Becky Spratford

Readers will need to leave the lights on as they devour these tales of terror that are sure to delight.

M.M. Olivas calls herself a “Chicana-futurist” and has had work published in such outlets as Uncanny Magazine, Weird Horror Magazine, and Apex. Her debut novel, Sundown in San Ojuela, will be published in November by Lanternfish Press. She talks with LJ about her interest in the horror genre, its cinematic connections, and the role of folklore in her novel.

Bestselling author Rachel Harrison was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel for The Return. She is also the author of Black Sheep, Such Sharp Teeth, and Cackle. Her next novel, So Thirsty (Berkley), is forthcoming this September. She talks with LJ about vampires, centering women in stories, her appreciation for libraries and librarians, and the inspiration for her writing.

Vampires stake a renewed claim, women’s stories and translated novels expand the genre, and psychological horror challenges tropes.

Debut novelist Donyae Coles talks with LJ about horror’s emotional resonance, the roles of Black characters in the genre, and her other creative outlets.

Monika Kim is a second-generation Korean American living in Los Angeles’s Koreatown. She learned about eating fish eyes from her mother, who immigrated to LA from Seoul in 1985. The Eyes Are the Best Part is her first novel.

S.A. Barnes is the author of Dead Silence and the forthcoming Ghost Station. She works in a high school library by day, recommending reads, talking with students, and removing the occasional forgotten cheese stick used as a bookmark.

From intensely unsettling to heartbreakingly beautiful moments, the best horror novels of 2023 offer fresh spins on terrifying tropes.

Jenny Kiefer is a Kentuckian and an avid rock climber. Together with her mother, she is the owner and manager of Butcher Cabin Books, an all-horror bookstore. Her work has been featured in Pseudopod, Cosmic Horror Monthly, Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Howls from the Dark Ages. This Wretched Valley is her debut novel.