GSHW Blog

Keith DeCandidio speaks on “How to be a Professional Writer (Non-Writing Bits Version)”

Keith R.A. DeCandido

Author/editor Keith R.A. DeCandido discusses the various and sundry elements of having a writing career that have nothing to do with actually writing: time management, career management, relationships with editors and agents, and much more.

Born in the Bronx to a pack of wild librarians, Keith was forced into a career in publishing and over the past two decades he’s been a writer, editor, book packager, musician, TV host, anthologist, podcaster, and karateka.  As the author of over 40 books, his work ranges from novels to comic books to short fiction to eBooks to nonfiction, most in various media universes. In 2005, he novelized Joss Whedon’s Serenity and his recent or forthcoming work includes novels in the Star Trek universe, the ongoing Farscape comic book series, and the StarCraft: Ghost Academy manga series. Keith was recently awarded Grandmaster status from the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers.

Visit Keith’s website at: http://www.decandido.net

The events is scheduled to occur at the next Garden State Horror Writers meeting (OCT 10) located at  the East Brunswick Library, 12 Jean Walling Civic Center, East Brunswick, NJ 08816-3529. The business meeting starts at 11 am, followed by the guest speaker at noon. Non-members welcome. Admission is free.

The GSHW is a multi-genre writers group catering to the needs of writers from all walks of life. Recently, the group hosted presentations by authors such as Pat Lundrigan, Elizabeth Bear, Lawrence C. Connelly, and Robert Dunbar. Membership is $35.00 per year. For information about the group, call 908-528-3074 or visit www.gshw.net.

Ellen Datlow will be speaking about: The Impact of the Economy on the Current Editing Climate.

About Ellen: http://ellen_datlow.livejournal.com ’s cabinet is crammed with trophies (including nine World Fantasy awards). The latest addition to her collection is this year’s Hugo Award for Best Editor – Short Form.

The events is schedule to occur at the next Garden State Horror Writers meeting (SEPT 12) located at  the Monmouth County Library, 125 Symmes Drive in Manalapan, NJ 07726 (opposite Target). The business meeting starts at 11 am, followed by the guest speaker at noon. Non-members welcome. Admission is free.

The GSHW is a multi-genre writers group catering to the needs of writers from all walks of life. Recently, the group hosted presentations by authors such as Pat Lundrigan, Elizabeth Bear, Lawrence C. Connelly, and Robert Dunbar. Membership is $35.00 per year. For information about the group, call 908-528-3074 or visit www.gshw.net.

THE GSHW PRESENTS: Have I Got Muse For You! with award-winning writer Mike Penncavage

Join New Jersey writer, Mike Penncavage (winner of the 2009 Derringer Award), for a writing workshop packed with tips and techniques on where to find ideas for stories, and how to use them.
 
The events is schedule to occur at the next Garden State Horror Writers meeting (JULY 11) located at  the Monmouth County Library, 125 Symmes Drive in Manalapan, NJ 07726 (opposite Target). The business meeting starts at 11 am, followed by the guest speaker at noon. Non-members welcome. Admission is free.

The GSHW is a multi-genre writers group catering to the needs of writers from all walks of life. Recently, the group hosted presentations by authors such as Pat Lundrigan, Elizabeth Bear, Lawrence C. Connelly, and Robert Dunbar. Membership is $35.00 per year. For information about the group, call 908-528-3074 or visit www.gshw.net.

GREGORY FROST will talk about “The Muse and Where to Find Her: Some Advice on Writing” at the next Garden State Horror Writers meeting at the Monmouth County Library, 125 Symmes Drive in Manalapan, NJ. The business meeting starts at 11 am, followed by the guest speaker at noon. Admission is free.

The GSHW is a multi-genre writers group catering to the needs of writers from all walks of life. Recently, the group hosted presentations by authors such as Pat Lundrigan, Elizabeth Bear, Lawrence C. Connelly, and Robert Dunbar. Membership is $35.00 per year. For information about the group, call 908-528-3074 or visit www.gshw.net.

Frost is a writer of fantasy, science fiction, and thrillers. His latest work is the fantasy duology, SHADOWBRIDGE, published by Del Rey Books. Booklist, in a starred review, praised the first volume, saying, “Frost has created a world containing all manner of fantastic story.” Gary K. Wolfe in Locus Magazine added: “Surpassingly lovely prose…Frost could be on his way toward a masterpiece.” The American Library Association included it on their 2009 Best Genre Fiction reading list.

The second book, Lord Tophet, garnered Publishers Weekly’s coveted starred review: “Frost brings the charm of an ancient storyteller and the wit of a contemporary tale-spinner to this dramatic tale, effortlessly manipulating his troupe of mortals and immortals and bringing the truths and myths of Shadowbridge equally to life.” The Fantasy Book Critic called it “one of the few must-read fantasies of the year.”

His previous novel was the historical thriller, Fitcher’s Brides, from Tor Books, a re-imagining of the fairy tale of Bluebeard that was a finalist for both the World Fantasy Award and the International Horror Guild Award for Best Novel.

His short story collection, Attack of the Jazz Giants and Other Stories, also received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, which called it “one of the best fantasy collections of the year” while hailing the author as a master of the short story form. His short stories have appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Asimov’s Magazine, Weird Tales, Realms of Fantasy, and in numerous award-winning anthologies. Recent work includes “Late in the Day,” in the December 2008 Realms of Fantasy; “The Final Act,” in Ellen Datlow’s Poe: 19 New Tales of Suspense anthology commemorating the bicentennial of Poe’s birth; and “The Bank Job,” in an unreleased werewolf anthology edited by Darrell Schweitzer, due out in 2010.

Frost is one of the Fiction Writing Workshop Directors at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, PA. His web site is www.gregoryfrost.com and his blog is”Frostbites,” at http://frostokovich.livejournal.com

The Garden State Horror Writers  is pleased to announce the upcoming appearance of Hugo and Locus  award-winning author, Elizabeth Bear, at their April 11th  meeting at the Monmouth County Library Headquarters in  Manalapan. Bear, an important new voice in the science fiction and fantasy field, will be presenting a talk on “World Building  & How Writers Get Their Ideas” and will follow up with a signing of her books. The meeting is open to the public and begins at noon.
 
Debuting in 2005, Bear is known for the SF Thrillers Hammered  (which won the Locus Award for Best First Novel), Scardown, and Worldwired, all part of the Jenny Casey Trilogy. Set in 2062, the series follows the gritty adventures of Jenny Casey,  formerly of the Canadian Special Forces, as she faces mean streets filled with drugs, gangs, and warfare in virtual reality. Bear is also the author of the popular Promethean Age Series, an urban fantasy set in contemporary and historical  settings. Blood and Iron begins a saga that follows the Faerie Court in its battle with Human Mages for control over Earth’s destiny. Other novels of note are her stand alone SF novels,  Carnival and Undertow, as well as Norse fantasies A Companion to Wolves and All the Windwracked Stars. Along with two short story  collections, Bear’s award-winning short fiction has been  published in many genre publications, with “Tideline” winning  the coveted Hugo award for Best Short Story in 2008. Visit her  website at www.elizabethbear.com to find out more information.

Author of “Classic” Horror Novel to Discuss Folklore

Legends linger in the dark places of the earth, legends as old as fear itself.

At noon on Saturday, November 8, 2008, Robert Dunbar (author of THE PINES) will appear at the Monmouth County Library in Manalapan, New Jersey to address a meeting of the Garden State Horror Writers. He will give a talk entitled “Real Folklore/True Fiction.” Dunbar – who has two novels being published in the next few months as well as a collection of short stories – has based much of his work on indigenous American myths. Real Folklore/True Fiction will address the social and psychological realities underlying many cherished legends … and their uses in crafting meaningful contemporary literature.

THE PINES was the first novel to explore the lore of the Leeds Devil (one of America’s oldest oral myth traditions), and though heavily expurgated, it created something of a sensation. This year – just in time for Halloween – Leisure Books will release THE PINES in its first unabridged paperback edition. “Publication of this restored edition gives the book’s current fans cause to rejoice,” raved Weird New Jersey Magazine, “and will help Dunbar’s powerful novel find the place it deserves among the classics of modern horror.”

What inspired the book? “I practically grew up on the legend of the Jersey Devil,” explains writer Robert Dunbar. “I heard the stories everywhere as a kid, on every camping trip. Every summer at the shore.” Over the years, THE PINES has attained a fiercely partisan following (making it a “cult” favorite among horror fans) and garnered the kinds of reviews most authors only dream about. The Philadelphia Inquirer called it “dark, foreboding, menacing, eerie … seductive.” And Delaware Valley Magazine said it was “not only a superb thriller but a masterpiece of fiction.”

Was he surprised by the reviews? “Hardly. The American horror novel represents a venerable tradition, founded on the works of literary giants like Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville,” says Dunbar. “In other words, it’s meant to be serious art. Scary but serious. Hey, I’m on a quest here. It’s only recently has horror literature has been ghettoized as pulp fiction. I mean to fix that.” This new paperback edition of THE PINES will be the definitive version, with all previously censored material restored.

Dunbar has been a poet and a playwright. He has worked for a wide variety of newspapers and magazines and has also written and produced for television. He has often lectured at schools and libraries and has been a guest on numerous television and radio programs, discussing both THE PINES and THE SHORE (a sequel also due out shortly in paperback), which moves the action from the pine barrens to a New Jersey beach town. For more information about Robert Dunbar’s work, visit his website at www.DunbarAuthor.com.

AUTHOR HILDY SILVERMAN TO SPEAK AT GSHW MEETING

Author/Publisher Hildy Silverman will speak at the next meeting of the Garden State Horror Writers on Saturday, October 25, at the Monmouth County Library, Manalapan. Her talk will be on:

“Networking and the Successful Writer”

Hildy Silverman is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Space and Time, a 42-year-old magazine featuring fantasy, horror, and science fiction. She is also the author of several works of short fiction, including “The Soul Cloister” (2003, Wild Child), “Play Misty for Me” (2004, The Adventures of Mist and Vale, Ordover, ed.), “Picky” (2008, Dark Territories, Frank and SanGiovanni, eds.), “The

Darren” (forthcoming from Tekno Books,WitchWay to the Mall?, Friesner, ed), and “Damned Inspiration” (forthcoming, Siren Songs, Ackley-McPhail, ed). She is a member of the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society and the Garden State Horror Writers.

She lives in New Jersey with one husband, David, one daughter, Rayanne, and one Bichon Frise, Frosty. She is a freelance consultant who develops corporate training and marketing communications materials for high-tech companies throughout the U.S.

The GSHW is a multi-genre writers group catering to the needs of writers from all walks of life. We offer monthly meetings, critique groups, guideline and sample copy libraries, national short story contests, and much more. Members also receive the acclaimed monthly newsletter, The New Jersey Graveline, containing market news, reviews, essays, interviews, writing tips, humor and whatever else we can fit inside. The group is dedicated to helping writers of all types of fiction perfect their skills.

GHSW meets on the second Saturday (unless otherwise noted) at the Monmouth County Library Headquarters in Manalapan on Symmes Drive, off Route 9. Business meetings begin at 11 a.m. and guest speakers at noon. Guests, new members and press are always welcome. For more information, call (973) 237-1770 or visit the web site, www.gshw.net.