C. Dean Andersson (March 20, 1946 - July 5, 2021) was an American writer of

fantasy fiction Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama. ...

and horror novels since 1981, both under his own name and under the pseudonym Asa Drake.

Biography

Best known as a writer of fiction in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. Other work: television graphic artist, professional musician in United States Air Force bands, robotics computer programmer, and a technical writer specializing in software documentation for mainframe relational database management systems. Born March 20, 1946, in the United States of America, state of Kansas, his childhood in Kansas served as a setting for the novel, Buried Screams, and for several scenes in the novel, Raw Pain Max. A childhood encounter with Dracula in a small Kansas movie theater led to a fascination with the character and vampires in general that inspired research and spawned two novels, ''Crimson Kisses'' and ''I Am Dracula.'' Having a Swedish-American father led to an interest in Scandinavian Mythology and Viking Age history, used for the Scandinavian Mythos ''Bloodsong Saga Warrior Witch of Hel'', ''Death Riders of Hel'', ''Werebeasts of Hel'', and ''Valkyries of Hel'' (in-progress). Familiarity with Dallas, Texas provided background for the ''Dallas Horror Trilogy'', ''Torture Tomb'', ''Raw Pain Max'', and ''Fiend.'' Childhood fear of Witches caused by Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' led to studies of historical Witchcraft persecutions, modern NeoPagan religions, and Goddess Spirituality that influenced thematic elements in many novels. C. Dean Andersson is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He has a BS in Astrophysics and a BA in art. He is a member of the

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, commonly known as SFWA ( or ) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. While ...

and was a

Bram Stoker Award The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented annually by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in dark fantasy and horror writing. History The Awards were established in 1987 and have been presented annually since 1 ...

nominee.

Prizes, honors, awards, tributes

For academic achievement, elected to

Sigma Pi Sigma Sigma Pi Sigma (), founded at Davidson College on December 11, 1921, is the oldest and only American honor society for physics and astronomy. It is an organization within the Society of Physics Students and the American Institute of Physics and ...

(Physics Honor Society),

Beta Gamma Sigma Beta Gamma Sigma () is the International Business Honor Society. Founded in 1913 at the University of Wisconsin, University of Illinois and the University of California, it has over 980,000 members, selected from more than 600 collegiate chapters ...

(Business Honor Society),

Phi Kappa Phi The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (or simply Phi Kappa Phi or ) is an honor society established in 1897 to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to area of study, and to promote the "unity and democracy of education ...

(National Honor Society). Horror Writers Association (HWA) Bram Stoker Award 2007 Short Fiction Finalist for "The Death Wagon Rolls on By," featuring a very close encounter with Hel, Norse Goddess of the Underworld. "One Rode to Asa Bay," a song and music video from the Swedish

Black Metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with t ...

band Bathory's album, Hammerheart, was dedicated to Dean Andersson by Quorthon, Bathory's founder, as a tribute to Andersson's Scandinavian Mythos Bloodsong Saga, originally written under the pen name of "Asa Drake."

Illness and death

Andersson died in his sleep July 5, 2021 at home in Richardson, Dallas TX after a long illness. He was 75.

Bibliography

Hel Trilogy aka Bloodsong Saga

As C. Dean Andersson: (definitive edition of whole trilogy, revised and expanded) *''Bloodsong! HEL X 3'' (2013) includes ''Warrior Witch of Hel, Death Riders of Hel, Werebeasts of Hel'' As C. Dean Andersson: (reprints of original trilogy) #''Warrior Witch'' (2000), Russian language edition (2002) #''Warrior Rebel'' (2000), Russian language edition (2002) #''Warrior Beast'' (2000), Russian language edition (2002) As Asa Drake: (original trilogy) #''Warrior Witch of Hel'' (1985) #''Death Riders of Hel'' (1986) #''Werebeasts of Hel'' (1986)

Single novels

As C. Dean Andersson: *''Torture Tomb'' (1987) *''Raw Pain Max'' (1988) *''Buried Screams'' (1992) *''I Am Dracula'' (1993) *''Fiend'' (1994) *''I am Frankenstein'' (1996) Note: 2 novels set in the Mortal Kombat universe were written but never released by the publisher (1996) As Asa Drake: *''Crimson Kisses'' (1981) *''The Lair of Ancient Dreams'' (1982)

Short stories

As C. Dean Andersson *"Night Watch" in SCARE CARE (1989) *"Horror Heaven" in DARK SEDUCTIONS (1993) *"Small Brown Bags of Blood" in DARK DESTINY (1995) *"My Greatest Fear" in SONS OF DARKNESS (1996) *"Troll Story" in THE SPLENDOUR FALLS (1996) *"The Blood of Othinn" in DARK DESTINY III: CHILDREN OF DRACULA (1996) *"The War Skull of Hel" in PAWN OF CHAOS: TALES OF THE ETERNAL CHAMPION (1996) *"Barbed Wire Machete" in PERSONAL DEMONS *"Dust Bowl" in THE BOOK OF ALL FLESH (2001) *"Hang Tuff," "Daddy's Dinner," and "Odin's Swallow" in SMALL BITES (2004) *"The Tomb of Fog and Flowers" in THE MANY FACES OF VAN HELSING (2004) *"Slim and Swede and the Damned Dead Horse" in CROSS PLAINS UNIVERSE (2006) *"The Death Wagon Rolls On By" in CEMETERY DANCE #57 (2007) *"Mama Strangelove's Remedies for Afterlife Disorders or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Mother Death" in THE BRUTARIAN #52 (2008) *"The Testament of Tuff" in WHAT SCARES THE BOOGEY MAN? horror anthology edited by John Manning (Perseid Publishing, 2013)

References and sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andersson, C. Dean 1946 births 2021 deaths 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers American male novelists Northern Arizona University alumni University of North Texas alumni People from Rice County, Kansas