Jonathan Janz
Jonathan Janz (born October 27, 1973) is the pen name of Craig Shaeffer, an American horror author of sixteen novels and one collection of short fiction.
Jonathan Janz | |
|---|---|
Jonathan Janz with his wife at Scares That Care in Williamsburg, VA on March 31, 2023 | |
| Born | October 27, 1973 Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S. |
| Occupation | Author, teacher |
| Period | 2010–present |
| Genre | |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | |
| jonathanjanz | |
Early life edit
Jonathan Janz grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was raised by his mother near a graveyard, where she would check out books on albums from the library. Early influences during this time include The Twilight Zone, In Search Of..., the works of Edgar Allan Poe,[1] as well as the audio version of The Signal-Man by Charles Dickens.[2] During childhood, he was prone to sleepwalking, and describes a time when he woke up in a pitch-black room of a friend's house, navigating his way through a maze of boxes because the family had just moved in.[3]
Career edit
In 2011, Janz published his debut novel, The Sorrows. The book received praise from author Brian Keene, who called it "the best horror novel of 2012."[4] Keene would also describe Janz as "One of the best writers in modern horror to come along in the last decade."[5]
Between 2011 and 2016, eight of Janz's novels were released by Samhain Publishing. After this, Janz signed a deal with Flame Tree Publishing, which published four more novels as well as reprintings of his earlier works.[6] Other novels have been released through Sinister Grin Press, Earthling Publications, and Cemetery Dance.
His manager, Ryan Lewis, also works with Josh Malerman.[7]
Janz cites multiple influences on his career, including Stephen King, Joe R. Lansdale, Brian Keene, Richard Matheson, among many others.[8][9]
His latest novel, The Dismembered, was released in November 2022.[10]
In March of 2023, Janz won the Wilburn-Thomas Award at the Scares That Care event in Williamsburg, Virginia.[11] This is a charity event organized by author Brian Keene and the award is given to authors who have helped other writers and their community.
Personal life edit
Jonathan Janz is the pen name for Craig Shaeffer.[12] Janz teaches high school English, film literature, and creative writing at West Lafayette Junior-Senior High School.[12][13] He currently resides in Indiana with his wife and three children.[14]
Bibliography edit
- The Sorrows (2011, Samhain Publishing)
- House of Skin (2012, Samhain Publishing)
- The Darkest Lullaby (2013, Samhain Publishing)
- Savage Species (2013, Samhain Publishing)
- Bloodshot: Kingdom of Shadows (2013, Kindle Direct Publishing)
- Dust Devils (2014, Samhain Publishing)
- Castle of Sorrows (2014, Samhain Publishing)
- The Nightmare Girl (2015, Samhain Publishing)
- Wolf Land (2016, Samhain Publishing)
- Children of the Dark (2016, Sinister Grin Press)
- Exorcist Falls (2017, Sinister Grin Press)
- The Siren and the Specter (2018, Flame Tree Publishing)
- Tales From the Shadow Side (2019, Thunderstorm Books) (containing the novellas Witching Hour Theatre, Old Order, The Clearing of Travis Coble, and A Southern Evening)
- The Dark Game (2019, Flame Tree Publishing)
- The Raven (The Raven Book 1) (2020, Flame Tree Publishing)
- Blood Country (The Raven Book 2) (2022, Flame Tree Publishing)
- Marla (2022, Earthling Publishing)
- The Dismembered (2022, Cemetery Dance)
References edit
- ^ "Interview with one of my FAVOURITE US Horror writers – Jonathan JANZ". WordPress. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ "AUTHOR INTERVIEW: JONATHAN JANZ". Tim Meyer Author. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ "AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Jonathan Janz". Meghan's House of Books. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ "Jonathan Janz". Ginger Nuts of Horror. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ "How Acclaimed Horror Author Jonathan Janz Writes: Part One". Podglomerate. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ "Quoth 'The Raven' An interview with horror writer Jonathan Janz". Book & Film Globe. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ "Quoth 'The Raven' An interview with horror writer Jonathan Janz". Book & Film Globe. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ "Modern Horror's Shining Light: Kendall Reviews talks to the brilliant Jonathan Janz". Kendall Reviews. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ "[Interview] Jonathan Janz Talks Earliest Writings, Horror Favorites and the Future". Horror Novel Reviews. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ "Look Out For … The Dismembered by Jonathan Janz". This Is Horror. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ "AuthorCon Recap". TRANSMISSIONS FROM BLACK HOLE PLANET 3. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ a b Harris, Hadassah (February 6, 2024). "Local high school teacher reveals his secret career as an author". WLFI News 18. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
- ^ "AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Jonathan Janz". Meghan's House of Books. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ "Modern Horror's Shining Light: Kendall Reviews talks to the brilliant Jonathan Janz". Kendall Reviews. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
External links edit
- Official website
- Simon & Schuster