Vote for ME in the 2021 Rondo Awards!

https://rondoaward.com/rondoaward.com/blog/

After years of nagging… er… urging on my part, the RONDO AWARDS — the fan-voted awards for Classic Horror — have finally decided to include FICTION as an awards category, for the first time ever. (And, seriously, they did it not because of me, but because there were a lot of Dracula-type novels, etc. released in 2021.) Happily, I have a book that qualifies! TURNING THE TIED

Turning the Tied is an anthology by the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers. All profits for the book are being donated to the World Literacy Foundation. You can buy the book here, but that’s not what I’m hear to talk to you about. I’m hear to talk about the 2021 RONDO AWARDS!

https://rondoaward.com/rondoaward.com/blog/

The Rondos are voted on by FANS — that means anyone who cares about at least 1 item in 1 category can vote for it! That means YOU can vote for it.

TO VOTE: INCLUDE YOUR NAME AND SEND YOUR PICKS TO taraco@aol.com by April 17, 2022.

You do NOT have to vote in all categories! You can vote in just one — and I hope in that one you’ll vote for the very cool anthology book that my friends and I did, TURNING THE TIED. Here’s our book with its category number:

12) BEST CLASSIC HORROR FICTION (Fiction that uses horror icons as jumping off points)
— TURNING THE TIED, edited by Jean Rabe, Robert Greenberger (International Association Media Tie-in Writers, softcover, 453 pages, $19.99). Sherlock, Dracula, Frankenstein all figure in collection of stories by Max Allan Collins, Jonathan Maberry, Stephen D. Sullivan and others.

My story in the book is the Cushing Horrors tie-in “Blood of Dracula.”

Of course, you can vote in any or all of the other categories as well. (Just so you know, I am NOT voting in all of them.) I only vote what I know — and for my friends. And this year, I have a LOT of friends on the ballot.

And because I’m hoping that you might discover their work through this post AND (maybe) vote for them, too… Here’s a rundown of my “recommended votes” in a few categories. (Note that not all categories are included.) And maybe you’ll find some good stuff to check out beyond my recommendations. There is a LOT of good stuff on the Rondos Ballot every year!

Here are the friends I’m hoping you’ll help support. In some categories, I have more than one friend in the running — so I’ll have to make a choice (and so will you) on the final voting. Here goes…

VOTING RECOMMENDATIONS & CATEGORIES…

>> REMINDER: Send your choices to taraco@aol.com by Sunday night at midnight, April 17, 2022.<<

7) FAVORITE COMMENTATOR OF 2021
— Troy Guinn, Rod Barnett (Black Candles)

8) BEST INDEPENDENT FILM OF 2021
— THE PHANTOM LAKE KIDS IN THE BEAST WALKS AMONG US, directed by Christopher Mihm. Neighborhood kids fight a hideous creature. See trailer here

9) BEST SHORT FILM
— THE MOST HAUNTED HOUSE IN VENICE BEACH, directed by Ansel Faraj (17 mins). A haunting memory of L.A. Venice Beach. See film here

You’re voting for the one above… Right?! 😀

14) BEST ARTICLE (Please select two; one will win)

— ‘Child of Dark Shadows,’ by Kathryn Leigh Scott, FANGORIA #11. The disappearance and return of her soap opera co-star (David Henesy)

— ‘Reflections of Fear: The Making of The Gorgon,’ by Joshua Kennedy, LITTLE SHOPPE OF HORRORS #47.

— ‘Sam Katzman’s Cold War Creatures,’ by Stephen Bissette, SCREEM #39, An examination of the paranoia and memorable images in Katzman’s 1950s sci-fi thrillers.

(You can vote for two in the above category)

16) BEST COLUMN
— Asylum for the Psychotronic, by Ansel Faraj in WE BELONG DEAD

>> REMINDER: Send your choices to taraco@aol.com by Sunday night at midnight, April 17, 2022.<<

17) BEST MAGAZINE COVER

Screem #39
by Mark Maddox

18) BEST WEBSITE OF 2021
— Bloody Pit of Rod Musings on monsters and horror.
— Dr. Gangrene’s Mad Blog Deep dives into old horrors.

19) BEST PODCAST
— B-Movie Cast Long-running podcast still going strong.
— DieCast Movie Podcast Steven Turek and friends dissect films old and new..
— Monster Kid Radio Derek Koch and guests discuss classic horrors.
— Naschycast Troy Guinn, Rod Barnett discuss the films of Paul Naschy.
— Terror at Collinwood Horror host Penny Dreadful dissects the series.

20) BEST EVENTS OF 2021
— A DARK SHADOWS CHRISTMAS CAROL: Collinsport Theatre of the Airwaves streams a reading by original cast members, including Lara Parker, Kathryn Leigh Scott, David Selby.

21) FAVORITE HORROR HOSTS OF 2021
— Dr. Gangrene (Cinetarium)
— Penny Dreadful (Shilling Shockers)

22) Best Graphic Novels/Collections of 2021
— THOUGHTFUL CREATURES, by Steve Bissette. A 120-page sketchbook from the artist of Swamp Thing and others.

WRITE-IN CATEGORIES

23) WRITER OF THE YEAR (Whose work stood out in 2021?)
Stephen D. Sullivan
(Yeah, voting for myself. Bet I wrote more monster words in 2021 than anyone! 😉 )

24) BEST ARTIST OF 2021
Mark Maddox

SPECIAL CATEGORIES:

Your votes will help determine who receives these special awards:

26) MONSTER KID OF THE YEAR
Derek M. Koch

27) SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Derek M. Koch has been doing a whole-day of movies every Saturday and a whole night of films/serials on every Tuesday for 2 years — ever since the pandemic began. This has been an immense service to monster fans, and is why if he doesn’t get MKoftheYear, he should get some kind of recognition

28) THE MONSTER KID HALL OF FAME
Nominate up to 6.
Dan Curtis
Kyle Yount
Christopher R. Mihm
Joshua Kennedy

So… That’s it. That’s my recommendations for the 2021 Rondo Awards!