I´ve adored stories of horror and the macabre almost since before I can remember. Thankfully, my mother (a horror fan herself) let me explore the likes of Stephen King and Bram Stoker long before it may have been considered “normal” to so do; in an age of rising home video game systems, she was probably happy that I was reading anything at all. As I grew, so did my thirst for dark and sinister literature. I remember visiting my aunt, who literally had closets full of books and who would always serve as a personal librarian in finding me the perfect title for the specific stage in my life at the time. She would openly discuss the themes of these books with me as I read, treating me more as an intellectual equal (which I was not) than a snotnosed child, and later, a brat-mouthed teen (which I was and turned into, respectively). Just as importantly, my well-read aunt never treated horror as a sub-genre of literature; she always gave it the attention and thoughtful criticism that even then I recognized it deserved.

Today, I am the author of numerous works, including a small collection of regional ghost stories and an academic article which celebrates the therapeutic and literary values of horror. While horror has long served as a scapegoat for violence and misconduct, the true master knows that horror is merely a reflection of the dark recesses of the human psyche. People have committed atrocities since long before the official form of written horror debuted. I am fascinated by the inherent darkness of human nature and believe that horror enables us to embrace our true selves as we progress and evolve in our collective humanity. Horror gives us the hope of redemption, even if there ARE a few entrails strewn about along the way.

Justin lives with his family near Boulder, Colorado and works by day as a Language Arts teacher. He holds a B.A. in theatrical performance from Seton Hill University and an M.A. in the Humanities through California State University with an emphasis in (horror) literature.

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