Michael Knost (born March 19, 1967) is the pen name of Michael Earl Collins, an American suspense author, anthology editor, magazine feature writer, and writing teacher/lecturer who lives in Chapmanville, West Virginia.[1]

He is a former Horror Writers Association's mentorship program chairperson, Knost also teaches writing workshops and online classes.[2]

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

Publication history

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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, 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[3] and Shroud Magazine.[4]

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[5] (2014, Woodland Press), is the second installment of the "Mothman" 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[6] nomination in the category, "Superior Achievement in First Novel" in 2014 for this anthology.

Barbers and Beauties[7] (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.[8]"

Other publications

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  • Appalachian Winter Hauntings (2009, Woodland Press, co-edited with Mark Justice), an anthology[9]
  • Dark Tales of Terror (2010, Woodland Press), an anthology[10]
  • Specters in Coal Dust (2010, Woodland Press), an anthology[11]
  • Fed From the Blade (2012, Woodland Press), an anthology[12]
  • Writers Workshop of Science Fiction & Fantasy[13] (2013, Seventh Star Press), a novel
  • Author's Guide to Marketing with Teeth (2015, Seventh Star Press), a non-fiction book

Awards and honors

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Year Recipient/Nominated Work Award Category Result
2009 Writers Workshop of Horror Bram Stoker Award Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction[1][14] Won
2010 Writers Workshop of horror[15] Black Quill Award Editor's Choice of Best Dark Genre of Non-Fiction[14] Won
2013 Barbers and Beauties Bram Stoker Award Superior Achievement in Anthology[16] Nominated
2014 Return of the Mothman Bram Stoker Award Superior Achievement in First Novel[17][18] Nominated
2015 Author's Guide to Marketing with Teeth Bram Stoker Award Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction[17] Nominated
2016 Mentorship Chairperson HWA Silver Hammer Award Work as organization's mentorship chairperson[17][19] Won
2017 WVW's Lifetime Achievement Award J.U.G. Award West Virginia Writer's Inc. Lifetime Achievement Won
2021 Writers Workshop of Horror 2 Bram Stoker Award Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction Won
2021 HWA Mentorship Mentor of the Year HWA Individual Mentorship Won

References

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  1. ^ a b Lynch, Bill (18 April 2010). "Logan County horror writer's success is scary". Charleston Gazette-Mail . ProQuest 458234768.
  2. ^ "Horror Writers Association Blog". Horror Writers Association. Retrieved 2016-05-17.
  3. ^ "Dark Scribe Magazine - Reviews - Legends of the Mountain State 2: More Ghostly Tales from the State of West Virginia / Edited by Michael Knost". www.darkscribemagazine.com. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
  4. ^ "Legends of the Mountain State 3 | Woodland Press". www.woodlandpress.com. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
  5. ^ "BOOK NOTES: 'Return of the Mothman' and Michael Knost Nominated for Bram Stoker Award". Huntington News. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  6. ^ "Bram Stoker Award-winner and 2015 Imaginator Michael Knost to Launch New Marketing Book at Imaginarium 2015!". Imaginarium Convention. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
  7. ^ Datlow, Ellen (2014-05-20). The Best Horror of the Year. Start Publishing LLC. ISBN 9781597805230.
  8. ^ "4th Annual Black Quill Awards". Hellnotes. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
  9. ^ "APPALACHIAN WINTER HAUNTINGS | Woodland Press". www.woodlandpress.com. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  10. ^ "DARK TALES OF TERROR | Woodland Press". www.woodlandpress.com. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  11. ^ "Specters In Coal Dust | Woodland Press". www.woodlandpress.com. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  12. ^ "FED FROM THE BLADE: Tale and Poems from the Mountains | Woodland Press". www.woodlandpress.com. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  13. ^ Knost, Michael. "✓ Writers Workshop of Science Fiction & Fantasy ☆ PDF Looking for a really good by É Michael Knost eBook or Kindle ePUB free". New Books Online Library 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-08-06. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  14. ^ a b "Horror Writers Association - Past Bram Stoker Award Nominees & Winners". www.horror.org. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  15. ^ Datlow, Ellen (2011-06-01). The Best Horror of the Year. Start Publishing LLC. ISBN 9781597803267.
  16. ^ "Dark Scribe Magazine - 3rd Annual - Winners". www.darkscribemagazine.com. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  17. ^ a b c "Horror Writers Association - Past Bram Stoker Award Nominees & Winners". www.horror.org. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  18. ^ "Winners of the Bram Stoker Award for Horror and Dark Fantasy - Omnivoracious - The Amazon Book Review". www.omnivoracious.com. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  19. ^ "EntSun News - HWA Names Recipient of the Silver Hammer Award - 10653161". entsun.com. Retrieved 2016-05-16.