Mort Castle
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Mort Castle (born 1946) is an American
horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Psychological horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Christmas horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Analog horror, a subgenre of horror fiction * ...
author with more than 500 short stories and 17 books to his credit, including ''Cursed Be the Child'' (
Leisure Books Leisure Books was a mass market paperback publisher specializing in horror and thrillers that operated from 1957 to 2010. In the company's early years, it also published fantasy, science fiction, Westerns, and the Wildlife Treasury card series ...
, 1994) and ''The Strangers''. Castle's first novel was published in 1967. Since then he has had pieces published in all sorts of places ranging from traditional literary magazines to more off-the-wall or risqué markets. He has been nominated eleven times for the
Bram Stoker Award for Short Fiction The 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 pr ...
and was winner three times. A dedicated writing teacher, Castle has been a working musician, a standup comic, a stage
hypnotist Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychological ...
, a high school English teacher (for 11 years), and a magazine and
comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
editor. He is currently writer-in-residence for two high schools, and teaching "Researching and Writing Historical Fiction" and "Story In Graphic Form" and other classes at
Columbia College Chicago Columbia College Chicago is a Private college, private art college in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1890, it has 6,493 students (as of fall 2021) pursuing degrees in more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. It i ...
. He is a frequent keynote speaker at writing conferences, and has given over 1000 presentations to writers, would-be writers, and teachers of writing. One of his latest books, ''Writing Horror'', for which he served as
editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...
, has become the "bible" for aspiring horror authors. It also includes interviews with some of horror's top stars, such as
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...
. Castle is also the
Executive Editor Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...
o
Thorby Comics
and currently fiction editor for '' Doorways Magazine''. Castle has been a regular contributor to Eureka Productions' ''
Graphic Classics ''Graphic Classics'' is a comic book anthology series published by Eureka Productions of Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. ''Graphic Classics'' features adaptations of literary classics by authors such as Arthur Conan Doyle, H. P. Lovecraft, and Edgar Allan ...
'' series since 2006, with work in ''Graphic Classics:
Jack London John Griffith London (; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors t ...
,'' (second edition), ''Graphic Classics:
Ambrose Bierce Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – ) was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and American Civil War veteran. His book '' The Devil's Dictionary'' was named one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by the ...
'' (second edition), ''Graphic Classics:
Bram Stoker Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912), better known by his pen name Bram Stoker, was an Irish novelist who wrote the 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. The book is widely considered a milestone in Vampire fiction, and one of t ...
'' (second edition), ''Graphic Classics:
Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...
'' (second edition), ''Graphic Classics:
O. Henry William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 – June 5, 1910), better known by his pen name O. Henry, was an American writer known primarily for his short stories, though he also wrote poetry and non-fiction. His works include "The Gift of the Ma ...
'', and ''Graphic Classics:
Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...
Classics''. In August 2013 it was announced that Castle will be scripting the
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comic book '' Darchon'', an ongoing feature of their '' Giant-Size Comics'' line of free print comic book titles set to debut on May 3, 2014, as part of
Free Comic Book Day Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) is an annual promotional effort by the North American comic book industry to attract new readers to independent comic book stores. It usually takes place on the first Saturday of May and has historically been cross ...
. '' Darchon'' will appear monthly in '' Giant-Size Thrills'', their horror-focused title. Mort Castle's short story, ''Oval Portrait'', was published in 3Elements Literary Review's fall issue no. 8, in October 2015.Mort Castle, ''Oval Portrait''
Review''.
Fall Journal, Issue No.8 (October 2015)


Awards

Castle has been nominated for various awards, including the
Pushcart Prize The Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize published by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are ...
, the
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 ...
(which he won three times), the ''DeMarco Prize'', and th
Emerson Fiction Award
''Leaders in the Arts for Chicago''.


Bibliography


Novels

* ''In Memoriam: Papa, Blake and HPL'' * ''The Deadly Election'' (1976) * ''The Strangers'' (1984) * ''Cursed Be the Child'' (1990)


Collections

* ''So Many Tomorrows: Three Stories About Children'' * ''Moon on the Water'' (2000) * ''Nations of the Living, Nations of the Dead'' (2002) * ''New Moon on the Water'' (announced by the now defunct Full Moon Press for 2010, currently being published by DarK Regions Press) * ''Knowing When to Die'' (2018)


Anthologies edited

* ''Nukes: Four Horror Writers on the Ultimate Horror : Stories'' (1986) * ''Shadow Show: All-New Stories in Celebration of Ray Bradbury'' with Sam Weller (2012) * "All American Horror of the 21st Century"


Short Fiction

* "Teachers" from the anthology ''Miskatonic University'' edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Robert Weinberg (1996)


Non-fiction

* ''Writing Horror: A Handbook by the Horror Writers Association'' (1997) * "Writer's Digest Annotated Classics: Dracula"


See also

*
List of horror fiction authors This is a navigational list of notable writers who have published significant work in the horror fiction genre, who also have stand-alone articles on Wikipedia. All items must have a reference to demonstrate that they have produced significant wor ...


References


External links

*
Bibliography
*


Interviews


One Woman's Writing Retreat: Interview






* Barrantes, Guillermo y Martín Valiente
"Reportaje a Mort Castle,"
''Boletín'' (Nov. 2003) panish {{DEFAULTSORT:Castle, Mort American horror writers American fantasy writers American comics writers 20th-century American novelists 1946 births Living people American male novelists 20th-century American male writers