Black Quill Awards

Dark Scribe Magazine is a free web-based publication that focuses exclusively on the creative forces behind horror, suspense, thrillers, and other dark fiction and non-fiction works. The target audience is formed by readers of horror, suspense, thrillers and other dark genre fiction, genre authors, publishers, retailers, and webmasters, aspiring writers, and bibliophiles. You can find on the Dark Scribe Magazine interviews, reviews, book trailers, contests and articles.

Dark Scribe Magazine also hosts annual awards, The Black Quill Awards, which honor those works of dark genre literature – horror, suspense and thrillers – from both mainstream and small press publishers. The Black Quill Awards are on the second edition and the nominees for this year awards were announced on the magazine website. As on the first edition of the awards (you can find the list with the first winners of The Black Quill Awards here) each section will have two choices for the winners, Editors’ Choice and Readers’ Choice. Any registered reader can vote on Readers’ Choice. The eligibility period for DSM’s yearly awards will run from November 1st through October 31st. You can find more information here.

Here are the nominees for the 2nd Annual Black Quill Awards:

Dark Genre Novel of the Year:

- Duma Key by Stephen King
- Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
- Ghost Radio by Leopoldo Gout
- Leather Maiden by Joe R. Landsdale
- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
- The Price by Alexandra Sokoloff
- We Disappear by Scott Heim

Best Small Press Chill:

- Into the Cruel Sea by Rich Ristow
- Johnny Gruesome by Gregory Lamberson
- Miranda by John R. Little
- The Confessions of St. Zach by Gene O'Neill
- The Shallow End of the Pool by Adam-Troy Castro
- Veins by Lawrence C. Connolly

Best Dark Genre Fiction Collection:
- History Is Dead: A Zombie Anthology edited by Kim Paffenroth
- Inferno: New Tales of Terror and the Supernatural edited by Ellen Datlow
- Killers edited by Colin Harvey
- Mama’s Boys and Other Dark Tales by Fran Friel
- Poe’s Children: The New Horror edited by Peter Straub
- The Number 121 to Pennsylvania by Kealan Patrick Burke

Best Dark Genre Book of Non-Fiction:

- A Hallowe’en Anthology: Literary and Historical Writers over the Centuries by Lisa Morton
- Beauty and Dynamite by Alethea Kontis
- Book of Lists: Horror edited by Amy Wallace, Del Howison, and Scott Bradley
- Horror Isn’t a Four-Letter Word by Matthew Warner
- The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi
- Zombie CSU: The Forensics of the Living Dead by Jonathan Maberry

Best Dark Scribble:

- “Afterlife” by Sarah Langan
- “Captain’s Lament” by Stephen Graham Jones
- “Dust and Bibles” by Michael Colangelo
- “Teeth” by Stephen Dedman
- “The Blog at the End of the World” by Paul Tremblay
- “Turtle” by Lee Thomas

Best Dark Genre Short Fiction Magazine:

- Apex Magazine – Editor Jason Sizemore
- Cemetery Dance – Editor Richard Chizmar
- ChiZine – Editor Brett Alexander Savory
- Clarkesworld – Editors Sean Wallace and Neil Clarke (current), Nick Mamatas (former)
- Doorways Magazine – Editors Brian Yount and Mort Castle
- Shroud Magazine – Editor Timothy Deal

Best Dark Genre Book Trailer:

- Daemon / Production by Yossi Sasson (Author: Harry Shannon)
- Day by Day Armageddon / Production by Ivan Simoncini (Author: JL Bourne)
- Duma Key / Production by Scribner (Author: Stephen King)
- Ghost Radio (Trailer 1) / Production by William Morrow (Author: Leopoldo Gout)
- Sweetheart / Production by Circle of Seven (Author: Chelsea Cain)
- The Price / Production by Circle of Seven Productions (Author: Alexandra Sokoloff)

The voting closes on Sunday, January 25th, 2009 and the winners will be announced Monday, February 2nd, 2009.