Unabashed Brag Post
- Em Starr
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Hey legends. I am so excited to share this news! It is an absolute career highlight for me, one that I didn't expect to achieve ever, let alone for a story I wrote in my second year of being published, BUT...
I just received an Honourable Mention in
Those in the know will know exactly what this means, but, for those who are not, here is the lowdown. Ellen Datlow is the undisputed queen of horror when it comes to curating literary works. Each year she creates a shortlist from the thousands of horror stories published in that year. No bullshit – every horror writer in the world wants to be on that list. Around half of the shortlisted stories move forward to be printed in her Best Horror of the Year anthology and the other half are honourably mentioned in the back of the book... and I'm in the back of the book! Just casually in the company of Stephen King, Ramsay Campbell, Kaaron Warren, Laird Barron, Gemma Amor, Clay McLeod Chapman, Stephen Graham Jones and so many other horror heavyweights. Thank you so much, Ellen!
For me, what makes this achievement even sweeter is the story behind the honourable mention. "Clown Heads" had about a 1% chance of being selected via the slush when the open call for Fear of Clowns was announced in 2024. Kangas Kahn Publishing and renowned editor Kenneth W Cain had already put together such an incredible line-up of award-winning authors, and I knew the competition to be published in an anthology with so many greats would be fierce. I only had a few publications under my belt at the time, so you can imagine how surprised and stoked I was when my story was accepted! You can imagine my surprise now, to have it noted by the best as one of the best amongst the best. It's just....the BEST! If you haven't grabbed a copy of Fear of Clowns yet, I'll post the link below. It's an incredibly diverse and creepy anthology, also noted in Best Horror Vol 17! Congrats to Kevin and Kenneth and all the contributing authors!
While you're at it, grab a copy of Ellen Datlow's Best Horror of The Year (Volume Seventeen)—or any volume, really. They are always brilliantly curated and Ellen writes a yearly summation in each one, including all the awards and notable releases. 🖤
Kindle version available here: https://a.co/d/3Hycuzs
Ellen will also release an extended list of recommendations (a longlist of sorts) on her website in the near future. If any of my other stories from 2024 make an appearance on there, I'll be sure to let you know.
Okay, enough bragging for now. I'll be back in a few days' time to share something else. Something new and festively festy.
Until then, be safe, read well.
Em
Wicked. Huge congrats!!!
This is fantastic and completely deserved! You’re an amazing writer and I’m sure this is only the beginning!