Veterans in Horror Spotlight 2023: Pamela K. Kinney

Pamela K. Kinney Biography Pamela K. Kinney gave up long ago ignoring the demanding voices in her head and has written been writing ever since. Her horror short story, “Bottled Spirits,” was runner-up for the 2013 WSFA Small Press Award and considered one of the seven best genre short fiction for that year. She has various short stories and poems published in fiction and nonfiction anthologies, magazines, and online zines, a science fiction novella, an urban fantasy novel, five nonfiction ghost books, and a nonfiction cryptid book. Her horror poem, “Dementia,” got her mentioned in Best Horror of the Year,…

Veterans in Horror Spotlight 2023: Brandon Ketchum

Brandon Ketchum Biography Brandon Ketchum is a speculative fiction writer from Pittsburgh, PA who enjoys putting a weird spin or strange vibe into every story, dark or light. He is a member of SFWA and the Horror Writers Association, and his work has been published with Air and Nothingness Press, Perihelion, Mad Scientist Journal, and many other publications, including the short story collections Legio Damnati and its sequel Civili Bellum. Brandon is a therapist in the mental health field and provides treatment for veterans with addictions, as well as conducts trauma therapy for veterans with PTSD. He is also a disabled…

Veterans in Horror Spotlight 2023: Jeremy Eads

  Jeremy Eads Biography My name is Jeremy Eads. I was a counterintelligence agent for the United States Army from 2002 through 2007. I mainly specialized in push ups, cutting grass, and turning the rocks over so they didn't get sunburned. I’m an invited contributor to The New Guard IX and made it to the final rounds of The New Guard's 2020 Fiction competition. I was long listed in Madville Publishing’s 2021 Blue Moon Novel Competition. The Lodge is my debut novel and I'm extremely proud of it. Thus far it has over 80 ratings/reviews on Amazon with a 4.6…

Veterans in Horror Spotlight 2023: Zachariah Jones

Zachariah Jones Biography I have been serving in the US Army (National Guard) since 2006. I enlisted at age 17 to be a 12B (Combat Engineer). After several years and earning my college degree from St. John’s University, I commissioned as an Engineer Officer. In 2018, I transitioned to full-time in the Army National Guard where I currently serve as a Battalion Executive Officer. I currently reside in Stillwater, a small river town in eastern Minnesota, with my husband (Josh) and dog (Delta). In my free time I lift weights, run, cook, yardwork/garden, and of course write. Instagram: @the_zachariah_jones /…
INDIGENOUS HERITAGE IN HORROR MONTH: INTERVIEW WITH SHANE HAWK

INDIGENOUS HERITAGE IN HORROR MONTH: INTERVIEW WITH SHANE HAWK

  SHANE HAWK (enrolled Cheyenne-Arapaho, Hidatsa and Potawatomi descent) is a history teacher by day and a horror writer by night. Hawk is the author of Anoka: A Collection of Indigenous Horror and he has other short fiction featured in numerous anthologies. He lives in San Diego with his beautiful wife, Tori. Learn more by visiting shanehawk.com What inspired you to start writing? The moment after turning the last page of Stephen Graham Jones’s Mapping the Interior in July 2019 pushed me to attempt writing. I had only started reading books about three years prior, barely dabbling in Horror along…

Veterans in Horror Spotlight 2023: Del Howison

Del Howison Biography Del Howison is an author, journalist, actor (see IMDB), and the Bram Stoker Award-winning editor of the anthology Dark Delicacies: Original Tales of Terror and the Macabre by the World’s Greatest Horror Writers. He has written articles for Fear.net, Cemetery Dance.com, and Writers Digest among others. His western short story The Lost Herd was turned into the premiere (and highest rated) episode, The Sacrifice, for the television series Fear Itself. His dark western novel The Survival of Margaret Thomas was nominated for the Peacemaker Award given out by the Western Fictioneers. He has been shortlisted for over…

Indigenous Heritage in Horror Month: Interview with Stephen Graham Jones

Stephen Graham Jones is the NYT bestselling author of some thirty novels and collections, and there’s some novellas and comic books in there as well. Most recent are Don’t Fear the Reaper and the ongoing Earthdivers. Up before too long are The Angel of Indian Lake and I Was a Teenage Slasher. Stephen lives and teaches in Boulder, Colorado. What inspired you to start writing? I’ve been a storyteller ever since the first time I spilled kool-aid on the couch and had to explain to mom how my little brother had maliciously done this, and was probably setting me up…

Veterans in Horror Spotlight 2023: Chance Fortune

Chance Fortune Biography I'm an active service member and noncommissioned officer in the Army National Guard with twelve years of service and one tour overseas to the Middle East and Southeast Asia. I have a degree in writing and media communication from the University of Wisconsin, followed by five years as a broadcast journalist. I also serve as a co-chair for the Veterans in Horror chapter of The Horror Writers Association and contribute bi-monthly to their newsletter. Currently, I work as a digital marketing and communications coordinator for one of Oregon's largest nonprofits. I've self-published one debut novel and am…

Veterans in Horror Spotlight 2023: Brad P. Christy

Brad P. Christy Biography Brad P. Christy was born and raised in small town Iowa where he developed a love for horror, starting with the Universal monsters and then the slashers of the 1980s. He is an Army retiree and the author of A Halloween Tradition, and more. He is a member of the Writer’s League of Texas, a HWA mentor, and holds a Master’s degree in Creative Writing. A DAEP high school English teacher, he devotes his time to working with teens who need a second chance. Brad lives in Central Texas with his wife… and too many cats.…

Veterans in Horror Spotlight 2023: Jack Finn

Jack Finn Biography Jack Finn is a folk horror author and 20-year Navy veteran living in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest. He is a lifelong believer that the Tooth Fairy proves you can trade body parts for cold, hard cash. Jack's debut horror novel, The Seven Deaths of Prince Vlad, was released in February 2023, and he is the author of two anthologies, Hell Shall Make You Fear Again and Legend of the Deer Woman. His short story, They Come When You Sleep, was recently included in Terrorcore Publishing's Doors of Darkness anthology. Jack is on Instagram and Twitter @TheRealJackFinn.…

Indigenous Heritage in Horror Month: Interview with Andrea L. Rogers

Andrea L. Rogers is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. She grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but currently attends The University of Arkansas in Fayetteville where she is a doctoral student in English. Andrea graduated with an MFA from the Institute for American Indian Arts. Andrea has three wonderful children. She taught Art and HS English in public schools for 14 years. Her work includes essays, picture books, middle grade stories and one comic. So far. "Hellhound in No Man’s Land,” is in A Howl: An Indigenous Anthology of Wolves, Werewolves, and Rougarou. Her piece was illustrated by Jordanna George.…

HWA Calls For 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award Nominations

HWA Calls For 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award Nominations The Horror Writers Association calls for suggestions and nominations from the membership for the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award. The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually to an individual whose work has substantially influenced the horror genre. While this award is often presented to a writer, it may also be given for influential accomplishments in other creative fields. The award is presented each year during HWA's gala presentation of the Bram Stoker Awards at StokerCon. To be eligible for this award, a candidate must either be at least sixty years of age by…

Indigenous Heritage in Horror Month: Interview with Erika Wurth

  Erika T. Wurth’s novel White Horse is a New York Times editors pick, a Good Morning America buzz pick, and an Indie Next, Target book of the Month, and BOTM Pick. She is both a Kenyon and Sewanee fellow, has been published in The Kenyon Review, Buzzfeed, and The Writer’s Chronicle, and is a narrative artist for the Meow Wolf Denver installation. She is an urban Native of Apache/Chickasaw/Cherokee descent. She lives in Denver with her partner, step-kids and two incredibly fluffy dogs. What inspired you to start writing? You know, I’m not really sure! I know that one…

Veterans in Horror Spotlight 2023: Thomas A. Bradley

Thomas A. Bradley Biography Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, I live in Drexel Hill, PA with my wife, Linda, and our rescue German shepherd, Bullet. I served with the Army Medical Corps during Vietnam. I hold a Bachelor's Degree in Microbiology, my Master's work done in Virology. I have worked for a number of biotech companies. My short stories have appeared in several magazines, both print and online. When it comes to writing horror, I prefer to stick to the old-school style rather than the slash and hack. "Allow the imagination to fill in the gaps...the mind can conjure darker better…

Veterans In Horror Spotlight 2023: Mark Allen

Mark Allen Biography Born in Jacksonville, Texas, 1961. I can remember when LBJ was President. U.S. Navy, retired 1980-2001. I was a U.S. Navy Independent Duty Hospital Corpsman (HM-8425) and a Fleet Marine Force (FMF) Warfare Specialist. Deployments included the Middle East, North Africa, Central America. We went to a few places; we did a few things. Retired May, 2001.   Book Recommendation: Just Before Dawn  My new novel, Just Before Dawn, dropped on Friday, October 6, 2023. In this sequel to my critically acclaimed debut novel, Nocturnal, the Vampire once again aids the police, this time looking for a…

Un-Settling Horrortellers: Introduction to Indigenous Heritage Month 2023 By Shane Hawk

By Shane Hawk The captivity narrative. The Indian burial ground. The noble savage. The magical Native. Do any of these sound familiar? They’re just a small sampling of negative tropes against Natives that have been tirelessly employed over the last few centuries. Native Americans, Indigenous Americans, Turtle Islanders—whatever you want to call us—comprise one percent of the publishing industry, but dammit, we are smashing down the walls of our literary prisons and removing our metaphorical muzzles because we’ve got some shit to say, and we’ve grown tired of non-Natives writing us a certain way. Indigenous Heritage Month begins every November…

NUTS & BOLTS: INTERVIEW WITH NOVELIST AND HAUNTED TOUR OWNER JAN-ANDREW HENDERSON

By Tom Joyce While working as a ghost tour guide in Edinburgh, Jan-Andrew Henderson found a spot with all the makings of a real-life horror story – an eerie graveyard, a long-buried (literally) human tragedy on a grand scale, and a vicious supernatural entity called “the Mackenzie Poltergeist.” That served as the inspiration for City of the Dead Tours, which he now owns and has turned into one of the UK’s most popular haunted tours, renowned among tourists and travel writers for its mix of entertainment and historical fact. Jan-Andrew, a multiple-award-winning author and HWA member, did the research and…

Submissions will open next month for the newest HWA members-only anthology!

Submissions will open next month for the newest HWA members-only anthology! SCARING AND DARING ADVENTURES will be an anthology of original fiction stories that draw from the rich tradition of classic works of children's literature and puts a “scaring” spin on the “daring adventures.” These stories will be intended for middle-grade readers and will reference characters, situations, or settings from famous works of literature that are in the public domain (generally pre-1923). The anthology will be edited by Eric J. Guignard and published by HarperCollins in 2025. Examples of stories this anthology could contain include ideas such as: The March…

Latinx Heritage in Horror: Interview with Ashley Dioses

Ashley Dioses is a writer of dark poetry and fiction from southern California.  She is the author of Diary of a Sorceress, a collection of dark fantasy and horror poetry, and The Withering, a collection of psychological horror and supernatural horror poetry.  Her third and latest collection, Darkest Days and Haunted Ways was just released from Jackanapes Press.  Her poetry has appeared in Weird Fiction Review, Cemetery Dance Publications, Weirdbook, Black Wings VI: New Tales of Lovecraftian Horror, and others.  Her poem “Cobwebs,” was mentioned in Ellen Datlow’s recommended Best Horror of the Year Volume Twelve list. She has also appeared in the…

Latinx Heritage in Horror: Interview with Leticia Urieta

Leticia Urieta (she/her/hers) is a Tejana writer from Austin, TX. She is a teaching artist in the greater Austin community and the Program Director of Austin Bat Cave, a literary community serving students in the Austin area, as well as the co-director of Barrio Writers Austin and Pflugerville, a free creative writing program for youth. Leticia is also a freelance writer. She is a graduate of Agnes Scott College and holds an MFA in Fiction writing from Texas State University. Her work appears or is forthcoming in Chicon Street Poets, Lumina, The Offing, Kweli Journal, Medium, Electric Lit and others.…