GSHW Blog

November  6th meeting of the Garden State Horror Writers: “Surviving the Revision Process” with W.H. Horner.

Editor, publisher and writer W.H. Horner will speak at the November 6th meeting of the Garden State Horror Writers on “Surviving the Revision Process.” There are two major pitfalls in the revision process: one can ignore this crucial step, believing that one’s words cannot be improved upon, or one can obsess over it and never complete the project at hand. As an editor and writing teacher, W. H. Horner has coached many authors and budding writers, helping them to produce initial drafts and then to go back over their work and polish it to the best of their ability. As an occasional writer, he has done the same with his own work.

Mr. Horner will share tips and strategies to help writers move beyond the mental blocks that hold them back from completing initial drafts, as well as ways to work with rough prose to produce publishable material. Anecdotes from his years of experience will illustrate those skill sets at
work.

The event takes place Saturday, November 6th 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 talk at noon. Non-members welcome. Admission is free.

W. H. Horner is publisher and editor-in-chief of Fantasist Enterprises, an independent press specializing in illustrated fantasy and horror. His latest anthology is Blood & Devotion: Tales of Epic Fantasy. William is adjunct faculty with Seton Hill University’s MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction and with Wilmington University’s English department. He is also the founder and director of the First Writes, a writing group that meets in Wilmington, Delaware. For more about William, please visit www.whhorner.com, and to learn about Fantasist Enterprises, please go to www.fantasistent.com.

Ellen Datlow will speak at the October meeting of the Garden State Horror Writers on how to “Impress an Editor” and sell fiction in today’s volatile publishing industry.

Ms. Datlow, recently honored by the World Science Fiction Society with a Hugo award, has edited more than fifty anthologies of short fiction, and is co-editor of the long-running Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror series. Her latest anthology, Poe: 19 New Tales Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, won the Shirley Jackson Award, and has been nominated for a World Fantasy Award. You can find out more about her books at her website, www.datlow.com.

The event takes place Saturday, October 9th 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 talk at noon. Non-members welcome. Admission is free.

The GSHW is a multi-genre group catering to writers from all walks of life. The group has hosted presentations by authors such as Elizabeth Bear, Gregory Frost, and F. Paul Wilson. Membership is $35.00 per year. For information about the group call 732-276-7531 or visit www.gshw.net.

It Came From the Slush Pile! A Q&A session with best-selling anthology editor, John Joseph Adams At the EAST BRUNSWICK LIBRARY, 2 Jean Walling Civic Center, East Brunswick, NJ 08816 (tel: 732-390-6950).

John Joseph Adams is the editor of many bestselling anthologies, such as Wastelands, The Living Dead (a World Fantasy Award finalist), By Blood We Live, Federations, and The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Barnes & Noble.com named him ―the reigning king of the anthology world,‖ and his books have been named in numerous best of the year lists. He is also the fiction editor of the forthcoming science fiction magazine Lightspeed, and co-host of The Geek‘s Guide to the Galaxy podcast.

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, email president@ghsw.net or visit www.gshw.net.

Writing the Short Story (Without Making Every Mistake There Is)

Dina A. Leacock, who writes under the name Diane Arrelle, has sold more than 100 short stories to anthologies and magazines. She has two published books, Just A Drop In The Cup, a collection of flash fiction and short-short stories and Elements Of The Short Story. She is proud to be a founding member as well as a past president of the Garden State Horror Writers as well as a past president of the Philadelphia Writers’ Conference. She lives on the edge of the Pine Barrens (home of the Jersey Devil) in South Jersey with her husband, two sons and cat.

Visit her website at: http://www.dinaleacock.com

 The events is scheduled to occur at the next Garden State Horror Writers meeting (January 9, 2010) 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.

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.

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

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.