Happy Goat Horror

Dark bleatings, my beautiful tribe! I wrote a post like this last month, but there are too many awesome gals in the horror community to contain them to just one post, so here are 10 more awesome female authors that are currently active.

Tracy Fahey

Tracy’s short stories are unreal. I first discovered her writing in her short story collection, The Unheimlich Manoeuvre, and was blown away. She’s savage. You’re reading along thinking well this is good but where’s the real horror? And then she smashes you with it at the end. I moved on from there to her novella, They Shut Me Up, a tearing story about a menopausal woman who realises that there are changes her body is going through that have never been spoken of…

She’s a real talent and is great at mixing emotionally honesty and real-world settings with the weirdest, supernatural ideas.

You can find Tracy HERE.

Rachel Harrison

If you’re familiar with my content, you’ll know how utterly obsessed I am with Rachel’s novel, Black Sheep. Even the memory of reading it makes me insanely gleeful. She’s not only a wonderful writer in her style and storytelling, but she’s brilliant at subverting reader expectations.

You can find Rachel HERE.

Candace Nola

I mean… who hasn’t heard of Candace Nola, at this point? Some of her titles include Bishop, The Vet, and The Unicorn Killer. Her work ranges from balls out horror fun to deeply personal, emotional reflections on mortality. She’s an excellent writer and a credit to the horror scene.

You can find Candace HERE.

Annie Knox

I first became aware of Annie Knox when she submitted a story to an anthology I worked on (her story was in the final version of the book). There was a real sting in the tale to her story that made me feel cold all over in a way that nothing else I’d read recently was able to. So naturally, I went seeking more of her work and quickly noticed that wrapping things up with a studded, spiky bow is one of Annie’s real talents. She’s also really skilled when it comes to creating characters, something I’m really big on when I’m reading.

You can find Annie HERE.

Laura Purcell

Laura Purcell is the author of the extremely spooky The Silent Companions, the scandalous The Whispering Muse, and award-nominated The Shape of Darkness. If you enjoy a mix of narrative styles and themes, you’ll probably enjoy Laura’s storytelling.

You can find Laura HERE.

Priya Sharma

Priya’s style is different. In her novella, Pomegranates, she infuses contemporary eco-horror with Greek mythology. In her collection, All the Fabulous Beasts, she tackles nature, feminism, love, and sexuality, but through a dark and uncomfortable lens. She’s a master of weaving narrative styles together and I’ve never read anyone else like her.

You can find Priya HERE.

Aliya Whiteley

As well as fiction, Aliya Whitely is also the author of numerous works of non-fiction, covering a range of topics, including the rising popularity of science fiction, and – and I love this – fungi. I know her best in her fiction for her novel, Greensmith. It’s about … a universe-wide, plant-death problem. And if that sounds weird, it’s because it is, but it’s also wonderful.

You can find Aliya HERE.

Debra Castenada

Debra Castenada is the author of several stand-alone novels that all belong to her Dark Earth Rising series. If there’s one thing I love, it’s an author multi-verse, and I love it when I find a book series that works like this. You can read them in any order. They’re spooky and supernatural in nature, and full of dynamic characters.

You can find Debra HERE.

Lydia Prime

Lydia Prime is scary and funny (in her writing – I’m sure she’s not scary in real life!). I know her for her short stories – I discovered her in anthologies and then recently had the pleasure of reading her co-written short story collection (with the also excellent Jill Girardi), We’re Not Ourselves Today. She covers everything from confused demons to hideous under-ice ghouls to fucky cooking shows.

You can find Lydia HERE.

Elizabeth Broadbent

This author is an expert at weaving characters with extraordinary depth, and not just that, but communicating through them things that the reader grows to understand before they do. As well as (fantastic) fiction, she also writes non-fiction and poetry, which is evident in her fiction because her writing is so emotionally honest and also gorgeous.

You can find Elizabeth HERE.

I hope I’ve recommended some of your new favourite authors – let me know some of your favourite female-written horror books!

Bleeeeat!