Michael Knost (born March 19, 1967) is the pen name of Michael Earl Collins, an American suspense author, anthology editor, magazine feature

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

, and writing teacher/lecturer who lives in

Chapmanville, West Virginia Chapmanville is a town in Logan County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 1,025 at the 2020 census. Chapmanville is named for Ned Chapman, an early settler who operated a store and post office. It was incorporated in 1947. G ...

. He is a former Horror Writers Association's mentorship program chairperson, Knost also teaches writing workshops and online classes. Originally from

Logan Logan may refer to: Places * Mount Logan (disambiguation) Australia * Logan (Queensland electoral district), an electoral district in the Queensland Legislative Assembly * Logan, Victoria, small locality near St. Arnaud * Logan City, local gove ...

, West Virginia, Michael Knost now lives with his wife, Jewell and his daughter, Bella in Chapmanville, West Virginia.

Publication history

''Legends of the Mountain State'' (2007, Woodland Press), an anthology, written by storytellers across the nation, includes 13 accounts of ghostly manifestations and myths and mountain mythology, based on known legends from West Virginia. Themes included in this work are

Mothman In American folklore, Mothman is a humanoid creature that was reportedly seen around Point Pleasant, West Virginia, from November 15, 1966, to December 15, 1967. Despite its name, the original sightings of the creature described avian features ...

, the Ethel coalmine specter, the Chapmanville school haunting, the Ghost of #22, and many others. After the success of the first anthology, Knost went on to edit ''Legends of the Mountain State 2'', ''Legends of the Mountain State 3'', and ''Legends of the Mountain State 4'', (''Woodland Press'' 2008-2010) which received critical acclaim from ''Dark Scribe Magazine'' and ''Shroud Magazine''. ''Mothman Files'' (2011, Woodland Press), an anthology, discusses strange occurrences and alarming sightings in and around Point Pleasant, West Virginia—the mothman. ''Return of the Mothman'' (2014, Woodland Press), is the second installment of the "

" series in which Ted Browning returns to his rural town in West Virginia and is forced to face his inner demons. Michael Knost received a

Bram Stoker Award The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented annually by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in dark fantasy and horror writing. History The Awards were established in 1987 and have been presented annually since ...

nomination in the category, "Superior Achievement in First Novel" in 2014 for this anthology. ''Barbers and Beauties'' (Hummingbird House Press, co-edited with Nancy Eden Siegel,) an anthology, explores the dark possibilities of beauty told from the perspectives of four women and four men. Michael Knost and his co-editor received a Bram Stoker nomination for "Superior Achievement in Anthology" in 2013 for this flip book anthology. Michael Knost's most critically acclaimed book thus far is ''Writer's Workshop of Horror'' (2009, Woodland Press), a non-fiction anthology that includes writing advice from the experts in the field. Knost won the Bram Stoker Award for "Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction," in 2009 and won The Black Quill Award for "Editor's Choice of Best Dark Genre of Non-Fiction."

Other publications

* ''Appalachian Winter Hauntings'' (2009, Woodland Press, co-edited with Mark Justice), an

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

* ''Dark Tales of Terror'' (2010, Woodland Press), an anthology * ''Specters in Coal Dust'' (2010, Woodland Press), an anthology * ''Fed From the Blade'' (2012, Woodland Press), an anthology * ''Writers Workshop of Science Fiction & Fantasy'' (2013, Seventh Star Press), a

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

* ''Author's Guide to Marketing with Teeth'' (2015, Seventh Star Press), a non-fiction book

Awards and honors

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knost, Michael American male novelists 1967 births Novelists from West Virginia 21st-century American novelists Living people 21st-century American male writers People from Chapmanville, West Virginia People from Logan, West Virginia