James M. Kisner, Jr. (March 26, 1947 – June 26, 2008) was an American novelist and short story writer, primarily of

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction ** Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction **Korean horror, Korean horror fiction * Horror film, a film genre *Horror comics, comic books focusing o ...

Biography

Early life and education

James M. Kisner, Jr. was born on March 26, 1947, in

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

to Norma and James M. Kisner. He had one brother, Dan, and graduated from Bosse High School in 1965. He earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts degree in English at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

Career

Kisner began his career in advertising and wrote part-time, eventually leaving advertising to write full-time. His first novel, ''Nero's Vice'', was published in 1981. He also published under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

s Martin James and Eric Flanders.

Marriage and children

Kisner married the former Carole Kleckner in 1969. The couple had fraternal twins, James M. Kisner, III and Jayne M. Kendall. Later in life, he married his second wife, Phyllis Kisner.

Death and afterward

James Kisner died at his home in Evansville due to accidental

carbon monoxide poisoning Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Symptoms are often described as "flu-like" and commonly include headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Large e ...

. His wife, Phyllis Kisner, age 59, also died in the accident.

Published works

Novels

*''Nero's Vice'', Beaufort, 1981 *''Slice of Life'', Zebra, 1982 *''Strands'', Leisure, 1988 *''Night Glow'' (as Martin James), Pinnacle, 1989 *''Zombie House'' (as Martin James), Pinnacle, 1990 *''Poison Pen'', Zebra, 1990 *''Earth Blood'', Zebra, 1990 *''The Quagmire'', Zebra, 1991 *''The Forever Children'' (as Eric Flanders), Zebra, 1992 *''Night Blood'' (as Eric Flanders), Zebra, 1993 *''Tower of Evil'', Leisure, 1994

Short stories

*"The Litter", ''Masques 2'' (1987) *"Manny Agonistes", ''Scare Care'' (1989) *"The Willies" (1989) *"Something Extra" (1990) (with J.N. Williamson) *"

Self-Esteem Self-esteem is confidence in one's own worth or abilities. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself (for example, "I am loved", "I am worthy") as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame. Smith and Mackie (2007) d ...

" (1991) *"The Defiance of the Ugly by the Merely Repulsive" (1993) *"Ground Water", '' The Earth Strikes Back'' (1994) *"God-Less Men" (1995) Anthologies containing short stories by James Kisner:
''Masques 3'' (1989)
''Urban Horrors'' (1990)
'' Short Sharp Shocks'' (1990)
''Hotter Blood: More Tales of Erotic Horror'' (1991)
''Predators'' (1993)
''Vampire Detectives'' (1995)
''Southern Blood: Vampire Stories from the American South (1997)''
''Vampire Slayers: Stories of Those Who Dare to Take Back the Night (1999)''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kisner, James 1947 births 2008 deaths American horror writers 20th-century American novelists Indiana University alumni Deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning Writers from Evansville, Indiana American male novelists American male short story writers 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers Novelists from Indiana