The 2024 Bram Stoker Awards® Final Ballot Nominees Announced

The 2024 Bram Stoker Awards® Final Ballot Nominees Announced

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is pleased to announce the Final Ballot for the 2024 Bram Stoker Awards®. The HWA (https://horror.org/) is the premier writers organization in the horror and dark fiction genre, with more than 2,000 members. We have presented the Bram Stoker Awards in various categories since 1987 (see http://www.thebramstokerawards.com/). Works appearing on this Ballot are Bram Stoker Award Nominees for Superior Achievement in their Category, e.g., Novel, and everyone may refer to them as such immediately after the announcement. The HWA Board and the Bram Stoker Awards® Committee congratulate all those appearing on the Final Ballot. Notes about…
Writing Prompt: Ice Cream Truck

Writing Prompt: Ice Cream Truck

Young Horror brings you writing prompts to energize your week with spooky idea inspiration. Are you writing picture books, chapter books, middle grade, or YA? Your next great idea could be sparked right here. Check back every Monday for new writing prompts. Share your ideas and discuss in the comments below. Writing Prompt: The Ice Cream Truck Last week we discussed beating the summer heat of these dog days by eating popsicles. Popsicles with dire consequences! Another source of scorching heat relief is the always creepy Ice Cream Truck. Driven by a stranger. Driving slowly down residential streets. Promising treats to…
Writing Prompt: Knock on Wood

Writing Prompt: Knock on Wood

Young Horror brings you writing prompts to energize your week with spooky idea inspiration. Are you writing picture books, chapter books, middle grade, or YA? Your next great idea could be sparked right here. Check back every Monday for new writing prompts. Share your ideas and discuss in the comments below. “Superstition is foolish, childish, primitive and irrational--but how much does it cost you to knock on wood?” -Judith Viorst Your superstitions are much older than you. If you take that moment to knock on wood, you’re joining in on an activity to ward off anger and envy that dates…
Know a Nominee Part Five: Usman T. Malik

Know a Nominee Part Five: Usman T. Malik

    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 nominee is Usman T. Malik, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in Short Fiction for The Vaporization Enthalpy of a Peculiar Pakistani Family.   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.   UTM: I was en route to Seattle to attend the Clarion West Writers…
Know a Nominee Part Three: Patrick Freivald

Know a Nominee Part Three: Patrick Freivald

Welcome back to ‘Know a Nominee’, the interview series that climbs inside the minds of some of the most talented authors and editors working in horror today: the 2014 Bram Stoker Awards nominees. Today's edition features Patrick Freivald, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Novel, for Jade Sky.   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.   PF: Jade Sky is an outgrowth of an idea I had for…
Know a Nominee Part Two: John F.D. Taff

Know a Nominee Part Two: John F.D. Taff

  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 nominee is the King of Pain, John F.D. Taff, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection for The End in All Beginnings.   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. JFDT: I attended my first HWA/WHC two years ago in New Orleans and…
Know a Nominee Part One: Leslie Klinger

Know a Nominee Part One: Leslie Klinger

Hello, and welcome to ‘Know a Nominee’, the interview series that gives you daily peeks inside the skulls of some of the most talented horror writers and editors working today: this year's Bram Stoker Award Nominees.   Each day, through to the day of the Bram Stoker Awards ceremony, we aim to bring you at least one Q&A featuring (you guessed it!) one of this year’s nominees.   First off, I'd like to send a huge thank you to all of our participants. Through the generous gifts of your time and candor, we have a great line-up of interviews—and I…
Know a Nominee Part Thirty: Kami Garcia

Know a Nominee Part Thirty: Kami Garcia

And so we've come to the last edition in this year’s “Know a Nominee” interview series. Thank you to everyone who has followed along, and my deepest gratitude to all of the nominees who have generously shared their time and insights — I hope you've enjoyed reading them as much as I have. Today’s update features Kami Garcia, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel for Unbreakable (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers).     DM: Can you please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work for which you've been nominated? KG: After writing…
Know a Nominee Part Twenty-Nine: Paul Tobin

Know a Nominee Part Twenty-Nine: Paul Tobin

   Thanks for joining us for this edition of “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that shows you the darkest reaches inside the minds of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s featured nominee is Paul Tobin, who’s nominated for Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel for Colder (Dark Horse Comics).     DM: Can you please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work for which you've been nominated? In the case of a work wherein you've written multiple stories (like a collection) please choose your favorite part and discuss. PT: Colder evolved after editor Scott…
Know a Nominee Part Twenty-Eight: Michael Bailey

Know a Nominee Part Twenty-Eight: Michael Bailey

  Welcome to the latest edition of “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you inside the minds of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today, we feature Michael Bailey, who’s nominated for Superior Achievement in Short Fiction for “Primal Tongue” (Zippered Flesh 2, Smart Rhino Publications).   DM:  Can you please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work for which you've been nominated? In the case of a work wherein you've written multiple stories (like a collection) please choose your favorite part and discuss. MB:  “Primal Tongue” is about communication. Do we need words?…
Know a Nominee Part Twenty-Seven: Cat Winters

Know a Nominee Part Twenty-Seven: Cat Winters

Welcome to the latest edition of “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that gets you up-close and personal with this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. In this post, we catch up with Cat Winters, who’s nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel for In the Shadow of Blackbirds (Harry N. Abrams).   DM: Can you please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work for which you've been nominated? In the case of a work wherein you've written multiple stories (like a collection) please choose your favorite part and discuss. CW: When…
Know a Nominee Part Twenty-Six: Eric J. Guignard

Know a Nominee Part Twenty-Six: Eric J. Guignard

  Welcome back to “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that gets you uncomfortably close to this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. If you’ve been reading along from the beginning, thank you for sticking with us—we’re in the home stretch now. Today’s featured practitioner of the dark arts is Editor Eric J. Guignard, nominated for Superior Achievement in an Anthology for After Death (Dark Moon Books).   DM: Can you please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work for which you've been nominated? In the case of a work wherein you've written multiple stories (like a…
Know a Nominee Part Twenty-Five: Sandy DeLuca

Know a Nominee Part Twenty-Five: Sandy DeLuca

  Welcome to the latest installment of “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that gives you peeks inside the minds of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s featured author is Sandy DeLuca, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection (along with Marge Simon) for Dangerous Dreams (Elektrik Milk Bath Press).   DM:  Can you please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work for which you've been nominated? In the case of a work wherein you've written multiple stories (like a collection) please choose your favorite part and discuss. SD:  I don’t…
Know a Nominee Part Twenty-Four: John Mantooth

Know a Nominee Part Twenty-Four: John Mantooth

  Welcome to the latest installment of “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you inside the minds of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s featured author is John Mantooth, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a First Novel for The Year of the Storm (Berkley Trade).   DM:  Can you please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work for which you've been nominated? In the case of a work wherein you've written multiple stories (like a collection) please choose your favorite part and discuss. JM:  That's a tough one. I wrote…
Know a Nominee, Part Twenty-Three: Stephanie M. Wytovich

Know a Nominee, Part Twenty-Three: Stephanie M. Wytovich

  Welcome to today's Know a Nominee. We've come a long way & there's more to come yet. Today we talk to Stephanie M. Wytovich, Poetry Editor for Raw Dog Screaming Press, about being nominated for a Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection.     DM:  Can you please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work for which you've been nominated? In the case of a work wherein you've written multiple stories (like a collection) please choose your favorite part and discuss. SW:  Hysteria began to accumulate during a series of paranormal investigations. I had…
Know a Nominee Part Twenty-Two: Joe McKinney

Know a Nominee Part Twenty-Two: Joe McKinney

Thank you for joining us for the latest installment of “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you inside the minds of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s featured author is Joe McKinney, who’s nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel for Dog Days (Journal Stone).     DM:  Can you please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work for which you've been nominated? In the case of a work wherein you've written multiple stories (like a collection) please choose your favorite part and discuss. JM: My YA novel,…
Know a Nominee Part Twenty-One: Geoffrey Girard

Know a Nominee Part Twenty-One: Geoffrey Girard

Thank you for joining us for the latest installment of “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that gets you up close and personal with this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Today’s featured nominee is Geoffrey Girard, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel for Project Cain (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers).   DM : Can you please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work for which you've been nominated? In the case of a work wherein you've written multiple stories (like a collection) please choose your favorite part and…
Know a Nominee, Part Twenty: Rain Graves

Know a Nominee, Part Twenty: Rain Graves

Thanks for joining us for the latest installment of our ongoing interview series with this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Featured today is Rain Graves, who is nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection for Four Elements (Bad Moon Books/Evil Jester Press), along with her co-authors, Marge Simon, Charlee Jacob and Linda Addison.   DM: Can you please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work for which you've been nominated? In the case of a work wherein you've written multiple stories (like a collection) please choose your favorite part and discuss. RG:…
Know a Nominee Part Nineteen: R.J. Cavender

Know a Nominee Part Nineteen: R.J. Cavender

Welcome to the latest installment of “Know a Nominee,” the interview series that puts you inside the heads of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Featured today is R.J. Cavender, who’s nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in an Anthology (along with his co-editor, Boyd E. Harris) for Horror Library Vol. 5 (Cutting Block Press).   DM: Can you please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work for which you've been nominated? RC: Whoa, that’s going to take us back a few years. But the compressed version is that the +Horror Library+ began as a…
Know a Nominee, Part Eighteen: F. Paul Wilson

Know a Nominee, Part Eighteen: F. Paul Wilson

Welcome to “Know a Nominee,” the blog series that puts you inside the minds of some of the greatest practitioners of horror and dark fiction working today—this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. Featured today is F. Paul Wilson, nominated in the category of Superior Achievement in a Novel, for a book he co-authored with Sarah Pinborough, A Necessary End (Thunderstorm/Maelstrom Press).   DM: Can you please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work for which you've been nominated? In the case of a work wherein you've written multiple stories (like a collection) please choose your favorite…