6 Popular Modern Day Horror Book Authors

Stephen Graham Jones began his journey as an author in 2000 with his first horror novel, The Fast Red Road. To date, he has published more than 30 novels, two comics, and roughly eight scary short stories.

He rose in popularity and became a New York Times bestselling author following the release of The Only Good Indians in 2020, which is currently his most popular book on Goodreads.

Several of Stephen's titles have been awarded the Bram Stoker Award (x4), the Shirley Jackson Award (x3), the Alex Award, the Locus Award, the British Fantasy Award, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

Stephen's most recent work was published in March 2025, titled The Buffalo Hunter Hunter and described as a horror fiction and historical fantasy novel. This book was featured in the OwlCrate May 2025 ‘Let There Be Blood’ Quarterly Horror box. 

Christina Henry made her publishing debut in 2010 with Black Wings. She published her most famous horror novel, Alice, in 2015, a retelling of Alice in Wonderland, which was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Favorite Horror that same year.

Since 2010, she has published more than 19 books and three short stories/anthologies. 

Her most recent work, The Place Where They Buried Your Heart, was published in November 2025 and is equal parts horror and mystery.

Tamika became a published author in 2017 with her contribution to Typhon: A Monster Anthology Volume 2.

As an emerging voice in the horror genre, she has since published 1 short story collection, 1 novella, and 3 other multi-genre works.

Her most recent and popular release, Unshod, Cackling, and Naked, was awarded the Next Generation Indie Book Award for Horror in 2024.

Tamika will publish her first full-length novel, titled The Curse of Hester Gardens, in March 2026.

Ursula Vernon released her first children's novel, Digger, in 2024 under her real name, before entering the horror genre in 2013 with the Nine Goblins novella under the T. Kingfisher pseudonym.

Since 2004, she has published roughly 48 stories under both pen names across multiple genres and age ranges, and has become a well-known horror author.

Many of her books have achieved great popularity, earning her several awards, including the Hugo Award in different years.

As T. Kingfisher, she is known for writing cosmic and folk horror, and her most popular book is Nettle & Bone, a horror fantasy published in 2022.

In September 2025, she completed her Sworn Soldier series with book three, What Stalks the Deep. The first two books in this series are What Moves the Dead and What Feasts at Night.

Eric LaRocca became a published author in 2020 with their first horror novella, Starving Ghosts in Every Thread, and has since published roughly 28 works.

In 2023, Esquire named LaRocca one of the "writers shaping horror's next golden age". To date, his most popular title is Things Have Gotten A Lot Worse Since We Spoke, described as an LGBT horror novel, which went viral on social media in recent years for its disturbing storyline.

Eric's recently released LGBTQ horror, At Dark, I Become Loathsome, has been optioned for an adaptation by Norman Reedus, star of The Walking Dead.

Alma Katsu marked her debut as an author in 2011 with the first installment of The Taker trilogy, which is equal parts fantasy, historical fiction, paranormal romance, and horror.

While her most popular publication is the Goodreads Favorite Horror nominee The Hunger, published in 2018, The Wehrwolf, released in 2022, garnered critical acclaim, winning her a Bram Stoker Award and shortlisting for the Shirley Jackson Award.

In September 2025, Alma did an Owlbabble on The Nest where she chatted live about her most recent novel, Fiend. You can watch the replay here by signing up to the free bookish community.