2023 promises to be an exciting year for horror literature, with a fresh wave of talented authors ready to send shivers down your spine. In this article, we’ll introduce you to some of the rising stars in the world of horror fiction, authors whose storytelling prowess is sure to keep you up at night!
Author Mark L’Estrange - United Kingdom
Short Biography
I have dreamt about being an author of horror fiction for as long as I can remember. Few other genres ever captured my interest enough to keep me engrossed and I have always been inspired by those whom I consider to be the greats in this field, the likes of Richard Laymon, Guy N. Smith and James Herbert to name a few. I have a law degree from the University of Westminster, and was a semi-pro wrestler until my body screamed NO MORE! I now work in the legal section for the Ministry of Justice and live in Kent (the garden of England), with my six adorable rescue cats.
Featured Book
A portrait which hides the secret to a brutal murder. A secret military experiment which results in a terror beyond imagination. An invitation to a night of passion, too good to be true. These and many other tales of terror await you in Mark L'Estrange's Spine Chillers, ready to turn your blood to ice.
Author David Tocher - Canada
Short Biography
DAVID TOCHER (pronounced “talker”) is a resident of the Okanagan region of British Columbia, Canada. He is an editor, a fiction author, and an essayist. His 2019 anthology Canadian Dreadful received high praise from David Morrell, who described it as a “harrowing tour of the northern landscape that will leave you both dazzled and terrified.”
Featured Book
Brace yourself for Letters from a Dead World - six terrifying stories spawned from the macabre imagination of David Tocher. With a uniquely Canadian flavour, this collection will leave you breathless, grappling with the darkest fears that haunt us all.
Author Laura Diaz De Arce - United States
Short Biography
Raised in a suburb built over a swamp, Laura Diaz de Arce is a South Florida writer with a penchant for long-winded explanations and a nasty reading habit she can't seem to kick. Her other quirks include sudden exclamations in Spanish and talking to cats. Laura is a founder of Smoking Mirror Press and has a Master's in Literature, which is currently lost somewhere in her office closet.
Featured Book
In Absence is the fresh and frightening short story collection by Laura Diaz de Arce. Enjoy tales of shape-shifting nature beasts, an affectionate giant squid, an ancient Greek drama on the subway, a Sinatra-loving were-goat, take a trip to a museum in Hell, and more. What brings together this eclectic work that spans genres, tone, and voice is the exploration of the varying shades of grief.
Author Joseph Mulak - Canada
Short Biography
Joseph has been a horror fan since the age 12, when his mother bought him a copy of Stephen King's The Dead Zone, so we have her to blame. His first novel, written at the age of 13, was a direct ripoff of this book but he has since found his own voice. He says his greatest moment as a writer was giving his mother nightmares when she read the opening chapters of a novel he wrote at the age of 15.
Featured Book
After the members of the Celtic rock band 'The Awkward Pauses' arrive at the house of Charles Dempsey, a musician who committed suicide many years ago, strange things begin to happen…
Author Helen Susan Swift - United Kingdom
Short Biography
Born in Edinburgh and bred in the Scottish countryside, Helen Susan Swift currently lives in the north-east of the country. Happily married, she works two jobs as well as writing in a variety of genres. Her interests include folklore and history, as well as hill-walking, nature and football, following Aberdeen FC and Ayr United.
Featured Book
Iain Cosgrove is newly married to Jennifer Manson, daughter of a wealthy Scottish merchant. But Iain must soon leave for a research trip aboard the Lady Balgay, last of Dundee’s once-grand sealing fleet. Fueled by rum and the tales of John Pratt, the crew obsess over ancient superstitions; ones Iain casually dismisses as simple lore ... until they reach the frigid Artic seas.
Author D.A. Watson - United Kingdom
Short Biography
Having worked in the past as a nightwatchman, holiday rep, customer service advisor, chef, barman, door to door salesman, dishwasher, video editor, musician and publishing intern, D.A. Watson unleashed his debut novel, In the Devil's Name on an unsuspecting public in the summer of 2012, and to date is the author of four novels. His prize-winning short stories, poems and articles have appeared online and in print in several international collections, winning gongs and acclaim from Greenock to Dunedin, including nominations for a Pushcart Prize in the US and the UK People's Book Prize. Occasionally spotted in the wild, he has appeared and performed at the Edinburgh and Glasgow Horror Festivals, Tamfest, Cymera Book Festival, Paisley Book Festival, Book Week Scotland and the 2023 Granite Noir crime writing festival.
Featured Book
Featuring green-eyed monsters, flesh eating luchadores, malevolent squirrels and evil Christmas decorations, New Devilry is D.A. Watson’s second mixed bag of fiction in all its guises, a compendium of comedy and carnage where chills and chuckles collide.
Author Michael Botur - New Zealand
Short biography
Michael Botur, born 1984 in Christchurch, New Zealand, is the author of five acclaimed short story collections, four novels, ‘page and pub poetry’ collection Loudmouth and the children’s book 'My Animal Family.' He has won awards for short fiction in the US, Australia and New Zealand. Botur has published journalism in most major newspapers and magazines in New Zealand and is concentrating on screenwriting in 2022. He lives in Whangarei with his two kids. Daughter Violet Botur is an aspiring writer and published three books by the age of 8.
Featured book
In his most powerful collection yet, Botur challenges you to look at life through the lens of horror. Struggling to bond with a savage stepchild, losing your son to a gang of ghostly boys, doing desperate things to get famous, battling bullies, surviving school, chasing elite status in the medical world, and getting good with God. With a unique flavour of New Zealand, the stories in BLOODALCOHOL are bittersweet, horrifying, tender – and astonishingly original.
There you go: six of the new horror authors you should add to your to-read list in 2023. We hope you enjoy the work of our authors - and if you do, please leave a comment below, or a review in Goodreads or your favorite store. It would mean a lot to us!
Praesent id libero id metus varius consectetur ac eget diam. Nulla felis nunc, consequat laoreet lacus id.