6 Up-and-Coming LGBTQ+ Horror Authors to Add to Your Reading List

Mae Murray is one of those authors who, if you’re not currently reading her work, then you need to remedy that as soon as possible. 

Her fiction is undoubtedly some of the strongest and most uncompromising in the industry, a talent that’s fully on display in her debut novel, I’m Sorry If I Scared You. And not only is Mae Murray a fantastic writer, but she’s also a fierce advocate for BIPOC, queer, and female horror authors. 

Her voice is among the most vital in the horror genre today, and I can’t recommend her work enough, so do yourself a favor this Pride Month (or any month!) and add Mae Murray to your reading list. Your world will be a much better—and much more horror-filled—place for it. 

Last year, Lindsay Merbaum’s novella, Vampires at Sea, which follows a vampire couple and their unusual exploits aboard a cruise ship, hit the shelves, and suffice it to say, it was one of the most innovative interpretations of the vampire legend that’s come out in years. 

And for a well-tread trope like vampires, that’s really saying something. She’s also the purveyor of Pick Your Potions, a fabulous series in which she designs cocktails to match recent books. 

If that wasn’t enough, her next novel, Witches of the Wheel, is due out in September from Creature Publishing, so be sure to get your pre-order in as soon as possible. 

A self-described “Chicana-futurist, daydreamer, storyteller of things that come from the dark,” M. M. Olivas’s work reflects such a unique, beautiful, and necessary vision, and it’s beyond exciting to see her writing gaining some serious traction in the speculative community. 

Case in point: her debut novel, Sundown in San Ojuela, released in 2024 by Lanternfish Press, garnered praise throughout the industry. The novel explores what it means to be haunted, both in your own life as well as all the generations of trauma that came before. 

In addition to her longer work, her short fiction has appeared in outlets including Apex, Uncanny Magazine, and Bourbon Penn, so you’ve got plenty of opportunities to check out M. M. Olivas’s writing as soon as you can.

Willow Nichols-Capra is a vibrant new voice on the horror scene, and I’m so thrilled to have recently discovered her work. She’s based in New England, where she edits and writes fiction and screenplays. 

Just this month, her brand-new story, “Ethereal Creatures,” was released in the latest issue of Cosmic Horror Monthly alongside award-winning authors like Eden Royce and Christi Nogle. 

Needless to say, I have no doubt we’ll be seeing a lot more of Nichols-Capra’s writing very soon, so be sure to keep an eye out for her work. She’s a name that will soon be everywhere in horror, and we’ll all be luckier for it.  

Stephanie Rose is an absolute force of nature. An accomplished author as well as a rock star editor, she’s been making a name for herself on the horror scene for the past couple of years. 

And for good reason: the anthologies she edits are consistently incredible, and her own fiction is every bit as good. As one of the authors in her forthcoming anthology, Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: Another Halloween Horror Anthology, I truly feel lucky just to get to work with her. 

She’s devoted to diversity, and she’s always looking for ways to amplify other authors’ voices and create an equitable industry for everyone. In terms of her own fiction, her debut novel, Hiding Lies, which came out last year, follows a forensic photographer who’s carrying a dark and traumatic history. 

Her upcoming book, Small Town Slasher, is sure to be a major favorite in the genre, so put her work on your TBR pile as soon as you can. 

A prolific poet and fiction author, Corey Niles is definitely a writer who needs to be on your radar. 

His debut novel, Blood & Dirt, is a modern take on the Frankenstein mythos, and his follow-up, What Remains, released last year by Crystal Lake Publishing, is a fascinating exploration of an apocalypse and what happens to us when the world collapses around us. 

His latest poetry collection, In the Woods Only the Trees Hear You Scream, is forthcoming from Rooster Republic Press, and with an absolutely gorgeous cover, you know you’re going to want this one for your bookshelf. 

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