KING, HEIM TAKE TOP HONORS IN BLACK QUILL AWARDS
LONG ISLAND, NY, February 2, 2008 - A veteran dark scribe and an unlikely literary fiction favorite have taken top honors in the 2nd Annual Black Quill Awards, as winners were announced today by DARK SCRIBE MAGAZINE, the virtual magazine "dedicated to the books that keep readers up at night."
WE DISAPPEAR by Boston-based scribe Scott Heim, largely seen as the dark horse nominee in a category that included works by genre veterans Joe R. Lansdale and Neil Gaiman, snagged the Editor's Choice award for DARK GENRE NOVEL OF THE YEAR, while Stephen King took Readers' Choice honors in the same category for DUMA KEY.
The Black Quill Awards were handed out in (7) categories honoring works of dark genre literature - horror, suspense, and thrillers - from both mainstream and small press publishers. While six of the awards recognized literary efforts, one of the awards recognized book trailer production - a growing marketing aspect of dark genre publishing. Circle of Seven Productions was named Editors' Choice for BEST DARK GENRE BOOK TRAILER for their work producing the book trailer for Alexandra Sokoloff's sophomore effort, THE PRICE. Circle of Seven took home the same award last year for their production work on the trailer for Sokoloff's debut, THE HARROWING. Film director Yossi Sasson took home Readers' Choice honors for his trailer work on Harry Shannon's DAEMON.
Kealan Patrick Burke snagged an Editors' Choice award for BEST DARK GENRE FICTION COLLECTION for THE NUMBER 121 TO PENNSYLVANIA, making him a three-time Black Quill Award winner following last year's wins for BEST SMALL PRESS CHILL (for his novella MIDLISTERS) and BEST AUTHOR WEBSITE. This officially makes Burke the most honored writer in the award's short history. Other repeat winners included Sarah Langan, winner of last year's top honor for her novel THE MISSING, who this year won the magazine's Readers' Choice award for BEST DARK SCRIBBLE for her short story "Afterlife" and CEMETERY DANCE magazine which took home the prize for Reader's Choice, BEST DARK GENRE SHORT FICTION MAGAZINE (Longtime CD editor Richard Chizmar won the Editor's Choice award in the same category last year.).
Nominations for the Black Quills are editorial-based, with both the editors and active contributing writers submitting nominations in each of the (7) categories. Once nominations are announced, readers of DSM cast their votes for their picks in each category. For this year's outing, more than 2,100 votes were cast by the magazine's readers. In a unique spin intended to celebrate both critical and popular success, two winners are traditionally announced in each category - Reader's Choice and Editor's Choice. Winners receive recognition in DSM, inclusion in press release materials announcing nominations and winners, a virtual icon to be used on their own website, and a handsome award certificate.
A complete list of the winners can be found here.
Wow, that's a surprising upset by Scott Heim!
Richard Chizmar just continues to put together a great magazine year after year. Hat's off to Cemetery Dance. And Duma Key has to be some of the most fun I've had reading a King book in a while. I'd love it if he had a few more of these in him. The mysteries of both the characters and the place and how they find their way out. Just love it. I listed to the audiobook and I highly recommend it.
Agreed. You can't underestimate the impact Rich Chizmar and Cemetery Dance have had on the industry, particularly over the last decade. Every issue of the magazine contains some of the very best original short fiction out there.
It reminds me that I should subscribe again. They were (heck, are) one of those publications that you can just count on, issue after issue.