By Chelsea Teichman

Adding another award to his extensive list, Joe Lansdale received the Grand Master award at the annual World Horror Convention. While he was there he also picked up his 7th Bram Stoker Horror award to add to his British Fantasy Award, American Mystery Award, Horror Critics Award, the Shot in the Dark international Crime Writer's award, the Book List Editors Award, and a Notable Book award from the New York Times.

Which would give him the most decorated mantel in Nacogdoches award, if there was one.

Lansdale has a variety of writing genres. From novels to comics and everything in between. "It's hard to sell yourself when you are more than one type, but what's the fun in that?" Lansdale said.

An accomplished horror writer, he also writes westerns, comic books, and crime mystery, but he is best known for his horror stories.

"Once you get the horror label, not that it's a bad label, people don't see anything else," Lansdale said.

Probably his most well known series, according to Wikipedia.com, is Hap Collins and Leonard Pine mysteries which include, Savage Season (1990), Mucho Mojo (1994), Two-Bear Mambo (1995), Bad Chili (1997),Rumble Tumble (1998),Veil's Visit (1999), Captains Outrageous (2001), and Blue to the Bone" due sometime within the next decade."

Lansdale has had many options to turn his writing in-to-films. The most famous one so far is Bubba Ho Tep, starring Bruce Campbell (well known for his performance in the Evil Dead movie trilogy) as the real Elvis. According to wikipedia.com, it is about Elvis, growing tired of the demands of his fame, he switches places with an impersonator named Sebastian Haff (also played by Campbell). It was Haff who eventually died on the toilet in 1977, while the real Elvis lived in quiet, happy anonymity and made a living pretending to be himself. After a propane explosion destroyed documentation, which was the only proof that he was actually Elvis Presley, he was rendered unable to return to his old lifestyle.

Later in the movie he suffers a hip injury during a impersonator performance causes him to get an infection and slip into a coma for twenty years. He finally wakes up and finds himself in an East Texas nursing home, and, as the movie opens, he is contemplating his age, frailty, and the loss of his dignity.

Lansdale, now teaching at Stephen F. Austin State University, couldn't remember a time where he didn't want to become a writer. Growing up in Gladewater, Texas, Lansdale lived with his mother and father who both encouraged him to do his best and to learn how to read and write.

Beginning at the age nine, Lansdale had the television to help stimulate his imagination and his writing. Seeing old films like Tarzan and reading comic books helped shape Lansdale?s writing style. Growing up in the '60s with the civil rights movements, and the evolving music scene, from Elvis to the Beetles, set a sense of social consciences in Lansdale's writing.

Lansdale was not always a full time writer. Married at age 21 to wife Karen, they began their careers as truck croppers, harvesting their crops and selling them, literally, from the back of their truck. At first it seemed as the perfect job to have, and that it would allow Lansdale plenty of writing time.

"Any one who has farmed knows it's hard work," Lansdale said. "Waking up at the crack of dawn to feed the animals, staying up late working in the fields, I didn't have time for anything but sleep."

His first published work was in the Farm Journal. Co-written with his mother, this letter article won him his first award. He said only three of his high school classes ever helped him with his writing, a typing class, a journalism class, and an English class.

Later Lansdale attended Tyler Junior College, and later went on to SFA. Working as a custodian at SFA, Lansdale sold another story and decided to quit school to further pursue his writing.

Writing is the "second most important thing in my life," Lansdale said. "Family comes first."

Wife Karen worked as a police and fire station dispatch for ten years before beginning to work for her husband as his editor. Writing runs in the family. His son Keith now writes for a local newspaper while going to school part-time, and daughter Kasey is a singer writing her own songs with her own "bluesy country" touch according to her father.

This laid back man with a sweet country accent, is not only a well talented writer, he is also recognized as a student of the martial arts for over 30 years. After being picked on in school at age 11 Lansdale, began learning some self defense moves from his father, a carnival wrestler, some self defense moves.

He was inducted into the International Martial Arts Hall of Fame, because he founded Shen Chuan. He holds belts in Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu, Combat Hapkido, American Combat Kempo, and Aikido, and others. Lansdale spends at least three hours a day at his martial arts studio, which he owns and teaches.

"What we do isn't sissy stuff," Lansdale said.