Boone, NC, author Scott Nicholson has published novels, short stories, poetry, and non-fiction magazine articles, and has written five screenplays. As a newspaper reporter, he's won three North Carolina Press Association awards. He's had the usual collection of odd jobs: dishwasher, carpenter, painter, musician, baseball card dealer, and radio announcer. Now he haphazardly trades words for beans and uses "haphazardly" as often as possible.

Nicholson’s first novel “The Red Church,” inspired by legends surrounding a haunted Appalachian church near his home, was a Stoker Award finalist and an alternate selection of the Mystery Guild. “The Harvest” is an alien infection tale that’s an allegory for the development of the mountains. “The Manor” is set at a haunted artists’ retreat in the Appalachian Mountains and has been optioned for film development. “The Home” was inspired by the death of a child at a nearby group home for troubled children, informed by Nicholson's own forgettable childhood. "The Farm" is based on the little farm community where he moved in 2004 and became a serious organic gardener and libertarian. "They Hunger"--well, let's just say it contains three sex scenes, pseudo-vampires, and the phrase "You got a purty mouth."

Nicholson has published about 60 stories in six different countries, including the collection “Thank You For The Flowers.” Nicholson won the grand prize in the international Writers of the Future contest in 1999. That same year, he was first runner-up for the Darrell Award. He studied Creative Writing at Appalachian State University and UNC-Chapel Hill. He recently finished a term as Secretary for the southeastern chapter of the Mystery Writers of America and is vice-president of the Horror Writers Association and is a member of Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers..

Unfortunately, they never taught him to write: he had 105 rejections before his first story sale and over 400 before he sold a novel. He hasn't learned much from his mistakes but thinks he'll probably improve with practice. If nothing else, he's become a better liar.

Nicholson has published numerous articles on writing and his publishing experiences, and he operates a freelance editing business. His website www.hauntedcomputer.com features author interviews, articles, and fiction excerpts. Bad relationship advice. Humor. Gardening tips. Subliminal tricks to sell his books. That sort of thing.

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Awards:
Finalist, 1998 Writers of the Future
1999 Hubbard Gold Award
1999 First Runner-Up for Darrell Award
Honorable Mentions, 1999,2000, and 2002 Year's Best Fantasy & Horror
Locus Magazine new & notable list, 2002
Semifinals, 2002 Chesterfield Film Writers Competition
Finalist, Stoker Award for Best First Novel, 2003
Semifinals, 2003 Chesterfield Film Writers Competition
2006 Year's Best Fantasy & Horror

Favorite Writers: William Goldman, Ira Levin, John Steinbeck, Shirley Jackson, Dr. Seuss, H.G. Wells, Ray Bradbury, Mark Twain, Elmore Leonard, Richard Brautigan, Kurt Vonnegut, James M. Cain, Jim Thompson, Stephen King, James Lee Burke

Favorite Music: The Cure, Robyn Hitchcock, David Bowie, The Replacements, Paul Westerberg, XTC, Kate Bush, The Smiths, Elvis Costello, Hank Williams, Natalie Merchant, Beatles, Who, The Strokes, Clem Snide, The Smashing Pumpkins, Tegan And Sara, Pink Floyd

Favorite Movies: Il Buono, il Bruto, il Cattivo (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly); The Princess Bride; Shrek; Night of the Living Dead; The Shining; The Big Lebowski; Carnival of Souls (the original, of course); The Outlaw Josey Wales; Magic; Silence of the Lambs; Sling Blade; Invasion of the Body Snatchers; Unforgiven; The Shawshank Redemption; She's Having A Baby; Little Miss Sunshine; Cape Fear; A Simple Plan

Favorite Artists: Rene Magritte, Salvador Dali, Peter Brueghel, Francisco Goya, M.C. Escher, Heironymous Bosch, Albrecht Duhrer, Dr. Seuss

Decadent Delights: sushi, pickled okra, olives, artichoke hearts, brie, tomatilla salsa, cheesecake, sweet potato pie, butter-broiled garlic, squash casserole, frozen lime bars, iced coffee (gee, I must be preganant)

Drop me a line at hauntedcomputer AT yahoo.com to say hi or sign up for my free newsletter.

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