Jonathan Janz

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]

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.

Janz teaches high school English, film literature, and creative writing.[12] He currently resides in Indiana with his wife and three children.[13]

• 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)

• Official website
• Simon & Schuster