HORROR AND FANTASY WRITER
The Horror Writers Association released the 2025 Bram Stoker Awards Final Ballot on February 23 via announcement on its website, BramStokerAwards.Horror.Org. The highlight of the list is the category for Superior Achievement in a First Novel, where seven works were selected instead of the typical five. “This year, the thrill of seeing the Final Ballot... Continue Reading →
Full Throttle, an Extreme Horror anthology published by Uncomfortably Dark Horror, led the list of nominees for the 2026 Splatterpunk Awards, according to an announcement January 10 on KillerConATX.com. Edited by Candace Nola, Full Throttle received noms for Best Anthology, and two of its tales were nominated for Best Short Story -- “And She Was... Continue Reading →
(Editor’s note: Since 2024, Cryptid Quarterly is a feature where I highlight cryptid horror fiction from each quarter of the year, using Amazon Kindle release dates.) James Kaine debuts atop the Cryptid Quarterly VII chart with a Jersey Devil thriller, and D.A. Roberts returns at No. 2 with the fourth book in The Lakeview Man... Continue Reading →
(Editor’s note: SHORT SHOTS is an occasional feature where I review horror short stories.) For me, the most uncomfortable horror fiction starts in the womb. In April 2022, I read and reviewed “Birth” by Lisa Quigley, the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of The Forest. The story was in Issue #8 of Unnerving Magazine, and it... Continue Reading →
The End of the World As We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King’s The Stand officially hit the shelves August 19 and became an instant bestseller. It debuted at No. 3 on The New York Times Best Sellers list for September 7, at No. 16 on USA Today's Best-selling Booklist for August 27, and reached No.... Continue Reading →
Curdle Creek by Yvonne Battle-Felton won the prestigious Novel category at the 2024 Shirley Jackson Awards presented at Readercon 34 in Burlington, Mass., on July 19. Billed as a surreal American gothic novel "for fans of 'The Lottery' and The Hunger Games," Curdle Creek is the story of Osira, a 45-year-old widow who follows the strict conventions... Continue Reading →
(Editor’s note: Since 2024, Cryptid Quarterly is a feature where I highlight cryptid horror fiction from each quarter of the year, using Amazon Kindle release dates.) Luka T. Jacobs and Jeffrey B Miley continue their successful runs on the Cryptid Quarterly Top 10 List as they delivered more top-rated cryptid horror fiction during the second... Continue Reading →
(Editor’s note: SHORT SHOTS is a column where I review short stories from horror anthologies, collections, and zines.) “Knock on Wood” by Leigh Kenny invokes the elemental fear of A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Amityville Horror by blending a terrifying boogeyman with a haunted house. It transported me back to the best old-school... Continue Reading →
While perusing the list of nominations for the 2025 Splatterpunk Awards, one name stands out: Bad Dream Books. Billed as a “boundary-breaking artist collective,” Bad Dream Books produced one-third of the nominees with at least one title represented in all five categories. That’s an impressive eight out of 24 nominations. Benjamin co-authored by Aron Beauregard... Continue Reading →
Aron Beauregard, Sidney Shiv, and The Obituaries #6: Red Romance led the list of nominations for the 2025 Splatterpunk Awards with three each, according to a release by briankeene.com on April 29. Beauregard’s nominations include Best Novel for Benjamin, which he co-authored with Shane McKenzie; Best Novella for A Life of Crime; and Best Short... Continue Reading →
LIONEL RAY GREEN 