British Fantasy Awards

The British Fantasy Award nominations have been annouced and I am delighted to be included with “Pomegranates” in the novella category. My humble thanks to anyone who voted for it.

The Robert Holdstock Award for Best Fantasy Novel

Jurors: Elias Eells, Elloise Hopkins, S.D. Howarth, Nadya Mercik, Roseanna Pendlebury

• The Bone Orchard – Sara A. Mueller (Tor)
• Cast Long Shadows – Cat Hellisen (Luna Press Publishing)
• Glitterati – Oliver K. Langmead (Titan)
• The Oleander Sword – Tasha Suri (Orbit)
• Path of War – David Green (Eerie River Publishing)
• The Spear Cuts Through Water – Simon Jimenez (Del Rey)

The August Derleth Award for Best Horror Novel

Jurors: Ben Appleby-Dean, Theresa Derwin, Rhian Drinkwater, Rebecca Gault, Sasha Sienna

• Full Immersion – Gemma Amor (Angry Robot)
• The Hollows – Daniel Church (Angry Robot)
• Just Like Home – Sarah Gailey (Hodder & Stoughton)
• Miracle Growth – Tim Mendees (Eerie River Publishing)
• Sundial – Catriona Ward (Viper)

Best Novella

Jurors: Rick Danforth, Elizabeth Elliot, Jessica Hyslop, E. Saxey, Miranda Seitz-McLeese

• And Then I Woke Up – Malcolm Devlin (Tordotcom)
• The Entropy of Loss – Stewart Hotston (NewCon Press)
• Interference – Terry Grimwood (Elsewhen Press)
• Ogres – Adrian Tchaikovsky (Solaris)
• Pomegranates – Priya Sharma (PS Publishing)
• The Queen of the High Fields – Rhiannon A. Grist (Luna Press Publishing)

Best Short Fiction

Jurors: Laura Bennett, Andrew Freudenberg, Jessica Levai, Peter McLean

• The Call of El Tunche – Shona Kinsella (in Weird Horror Anthology, Flame Tree Press)
• A Moment of Zugzwang – Neil Williamson (in ParSec #4)
• Morta – James Bennett (in The Book of Queer Saints, Medusa Publishing Haus)
• The Tails That Make You – Eliza Chan (in Fantasy Magazine #82)

Best Collection

Jurors: Brian Kinsella, Ann Landmann, Chris McNallen-Jones, India Nye, Derek Schofield

• Behind a Broken Smile – Penny Jones (Black Shuck Books)
• Breakable Things – Cassandra Khaw (Undertow Publications)
• Candescent Blooms – Andrew Hook (Salt Publishing)
• Under the Moon – E.M. Faulds (Ghost Moth Press)

Best Magazine/Periodical

Jurors: Jonathan Laidlow, Hesper Leveret, Lauren McMenemy, Eleanor Pender, Nathaniel Spain

• Ginger Nuts of Horror
• Interzone
• Shoreline of Infinity
• Strange Horizons

Best Audio Work

Jurors: Rosemarie Cawkwell, Arden Fitzroy, Morgan Greensmith, Amy Portsmouth

• Breaking the Glass Slipper
• The Painkiller Podcast (Bitter Pill Theatre)
• Podcastle (Escape Artists)
• Pseudopod (Escape Artists)
• The Secret of St. Kilda (Michael Ireland & Naomi Clarke)
• The Stranger Times (C.K. McDonnell)

Best Independent Press

Jurors: Rowena Andrews, Andy Angel, Robin CM Duncan, Alex Norriss, Sara Omer

• Black Shuck Books
• Flame Tree Press
• Luna Press Publishing
• NewCon Press

Best Artist

Jurors: Cat Anderson, Mehzeb Chowdhury, David Green, Adam McDowall, Paul Yates

• Chris Baker (Fangorn)
• Ben Baldwin
• Jenni Coutts
• Vince Haig
• Dan Hillier

Best Anthology

Jurors: Chris Butler, Robin CM Duncan, Ian Hunter, Mira Manga, Abbi Shaw

• Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction, ed. Sheree Renée Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki & Zelda Knight (Tordotcom)
• The Book of Queer Saints, ed. Mae Murray (Medusa Publishing Haus)
• Great British Horror 7: Major Arcana, ed. Steve J. Shaw (Black Shuck Books)
• Isolation: The Horror Anthology, ed. Dan Coxon (Titan)
• Sky Breaker: Tales of the Wanderer – Lee C. Conley, H.L. Tinsley, J.E. Hannaford, David Green, Derek Power, C. Marry Hultman, Damien Larkin and C.F. Welburn (Nordic Press)
• Someone in Time, ed. Jonathan Strahan (Solaris)

Best Non-fiction

Jurors: Cerys Gardner, Susan Maxwell, Kevin McVeigh, TJ Moules, Aparna Sivasankar

• An Earnest Blackness – Eugen Bacon (Anti-Oedipus Press)
• Fantasy: How it Works – Brian Attebery (OUP)
• The Full Lid – Alasdair Stuart, ed. Marguerite Kenner
• My Life in Horror, Vol. 2 – Kit Power
• Outlander and the Real Jacobites – Shona Kinsella (Pen & Sword History)
• Terry Pratchett: A Life with Footnotes – Rob Wilkins (Doubleday)

The Sydney J. Bounds Award for Best Newcomer

Jurors: Liz Delton, Michael Dodd, Fabienne Schwizer, Arturo Serrano, Stephen Theaker

• Sunyi Dean, for The Book Eaters (Tor)
• Hiron Ennes, for Leech (Tor)
• Somto Ihezue, for a collection of short stories: Whole; Like Stars Daring to Shine; A Girl is Blood, Spirit and Fire; The Carving of War
• Shauna Lawless, for The Children of Gods and Fighting Men (Head of Zeus)
• Elijah Kinch Spector, for Kalyna the Soothsayer (Erewhon Books)
• Susan York, for Starless and Bible Black (Midnight Street Press)

British Fantasy Awards 2020 announced

The British Fantasy Society has announced the winners for the 2020 British Fantasy Awards:

Best Fantasy Novel (the Robert Holdstock Award)

• WINNER: The Bone Ships, RJ Barker (Orbit)

• The Ten Thousand Doors of January, Alix E. Harrow (Orbit)
• The Migration, Helen Marshall (Titan)
• The Poison Song, Jen Williams (Headline)

Best Horror Novel (the August Derleth Award)

• WINNER: The Reddening, Adam Nevill (Ritual Limited)

• The Plague Stones, James Brogden (Titan)
• The Institute, Stephen King (Hodder & Stoughton)
• The Twisted Ones, T. Kingfisher (Titan)
• Mistletoe, Alison Littlewood (Jo Fletcher)
• The Migration, Helen Marshall (Titan)

Best Novella

• WINNER: Ormeshadow, Priya Sharma (Tor.com Publishing)

• “Butcher’s Table”, Nathan Ballingrud (Wounds)
• Ragged Alice, Gareth L. Powell (Tor.com Publishing)
• The Deep, Rivers Solomon, Daveed Diggs, William Hutson & Jonathan Snipes (Gallery)
• The Survival of Molly Southbourne, Tade Thompson (Tor.com Publishing)
• The Ascent to Godhood, JY Yang (Tor.com Publishing)

Best Short Story

• WINNER: “The Pain-Eater’s Daughter”, Laura Mauro (Sing Your Sadness Deep)

• “Dendrochronology”, Penny Jones (The Woods)
• “I Say (I Say, I Say)”, Robert Shearman (Tales from the Shadow Booth, Vol. 3)
• “Tomorrow, When I Was Young“, Julie Travis (Eibonvale)

Best Collection

• WINNER: Sing Your Sadness Deep, Laura Mauro (Undertow)

• This House of Wounds, Georgina Bruce (Undertow)
• Of Wars, and Memories, and Starlight, Aliette de Bodard (Subterranean)
• The Boughs Withered When I Told Them My Dreams, Maura McHugh (NewCon)
• Growing Things, Paul Tremblay (Titan)

Best Anthology

• WINNER: New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction for People of Color, Nisi Shawl, ed. (Solaris)

• A Secret Guide to Fighting Elder Gods, Jennifer Brozek, ed. (Pulse)
• Once Upon a Parsec: The Book of Alien Fairy Tales, David Gullen, ed. (NewCon)
• Wonderland, Marie O’Regan & Paul Kane, eds. (Titan)
• The Woods, Phil Sloman, ed. (Hersham Horror)
• The Big Book of Classic Fantasy, Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, eds. (Vintage)

Best Independent Press

• WINNER: Rebellion

• Aqueduct
• Black Shuck
• Luna
• NewCon
• Undertow

Best Non-Fiction

• WINNER: The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games, Ebony Elizabeth Thomas (New York University Press)

• Joanna Russ, Gwyneth Jones (University of Illinois Press)
• The Pleasant Profession of Robert A. Heinlein, Farah Mendlesohn (Unbound)
• “Notes from the Borderland”, Lynda E Rucker (Black Static 9-10/20)
• The Full Lid, Alasdair Stuart
• Coffinmaker’s Blues: Collected Writings on Terror, Stephen Volk (PS)

Best Magazine / Periodical

• WINNER: Fiyah

• Black Static
• The Dark
• Gingernuts of Horror
• Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
• Shoreline of Infinity

Best Artist

• WINNER: Ben Baldwin

• Vince Haig
• Jackie Morris
• David Rix

Best Comic / Graphic Novel

• WINNER: DIE, Kieron Gillen & Stephanie Hans (Image)

• Basketful of Heads #1, Joe Hill, Leomacs & Dave Stewart (DC)
• The Ozone Diary, Tero Mielonen & Pentti Otsamo (Luna)
• B.P.R.D. The Devil You Know, Vol. 3: Ragna Rok, Mike Mignola, Scott Allie, Laurence Campbell, et al. (Dark Horse)
• 2000AD, Matt Smith, ed. (Rebellion)
• DCeased #1-6, Tom Taylor, Trevor Hairsine, Stefano Gaudiano, et al. (DC)

Best Audio

• WINNER: PodCastle

• Breaking the Glass Slipper
• PseudoPod
• Speculative Spaces

Best Film / Television Production

• WINNER: Us

• Game of Thrones: “The Long Night”
• Watchmen: “It’s Summer and We’re Running Out of Ice”
• The Witcher: “Rare Species”

Best Newcomer (the Sydney J Bounds Award)

• WINNER: Ta-Nehisi Coates, for The Water Dancer (One World)

• Alix E. Harrow, for The Ten Thousand Doors of January (Orbit)
• Penny Jones, for Suffer Little Children (Black Shuck)
• Tamsyn Muir, for Gideon the Ninth (Tor.com Publishing)
• Nina Oram, for The Joining (Luna)

Karl Edward Wagner Award

• Craig Lockley

British Fantasy Awards 2020 Shortlist

The BFA 2020 shortlist has now been announced and I am delighted to be on there with “Ormeshadow”. One of the joys of attending Cons and getting to know the writing community online is that I am as delighted to see friends and people I know on the list. Congratulations to everyone.

Whatever the outcome I am always grateful to Ellen Datlow and the good people at Tor.

Best Fantasy Novel (the Robert Holdstock Award)

• The Bone Ships – RJ Barker (Orbit)
• The Migration – Helen Marshall (Titan)
• The Poison Song – Jen Williams (Headline)
• The Ten Thousand Doors of January – Alix E Harrow (Orbit)

Best Horror Novel (the August Derleth Award)

• The Institute – Stephen King (Hodder & Stoughton)
• The Migration – Helen Marshall (Titan)
• Mistletoe – Alison Littlewood (Jo Fletcher Books)
• The Plague Stones – James Brogden (Titan)
• The Reddening – Adam Nevill (Ritual Limited)
• The Twisted Ones – T. Kingfisher (Titan)

Best Newcomer (the Sydney J Bounds Award)

• Ta-Nehisi Coates, for The Water Dancer (Penguin)
• Alix E Harrow, for The Ten Thousand Doors of January (Orbit)
• Penny Jones, for Suffer Little Children (Black Shuck Books)
• Tamsyn Muir, for Gideon the Ninth (Tordotcom)
• Nina Oram, for The Joining (Luna Press)

Best Novella

• The Ascent to Godhood – Neon Yang (Tordotcom)
• Butcher’s Table – Nathan Ballingrud (Gallery / Saga Press)
• The Deep – Rivers Solomon (Gallery / Saga Press)
• Ormeshadow – Priya Sharma (Tordotcom)
• Ragged Alice – Gareth L Powell (Tordotcom)
• The Survival of Molly Southbourne – Tade Thompson (Tordotcom)

Best Short Fiction

• Dendrochronology – Penny Jones (Hersham Horror)
• I Say, I Say, I Say – Robert Shearman (The Shadow Booth)
• The Pain-Eater’s Daughter – Laura Mauro (Undertow)
• Tomorrow, When I Was Young – Julie Travis (Eibonvale Press)

Best Anthology

• A Secret Guide to Fighting Elder Gods, ed. Jennifer Brozek (Pulse Publishing)
• The Big Book of Classic Fantasy, ed. Ann & Jeff VanderMeer (Vintage)
• New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction for People of Color, ed. Nisi Shawl (Solaris)
• Once Upon a Parsec: The Book of Alien Fairy Tales, ed. David Gullen (NewCon)
• Wonderland, ed. Marie O’Regan & Paul Kane (Titan)
• The Woods, ed. Phil Sloman (Hersham Horror)

Best Collection

• The Boughs Withered When I Told Them My Dreams – Maura McHugh (NewCon)
• Growing Things – Paul Tremblay (Titan)
• This House of Wounds – Georgina Bruce (Undertow)
• Of Wars, And Memories, And Starlight – Aliette de Bodard (Subterranean Press)
• Sing Your Sadness Deep – Laura Mauro (Undertow)

Best Non-Fiction

• Coffinmaker’s Blues: Collected Writings on Terror – Stephen Volk (PS Publishing)
• The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games – Ebony Elizabeth Thomas (New York University Press)
• The Full Lid – Alasdair Stuart
• Joanna Russ (Modern Masters of SF) – Gwyneth Jones (University of Illinois Press)
• Notes from the Borderland – Lynda E Rucker, for Black Static (TTA Press)
• The Pleasant Profession of Robert E Heinlein – Farah Mendlesohn (Unbound)

Best Independent Press

• Aqueduct Press
• Black Shuck Books
• Luna Press 
• NewCon Press
• Rebellion Publishing
• Undertow Publications

Best Magazine / Periodical

• Black Static
• The Dark
• F&SF
• Fiyah
• Gingernuts of Horror
• Shoreline of Infinity

Best Audio

• Breaking the Glass Slipper
• PodCastle
• PseudoPod
• Speculative Spaces

Best Comic / Graphic Novel

• 2000AD, ed. Matt Smith (Rebellion)
• Basketful of Heads #1 – Joe Hill (DC)
• B.P.R.D. The Devil You Know, Vol. 3: Ragna Rok – Mike Mignola, Scott Allie, Laurence Campbell et al. (Dark Horse)
• DCeased #1-6 – Tom Taylor, Trevor Hairsine, Stefano Gaudiano et al. (DC)
• DIE – Kieron Gillen & Stephanie Hans (Image)
• The Ozone Diary – Pentti Otsamo & Tero Mielonen (Luna Press)

Best Artist

• Ben Baldwin
• Vince Haig
• Jackie Morris
• David Rix

Best Film / Television Production

• Game of Thrones: The Long Night – David Benioff & DB Weiss (HBO / Sky Atlantic)
• Us – Jordan Peele (Monkeypaw Productions et al.)
• Watchmen: It’s Summer and We’re Running Out of Ice – Damon Lindelof (HBO / Sky Atlantic)
• The Witcher: Rare Species – Haily Hall (Netflix)

British Fantasy Awards 2019 Shortlist

I am thrilled to be both in the short story and Best Collection category alongside writers whose work I read and admire but I am MORE thrilled to see so many friends and people I know from British Fantasy Con in the shortlist.

The winners will be announced at the annual British Fantasy Awards Banquet and Ceremony, this year to be held on Sunday 20th October, at FantasyCon in the Golden Jubilee Convention Centre, Glasgow.

And WOW, I don’t envy the jury of the Best Horror Novel category!
Best Fantasy Novel (the Robert Holdstock Award)
Jurors: Sarah Carter, Shona Kinsella, Devin Martin, Pauline Morgan, Andrew White

• The Bitter Twins, by Jen Williams (Headline)
• Empire of Sand, by Tasha Suri (Orbit)
• Foundryside, by Robert Jackson Bennett (Jo Fletcher Books)
• The Green Man’s Heir, by Juliet E McKenna (Wizard’s Tower Press)
• The Loosening Skin, by Aliya Whiteley (Unsung Stories)
• Priest of Bones, by Peter McLean (Jo Fletcher Books)

Best Horror Novel (the August Derleth Award)
Jurors: Charlotte Bond, Emeline Morin, Gareth Spark, Mark West, Zoe Wible

• The Cabin at the End of the World, by Paul Tremblay (Titan Books)
• Little Eve, by Catriona Ward (W&N)
• The Way of the Worm, by Ramsey Campbell (PS Publishing)
• Wolf’s Hill, by Simon Bestwick (Snowbooks)

Best Newcomer (the Sydney J Bounds Award)
Jurors: Colleen Anderson, Rosie Claverton, Lee Fletcher, D Franklin, Peter Sutton

• Tomi Adeyemi, for The Children of Blood and Bone (Macmillan Children’s Books)
• Cameron Johnston, for The Traitor God (Angry Robot)
• RF Kuang, for The Poppy War (HarperVoyager)
• Tasha Suri, for Empire of Sand (Orbit)
• Marian Womack, for Lost Objects (Luna Press Publishing)
• Micah Yongo, for Lost Gods (Angry Robot)

Best Novella
Jurors: Ruth EJ Booth, Elloise Hopkins, Stewart Hotston, Steve Howarth, Laura Mauro

• Binti: The Night Masquerade, by Nnedi Okorafor (Tor.com)
• Breakwater, by Simon Bestwick (Tor Books)
• The Land of Somewhere Safe, by Hal Duncan (NewCon Press)
• The Last Temptation of Dr Valentine, by John Llewellyn Probert (Black Shuck Books)
• The Only Harmless Great Thing, by Brooke Bolander (Tor.com)
  The Tea Master and the Detective, by Aliette de Bodard (Subterranean Press)

Best Short Fiction
Jurors: Donna Bond, Amy Brennan, Andrew Hook, Richard Webb, Mairi White

• Down Where Sound Comes Blunt, by GV Anderson (F&SFMarch/April 2018)
• Her Blood the Apples, Her Bones the Trees, by Georgina Bruce (The Silent Garden: A Journal of Esoteric Fabulism)
• In the Gallery of Silent Screams, by Carole Johnstone & Chris Kelso (Black Static #65)
• A Son of the Sea, by Priya Sharma (All the Fabulous Beasts)
• Telling Stories, by Ruth EJ Booth (The Dark #43)
• Thumbsucker, by Robert Shearman (New Fears 2)

Best Anthology
Jurors: Roz Clarke, Ian Hunter, Susan Oke, Steve J Shaw, Joni Walker

• The Devil and the Deep: Horror Stories of the Sea, ed. Ellen Datlow (Night Shade Books)
• Humanagerie, ed. Sarah Doyle & Allen Ashley (Eibonvale Press)
• New Fears 2, ed. Mark Morris (Titan Books)
• This Dreaming Isle, ed. Dan Coxon (Unsung Stories)
• Year’s Best Weird Fiction, Vol. 5, ed. Robert Shearman & Michael Kelly (Undertow Publications)

Best Collection
Jurors: Ben Appleby-Dean, Amy Chevis-Bruce, Marc Gascoigne, Laura Newsholme, Chloë Yates

• All the Fabulous Beasts, by Priya Sharma (Undertow Publications)
• The Future is Blue, by Catherynne M Valente (Subterranean Press)
• How Long ‘til Black Future Month?, by NK Jemisin (Orbit)
• Lost Objects, by Marian Womack (Luna Press Publishing)
• Octoberland, by Thana Niveau (PS Publishing)
• Resonance & Revolt, by Rosanne Rabinowitz (Eibonvale Press)

Best Non-Fiction
Jurors: Laura Carroll, Megan Graieg, Katherine Inskip, Kev McVeigh, Graeme K Talboys

• The Evolution of African Fantasy and Science Fiction, ed. Francesca T Barbini (Luna Press Publishing)
• The Full Lid, by Alasdair Stuart (alasdairstuart.com/the-full-lid)
• Ginger Nuts of Horror (www.gingernutsofhorror.com)
• Les Vampires, by Tim Major (PS Publishing)
• Noises and Sparks, by Ruth EJ Booth (Shoreline of Infinity)

Best Independent Press
Jurors: Helen Armfield, Andrew Freudenberg, Daniel Godfrey, Elaine Hillson, Georgina Kamsika

• Fox Spirit Books
• Luna Press Publishing
• NewCon Press
• Unsung Stories

Best Magazine / Periodical
Jurors: Jenny Barber, Peter Blanchard, Theresa Derwin, James T Harding, Rym Kechacha

• Black Static
• Gingernuts of Horror
• Interzone
• Shoreline of Infinity
• Uncanny Magazine

Best Audio
Jurors: Alicia Fitton, Thomas Moules, Susie Pritchard-Casey, Abigail Shaw, Neil Williamson

• Bedtime Stories for the End of the World (endoftheworldpodcast.com)
• Blood on Satan’s Claw, by Mark Morris (Bafflegab)
• Breaking the Glass Slipper (www.breakingtheglassslipper.com)
• PodCastle (podcastle.org)
• PseudoPod (pseudopod.org)

Best Comic / Graphic Novel
Jurors: Kate Barton, Emily Hayes, Steven Poore, Alasdair Stuart, Kiwi Tokoeka

• 100 Demon Dialogues, by Lucy Bellwood (Toonhound Studios)
• B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth, Vol. 1, by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, Guy Davis, Tyler Crook & Dave Stewart (Dark Horse)
• Hellboy: The Complete Short Stories, Vol. 1, by Mike Mignola and others (Dark Horse)
• The Prisoner, by Robert S Malan & John Cockshaw (Luna Press Publishing)
• Saga #49-54, by Brian K Vaughan & Fiona Staples (Image Comics)
• Widdershins, Vol. 7, by Kate Ashwin

Best Artist
Jurors: Astra Crompton, Alexandra Gushurst-Moore, Kaia Lichtarska, Catherine Sullivan, Paul Yates

• Vince Haig
• David Rix
• Daniele Serra
• Sophie E Tallis

Best Film / Television Production
Jurors: Rebecca Davis, Pat Hawkes-Reed, Rachelle Hunt, Robert S Malan, Sammy Smith

• Annihilation, Alex Garland
• Avengers: Infinity War, Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely
• Black Panther, Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole
• The Haunting of Hill House, Mike Flanagan
• Inside No. 9, series 4, Steve Pemberton & Reece Shearsmith
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Phil Lord & Rodney Rothman

Fantasycon by the Sea

Thank you to everyone I talked to at Fantasycon. It’s been a fantastic weekend. I’ve really enjoyed catching up with all the lovely people I know and meeting new ones too.

Thanks again to everyone who voted for Fabulous Beasts, which won the 2016 British Fantasy Award for Short Fiction. To be included alongside writers whose work I have read and admire, some of whom are friends, is a real honour. Thanks to The British Fantasy Society and to the jurors.

Thanks, thanks and thanks again to Ellen Datlow, to Tor.com and to Jeffrey Alan Love for his gorgeous artwork.

I’ve been very fortunate to receive great kindness and encouragement from many quarters but in particular from Paula Guran, Andy Cox, Mike Kelly, Nina Allan, and Dev Agarwal.

Thank you to my mum, dad and brother, Ravi, for a house filled with stories in all their forms- Hardy, Hitchcock, Ganesha, Shiva, DC and Marvel. To Michelle Noble for a lifetime of long walks and gothic conversations.

And thank you to Mark Greenwood, my partner, for eveything.

I’ve had some lovely, lovely emails today. Thank you  xxx

Best Fantasy Novel (the Robert Holdstock Award): Uprooted, Naomi Novik (Macmillan)

Half a War, Joe Abercrombie (Harper Voyager)
Sorcerer to the Crown, Zen Cho (Macmillan)
Signal to Noise, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Solaris)
Guns of the Dawn, Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tor)
The Iron Ghost, Jen Williams (Headline)

Best Horror Novel (the August Derleth Award) : Rawblood, Catriona Ward (Weidenfeld & Nicholson)

Welcome to Night Vale, Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor (Orbit UK)
The Silence, Tim Lebbon (Titan)
A Cold Silence, Alison Littlewood (Jo Fletcher)
Lost Girl, Adam Nevill (Pan)
The Death House, Sarah Pinborough (Gollancz)
Rawblood, Catriona Ward (Weidenfeld & Nicholson)

Best Novella: The Pauper Prince and the Eucalyptus Jinn, Usman T. Malik (Tor.com)

Witches of Lytchford, Paul Cornell (Tor.com)
The Bureau of Them, Cate Gardner (Spectral)
Albion Fay, Mark Morris (Spectral)
Binti, Nnedi Okorafor (Tor.com)

Best Short Fiction :“Fabulous Beasts”, Priya Sharma (Tor.com 7/27/15 )

“When the Moon Man Knocks”, Cate Gardner (Black Static 10-11/15)
Strange Creation, Frances Kay (Tenebris Nyxies)
“The Blue Room”, V.H. Leslie (Skein and Bone)
“Dirt Land”, Ralph Robert Moore (Black Static 11-12/15)
“Hippocampus”, Adam Nevill (Terror Tales of the Ocean)

Best Collection Ghost Summer: Stories, Tananarive Due (Prime)

Probably Monsters, Ray Cluley (ChiZine)
The Stars Seem So Far Away, Margrét Helgadóttir (Fox Spirit)
Monsters, Paul Kane (The Alchemy Press)
Scar City, Joel Lane (Eibonvale)
Skein and Bone, V.H. Leslie (Undertow)

Best Anthology: The Doll Collection, Ellen Datlow, ed. (Tor)

African Monsters, Margrét Helgadóttir & Jo Thomas, eds. (Fox Spirit)
Best British Horror 2015, Johnny Mains, ed. (Salt)
The 2nd Spectral Book of Horror Stories, Mark Morris, ed. (Spectral)
Aickman’s Heirs, Simon Strantzas, ed. (Undertow)

Best Independent Press: Angry Robot (Marc Gascoigne)

The Alchemy Press (Peter Coleborn and Jan Edwards)
Fox Spirit (Adele Wearing)
Newcon (Ian Whates)

Best Non-Fiction :Letters to Tiptree, Alexandra Pierce & Alisa Krasnostein, ed. (Twelfth Planet)

Fantasy-Faction, Marc Aplin & Jennie Ivins, eds. (Fantasy-Faction)
The Art of Horror: An Illustrated History, Stephen Jones, ed. (Applause Theater & Cinema)
Ginger Nuts of Horror, Jim McLeod, ed. (gingernutsofhorror.com)
Matrilines, Kari Sperring (Strange Horizons)
King for a Year, Mark West, ed. (kingreviews2015.blogspot.com)

Best Magazine / Periodical: Beneath Ceasless Skies

Black Static
Holdfast Magazine
Interzone

Best Artist : Julie Dillon

Ben Baldwin
Vincent Chong
Evelinn Enoksen
Sarah Anne Langton
Jeffrey Alan Love

Best Comic / Graphic Novel :Bitch Planet (#2-5), Kelly Sue DeConnick, Valentine De Landro, Robert Wilson IV & Cris Peter (Image)

Red Sonja (#14-18), Gail Simone & Walter Geovani (Dynamite)
Nimona, Noelle Stevenson (HarperTeen)
Saga (#25-32), Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples (Image)
Ms. Marvel, Vol 2: Generation Why, G. Willow Wilson, Jacob Wyatt & Adrian Alphona (Marvel)

Best Film/Television Production: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Inside No. 9: The Trial of Elizabeth Gadge
Jessica Jones: “AKA WWJD?”
Mad Max: Fury Road
Midwinter of the Spirit
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Newcomer (the Sydney J. Bounds Award):Zen Cho for Sorcerer to the Crown (Macmillan)

Becky Chambers for The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (Hodder & Stoughton)
Peter Newman for The Vagrant (HarperVoyager)
Steven Poore for The Heir to the North (Kristell Ink)
Marc Turner for When the Heavens Fall (Titan)

Winners were chosen by jury, except for the special award (the Karl Edward Wagner Award) which is chosen by the BFS committee.

British Fantasy Society Awards 2016 Nominees

The British Fantasy Society have announced the nominees for their awards this year. I am absolutely thrilled to be in the short fiction category with “Fabulous Beasts” alongside some storming work by writers I admire.

You can read my story on Tor.com. All my thanks to Ellen Datlow for taking it.

Massive congratulations to  eveyone nominated.

The Guardian’s article on the awards.

Best anthology
African Monsters, ed. Margrét Helgadóttir and Jo Thomas (Fox Spirit Books)
Aickman’s Heirs, ed. Simon Strantzas (Undertow Publications)
Best British Horror 2015, ed. Johnny Mains (Salt Publishing)
The Doll Collection, ed. Ellen Datlow (Tor Books)
The 2nd Spectral Book of Horror Stories, ed. Mark Morris (Spectral Press)

Best artist
Ben Baldwin
Vincent Chong
Julie Dillon
Evelinn Enoksen
Sarah Anne Langton
Jeffrey Alan Love

Best collection
Ghost Summer: Stories, Tananarive Due (Prime Books)
Monsters, Paul Kane (The Alchemy Press)
Probably Monsters, Ray Cluley (ChiZine Publications)
Scar City, Joel Lane (Eibonvale Press)
Skein and Bone, V.H. Leslie (Undertow Publications)
The Stars Seem So Far Away, Margrét Helgadóttir (Fox Spirit Books)

Best comic/graphic novel
Bitch Planet, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Valentine De Landro, Robert Wilson IV and Cris Peter (Image Comics) (#2–5)
Ms. Marvel, Vol. 2: Generation Why, G. Willow Wilson, Jacob Wyatt and Adrian Alphona (Marvel)
Nimona, Noelle Stevenson (HarperTeen)
Red Sonja, Gail Simone and Walter Geovani (Dynamite Entertainment) (#14–18)
Saga, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image Comics) (#25–32)
The Sandman: Overture, Neil Gaiman, J.H. Williams III and Dave Stewart (Vertigo)

Best fantasy novel (the Robert Holdstock Award)
Guns of the Dawn, Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tor)
Half a War, Joe Abercrombie (HarperVoyager)
The Iron Ghost, Jen Williams (Headline)
Signal to Noise, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Solaris)
Sorcerer to the Crown, Zen Cho (Macmillan)
Uprooted, Naomi Novik (Macmillan)

Best film/television production
Inside No. 9: The Trial of Elizabeth Gadge, Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton (BBC Two)
Jessica Jones: AKA WWJD?, Scott Reynolds (Netflix)
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Peter Harness (BBC One)
Mad Max: Fury Road, George Miller, Brendan McCarthy and Nico Lathouris (Warner Bros. Pictures et al.)
Midwinter of the Spirit, Stephen Volk (ITV Studios)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, by Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt (Lucasfilm et al.)

Best horror novel (the August Derleth Award)
A Cold Silence, Alison Littlewood (Jo Fletcher Books)
The Death House, Sarah Pinborough (Gollancz)
Lost Girl, Adam Nevill (Pan Books)
Rawblood, Catriona Ward (Weidenfeld & Nicholson)
The Silence, Tim Lebbon (Titan Books)
Welcome to Night Vale, Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor (Orbit)

Best independent press
The Alchemy Press (Peter Coleborn and Jan Edwards)
Angry Robot (Marc Gascoigne)
Fox Spirit Books (Adele Wearing)
Newcon Press (Ian Whates)

Best magazine/periodical
Beneath Ceaseless Skies, ed. Scott H. Andrews (Firkin Press)
Black Static, ed. Andy Cox (TTA Press)
Holdfast Magazine, ed. Laurel Sills and Lucy Smee (Laurel Sills and Lucy Smee)
Interzone, ed. Andy Cox (TTA Press)
Strange Horizons, ed. Niall Harrison (Strange Horizons)

Best newcomer (the Sydney J. Bounds Award)
Becky Chambers, for The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (Hodder & Stoughton)
Zen Cho, for Sorcerer to the Crown (Macmillan)
Peter Newman, for The Vagrant (HarperVoyager)
Steven Poore, for The Heir to the North (Kristell Ink)
Marc Turner, for When the Heavens Fall (Titan Books)

Best non-fiction
The Art of Horror: An Illustrated History, ed. Stephen Jones (Applause Theatre & Cinema Books)
Fantasy-Faction, ed. Marc Aplin and Jennie Ivins (Fantasy-Faction)
Ginger Nuts of Horror, ed. Jim Mcleod (Jim McLeod)
King for a Year, ed. Mark West (Mark West)
Letters to Tiptree, ed. Alexandra Pierce and Alisa Krasnostein (Twelfth Planet Press)
Matrilines, Kari Sperring (Strange Horizons)

Best novella
Albion Fay, Mark Morris (Spectral Press)
Binti, Nnedi Okorafor (Tor.com)
The Bureau of Them, Cate Gardner (Spectral Press)
The Pauper Prince and the Eucalyptus Jinn, Usman T. Malik (Tor.com)
Witches of Lytchford, Paul Cornell (Tor.com)

Best short fiction
The Blue Room, V.H. Leslie (Skein and Bone)
Dirt Land, Ralph Robert Moore (Black Static #49)
Fabulous Beasts, Priya Sharma (Tor.com)
Hippocampus, Adam Nevill (Terror Tales of the Ocean)
Strange Creation, Frances Kay (Tenebris Nyxies)
When The Moon Man Knocks, Cate Gardner (Black Static #48)

British Fantasy Awards 2014

I’ve waxed lyrical about Carole Johnstone’s work before but I’m tremendously pleased that “Signs of the Times”, which appeared in Issue 33 of Black Static, won the British Fantasy Award 2014 short story category. It’s a fabulous, affecting story.

A massive congratulations to Carole and all the other winners who were announced on Sunday, 7 September 2014, at the awards banquet at FantasyCon 2014 in York:

Best fantasy novel (the Robert Holdstock Award): A Stranger in Olondria, Sofia Samatar (Small Beer Press)

Best horror novel (the August Derleth Award): The Shining Girls, Lauren Beukes (HarperCollins)

Best novella: Beauty, Sarah Pinborough (Gollancz)

Best short story: Signs of the Times, Carole Johnstone (Black Static #33)

Best anthology: End of the Road, Jonathan Oliver (ed.) (Solaris)

Best collection: Monsters in the Heart, Stephen Volk (Gray Friar Press)

Best small press: The Alchemy Press (Peter Coleborn)

Best comic/graphic novel: Demeter, Becky Cloonan

Best artist: Joey Hi-Fi

Best non-fiction: Speculative Fiction 2012, Justin Landon and Jared Shurin (eds) (Jurassic London)

Best magazine/periodical: Clarkesworld, Neil Clarke, Sean Wallace and Kate Baker (ed.) (Wyrm Publishing)

Best film/television episode: Game of Thrones: The Rains of Castamere, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (HBO)

Best newcomer (the Sydney J. Bounds Award): Ann Leckie, for Ancillary Justice (Orbit)

The British Fantasy Society Special Award (The Karl Edward Wagner Award): Farah Mendlesohn

Accolades for Ray Cluley and Interzone

The winners of the British Fantasy Awards 2013 have been announced. Ray Cluley won the short story category with Shark! Shark! which appeared in Black Static (issue 29). It couldn’t have happened to a better story or a nicer bloke, despite some very tough competition.

Interzone, Black Static’s sister magazine at TTA Press, edited by Andy Cox, won the best magazine/periodical category.

A big congratulations to both. I know it’s smug to say this but in a previous post I put my money where my mouth is and stated that Shark! Shark! was my favourite short story of the year. It cleverly deconstructs a whole film genre while managing to be funny and horrible at the same time, which is no mean feat.