Tom Monteleone
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Thomas Francis Monteleone (born April 14, 1946) is an American
science fiction author This is a list of noted science-fiction authors (in alphabetical order): A *Dafydd ab Hugh (born 1960) *Alexander Abasheli (1884–1954) *Edwin Abbott Abbott (1838–1926) *Kōbō Abe (1924–1993) * Robert Abernathy (1924–1990) *Dan Abn ...
and horror fiction author."Monteleone, Thomas F(rancis)", by
Don D'Ammassa Donald Eugene D'Ammassa (born April 24, 1946) is an American fantasy, science fiction and horror critic and author.David Pringle David Pringle (born 1 March 1950) is a Scottish science fiction editor and critic. Pringle served as the editor of ''Foundation'', an academic journal, from 1980 to 1986, during which time he became one of the prime movers of the collective whic ...
, ''St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost & Gothic Writers''. London : St. James Press, 1998, , pp. 414–415.


Early life

Born at in
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, Maryland, Monteleone was raised in
Sudbrook Park Sudbrook Park is a historic neighborhood near Pikesville, Maryland located just northwest of the Baltimore City limits in Baltimore County. The community dates to 1889 when it was designed by American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, ...
, in the same state.Mass appeal: Tom Monteleone hopes (and prays?) his latest novel will attract many readers
.Linell Smith, ''
The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'', July 20, 1992. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
Monteleone attended a
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
high school,"Beelezbub Shrugged"
Shawn Macomber. ''
American Spectator ''The American Spectator'' is a conservative American magazine covering news and politics, edited by R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr. and published by the non-profit American Spectator Foundation. It was founded in 1967 by Tyrrell, who remains its editor- ...
'' Magazine, November 7, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
Loyola Blakefield Loyola Blakefield is a private Catholic, college preparatory school run by the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus in Towson, Maryland and within the Archdiocese of Baltimore. It was established in 1852 by the Jesuits as an all-boys school f ...
, one year ahead of
Tom Clancy Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military science, military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of ...
. Monteleone studied at the
University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Mary ...
, where he received degrees in English and Psychology. From 1969 to 1978 Monteleone worked as a psychotherapist in the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center in
Jessup, Maryland Jessup ( ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Howard and Anne Arundel counties, about southwest of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 10,535. Geography Jessup is located at (3 ...
, while studying English at the graduate level.


Career

Monteleone has been a professional writer since 1972. Monteleone's first story appeared in ''
Amazing Stories ''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearances i ...
'' magazine in 1972.Thomas F. Monteleone : Just Wanting to Write
. Interview by Paula Guran, ''darkecho.com'', February 1997. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
His first novel, ''Seeds of Change'' was the lead-off title in the critically unsuccessful ''
Laser Books Laser Books was a line of 58 paperback science fiction (SF) novels published from 1975 to 1977 by Canadian romance powerhouse Harlequin Books. Laser published three titles per month, available by subscription as well as in stores. The books were li ...
'' line of science fiction titles. He became a popular writer of
supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
thrillers Thriller is a genre of fiction, having numerous, often overlapping subgenres. Thrillers are characterized and defined by the moods they elicit, giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety. Suc ...
. He has published more than 100 short stories in numerous magazines and anthologies. His best-selling novel, ''Blood of the Lamb'' was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. His column of opinion and entertainment, "The Mothers And Fathers Italian Association," currently appears in '' Cemetery Dance'' magazine. He is the editor of nine anthologies, including the highly acclaimed, Stoker Award-winning ''Borderlands'' series edited with his wife, Elizabeth. His stories have been nominated for many awards, and have appeared in many best-of-the-year compilations. Monteleone's five collections of selected short fiction are ''Dark Stars and Other Illuminations'' (1981), ''Rough Beasts and Other Mutations'' (2003),''The Little Brown Book of Bizarre Stories'' (2004), ''Fearful Symmetries'' (2004), and "Dark Arts" (2014). His novels, ''The Resurrectionist'' and ''Night of Broken Souls'', global thrillers from Warner Books, received rave reviews and have been optioned for films. ''The Reckoning'' (2000), a sequel to ''The Blood of the Lamb'', and ''The Eyes of the Virgin'' (2002) have been published by Forge. His omnibus volume of essays about the book and film industries entitled ''The Mothers And Fathers Italian Association'' was recently published by Borderlands Press (www.borderlandspress.com) and won the Bram Stoker Award for Non-Fiction. He is also the author of the bestseller, ''The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing a Novel'' (2004), and is currently at work on his latest novel, an historical thriller. His books and stories have been translated into fourteen foreign languages. Monteleone has also written for the stage and television, having scripts produced for
American Playhouse ''American Playhouse'' is an American anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Overview It premiered on January 12, 1982, with ''The Shady Hill Kidnapping'', written and narrated by John Cheever an ...
(which won him the Bronze Award at the International TV and Film Festival of
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
and the
Gabriel Award The Gabriel Awards are a Catholic honor awarded each year for excellence in broadcasting. They were started by the Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals in 1965, and are currently administered by the Catholic Media Association. ...
),
George A. Romero George Andrew Romero (; February 4, 1940 – July 16, 2017) was an American-Canadian filmmaker, writer, editor and actor. His ''Night of the Living Dead'' series of films about an imagined zombie apocalypse began with the 1968 film of the ...
’s ''
Tales from the Darkside ''Tales from the Darkside'' is an American anthology horror TV series created by George A. Romero. Debuting in October 1983 with a pilot episode and then being picked up for syndication in September 1984, the show ran for 4 seasons through July ...
'', and a series on Fox TV entitled ''
Night Visions ''Night Visions'' is the debut studio album by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons. It was released on September 4, 2012, through Kidinakorner and Interscope Records. The album was primarily produced by the band themselves, as well as Englis ...
''. He has written many feature-length screenplays, none of which have been produced.


Awards

Montelone is a five-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award: * His novel ''The Blood of the Lamb'' won the 1992 BSA for Best Novel in 1993.Past Bram Stoker Nominees & Winners
Horror Writers Association. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
* ''Borderlands 5'', a horror anthology which Monteleone edited with Elizabeth Monteleone, won Best Anthology in 2003. * In the same year, Monteleone's essay collection, ''The Mothers And Fathers Italian Association'' won BSA for Best Nonfiction. * His 2004 collection, ''Fearful Symmetries'' gained the 2004 Award for Best Collection. * ''Borderlands 6'', a horror anthology which Monteleone edited with his daughter Olivia Monteleone, won Best Anthology in 2016. In 2017, The Horror Writers Association honored him with their Lifetime Achievement Award. His membership and Lifetime Achievement Award benefits were revoked on January 31, 2023 by The Horror Writers Association for his not following the organization's anti-harassment policies. The violations included his decision to go on racist tirades and transphobic rants. Per HWA rules, 80% of the officers voted for his expulsion from the organization.


Politics

In a 1992 interview, Monteleone stated he was "registered as
Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...
". More recently, Monteleone has described himself as a
libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...
."Thomas F. Monteleone – Libertarian".
Advocates for Self-Government. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
Discussing the issue of
drug prohibition The prohibition of drugs through sumptuary legislation or religious law is a common means of attempting to prevent the recreational use of certain intoxicating substances. While some drugs are illegal to possess, many governments regulate the ...
, Montelone has stated that "Now just because I'm not into the drug scene doesn't mean I'm any less of a good Libertarian. I think all drugs should be legalized". Monteleone argues that the
War on Drugs The war on drugs is a Globalization, global campaign, led by the United States federal government, of prohibition of drugs, drug prohibition, military aid, and military intervention, with the aim of reducing the illegal drug trade in the Unite ...
cannot be won, that criminalization creates a "phantom economy" dominated by violent criminals, and that drug prohibition is a violation of
individual liberty Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties may ...
. Monteleone is an admirer of
Ayn Rand Alice O'Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum;, . Most sources transliterate her given name as either ''Alisa'' or ''Alissa''. , 1905 – March 6, 1982), better known by her pen name Ayn Rand (), was a Russian-born American writer and p ...
, and has described her book ''
Atlas Shrugged ''Atlas Shrugged'' is a 1957 novel by Ayn Rand. It was her longest novel, the fourth and final one published during her lifetime, and the one she considered her '' magnum opus'' in the realm of fiction writing. ''Atlas Shrugged'' includes eleme ...
'' as a "personal barometer". Monteleone has also criticized the
Clinton Administration Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following a decisive election victory over Re ...
for bringing an
antitrust Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust l ...
suit against the Microsoft corporation.


Personal life

Monteleone's wife, Elizabeth, co-manages Borderlands Press with Monteleone. Monteleone has a son and a daughter. In 1967, while a student at the University of Maryland, Monteleone was involved in a UFO hoax, claiming that aliens had taken him to the planet "Lanulos." This story seemed to confirm the experiences of alleged contactee Woodrow Derenberger and was investigated by journalist John Keel. Keel discusses the incident in several books (see chapter 14 of ''The Mothman Prophecies'') and seems to have taken it seriously at the time, though Monteleone later confirmed it was a prank. He came to regret the publicity and harassment that the hoax generated.


Works


Novels

''Dragonstar'' series (with
David Bischoff David F. Bischoff (December 15, 1951 – March 19, 2018) was an American science fiction and television writer. General background Born in Washington D.C., Bischoff wrote science fiction books, short stories, and scripts for television. He beg ...
): # ''Day of the Dragonstar'', Berkley, 1983, # ''Night of the Dragonstar'', Berkley, 1985, # ''Dragonstar Destiny'', Ace Books, 1989, Standalone: * ''Seeds of Change'', Laser Books, 1975, * ''The Time Connection'', Laser Books, 1976, * ''The Time-Swept City'', Popular Library, 1977, * ''The Secret Sea'', Popular Library, 1979, * ''Guardian'', Doubleday, 1980, ** Paperback reprint: Fawcett Popular Library, 1981, * ''Night Things'' (1980) * ''Ozymandias'' (1981) * ''Night Train'' (1984) * ''Lyrica: A Novel of Horror and Desire'' (1986) * ''Fantasma'' (1987) * ''The Magnificent Gallery'' (1987) * ''The Crooked House'' (1987) (with
John DeChancie John DeChancie (born August 3, 1946) is an American author. A Pittsburgh native, he is most famous for his comic fantasy ''Castle'' series, and his science fiction ''Skyway'' series. He is currently engaged in writing screenplays, teleplays, an ...
) * ''The Blood of the Lamb'' (1992) –
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 ...
(1992) * ''The Resurrectionist'' (1995) * ''Between Floors'' (1997) * ''Night of Broken Souls'' (1997) * ''The Reckoning'' (1999) * ''Eyes of the Virgin'' (2002) * ''Serpentine'' (2007) * ''Submerged'' (2015)


Fiction collections

* ''Monster Tales: Vampires, Werewolves & Things'' (1973) * ''Dark Stars and Other Illuminations'' (1981) * ''Rough Beasts and Other Mutations'' (2003) * ''Fearful Symmetries'' (
Cemetery Dance Publications Cemetery Dance Publications is an American 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, whic ...
, 2004) (Bram Stoker Award 2004) * ''A Little Brown Book of Bizarre Stories" (2009) * ''Dark Arts'' (2014)


Non-fiction

* ''The Arts and Beyond: Visions of Man's Aesthetic Future'' (1977) * ''The Mothers and Fathers Italian Association'' (2003) (Bram Stoker Award 2003) * ''The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing a Novel'' (2004) * ''The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing a Novel, 2nd Edition'' (2010)


Books edited

''Borderlands'' series: * ''Borderlands'' (1988) * ''Borderlands 2'' (1991) * ''Borderlands 3'' (1993) * ''Borderlands 4'' (1994) (with Elizabeth Monteleone) * ''
Borderlands 5 ''Borderlands 5'' is an anthology edited by Thomas F. Monteleone and Elizabeth Monteleone that was published in 2004 by Borderlands Press. Including a new story by Stephen King, the anthology featured over a dozen new horror stories. It was als ...
'' (with Elizabeth Monteleone), Borderlands Press, 2004 ** Reprinted as ''From the Borderlands'', Warner Books, 2004. (Bram Stoker Award 2003) * ''Borderlands 6'' (with Olivia Monteleone), Borderlands Press, 2016 (Bram Stoker Award 2017) Other books: * ''Random Access Messages of the Computer Age'' (1984) * ''Microworlds'' (1985)


References


External links

*
Bibliography at Fantastic Fiction
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monteleone, Thomas F. 1946 births Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American horror writers American male novelists American science fiction writers American male short story writers Writers from Baltimore 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American short story writers American libertarians 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from Maryland Writers of books about writing fiction Loyola Blakefield alumni