Welcome to Dark Whispers - the official blog of the Horror Writers Association. If you are looking for information on the organization, its members, news on the latest horror releases, you’ve come to the right place.
People are predictable. That’s what makes them easy to kill.
Acting out of misguided loyalty to his friends, police officer Prosper Snow is goaded into helping them perform a copycat killing, but when the real killer comes after him, it’s not only his life on the line, but his family’s too. Now if he goes to his colleagues for help, he risks being arrested for murder. If he doesn’t, he risks being killed.
Whispers about The Kult…
“With The Kult, Shaun Jeffrey hits one out of the park with this creepy, character-driven thriller that starts with a jolt, stays in the fast lane, and plunges into the darkest territory of the human mind. It’s a bumpy ride through nightmare country.” – Jonathan Maberry, multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Patient Zero and Punisher: Naked Kill
“Jeffrey, one of horror’s rising young stars, has really hit his stride with The Kult. Part mystery, part police procedural, part horror story, it’s one thrilling ride. Jeffrey had me guessing at the killer’s identity half a dozen times, and the reveal, when it finally came, knocked me over. You don’t want to miss this one!” – Nate Kenyon, author of The Reach and The Bone Factory
In Japan, the line that divides myth from reality is not merely blurred, it is nonexistent. Superstitions, legends, and folk myths are passed down through generations and pervade daily living.
When a child playing near a river fails to return home, it is whispered that she was swept away by an adzuki arai, or Bean Washer. When a man boarding a ship hears the ringing of an unseen insect, it is announced that a funadama (Boat Spirit) is present and so the auspicious harbinger of smooth seas and abundant catch is celebrated. Even something as innocuous as waking up to find your pillow at the foot of your bed is thought to be the trick of a makura gaeshi, otherwise known as a Pillow Turner. Nothing is as simple as it seems. Your neighbor isn’t merely an eccentric old woman—she might very well be a shape-shifting, grudge-harboring Water Sprite.
The Japanese examine life and living with the keenest eyes and the most vivid of imaginations. Thersa Matsuura has captured that essence in this darkly insightful collection illuminating the place where reality falters and slips into the strange and fantastical.
Table of Contents:
“Hate and Where it Breeds”
“The Bean Washer”
“Yaichiro’s Battle”
“Sand Walls, Paper Doors”
“Her Favorite”
“What the Cat Knew”
“Taro’s Task”
“One Thousand Stitches”
“Mrs. Misaki’s Eyes”
“Devils Outside”
“Tip of the Nose”
“Eden on the 18th Floor”
“The Seed of the Mistake”
“My Devil’s Gate”
“Ganguro and the Mountain Witch”
“The Smallest Unit of Time”
Whispers about A Robe of Feathers and Other Stories…
“Inspired by Japanese folklore, Matsuura’s debut story collection is as clever as the mythical spirits and creatures who romp through her fable-like tales. Although her penchant is for the malevolent and unforgiving, , the humans who populate these seventeen stories are seldom innocent victims…The captivating stories gathered here offer lively glimpses of Japanese culture, urban and rural, present and past.” – Publisher’s Weekly (Web Pick of the Week)
“Thersa Matsuura’s collection of 17 stories turns the folktale on its head and re-imagines myth in modern Japan, where fanciful creatures invade a subway car (in “Hate and Where It Breeds”) and where, in the title tale, an epic quest for beauty amid a crowded intersection leads to tragedy… But as steeped as they are in literary tradition, Matsuura also imbues her tales with a contemporary feel, making them relevant even to those among us who gave up on the idea of fairy godmothers and happily ever after long ago.” – The San Diego Union Tribune
“A Robe of Feathers gave me nightmares. But not in the ways you might expect. Instead, it slithered into the dark recesses of my mind and found things cowering there that are better off left alone. All in all, this is a brilliant yet disturbing work. Even the Stephen Kings of the world could learn a thing or two from Matsuura.” – Jim Melvin, author of The Death Wizard Chronicles
Last weekend’s Stoker event was, in the words of the incomparable Tina Turner, “Simply the Best!” The lineup of special guests was to die for, the food at the banquet was spectacular, and the panels, workshops, and the awards ceremony were second to none. Oh, and the parties, folks, the parties! Huge thanks go to Heather Graham and Medallion Press for sponsoring the Gory Ghoul Ball and to Dark Scribe Press for sponsoring the Unspeakable 80’s Pre-Stoker Banquet party!
Congratulations to all of our Stoker winners, as well as our Lifetime Achievement Award winners, F. Paul Wilson and Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. I can’t think of two more deserving writers for that prestigious award.
Throughout the weekend, I heard nothing but positive comments from people, all claiming this was the best Stoker event ever. And they were absolutely right. Everywhere you went, there was a buzz of excitement in the air. Something was different. The feeling was tangible — and wonderful.
There were so many people who helped make our Stoker weekend special that naming them all would cause this note to go on forever. Even more importantly, I fear I might forget to name someone, then I’d be guilt-ridden for a millennium.
I would, however, like to offer a special thanks to Heather Graham, HWA’s Vice President. Heather not only took on the expense of the Gory Ghoul Party, which included food, music and entertainment from her wonderful band, giveaways, and contests, so our attendees were assured a good time, she also brought an editor from a large publishing house so our members would have the opportunity to pitch in the major leagues. Thank you, Heather, for your abundant generosity!
And what words can possibly express the gratitude we have for Lisa Morton and John Little, our Stoker coordinators. Without them, this spectacular event would not have been possible. Both worked endless hours, determined to make this the best Stokers ever, and they succeeded in spades! I offer my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to John and Lisa for all of their hard work and commitment to HWA. Our organization is fortunate to have them because, without question, John and Lisa are indeed SIMPLY THE BEST!
Deborah LeBlanc
President HWA
Some photo highlights of Stoker Weekend 2009 (courtesy of Vince Liaguno):
Event Co-Chair and Stoker winner Lisa Morton and John Palisano
Gene O’Neill and Gord Rollo
Lynne Hansen, Nanci Kalanta, and Jeff Strand
Martel Sardina and Thomas Monteleone
Stoker nominee R.J. Cavender and Boyd Harris of Cutting Block Press
Rhodi Hawk, Alexandra Sokoloff, Hank Schwaeble, and Martel Sardina at the Dark Delicacies signing on Thursday, June 11th.
Web Editors Vince Liaguno (Dark Scribe Magazine), Nanci Kalanta (Horror World), and Greg Lamberson (Fear Zone)
John Everson and Martel Sardina at the Dark Arts Books table
Nate Kenyon, Leisure’s Don D’Auria, Nanci Kalanta, and Rocky Wood
Gene O’Neill, Gord Rollo, Vince Liaguno, and Alexandra Sokoloff
Rain Graves gives an impassioned reading during Stoker Weekend ‘09!
GLBT Horror panel with Maria Alexander, Hal Bodner, Vince Liaguno, and Chad Helder
Roy Robbins, Liz Scott, and Joshua Scott at the Bad Moon Books table
Vince Liaguno and Ellen Datlow
Stoker nominee Joel Sutherland spots a familiar book at Dark Delicacies!
Rich Hanf, HWA President Debroah LeBlanc, and Leslie Klinger
Stoker nominee Bill Breedlove and Martel Sardina at Dark Scribe Press’ Unspeakable 80’s Party
Del Howison and Nanci Kalanta arrive for the Bram Stoker Awards!
Deborah Ibarra and Reesa Brown enjoy the ‘Unspeakable 80’s’!
Mick Garris, Martel Sardina, and Stephen Jones
Ellen Datlow and John Everson
Stoker winners Lisa Morton and Vince Liaguno
The Lamberson Family
Nanci Kalanta, Alexandra Sokoloff, Rhodi Hawk, and Heather Graham
Chad Helder and Rain Graves
Stoker Awards MC Jeff Strand
Mick Garris accepts for Stephen King at the Stoker Awards!
Lisa Mannetti gives an emotional accpetance speech as she takes home the Stoker for Superior Achievement in a First Novel!
John Little accepts his award for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction for “Miranda”!
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro receives her Lifetime Achievement Award!
Thomas Monteleone presents the Lifetime Achivement Award to F. Paul Wilson!
F. Paul Wilson accepts his Lifetime Achievement Award at the Bram Stoker Awards!
Lisa Morton and Stephen Jones announce HWA’s partnering with WHC next year in Brighton, England!
This year’s Stoker class: (l to r) Chad Helder, Vince Liaguno. Lisa Morton, F. Paul Wilson, Lisa Mannetti, Larry Roberts, Sephera Giron, and John Little!
For seventeen years of his life, the whereabouts of the medieval Italian poet Dante Alighieri is unknown to modern scholars. All we know is that during this time, he traveled as an exile across Europe, while working on his epic poem, The Divine Comedy. In his masterpiece he describes a journey through the three realms of the afterlife. The volume describing hell, Inferno, is the most famous of the the three.
Valley of the Dead is the real story behind Inferno. In his wanderings, Dante stumbles on a zombie infestation, and the things he sees there – people being devoured, burned alive, boiled in pitch, torn apart by dogs, eviscerated, impaled, crucified, etc. – become the basis of all the horrors he describes in Inferno. Afraid to be labeled a madman, Dante made the terrors he witnessed into a more “believable” account of an otherworldly adventure with demons and mythological monsters, but now the real story can finally be told.
Whispers about Valley of the Dead…
“Paffenroth’s style is at its best here, elevating the story from mere “horror” to literary fiction.” – Dread Central
For three decades, Lawrence C. Connolly has defied category, writing across genre to create stories where dreams are reality, the future is now, and a lone madman may be the sanest person in the room.
Presented here with all new introductions that discuss the origins of the stories and featuring a retrospective essay about the road to publication and beyond, Visions is a must for lovers of dark fantasy.
Hold the book. Behold the visions!
Table of Contents:
Illusion
“Aberrations”
Night Visions
“Echoes”
“Great Heart Rising”
“Buckeye and Spitball”
“Horror by Sunlight”
“Flashback”
“Step on a Crack”
“Ghosts”
Prophecy “Prime Time!”
“Flow”
“Julie of the Shadows”
“Cockroaches”
“Errors”
“Rope the Hornet”
“Daughters of Prime”
“The Others”
Dreams “Wayward Wilder”
“Gwythurn the Slayer”
“Mercenary of Dreams”
“Beerwulf”
“On the Brink”
“Strands”
Hindsight “Looking Back”
Whispers about Visions…
“[A] captivating writer who crafts drum-tight plots, loaded with realistic characters and fantastic settings with great style and substance.” - Michael Arnzen, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of 100 Jolts
While Germany wages war overseas, in the small farming community of Wakarusa, Indiana, fifty-seven-year-old slaughterhouse owner Harold Jackson is on the verge of losing his business. In a desperate attempt to save his farm and the slaughterhouse, he has mortgaged his property and used the money to place an illegal bet on the Triple Crown series of races and a horse named Slaughter. Overworked and overcome with anxiety over finances and guilt following the death of his son Ronald, Harold Jackson is slowly losing his sanity. He’s hearing a voice inside his mind, and as tension over the races builds, his insanity manifests in the form of a murderous talking pig named Homer. Though the pig exists solely in Harold’s imagination, he emerges as a separate entity.
Set in 1941 amongst the wealthy horseracing community in Lexington, Kentucky and in the struggling family farms of Indiana, Slaughter evokes a time and a place and tells a parallel tale of the madness that guilt induces and its possible outcomes. What if E. B. White had written Silence of the Lambs instead of Charlottes Web? Get a “taste” of what that might have been like in Marcus F. Griffin’s Slaughter.
Whispers about Slaughter…
“Charlotte’s Web as seen through the eyes of a sadistic serial killer. I’ve never read anything quite like this…I couldn’t put it down. Beautifully done!” - Nate Kenyon, Author of Bloodstone, The Reach, and The Bone Factory
“Touching, darkly comedic, terrifying and completely original, Slaughter is an incredible debut novel. Marcus F. Griffin is a talent to watch!” - Joel A. Sutherland, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Frozen Blood
As the blood red sun sets over the Chicago skyline, vampire writer – and real life vampire – Andrew Bloodsworth makes his way into WOLF 99.9 FM, an all-night radio station hosted by the beautiful Bella Donna, Goth queen of the airwaves.
As Bloodsworth reveals how he first became a vampire and the dark secrets and desires of the undead, listeners call in to talk to the undead writer. Most of the listeners are vampire and horror enthusiasts who are overjoyed to talk to a real life vampire, but OTTO – the Opposition To The Occult, a religious right organization – is also listening to the radio show — and they’re upset.
If that wasn’t enough, tabloid TV host Harry Winger, who features equally outrageous guests on his program, wants Bloodsworth to appear on his show. Plus, The Amazing Kreskin, the world’s foremost mentalist, has just had a premonition of imminent disaster.
What will happen next? Tune in to find out!
Whispers about Liquid Diet…
“(McCarty) is given full rein, and off he goes on a bizarre trip of the imagination, all stops out, no limits, hell-for-leather” - William F. Nolan, author of Logan’s Run
“Liquid Diet is smart, sexy and silky smooth … you’re in for a real treat. I loved it!” - Nate Kenyon, author of The Bone Factory and The Reach
“What a tasty read. Liquid Diet supplies all the fiber you need” - Linnea Quigley, actress, Return of the Living Dead and Night of the Demons
At long last, the anticipation is over. The Horror Writers Association has announced the winners of the 2008 Bram Stoker Awards at its annual Stoker Banquet held Saturday, June 13th, 2009 as part of its Stoker Weekend in Burbank, California. Nine new bronze haunted-house statuettes were handed over to the writers responsible for creating superior works of horror last year. This year’s winners are:
Superior Achievement in a NOVEL
DUMA KEY by Stephen King (Scribner)
Superior Achievement in a FIRST NOVEL
THE GENTLING BOX by Lisa Mannetti (Dark Hart Press)
Superior Achievement in LONG FICTION
MIRANDA by John R. Little (Bad Moon Books)
Superior Achievement in SHORT FICTION
“The Lost” by Sarah Langan (Cemetery Dance chapbook)
Superior Achievement in an ANTHOLOGY
UNSPEAKABLE HORROR edited by Vince A. Liaguno and Chad Helder
(Dark Scribe Press)
Superior Achievement in a COLLECTION
JUST AFTER SUNSET by Stephen King (Scribner)
Superior Achievement in NONFICTION
A HALLOWE’EN ANTHOLOGY by Lisa Morton (McFarland)
Superior Achievement in POETRY
THE NIGHTMARE COLLECTION by Bruce Boston
(Dark Regions Press)
Works can be recommended by any member of the HWA. Members with Active status then vote works onto a preliminary ballot. From there the field is narrowed to the final ballot and Active members then choose the winners. The award is named for Bram Stoker, best known as the author of Dracula. The trophy, which is a miniature haunted house, was designed by author Harlan Ellison and sculptor Steven Kirk.
HWA also presented its annual Lifetime Achievement Awards and its Specialty Press Award. F. Paul Wilson and Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, receiving Lifetime Achievement Awards, were on hand to accept. The Specialty Press Award went to Larry Roberts of Bloodletting Press. The Silver Hammer Award, for outstanding service to HWA, was voted by the organization’s board of trustees to Sephera Giron. The President’s Richard Laymon Service Award was given to John R. Little.
(left to right) Chad Helder, Vince Liaguno, Lisa Morton, F. Paul Wilson, Lisa Mannetti, Larry Roberts, Sephera Giron, and John R. Little
They first met in boarding school – Alex, shy and nervous, and Darren, constantly scribbling in his journal. They became best friends in college. Alex always knew that Darren was a little odd. He didn’t know his friend was murderously insane until Darren asked Alex to join him in his blood-soaked fun…
Whispers about Pressure…
“Marvelously creepy! The horror in this tale of twisted friendship is relentless.” – Publishers Weekly
“Relentless, gripping, and frightening. An outstanding novel, impossible to put down.” – Douglas Preston, bestselling co-author of Cemetery Dance
Dying by the truckload from a deadly flu outbreak, the citizens of San Antonio, Texas have been quarantined by the U.S. Military. Inside the city, Detective Lily Harris is working burial statistics duty at the Scar, San Antonio’s mass graveyard, when she finds a brutally murdered young woman hidden among the plague dead.
A Tangled Web…
Lily’s investigation soon takes a dark turn. An even deadlier strain of the virus has emerged, and now she finds herself in the middle of a vicious battle between a corrupt local government, a beleaguered medical institution, and a population threatening to boil over into revolt at the quarantine.
No escape…
As the city erupts in violence, Lily is forced to do the unthinkable. With the clock ticking towards destruction, Lily must lead her family through the city to escape, and bring the truth to the world.
Whispers about Quarantined…
“A crisply written police procedural set in the ravaged plague zone of a quarantined metropolis, rich in character and action, often brutal and sometimes touching, Joe McKinney’s latest is the kind of novel that may keep you up late into the night because it’s so hard to put down.” - Bruce Boston, author of The Guardener’s Tale
“McKinney has woven a taut whodunit, then ramped up the suspense and the stakes by spreading it across the backdrop of an apocalyptic plague. But as grisly as the murders and the disease are, the author wisely holds everything together with the powerful passion of a mother’s love for her daughter, thereby making his tale all the more satisfying and memorable.” - Kim Paffenroth, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Dying to Live and Gospel of the Living Dead
The Kult
