Richard Chizmar
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Richard Thomas Chizmar (born 1965) is an American writer, the publisher and editor of Cemetery Dance magazine, and the owner of Cemetery Dance Publications. He also edits anthologies, produces films, writes screenplays, and teaches writing.
Writing
[edit]Richard Chizmar is a New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Amazon, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author.[citation needed]
He is the co-author (with Stephen King) of the novella, Gwendy's Button Box and the founder/publisher of Cemetery Dance magazine and the Cemetery Dance Publications book imprint. He has edited more than 35 anthologies and his short fiction has appeared in dozens of publications, including multiple editions of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and The Year’s 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories.[citation needed] He has won two World Fantasy awards, four International Horror Guild awards, and the HWA’s Board of Trustee’s award.[citation needed]
Chizmar (in collaboration with Johnathon Schaech) has also written screenplays and teleplays for United Artists, Sony Screen Gems, Lions Gate, Showtime, NBC, and many other companies. He has adapted the works of many bestselling authors including Stephen King, Peter Straub, and Bentley Little.[citation needed]
Chizmar is also the creator/writer of the online website, Stephen King Revisited. His fourth short story collection, The Long Way Home, was published in 2019. With Brian Freeman, Chizmar is co-editor of Dark Screams horror anthology series published by Random House imprint, Hydra.[citation needed]
His latest book, The Girl on the Porch, was released in hardcover by Subterranean Press, and Widow’s Point, a novella about a haunted lighthouse written with his son, Billy Chizmar, was recently adapted into a feature film.[citation needed]
Chizmar’s work has been translated into more than fifteen languages throughout the world, and he has appeared at numerous conferences as a writing instructor, guest speaker, panelist, and guest of honor.[citation needed]
Publishing
[edit]Chizmar is the founder of Cemetery Dance, a literary publisher that runs a magazine by the same name and a book imprint, Cemetery Dance Publications. He founded Cemetery Dance magazine in 1988 while attending the University of Maryland's College of Journalism. It features dark fantasy, horror fiction, and articles related to those subjects. Metro Silicon Valley called it "America's longest-running independent horror-themed magazine".[1][2]
The book imprint, Cemetery Dance Publications was first launched in 1992 and has produced more than 300 different autographed limited edition, lettered edition hardcover novels, novellas, and anthologies. It also publishes chapbooks, trade hardcovers, and a few paperbacks.[3]
Screenplays and Chesapeake films
[edit]Richard Chizmar co-founded Chesapeake Films with Johnathon Schaech, with whom he also co-writes screenplays. Their produced screenplays include 2006's Road House 2 (based on the story by Miles Chapman) and Showtime's Masters of Horror presentation of The Washingtonians (based on Bentley Little's story) from 2007. They also wrote the screenplay for an unproduced adaptation of From a Buick 8 based on Stephen King's novel.
Selected awards
[edit]| Work | Year & Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cemetery Dance | 1990 World Fantasy Special Award—Non-professional | Nominated | ||
| 1991 World Fantasy Special Award—Non-professional | Won | |||
| 1993 World Fantasy Special Award—Non-professional | Nominated | |||
| 1994 World Fantasy Special Award—Non-professional | Nominated | |||
| 1995 World Fantasy Special Award—Non-professional | Nominated | |||
| 1996 British Fantasy Award | Small Press | Nominated | [4] | |
| 1997 British Fantasy Award | Small Press | Nominated | [5] | |
| 1998 World Fantasy Special Award—Non-professional | Nominated | |||
| 1999 World Fantasy Special Award—Non-professional | Won | |||
| 2007 Black Quill Award | Dark Genre Short Fiction Magazine (Editors' Choice) | Won | [6] | |
| 2008 Black Quill Award | Dark Genre Short Fiction Magazine (Readers' Choice) | Won | [7] | |
| Midnight Promises | 1997 World Fantasy Award | Collection | Nominated | |
| Best of Cemetary Dance | 1998 Bram Stoker Award | Anthology | Nominated | |
| 1998 International Horror Guild Award | Anthology | Nominated | [8] | |
| Subterranean Gallery
(with William Schafer) |
1999 International Horror Guild Award | Anthology | Won | [9] |
| October Dreams: A Celebration of Halloween
(with Robert Morrish) |
2000 International Horror Guild Award | Anthology | Won | [10] |
| 2001 Locus Award | Anthology | Nominated | [11] | |
| Night Visions 10 | 2001 International Horror Guild Award | Anthology | Won | [12] |
| 2002 Locus Award | Anthology | Nominated | [13] | |
| Trick or Treat: A Collection of Halloween Novellas | 2001 Bram Stoker Award | Anthology | Nominated | |
| Shivers | 2002 Bram Stoker Award | Anthology | Nominated | |
| Shivers III | 2004 Bram Stoker Award | Anthology | Nominated | |
| Shivers V | 2009 Black Quill Awards | Dark Genre Anthology | Nominated | [14] |
| A Long December | 2016 Bram Stoker Award | Fiction Collection | Nominated | |
| Chasing the Boogeyman | 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards | Horror | Nominated | [15] |
| Gwendy's Final Task
(with Stephen King) |
2022 Goodreads Choice Awards | Horror | Nominated | [16] |
| 2023 Locus Award | Anthology | Nominated | [17] | |
| Becoming the Boogeyman | 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards | Horror | Nominated | [18] |
Books
[edit]Gwendy trilogy
[edit]- Gwendy's Button Box (with Stephen King) (2017)
- Gwendy's Magic Feather (2019)
- Gwendy's Final Task (with Stephen King) (2020)
Boogeyman series
[edit]- Chasing the Boogeyman (2021)
- Becoming the Boogeyman (2023)
Standalone novels
[edit]- Darkness Whispers (with Brian James Freeman) (2017)
- The Girl on the Porch (2019)
- Memorials (2024)
Short stories and novellas
[edit]- Dirty Coppers (with Ed Gorman) (1997)
- Devil's Night: A Halloween Short Story (2012)
- Brothers (2015)
- Widow's Point (2018)
- The Washingtonians (with Bentley Little and Johnathon Schaech (2018)
- The Man Behind the Mask (2024)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Kleffel, Rick (October 26, 2005). "Grave New World". Metro Silicon Valley. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
- ^ "Cemetery Dance Publications: History of Cemetery Dance". Cemetery Dance Publications. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
- ^ "Cemetery Dance Publications: History of Cemetery Dance". Cemetery Dance Publications. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
- ^ https://www.sfadb.com/British_Fantasy_Awards_1996
- ^ https://www.sfadb.com/British_Fantasy_Awards_1997
- ^ http://www.darkscribemagazine.com/1st-annual-winners/
- ^ http://www.darkscribemagazine.com/2nd-annual-winners/
- ^ https://horroraward.org/prevrec.html
- ^ https://horroraward.org/prevrec.html
- ^ https://horroraward.org/prevrec.html
- ^ https://www.sfadb.com/Locus_Awards_2001
- ^ https://horroraward.org/prevrec.html
- ^ https://www.sfadb.com/Locus_Awards_2002
- ^ http://www.darkscribemagazine.com/3rd-annual-bqa-nominees/
- ^ https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-horror-books-2021
- ^ https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-horror-books-2022
- ^ https://www.sfadb.com/Locus_Awards_2023
- ^ https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-horror-books-2023
