Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Our final update for this year features Sydney Leigh, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Short Fiction, for "Baby's Breath." Thanks for reading, everyone--and many thanks to all of the nominees who shared their priceless insights. It's been a pleasure serving as editor for this series.  --Doug Murano, HWA Communications Coordinator DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work for which you’ve been nominated. In the case of a work…

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s latest update features Robert Payne Cabeen, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection, for Fearworms: Selected Poems. DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly. RC: The genesis of Fearworms was quite unexpected. Last year, I ran across Larry Santoro’s Tales to Terrify podcast and noticed that…

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s latest update features Jake Bible, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel, for Intentional Haunting.  DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. JB: I wanted to dive into my own teen years and the anxiety of growing up in an abusive household. At first…

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today's first update features Jonathan Maberry, nominated in the categories of Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel, for Bad Blood and Superior Achievement in Long Fiction for "Three Guys Walk into a Bar." DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. JM: I’m fortunate to have two works on the ballot for…

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. This update features Christopher Rice, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Novel, for The Vines. DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. CR: I just don’t have a problem believing plants could become animate and suck your blood. Call me crazy. But the “buy-in” for me on…

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s second update features Marge Simon, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection, with Mary Turzillo, for Sweet Poison. DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. MS: The genisis for SWEET POISON (poetry collection): Mary Turzillo and I decided, during one of our annual get-togethers, to collaborate…

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s first update features Joe McKinney, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in Long Fiction for "Lost and Found." DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. JM: I’ve been nominated in the Long Fiction category for my story, “Lost and Found,” which appears in the anthology Limbus II. Limbus,…

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s second update features John Dixon, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel for Phoenix Island. DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. JD: I started PHOENIX ISLAND without knowing I'd started it. I sat down one day, banged out an eighteen-page character sketch out-of-the-blue,…

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s update features Jason V. Brock, nominated in the categories of Superior Achievement in an Anthology for A Darke Fantastique and Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction for Disorders of Magnitude. DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. JVB: With respect to A Darke Phantastique, my anthology on the ballot, I had been…

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s update features Joe Mynhardt, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in Non-fiction, along with co-editor Emma Audsley, for Horror 101: The Way Forward.  DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. JM: Horror 101: The Way Forward was supposed to be a very small document with a bit of…

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s second update features Peter Adam Salomon, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel for All Those Broken Angels. DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categoies, please touch briefly on each. PS: I was interviewing fellow HWA author C.W. LaSart and we were talking about our favorite words. I mentioned that…

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today's update features Ellen Datlow, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in an Anthology for Fearful Symmetries. DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. ED: I love editing non-theme anthologies so whenever I get the chance, I do. Fearful Symmetries was crowd-funded, and I partnered with ChiZine Publications…

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s second update features Hal Bodner, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in Short Fiction for “Hot Tub." DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. HB: “Hot Tub” is based, as many people already know, on a true incident that happened when I first moved to Hollywood roughly 30 years ago. At…

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s first update features Joe R. Lansdale, nominated in the categories of Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel for I TELL YOU IT'S LOVE and Superior Achievement in Long Fiction for FISHING FOR DINOSAURS.  DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. JRL: FISHING FOR DINOSAURS was inspired by the old…

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s update features Eric J. Grignard, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in Long Fiction for "Dreams of a Little Suicide." DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. EG: First, I love writing in historic settings, 1890s to 1950s range stuff. I wanted to do a historic piece in…

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s update features Brett J. Talley, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in an Anthology for Limbus, Inc. II. DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. BT: Anne C. Petty originally came up with the idea that forms the genesis of the Limbus universe. We lost her a couple years…

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s update features John Palisano, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in Short Fiction for "Splinterette." DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. JP: The short story "Splinterette" came to me while staying in Cupertino, California. We were in a slightly woodsy area and my room looked out into…

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s update features Stephanie M. Wytovich, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection for Mourning Jewelry. DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. SMW: I first heard the term “mourning jewelry” while I was watching an episode of Haunted Collector one afternoon. The team had found…

Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you squarely between the ears of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s update features Rena Mason, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Short Fiction for "Ruminations." DM: Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. RM: Two strangers separated by universes, bonded by loves and losses, that are able to fill the needs of the other through "cracks" that came by chance. (In short, Multiverse Theory and Singularity slips caused by intense emotional linkage.) DM: What…