It’s Women in Horror Month, which can mean a lot of different professions and people: filmmakers, scholars, fans, makeup artists – and authors. There are so many brilliant women spinning terrifying yarns today, sprinting ahead on the path forged by Mary Shelley and Shirley Jackson. Here are thirteen contemporary authors who will scare the bejeezus out of you. Put them on your must-read list immediately.
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1. Lauren Beukes
Lauren Beukes is a South African genre novelist whose 2013 and 2014 books, The Shining Girls and Broken Monsters, both feature nature-defying serial killers pursued by tough, savvy women.
[amazon 9780316216869 inline]
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2. Tananarive Due
Due is a film scholar, professor, producer of this year’s history of black horror documentary Horror Noire, and author of dark, insightful, speculative fiction.
[amazon 9781607014539 inline]
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3. Mariana Enríquez
Enríquez is an Argentine novelist and short story writer whose work embraces the Gothic, the Lovecraftian, and the pitch-black fantastical — but there's a deep vein of compassion running through each of her stories.
[amazon B01G0GD0OU inline]
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4. Gemma Files
Gemma Files’ Hexslinger series takes place in a post-Civil War world populated by monsters, witches and ancient deities, a horror-fantasy universe like no other.
[amazon B0779G8L7N inline]
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5. Gillian Flynn
Flynn might be known as more of a thriller writer, but her ability to dive into the darkest depths of humanity will scare you more than any vampires or werewolves.
[amazon 0307341577 inline]
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6. Mira Grant
The subjects of Mira Grant (real name Seanan McGuire)’s novels span from zombies to killer mermaids, and all are equally terrifying and riveting. Team Killer Mermaid over here.
[amazon 0316379379 inline]
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7. Jac Jemc
Jac Jemc is a poet, essayist, and author of the absolutely harrowing haunted house novel The Grip of It, which will make you never, ever, ever want to purchase a new home.
[amazon 9780374536916 inline]
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8. Carmen Maria Machado
Carmen Maria Machado’s short stories are unearthly, meaningful, sexy and unshakably frightening. Her collection Her Body and Other Parties is being developed into a horror TV show by FX, so read it first!
[amazon 155597788X inline]
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9. Jennifer McMahon
McMahon’s books include ghost stories, suspense thrillers and the absolutely perfect winter horror, The Winter People. Read it before it warms up outside!
[amazon 1101973757 inline]
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10. Asa Nonami
Nonami is a Japanese crime writer whose short story collection, Body, is a combination of body horror and terrifying examination of our own perceptions of our physical forms.
[amazon 9781934287378 inline]
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11. Helen Oyeyemi
Oyeyemi — whom Carmen Maria Machado counts among her influences — writes elegant, Gothic fiction investigating family horror and the scariness of self.
[amazon 9781594633072 inline]
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12. Marisha Pessl
Pessl has written three novels and only one of them counts as horror, but Night Film is so deeply, lastingly scary that a list that doesn’t include her would feel incomplete.
[amazon B00HTJXDWM inline]
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13. Anne Rice
Folks, Anne Rice is still out there writing horror. She’s been delivering juicy, Gothic, erotic literature for FOUR DECADES. Respect the dark queen!
[amazon 0804173141 inline]
Who’d I miss? Lay it on me in the comments!
About the author
Meredith is a writer, editor and brewpub owner living in Houston, Texas. Her four most commonly used words are, "The book was better."
