Christine Morgan earned three nominations to lead the pack for the 2020 Splatterpunk Awards, according to a February 9^th press release by award founders Wrath James White and Brian Keene.

Bryan Smith, Wesley Southard, and Edward Lee also scored multiple nominations with two each. Jarod Barbee and Patrick C. Harrison III also received two nominations.

The Splatterpunk Awards honor superior achievement for works published in 2019 in the sub-genres of Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror. Nominees are recommended by readers, fans, and peers.

“This year saw a significant increase in the number of women and authors who identify as female writing Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror,” White and Keene noted in their press release. “The recommendation process evidenced readers and fans mentioning a number of new female voices. This year also saw a significant increase in the number of consumers reading Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror, as evidenced by the number of new readers participating in the recommendation process.”

Morgan’s three nominations are Best Novel for Lakehouse Infernal, Best Short Story for “Censered,” and Best Collection for Dawn of the Living Impaired, and Other Messed-Up Zombie Stories.

Smith’s two nominations are Best Novel for Merciless and Best Collection for Dirty Rotten Hippies and Other Stories. Smith’s Kill For Satan! won the 2019 Splatterpunk Award for Best Novella.

Southard’s two nominations are Best Novella for One for the Road and Best Collection for Resisting Madness.

Lee’s two nominations are Best Novella for White Trash Gothic Part 2 and Best Anthology as one of the editors of Polish Extreme. Lee will also receive the annual J.F. Gonzalez Lifetime Achievement Award honoring his contributions to the sub-genre, joining previous recipients David J. Schow and David G. Barnett.

Barbee and Harrison dominated the Best Anthology category, earning noms for And Hell Followed and Dig Two Graves.

“A panel of judges composed of professionals, critics, and scholars in the field will now begin the process of reading each nominated work and selecting a winner for each category,” the press release stated.

Winners will be announced during KillerCon, which is scheduled August 7-9 in Austin, Texas.

The complete list of nominees with title, author, and publisher:

BEST NOVEL

1. Carnivorous Lunar Activities by Max Booth III (Cinestate/Fangoria)
2. Killer Lake by W.D. Gagliani and David Benton (Deadite Press)
3. Reception by Kenzie Jennings (Death’s Head Press)
4. Lakehouse Infernal by Christine Morgan (Deadite Press)
5. Merciless by Bryan Smith (Grindhouse Press)
6. Toxic Love by Kristopher Triana (Blood Bound Books)
7. They Kill by Tim Waggoner (Flame Tree Press)

BEST NOVELLA

1. White Trash Gothic Part 2 by Edward Lee (Section 31 Productions)
2. Saint Sadist by Lucas Mangum (Grindhouse Press)
3. Weeping Season by Sean O’Connor (Uafas Press)
4. How Much To..? by Matt Shaw (Self-Published)
5. One For the Road by Wesley Southard (Deadite Press)
6. Paradise, Maine by Jackson R. Thomas (Alien Agenda Publishing)

BEST SHORT STORY

1. “Breaking the Waters” by Donyae Coles (from Pseudopod)
2. “Angelbait” by Ryan Harding (from The Big Book of Blasphemy, Necro Publications)
3. “Censered” by Christine Morgan (from And Hell Followed, Death’s Head Press)
4. “Shoulder Pain” by Chandler Morrison (from Macabre Museum Magazine)
5. “Param” by Susan Snyder (from Trigger Warning: Body Horror, Madness Heart Press)
6. “Norwegian Woods” by Jeremy Wagner (from The Big Book of Blasphemy, Necro Publications)

BEST COLLECTION

1. Dead Sea Chronicles by Tim Curran (Bloodshot Books)
2. Various States of Decay by Matt Hayward (Poltergeist Press)
3. Dawn of the Living Impaired, and Other Messed-Up Zombie Stories by Christine Morgan (Death’s Head Press)
4. This Is A Horror Book by Charles Austin Muir (Clash Books)
5. Dirty Rotten Hippies and Other Stories by Bryan Smith (Grindhouse Press)
6. Resisting Madness by Wesley Southard (Death’s Head Press)

BEST ANTHOLOGY

1. And Hell Followed, edited by Jarod Barbee and Patrick C. Harrison III (Death’s Head Press)
2. The Big Book of Blasphemy, edited by Regina Mitchell and David G. Barnett (Necro Publications)
3. Dig Two Graves, edited by Jarod Barbee and Patrick C. Harrison III (Death’s Head Press)
4. Midnight In The Graveyard, edited by Kenneth W. Cain (Silver Shamrock Publishing)
5. The New Flesh: A Literary Tribute to David Cronenberg, edited by Sam Richard and Brendan Vidito (Weirdpunk Books)
6. Polish Extreme, edited by Edward Lee & Karolina Kaczkowska (Necro Publications)

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RELATED LINKS:

Grindhouse Press authors win top honors at 2019 Splatterpunk Awards

Bryan Smith leads nominations for Splatterpunk Awards

Winners of 2018 Splatterpunk Awards