Brian Keene to receive the 2014 World Horror Grand Master Award

From Brian Keene’s website:

“We’re lucky enough to work in a genre with a LOT of awards — the Bram Stoker award, Shirley Jackson award, British Fantasy award, Chainsaw award, the Rondos, and many others. In my mind, the two highest honors a horror author could ever hope to achieve are a Stoker LAA and the WHC Grand Master. When I was informed I’d been selected for the latter, I began laughing and crying at the same time. Then, there were a tense five minutes where I thought I was going to have a second heart attack. Once that passed, I shared the news with a small handful of people I love. Then, hours later, I convinced myself that this was all some practical joke. And though several weeks have passed, I’m still half-expecting Christopher Golden or Kelli Owen to jump out from behind a curtain and shout, “Ha! Got you again!”

The previous Grand Master Award winners are (in order) Robert Bloch, Stephen King, Richard Matheson, Anne Rice, Clive Barker, Dean Koontz, Peter Straub, Brian Lumley, Ramsey Campbell, Harlan Ellison, Ray Bradbury, Charles L. Grant, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Jack Williamson, F. Paul Wilson, Ray Garton, Joe R. Lansdale, Robert McCammon, Tanith Lee, James Herbert, Jack Ketchum, T. E. D. Klein, and Dan Simmons. The impact every one of those writers had on me cannot be stressed enough. I was a fan of this genre long before I ever began making my living from it, and every one of those previous winners inspired or entertained me at some point in my life. That I am lucky enough to call several of them friend or mentor has always been a blessing and a dream, even after all these years. That I am somehow now considered worthy enough to accept this honor alongside them is, quite simply, astounding.”

We couldn’t be prouder of Keene here at Deadite Press. He has been an intensely creative, influential, and supportive voice in the horror genre and no one is more deserving of the award!

Click here to see all books from Brian Keene and Deadite Press.