Jeff Strand (born December 14, 1970) is an American writer, best known for his works of

horror-comedy Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary, television, and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as able to be categorized under three types: "black comedy, parody and spo ...

. He has written novels, short stories, screenplays and comedy sketches. In addition to his adult-oriented horror works, Strand also writes

young adult fiction Young adult fiction (YA) is a category of fiction written for readers from 12 to 18 years of age. While the genre is primarily targeted at adolescents, approximately half of YA readers are adults. The subject matter and genres of YA correlate ...

. He has been nominated for the

Bram Stoker Award The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented annually by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in dark fantasy and horror writing. History The Awards were established in 1987 and have been presented annually since 1 ...

five times, winning the award for the first time in 2022 in the long fiction category for his novella ''Twentieth Anniversary Screening''.

Biography

Strand was born in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

but moved to

Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the po ...

at a young age. He graduated from

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...

Green, Ohio Green is a city in southeastern Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 27,475 at the 2020 census. It is a suburban community between Akron and Canton and is part of the Akron metropolitan area. History Green Township was first ...

, where he majored in creative writing. After graduating college, he briefly returned to Alaska before moving back to Ohio and eventually moving to

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

. He had his first short story sale in 1996, selling a story titled "The Private Diary of Leonard Parr" to ''Twisted Magazine'', where it was featured in its first and only issue. After a string of books in other styles, Strand published ''Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary),'' the first novel in the horror-comedy style that he would later become known for, in 2000 through the publisher Hard Shell Word Factory. He received his first nomination for the

in 2006 in the Best Novel category for his novel ''Pressure''. In 2018 his novelette "The Tipping Point" from his short story collection ''Everything Has Teeth'' won a Splatterpunk Award in the Best Short Story category. He currently lives with his wife in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

Style

Jeff Strand is primarily known for his works of horror-comedy, which have earned him the nickname "The Clown Prince Of Horror". However, he also writes

thrillers Thriller is a genre of fiction, having numerous, often overlapping subgenres. Thrillers are characterized and defined by the moods they elicit, giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety. Suc ...

and

. His writing is often defined by its dark humor and sparse prose style. Strand has named such authors as

Douglas Adams Douglas Noel Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author and screenwriter, best known for ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Originally a 1978 BBC radio comedy, ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' developed into a " ...

Richard Laymon Richard Carl Laymon (January 14, 1947 – February 14, 2001) was an American author of suspense and horror fiction, particularly within the splatterpunk subgenre. Life and career Laymon was born and raised outside of Chicago, Illinois, then li ...

Dave Barry David McAlister Barry (born July 3, 1947) is an American author and columnist who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for the ''Miami Herald'' from 1983 to 2005. He has also written numerous books of humor and parody, as well as comic ...

and

Jack Ketchum Dallas William Mayr (November 10, 1946 – January 24, 2018), better known by his pen name Jack Ketchum, was an American horror fiction author. He was the recipient of four Bram Stoker Awards and three further nominations. His novels inclu ...

as influences on his own writing.

Bibliography

Novels *''Autumn Bleeds Into Winter'' *''Cemetery Closing (Everything Must Go)'' *''The Odds'' *''Allison'' *''Wolf Hunt 2'' *''Clowns vs. Spiders'' *''Ferocious'' *''Cyclops Road'' *''Stranger Things Have Happened'' *''Blister'' *''The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever'' *''Wolf Hunt 2'' *''Kumquat'' *''I Have A Bad Feeling About This'' *''A Bad Day For Voodoo'' *''Faint of Heart'' *''Lost Homicidal Maniac (Answers to “Shirley”)'' *''Fangboy'' *''Wolf Hunt'' *''Draculas'' *'' Dweller'' *''Pressure'' *''Benjamin’s Parasite'' *''The Severed Nose'' *''Disposal'' *''The Haunted Forest Tour'' *''The Sinister Mr. Corpse'' *''Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary)'' *''Single White Psychopath Seeks Same'' *''Casket for Sale (Only Used Once)'' *''Mandibles'' *''How to Rescue a Dead Princess'' *''Out of Whack'' *''Elrod McBugle on the Loose'' *'' My Pretties'' Novellas * ''An Apocalypse of Our Own'' * ''Kutter'' * ''Facial'' *''Stalking You Now'' *''Twentieth Anniversary Screening'' Collections * ''Candy Coated Madness'' * ''Everything Has Teeth'' * ''Dead Clown Barbecue'' * ''Dead Clown Barbecue: Expansion Pack'' * ''Gleefully Macabre Tales'' Non-Fiction * ''The Writing Life: Reflections, Recollections, and a Lot of Cursing''

References

External links

Official website of Jeff Strand
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strand, Jeff 1970 births Living people American horror writers