Alan Baxter's Blog, page 8

TWO Ditmar Award nominations, you say!?

Holy shitballs! The 2022 Ditmar Awards shortlists have just been released and I’m there TWICE! I am genuinely so happy to see The Gulp as a finalist in Best Collected Work and Ghost Recall as a finalist in Best Novella or Novelette. What a thrill. This makes 10 nominations for a Ditmar across my career, but I’ve yet to win one. Maybe this year? Regardless, it genuinely is an honour and a privilege to be a finalist. The full list is below:

Best NovelAll the Murmuring Bones, A.G. Slatter, Titan Books.The Bridge, J.S. Breukelaar, Meerkat Press.The Councillor, E.J. Beaton, DAW Books.A Marvellous Light, Freya Marske, Tor.Papa Lucy & The Boneman (Books of Before & Now 1), Jason Fischer, Outland Entertainment.The Rose Daughter, Maria Lewis, Hachette Australia/Little Brown Books.She Who Became the Sun, Shelley Parker-Chan, Tor.Best Novella or Novelette“Ariadne, I Love You”, J. Ashley-Smith, in Ariadne, I Love You, Meerkat Press.“Dirty Heads”, Aaron Dries.“Ghost Recall”, Alan Baxter, in Ghost Recall (Eli Carver 3), Grey Matter Press.“The Little One”, Rebecca Fraser, in Coralesque and other tales to disturb and distract, IFWG Publishing Australia.“A Vast Silence”, T.R. Napper, in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, November/December 2021.Best Short Story“A Good Big Brother”, Matt Tighe, in Spawn: Weird Tales of Pregnancy, Birth and Babies, IFWG Australia.“Goon of Fortune”, Geneve Flynn, in Midnight Echo 16.“The House That Hungers”, Maria Lewis, in Aurealis No. 146, November 13 2021.“The King in Yella”, Kaaron Warren, in Under Twin Suns: Alternate Histories of the Yellow Sign, Hippocampus Press.“Legacy of the Species”, Pamela Jeffs, in The Terralight Collection, Four Ink Press.“A Whisper in the Death Pit”, Kyla Lee Ward, in Weirdbook 44, Wildside Press.Best Collected WorkCoralesque and Other Tales To Disturb and Distract, Rebecca Fraser, IFWG Publishing Australia.The Gulp, Alan Baxter, 13th Dragon Books, self-published.Relics, Wrecks & Ruins, Aiki Flinthart, CAT Press.The Terralight Collection, Pamela Jeffs, Four Ink Press.Tool Tales, Ellen Datlow and Kaaron Warren, IFWG Publishing Australia.Best Fan Publication in Any MediumEarl Grey Editing, Elizabeth Fitzgerald.SF Commentary, Bruce Gillespie.Best Fan WriterKat Clay, for interviews and reviews on YouTube and katclay.com.Best Fan ArtistC.H. Pearce, for fanart on Instagram, including (Em and Gyre), (Lysande), (Cruelty Free), and (Rocket Launch Good).Best Artwork

INSUFFICIENT NOMINATIONS

Best New Talent

INSUFFICIENT NOMINATIONS

William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or ReviewEugen Bacon, for Aurealis Reviews (editor and reviews).Claire Fitzpatrick, for “How Mary Shelley Continues to Influence Modern Science Fiction”, in Aurealis 145.Ian Mond, for reviews in Locus.Andrew Nette and Iain McIntyre, for editing Dangerous Visions and New Worlds: Radical Science Fiction, 1950 to 1985, PM Press.Kyla Lee Ward, for “Vampire Poetry”, in Penumbra 2, Hippocampus Press.

 

 

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SALLOW BEND out now!

SALLOW BEND, my first full-length novel in four years, is here! And it’s early. It was supposed to release on September 2nd, but a bit of a cock up means it’s dropped today. Not a bad thing at all. I am super proud of this creepy small town folk horror book and I really hope you’ll give it a try. And please, please, please do tell friends and family and colleagues (and enemies for that matter) about it. I’d really love to see it do well and word of mouth is incredibly powerful. Even if you only tell one person, the ripple effect can be amazing.

Here’s the blurb:

Something old and deadly has awoken.

When two teenagers go missing from the small, rural town of Sallow Bend, the residents come together to search for them. Little do they suspect that finding the wayward girls will be the start of their problems. An old evil is rising, and only one man seems to realize that everyone is in danger and this is not the first time it’s happened. With the carnival in town, people want to have a good time, but for many, this will be the worst time of their lives.

“(Sallow Bend) is an immersive page-turner where details about the characters and the eerie history of the place are effortlessly fleshed out. Paired with the unceasingly intensifying dread, the story quickly escalates from unsettling to terrifying. Baxter, already an award-winning horror author in his native Australia, seems poised to take over America as well.” – Booklist

“I truly love folk horror if it’s well done, and surely Alan Baxter conjured up something quite magical with his newest book Sallow Bend. It is a story that not only leaves reader’s at the edge of their seat, but also takes quite a few risks, and pulls them off beautifully.” – Julia C. Lewis

“Sometimes when kids get lost in the woods, they come out again. Sometimes that’s not a good thing. Sometimes they’re not alone anymore. Baxter’s Sallow Bend has more than a touch of King about it.” – Angela Slatter, award-winning author of All the Murmuring Bones

You can order from a variety of places, and I’ll update all the links on this page as the book populates out to various vendors. Give me a shout if you’re having any trouble tracking it down. And if you want a signed copy, no problem. You can buy a signed paperback directly from me by clicking right here: https://www.alanbaxteronline.com/?add-to-cart=16019 If you’re in the US, you can get a paperback directly through the Cemetery Dance website, which is ideal for them.

Otherwise, here are a few store links to get you started:

Signed Paperback from me.

Direct from the Publisher. (In the US this is a good option, but overseas shipping is killer and you’ll do better to use one of the online stores below.)

Amazon—US
Amazon—AU
Amazon—UK

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Work published in 2022

It’s always good to remind people (and by people, I mostly mean me) of the successes in any given year. It’s important to take stock. I often feel like I’m not working hard enough and, while it’s true I could always work harder, I don’t tend to slack off much, and posting stuff like this helps to keep the doubting brain weasels away. It’s also a good reminder for people looking to nominate work for awards or reading lists to know what came out in any given year. So with that in mind, here’s my 2022 publication record.

THE FALL: Tales From The Gulp 2 – Eligible in Collection

All five stories in The Fall are original too, so they each qualify as Long Fiction (or Novella):

“Gulpepper Curios” (19,340 words)
“Cathedral Stack” (13,160 words)
“That Damn Woman” (18,230 words)
“Excursion Troop” (16,500 words)
“The Fall” (19,850 words)

SALLOW BEND – Eligible in Novel

DAMNATION GAMES – Eligible in Anthology, edited by me. This one should be out around October.

As for short fiction for 2022, that should end up looking like this:

“Counting Tunnels To Berry” – The Hideous Book of Hidden Horrors anthology, ed. Doug Murano (Bad Hand Books, June 2022) – this one is out now.

And then these three should all be out in October:

“The Fiends of Turner’s Creek” – SNAFU: Dead or Alive, ed. A J Spedding (Cohesion Press)

“The Question” – Damnation Games, ed. Alan Baxter (Clan Destine Press)

“The Novak Roadhouse Massacre” – Found, ed. Andrew Cull and Gabino Iglesias

Now that’s not too bad for a year. I’ve also got a new novel out on submission (wish me luck, please!) and I’m about 20,000 words into the next novel.

That’ll do, Pig. That’ll do.

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Limited edition Welcome To The Gulp nickel/enamel pin

Check it out. Limited edition #WelcomeToTheGulp nickel/enamel pin. Made with black nickel, so it sometimes looks silver, sometimes black, depending on the light. Only available direct from me (in person or through my site below). They came out better than I expected! There won’t be too many of these, so I’d get in quick if I were you. They’re only AU$10 each, and postage in Australia is only AU$5. I’m more than happy to send them overseas, but the postage is RIDICULOUS! Because they’re not a letter, they have to be sent as a parcel, which means I have to pay about AU$22 or something to post them. You can figure out the postage by clicking the link below and then decide if you’re not sure.

Of course, the easiest option is to get them directly from me at events and hopefully I’ll get out to NZ, the US and the UK again before too long. Any time I travel, I’ll bring some with me, all the time I have any left.

If you have any issues with the online store part, message me and we’ll figure it out!

Get them here: https://www.alanbaxteronline.com/?add-to-cart=16026

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The Pixel Project’s work to stop Violence Against Women (VAW)

I’m very pleased to be part of the 9th annual Fall Edition of Read For Pixels, featuring live YouTube sessions highlighting award-winning bestselling authors in support of ending violence against women. This September’s Read for Pixels features myself, along with Alastair Reynolds, Bracken MacLeod, Carol Goodman, Daniel H. Wilson, Jenn Lyons, Kathryn Purdie, Kwame Mbalia, Namina Forna, Nghi Vo, Rin Chupeco, Romina Garber, and Tim Lebbon. Each livestream YouTube session will feature an author reading from one of their books and discussing women and girls in their work, why they support ending violence against women, and women in the media, geek culture, and popular culture. Each session will also include a live moderated Q&A segment for fans and book lovers. The sessions will take place on weekends throughout September 2022. All authors have also generously donated a range of goodies to help raise funds for The Pixel Project.

You can read more about the project and explore their website here.

The page where my YouTube session will be livestreamed is: https://tinyurl.com/ABaxterR4PAnd here’s the full YouTube Livestream Schedule page for this year’s event, in case you want to see the full Read For Pixels schedule, get instructions on how to watch the livestream session on YouTube, etc: https://www.thepixelproject.net/community-buzz/read-for-pixels/youtube-live-schedule-attending-live-author-sessions/I haven’t quite decided what to read from yet, but I’m thinking it might be a scene from early on in my new novel, Sallow Bend , which is apposite to the project. Watch my social media for links and updates nearer the time.

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A New Era for Novellas on The Indy Author

I had the pleasure of chatting with Matty on The Indy Author again. We discussed novellas! Stuff like:

• How the Novella Is a Fantastic Length for Genre Fiction
• Publishing Novellas Individually or as a Collection
• How eBooks Facilitate Shorter Novellas and Series
• How Short is Too Short?
• Advances from Traditional Publishers
• Publishing a Novella

And more. You can watch the video of the interview below, and there’s a full transcription of the chat here.

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Ditmar Awards open for nominations

It’s that time of year again where the Australian Ditmar Awards (our very own mini-Hugos) are open for nominations. These are the fan-voted awards where anyone active in fandom can nominate work they think is worthy. What the hell does “active in fandom” mean? Well, this is something that comes up all the time. If you’ve ever been to a con, or engaged online with readers and writers more than casually, if you review, anything like that, you probably qualify. Basically, if you pay attention in any way to the Australian SFFH scene, even just as a reader, you’re probably eligible to nominate. As the rules state: “Where a nominator may not be known to the Ditmar subcommittee, the nominator should provide the name of someone known to the subcommittee who can vouch for the nominator’s eligibility. Convention attendance or membership of an SF club are among the criteria which qualify a person as ‘active in fandom’, but are not the only qualifying criteria. If in doubt, nominate and mention your qualifying criteria.”

These awards are always under-represented and awards operate best when more people get involved, so if you’re keen to nominate, give it a go. If we’ve ever interacted, feel free to mention me with your nomination.

The current rules, including Award categories, can be found here: https://wiki.sf.org.au/Ditmar_rules

A partial and unofficial eligibility list, to which everyone is encouraged to add, can be found here: https://wiki.sf.org.au/2022_Ditmar_eligibility_list

And you can do it all online, via this form: https://ditmars.sf.org.au/2022/nominations.html

Am I eligible for any awards? Why, yes, I am, thanks for asking! Here’s what of mine is eligible this time:

THE GULP (13th Dragon Books, self-published, January 2021) is eligible in the Best Collected Work category (I’d love a Ditmar to go along with my Aurealis Award for this book!)

All 5 stories in The Gulp are eligible in Best Novella or Novelette:

“Out on a Rim”, Alan Baxter, in The Gulp, 13th Dragon Books, self-published.
“Mother In Bloom”, Alan Baxter, in The Gulp, 13th Dragon Books, self-published.
“48 To Go”, Alan Baxter, in The Gulp, 13th Dragon Books, self-published.
“The Band Plays On”, Alan Baxter, in The Gulp, 13th Dragon Books, self-published.
“Rock Fisher”, Alan Baxter, in The Gulp, 13th Dragon Books, self-published.

Also eligible in Best Novella or Novelette:

“Ghost Recall”, Alan Baxter, in Ghost Recall (Eli Carver 3), Grey Matter Press.

And I only had a couple of short stories published last year, but these are eligible in Best Short Story:

“Come His Children”, Alan Baxter, in Cthulhu Deep Down Under 3, IFWG Publishing International.
“Nurturing His Nature”, Alan Baxter, in The Bad Book, Bleeding Edge Books.

So if you feel like voting for anything of mine, THANK YOU! And please do vote for anything and everything from 2021 that you think is worthy. As I said at the start, the more people involved, the better the awards reflect the will of the fans. Now I’m off to make my nominations.

 

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Books of Horror!

There’s a great group on Facebook called Books of Horror. Honestly, it’s almost all I do on FB these days, and it makes the whole site a lot more worthwhile. Apart from being one of the most friendly and supportive groups on there, it’s an absolute treasure trove of great book recommendations. One of the members there, Charlie Salt, started posting some truly definitive lists of the group’s recommendations, organised by genre, subject, etc. Rather than risk them being lost in the ever-rolling feed, I offered to host them here. So here they are. Each list is Charlie’s original post (with his comments at the start), and at the end is a link to the post back on Facebook – do follow the links as there are loads more great recommendations in the comments on each one.

SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS & SOME KEY ANTHOLOGIES

For the sake of my sanity and yours, I’ve not included themed collections otherwise I’d be here all day This is a list of key short story collections that are frequently mentioned and some essential anthologies at the end. Feel free to add others but check if it’s in the list first, thanks! I’ve taken Poe, Lovecraft, M.R. James etc. as a given.A.C. Wise – The Ghost SequencesAdam Nevill – Before You Wake, Cries From The Crypt, Hasty For The Dark, Some Will Not Sleep, Wyrd and Other DerelictionsAlan Baxter – Crow Shine, Served Cold, The Gulp, The FallBentley Little – The Collection, Indignities of The Flesh, Walking AloneBob Leman – Feesters In The Lake, The Tehama and OthersBrian Evenson – A Collapse of Horses, Songs For The Unraveling of The World, The Glassy Burning Floor of HellBrian Hodge – Skidding Into OblivionCarmen Maria Machado – Her Body And Other PartiesCharles Beaumont – Selected StoriesCharles L. Grant – Scream Quietly, Tales From The NightsideChristopher Slatsky – The Immeasurable Corpse of NatureChuck Palahniuk – HauntedClive Barker – Books of Blood seriesDan Chaon – Among The Missing, Stay AwakeDavid Morrell – Black EveningDennis Etchison – The Dark Country, The Blood Kiss, Red Dreams, Cutting EdgeE. Reyes – Strange Tales of The MacabreF. Paul Wilson – Soft And Others, The Barrens And OthersGary A. Braunbeck – Halfway Down The StairsGemma Files – In That Endlessness, Our EndGerald Kersh – Nightshade and DamnationsGlen Hirshberg – American Morons, The Janus Tree, The Two SamsGwendolyn Kiste – And Her Smile Will Untether The UniverseGuy N. Smith – Tales From The GraveyardIan Rogers – Every House Is HauntedJack Ketchum – Peaceable KingdomJack Townsend – Tales From The Gas Station (series)Jeff Strand – Gleefully Macabre Tales, Dead Clown Barbecue, Everything Has Teeth, Candy Coated MadnessJeremy Robert Johnson – Entropy In BloomJ.G. Faherty – The Monster Inside, Houses of the UnholyJoe R. Lansdale – High Cotton: Selected Stories, Bumper CropJohn Connolly – Night Music, NocturnesJohn Langan – The Wide Carnivorous Sky, Children of The FangJoe Hill – 20th Century Ghosts, Full ThrottleJoe McKinney – The Red Empire And Other StoriesJohn F.D. Taff – Little Black SpotsJon Padgett – The Secret of VentriloquismJoseph Payne Brennan – The Shapes of Midnight, Collected Short Stories and Poems, Nine Horrors and A DreamKarl Edward Wagner – Where The Summer Ends, Walk On The Wild SideKealan Patrick Burke – Dead Leaves, Dead of Winter, Milestone, Ravenous Ghosts, We Live Inside Your EyesKelly Link – Get In TroubleKristi Demeester – Everything That’s UnderneathKristopher Rufty – Bone Chimes 1 & 2Laird Baron – Occultation, Swift To Chase, The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All, The Imago SequenceLaura Maruo – Sing Your Sadness DeepLisa Tuttle – A Nest of NightmaresMaggie Siebert – BondingMalcolm Devlin – You Will Grow Into Them, Unexpected Places To Fall FromMariana Enriquez – Things We Lost In The Fire, The Dangers of Smoking In BedMark Samuels – The Age of Decayed FuturityMary Rickert – You Have Never Really Been HereMatthew M. Bartlett – Gateways To Abomination, The Stay-Awake MenMichael Marshall Smith – The Best of Michael Marshall SmithMichael Shea – PolyphemusMichael Wehunt – Greener PasturesNadia Bulkin – She Said DestroyNana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah – Friday BlackNathan Ballingrud – North American Lake Monsters, WoundsPaul Tremblay – Growing ThingsPhilip Fracassi – Behold The VoidRamsey Campbell – Alone With The HorrorsRay Bradbury – The October CountryReggie Oliver – Flowers of The SeaRichard Laymon – Fiends, A Good, Secret Place, Dreadful Tales, Madman StanRichard Matheson – The Best of Richard Matheson (Penguin Classics)R. Chetwynd-Hayes – Gaslight, Ghosts & Ghouls: A Centenary CelebrationRonald Malfi – We Should Have Left Well Enough AloneRobert Aickman – Cold Hand In Mine, Dark Entries, The Unsettled Dust, The Wine-Dark Sea, Painted DevilsRobert McCammon – Blue WorldRonald Kelly – The Halloween Store, The Sick Stuff, Mister Glow-Bones And Other TalesShirley Jackson – The Lottery And Other StoriesStephen Graham Jones – After The People Lights Have Gone OffStephen King – Night Shift, Skeleton Crew, Nightmares & Dreamscapes (the essential horror ones in my opinion)T.E. Grau – The Nameless DarkT.E.D. Klein – Collected Stories, Dark GodsTerry Dowling – The Night ShopThomas F. Monteleone – Fearful SymmetriesThomas Ligotti – Teatro Grottesco, The Shadow At The Bottom of The World (many more if you like these)Tyler Jones – Burn The Plans***ANTHOLOGIES:Kirby McCauley – Dark ForcesDavid G. Hartwell –The Dark Descent (as one collection or three volumes):The Colour of EvilThe Medusa In The ShieldA Fabulous Formless DarknessFoundations of Fear (as one collection or three volumes):Shadows of FearVisions of FearWorld’s of FearHerbert A. Wise – Great Tales of Terror And The SupernaturalEllen Datlow – The Best Horror of The Year (series)Stephen Jones – The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror (series)The Valancourt Book of Horror Stories 1-3Thomas F. Monteleone – Borderlands 1-7Charles L. Grant – Shadows 1-10Richard Chizmar – Shivers 1-7Richard Chizmar – The Best of Cemetery DanceDavid J. Schow – Silver ScreamMike Baker – My Favourite Horror StorySteve Jones & David Sutton – The Dark Voices 1-6 and Dark Terrors 1-6. Which are a kind of follow on to Van Thal’s long running Pan Book of Horror seriesThe Midnight Exhibit Vol. 1 & 2 (Rewind Or Die)

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HALLOWEEN BOOKS

Aron Beauregard – Scary BastardKristopher Rufty – Prank NightKevin Lucia – October NightsHailey Piper – Benny Rose The Cannibal KingKristopher Triana – Long Shadows of OctoberCameron Chaney – AutumncrowBryan Smith – All Hallow’s Dead& Racing With The DevilRay Bradbury – The Halloween Tree & Something Wicked This Way ComesNorman Partridge – Dark HarvestTom Tryon – Harvest HomeScott Thomas – Kill CreekRobert Zelazny – A Night In The Lonesome OctoberRichard Laymon – Night In The Lonesome October & All Hallow’s EveKevin J. Kennedy – Halloween LandE. Reyes – The Halloween Grindhouse & Devil’s HillKealan Patrick Burke – Dead LeavesRonald Kelly – The Halloween Store & Mister Glow-BonesGlen Hirshberg – The Two Sams: Ghost StoriesEllen Datlow (ed.) – Haunted NightsAlan Ryan (ed.) – Halloween HorrorsDouglas Draa (ed.) – What October Brings: A Lovecraftian Celebration of HalloweenStephen Jones (ed.) – The Mammoth Book of Halloween StoriesRichard Chizmar (ed.) – October Dreams 1 & 2Kevin J. Kennedy (ed.) – Collected Halloween Shorts: Trick ‘R TreatC.V. Hunt – Halloween FiendJonathan Maberry – Ghost Road BluesLucy A. Snyder – Halloween SeasonRobert McCammon – Usher’s PassingJosh Hancock – The Girls of OctoberLisa W. Cantrell – The Manse & TormentsTom Rymer – Malevolent NeversEvans Light – Doorbells At DuskAdam Millard – The October BoysJohn Everson – The Pumpkin ManDavid Robbins – Spook NightStewart O’Nan – The Night CountryBriana Morgan – The Tricker-TreaterChris Kosarich – Mister Jack & Night of The Pumpkin GodDennis J. Higman – PranksGregory Miller – Dark Nights and Candlelight: 31 Tiny October TalesJeff C. Carter – We Bleed Orange & Black: 31 Fun-sized Tales For HalloweenBrian James Freeman – The Halloween ChildrenJames A. Moore – Harvest MoonRussell Atwood – Apartment Five Is AlivePatrick C. Greene – Red Harvest, Grim Harvest, Demon HarvestPaul Melniczek – A Haunted Halloween, Frightful October, When The Leaves Fall, The Celebration, The Watching, Mischief Night, The Witching Hour, Children of The NightJade Royal (ed.) – Mischief NightScarecrows:Steve Vernon – The Tatter Demon trilogyScott Donnelly – Killer ScarecrowGord Rollo – Valley of The Scarecrow

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COMING OF AGE HORROR/KIDS ON BIKES/STRANGER THINGS STYLE BOOKS

Ray Bradbury – Something Wicked This Way ComesStephen King – It, The Body, The InstituteRobert McCammon – Boy’s LifeDan Simmons – Summer of NightBrian Keene – GhoulRonald Malfi – December ParkRichard Chizmar – Chasing The BoogeymanJeff Strand – Autumn Bleeds Into WinterJeffrey Ford – The Shadow YearRichard Laymon – The Traveling Vampire ShowJonathan Janz – Children of The DarkJames Newman – Midnight RainJ.G. Faherty – Cemetery ClubC.J. Tudor – The Chalk ManAdam Millard – The October BoysCraig Davidson – The Saturday Night Ghost ClubEdgar Cantero – Meddling KidsTim Meyer – Malignant SummerM.L. Rayner – Amongst The MistsWendy M. Wagner – The Deer KingsRonald Kelly – FearMalcolm McDowell – The ElementalsJ.F. Dubeau – A God In The ShedBrett McBean – The AwakeningJoe E. Lansdale – The BottomsNick Cutter – The TroopMatt Hayward – Those Below The Tree HouseDouglas Clegg – NeverlandAl Sarrantonio – TotentanzJohn Peyton Cooke – The LakeGraham Joyce – The Tooth FairyJoe Hill – N0S4A2Christina Henry – The Ghost TreeTony Urban – Within The WoodsPhilip Fracassi – CommodoreGreg F. Gifune – The Bleeding SeasonEdward Lorn – Bay’s EndTom Deady – HavenShawn Burgess – The Tear CollectorGrady Hendrix – My Best Friend’s ExorcismMatthew A. Clarke – Sons of SorrowErik Henry Vick – Demon KingSam Gafford – The House of NodensJohn Durgin – The Cursed Among UsNorman Partridge – Dark HarvestPamela Morris – The Witch’s Backbone seriesMark Morris – Toady aka The Horror ClubMax Booth III – Touch The NightMike Duke – Ghost TrainStephen King & Peter Straub – The TalismanDaka Hermon – Hide and Seeker

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SMALL-TOWN HORROR BOOKS

Alan Baxter – The Gulp, The Fall, Sallow BendBentley Little – The Town, The StoreCraig Davidson – The Saturday Night Ghost ClubBrian Keene – The Ghoul, Darkness On The Edge of TownDan Simmons – Summer of Night, A Winter HauntingRobert R. McCammon – Boy’s Life, Stinger, Usher’s PassingRonald Malfi – December Park, The Narrows, Bone White, SnowRichard Chizmar – Chasing The BoogeymanRonald Kelly – FearRichard Laymon – The Beast House seriesJoan Samson – The AuctioneerAdam Cesare – Clown In A CornfieldWilliam W. Johnstone – Blood OathThomas Olde Heuvelt – HexJames Newman – The WickedJack Kilborn – AfraidRobert Jackson Bennett – American ElsewhereJ.F. Dubeau – A God In The ShedThomas Tryon – Harvest HomeRay Bradbury – Something Wicked This Way ComesJonathan Janz – Children of the DarkMalcolm McDowell – Cold Moon Over Babylon, BlackwaterTodd Keisling – Devil’s CreekBlake Crouch – The Wayward Pines trilogyJonathan Maberry – The Pine Deep trilogyC.J. Tudor – The Chalk Man, The Hiding PlaceChristopher Buehlman – Those Across The RiverB.R. Yeager – Negative SpaceElizabeth Hand – Black LightPeter Straub – Floating DragonJack Finney – Invasion of the Body SnatchersIra Levin – The Stepford WivesRamsey Campbell – The Hungry MoonBernard Taylor – The Moorstone SicknessDean Koontz – PhantomsJennifer McMahon – The Winter PeopleNorman Partridge – Dark HarvestSteve Vernon – TatterdemonT.E.D. Klein – The CeremoniesJeffrey Ford – Shadow YearKevin Lucia – Things Slip Through, Through A Mirror DarklyMichael Rowe – Enter NightAlan Ryan – Dead WhiteTim Curran – ClownfleshHunter Shea – MisfitsPatrick C. Greene – Red Harvest, Grim Harvest, Demon HarvestMicah Dean Hicks – Break The Bodies, Haunt The BonesBrad Strickland – ShadowshowJere Cunningham – The AbyssJosh Malerman – GoblinCameron Chaney – AutumncrowAlan Baxter – The Gulp, The FallTom Rimer – Malevolent NeversC.V. Hunt – Halloween FiendJohn Fram – The Bright LandsKelvin V.A. Allison – Blood Harvest

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SUBURBAN HORROR

Bentley Little – The Association, The MailmanRichard Laymon – Night In The Lonesome OctoberIra Levin – The Stepford WivesEric C. Higgs – The Happy ManCarlton Mellick III – Ultra FuckersTim Waggoner – The Forever HouseKelli Owen – White Picket PrisonsSarah Langan – Good NeighborsCatherynne M. Valente – Comfort Me With ApplesChristopher Fowler – PsychovilleRobert Jackson Bennett – American ElsewhereAnn Rivers Siddons – The House Next DoorRichard Matheson – A Stir of EchoesJack Finney – Invasion of The BodysnatchersTim Curran – BlackoutWilliam Holloway – Blackwood Estates

https://www.facebook.com/groups/526308964218819/permalink/2007995449383489 /

HAUNTED HOUSE BOOKS

Henry James – The Turn of the ScrewDorothy McArdle – The UninvitedSusan Hill – The Woman In BlackShirley Jackson – The Haunting Of Hill HouseRichard Matheson – Hell HouseStephen King – The ShiningRobert Marasco – Burnt OfferingsJ. Anson – The Amityville HorrorAnne Rivers Siddons – The House Next DoorMichael McDowell – The ElementalsAndrew Cull – RemainsMichelle Paver – WakenhyrstBentley Little – The Haunted, The HouseTony Tremblay – The Moore HouseGarrett Cook – A God of Hungry WallsKelvin Allison & Lisa Hutchinson – 12John Boyne – This House Is HauntedMariko Koike – The Graveyard ApartmentAnia Ahlborn – Within These Walls, I Call Upon TheeJennifer McMahon – The InvitedDarcy Coates – The Haunting of Blackwood House, The Carrow Haunt, The Haunting of Ashburn House, Craven Manor, The Haunting of Gillespie House, The Haunting of Rookward House, The Folcroft Ghosts, The House Next Door, House of Shadows, House of SecretsTamara Thorne – Haunted, Bad ThingsTananarive Due – The Good HouseLee Mountford – Haunted: Perron Manor, Haunted: Devil’s Door, Haunted: Purgatory, The DemonicGaby Triana – Island of BonesGraham Masterton – The House of a Hundred Whispers, The House That Jack Built, PreyKi Longfellow – Houdini HeartM.L. Rayner – Echoes of HomeSimone St. James – The Sun Down MotelBen Farthing – It Waits on the Top FloorSarah Waters – The Little StrangerJames Herbert – Haunted, The Ghosts of Sleath, Ash, The Secret of Crickley HallDan Simmons – A Winter HauntingSteve Rasnic Tem – Deadfall HotelBilly O’Callaghan – The Dead HouseJeff Strand – Sick HouseAdam Nevill – Apartment 16, No One Gets Out Alive, House of Small ShadowsScott Thomas – Kill Creek, VioletJ.W. Ocker – Twelve Nights At Rotter HouseD.M. Pulley – No One’s HomeDavid Mitchell – Slade HouseAndrew Pyper – The GuardiansJonathan Aycliffe – Naomi’s RoomRonald Malfi – The Mourning House, Floating Staircase, Little GirlsElizabeth Hand – Wylding HallLaura Purcell – The Silent CompanionsMichael Clarke – The Patience of a Dead ManCherie Priest – The Family PlotChris Sorensen – The Nightmare RoomRiley Sager – Home Before DarkHerman Raucher – Maynard’s HouseAmbrose Ibsen – Black Acres, The House of Long Shadows, MaleficSusie Maloney – The Dwelling aka 362 Belisle St.Bernard Taylor – Sweetheart, SweetheartMichael Rowe – Wild FellSimon Kurt Unsworth – Quiet HousesYrsa Siagdottir – I Remember YouJohn Inman – The Boys On The MountainJo Kaplan – It Will Just Be UsJonathan Sims – Thirteen StoreysKristopher Triana – The Long Shadows of OctoberJonathan Janz – The Siren and the SpectreJack Kilborn – Haunted HouseJac Jemc – The Grip of ItChuck Wendig – The Book of AccidentsBrian Asman – Man, Fuck This HouseJoe Schreiber – No Doors, No WindowsRay Garton – The Loveliest DeadJohn Quick – The Corruption of Alston HouseSteven E. Wedel – Seven Days In BenevolencePaula Trachtman – Disturb Not The DreamGemma Amor – Six RoomsClaire L. Smith – When We Entered That HouseE. Reyes – The House on Moon Creek AvenueRussell Atwood – Apartment Five Is AliveSarah Gailey – Just Like HomeJennifer Fawcett – Beneath The StairsCurtis M. Lawson & Joe Morey (ed) – 13 HousesKathryn Cramer (ed) – The Architecture of Fear (collection of haunted house short stories)Kathryn Cramer (ed) – The Walls of Fear (sequel to the above, collection of haunted house short stories)Peter Haining (ed) – The Mammoth Book of Haunted House Stories

https://www.facebook.com/groups/526308964218819/permalink/1985977418251959/

CORPORATE/WORKPLACE HORROR

Bentley Little – The Store, The Bank, The ConsultantRob Hart – The WarehouseDave Eggers – The CircleJ.F. Gonzalez – The CorporationThomas Ligotti – My Work Is Not Yet Done (see also My Case For Retributive Action & Our Temporary Supervisor)Ling Ma – SeveranceGrady Hendrix – HorrorstorWilliam Spencer Browning – Resume With MonstersTodd Keisling – The Smile FactoryZakiya Dalila Harris – The Other Black GirlEdward Stasheff (ed.) – Corporate Cthulhu: Lovecraftian Tales of Bureaucratic NightmarePierre Lemaitre – Inhuman ResourcesKristopher Triana & Ryan Goulding – The Night StockersAndrew Shaffer – Secret Santa

https://www.facebook.com/groups/526308964218819/permalink/2007997446049956/

SPACE HORROR BOOKS

I was a bit economical here but there aren’t that many space horrors. I didn’t put cosmic horror as I don’t think that’s quite the same. As always, please add any others, thanks!Mike Duke – Amalgam seriesPeter Clines – Dead MoonS.A. Barnes – Dead SilenceJoe Schreiber – Death TroopersJudith Merril (ed.) – Galaxy of GhoulsGreg Bear – Hull Zero ThreeColin Wilson – Lifeforce aka The Space VampiresKenneth W. Cain (ed.) – Midnight From Beyond The StarsG.R.R. Martin – NightflyersDarcy Coates – ParasiteCourtney Alameda – Pitch DarkKali Wallace – Salvation DayGroff Conklin (ed.) – Science Fiction Terror TalesMur Lafferty – Six WakesStanislaw Lem – SolarisTom Sweterlitsch – The Gone WorldStephen Kozeniewski – The HematophagesBrett J. Talley – The VoidP.W. Hillard – The Void BeyondLena Nguyen – We Have Always Been HerePeter Watts – BlindsightIain Rob Wright – 2389Caitlin Starling – The Luminous DeadTess Gerritsen – GravityDavid Wellington – The Last AstronautJ.Z. Foster & Justin M. Woodward – Hell On Mars series

https://www.facebook.com/groups/526308964218819/permalink/2007461032770264/

CLOWN BOOKS

Stephen King – ItAdam Cesare – Clown In A CornfieldJon Athan – Do Not Disturb 1 & 2Alan Ryan – Dead WhiteTim Curran – ClownfleshRuby Jean Jensen – House of IllusionsTim McBain – The ClownsMatt Shaw – ClownWill Eliott – The Pilo Family CircusJeff Strand – Clowns Vs SpidersR.S. Belcher – King of the RoadJames A. Moore – Smile No MoreJudith Sonnet – The Clown HuntEmery LeeAnn – DankAshley Lister – Payback WeekRamsey Campbell – The Grin of the DarkTim Miller – Clown Apocalypse

https://www.facebook.com/groups/526308964218819/permalink/2007116842804683/

VAMPIRE BOOKS

Stephen King – Salem’s LotElizabeth Engstrom – Black AmbrosiaBrandon Massey – Dark CornerCrouch, Blake, Kilborn – DraculasMichael Rowe – Enter NightGeorge R.R. Martin – Fevre DreamColin Wilson – Lifeforce aka The Space VampiresRay Garton – Lot Lizards & Live Girls & Night LifeGlen Hirshberg – Motherless ChildrenChris T. Martindale – NightbloodMichael Talbot – The Delicate DependencyChristopher Buehlman – The Lesser Dead & The Suicide Motor ClubSkipp & Spector – The Light At The EndStephen Jones (ed.) – The Mammoth Book of Dracula StoriesStephen Jones (ed.) – The Mammoth Book of Vampire StoriesRonald Malfi – The NarrowsRichard Laymon – The Stake & The Traveling Vampire ShowRobert R. McCammon – They Thirst

https://www.facebook.com/groups/526308964218819/permalink/2007131076136593/

WEREWOLF BOOKS

J.R. Rice – Bane County seriesGlenn Rolfe – Blood And RainKeith C. Blackmore – Breeds trilogyMatt Serafini – Feral & Devil’s RowGraeme Reynolds – High Moor trilogyStephen Graham Jones – MongrelsT.W. Piperbrook – Outage trilogyRay Garton – Ravenous & BestialToby Barlow – Sharp TeethCharles L. Grant – The Dark Cry of the MoonGary Brandner – The Howling trilogySteve Vance – The Hyde EffectGlen Duncan – The Last Werewolf trilogyStephen Jones (ed.) – The Mammoth Book of WerewolvesThomas Tessier – The NightwalkerWhitley Streiber – The WolfenNicholas Pekearo – The WolfmanRobert R. McCammon – The Wolf’s HourWayne Smith – ThorChristopher Buehlman – Those Across The RiverRonald Kelly – Undertaker’s Moon aka Moon of the WerewolfJonathan Janz – Wolf LandW.D. Gagliani – Wolf’s Trap

https://www.facebook.com/groups/526308964218819/permalink/2007118239471210/

ZOMBIE BOOKS

I’m sorry if your favourite isn’t listed – there’s just so many zombie books and I’m a bit fussy so these are the ones that look strong to me. Anthologies are listed after the novels. As always, please feel to add any I’ve missed below – thanks!I’ve done a separate post for rage virus style ‘zombies’ here:https://m.facebook.com/groups/526308964218819/permalink/2007467646102936/Autumn series by David MoodyDay By Day Armageddon series by J.L. BourneDead City series by Joe McKinneyThe Savage Dead by Joe McKinneyDead Sea and Rising series by Brian KeeneWorld War Z – Max BrooksThe Living Dead by George R. Romero & Daniel KrausAnd Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin (zombies but not zombies, really good)Zone One by Colson WhiteheadEx-Heroes series by Peter Clines (Superheroes defending civilians from zombies)The Wild Ones by Jack HuntColdbrook by Tim LebbonFiend by Peter StensonRise Again by Ben TrippSeverance by Ling MaHandling The Undead by John Ajvide LindqvistPandemic by DiLouie etc.The Collapse series by Alice B. SullivanThe Dead by Mark E. RogersThe Gathering Dead by Stephen KnightWake by Elizabeth KnoxWet Work by Philip NutmanThe Reapers Are The Angels by Bell AldenHandling The Undead by John Ajvide LindqvistEverything Dies series by T.W. MalpassHollow Kingdom & Feral Creatures by Kira Jane BuxtonMonster Island series by David WellingtonNight Songs by Charles L. GrantAnthologies:Book of The Dead by John Skipp & Craig SpectorStill Dead: Book of The Dead 2 by John Skipp & Craig SpectorMondo Zombie: Book of The Dead 3 by John Skipp & Craig SpectorZombies: Encounters With The Hungry Dead by John SkippNights of the Living Dead by Jonathan Maberry & George R. RomeroThe Living Dead 1 & 2 by John Joseph AdamsThe Mammoth Book of Zombies by Stephen JonesThe New Dead: A Zombie Anthology by Christopher Golden21st Century Dead by Christopher GoldenZombie An Anthology of The Undead by Christopher GoldenThe Undead by D.L. SnellZombies Recent Dead by Paula GuranZombies More Recent Dead by Paula GuranDead Set: A Zombie Anthology by Michelle McCrary & Joe McKinneyThe Best of All Flesh: Zombie Anthology by James LowderWhere The Dead Go To Die by Aaron Dries & Mark Allan GunnellsRiver of Souls by T.L. Bodine

https://www.facebook.com/groups/526308964218819/permalink/2007466636103037/

RAGE VIRUS ZOMBIES

This is a list of books involving humans that have gone violent and crazy, as opposed to regular zombies. Feel free to add your own suggestions – thanks!The regular zombie list can be found here:https://www.facebook.com/groups/526308964218819/permalink/2007466636103037/David Moody – Hater seriesJosh Malerman – Bird Box & MalorieJose Saramago – BlindnessJames Herbert – The FogRichard Laymon – One Rainy NightBryan Smith – Last DayBrian Keene – The ComplexBlake Crouch – RunStephen King – CellDean Koontz – Night ChillsPaul Tremblay – Survivor SongTim Curran – The Devil Next DoorAlan Spencer – The Three DaysJeremy Robert Johnson – The LoopJames Demonaco & B.K. Evenson – FeralDelilah S. Dawson – The ViolenceRazak Melody – MothGretchen Felker-Martin – ManhuntSimon Clark – Blood CrazyKristopher Triana – They All Died ScreamingErnie Kaltenbrunner Jr. – City of The CreepsSarah Langan – The MissingSea Sick by Iain Rob Wrighthttps://www.facebook.com/groups/526308964218819/permalink/2007467646102936/

SERIAL KILLER BOOKS

I see serial killers as separate from slashers. I think serial killers are less gimmicky and more police procedural etc?If you don’t see something on here, it may be because I’ve put it on my slashers list here:https://www.facebook.com/groups/526308964218819/permalink/1830441433805559/Stacy Willingham – A Flicker In The DarkJ.F. Dubeau – A God In The ShedJames Patterson – Along Came A Spider (series)Brett Easton Ellis – American PsychoGlenn Rolfe – August’s EyesMo Hayder – BirdmanLauren Beukes – Broken MonstersShane Stevens – By Reason of InsanityRichard Chizmar – Chasing The BoogeymanChristian Galacar – Cicana SpringRonald Malfi – December Park & Come With MeJohn Connolly – Every Dead Thing (series)Michael Slade – Headhunter (series)Dan Wells – I Am Not A Serial Killer (series)Dan Chaon – Ill WillT.J. Payne – In My Father’s BasementDean Koontz – IntensityMichael Connolly – The Poet (series)Oyinkan Braithwaite – My Sister The Serial KillerTony Burgess – People Still Live In Cashtown CornersThomas Harris – Silence of the Lambs seriesGreg F. Gifune – The Bleeding SeasonJeffery Deaver – The Bone Collector (series)Simone St. James – The Book of Cold CasesSoren Sveistrup – The Chestnut ManStephen Dobyns – The Church of Dead GirlsJohn Fowles – The CollectorSharon Bolton – The CraftsmanJ.D. Barker – The Fourth MonkeyJim Thompson – The Killer Inside MeCatriona Ward – The Last House on Needless StreetJeff Strand – Autumn Bleeds Into Winter & KutterCatherine Ryan Howard – The Nothing ManDavid Jackson – The ResidentJo Nesbo – The SnowmanGlen Hirshberg – The Snowman’s ChildrenMichael Marshall – The Straw MenSteve Thayer – The WeathermanAlex North – The Whisper ManMeg Gardiner – Unsub (series)Billie Sue Mosiman – WiremanMegan Stockton – Quiet, Pretty ThingsPatrick Suskind – PerfumeBlake Crouch – Desert PlacesDaina Graziunas & Jim Starlin – Thinning The Predators

https://www.facebook.com/groups/526308964218819/permalink/2007464082769959/

SLASHER BOOKS

For quite a while now I’ve been making a list of slasher novels, based on your fantastic recommendations and from the folks at Reddit. It was suggested I share it as a full post to see if anything can be added to it. Let me know what I’ve missed!Serial killer books (Less gimmicky, more police procedural) can be found here:https://www.facebook.com/groups/526308964218819/permalink/2007464082769959/They’re in no particular order, also let me know if I’ve missed any Richard Laymon’s Ryan C. Thomas – The Summer I DiedSergio Gomez – Camp SlaughterDan Padavona – Camp Slasher, The Face of Midnight, CrawlspaceJames Sabata – Fat CampDavid Irons – Don’t Go To Wheelchair CampJack Quaid – Escape From Happydale, Escape From Bastard Town, Escape From Slaughter BeachDavid Sodergren – Night Shoot, Dead Girl BluesW.D. Jackson – SlasherRichard Laymon –Come Out TonightOne Rainy NightEndless NightIslandBlood GamesThe Woods Are DarkAfter MidnightCutsAllhallow’s EveAron Beauregard – Scary BastardRex Miller – Slob, FrenzyJack Ketchum – Off Season, Offspring, CoverStephen Crye – JoyrideGina Wohlsdorf – SecurityAnia Ahlborn – Brother, The ShudderingChristopher Fowler – PsychovilleCameron Roubique – Kill River 1, 2, and 3, Disco Deathtrap, Golf CurseKealan Patrick Burke – KinDavid C. Hayes – The Great American SlasherBryan A. Smith – All Hallow’s Dead, The Killing KindAdam Cesare – Clown In A Cornfield, The Con SeasonMark Wheaton – Sunday Billy SundayBrian Keene – Urban GothicJ.F. Gonzalez – SurvivorC.P. Bialois – The Slasher Experience 1, 2, & 3Matt Drabble – Prime Time, Abra-CadaverMatt Serafini – Under The BladeJoey Comeau – The Summer Is Ended And We Are Not Yet SavedJonathan Raab – Camp Ghoul Mountain Part VIMichael Prescott – KaneRyan Harding – Reincarnage, ReincursionRiley Sager – Final Girls, The Last Time I LiedStephen Graham Jones – The Last Final Girl, My Heart Is A Chainsaw, The Only Good IndiansBrandon Ford – The Final GirlPaul Michael Anderson – StandaloneLauren Beukes – The Shining GirlsRuby Jean Jensen – Wait And SeeGreg F. Gifune – SavagesKristopher Rufty – Pillowface, Last One Alive, Prank NightB.W. Battin – The BoogeymanSøren Sveistrup – The Chestnut ManHunter Shea – SlashCarlton Mellick III – ApeshitStephanie Perkins – There’s Someone Inside Your HouseIvy Tholen – Tastes Like CandyS. Elliot Brandis – Young SlasherDavid Charlesworth – Death Head ValleyJack Kilborn – Afraid, Trapped, EnduranceScott Cole – Triple AxeDanielle Vega – The Merciless, Survive The NightRamsey Campbell – The Face That Must DieGretchen McNeil – Ten, MurderTrendingThommy Huston – JinxedRyu Murakami – In The Miso SoupGregory Lamberson – Johnny GruesomeAdam Millard – LarryBryan Smith – DepravedTim Miller – Family Night, Curse of The Gut RipperJon Athan – Do Not Disturb 1 & 2, Night of the Prowler, The Social Media Murders, Camp BlazeKen Greenhall – Death ChainTravis Szablewski – Are You Alone In The House?, Do You Want To Die Tonight?, Did You Lock The Front Door?, Is There Someone Behind You?Jeff Strand – My Pretties, Slice and DicePatrick C. Greene – Red Harvest, Grim Harvest, Demon HarvestIain Rob Wright – 12 StepsTim Meyer – Kill Hill Carnage, Paradise ClubBrandon Berntson – Boone: A Slasher TaleJessica Guess – Cirque BerserkTim Curran – Devil Next DoorRick Wood – Shutter HouseNatasha Preston – You Will Be MineBrooklyn Ann – His Final Girl, Her Haunted Heart, His Scream Queen, Her Halloween PartyRafael Chandler – Mask Beneath Her FaceL.C. Valentine – The Last Girls StandingSean McDonough – The Class ReunionP.J. Stanley – Most Likely To DieKenzie Jennings – ReceptionT.J. Payne – The Venue, In My Father’s BasementLaird Barron – Swift To ChaseThomas Simpson – One Of UsBrian G. Berry – The Sleepover Massacre, Blood Lanes, Thanksgiving Day MassacreRussell Rhodes – TricycleJohn Russo – The MajorettesRegina Watts – Babysitter BloodbathDarren Blake – Comedy of TerrorsScott Donnelly – Killer ScarecrowGord Rollo – Valley of the ScarecrowJudith Sonnet – The Clown HuntAshley Lister – Payback WeekAdrean Messmer – Psychopomp and CircumstanceAngela Sylvaine – Chopping SpreeHailey Piper – Benny Rose The Cannibal KingTodd Rigney – Dancing On The Edge of a BladeE.V. Knight – Dead EyesJohn Everson – The Pumpkin ManBrady Phoenix – Cardinal RulesJohn Durgin – The Cursed Among UsAngela Sylvaine – Chopping SpreeHailey Piper – Benny Rose The Cannibal KingTodd Rigney – Dancing On The Edge of a BladeE.V. Knight – Dead EyesJohn Everson – The Pumpkin Man

https://www.facebook.com/groups/526308964218819/permalink/1830441433805559/

Again, please note these lists and all the comments are by Charlie Salt on the Books of Horror Facebook group – go and join! Thanks, Charlie.

The post Books of Horror! appeared first on Alan Baxter - Warrior Scribe.

I WON AN AUREALIS AWARD!

This post is going to be self-indulgent! The Aurealis Awards are Australia’s premiere genre fiction awards. Celebrating all forms of fantasy, science-fiction and horror, they’ve been around since 1995. It’s no lie to admit that ever since I started writing seriously, I’ve coveted one. They really are the pinnacle of peer-recognition outside of the obvious things like publications and book sales. The Aurealis Awards as good as it gets in Australia. They’re judged, so not a popularity award – they truly recognise the cream of SFFH every year. I’ve been incredibly lucky to be recognised as a finalist 11 times, across a range of categories. But I’d never won. Until now.

Back in March, the 2021 Aurealis Awards shortlists were announced and I was blown away to see my name three times. The Gulp was up for Best Collection and two stories from The Gulp – “Mother in Bloom” and “The Band Plays On” – were up for Best Fantasy Novella and Best Horror Novella respectively. (I’ll reprint the full list of finalists and winners at the end of this post.)

On Saturday, there was a big party down in Canberra and for the first time in three years we got to have an in-person awards ceremony. (Check out these fantastic photos from the awesome Cat Sparks.) It was so much fun to be among friends again. I honestly thought I had no chance of winning. Apart from the fact that I’ve become a little bit used to being an Aurealis Awards bridesmaid, the insane quality of work on the shortlists left me with no illusions. I was fortunate enough to be asked to present the award for Best Science Fiction Short Story and Best Science Fiction Novella. That was a thrill. The announcement for Best Horror Novella came along and that went to “All The Long Way Down” by Alf Simpson. Then Best Fantasy Novella and that went to Bones Of The Sea by Amy Laurens. I’d had quite a few beers by the time legendary horror writer and my good mate, Kaaron Warren, stepped up to present Best Collection. So I honestly had a moment of dizziness and thought I might genuinely keel over when Kaaron read out my name! Looks at these photos – it gives me so much life to see how overjoyed Kaaron was that I won and I honestly couldn’t think of anyone better to receive my first Aurealis Award from:

(Photos by Cat Sparks)

This is one of the real pleasures of the Australian genre writing community – our genuine love for each other and our joy at each other’s successes. Thank you, Kaaron!

I was a blithering mess when I received the award and have no real recollection of what I said. I know I thanked my good mate Joanne Anderton, who did wonderful beta reading of this book. And I know I thanked my wife and kid for their tireless support of what I do. I don’t remember much else – beer and shock will do that to you. Hopefully I didn’t say anything too stupid.

I am so proud and pleased to have finally taken home the shiny here. Especially for this book. Writing The Gulp and The Fall was taking a chance of a kind. Putting them out independently was taking another risk. I am so happy with how well-received they’ve been, I was ecstatic to see The Gulp hit the preliminary ballot for the Stoker Awards, and now it’s won an Aurealis Award. Further proof of the advice we keep giving – write the stories you want to tell. Write what’s burning your heart and your soul, and it’ll find its mark.

Massive respect and thanks to Tehani Croft and all the Aurealis Awards team and judges. You lot are amazing. Thanks to the CSFG for hosting such a mega event. It was SO GOOD to be with friends again. And massive congratulations to all the finalists and winners. Here’s the full list, with the winners in bold.

BEST CHILDREN’S FICTION

The Boy Who Stepped Through Time, Anna Ciddor (Allen & Unwin)

Stellarphant, James Foley (Fremantle Press)

Dragon Skin, Karen Foxlee (Allen & Unwin)

The Curiosities, Zana Fraillon & Phil Lesnie (illustrator) (Hachette Australia)

Elsewhere Girls, Emily Gale & Nova Weetman (Text Publishing)

Barebum Billy, Nicholas Snelling (BAD DAD Publishing)

BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL / ILLUSTRATED WORK

The Curiosities, Zana Fraillon & Phil Lesnie (illustrator) (Hachette Australia)

Treasure in the Lake, Jason Pamment (Allen & Unwin)

Mechanix, Ben Slabak & Edoardo Natalini (Cloud 9 Comix)

Killeroo: Semper Fidelis, Matthew Soall & Ignacio Di Meglio (illustrator) (OzComics)

BEST YOUNG ADULT SHORT STORY

“The Woods Echo Back”, Tania Fordwalker (Beneath Ceaseless Skies #331)

“Don’t Look!”, Lisa Fuller (Hometown Haunts: #LoveOzYA Horror Tales, Wakefield Press)

“Of Slaves and Lions”, Pamela Jeffs (Stories of Survival, Deadset Press)

“Slaughterhouse Boys”, Emma Osborne (Hometown Haunts: #LoveOzYA Horror Tales, Wakefield Press)

“Way-bread Rising”, Tansy Rayner Roberts (Stories of Survival, Deadset Press)

“Hunger”, Marianna Shek (Hometown Haunts: #LoveOzYA Horror Tales, Wakefield Press)

BEST HORROR SHORT STORY

“Don’t Look!”, Lisa Fuller (Hometown Haunts: #LoveOzYA Horror Tales, Wakefield Press)  

“Traces of Us, Hot Enough for Dinner”, Ephiny Gale (The Dread Machine 1.3)

“The House that Hungers”, Maria Lewis (Aurealis #146, Chimaera Publications)

“The Quiet Room”, Martin Livings (Midnight Echo #16, The Australasian Horror Writers Association)

“Sins of the Mother”, Tracie McBride (Spawn: Weird Horror Tales About Pregnancy, Birth and Babies, IFWG Publishing Australia)

“Mother Dandelion”, Antoinette Rydyr (Spawn: Weird Horror Tales About Pregnancy, Birth and Babies, IFWG Publishing Australia)

BEST HORROR NOVELLA

When the Cicadas Stop Singing, Zachary Ashford (Horrific Tales Press)

“The Band Plays On”, Alan Baxter (The Gulp, self-published)

“Hell’s Teeth”, Matthew R Davis (Haunted: An Anthology, Specul8 Publishing)

Cryptid Killers, Alister Hodge (Severed Press)

“All The Long Way Down”, Alf Simpson (Cthulhu Deep Down Under Volume 3, IFWG Publishing Australia)

BEST FANTASY SHORT STORY

“Who Wants to be a Reaper”, Jane Brown (The Centropic Oracle)

“So-called Bin Chicken”, E J Delaney (Curiouser Magazine #2)

“All my Tuesdays”, Laura J Fitzwilson (Cicerone Journal Issue 5: Curious Worlds)

“Old Souls”, Aiki Flinthart (Relics, Wrecks & Ruins, CAT Press)

“The Woods Echo Back”, Tania Fordwalker (Beneath Ceaseless Skies #331)

“Frabjous”, Alexander Gibbs (Cicerone Journal Issue 5: Curious Worlds)

BEST FANTASY NOVELLA

“Mother in Bloom”, Alan Baxter (The Gulp, self-published)

“The Little One”, Rebecca Fraser (Coralesque and Other Tales to Disturb and Distract, IFWG Publishing Australia)

“Bones Of The Sea”, Amy Laurens (Inkprint Press)

“Echo and Narcissus”, Tansy Rayner Roberts (Sheep Might Fly podcast, self-published)

“The Scarab Children of Montague”, Suzanne J Willis (Falstaff Books)

BEST SCIENCE FICTION SHORT STORY

“He Leaps for the Stars, He Leaps for the Stars” Grace Chan (Clarkesworld #178)

“For Autumn”, Melissa Ferguson (Revolutions, Deadset Press)

“Honey and a Hanging”, Aiki Flinthart (Tribute, Black Hart Publishing)

“The Reunion”, Emily Fox (Nature: Futures)

“Relict: (noun) A Widow; a Thing Remaining From the Past”, Alison Goodman (Relics, Wrecks & Ruins, CAT Press)

“Legacy of the Species”, Pamela Jeffs, (The Terralight Collection, Four Ink Press)

BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVELLA

“Access Denied”, Baden Chant (Aurealis #142, Chimaera Publications)

The Cruise to the End of the World, Craig Cormick (Merino Press)

“The Birdsong Fossil”, D K Mok (Multispecies Cities: Solarpunk Urban Futures, World Weaver Press)

“Problem Landing”, Sean Monaghan (Analog Science Fiction and Science Fact Mar/Apr)

“Preserved in Amber”, Samantha Murray (Clarkesworld #178)

“A Vast Silence”, T R Napper (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction Nov/Dec)

BEST COLLECTION

The Gulp, Alan Baxter, (self-published)

Danged Black Thing, Eugen Bacon (Transit Lounge Publishing)

The Terralight Collection, Pamela Jeffs (Four Ink Press)

The Tallow-Wife & Other Tales, Angela Slatter (Tartarus Press)

Little Labyrinths: Collected Microfictions, Sean Williams (Brain Jar Press)

BEST ANTHOLOGY

Who Sleuthed It?, Lindy Cameron (Ed.) (Clan Destine Press)

Relics, Wrecks & Ruins, Aiki Flinthart (Ed.), Lauren Elise Daniels & Geneve Flynn (assistant Eds.), CAT Press

Hometown Haunts: #LoveOzYA Horror Tales, Poppy Nwosu (Ed.) (Wakefield Press)

Spawn: Weird Horror Tales About Pregnancy, Birth and Babies, Deborah Sheldon (Ed.) (IFWG Publishing Australia)

BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL

Waking Romeo, Kathryn Barker (Allen & Unwin)

Aurora’s End, Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (Allen & Unwin)

Terciel and Elinor, Garth Nix (Allen & Unwin)

Echo in the Memory, Cameron Nunn (Walker Books Australia)

Dirt Circus League, Maree Kimberley (Text Publishing)

It’s Not You, It’s Me, Gabrielle Williams (Allen & Unwin)

BEST HORROR NOVEL

The Bridge, J S Breukelaar (Meerkat Press)

Midnight in the Chapel of Love, Matthew R Davis (JournalStone Publishing)

Papa Lucy & The Boneman, Jason Fischer (Outland Entertainment)

The Airways, Jennifer Mills (Picador Australia)

Holly and the Nobodies, Ben Pienaar (Hellbound Books LLC)

BEST FANTASY NOVEL  

Supermums – And So It Begins, Meg Grace (self-published)

The Rose Daughter, Maria Lewis (Piatkus / Hachette / Little Brown)

A Marvellous Light, Freya Marske (Tor)

Dark Rise, C S Pacat (Allen & Unwin)

She Who Became the Sun, Shelley Parker-Chan (Mantle)

All the Murmuring Bones, Angela Slatter (Titan Books)

BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL

Waking Romeo, Kathryn Barker (Allen & Unwin)

The 22 Murders of Madison May, Max Barry (Hachette Australia)

Stealing Time, Rebecca Bowyer (Story Addict Publishing)

Papa Lucy & The Boneman, Jason Fischer (Outland Entertainment)

Aurora’s End, Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (Allen & Unwin)

Deepwater King, Claire McKenna (HarperCollins Publishers)

SARA DOUGLASS BOOK SERIES AWARD

Lifespan of Starlight [Lifespan of Starlight (2015); Split Infinity (2016); Edge of Time (2018)], Thalia Kalkipsakis (Hardie Grant Egmont)

Elementals [Ice Wolves (2018); Scorch Dragons (2019); Battle Born (2020)], Amie Kaufman (HarperCollins)

Unearthed [Unearthed (2017); Undying (2018)], Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner (Allen & Unwin)

Lifelike [LIFEL1K3 (2018); DEV1AT3 (2019); TRUEL1F3 (2020)], Jay Kristoff (Allen & Unwin)

Winter [The Road to Winter (2016); Wilder Country (2017); Land of Fences (2019)], Mark Smith (Text Publishing)

Blood and Gold [Crown of Rowan (enovella, 2014); Daughters of the Storm (2014); Sisters of the Fire (2016); Queens of the Sea (2019)], Kim Wilkins (HarperCollins)

CONVENORS’ AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE – Dangerous Visions and New Worlds: Radical Science Fiction, 1950-1985, Andrew Nette & Iain McIntyre (Eds.) (PM Press)

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The Writer as a D&D character class

While chatting to some friends about Dungeons & Dragons recently we started talking about our own jobs as a D&D character class. It was kinda fun to think about how the main stats of a D&D character sheet would apply to our gigs. Because I’m a massive nerd, I started thinking about it in more detail and writing it down. And here’s what I came up with for Writer as a D&D Character Class.

All D&D characters have 6 primary stats, so let’s start with those:

STR – Strength – You need to be able to carry the weight of whatever work is required at any time, and you need to be strong enough to keep making work while living life. Making time to write takes a kind of strength – strength of conviction at the very least. And you need to be tough. You need a thick skin to be a writer, you need resilience. You need to be able to keep going in the face of rejection, because rejection is the default. (Obviously, this crosses a lot with constitution.)

DEX – Dexterity – You need to be able to pivot to take advantage of any opportunity. So much of writing is luck, but the harder you work, the luckier you’ll get. You need the professional dexterity to grab an opportunity when it comes along.

CON – Constitution – Along with STR above, it’s important to remember that this gig is a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t quit! You only fail if you quit.

INT – Intelligence – You gotta keep learning. You need to constantly improve your craft. If you stop learning, you’ll stagnate. So you have to apply your intelligence to constant improvement.

WIS – Wisdom – Not all things are equal. You need to develop the wisdom to make the right choices about what you want to write, what opportunities to prioritise and so on. (I’m constantly second-guessing myself on this one.)

CHA – Charisma – Despite what people say, there is definitely an advantage in being charismatic. This doesn’t mean looks, it means not being a dick. It means being professionally available and open, being a good person and easy to get along with. Being eloquent and appealing, online and in person. A Neil Gaiman quote comes to mind. To paraphrase: To succeed as a writer you need at least two of the following three: You need to be good at it, you need to deliver work on time, and you need to be easy to work with. Ideally you have all three qualities.

During your life as a writer, you’ll constantly need to make Saving Throws against these stats. You’ll fail a *lot* of them, but that’s okay. Keep going – see CON above.

A D&D character sheet lists a lot of Skills. The correlation here is relatively self-evident, but beyond the skills of grammar and prose, what else do you have? What life skills can you draw on for your writing? I’m a career martial artist, so I draw on that a lot. I’ve been in rock bands, I’ve had a variety of jobs and hobbies. It can all inform what I write. And then there’s the writing skills beyond grammar and spelling. What skills can you develop, like writing for an hour every morning or making notes while you’re out and about? What use of language skills can you develop, to write evocative prise that’s not purple?

In D&D you frequently roll for Initiative (usually in combat). It basically determines who goes first. In this case, who keeps working hard enough to be ready to take on projects. Who can work fast enough to get those projects done on time. What opportunities can you grab?

Again in combat, characters have an Armour Class. In D&D, that’s literally your armour, your ability to withstand hits. Plate armour is more protective than leather or chainmail, but it affects your movement and speed too. In writing, how thick is your skin? The hits keep coming, and you’ve got to resist them. But you’ve got to keep moving too. Taking hits and carrying on is part of the gig.

How many Hit Points do you have? That’s your health. How long can you stay in the game? How many hits before you fall down? But more importantly, in D&D a long rest restores all your hit points. Don’t underestimate the value of downtime, of refilling the well. You need to take breaks from writing in order to recharge. Then you can take more hits and get more done.

Equipment

What do you have beyond your keyboard? A notebook and voice recorder app, sure. But what else? Life is your toolbox – get out there and experience life, listen to people, don’t just look, but notice. This is your writerly equipment. And your brain, of course. Exercise it, keep it oiled and in good working order.

Background

Whether you like it or not, your background matters. I play life on easy – as a straight white male, I have massive privilege. And I’m not especially poor – at least, I’m not destitute. That makes it way easier to do what I do. However, I come from a poor working class background, so that plays well into the kind of stuff I write. Laird Barron once described my work as having a “strong blue collar sensibility” and I take that as a compliment. Your character background will colour your writing – PoC, LGBTQ+, your location, your socio-economic standing – it all affects what you write, how you write, when you have time to write. All of it.

Alignment

Are you evil? There’s a general rule in writing, and it applies to life in general: Don’t be a dick. But some people thrive on being an arsehole. That’s true of writers too. Will you be the kind who helps people or hinders them? Will you stay neutral and quiet? How chaotic are you? This is your alignment.

Magic

And here’s the real heart of it. Can you cast magic? I hope so, because storytelling is casting a spell. Books are a uniquely portable magic – Stephen King said that. The more you do this, the more it feels like magic passing through you rather than any conscious effort on your part. I’m fairly convinced that being a writer is constantly striving to become a high level Literary Sorcerer, where we create the most powerful magic that transports people. It’s something to always striver for, anyway.

So there you have it. The Writer as a D&D character class.

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