Winner: What They Hear in the Dark by Gary McMahon
Runner Up: Angels of the Silences by Simon Bestwick
Gary McMahon says, “It’s always nice when an author’s work is honoured with an award, and I hope the new This Is Horror Awards go from strength to strength and become a recognised force in the field. Thanks to everyone who voted for ‘What They Hear in the Dark’.”
Simon Marshall-Jones (Spectral Press Owner) says, “You know, life has a funny way of turning out – 2010 was one of the most disastrous years for me personally, after having been bitterly disappointed at the failure of FracturedSpacesRecords, after critical acclaim from almost every quarter. So, as you can easily imagine, the thought of starting yet another creative venture was nothing short of frightening. But start Spectral Press I did, despite the reservations lurking at the back of my mind, and all I can say is – thank goodness I went ahead with it. In a complete reversal, 2011 was the most spectacularly successful year I’ve ever had – Spectral took off and veritably soared and now, to cap it off, the very first chapbook I published, Gary McMahon’s
‘What They Hear in the Dark’, has been voted Chapbook of the Year in the inaugural This Is Horror Awards 2011. Congratulations to Gary, and my sincere thanks to the writers,
readers, subscribers, reviewers and all those who voted for it, and my wife for giving me the confidence to go ahead and achieve what I set out to do.
However, this is just the beginning…”