About Award-Winning Dark Fiction Author
L. Marie Wood
I have been a psychological horror/ supernatural suspense/ always-in-your-head author for over 40 years – no, really, I have… I started really young. I write novels, novellas, short stories, screenplays, essays, and the occasional poem. I’ve had some pretty neat things happen over the years. For example, I have been published in print and online – in newspapers, anthologies, chapbooks, magazines, and comic books (yeah, that was cool). My novel The Promise Keeper won the Golden Stake Award for Literature at the International Vampire Film and Arts Festival and yes, the trophy is actually shaped like a stake (so very cool). I’m a three-time winner of Best Horror Screenplay at the NOVA International Film Festival (!!!), Best Afrofuturism/Horror/Sci-Fi Screenplay at Urban Media Makers Film Festival, Best Psychological Horror Short Script at Hollywood Horrorfest, and Best Short Screenplay Indo-Global International Film Festival (flipping mind-blowing!) – I even won Best of Fest one year (HOLY COW!). I have a few short stories that have won awards. I am a two-time Bram Stoker Award® Finalist (!! This FLOORS me!!) and a Rhysling nominated author. My short story, “The Ever After” was part of the Bram Stoker Finalist anthology Sycorax’s Daughters . Some publications I have been involved in have been bestsellers and my novella, Telecommuting occupied the #2 spot on one of Amazon’s bestseller lists for a considerable amount of time. I even managed to get recognized in The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Vol. 15 (2004) and as one of the 100+ Black Women in Horror Fiction (2018).
Loving writing and reading the way I do, I try to stay involved in the community any way that I can. Over the years that has meant editing anthologies (5 so far!), running poetry contests (waayyy back “in the day”, as in the late 90s, when I hosted a website called The Second Cup… ah, the memories!), speaking on panels about the genre, and teaching horror and creative writing courses at post-secondary institutions (I created an Intro to Writing Horror course that I have had the pleasure of teaching at both the university and community college levels – sweet!). I was the In Your Write Mind conference’s author guest of honor in 2022 (floored by this!) and I created a whole school – well, an academy, but really, let’s not mince words – called the Speculative Fiction Academy (honestly – I am so amazed by what the instructors at SFA bring to the table. Just blown away!).
And, oh yeah… I’m the Vice President of the Horror Writers Association.
I’ve also:
Participated in and serving as an officer in organizations dedicated to fostering the craft of story creation, most recently as the Director of Curricula and Outreach for Diverse Writers and Artists of Speculative Fiction
Served as the programming the horror track at MultiverseCon
Had the good fortune to be an on again, off again interviewer, but only because I enjoy chatting with my friends and finding out why they do what they do.
Let’s see… what else…? Oh! I am an Active member of the Horror Writers Association and I serve as a mentor there as well (and now I’m the VP of the org I love!). I’m also a Full Member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association and I’m a mentor there as well! 🙂 I am a member of Romance Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association because I dip my toe in all of these spaces.
Some other really cool things?
My presentation, “Blaxploitation, Black Gothic, and Black Agency in Horror”, is archived at the Centre for the History of the Gothic at University of Sheffield!
My work is part of the horror archive at University of Pittsburgh (University of Pittsburgh Library System | Horror Studies)!
And this amazingness happened in 2022!
And then this AMAZING HONOR happened in 2022:
In March 2023 it was announced that I will be part of the Madness and Writers: The Untold Truth project! A series of episodes will find writers in their habitat, uncovering their processes and more. I will be showcased alongside powerhouse writers like Linda Addison, Paul Tremblay, Lee Murray, Michael Bailey, Gabino Iglesias, Rena Mason, Joe Lansdale, Brian Keene, and more! HOLY COW!
And I wrote a TEXTBOOK, y’all!
What can I say? Writing is kinda my thing.
Reviewers have said some amazing things about my work over the years:
“Wood is a master world builder…”
R. J. Joseph, author of Monstrous Domesticities
“L. Marie Wood quite skillfully pulls the reader into the world of the supernatural, making each and every sentence feel almost palpable.”
All About ghosts
“Several months later, I’m still able to “see” the visuals Wood conjured up in my mind; that’s potent!”
Mother Horror
“L. Marie Wood continues to be a force in the world of horror with her unique writing style and her ability to spin a tale that will stay with you long after you have read the last sentence.”
midwest book review
“L. Marie Wood [has] superb pacing and a fantastical flair that has earned her a place among the most inventive horror writers of our time.”
somniloquy
Aww, shucks.
Why is any of the above important? Because it shows my passion and dedication to my craft – at least, I hope it does! I am, and will always be, a storyteller.
Check out some of the amazing stuff that is buzzing around about me these days!
L. Marie Wood 