunker Diary, it set off a flurry of controversy in the UK and prompted an opinion piece for The Guardian in which two…

The August 2016 installment of The Seers’ Table

The Seers Table! Kate Jonez, Member of the Diverse Works Inclusion Committee Welcome to the August 2016 installment of The Seers’ Table—the HWA’s hub for highlighting stimulating and diverse voices in horror and dark fantasy. This month we’d like to suggest an exciting group of authors whose work will enrich your summer reading. Ace Antonio Hall recommends: Alaya Dawn Johnson is a two-time Nebula winner, and multi-award-winning author of six novels. The Summer Prince (2013), Alaya’s debut YA novel, is a heart-stopping story of love, death, technology, and art set amid the tropics of a futuristic Brazil. Her Web site…

HORROR WRITERS ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES 2016 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

Visit the official scholarship site for up-to-date information. The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is pleased to announce the 2016 recipients of its five scholarships. Carina Bissett and Karen Bovenmyer have been awarded (respectively) the HWA Scholarship and the Mary Shelley Scholarship, each worth $2,500. John Reinhart has been chosen for the Dark Poetry Scholarship ($1,250), and James Anderson and Kevin Wetmore have been chosen as recipients of the Rocky Wood Memorial Scholarship Fund for Non-fiction Writing. Earlier this year, Sumiko Saulson was awarded The Scholarship From Hell, which included travel, accommodation, and a slate of educational workshops at HWA's inaugural…
And the Clock Strikes Three AM: Time and Timing in Terror, the Sequel

And the Clock Strikes Three AM: Time and Timing in Terror, the Sequel

Last month’s terror-time about time-and-terror was firmly grounded in reality—creating timetables that work inside the book (natural character reactions to stimuli and logical story flow) and inside the reader’s mind (pacing appropriate for the specific audience’s needs, and avoiding shattering suspension of disbelief through overuse of techniques that, when used sparingly, should enhance tension). Immersion was the name of the game, with an end goal of a truer feeling story and the horror that relating to it as true-ish brings. But before you go off and wed your story to reality at the altar of believability, there’s another variable. Unless…
HWA August Membership Drive

HWA August Membership Drive

Have you been thinking about joining the Horror Writers Association for a while, but just haven't gotten around to it yet? Or maybe you were a member in the past and have been wondering if you should rejoin. The answer is YES, and now's the time! HWA is currently offering Active/Affiliate/Associate/Academic membership (with proof of sales) for $37 (for the remainder of 2016), and Supporting membership for $27 (for 2016). What do you get for that? Well, if you've never seen our excellent monthly newsletter (edited by Kathy Ptacek), we've made a sample issue available for you to take a…
And Now for Something Completely Different: Adding Humor to Your Horror

And Now for Something Completely Different: Adding Humor to Your Horror

With the popularity of dark comedies, it should be no surprise that horror and humor can be a compelling mix. However, when it comes to young adult books, few succeed at the balance that keeps a funny horror book from losing its edge or appearing to try too hard. Here are a few humorous elements used in YA horror to enhance the story, characters, or setting without sacrificing their horror-ness. WORD PLAYS AND PUNS Puns and other forms of wordplay can range from clever to groan-inducing, and they are a little of both in Croak by Gina Damico. In the…
And the Clock Strikes Midnight: Time and Timing in Terror, Part I

And the Clock Strikes Midnight: Time and Timing in Terror, Part I

Whether it’s the beeping of an alarm clock marking a night over too soon, a school buzzer announcing the start of a test period, or the chime of a grandfather clock in an old house declaring the start of the witching hour, there are lots of ways that time can provoke dread. So, when writers look no further than flashbacks and verb tenses, they miss out on timely tension opportunities. With a little attention towards the timing of the horrors in your story—pacing as well as narratively—you can save yourself time in revisions, time better spent dreaming up new nightmares…

Interview with Bram Stoker Award® Winning Author Alessandro Manzetti and Editor Jodi Renée Lester

Bram Stoker Award® Winning Author Alessandro Manzetti’s work has been published extensively in Italian, including novels, short and long fiction, poetry, essays, and collections. English publications include his collections ‘The Monster, the Bad and the Ugly’ (co-written by Paolo Di Orazio),’The Massacre of the Mermaids’, ‘The Shaman and Other Shadows’, ‘Dark Gates’ (co-written by Paolo Di Orazio), ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ (co-written by Stefano Fantelli), and the poetry collections ‘Eden Underground’, ‘Venus Intervention’ and ‘Sacrificial Nights’ (co-written with Bruce Boston). His stories and poems have appeared in Italian, USA and UK magazines and anthologies, such as Dark Moon Digest, The Horror Zine,…
Scary Out There with Kaitlin Ward

Scary Out There with Kaitlin Ward

NOTE: Listeners, this was our first attempt at an audio interview. We know there is a slight echo and the background noise isn’t ideal, but bear with us as we creep into the world of audio interviews. Thanks for your understanding and patience! Hello Horror Fanatics! Today Scary Out There is sitting down with Kaitlin Ward, the author of Bleeding Earth (Adaptive Books, February 2016). Listen as Kaitlin discusses how she came up with the idea for Bleeding Earth, why it's important for children and teens to read horror, and more. Kaitlin Ward grew up on a dairy farm in Monroe,…