State Author is International Literary Award Finalist
Michael Knost heads to Brighton, England for Bram Stoker Award ceremony
Special to Huntingtonnews.net
Chapmanville, WV (HNN) -- West Virginia native Michael Knost will be traveling to Brighton, England in late March for a ceremony hosted by the Horror Writers Association. Michael has been nominated for a prestigious international honor, The Bram Stoker Award, for his latest book, Writers Workshop of Horror.
The Bram Stoker Awards ceremony will take place at a gala Fish-and-Chips Banquet on the evening of Sat.urday March 27, on Brighton Pier. This event will be one of the highlights of the World Horror Convention, and will include World Horror guests of honor and past Stoker Award winners as award presenters.
Many within the Mountain State, and especially in Logan County, will recognize Knost as Mike Collins, his real name. It was several years ago that he chose the pseudonym of Michael Knost as his pen name for marketing purposes.
Michael is best known for his popular Legends of the Mountain State series of books, published by Woodland Press (Chapmanville, WV), detailing the legends and ghosts of West Virginia, where many notable writers and dignitaries, including Gov. Joe Manchin and Homer Hickam, have contributed tales and forewords.
Writers Workshop of Horror, also published by Woodland Press, recently won the national Black Quill Award, taking the editor’s choice in the nonfiction category. Dark Scribe Magazine, a trade publication for horror writers and industry professionals, facilitates the Black Quill Award.
“Making the final ballot for the Bram Stoker Award is an honor in itself,” Michael said. “There are three other books nominated in the nonfiction category from around the world, two of them on the subject of Stephen King.”
The Bram Stoker Award is the highest honor in superior achievement in horror and dark fiction genres. The award is named after Bram Stoker, the famed author of Dracula. Writers such as Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Clive Barker have all won the award in the past.
“We are extremely proud to see a West Virginia author nominated for the celebrated Bram Stoker Award,” said Keith Davis, CEO of Woodland Press. “And of course we are pleased and humbled that Writers Workshop, a book published here in Chapmanville, has received international consideration.”
Writers Workshop of Horror is a collection of articles and interviews by/with some of the biggest names in the horror and dark fiction genres (Clive Barker, Joe R. Lansdale, F. Paul Wilson, Ramsey Campbell, etc.), focusing on the craft of writing fiction with a horror slant. To learn more about the book, visit www.woodlandpress.com or www.MichaelKnost.com.
“I’m very fortunate to have a few sponsors that are helping make the trip to England possible,” Knost said, “including friends like Aracoma Drug, Hatfield-McCoy Convention & Visitors Bureau, Giovanni’s of West Logan, The Town of Chapmanville, the Chapmanville Kiwanis Club, and the Chapmanville Lion’s Club.”
The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is a worldwide organization of writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting dark literature and the interests of those who write it. HWA was formed in the late 1980s with the help of many of the field's greats, including Dean Koontz, Robert McCammon and Joe R. Lansdale. Today, with members all around the globe, it is the oldest and most respected professional organization devoted to the genre.
Editor's Note: For David M. Kinchen's review of "Writers Workshop of Horror" click on: http://www.huntingtonnews.net/columns/090811-kinchen-columnsbookreview.html
HNN book critic Kinchen has also reviewed many other books by Knost and other writers published by Woodland Press. Check the search engine for these reviews.