I take great pleasure in announcing something that I’ve been working on for quite some time now. As a way to continue giving back to the horror community and recognize talent, I am implementing the annual Home Grown Horror Awards. I know these don’t have the prestige of a Stoker Award, but I’m just hoping to give some recognition to the hard working and talented authors that I’ve had the pleasure of reading this year. Before I get into the awards, I’ll go over some details.
Eligibility
In order to be eligible for the Home Grown Horror Awards, a work simply must have been read and reviewed by Home Grown Horror during the applicable calendar year. That’s it. It can have been published at any point, so long as it crossed my desk this year. I do not take specific award consideration requests. Anything that I review will be officially in the running. There are no entrance fees or process at all. Works that I review will be considered whether a review was solicited by the author or publisher or not.
What are the categories?
This year, there are no categories. Simply a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winner. A work of any length can be considered. This year I have a novella, a single-author collection, and a short novel. In future years, I do hope to add categories such as Novel, Novella, Collection, etc. It will all depend on the reception of this year’s awards, and next year’s participation.
What do the winners get?
All three winners will be presented with a small plaque as a token of my respect and admiration, should they chose to accept it. In addition to this, winners will be given permission to use their respective Home Grown Horror Awards winner logo, and will be able to proudly call themselves winners. Hopefully I will be able to add more value to the winner package in future years.
The 2019 Home Grown Horror Award Winners
3rd Place- Sean McDonough’s The Class Reunion
Sean McDonough takes us back to school with his fourth novel, The Class Reunion. I powered through this book in practically one sitting. I could not put it down. It is everything I’ve come to know and love about McDonough’s writing. If you are looking for a character driven slasher blood-bath, you’ve come to the right place. Click here for the full review
2nd Place- Matthew V. Brockmeyer’s Under Rotting Sky
Under Rotting Sky: Stories is Matthew V. Brockmeyer’s debut collection of short, dark fiction. With an emphasis on dark. These stories are shockingly disturbing and brutal. I legitimately cannot recommend this book without giving that warning upfront. That being said, I absolutely loved this collection, and highly recommend it. Brockmeyer has no qualms whatsoever about crossing every line imaginable, and he does so with brutal bluntness. These stories make you feel. They hurt the soul and make you question the decency of the human race. If you aren’t afraid to be taken to some dark, bleak and terrifying places, this is the collection for you. Click here for the full review
1st Place- Mike Duke’s CRAWL
Reviewer’s Note: This was one of the first reviews I ever wrote, and as such it’s a bit on the short side. If I re-wrote it today, I’d have a lot more to say. Despite the short review, this one solidly earned 1st Place for 2019
I am not particularly afraid of caves, or insects, or anything of that nature. Or, at least, I wasn’t until I read Crawl. Never before has a written work produced such a visceral reaction for me. The things that Mike Duke puts these characters through are truly, skin-crawlingly horrific. Click here for the full review
I would like to thank everyone who has submitted work for review. You’ve made the first few months of running this website very successful and amazing. I haven’t yet come across a story that I didn’t enjoy. I appreciate everyone who has checked out my reviews, and hope that you keep coming back for more. This started as a small passion project for me. While it’s still very small, it has grown far beyond my initial expectations. With your continued support, I hope to keep expanding in 2020. My goal will always be to provide exposure and spotlight talented authors within the community. I will never charge for the reviews that I write or for any publicity I help provide. However, there are costs associated with running this site. If you would like to help support this passion project, please check out the Donations Page. Either way, I hope you enjoy what I do here. I sure do. You keep writing, I’ll keep reviewing.
Sincerely,
Will Blosser
Home Grown Horror 