This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (January 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Ed Gorman
Ed Gorman and Steven Philip Jones at MysteryCat Books
Ed Gorman and Steven Philip Jones at MysteryCat Books
BornEdward Joseph Gorman Jr.
(1941-11-02)November 2, 1941
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S.
DiedOctober 14, 2016(2016-10-14) (aged 74)
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S.
Pen nameDaniel Ransom, E.J. Gorman
OccupationWriter
Period1984–present
GenreMystery, horror fiction, western fiction, crime fiction
Notable awardsSpur Award, Best Short Fiction (1992)
Anthony Award, Best Critical Work, The Fine Art Of Murder (1994)
Life Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America
International Horror Writers Award

Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. (November 2, 1941 – October 14, 2016) was an American writer and short fiction anthologist. He published in almost every genre, but is best known for his work in the crime, mystery, western, and horror fields. His non-fiction work has been published in such publications as The New York Times and Redbook.

He contributed to many magazines and other publications, including Xero, Black Lizard, Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and the anthology Tales of Zorro.

Personal life

Gorman was born and grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he spent much of his adult life as well. He lived for extended periods in Des Moines, Iowa; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Chicago, Illinois. He was married twice, first to Catherine Anne Stevens for seven years. He next married Carol Gorman (née Maxwell), an award-winning children's and young adult author. They were married thirty-four years until his death in 2016.

Writing career

After twenty-three years in advertising, public relations, writing political speeches and producing industrial films, Gorman published his first novel Rough Cut (1984). Soon after he quit his day job and dedicated himself to writing full-time (thanks to his wife Carol's full-time teaching job).

Gorman considered himself a genre writer. In the 1970s Gorman won a short story contest sponsored by Charles Scribner & Sons. An editor there suggested he expand his winning story into a mainstream novel, but Gorman gave up after six months, saying, “I was bored out of my mind. I am a genre writer.”[1]

Gorman's novels and stories are often set in small Midwestern towns, such as the fictional Black River Falls, Iowa (the Sam McCain series), or Cedar Rapids, Iowa (The Night Remembers). For his Dev Conrad series, Gorman drew upon his years as a political operative.

Gorman was one of the founders of Mystery Scene magazine, and served as editor and publisher until 2002. His column, “Gormania,” continues to appear regularly in its pages.

In comics, he has written for DC, Dark Horse, and most recently Short, Scary Tales, which will be publishing adaptations of his novel Cage of Night (as Cage of Night) and the short story "Stalker" (as Gut-Shot).

Kirkus Reviews has called him "One of the most original crime writers around." The Bloomsbury Review noted: "He is the poet of dark suspense." The Oxford Book of American Crime Stories said: "His novels and stories provide fresh ideas, characters and approaches." Jon Breen at Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine once noted, "Ed Gorman has the same infallible readability as writers like Lawrence Block, Max Allan Collins, Donald E. Westlake, Ed McBain, and John D. MacDonald."

Though Gorman was long considered to be a "prolific" writer, his pace of production slowed markedly after he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002; it was incurable.

Awards

He won a Spur Award for Best Short Fiction for his short story "The Face" in 1992. His fiction collection Cages was nominated for the 1995 Bram Stoker Award for Best Fiction Collection. His collection The Dark Fantastic was nominated for the same award in 2001. Gorman won the 1994 Anthony Award for Best Critical Work for The Fine Art Of Murder. He was nominated for multiple Anthonys in short story categories.[2]

He is a winner of the Life Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and The International Horror Writers Award (previous winners include Stephen King and Richard Matheson). He was nominated for the Edgar Award.

Adaptations

His novel The Poker Club was adapted as a film in 2008 by director Tim McCann. His short stories “The Long Silence After” and “The Ugly File” were adapted as short films. In 2016, rights to his novel Cage of Night and short story “Stalker” were bought for adaptation as graphic novels, to be published by Short, Scary Tales.

Selected bibliography

Novels and short story

Short story collections

Series

Dev Conrad Series

  1. Sleeping Dogs (Thomas Dunne Books, 2008)
  2. Stranglehold (Minotaur Books, 2010)
  3. Blindside (Severn House, 2012)
  4. Flashpoint (Severn House, 2013)
  5. Elimination (Severn House, 2015)

Jack Dwyer Series

  1. Rough Cut (1985)
  2. New Improved Murder (1985)
  3. Murder Straight Up (1986)
  4. Murder in the Wings (1986)
  5. The Autumn Dead (1987)
  6. A Cry of Shadows (1990)
  7. What the Dead Men Say (1990)
  8. The Reason Why (1992)

Tobin Series

  1. Murder in the Aisle (1987)
  2. Several Deaths Later (1988)

Jack Walsh Series

  1. The Night Remembers (1991)

Robert Payne Series

  1. Blood Moon (UK title Blood Red Moon) (1994)
  2. Hawk Moon (1995)
  3. Harlot's Moon (1998)
  4. Voodoo Moon (2000)

Sam McCain Series

  1. The Day the Music Died (1999)
  2. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow (2000)
  3. Wake Up Little Susie (2001)
  4. Save the Last Dance for Me (2002)
  5. Everybody's Somebody's Fool (2004)
  6. Breaking Up Is Hard To Do (2004)
  7. Fools Rush In (2007)
  8. Ticket to Ride (2009)
  9. Bad Moon Rising (2011)
  10. Riders on the Storm (Pegasus Crime, 2014)

Dean Koontz Frankenstein series

From Dean Koontz's Frankenstein series (they are co-authored by Dean Koontz):

Pen name books

As E.J. Gorman

As Daniel Ransom

As Robert David Chase

Graphic novels

Anthologies

As editor and/or contributor

References

  1. ^ Gorman, Ed (2014). Scream Queen and Other Tales of Menace. Perfect Crime Books. p. 219. ISBN 9781935797548.
  2. ^ "Bouchercon World Mystery Convention : Anthony Award Nominees and Winners". www.bouchercon.info. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2016.

External links

Authority control databases
Categories