SFScope friend Andrew Porter writes:
Author Howard Hopkins, 50, died of a heart attack while walking home in the snow near his home in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, on January 12th.
According to one website: “Howard Hopkins is a Maine author of horror/western/comics fiction, as well as numerous published short stories, and an editor and writer for Moonstone Books. He has written licensed characters such as Sherlock Holmes and The Lone Ranger, and created The Veil for comic books.
“His novels include The Chloe Files supernatural/horror series, Night Demons, Grimm, The Dark Riders and his books have been Eppie nominated and Fictionwise bestsellers. He also writes a series for kids (8+) called The Nightmare Club (it’s fun for adults, too!) the first called The Headless Paperboy.
“He has also written 33 westerns in hardcover and trade paperback under the name Lance Howard (his middle and first names reversed), the most recent being The Killing Kind.
“On top of that he writes comic book scripts and is a big fan of the pulps, especially Doc Savage, The Avenger and The Shadow.
“Please visit his website… for… more info. (http://www.howardhopkins.com)”
The posting on the Funeral Home website states: “Howard Lance Hopkins, 50, of Old Orchard Beach, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, January 12, 2012, in Biddeford. He was born in Biddeford on December 12, 1961, son of Frank and Lynne Dion Hopkins. He was a graduate of Scarborough High School. Mr. Hopkins was a member of the United Methodist Church.
“Howard was an avid reader of superhero comic books, including Wonder Woman, Superman and The Hulk, to name a few. The superheroes of Howard’s youth, Doc Savage, The Avenger and The Shadow, influenced his decision to become a professional writer. For the past 24 years, Howard has written numerous books including Westerns for Hale Publications, graphic novels such as a Sherlock Holmes series and a widely known children’s series called The Nightmare Club. Most recently, he focused his energy on writing The Chloe Files, a character derived from his novel Grimm.
“He will be remembered as a devoted, loving and very supportive husband. He will be greatly missed not only by his loving and caring wife of 22 years, Dominique Morency Hopkins, but by many, especially his nephew Steap and niece Sam, who he loved, mentored and guided as his own. He is survived by his wife, Dominique of Old Orchard Beach; his parents—Lynne and Frank Hopkins; his sister—Robyn Hopkins; his in-laws—Madeleine and Victor Morency and Marianne and Michael Fleischmann; his goddaughter—Renee Whitehouse; and several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.”