Rocky Wood
Encyclopedia
Rocky Wood is an award
-nominated writer
and researcher best-known for his books about horror
author
Stephen King
. He is the first non-American to hold the position of President of the Horror Writers Association
. Wood was born in Wellington
New Zealand
and lives in Melbourne
, Australia
with his family. He has been a freelance writer for 30 years. His writing career began at university, where he wrote a national newspaper column in New Zealand
on extra-terrestrial life and UFO-related phenomena and published other articles about the phenomenon worldwide, in the course of which research he met such figures as Erich von Daniken
and J. Allen Hynek
; and had articles on the security industry published in the US, Canada, the UK, New Zealand and South Africa. In October 2010, Wood was diagnosed with motor neurone disease
(Lou Gehrig's disease).
Reference works on Stephen King
In the Stephen King
and horror communities, Wood is regarded as a leading expert on Stephen King’s work. He is the co-author of The Complete Guide to the Works of Stephen King (Kanrock Partners, 2003, 2004); Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished (Cemetery Dance Publications
, 2006); The Stephen King Collector's Guide (Kanrock Partners, 2007); Stephen King: The Non-Fiction (Cemetery Dance Publications, 2009) and the author of Stephen King: A Literary Companion (McFarland, 2011). Wood has also written many articles on King that have appeared in such magazines as Cemetery Dance, Dark Discoveries, and Lighthouse.
In 2002, he traveled to Orono
, Maine and spent three weeks researching the Stephen King Archives at the Special Collections Unit of the Raymond H Fogler Library at the University of Maine
. Wood has undertaken five research trips to Maine in the course of his research on King's work.
His first King book was The Complete Guide to the Works of Stephen King, a 6000+ page encyclopedia on CD-ROM, which summarizes every story, every character, every place, and the entire timeline of King's work. In-depth information on all 270+ fiction works by Stephen King, 26,000 King characters, and 5,000 King places are included, along with adaptations of King’s work to the big and small screens. The Guide is even used by Stephen King's office for research.
In his research, Wood rediscovered previously unknown King stories, including two written in his high school years, of which even the author did not have a copy. King agreed to allow the inclusion of another two previously unpublished pieces, Sword in the Darkness
and Dino in Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished. That book covered nearly 100 King stories that had never been published or appeared only in obscure venues.
In 2005, he returned to Maine for a lengthy investigative trip into King’s non-fiction, discovering over 40 previously unknown pieces, again including lost material from King’s formative years, which he later provided to the author. King agreed to the inclusion of an obscure article, My Little Serrated Security Blanket in Wood's Stephen King: The Non-Fiction, which covers more than 600 individual items. Wood returned to Maine in 2007, 2008 and 2009 to continue his research. In 2008/9 he wrote the 'King of Horror' column for the Australian magazine, 'Black: Australian Dark Culture'.
(HWA), serving a two-year term from 1 November 2010 (having previously served a term from 2008-10 as a Trustee). Wood was also President of the Australian American Association (Victoria) in Australia from 2008–2010 and was elected a Life Member in September 2010; and is a member of the Australian Logistics Council.
He was nominated for the HWA’s Bram Stoker Award
for Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction for Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished (2006) and Stephen King: The Non-Fiction (2009). He is a member of the Australian Horror Writers Association
. He served as Guest Judge (Edited Publications) for the Australian Shadows Award
, 2010.
Wood's first mainstream fiction was the graphic novel, Horrors! Great Tales of Fear and Their Creators (McFarland, 2010), a re-imagining of events in 19th century horror, illustrated by Glenn Chadbourne
. Horrors! was nominated both for a Black Quill Non-Fiction Award and a for Best Illustrated Book or Graphic Novel in the 2010 Aurealis Awards.
Wood was keynote speaker at the 2003 Stephen King (SKEMER) Conference held in Estes Park, Colorado
at the site of the hotel that featured in The Shining
(2003). He spoke at Continuum 3 (2005), Continuum 4 (2006) and Continuum 5 (2009) in Melbourne, Australia; Conflux
in Canberra
, Australia (2006); at the Stephen King film festival (Dollar Baby Film Festival) held in King’s hometown of Bangor, Maine
in October 2005.; at the 68th World Science Fiction Convention in Melbourne (2010); at the World Horror Convention in Austin, Texas (2011) and the Horror Writers Association
's Bram Stoker Weekend on Long Island, New York (2011). He also addressed the Lisbon Historical Society in Lisbon Falls, Maine twice in July 2009 about inspirations from Stephen King's later childhood and teenage years in Durham, Maine and attending Lisbon High School
Bram Stoker Award
The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented by the Horror Writers Association for "superior achievement" in horror writing. The awards have been presented annually since 1987, and the winners are selected by ballot of the Active members of the HWA...
-nominated writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and researcher best-known for his books about horror
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...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
. He is the first non-American to hold the position of President of the Horror Writers Association
Horror Writers Association
The Horror Writers Association is a worldwide non-profit organization of professional writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting the interests of Horror and Dark Fantasy writers. It was formed in the 1980s with the help of many of the field's greats, including Joe Lansdale, Robert...
. Wood was born in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and lives in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with his family. He has been a freelance writer for 30 years. His writing career began at university, where he wrote a national newspaper column in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
on extra-terrestrial life and UFO-related phenomena and published other articles about the phenomenon worldwide, in the course of which research he met such figures as Erich von Daniken
Erich von Däniken
Erich Anton Paul von Däniken is a Swiss author best known for his controversial claims about extraterrestrial influences on early human culture, in books such as Chariots of the Gods?, published in 1968...
and J. Allen Hynek
J. Allen Hynek
Dr. Josef Allen Hynek was a United States astronomer, professor, and ufologist. He is perhaps best remembered for his UFO research. Hynek acted as scientific adviser to UFO studies undertaken by the U.S. Air Force under three consecutive names: Project Sign , Project Grudge , and Project Blue Book...
; and had articles on the security industry published in the US, Canada, the UK, New Zealand and South Africa. In October 2010, Wood was diagnosed with motor neurone disease
Motor neurone disease
The motor neurone diseases are a group of neurological disorders that selectively affect motor neurones, the cells that control voluntary muscle activity including speaking, walking, breathing, swallowing and general movement of the body. They are generally progressive in nature, and can cause...
(Lou Gehrig's disease).
Reference works on Stephen KingStephen KingStephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
In the Stephen KingStephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
and horror communities, Wood is regarded as a leading expert on Stephen King’s work. He is the co-author of The Complete Guide to the Works of Stephen King (Kanrock Partners, 2003, 2004); Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished (Cemetery Dance Publications
Cemetery Dance Publications
Cemetery 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...
, 2006); The Stephen King Collector's Guide (Kanrock Partners, 2007); Stephen King: The Non-Fiction (Cemetery Dance Publications, 2009) and the author of Stephen King: A Literary Companion (McFarland, 2011). Wood has also written many articles on King that have appeared in such magazines as Cemetery Dance, Dark Discoveries, and Lighthouse.
In 2002, he traveled to Orono
Orono
Orono is the name of three communities:Canada*Orono, Ontario, a town in the Municipality of ClaringtonUnited States*Orono, Maine, a town in Penobscot County, home to the University of Maine*Orono, Minnesota, a city in Hennepin County...
, Maine and spent three weeks researching the Stephen King Archives at the Special Collections Unit of the Raymond H Fogler Library at the University of Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
. Wood has undertaken five research trips to Maine in the course of his research on King's work.
His first King book was The Complete Guide to the Works of Stephen King, a 6000+ page encyclopedia on CD-ROM, which summarizes every story, every character, every place, and the entire timeline of King's work. In-depth information on all 270+ fiction works by Stephen King, 26,000 King characters, and 5,000 King places are included, along with adaptations of King’s work to the big and small screens. The Guide is even used by Stephen King's office for research.
In his research, Wood rediscovered previously unknown King stories, including two written in his high school years, of which even the author did not have a copy. King agreed to allow the inclusion of another two previously unpublished pieces, Sword in the Darkness
Sword in the Darkness
Sword in the Darkness is the title of an unpublished novel by American author Stephen King.Sword in the Darkness is the longest of King's unpublished works, at approximately 485 pages in length. Upon its completion in April 1970, it was rejected by twelve publishers...
and Dino in Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished. That book covered nearly 100 King stories that had never been published or appeared only in obscure venues.
In 2005, he returned to Maine for a lengthy investigative trip into King’s non-fiction, discovering over 40 previously unknown pieces, again including lost material from King’s formative years, which he later provided to the author. King agreed to the inclusion of an obscure article, My Little Serrated Security Blanket in Wood's Stephen King: The Non-Fiction, which covers more than 600 individual items. Wood returned to Maine in 2007, 2008 and 2009 to continue his research. In 2008/9 he wrote the 'King of Horror' column for the Australian magazine, 'Black: Australian Dark Culture'.
Affiliations and Award Nominations
Wood is an Active member and President of the Horror Writers AssociationHorror Writers Association
The Horror Writers Association is a worldwide non-profit organization of professional writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting the interests of Horror and Dark Fantasy writers. It was formed in the 1980s with the help of many of the field's greats, including Joe Lansdale, Robert...
(HWA), serving a two-year term from 1 November 2010 (having previously served a term from 2008-10 as a Trustee). Wood was also President of the Australian American Association (Victoria) in Australia from 2008–2010 and was elected a Life Member in September 2010; and is a member of the Australian Logistics Council.
He was nominated for the HWA’s Bram Stoker Award
Bram Stoker Award
The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented by the Horror Writers Association for "superior achievement" in horror writing. The awards have been presented annually since 1987, and the winners are selected by ballot of the Active members of the HWA...
for Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction for Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished (2006) and Stephen King: The Non-Fiction (2009). 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 served as Guest Judge (Edited Publications) for 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...
, 2010.
Wood's first mainstream fiction was the graphic novel, Horrors! Great Tales of Fear and Their Creators (McFarland, 2010), a re-imagining of events in 19th century horror, illustrated by Glenn Chadbourne
Glenn Chadbourne
Glenn Chadbourne is an American artist. He lives in Newcastle, Maine. He is best known for his work in the horror and fantasy genres, having created covers and illustrated books and magazines for publishers such as Cemetery Dance Publications, Subterranean Press, and Earthling Publications. Mr...
. Horrors! was nominated both for a Black Quill Non-Fiction Award and a for Best Illustrated Book or Graphic Novel in the 2010 Aurealis Awards.
Media Appearances and Conferences
Wood has made many media appearances on TV, radio, and in the press, and has spoken at conferences in the US, Canada, UK, Switzerland, Yugoslavia, Australia, and New Zealand.Wood was keynote speaker at the 2003 Stephen King (SKEMER) Conference held in Estes Park, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
at the site of the hotel that featured in The Shining
The Shining (film)
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. A writer, Jack Torrance, takes a job as an...
(2003). He spoke at Continuum 3 (2005), Continuum 4 (2006) and Continuum 5 (2009) in Melbourne, Australia; Conflux
Conflux Science Fiction Convention
The Conflux Science Fiction Convention is an annual science fiction convention held in Canberra, Australia since 2004. Conflux has built on the CSFcons , held in the early noughties.- Conflux 1, April 2004 :...
in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Australia (2006); at the Stephen King film festival (Dollar Baby Film Festival) held in King’s hometown of Bangor, Maine
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
in October 2005.; at the 68th World Science Fiction Convention in Melbourne (2010); at the World Horror Convention in Austin, Texas (2011) and the Horror Writers Association
Horror Writers Association
The Horror Writers Association is a worldwide non-profit organization of professional writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting the interests of Horror and Dark Fantasy writers. It was formed in the 1980s with the help of many of the field's greats, including Joe Lansdale, Robert...
's Bram Stoker Weekend on Long Island, New York (2011). He also addressed the Lisbon Historical Society in Lisbon Falls, Maine twice in July 2009 about inspirations from Stephen King's later childhood and teenage years in Durham, Maine and attending Lisbon High School
External links
- Rocky Wood HWA wiki
- Interview at ABC online news (Articulate)
- Interview on ABC TV's One Plus One. Wood discusses his battle with motor neurone disease and his research on Stephen King.