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May 8, 2024 · 12:54 pm

Publication of my novella!!!! )O(

Merry meet all,

I am over the moon with the good news! Unveiling Nightmares is publishing my YA horror novella! I am so excited and happy about this. I never thought it would happen to me. It took a few days for the shock to wear off. I am stunned. I am so happy because the novella was so much work to edit. 

I am luckier than most! I had help with edits on the novella. Stephanie Ellis helped me edit it and she breathed new life into the manuscript. She totally understood that I am neurodivergent and while I am not an amateur, I did have to seriously improve my writing in order for it to become publishable quality. I had to overcome bad writing habits but now I am more confident in my writing skills. 

Also, another friend of mine Fred Raworth helped me with a few line edits. The initial draft of the manuscript looks nothing like the manuscript now. The manuscript and my other writing has received so many rejections and now it has been accepted! This is a dream come true and opens so many doors for me. They are already drafting up a book cover for me. That seems a bit fast but I can’t wait to see the book cover. I have been published before in anthologies, magazines and Ezines but this is my first book. 

I don’t know if they will keep my title. I have a strong feeling they will. I am not a pro by any means at choosing a marketable title. I must say Cult of the Spider People is the best I have created this far. 

Unveiling Nightmares is a new indie publisher! Here is the acceptance email I received from them. 

Copied and pasted:

“Dear Heddy,

I hope you’re doing well. It is with great pleasure that I write to inform you that we have decided to accept your manuscript, “Cult of the Spider People,” for publication. Congratulations! 

Your work impressed us with its compelling narrative, well-developed characters, and overall literary merit. We believe that your manuscript will captivate readers and make a valuable addition to our publishing list. 

We are excited about the prospect of collaborating with you on the publication of your book. Our team is committed to supporting you every step of the way, from the editorial process to marketing and promotion. 

Once again, congratulations on this significant achievement. We look forward to working together and bringing your manuscript to life. Thank you for choosing us as your publishing partner. 

Crystal Baynam

Publisher
Unveiling Nightmares Ltd
Wow right? I read the email on the bus going home and I could hardly sit still! I was stunned! I was elated! All my hard work has finally paid off and all my suffering was not for nothing. I can’t wait to see the final book cover. They are going to make sure I fall in love with it! I could get used to this nice treatment! 
I believe that the originality of my manuscript made it stand out from the thousands of other books out there. The underworld realm of Arachnall with its ferocious and horrifying race of human spider creatures sprang from my imagination. I am sure there are other similar stories out there but I did my very best to break out of the standard tropes in horror fiction. I am sure it also helped that I have a good track record as well. 
I have joined the Facebook chat group for Unveiling Nightmares. The people there – the team of writers and staff all seem happy. That is a good sign. I have had success but I can honestly tell you, dear readers, that is was never handed to me on a silver platter- or silver pen! Ha! I earned it every step of the way. I will be happy to create a hopefully creepy and engaging horror story, a work of art, not just for publication but for readers to enjoy! 
If this inspires you to pen your own work of horror or dark fantasy, and I sure hope that that is the case, then here is some advice!

Never give up! I was so discouraged before I received the acceptance email, I wanted to quit. I am so glad now that I ignored that nagging voice in my head. Quitters never win. You will never know if you can get ahead if you quit. You never get anywhere and the thousands of other hopefuls are quick to take your spot. 

Keep improving at your craft. Even my writing needed improvement. So yes, learn about how to use adverbs and adjectives. Practice, practice, practice. 

Be nice to everyone in the writing field. It is a small world. Word gets around and you want to be known as professional and nice. 

Keep sending your writing out. Send your writing out to agents and editors but also the editors who want flash fiction and short stories. 

Track where you send your writing. You can use spreadsheets or Google Docs or a word document. That way you won’t send the same story to an editor twice. 

Learn everything you can about the publishing field. Get professional advice before signing a contract. Don’t rush into it. Don’t worry they won’t forget you. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. 

Publishing is a business. Don’t ignore your gut feelings or intuition. Avoid publishing scams and editor scams like the plague. They pay YOU not the other way around. 

Be original. I used to believe that editors didn’t want an original horror story. I have happily discovered that they DO! There are so many worn out horror tropes that desperately need new life breathed into them. It’s alive, alive! Yes do write a gut clenching, original horror story that is sure to keep readers up at night- all night cursing you because they can’t put your book down. Write the book that only YOU can write. 

Support your fellow writers. I have not had a book published for many years. I still showed up to rally for my fellow authors. Besides, I get great books that way. Grab a coffee and attend local book launches. You can’t go it alone and  a community of fellow authors is invaluable. They know the publishing business, they know contacts and they will appreciate you. 

If you follow all that advice, I am sure you will finally see that acceptance email or phone call! I wish you all the best, dear readers. I will keep blogging and keep you all posted on the process – editing, marketing of my novella! 

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

 

 

 

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December 31, 2021 · 1:52 pm

Miranda Spiderella the Goth Doll )O(

 

 

Merry meet all,

I hope you all had an amazing holiday! 

I watched an episode, Demon under the Stairs, from the Haunted Museum recently. As I did, I suddenly experienced the worst pain in my jaw. It might be coincidental but the timing sure is worthy of note. Like I am not kidding, it was the most painful thing I ever experienced next to the nightmarish experience I had at the dentist’s office. Needless to say, I am no longer visiting that dental office. I am buying a big chunk of selenite to protect me from anymore possible ‘attacks’. I mean you know, just in case. 

I watched a video about demons on YouTube in the past. As I watched, I felt a big muscle spasm between the shoulder blades. That really hurt too. Maybe it was coincidental or maybe I need to up the ante of this pain I suffer when watching certain videos. For any of you who are reading this, I do have psychic protection posts I wrote in the past on this blog. 

Energy is real and all around us. Energy makes everything happen. We are composed of electromagnetic energy. The Universe is energy. A leaf has an energy as does an orange. As I type, rain falls from a grey leaden sky. I keep pining for summer but winter is here. Sometimes I have seen so much ice and snow in my backyard it seems that summer would never return, but it does. I hate winter but I know it passes. The change of the seasons never ceases to amaze me. Everything is energy and nothing is finite. 

 I am inspired to sew a scary doll. She is not haunted but she will be hopefully if I take her places that are speculated to be haunted. The photo shows the layout of the pattern pieces. The body of the doll is white. The hair which will be mostly made up of black and some purple yarn, she will have buttons for eyes, and her dress is a black and white spider print fabric I stashed in the sewing cart. The sleeves are the same fabric as the dress. The stockings are a grey fabric with a black bat print and the boots are black. She will get a witch charm necklace, a broom and a witch hat. I think she will be so Goth and cute. I can’t wait to work on the doll! Then of course, she will need a name. No, I will not name her Morticia. There are a thousand dolls named Morticia. Claudia would suit her though. Maybe she will need fangs and a driving hunger for blood? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ha! The entire doll – the body of the doll and the dress has to be sewn with a 1/4″ inch seam allowance. I had to find out how that is done. My needle plate shows a 3/8″ inch, 5/8″ inch and 7/8″ inch seam allowances. So the 1/4″ inch seam allowance is before 3/8″. You can now imagine that means a tiny, narrow seam allowance. Now I know where that is indicated because 1/4″ inches is 2/8″ inch. I have to see slowly and carefully. Wow. I will never be so precise as now. I made a doll in the past and I was never this careful. That’s because I am now using a pattern. To make it worse, the body of the doll and the clothing which will forever be a part of the doll is white. It will all show if I screw up. I will mark with tape where the mark is where I have to sew. Sewing slowly and keeping an eye on it will be the only way to get this done. This is not a rush job. I have  never needed to sew in a 1/4″ inch before. Needles to say, I don’t look forward to it but it is not impossible. That’s why marking rulers and understanding math can come in handy- and patience!

I can’t wait to stuff the doll and sew the costume. But that comes after patiently sewing the doll and minding the seam allowance. Or it is all for naught. Too much work to go through for nothing. But anything worth doing is worth doing well. I will post photos as I go along. This will be a fun weekend project. I googled goth scary witch dolls. I am going for a scary cute goth look. The buttons I wanted to use might be too big for her face. I ordered black skull buttons online at Amazon. I don’t want to use regular buttons on the doll. I need a button at the collar and on her boots. Skull buttons will make her look edgy and with attitude. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you want to make this doll, use the pattern by Kwik Sew 4390. That is the pattern I used. You have to have all the fabric at hand that you will need. The clothing is sewn to the doll’s body and is never intended to be separate from the doll. The body of most of the doll is white. The stockings and the booties (See legs of doll in the photo) are the clothing. The arms are white and the face and neck. The hair piece that gets sewn to the head of the doll has to be the haircolor and the yarn has to match. Since the yarn hair was black, I used black cotton for the hair front and hair back. Be sure to use matching thread. Sew the eyes on last or before you attach any other parts to the doll. I wanted to use big buttons for her eyes but the buttons were too big.  Here are some photos I took on the progress of the doll: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When you sew the arms and legs, you cut out four pieces. The arms have to look right on the doll and are reversed of each other. One right arm and one left arm. The same goes with the legs. Our arms and legs face a certain way. It is no different with a doll. 

When you sew the head to the body (front), keep a straight seam allowance. If you want to, you can use a pencil and mark a very light straight line from the notch marked on the forehead all the way down to the neck. The seamline of the head of the doll to the body must be straight. The notches and points have to meet. It is the same with the back of the doll. I stuffed the arms and legs tightly and packed the stuffing down firmly using a wooden dowel but not hard enough to tear fabric or seams. You have to get the details of the doll’s body right or otherwise don’t bother. 

Leave the back of the doll open for turning and stuffing. Take your time with this. Take your time making the entire doll. This is an act of creation so go slowly. Sew the doll with love and it will show. I sewed the smile on and traced a light line on for the smile with pencil then stitched over the pencil marks. I sprinkled in mugwort and mandrake then stitched the back of the doll by hand. Once you have correctly and nicely sewn the body, you can progress with the clothing. 

The right arm of the doll’s sleeve cap features spiders. The left arm of the sleeve cap features the webs (where the spiders hide!). I drew an eyebrow on her brow very carefully with a sharpie pen and I did the same with her lashes. The pocket fabric is upside down and the collar fabric is wrong side up but it somehow works. The pocket can still hold spells!!! For the hair braids, you sew the braids to the head where the darts are. You can use whatever color yarn you want, but have lots of it on hand. If you want, you can sew a weft of the yarn hair and then sew it on by hand. You have to sew the yarn on by hand, Mark with a water soluble marker where you want to sew on the yarn. I have included a video here to better demonstrate how to sew on the yarn. Before you sew anything, watch this excellent video!: 

I highly suggest you sew on the yarn by hand. If you use a hot glue gun, you will regret it. It won’t have that seamless look. Hot glue makes a mess. Sewing with needle and thread spares you lots of agony. I made the doll a dress and tacked it on to her body the same I did with the collar. I sewed on a pocket to the dress before I sewed the dress together. I had to sew the dress by hand because for some frustrating reason the machine refused to sew this fabric together. The dress comes with a slip. I gathered the fabric together but I had more luck just cutting the fabric to truly fit her body and I pinned the slip to the doll. Make sure to use thread that is the same as the yarn and the head of the doll. 

I made the doll!!!! I love her and she is just sooo cute! I was successful in sewing the slim seam allowance. I stuffed the arms and the legs then I sewed the back of the doll’s head to the body. I sewed the back of the doll to the front of the doll. If you want to make your own doll and are trying this, you can’t catch the seams of the arms and legs when doing this. Then I finally stuffed the doll. Tear the wool into little pieces then put the stuffing into the doll. Be sure to pack it in carefully. You also have to stuff the doll’s head firmly because you don’t want the doll’s head to be floppy. I recommend watching how the woman in the video sews the doll body if you are inspired to make a doll yourself. It is incredibly helpful. I love my doll Miranda Spiderella. She is cute and scary!  A perfect combination. 

I might hunt a little rocking chair for her for a nice place to sit. I am sure I will eventually find something. This will be fun and hard work. I will let you know how it turns out!!

After this project is complete, I want to sew myself a brown winter coat. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

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November 14, 2021 · 1:20 pm

The veil between the worlds – thinning or not?

Merry meet all,

The photo above is the nature trail. The nature trail looks spooky and in my opinion, is the best representation of the thinning of the veil between the worlds. It beckons to me, enticing to dare to venture down the concrete path ” to lose my mind and find my soul”. Well I am most certainly not losing my mind. I just like the expression. The expression means to totally lose oneself in nature, to release any inhibitions. The sky and the trees appear to be enveloped in a mist, and yet reveals how beautiful the autumn season is. The leaves contrast the heavy grey sky. Rustic orange, brown and gold colours stand out against the sky. 

The veil between the worlds is thinning. I don’t believe this occurs only at Samhain and Beltane. I think there is a stronger reason why there are so many more reports of people encountering spirits now more than ever before. It can’t be just that we have better ghost hunting devices for detecting them. There has to be actual spirits to detect or the devices would be no use to anyone. I don’t know what started this or how the veil is getting weaker. It could be that we destroyed the ozone layer ( just a theory, don’t laugh), or that someone or a group of people performed certain dark magic that led to the rapidly thinning veil. It could also be that we are all in a global transition. The global transition could have to do with the fact that we are in the Age of Aquarius. The old systems are collapsing. People are turning away from the old long established systems of the patriarchy (which I am in support of), and the other old systems of the Church. They could be seeking something more liberating and less conventional. And what is more conventional than the Church and oppression? 

These are a few theories. They are not fact and should not be treated as such. The other theory is that they are coming because a change is coming. I fear that this change might be darker and weirder than we are ready for. The spirits may already know the dark change coming. Look at the world right now. Tension, hate, animosity, apathy, crime, war, and the pandemic are running high. Ever since the pandemic began, people have become more hostile and less loving. It’s almost like there is something wrong with you are if you are nice. That’s terrible. All the negativity in the world is feeding the spirits. 

I can’t remember when this happened. But not too long ago, I had another of my freaky incidents. Apparently, I had a paper cut. The weird thing is, I never felt any pain. I had a page in my hands and somehow got a paper cut. I never felt the pain but my hands were blood stained from the paper cut. I had a new white computer mouse in my hands and the mouse managed to remain immaculate somehow. I entered the washroom to bandage my hand but no, I can’t explain that. Paper cuts hurt. I am open to theories. This is as weird as the time I saw a ghost in the shape of a rat or rabbit disappear under my bed. I am open to theories and explanations. 

There has to be a reason for all these occurrences. The ones that I experience and in the rest of the world. People have been discussing this since 2016 and maybe before that time. Stories of ghosts are nothing new. The important thing right now is why it is happening. I will be discussing this more in depth in future posts. 

Here is a link that discusses the thinning of the veil in more depth. I hope you enjoy reading it.

Blessings, Spiderwitch

The Veil Is Shredded

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October 19, 2021 · 1:46 pm

Celebrate the Blood Moon of Samhain

Merry meet all,

Tomorrow night is the Full Moon of Samhain, known as the Blood Moon. That is a great time for magickal workings. Clean up the altar, dust off your cauldrons and broomsticks!! Or, if you are anything like me, create a new besom. As I sit and type, the colourful leaves trickle to the cold earth. The overcast sky frequently brightens as the sun pushes through the clouds. The air is cool. My garden is dying down for the long cold winter. 

I saved a lot of nasturtium seeds yesterday morning. It involved me getting into odd almost yogic contortions to collect the seeds. I have a ton of poppy seeds from my Mom. Now is a good time for saving and storing seeds- and roots! Herbs such as dandelion, burdock, mullein and coltsfoot are rich with medicinal properties. Most of them are biennial. 

Here is a link that tells you more about the amazing herb, mullein:

When to harvest mullein flowers, leaves, and roots

So get out there and harvest your heart out. Now is the time, now is the hour! 

Blood Moon

The Blood Moon of October is also known as Harvest Moon, which occurs in September, and Hunter’s Moon. Samhain is the Final Harvest Sabbat, so the names for the full moon make sense. Here are the correspondences to aid you in your shellwork on this magical upcoming Full Moon. 

“October Full Moon Correspondences

The Hunter Full Moon spiritual meaning can be a potent time for magic and rituals, as well as a beautiful time of inward growth and reflection. Here are some correspondences and intentions to help get you started!

Hunter Moon Spiritual Meaning And Intentions

  • Balance
  • Gratitude
  • Transitions
  • Divination work (Tarot, Scrying, Runes, Oujia, Pendulum boards, Celtic Oghams, etc)
  • Psychic messages
  • Afterlife
  • Shadow work
  • Harvesting
  • Dreamwork
  • Psychopomps (Greek – a spirit, human, or being who guides souls that have recently crossed over. They help them transition into the afterlife from the mortal realm. I listed a few examples below)
    • Ancestors or loved ones
    • Hecate
    • Hermes (Greek)
    • Anubis (Egyptian)
    • Aurora Borealis (Inuits)
    • Cuckoos
    • Shiva (Hindu)
    • Azrael (Islam)
    • Shaman
    • Anito (Filipino)
    • Arch Angel
    • Grim Reaper
    • Sparrows

Colors

  • Ruby Red
  • Dark Purple
  • Black
  • Burnt Orange
  • Silver
  • Deep Navy Blue
  • Gold

Crystals

  • Amethyst
  • Black Tourmaline
  • Quartz
  • Obsidian
  • Moonstone
  • Bloodstone
  • Carnelian”

 

Embrace The Season

The veil thins in October take some time to contemplate the natural cycle of life. Observe how Nature dies externally each season to rest and prepare for the light and growth of next Spring.

Visit a local cemetery. Bring fresh flowers to place on graves you connect with or who might need a bit of love. Read each headstone and imagine who they were and what they cared about in life.

Since the veil thins the closer we get to Samhain or Halloween it increases the opportunity to spot Fae! Learn more about how to incorporate Fae mythology origins or different types of Fae into your spiritual practice.

The October and the harvest season is traditionally a time for protection magic as well. You’ll see this rooted in the history of pumpkin and turnip carving to guard the home and people from sinister or evil spirits. Draw or design your pumpkins with sigils, bind runes, symbols, or spiritual meanings you’re drawn to like sacred geometry or the pentagram.

You could also spend more time researching spiritual paths or topics you’d like to learn more about like candle color meanings, magical elements, or types of witches.

Embrace all things October: Halloween or Samhain decorations, pumpkin spice everything, cozy blankets, bonfires, or whatever your heart and spirit connect to! Have fun, be free of judgment, and celebrate this wonderful season.

Deep Meditation

October is an amazing season to meditate beneath the moon. Place a picnic blanket in your yard and put on some headphones.

Play some relaxing music that will help quiet your mind or binaural beats that will help you align with your goals and intentions. You could also try playing some positive affirmation songs to help with manifestation.

You can do this on a balcony as well, or even just sitting next to a window and soaking in the moonlight.

Honor and Connect With Your Ancestors

Go through old photo albums and find ways to display or chronicle family photos. Connect with places like Ancestry.com to discover more in-depth information on your family’s history.

Do you have anything that has been passed down to you that you can add to your household decor or place on your altar? Speak to your family elders to hear stories and learn more about your heritage. Contemplate how you can connect with traditions your ancestors celebrated.

Credit given to the site: https://www.thepeculiarbrunette.com/octobers-blood-or-harvest-full-moon-meaning-and-how-to-celebrate/. 

Books Featuring Witches

31 Things To Do Between Now and Samhain

Here are more awesome Halloween posts for your reading enjoyment. I hope you enjoy reading them.

Blessings, Spiderwitch

Halloween Haunts: Short Halloween Treats by Galadriel Faye

Halloween Haunts: GIMME SOMETHING GOOD TO EAT: THE JOYS AND TERRORS OF A POST-PANDEMIC HALLOWEEN by Clay McLeod Chapman

Halloween Haunts: How To Make a Spooky Zig Zaggy Mini Halloween Journal by Michele Brittany

Halloween Haunts: Masks by David Sharp

Halloween Haunts: Bad Blood Begets Worse Blood by Catt Colborn

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May 25, 2021 · 1:54 pm

The 2021 StokerCon Horror Writing Convention

Merry meet all,

I’m writing this post to share my experience at StokerCon with my dear readers. It was the most inspiring, badass, and educational event of my life. It was so cool to sit there ( and I had to, as it was virtual and I seriously hurt my back) with other like minded people. The organizers, panelists and attendees were so nice! 

The event began on May 20th to May 23rd. The Horror Writers Association used Hopin for a virtual platform. Over four hundred and sixty people attended the convention. Hopin was a very interactive platform. There was a live chat which I just loved. Breakout sessions, live discussions, and the Ann Radcliffe conferences which was several live videos and discussions of themes related to horror were also offered. I watched almost every single Breakout session. There were so many to choose from.   Someone could pitch to an agent/ editor and participate in the Bram Stoker hangout bars or the Mary Shelley hangout bar, the Shirley Jackson hangout bar or the Edgar Allan Poe hangout bar. 

The Breakout sessions are discussions shared by panelists online. I was able to watch them in the discussion. Live chats made it easier to partake in the session. I watched the following sessions: The Current State of Publishing, A Genre by any other Name, Professional Etiquette: The Business Side of Publishing, The Appeal of a Good Scare, Tone and Setting, Thrilling Communities with Chilling Experiences, How Dialogue can Make or Break a story, the Guest of Honour Reading: Joe Lansdale, Totally Bloodless Horror Promotion, The Scary Truth about Horror reviews, Nightfire Fall Spotlight, How to Make a Career of Writing, Interview with Joe Lansdale, the Interview with Steve Tem, Mentorship in the HWA, What makes a book cover Good, History of the Gothic Horror Folklore, the Bram Stoker Awards Ceremony and the Sixth Annual Final Frame Short Horror Film Competition. But I loved the most the Breakout sessions!! I also viewed the American Female: Gothic, Classic Horror’s Timeless Appeal, the Panel on The Author-Editor relationship in The Horror Genre Author Newsletter as well as a few author readings. 

I also watched the Bathing Beauty: Violence and Vulnerability in the Showers of Horror, Blood Milk and Teeth, It’s Still Alive, Alive!, Real Vampires: The Reflection of Otherness in the lBloody Mirror, “That so wicked mouth”: Rabies, Nymphomania, and the Monstrous New Woman in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Why is this Possession Different Than All Other Possessions: Jewish Exorcism Films. Those videos were fascinating. So many people let themselves believe that a dybbuk box is actually possessed by a demon or even that Annabelle doll. I don’t believe they are. The Possession video proved it. 

A few more highlights of the convention were the Film Competition and the Bram Stoker Awards. On Saturday night I watched the Final Frame 6th Annual Short Horror Film Competition. The videos were all scary and amazing! The sound and audio quality were amazing!! I voted for the best film I watched. 

The Horror Writers Association is proud to announce the winners of our Final Frame Film Festival that took place during our first virtual StokerCon.

The Final Frame Film Festival is chaired by Jonathan Lees, Final Frame Director and our Director of Film Programming, StokerCon.

This year our judges were ALEJANDRO BRUGUES, GRADY HENDRIX, BECK KITSIS, CARLEN MAY-MANN, LISA MORTON, and ED POLGARDY. 

The GRAND PRIZE goes to Tony Morales for Abracitos

1st Runner-Up to Brian Sacca for Joanne Is Dead

2nd Runner-Up is to Trish Harnetiaux for You Wouldn’t Understand

Best Writing in a Short Film is a tie!

Brian Sacca for Joanne Is Dead

and Trish Harnetiaux & Jacob A. Ware for You Wouldn’t Understand

Audience Award goes to Tony Morales for Abracitos

You can read more about Final Frame here:

http://stokercon2021.com/?p=141

Abracitos used almost no music. That made the fear of the actors in the movie far more real. In fact, the lack of sound was extremely effective at making the fear unbearable and real to viewers because all you could hear was their breathing. Wow. Amazing film. 

Here are the winners of the Bram Stoker Awards: 

Announcing the 2020 Bram Stoker Awards® Winners

Los Angeles, May 22, 2021

The Horror Writers Association (HWA), the premier organization of writers and publishers of horror and dark fantasy, announces this year’s Bram Stoker Awards® winners at a virtual ceremony during StokerCon™ 2021. “This year’s winners reflect a deep range of works from a competitive field,” said John Palisano, HWA President. “The winners and finalists truly represent a broad spectrum of titles in horror and dark fantasy. HWA members and awards juries have shown dedication and objectivity to the selection process for outstanding works of literature, cinema, non-fiction, and poetry.”

We proudly provide the list of talented winners along with the finalist nominees. 

Superior Achievement in a Novel

Winner: Stephen Graham Jones – The Only Good Indians (Gallery/Saga Press)

Also nominated:

Alma Katsu – The Deep (G.P. Putnum’s Sons)

Todd Keisling – Devil’s Creek (Silver Shamrock Publishing)

Josh Malerman – Malorie (Del Ray)

Silvia Moreno-Garcia – Mexican Gothic (Del Rey)

Superior Achievement in a First Novel

Winner: EV Knight – The Fourth Whore (Raw Dog Screaming Press)

Also nominated:

Polly Hall – The Taxidermist’s Lover (CamCat Publishing, LLC)

Rachel Harrison – The Return (Berkley)

Ross Jeffery – Tome (The Writing Collective)

Kate Reed Petty – True Story (Viking)

Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel

Winner: Adam Cesare – Clown in a Cornfield (HarperTeen)

Also nominated:

Daniel Kraus – Bent Heavens (Henry Holt and Company/Macmillan)

Monique Snyman – The Bone Carver (Vesuvian Books)

Aiden Thomas – Cemetery Boys (Swoon Reads/Macmillan)

Erica Waters – Ghost Wood Song (HarperTeen)

Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel

Winner: Nancy Holder, Chiara Di Francia, and Amelia Woo – Mary Shelley Presents Tales of the Supernatural (Kymera Press)

Also nominated:

Steven Archer – The Masque of the Red Death (Raw Dog Screaming Press)

Jennifer Brody and Jules Rivera – Spectre Deep 6 (Turner)

Rich Douek and Alex Cormack – Road of Bones (IDW Publishing)

Alessandro Manzetti and Stephano Cardoselli – Her Life Matters: (Or Brooklyn Frankenstein)Independent Legions Publishing)

Steve Niles, Salvatore Simeone, and Syzmon Kudranski – Lonesome Days, Savage Nights(TKO Studios)

Superior Achievement in Long Fiction

Winner: Stephen Graham Jones – “Night of the Mannequins” (Tor.com)

Also nominated:

Gabino Iglasias – “Beyond the Reef”(Lullabies for Suffering: Tales of Addiction Horror)(Wicked Run Press)

Gwendolyn Kiste – “The Invention of Ghosts” (Nightscape Press)

Jess Landry – “I Will Find You, Even in the Dark” (Dim Shores Presents Vol. I)(Dim Shores)

Sarah Pinsker – “Two Truths and a Lie” (Tor.com)

Superior Achievement in Short Fiction

Winner: Josh Malerman – “One Last Transformation”(Miscreations: Gods, Monstrosities & Other Horrors)(Written Backwards)

Also nominated:

Meghan Arcuri – “Am I Missing the Sunshine?” (Borderlands 7) (Borderlands Press)

Kurt Fawver – “Introduction to the Horror Story: Day 1” (Nightmare Magazine Nov. 2020, Issue 98)

Cindy O’Quinn – “The Thing I Found Along a Dirt Patch Road” (Shotgun Honey Presents, Vol. 4: Recoil) (Down and Out Books)

Kyla Lee Ward – “Should Fire Remember the Fuel?”(Oz is Burning) (B Cubed Press)

  

Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection

Winner: Lee Murray – Grotesque: Monster Stories (Things in the Well)

Also nominated:

Kathe Koja – Velocities: Stories (Meerkat Press)

John Langan – Children of the Fang and Other Genealogies (Word Horde)

Patricia Lillie – The Cuckoo Girls (Trepidatio Publishing)

Anna Taborska – Bloody Britain (Shadow Publishing)

Superior Achievement in a Screenplay

Winner: Leigh Whannell – The Invisible Man (Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, Goalpost Pictures, Nervous Tick Productions)

Also nominated:

Scarlett Amaris and Richard Stanley – Color Out of Space (SpectreVision)

Misha Green – Lovecraft Country, Season 1, Episode 1: “Sundown” (Affeme, Monkeypaw Productions, Bad Robot Productions, Warner Bros. Television Studios)

Misha Green and Ihuoma Ofordire – Lovecraft Country, Season 1, Episode 8: “Jig-a-Bobo” (Affeme, Monkeypaw Productions, Bad Robot Productions, Warner Bros. Television Studios)

Angela LaManna – The Haunting of Bly Manor, Season 1, Episode 5: “The Altar of the Dead” (Intrepid Pictures, Amblin Television, Paramount Television Studios)

Superior Achievement in an Anthology

Winner: Lee Murray and Geneve Flynn – Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women(Omnium Gatherum Media)

Also nominated:

Michael Bailey and Doug Murano – Miscreations: Gods, Monstrosities & Other Horrors(Written Backwards)

Samantha Kolesnik – Worst Laid Plans: An Anthology of Vacation Horror (Grindhouse Press)

Sara Tantlinger – Not All Monsters: A Strangehouse Anthology by Women of Horror (Rooster Republic Press)

Mercedes M. Yardley – Arterial Bloom (Crystal Lake Publishing)

Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction

Winner: Tim Waggoner – Writing in the Dark (Guide Dog Books/Raw Dog Screaming Press)

Also nominated:

Florence Kelly and Meg Hafdahl – The Science of Women in Horror: The Special Effects, Stunts, and True Stories Behind Your Favorite Fright Films (Skyhorse)

Alexandra Heller-Nicholas – 1000 Women in Horror (BearManor Media)

Brian Keene – End of the Road(Cemetery Dance Publications)

Alison Peirse – Women Make Horror: Filmmaking, Feminism, Genre (Rutgers University Press)

Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr. – The Streaming of Hill House: Essays on the Haunting Netflix Adaption(McFarland)

Superior Achievement in Short Non-FictionWinner: Tim Waggoner – “Speaking of Horror” (The Writer)

Also nominated:

Rhonda Jackson Joseph – “The Beloved Haunting of Hill House: An Examination of Monstrous Motherhood” (The Streaming of Hill House: Essays on the Haunting Netflix Adaptation)(McFarland)

Cynthia Pelayo – “I Need to Believe” (Southwest Review Vol. 105.3) 

Kelly Robinson – “Lost, Found, and Finally Unbound: The Strange History of the 1910 Edison Frankenstein” (Rue Morgue Magazine, June 2020)

Christina Sng – “Final Girl: A Life in Horror” (Interstellar Flight Magazine, October 2020)

Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection

Winner: Christina Sng – A Collection of Dreamscapes (Raw Dog Screaming Press)

Also nominated:

Alessandro Manzetti – Whitechapel Rhapsody: Dark Poems (Independent Legions Publishing)

Jessica McHugh – A Complex Accident of Life (Apokrupha)

Cynthia Pelayo – Into the Forest and All the Way Through (Burial Day Books)

Sara Tantlinger – Cradleland of Parasites (Rooster Republic Press)

Named in honor of the author of the seminal horror novel Dracula, the Bram Stoker Awards® are presented annually for superior writing in eleven categories including traditional fiction of various lengths, poetry, screenplays and non-fiction. Previous winners include Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, George R. R. Martin, Joyce Carol Oates and Neil Gaiman. 

So, as you can see from the above, StokerCon was a smashing success!!! Four hundred eighty five people attended the virtual convention with a ninety percent turn out!! Two thousand eight hundred people have subscribed to the Horror Writers Association Quick Bites newsletter. The Bram Stoker Awards Ceremony had a grand total of twelve hundred views with over four hundred people who watched!! There were 18,000 views and chats during the whole convention. There were a total of one hundred forty votes for the Film Competition. These shy high statistics reveal a growing enthusiasm for horror in all its ravenous blood thirsty forms. Horror has not died! The beast is alive and well and tugging at its’ Damascus steel chains!

I hope this continues into the future, however horrifying that may be!!

Horror was never meant to be compartmentalized, confined, or stamped, shipped and packeged into one solid predefined shape. I now know that like the fanged vampire, a convulsing werewolf or mummy in shreds it changes form, breaks out of its cage and along iwth the changing times, it changes. It pulses and breathes, drinks blood and yet invites us along as it keeps changing with the times.

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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