Weston Ochse
Encyclopedia
Weston Ochse is an American author and educator. He has won the Bram Stoker Award
for Best First Novel and been nominated for the Pushcart Prize
for his short fiction.
where he graduated from Tyner High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Army after high school and became an intelligence officer. He was stationed in the Republic of Korea, Fort Jackson, Fort Gordon
, Fort Bragg
, Fort Carson, Fort Huachuca
, Presidio Monterey and Los Angeles Air Force Base. He retired from the U.S. Army in 2004 with an Honorable Discharge.
Weston began writing professionally in 1997. He won the Bram Stoker Award for his first novel, Scarecrow Gods, in 2005. His co-written collection of short stories titled Appalachian Galapagos, was nominated for the Pushcart Prize
for Short Fiction. in 2008, his novella Redemption Roadshow was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award for Best Long Fiction.
Weston's work has appeared in comic books (IDW Publishing
), professional writing guides, magazines, anthologies, as well as his own novels. He has been widely reviewed and has been hailed by his contemporaries as "one of the few new writers who will help redefine the field of dark literature for the future" (Edward Lee (writer)
).
In 2002, an independent film company attempted to create a feature film based on his short story "Catfish Gods" (appeared in Scary Rednecks and Other Inbred Horrors). The film reached primary shooting before it folded.
Weston holds a Bachelor of Arts in American Literature from Excelsior College
and a Master of Fine Arts
in Creative Writing from National University (California)
. He travels extensively to book signings and conventions where he has been Gross Out Contest bouncer, toastmaster and guest of honor. He is a frequent speaker at libraries and schools. He has been an adjunct faculty member for Cochise Community College and runs the online Guerrilla Fiction Writing Workshop.
He currently lives in Southern Arizona with his wife, and fellow author, Yvonne Navarro
.
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 Best First Novel and been nominated for the Pushcart Prize
Pushcart Prize
The Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are invited to nominate up to 6 works they have featured....
for his short fiction.
Biography
Weston Ochse was born in Gillette, Wyoming. By the time he was ten years old, he'd lived in ten states including South Dakota, Colorado, Nebraska, Ohio, New Jersey and Tennessee. He spent the greater part of his childhood in Chattanooga, TennesseeChattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
where he graduated from Tyner High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Army after high school and became an intelligence officer. He was stationed in the Republic of Korea, Fort Jackson, Fort Gordon
Fort Gordon
Fort Gordon, formerly known as Camp Gordon, is a United States Army installation established in 1917. It is the current home of the United States Army Signal Corps and Signal Center and was once the home of "The Provost Marshal General School" . The fort is located in Richmond, Jefferson, McDuffie,...
, Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg (North Carolina)
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
, Fort Carson, Fort Huachuca
Fort Huachuca
Fort Huachuca is a United States Army installation under the command of the United States Army Installation Management Command. It is located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about north of the border with Mexico. Beginning in 1913, for 20 years the fort was the base for the "Buffalo...
, Presidio Monterey and Los Angeles Air Force Base. He retired from the U.S. Army in 2004 with an Honorable Discharge.
Weston began writing professionally in 1997. He won the Bram Stoker Award for his first novel, Scarecrow Gods, in 2005. His co-written collection of short stories titled Appalachian Galapagos, was nominated for the Pushcart Prize
Pushcart Prize
The Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are invited to nominate up to 6 works they have featured....
for Short Fiction. in 2008, his novella Redemption Roadshow was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award for Best Long Fiction.
Weston's work has appeared in comic books (IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
), professional writing guides, magazines, anthologies, as well as his own novels. He has been widely reviewed and has been hailed by his contemporaries as "one of the few new writers who will help redefine the field of dark literature for the future" (Edward Lee (writer)
Edward Lee (writer)
Edward Lee is an American novelist specializing in the field of horror who has written 40 books, more than half of which have been published by mass-market New York paperback companies such as Leisure/Dorchester, Berkley, and Zebra/Kensington. He is a Bram Stoker award nominee for his story “Mr...
).
In 2002, an independent film company attempted to create a feature film based on his short story "Catfish Gods" (appeared in Scary Rednecks and Other Inbred Horrors). The film reached primary shooting before it folded.
Weston holds a Bachelor of Arts in American Literature from Excelsior College
Excelsior College
Excelsior College is a private, non-profit institution of higher education in Albany, New York. It is a constituent member of The University of the State of New York, and has its own charter and Board of Trustees. Excelsior College offers degrees at the undergraduate and graduate level...
and a Master of Fine Arts
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
in Creative Writing from National University (California)
National University (California)
National University , founded in 1971, is a comprehensive, nonsectarian, independent, accredited, non-profit private university headquartered in La Jolla, California, United States, with academic degree programs offered at campuses located throughout the state, one in Henderson, Nevada, and...
. He travels extensively to book signings and conventions where he has been Gross Out Contest bouncer, toastmaster and guest of honor. He is a frequent speaker at libraries and schools. He has been an adjunct faculty member for Cochise Community College and runs the online Guerrilla Fiction Writing Workshop.
He currently lives in Southern Arizona with his wife, and fellow author, Yvonne Navarro
Yvonne Navarro
Yvonne Navarro is an American author who has published over twenty books. Of those twenty, the titles AfterAge, deadrush, Final Impact, Red Shadows, DeadTimes, That's Not My Name and Mirror Me were solo novels, or fiction created solely by her...
.