Posted inInstigation

Twisted Prompts for Sicko Writers

+ Reverse the roles in an alien autopsy. + Choose an inanimate object from your kitchen cabinet. Give it a mouth. Allow it to unexpectedly speak one morning to a child while he is preparing his own breakfast. + Speculate on paper: If you were to eat your own brain matter, what do you think it would taste like? Describe it, appealing to the senses, evoking the texture and flavor. Then begin the next paragraph. See if you can keep going, unfolding a plot that explains why you would be eating your own brain to begin with. Don't force it...discover…
February 23, 2008Posted inInstigation
Posted inArnzen News

The 2007 Bram Stoker Award Final Ballot

Here is the just-announced shortlist of finalists for the 2007 Bram Stoker Award: Superior Achievement in a Novel THE GUARDENER'S TALE by Bruce Boston (Sam’s DotPublishing) HEART-SHAPED BOX by Joe Hill (William Morrow) THE MISSING by Sarah Langan (Harper) THE TERROR by Dan Simmons (Little, Brown) Superior Achievement in a First Novel HEART-SHAPED BOX by Joe Hill (William Morrow) I WILL RISE by Michael Calvillo (Lachesis Publishing) THE MEMORY TREE by John R. Little (Nocturne Press) THE WITCH'S TRINITY by Erika Mailman (Crown) THE HOLLOWER by Mary SanGiovanni (Leisure Books) Superior Achievement in Long Fiction AFTERWARD, THERE WILL BE A…
February 15, 2008Posted inArnzen News
Posted inArnzen News

Enter the FearZone

Fearzone.com is running several features on my writing this week: a meaty FICTION EXCERPT from my new novelette from Bad Moon Books, called The Bitchfight; a celebratory REVIEW of that book (which calls it "an enormously entertaining modern tale of terror perhaps destined to become a future classic."; and finally, a fun INTERVIEW with me conducted by the inimitable horror humorist, Jeff Strand FearZone is really shaping up to be one of the best horror genre news sites out there, updated with new reviews, interviews, blog features and news items on a daily basis. Instead of eschewing film for a…
February 15, 2008Posted inArnzen News
Posted inArnzen News

Horror Writing Courses & Academics in 2008

This morning I saw that Boing Boing posted news about the Alpha SF Workshop for Teens -- and it occurred to me that I've been remiss about announcing that I'll be teaching at this writer's workshop for young genre fans this year, alongside Tamora Pierce, Timothy Zahn, and the very cool Chris McKitterick. Application deadline is March 1st. I will also be leading a Flash Fiction writing workshop at Context SF Convention in September. It was exceptionally cool to be the Horror Guest of Honor at Context last year; this year's guest horror writer is Brian Keene, and other horror…
January 27, 2008Posted inArnzen News
Posted inArnzen News

Preliminary Stoker Ballot Released

The Preliminary Ballot for the 2007 Bram Stoker Award is now public. My latest book, Proverbs for Monsters, is a contender in the "fiction collection" category, and I'm very pleased. There are a LOT of great books up for the award this year, and the ballot reads like a good "recommended reading" list for 2007, so check it out. The Stoker is the top accolade for writers of horror fiction, chosen by peer professional authors in the Horror Writers Association, and the competition is always stiff. It really is an honor to be nominated (which technically means making the final…
January 27, 2008Posted inArnzen News