This year - for me - is almost surreal in quality. I have four books due, stories being published, things being considered for further publications - and I find myself nominated for the Bram Stoker Award in three categories. It’s a little hard to take in.

This award has been maligned often and loudly, and of course, when the nominations came through, I found myself mulling over the reasons. The organization behind the awards, HWA (The Horroror Writer’s Association) has had it’s ups and downs - as any organization will. The award process is different from most of the other genre awards, in that it is recommended by all members and voted on by only “Active” members. It can become quite the popularity contest - but in the end, when the final ballots are cast, somehow it seems to level off.

I’m going to review the three categories I’m nominated in here in this journal this week, because in perusing lists of past winners…it suddenly took on a new importance for me. I don’t know if I’ll win anything - but I do know that - for instance - adding my name to this short list of others who have received this honor, would be a fine thing.

1987 “The Deep End” by Robert R. McCammon
1988 “The Night They Missed the Horror Show” by Joe R. Lansdale
1989 “Eat Me” by Robert R. McCammon
1990 “The Calling” by David B. Silva
1991 “Lady Madonna” by Nancy Holder
1992 “This Year’s Class Picture” by Dan Simmons
1993 “I Hear the Mermaids Singing” by Nancy Holder
1994 “Cafe Endless: Spring Rain” by Nancy Holder, Winner (Tie)
“The Box” by Jack Ketchum, Winner (Tie)
1995 “Chatting With Anubis” by Harlan Ellison
1996 “Metalica” by P.D. Cacek
1997 “Rat Food” by Edo van Belkom & David Nickle
1998 “The Dead Boy at Your Window” by Bruce Holland Rogers
1999 “Aftershock” by F. Paul Wilson, Winner
2000 “Gone” by Jack Ketchum
2001 “Reconstructing Amy” by Tim Lebbon
2002 “The Misfit Child Grows Fat on Despair” by Tom Piccirilli
2003 “Duty” by Gary A. Braunbeck
2004 “Nimitseahpah” by Nancy Etchemendy
2005 “We Now Pause for Station Identification” by Gary Braunbeck
2006 “Tested” by Lisa Morton

2007 Nominees in the short fiction category -all but one have links where you can read them online. I can honestly say - it’s an honor to be nominated…and double congratulations to Paul Tremblay - stories in one year…

“The Death Wagon Rolls on By” by C. Dean Andersson (Cemetery Dance #57)
“Letting Go” by John Everson (Needles and Sins)
“The Teacher” by Paul G. Tremblay (Chizine)
“There’s No light Between Floors” by Paul G. Tremblay (Clarkesworld)
“Closet Dreams” by Lisa Tuttle (Postscripts #10)s (Sorry - no link)
“The Gentle Brush of Wings” by David Niall Wilson (Defining Moments)

Next up I’ll cover Fiction Collections - and then Non Fiction.

-DNW

Technorati Tags: Awards, Bram Stoker Award, Fiction, horror, horror stories, HWA, Scary stories, Short Stories, stories, writing

Posted on 03/21/08, 8:58 AM
in: Uncategorized
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