James Dorr's Blog, page 107
March 4, 2018
The Eye of the Storm: 2017 Stoker® Winners Announced
Home again, home again. . . . And so I am from StokerCon, a.k.a. Nor’easterCon, in possibly once more sunny Providence Rhode Island. Actually, having brought a rain slicker with me in lieu of a topcoat (yes, I was the one with the bright yellow “cape”!) I coped with Friday’s storm, including the four-block commute from the Dean Hotel to the Providence Biltmore, very well, thank you. I myself missed Saturday Night’s Awards Ceremony though, perhaps in part not having as vested an interest (one may recall my TOMBS was on the preliminary list for Collection, but didn’t make it to the finalists) but more in having an early flight Sunday that necessitated my getting up about 4:30 a.m., which gave me an interest to VERY early to bed. As it happens, fate had something to say about travel too, more on which maybe later this week. However, the Stoker Awards® were awarded and, for those who wish to know, here’s the list (courtesy of the Horror Writers Association Press Release):
Superior Achievement in a Novel
Winner: Golden, Christopher – Ararat (St. Martin’s Press)
Also nominated:
King, Stephen and King, Owen – Sleeping Beauties (Scribner)
Malerman, Josh – Black Mad Wheel (Ecco)
Miskowski, S.P. – I Wish I Was Like You (JournalStone)
Tem, Steve Rasnic – Ubo (Solaris)
Superior Achievement in a First Novel
Winner: Cabeen, Robert Payne – Cold Cuts (Omnium Gatherum Media)
Also nominated:
Davidson, Andy – In the Valley of the Sun (Skyhorse Publishing)
Hayward, Matt – What Do Monsters Fear? (Post Mortem Press)
Hepler, Jeremy – The Boulevard Monster (Bloodshot Books)
Thomas, Scott – Kill Creek (Ink Shares)
Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel
Winner: Liggett, Kim – The Last Harvest (Tor Teen)
Also nominated:
French, Gillian – The Door to January (Islandport Press)
Leveen, Tom – Hellworld (Simon Pulse)
Lukavics, Amy – The Ravenous (Harlequin Teen)
Porter, Sarah – When I Cast Your Shadow (Tor Teen)
Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel
Winner: Duffy, Damian and Butler, Octavia E. – Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation (Abrams ComicArts)
Also nominated:
Carey, Mike and Arvind, Ethan David – Darkness Visible (IDW)
Ferris, Emil – My Favorite Thing is Monsters (Fantagraphics)
Hickman, Jonathan – The Black Monday Murders (Image Comics)
Liu, Marjorie – Monstress Volume 2: The Blood (Image Comics)
Superior Achievement in Long Fiction
Winner: Jones, Stephen Graham – Mapping the Interior (Tor.com)
Also nominated:
Edelman, Scott – Faking it Until Forever Comes (Liars, Fakers, and the Dead Who Eat Them) (Written Backwards)
Kiernan, Caitlín R. – Agents of Dreamland (Tor.com)
Taylor, Lucy – Sweetlings (Tor.com)
Waggoner, Tim – A Kiss of Thorns (DarkFuse)
Superior Achievement in Short Fiction
Winner: Mannetti, Lisa – “Apocalypse Then” (Never Fear: The Apocalypse (13Thirty Books)
Also nominated:
Bailey, Michael – “I Will Be the Reflection Until the End” (Tales from the Lake Vol. 4) (Crystal Lake Publishing)
Chambers, James – “A Song Left Behind in the Aztakea Hills” (Shadows Over Main Street, Volume 2) (Cutting Block Books)
Neugebauer, Annie – “So Sings the Siren” (Apex Magazine #101) (Apex Publications)
Yardley, Mercedes M. – “Loving You Darkly” (F(r)iction Magazine #8 (Tethered by Letters)
Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection
Winner: Hill, Joe – Strange Weather (William Morrow)
Also nominated:
Kiste, Gwendolyn – And Her Smile Will Untether the Universe (JournalStone)
Malerman, Josh – Goblin (Earthling Publications)
Matsuura, Thersa – The Carp-Faced Boy and Other Tales (Independent Legions Publishing)
McGrath, Patrick – Writing Madness (Centipede Press)
Superior Achievement in a Screenplay
Winner: Peele, Jordan – Get Out (Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, QC Entertainment)
Also nominated:
Del Toro, Guillermo and Taylor, Vanessa – The Shape of Water (TSG Entertainment, Double Dare You Productions)
Duffer, Matt and Duffer, Ross – Stranger Things: MadMax, Episode 02:01: Chapter One (21 Laps Entertainment, Monkey Massacre)
Frost, Mark and Lynch, David – Twin Peaks, Part 8 (Rancho Rosa Partnership, Inc.)
Palmer, Chase, Fukunaga, Cary, and Dauberman, Gary – It (New Line Cinema)
Superior Achievement in an Anthology
Winner: Murano, Doug – Behold!: Oddities, Curiosities & Undefinable Wonders (Crystal Lake Publishing)
Also nominated:
Brooks, Kinitra, PhD., Addison, Linda D., and Morris, Susana, PhD. Sycorax’s Daughters (Cedar Grove Publishing)
Datlow, Ellen – Black Feathers: Dark Avian Tales: An Anthology (Pegasus Books)
Maberry, Jonathan and Romero, George A. – Nights of the Living Dead: An Anthology (St. Martin’s Griffin)
Manzetti, Alessandro and Lester, Jodi Renee – The Beauty of Death Vol. 2: Death by Water (Independent Legions Publishing)
Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction
Winner: Hendrix, Grady. Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of ’70s and ’80s Horror Fiction (Quirk Books)
Also nominated:
Brittany, Michele – Horror in Space: Critical Essays on a Film Subgenre (McFarland)
Brooks, Kinitra D. – Searching for Sycorax: Black Women’s Hauntings of Contemporary Horror (Rutgers University Press)
Jones, Stephen – The Art of Horror Movies: An Illustrated History (Applause Theatre & Cinema Books)
Mynhardt, Joe and Johnson, Eugene – Where Nightmares Come From: The Art of Storytelling in the Horror Genre – (Crystal Lake Publishing)
Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection
Winner: Sng, Christina – A Collection of Nightmares (Raw Dog Screaming Press)
Also nominated:
Frazier, Robert and Boston, Bruce – Visions of the Mutant Rain Forest (Crystal Lake Publishing)
Manzetti, Alessandro – No Mercy (Crystal Lake Publishing)
Simon, Marge and Turzillo, Mary – Satan’s Sweethearts (Weasel Press)
Wytovich, Stephanie M. – Sheet Music to My Acoustic Nightmare (Raw Dog Screaming Press)
February 27, 2018
Triana Star on Pens, Paws, and Claws, Interview Up for Writer Wednesday
“Writers & The Animals They Love” is the overarching theme of Heather Baker Weidner’s a bit off the beaten track PENS, PAWS, AND CLAWS blog, on which books take a back seat to the Goth Cat Triana. Well, not entirely, TOMBS: A CHRONICLE OF LATTER-DAY TIMES OF EARTH and THE TEARS OF ISIS do still get considerable mention, but their pictures are displayed well below that of you know who. [image error]And subjects covered include not just such standards as the difference between horror and dark fantasy, but also the use of pets in stories and favorite movies/books with animals in them. Angela Carter’s “The Company of Wolves” would be an example of the latter, while, in general, for a slightly different take on the usual “author interview” of yours truly, be welcome to press here.
Ms. Weidner also mentions that her readers like to leave comments, so feel free to join them with your own. I’ll make an effort to stop by to answer them two or three times later today, before getting ready to leave for StokerCon Thursday morning.
February 25, 2018
Full Boat of Poems Accepted by Star*Line (“A Funny Thing Happened . . .”)
Five funny things, actually. Lately my poetry has tended to ultra short, epigrammatic pieces, hopefully with a small punch or a laugh. The one I had in the fall STAR*LINE, for instance, “Wet Work” (see December 2, et al.), is an example. So it was that I sent five more to STAR*LINE in mid-December, the last of which in fact, I noted, was sort of a commentary on “Wet Work,” though goofier, maybe. But to the point, the email came back yesterday from Editor Vince Gotera: All five were accepted! They’ll come out over the course of the rest of the volume year. Probably one or two at a time. So despite rainy, gloomy weather outside, Saturday ended up being a great day (I also finished a story that afternoon, in itself reason enough to celebrate)!
The poems (watch for them! They’ll likely come out in a different order) are titled “From the Zombie Hunter’s Field Guide: Tracking the Zombie,” “The Young Transylvanian’s Guide to Dating: Taking Your Date Home,” “Never Trust a Vampiress,” “What She Learned,” and (this the one based on “Wet Work”) “Oh No She Didn’t?” While more on STAR*LINE and sponsor/publisher Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association can be found here.
February 24, 2018
Monstrosities, Washday Blues Up for Preorder
For Kindle, that is, with a publication date listed as March 10 and, hopefully, a print edition to come later. The book is MONSTROSITIES, Third Flatiron Publishing’s Spring anthology, on [t]hing[image error]s that are just too big or that don’t scale. Whether it’s the new shopping mall down the street, kaiju attacking Tokyo, flawed utopian ideas, the supposed ultimate weapon, or somebody who’s way too big for his britches. . . . Well, you get the idea. And my part in this one is a short story, “Got Them Washday Blues,” about a bad night at a local laundrette. (And what’s a laundrette? Well, read it to find out.)
So you probably know what a laundrette (also, “launderette”) is anyhow, or can figure it out, though the word’s more English English than American. While as for MONSTROSITIES, more information can be found here.
February 21, 2018
Eleven Films Set for StokerCon Film Fest
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So if you’re going to StokerCon too (cf.February 13, et al.) perhaps I’ll see you there. A quick rundown on the films themselves can be found by pressing here.
February 18, 2018
“A Few Good Stories” — Re-Launch Closed, Re-Quest Antho Still Has Spaces Open
Remember RE-QUEST? The reprint anthology to come out from Pole to Pole Publishing that had accepted my S&S tale “The Blade of Gudrin” (see February 2)? While its companion science fiction volume RE-LAUNCH has been filled (including by me, see February 4), the all-fantasy RE-QUEST still seeks a few good stories. There are a few rules, or as Editor Kelly A. Harmon points out: RE-QUEST requires dark fantasy reprints on the theme of “quests.” For both anthologies, stories should be 3,000-5,000 words and meet the central theme of the anthology. Reprints currently [image error]available on line are not eligible. Preference is for stories that haven’t been published in at least a year. Older reprints will carry more weight than new ones. Also, as I recall, preference was for “classic” fantasy as well, of course, that the [a]uthor must possess the rights to offer the story for submission.
So if you’ve got a sword and sorcery story, or grimdark, or otherwise darkish fantasy published a while back that you rather like and would like to share with a new group of readers (as well as receiving a small payment for it), just check out the guidelines by pressing here. But you’d do well to hurry.
February 14, 2018
An Independent Horror Film Lover’s Valentine Treat
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To join on the journey yourself, just press the magic button. (And a happy Valentine’s Day to all!)
February 13, 2018
StokerCon Update: Reading Is Scheduled for Saturday Morning
Kathleen Scheiner on the StokerCon staff who emailed this morning that there has been a sudden opening at 10:00 [image error] a.m. Saturday, for which I’ve emailed back “I’ll take it!” (or words to that effect). So as of now, for those who wish to join me, I’ll be sharing the Saturday morning opening slot with Nathan Carson and Karen Bovenmyer.
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As set up, I understand, these will be one-hour sessions with three readers each, giving us about fifteen minutes apiece allowing time for introductions, “class changes,” etc. And so, from TOMBS: A CHRONICLE OF LATTER-DAY TIMES OF EARTH, I think I’ll be able to read a shorter piece, most likely “Carnival of the Animals” from Section III, “Intimations of Future Disaster,” in just about the time allowed.
February 12, 2018
(Todo El Mundo — And More?)
As a small note, the question had come up whether the list below was complete, or if there were more names. Also, that there may be some mistakes on it, in terms of spellings and the like, the answer to this one being yes, that it is a long list and needed to be sent out quickly so errors here and there would be likely. And as for the former, the “official” word on Facebook is that “[t]he list of stories written in Spanish is closed. All the stories that are chosen from now on will be the ones that come from other languages and are being translated or corrected.”
So, yes, there should be considerably more (though don’t look for me to publish it in its entirety here 
February 9, 2018
Todo El Mundo Expanded — The First Hundred (in English)
And the list gets longer! Yesterday brought the announcement, c.f. just below, of the first forty selections for the upcoming Spanish Anthology TODO EL MUNDO EN UN LIBRO while FaceBook today provides more authors and titles as the process continues. So here’s where it stands now, and this time in an English translation (again, look for my story “School Nights” or, as it appears here, “Learning Nights”):
This is the list of the first 100 stories selected for the book “Nanocuentos del planeta tierra – Todo el mundo en un libro”. We remember that there are stories to be translated, and that many of them will be added to the list in the near future. This list only closes the contest for the writings that were presented in the group directed by Sergio Gaut Vel Hartman and whose original language is Spanish. Thank you very much for your strength, drive and participation. For people whose writings have been left out, for many different reasons (explained in a previous post), we remember that it is the writings that have been left out, not the people, and that if there is something bigger than a book or story is the person who writes it. Let´s go.
Tales / one hundred such:
– “Blood Harvest” by Jenny Kangasvuo
– “demographics” of balázs farkas
– “the middle name”, of Dolly Garland
– “the hope”, of servando clemens
– “my last fear”, by Graciela Yaracci
– “a kiss for granny”, by gergely buglyó
– “post apocalypse”, by Alejandro Bentivoglio
– “this is the forest”, of Mary Rosa lojo
– “in silence”, of so blonde
– “names”, of José Luis Zárate
– “you look just like” Jorge Ariel madrazo
– “the tramp”, from samuli antilla
– “Emporeio”, by kostas paradias
– “before it’s late”, by Luisa Axpe
– “confession”, by Armando Azeglio
– “State of siege”, by Eduardo Cerdán
– “the sacrifice”, of Fabio Calabrese
– “the human library”, of martijn adelmund
– “steps in the sand”, by Giovanni Agnoloni
– “the assault”, by Carlos Almira Picazo.
– “learning nights”, by James Dorr
– “Mud”, by jay caselberg
– “Dayland”, by Alejandro Marcelo Guarino
– “Handmade”, by Sergio Gaut Vel Hartman
– “another day”, by Pedro José García Gambín
– “Diamair”, by Julia Martin
– “the man of the train”, by Bruce Memblatt
– “this city”, of j.s. meresmaa
– ” someone saw him?”, from Hector Ranea
– “children and kittens”, by John Paul Allen
– “the end of the vigil”, of mark e. Pocha
– “another day in the life”, of Holly Schofield
– “love above all”, of betina goransky
– “the female status”, of Karen Jennings
– “Transformation”, by Valjeanne Jeffers
– “the departure”, of Alberto Chimal
– “the rest room”, by J.J. Haas
– “murder without witnesses”, by Javier López
– “cultivated sorrows”, of rosana canosa.
– “rebirth”, by l.v. cervera merino
– “the fourth-hour mirror”, by Juan Pablo Noronha
– “vicious circle”, of João Ventura
– “five friends”, by José Eduardo Lopes
– “the scarecrow”, of Carlos Manuel Cruz Meza
– “says my mother”, lucas cristofaro de vincenti
– “the bell rang for a long time”, of katica kulavkova
– “wishes”, by Leonardo Killian
– “Solux”, by Michael Marak
– “sacrifice of life and death”, by Gerard Houarner
– “decision”, by Jorge Candeias
– “disappearances”, from Lori Saint Martin
– “Grandma and the rest”, Steve Rasnic’s.
– “the group”, of Susana Revolt
“modesty” by Susana Ricciardi
– “in the labyrinth”, of Vladimir Rivas iturralde
– ” h.i.j.o.s.”, by Marcelo Rubio
– “bird friend”, of know ali
– “every day”, Daniel Salvo
– “death wish”, from salik shah
– “sign language”, by Julia address
– “don’t make me”, Diana Ponce
– “in the way of the bird”, of estela porta
– “for ugly”, from Gloria Ramirez
– “I will miss this”, from Francisco Chiappini
– “she”, from reccared silebo boturu
– “Arno”, from dalmira tilepbergen
– “the time of the function”, of Debbie Willems
– “meat market” by Anna Hill
– “American pregnant prisoners” from marleen s. Barr
– “the cars, refrigerators and women” of Karla Barajas
– “mere suggestion”, by Fernando Sorrentino
– “the time of slavery”, by hervé madaya
– “permanence of the song”, by yulia watanabe
– “so soft, so tender”, from Magdalena Hai
– “only sixty seconds”, of noshin shahrokhi
– “a conversation between the left hemisphere and the right”, of Marta Markoska
“Paris, London”, by Jean Luc Raharimanana
– “Homeland” of mend-heard gom gojav
– “desolate”, of innocent ilo
– “waiting”, for okwudili nebeolisa
– “the man and the dog”, of mohamed saïd raihani
– “dream covered in white”, by ruba nassereldeen
– “dust to dust”, from valery riddle
– “Black albino”, from tulani ngwenya
– “Mutant journey”, by Gerardo Horacio Porcayo
– “Protein”, by Cristian Arenós rebolledo
– “chicken coop”, of peace palau
– “ingredients”, by Rogelio Ramos signes
– “two bodies”, of Carlos Chernov
– “the construction of the universe”, of ana maría shua
– “collector”, by Ricardo Bernal
– “go de polyphemus”, by Diego Muñoz Valenzuela
– “the pariah”, of Enrique tamarit cerdà
– “Fairy Tale”, by Daniel Frini
– “encounter”, by Edgar Omar Avilés
– “sacrilege”, by Antonio J. Cebrián
– “silhouettes”, by Ana Delia Carrillo
– “wasteland”, of light darriba
– “Hecatomb”, by Jorge Etxeverry
– “the pianist”, of angel fabregat
