Brett McBean
Encyclopedia
Brett McBean is best known as an award winning Australian horror
and speculative fiction
writer. He was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, and he is a member of the Australian Horror Writers Association
. He has a Bachelor of Music
degree from the Box Hill College of Music
McBean's novel
The Mother was nominated as the "Best Novel" for the 2007 Ditmar Award
s (where he was also nominates as "Best New Talent"), a Ned Kelly Award for "Best Novel" of 2007, a 2007 Aurealis Award
for "Best Novel," and it received a 2006 honorable mention by the Australian Shadows Award
s. His short story "The New Religion" won third place at the June/July contest at The Red Light District.
He has contributed to the webzine HorrorScope
, and his short story "The Beautiful Place" appeared in the Delirium Books
' collection The Rising: Necrophobia (short story
chapbook also featuring stories by Brian Keene
, Michael Oliveri
, and John Urbancik)
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
and speculative fiction
Speculative fiction
Speculative fiction is an umbrella term encompassing the more fantastical fiction genres, specifically science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history in literature as well as...
writer. He was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, and he is a member of the Australian Horror Writers Association
Australian Horror Writers Association
The Australian Horror Writers Association is a non-profit organisation that commenced in 2003 with the goal of providing a unified voice and sense of community for Australian writers of dark fiction and to further the development of dark fiction in Australia.-History:The AHWA built to some extent...
. He has a Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree; the majority of work consists of prescribed music courses and study in applied music, usually requiring a...
degree from the Box Hill College of Music
Box Hill, Victoria
Box Hill is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 14 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whitehorse. At the 2006 Census, Box Hill had a population of 8,616....
McBean's novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
The Mother was nominated as the "Best Novel" for the 2007 Ditmar Award
Ditmar Award
The Ditmar Award has been awarded annually since 1969 at the Australian National Science Fiction Convention to recognise achievement in Australian science fiction and science fiction fandom...
s (where he was also nominates as "Best New Talent"), a Ned Kelly Award for "Best Novel" of 2007, a 2007 Aurealis Award
Aurealis Award
Aurealis Award for Excellence in Speculative Fiction is an annual literary award for Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction. Only Australians are eligible for the award.-History:...
for "Best Novel," and it received a 2006 honorable mention by the Australian Shadows Award
Australian Shadows Award
The Australian Shadows Award is an annual literary award established by the Australian Horror Writers Association in 2005 to honour the best published work of horror fiction written or edited by an Australian...
s. His short story "The New Religion" won third place at the June/July contest at The Red Light District.
He has contributed to the webzine HorrorScope
HorrorScope (webzine)
HorrorScope: The Australian Dark Fiction Web Log is a news and review webzine dedicated to horror literature and movies. The zine was created by Australian independent publisher Brimstone Press in August 2005...
, and his short story "The Beautiful Place" appeared in the Delirium Books
Delirium Books
Delirium Books, launched in the Summer of 1999 by Shane Ryan Staley, is currently recognized as one of the premiere horror publishers in the collector's market, producing low print run limited editions intended for both collectors and readers alike...
' collection The Rising: Necrophobia (short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
chapbook also featuring stories by Brian Keene
Brian Keene
Brian Keene is an American author, primarily of horror, crime fiction, and comic books. He has won two Bram Stoker Awards.- Background :Keene was born in 1967. He grew up in both Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and many of his books take place in these locales. After graduating high school, he...
, Michael Oliveri
Michael Oliveri
Michael Oliveri is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Deadliest of the Species. His work has appeared in several anthologies and magazines including A Walk on the Darkside, New Dark Voices, The Best of Horrorfind, and the upcoming In Laymon’s Terms. He is one of the collaborators on the...
, and John Urbancik)
Novels
- The Mother (2006, Lothian Books)
- The Last Motel (2003/2005, Biting Dog Press)
- The hardcover limited edition of The Last Motel also contains the short story "The Cycle"
Short stories
- Tales of Sin and Madness (2008, Thunderstorm Books) - Short story collection
- "The Beautiful Place"
- "Amanda's Gift"
- "Stolen Lives" (previously unpublished)
- "The New Religion"
- "Genius of a Sick Mind"
- "Hearing the Ocean in a Seashell" (previously unpublished)
- "A Question of Belief"
- "The Coffin"
- "The Song Remains The Same"
- "Temptation of the Righteous Path" (previously unpublished)
- "The Garbage Man"
- "Who Wants to be a Survivor"
- "A Light for Rose"
- "The Cycle"
- "The Project" (previously unpublished)
- "The New Religion" - Third place winner, June/July contest at The Red Light District
- "Unborn Lives," (flash fictionFlash fictionFlash fiction is a style of fictional literature or fiction of extreme brevity. There is no widely accepted definition of the length of the category...
on the online magazineOnline magazineAn online magazine shares some features with a blog and also with online newspapers, but can usually be distinguished by its approach to editorial control...
Eureka StreetEureka StreetEureka Street is an Australian magazine concerned with public affairs, arts, and theology started in 1989 by Michael Kelly SJ, Morag Fraser, and Adrian Lyons SJ. It was published in paper format for 15 years and was an opinion-forming magazine for many of those years...
) - "The Garbage Man," (from the anthology In Delirium II)
- "Amanda's Gift" (from Dark DiscoveriesDark DiscoveriesDark Discoveries is an internationally distributed, quarterly slick magazine published by Dark Discoveries Publications. It focuses primarily on the horror, dark fantasy and science fiction genres...
magazine #2) - "A Light For Rose" (from Post Mortem magazine #1)
- "The Genius Of A Sick Mind" (on Horrorfind.com and to be published in the forthcoming Cemetery Dance PublicationsCemetery Dance PublicationsCemetery Dance Publications is a specialty press publisher of horror and dark suspense. Cemetery Dance was founded by Richard Chizmar, a horror author, while he was in college. It is associated with Cemetery Dance magazine, which was founded in 1988. They began to publish books in 1992.Cemetery...
anthology, In Laymon's Terms) - "Who Wants To Be A Survivor" (on Horrorfind.com)
- "The Song Remains the Same" (from the anthology, The Asylum Volume 3: The Quiet Ward)
Articles
- "On Research, Dead Trees and Horror in Australia," for the Australian Horror Writers AssociationAustralian Horror Writers AssociationThe Australian Horror Writers Association is a non-profit organisation that commenced in 2003 with the goal of providing a unified voice and sense of community for Australian writers of dark fiction and to further the development of dark fiction in Australia.-History:The AHWA built to some extent...
on 13 October 2006