The holiday season seems like an excellent time to give a shout out to the writers I know and admire. Most people have heard of Stephen King, Anne Rice, J.K. Rowling and Neil Gaiman, but there are also many successful, less famous authors out there who are worthy of attention.
And why not buy their books to read and give away to others as gifts? (Oh, and taking the time to write an online review somewhere is another present any author would undoubtedly appreciate.)
Here is a list of writers (in no particular order) I highly recommend for those who love speculative/genre fiction:
Joe Lansdale (Horror/Mystery/Humor)
Tom Piccirilli (Horror/Noir/Fantasy)
Brian Keene (Horror/Comics/Fantasy)
Wrath James White (Extreme Horror/Poetry)
Maurice Broaddus (Horror/Fantasy/Middle Grade)
Ray Garton (Horror/Suspense)
Ronald Malfi (Horror/Thriller/Literary)
Nicole Cushing (Extreme/Cosmic Horror)
Michele Lee (Horror/Paranormal Romance)
Vanessa Fewings (Romance/Erotica)
Tim Waggoner (Horror/Fantasy/Thriller)
Amy Grech (Horror/Mystery)
Nicholas Kaufmann (Horror)
John Hornor Jacobs (Horror/Fantasy)
Laird Barron (Horror/Noir/Dark Fantasy)
Christopher Golden (Horror/Fantasy/Suspense/YA)
Willie Meikle (Horror/Supernatural)
Jeremy C. Shipp (Horror/Fantasy/Sci-Fi)
Joe McKinney (Horror)
Jonathan Mayberry (Horror)
Nancy Holder (Horror/Fantasy)
Jeff Strand (Horror/YA/Humor)
Fran Friel (Horror/Fantasy)
Weston Ochse (Horror/Sci-Fi)
Yvonne Navarro (Horror/Sci-Fi/Fantasy)
Scott Nicholson (Horror/Fantasy/Mystery)
Mary SanGiovanni (Horror)
Sarah Pinborough (Horror/Fantasy/Thriller)
Gemma Files (Horror/Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Poetry)
Alethea Kontis (Fantasy/YA/Children)
Lucy A. Snyder (Horror/Fantasy/Poetry)
Gary Braunbeck (Horror/Fantasy/Mystery)
Douglas Clegg (Horror/Fantasy/Suspense)
Cullen Bunn (Comics/Fantasy/Horror)
Lincoln Crisler (Horror/Sci-Fi/Comics)
Gina Ranalli (Bizarro/Horror)
Chuck Wendig (Sci-Fi/Fantasy)
Bryan Smith (Horror/Crime)
Kealan Patrick Burke (Horror)
Neil Davies (Horror/Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Mystery)
Nancy Kilpatrick (Horror/Erotic Horror/Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Mystery)
Chesya Burke (Horror/Dark Fantasy)
Amber Fallon (Horror)
Steve Rasnic Tem (Fantasy/Horror)
Jeff Vandermeer (Horror/Weird Fiction)
Joe Hill (Horror/Fantasy)
Paul Tremblay (Horror)
Bracken McCleod (Horror)
Bentley Little (Horror)
Ramsey Campbell (Horror)
Simon Clark (Horror)
Graham Masterton (Horror/Extreme Horror/Mystery/Crime)
Greg F. Gifune (Horror)
Gregory Lamberson (Horror)
John Scalzi (Sci-Fi)
Jim C. Hines (Fantasy)
Chet Williamson (Horror/Sci-Fi/Fantasy)
F. Paul Wilson (Horror/Sci-Fi)
Lee Thomas (Horror)
Ed Kurtz (Horror/Crime)
Armand Rosamilia (Horror)
Garry Charles (Screenwriter of Horror & Fantasy)
Pamela Turner (Horror/Fantasy)
Michael West (Horror/Fantasy)
Bob Freeman (Horror/Fantasy)
John Everson (Horror/Erotic Horror/Dark Fantasy)
John Urbancik (Horror)
Edward Lee (Horror/Extreme Horror)
Richard Laymon (Horror/Splatterpunk/Suspense)
J.F. Gonzalez (Horror/Extreme Horror)
Jack Ketchum (Horror/Extreme Horror/Crime)
John Skipp (Splatterpunk/Horror/Fantasy)
Simon Wood (Thriller/Mystery/Horror)
Carlton Mellick III (Bizarro/Horror/Fantasy)
Deborah LeBlanc (Horror)
K.H. Koehler (Horror/Sci-Fi)
Tracy Devore (Horror/Gothic Romance/Non-Fiction)
Erin Hart (Mystery/Crime)
Brian R. Hill (Fantasy/Thriller)
Tim Lebbon (Horror/Dark Fantasy)
I’m sure I’m forgetting someone…but this is a good start. Happy Hanukkah, Happy Yule, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa….
