Bram Stoker Award

Michael's Writers Workshop of Horror recently won the Bram Stoker Award in the nonfiction category. He attended the ceremonies in Brighton, United Kingdom while attending the World Horror Convention. The Bram Stoker Awards are hosted by the Horror Writers Association and is is considered the highest honor for authors and editors in the horror and dark fiction genres.

Recipients of the 2009 Bram Stoker Awards, administered during the 2010 World Horror Convention. From left to right: Norman Prentiss, Michael Knost, Brian Lumley, Tanith Lee, Hank Schwaeble, Lisa Morton, Ray Russell, and James Herbert.

Writers Workshop of Horror also won editor's choice Black Quill Award in the nonfiction category. The Black Quill Award is hosted by Dark Scribe Magazine and is awarded anually.

Specters in Coal Dust

The depth and darkness of the coalmine has been described as the blackest of black, the loneliest of lonely, and the coldest of cold.

Specters in Coal Dust. An eerie collection of coal camp stories from some of the horror genre’s finest storytellers, Specters in Coal Dust will leave you cold, lonely, and gasping for air.

-- Gary A. Braunbeck
-- Christopher Golden
-- Tom Piccirilli
-- Steve Rasnic Tem
-- Elizabeth Massie
-- Lee Thomas
-- Ronald Kelly
-- Bev Vincent
-- William Meikle
-- Nate Southard
-- Joshua Reynolds
-- Barbara Jo Fleming
-- Michael Bracken
-- Brian J. Hatcher

Legends of the Mountain State 4

Woodland Press is now taking orders for the fourth installment of the "Legends of the Mountain State" series.

Again, Appalachian myths, ghost tales, and folklore provide an eerie backdrop for powerful, dark, and gritty storytelling. Stories are penned by many of the preeminent writers in the horror industry along with exceptional in-state storytellers. Authors include:

-- Gary A. Braunbeck
-- Steve Rasnic Tem
-- Alethea Kontis
-- G. Cameron Fuller
-- Jason Keene
-- Elizabeth Massie
-- JG Faherty
-- Brian J. Hatcher
-- S. Clayton Rhodes
-- Lisa Morton
-- Mark Justice
-- Lisa Mannetti
-- Michael Arnzen

Appalachian Winter Hauntings

Eleven bone-chilling accounts, penned by many of the preeminent storytellers in the business, that are appropriate to the Appalachian region and relative to the heart of the winter season. This anthology is designed for cozying up close to a blazing fireplace on the coldest of winter nights.

Authors Include:
-- Ronald Kelly
-- Brian J. Hatcher
-- Patricia Hughes
-- Steve Vernon
-- S. Clayton Rhodes
-- Steve Rasnic Tem
-- Sara J. Larson
-- Scott Nicholson
-- J.G. Faherty
-- EmmaLee Pallai
-- Elizabeth Massie

The texture is gritty and the stories are moving and, yes, chilling. Think Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol turned up a notch with a ghostly Appalachian backdrop.

Writers Workshop of Horror

Writers Workshop of Horror is a collection of articles on the craft of writing horror. Each article -- written by some very big names -- tackles a specific element of the writing craft as it relates to the horror and dark fiction genres. Release date and other information will be forthcoming.

Authors Include:
-- Clive Barker
-- Joe R. Lansdale
-- F. Paul Wilson
-- Ramsey Campbell
-- Thomas F. Monteleone
-- Deborah LeBlanc
-- Gary A. Braunbeck
-- Brian Keene
-- Elizabeth Massie
-- Tom Piccirilli
-- Jonathan Maberry
-- Tim Waggoner
-- Mort Castle
-- G. Cameron Fuller
-- Rick Hautala
-- Scott Nicholson
-- Michael A. Arnzen
-- J.F. Gonzalez
-- Michael Laimo
-- Lucy A. Snyder
-- Jeff Strand
-- Lisa Morton
-- Jack Haringa
-- Gary Frank
-- Jason Sizemore
-- Robert N. Lee
-- Michael Knost

Legends of the Mountain State 3

“I have always been a fan of folk tales and regional fiction, admiring both their narrative authenticity and organic origins. But in a brilliant bit of post-modern tweaking, Michael Knost has recruited a host of contemporary horror writers to put their own spin on spooky legends from West Virginia. The result is a series of wonderful stories that seem as old as the hills and as current as today's news. Bravo!" — Bentley Little

Authors Include:
-- Elizabeth Massie
-- Michael West
-- Scott Nicholson
-- John R. Little
-- Brian J. Hatcher
-- Kelli Danlap
-- Matt Venne
-- Douglas F. Warrick
-- Steve Vernon
-- Fran Friel
-- Matthew Warner
-- Mark Justice
-- J.G. Faherty

Legends of the Mountain State 2

“Hardboiled, Southern Gothic. I loved it. It’s lean and mean and it doesn’t care if you like it, which is what makes me like it all the better. Written with a razor on the back of a dead bloated redneck cracker down by the river side, the mountains in view, this is one excellent read.” — Joe R. Lansdale

Authors Include:
-- Mark Justice
-- Jonathan Maberry
-- Bob Freeman
-- Lucy A. Snyder
-- Nate Kenyon
-- Steven L. Shrewsbury
-- Michael Laimo
-- Maurice Broaddus
-- Gary A. Braunbeck
-- Brian J. Hatcher
-- Mary SanGiovanni
-- Rob Darnell
-- Nate Southard

Legends of the Mountain State

"When it seems like every genre anthology released these days tries to convince readers that it and it alone is reinventing the wheel, Legends of the Mountain State: Ghostly Tales from the State of West Virginia is more than a breath of fresh air; it's a testament to the power of traditional, simple story-telling. Editor Michael Knost has assembled thirteen elegant, eerie, and affecting ghost stories written by authors who know and respect the tradition of such tales, and each offers up an atmospheric, straightforward, uncluttered narrative that one can easily imagine being told around a campfire late at night, as the stars blink down their light from a cold heaven and the sounds beyond the fire become unnervingly semi-human. There is poetic elegance in such simplicity, and this outstanding anthology proves it over and again. Simply superb." — Gary A. Braunbeck

Authors Include:
-- Thomas F. Monteleone
-- Tim Waggoner
-- Kealan Patrick Burke
-- Scott Nicholson
-- Joe Nassise
-- Bev Vincent
-- Mark Justice
-- Geoffrey C. Fuller
-- Michael M. Hughes
-- Jude-Marie Green
-- Brian J. Hatcher
-- Trent Walters
-- Marta Murvosh