Author
Stephen Graham Jones
Birth Date
January 22, 1972
(54 Years)
Associated Country
United States
Stephen Graham Jones is an American horror novelist, short story writer, editor, and academic whose work has redefined contemporary horror through its blend of Indigenous storytelling, literary experimentation, and classic genre traditions. A citizen of the Blackfeet Nation, he was born in Midland, Texas, and raised primarily in West Texas. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in English from Texas Tech University before completing a PhD in English at Florida State University. His lifelong love of horror films, Westerns, comic books, and speculative fiction has profoundly shaped a body of work that is both deeply rooted in Blackfeet culture and unmistakably modern.
Jones began publishing fiction in the late 1990s, but his international breakthrough came with The Only Good Indians (2020), a supernatural horror novel exploring guilt, tradition, and cultural identity through the experiences of four Blackfeet men. The novel earned widespread critical acclaim and multiple major awards, firmly establishing him as one of the leading voices in modern horror. He followed it with the acclaimed Indian Lake Trilogy (My Heart Is a Chainsaw, Don't Fear the Reaper, and The Angel of Indian Lake), as well as I Was a Teenage Slasher and The Buffalo Hunter Hunter. Beyond novels, Jones has written numerous short story collections, novellas, comic books, and edited works, demonstrating remarkable versatility across horror, crime, science fiction, and literary fiction.
Widely regarded as one of the most influential horror writers of his generation, Jones has received numerous honors, including the Nebula Award, multiple Bram Stoker Awards, Shirley Jackson Awards, Locus Awards, and the Los Angeles Times Ray Bradbury Prize. In addition to his writing, he serves as the Ivena Baldwin Professor of English at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he teaches creative writing. His fiction is celebrated for combining psychological intensity, cultural authenticity, and a deep affection for the horror genre, earning him an international readership and helping broaden the scope of contemporary horror.
Jones began publishing fiction in the late 1990s, but his international breakthrough came with The Only Good Indians (2020), a supernatural horror novel exploring guilt, tradition, and cultural identity through the experiences of four Blackfeet men. The novel earned widespread critical acclaim and multiple major awards, firmly establishing him as one of the leading voices in modern horror. He followed it with the acclaimed Indian Lake Trilogy (My Heart Is a Chainsaw, Don't Fear the Reaper, and The Angel of Indian Lake), as well as I Was a Teenage Slasher and The Buffalo Hunter Hunter. Beyond novels, Jones has written numerous short story collections, novellas, comic books, and edited works, demonstrating remarkable versatility across horror, crime, science fiction, and literary fiction.
Widely regarded as one of the most influential horror writers of his generation, Jones has received numerous honors, including the Nebula Award, multiple Bram Stoker Awards, Shirley Jackson Awards, Locus Awards, and the Los Angeles Times Ray Bradbury Prize. In addition to his writing, he serves as the Ivena Baldwin Professor of English at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he teaches creative writing. His fiction is celebrated for combining psychological intensity, cultural authenticity, and a deep affection for the horror genre, earning him an international readership and helping broaden the scope of contemporary horror.
Books
A diary, written in 1912 by a Lutheran pastor is discovered within a wall. What it unveils is a slow massacre, a chain of events that go back to 217 Blackfeet dead in the snow. Told in transcribed...
1989, Lamesa, Texas. A small town driven by oil and cotton—and a place where everyone knows everyone else’s business. So it goes for Tolly Driver, a good kid with more potential than application,...
Indian Lake, Book 3
It’s been four years in prison since Jade Daniels last saw her hometown of Proofrock, Idaho, the day she took the fall, protecting her friend Letha and her family from incrimination. Since then, her...
The winter solstice is celebrated as a time of joy around the world—yet the long nights also conjure a darker tradition of ghouls, hauntings, and visitations. This anthology of all-new stories invites...
Indian Lake, Book 2
Four years after her tumultuous senior year, Jade Daniels is released from prison right before Christmas when her conviction is overturned. But life beyond bars takes a dangerous turn as soon as she...
When Things Get Dark 2021
A collection of new and exclusive short stories inspired by, and in tribute to, Shirley Jackson.
Shirley Jackson is a seminal writer of horror and mystery fiction, whose legacy resonates globally...
Indian Lake, Book 1
Jade Daniels is an angry, half-Indian outcast with an abusive father, an absent mother, and an entire town that wants nothing to do with her. She lives in her own world, a world in which protection...
One last laugh for the summer as it winds down. One last prank just to scare a friend. Bringing a mannequin into a theater is just some harmless fun, right? Until it wakes up. Until it starts...
It follows the lives of four American Indian men and their families, all haunted by a disturbing, deadly event that took place in their youth. Years later, they find themselves tracked by an entity...
Mapping the Interior 2017
Walking through his own house at night, a fifteen-year-old thinks he sees another person stepping through a doorway. Instead of the people who could be there, his mother or his brother, the figure...
Mongrels 2016
He was born an outsider, like the rest of his family. Poor yet resilient, he lives in the shadows with his aunt Libby and uncle Darren, folk who stubbornly make their way in a society that does not...